The Mavs Enterprise Help program launched at the beginning of the 2022-23 basketball season to assist 100 numerous entrepreneurs and small enterprise house owners who name North Texas residence.
The Dallas Mavericks have partnered with The Lonely Entrepreneur to empower these in this system with entry to the data, instruments, and assist they should succeed as a part of the Mavs Enterprise Help (MBA) program.
We imagine within the energy of storytelling, and it’s our honor to showcase numerous MBA members all year long to focus on their extraordinary accomplishments.
Each entrepreneur has a narrative to inform. That is very true for minority and women-owned companies, who usually have to leap by way of much more hurdles to see their companies succeed. The Dallas Mavs are excited to amplify the voices of assorted minority entrepreneurs within the inaugural class of the Mavs Enterprise Help program.
MERCEDES JOHNSON
Founder and CEO of Meals Magnet
ABOUT FOOD MAGNET:
Meals Magnet was based in Dallas, Texas, to assist meals truck house owners discover new enterprise and prospects. The pandemic shut down many of the occasions that meals vehicles participated in and made discovering enterprise tough. Meals Magnet connects vehicles to native neighborhoods, places of work and extra who want a meals truck for an upcoming occasion. Meals Magnet additionally helps foodies find, comply with, and obtain promotions from their favourite vehicles contained in the cell app.
BACKGROUND:
Mercedes Johnson is a graduate pupil on the Jindal Faculty of Administration on the College of Texas at Dallas, and she or he’s working in the direction of her MBA centered on entrepreneurship and innovation.
By day, she’s a principal UX (consumer expertise) designer at Capital One, and by night time (and weekends and some other time), she’s the founder and CEO of Meals Magnet app.
Meals Magnet is a multi-sided market cell software that helps meals vehicles e book occasions, handle permits, market to prospects and extra. Meals Magnet empowers meals fanatics to seek out, e book and work together with their favourite meals vehicles.
Johnson obtained the 2021 Texas Enterprise Corridor of Fame award and was a finalist within the 2021 Massive Concept Competitors. She holds two bachelor’s levels and initially deliberate to be a information reporter. Nonetheless, she quickly acknowledged that she naturally gravitated in the direction of enterprise endeavors, and her distinctive designer skillset fast-tracked her on the highway to success. Johnson deliberate to climb the company ladder.
Then someday, her future got here calling.
Johnson joined the CometX program – a turbocharged innovation program that places pupil entrepreneurs on a quick monitor to success. The scholars are incubated in an atmosphere that prepares them to launch a brand new enterprise idea. Johnson thought she’d get to construct out a enterprise in this system. As an alternative, they wished her thought inside every week.
A short while later, Meals Magnet was born.
After I sat down with Johnson on the first Mavs Enterprise Help cohort, her infectious spirit and constructive perspective was obvious. I used to be offered simply listening to her imaginative and prescient and keenness. Nonetheless, as she later shared, the ups and downs of beginning a enterprise, going to highschool and dealing full-time could make one weary. That’s why the assist of the Dallas Mavericks and Mavs Enterprise Help is essential for Johnson and different entrepreneurs.
The native of California stated Meals Magnet got here from researching the issues food-truck companies face. She began by cold-calling meals truck house owners within the space. She wished to learn about their corporations.
Quickly Johnson realized there was a a lot higher want readily available. Lots of the meals truck enterprise house owners she talked with have been immigrants who struggled with the again finish of promoting and enterprise. The pandemic additionally highlighted a obtrusive want within the meals truck business. Whereas eating places relied on meals supply apps, meals vehicles struggled to alert their shoppers the place to seek out them and when.
As a designer, Johnson set to work on the technical resolution. Straight away she knew this might work, she simply wanted the funds, assist and a marketing strategy to launch the enterprise full steam forward.
Meals Magnet is true on the cusp of getting into the general public market at the beginning of 2023.
“After I began my MBA, that’s after I fell upon entrepreneurship,” Johnson stated. “After exploring this system, I used to be like, ‘holy cow, this is similar factor I’m already doing each day.’ So I believed, ‘okay, let’s do that,’ and the remaining is historical past.”
Johnson works full-time, goes to highschool, teaches workshops, and finds time to hitch cohorts just like the Dallas Mavericks. There’s little time to do the rest, however she understands that’s the character of the enterprise. She’s assured lives will probably be impacted by way of Meals Magnet and she or he’s pushed by the need to assist others.
Mavs.com sat down with Johnson to study extra about her extraordinary story.
Mavs.com: Hello Mercedes! First, I’m not going to faux like I learn about your business. I needed to Google what UX means, so I already really feel that a lot smarter. What else are you able to inform us about Meals Magnet?
Johnson: We’re on the point of go to market in January publicly. Meals Magnet is a double-sided market similar to Uber. The place there’s the rider aspect and driver aspect. What we do is similar idea, however with meals vehicles. So, you possibly can seek out your favourite meals truck, you possibly can e book them for particular occasions and discover low cost offers after they have lunch specials. That will probably be accessible on the buyer aspect.
On the meals truck aspect, we’re going to be extra of an end-to-end enterprise resolution, serving to them run their enterprise. Many truck house owners and drivers are immigrants; generally, English just isn’t their first language. A lot of them didn’t develop up with a powerful enterprise background. In order that’s the place I’m capable of are available and leverage my background in enterprise and apply it within the software to assist them monitor all of the essential metrics they should know. We’re going to make it tremendous simple. We’ll assist them with advertising, allowing, staffing and supply occasions on their behalf. It’s our objective to assist them scale their enterprise by placing all of the assets at their fingertips in a single spot. I actually imagine we’ll have the ability to change lives.”
Mavs.com: What challenges do you face as a Black girl in enterprise or as a minority entrepreneur?
Johnson: Generally it’s arduous for me to work with traders as a result of they count on the founder to be full-time on the startup, however I need to maintain my very own residing. I’ve met some entrepreneurs that may leverage their households or lean on companions to assist them. In my case, it’s simply me.
The problem I face is how I can maintain a residing and preserve a roof over my head whereas additionally following my dream. I’ve needed to get artistic and discover different methods to get these funds. Fortunately, I’m a powerful public speaker and have been capable of win a number of pitch competitions. However these networking occasions are extraordinarily essential to me and different minorities as a result of that’s how I’m capable of meet others who may have the ability to assist me. In any case, they’re going through the identical challenges.
That is additionally how I’m capable of share extra about my firm. I can let others know I’m coming and put a face to the identify. So, as soon as they see the corporate subsequent 12 months, they will join a face to the identify. This program is important as a result of everybody on this room has related mindsets and challenges.
I’m trying ahead to studying about everybody’s enterprise and sharing our assist of each other. One-on-one networking and having the chance to fulfill one another is essential. These occasions will not be solely essential to escalate my enterprise, however they assist us all to navigate by way of this entrepreneurial journey with different minority enterprise house owners.
Mavs.com: What are some issues we frequently miss on the enterprise or company aspect? What do you would like others knew?
Johnson: I want individuals knew extra about what the entrepreneur’s life is admittedly like. Corporations and organizations usually concentrate on the enterprise aspect, which I do know is essential. It’s important to have a powerful group behind you, positive.
However I feel it’s extra attention-grabbing to know what a founder does after they don’t have a powerful group. How do they handle the workload, and the way do they execute regardless of not having the assets? The human-interest issue is missing as a result of startups are complicated, however you possibly can’t examine grit on paper. You solely know what an entrepreneur is able to after listening to their story. In my view, the story of an entrepreneur is essential, they usually normally by no means get the chance to share it. I’ve carried the entire firm on my again and generally was alone, however I’m decided to persevere.
What’s attention-grabbing is that I’ve really met Mark Cuban! I met Mark a 12 months in the past and am now at an occasion by way of his group. I imply, what are the percentages? I even found we now have a couple of mutual connections as properly. Dallas isn’t as large because it appears. We have been each inducted into the Texas Enterprise Corridor of Fame collectively final 12 months. I acquired inducted as a scholar representing UT Dallas, and him as a legend. I’ll get there someday.
The entrepreneurial journey just isn’t linear, however the dots are all connecting. It’s been a protracted journey; there are positively ups and downs.
For these nights after I really feel like I’m out right here alone, alternatives just like the Mavs Enterprise Help recharge me. I’m so grateful to have the chance to come back right here and meet others who dwell the identical actuality as me.
I’m trying ahead to all of the totally different assets that may come out of this program. I feel in my place, any and all assist is needed. I’m right here with an open thoughts. I’m questioning how can I be useful to others and provides again a few of my data?
And two, how can I benefit from this occasion and develop from it? I’m not searching for something particular, however I’m ready to assist in any manner attainable. I’m actually excited to be right here. I got here from a consumer expertise design workshop at UT Dallas, the place I used to be guest-speaking for my occupation.
Folks usually ask me, “how did you give you Meals Magnet?” I inform them: “I’m only a actually robust designer. I understand how to analysis, take heed to my prospects, and design options.”
Mavs.com: That is the 12 months of THINKING BIG! Our Mavs group simply got here off a Western Convention finals look, in order that they continually remind me to set large targets. What does that seem like for Meals Magnet?
Johnson: I might go up towards Uber Eats and Amazon’s Entire Meals. The dream and evolution of Meals Magnet is strategic. We aspire to finally compete with these corporations, however we now have a distinct segment with meals vehicles. Part two will contain eating places and a few actual property, however we plan to fly beneath the radar till we achieve sufficient traction to grow to be harmful. Let’s simply say there’s a technique to the insanity.
Congratulations, Mercedes, on all of your endeavors! To study extra about Meals Magnet, click here.
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