Today is the first day of Black History Month which is also my son’s birthday.
Issa Prescott is also one of my Black History heroes because he and partner Brent brought a full-service restaurant into my neighborhood. I used to dream of having a business like his in my ‘hood.
He has the entrepreneurial knack in the family and was able to help his older sister figure out how to open a natural hair salon way before he was ready to own a restaurant. He has helped me think through business decisions and I have found it humbling to have him tell me I’m moving without a plan or all finances in hand before jumping into a project.
In 2023, Life Bistro expanded to the BeltLine and will be expanding to Terminal South Food Hall which will open in the Spring 2024 in Peoplestown.
Issa is also one of my heroes because he remains dedicated to youth development and carrying on the legacy of his grandfather Herman Prescott through his full-time work for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
I hear he’s an excellent trainer and I know he has a deep passion for both youth.
I often wonder where he gets the energy and then I imagine what it must have been like to have a mom with a full-time job while working on a PhD and some projects on the side along with raising four children.
The rejection of the grind culture is something that I see resonating with him as he prepares for paternity leave (yup!!!) and refuses to take on any projects that would have him working while he has bonding quality time with his son (Yup!)
- Here are a few business lessons I have learned from him:
- Only move into a new venture once you have allocated the funds to support it for at least a year.
- Do not pay yourself until the business is solidly on its feet.
- Be sure the scope of any project aligns with the resources available to you (and revise the scope until there is alignment).
- If McDonald’s consistently spends money on advertising and marketing, so must the small business. You have to keep your business offering in the forefront of your potential customers.
- Enjoy what you do or don’t do it!
Bravo to Issa for making history by making tasty vegan food.
Proudly,
Folami
