OUR CAUSE (OC): Where did you grow up, and where there any Black owned businesses in your neighborhood?

Van Rosebrough (VR): I grew up in your typical middle class Black family in Baltimore County, Maryland. We always had the traditional Black businesses as in barber shops and beauty salons, but my parents purposely exposed us to other areas of the city where we still owned our corner stores, dry cleaners, and maintained successful dentists and medical offices.

OC: When did you know you would one day want to own your own business?

VR: I come from a family of entrepreneurs who have experienced a modest amount of success in their business endeavors, so on one hand, I guess, it is in my blood. Whether it was shoveling snow, washing cars or cutting grass, I learned early in life there is an intrinsic value in making money for your self.

OC: What steps did you take to prepare for achieving your goal of business ownership?

VR: First and foremost, you have to do your research. Business is all about understanding the market you intend to serve, while staying on top of the service for which you intend to provide. After completing my research, I hired a lawyer to handle my incorporation process. Most businesses fail due to a lack of understanding the importance of properly filing and maintaining necessary paperwork. The last step was to simply step out and ‘do it’.

OC: Why did you select Morgan State University (MSU)?

VR: Growing up in Baltimore, I was always aware of the history and legacy of Morgan, but often took it for granted. Several of my high school teachers were very instrumental in selling the university as a college to consider during my 12th grade year of high school. After doing my research and applying, I was awarded an academic scholarship.

OC: How has your experience at MSU helped you in the business world?

VR: No business can survive without resources and connections. I value the relationships made through being an Alumni of Morgan State and they have done a great deal to provide credibility and access to a variety of arenas. Morgan is an HBCU that had been historically under-funded, but you learned to accomplish great things with less. That lesson easily translates into the business world.

OC: What tools, learned in the business world, helped you when starting your own business?

VR: The tools I learned are the value of networking and building relationships, as well as the importance of maintaining credibility by being competent.

OC: Do you have a business mentor you can call on for advice?

VR: I have a circle of advisors I call on for various forms of advice. If you want to be successful, you have to surround yourself with other successful people.

OC: How has Sigma impacted your life?

VR: Sigma has impacted my life by constantly reminding me that anything you love, you continue to work hard to foster positive change.

OC: Has networking played a major role in your career, business ownership? VR: Networking is vital to the growth of any business.

OC: When was Van Rosebrough Business Solutions, Inc. launched, and what kind of services do you provide?

VR: My current business is actually the culmination of other businesses I have owned throughout the years. I re-launched the company last year under the name Van Rosebrough, Business Solutions, Inc. to focus primarily in the areas of corporate training, facilitation and general business planning.

OC: In what ways can we encourage the younger generation to become business owners?

VR: The first form of encouragement is to actually present entrepreneurship as an option. Regardless of whether they pursue it on a part or full-time basis, they have to be taught that owning their own business is an option. We spend too much time teaching our kids to go to school in order ‘to get a job’ instead of going ‘to make a living’. This is one of the fundamental lessons highlighted in Woodson’s, “The Mis-education of the Negro”. Next, we must provide the next generation with examples of businesses working in our communities. If it is safe to assume children often model themselves after what they see, then they must be given the opportunity to interact with those who have been successful in business.

OC: Any advice for those wanting to start their own business?

VR: In business, you will experience your share of highs and lows. Find something you are so passionate about that you are willing to endure both the good and bad times.

OC: Give us your top three MUSTS of starting a business?

VR: 1. You MUST have a goal.

2. You MUST have a business plan.

3. You MUST take the time to do the paperwork.

OC: In what direction do you see your company expanding in the next 10 years?

VR: My goal is to make the name of my company synonymous with excellence in the services we provide. This will provide me with the opportunity to lock in long term deals with organizations of varying sizes throughout the country to ensure residual revenue streams.

You can reach Bro. Rosebrough by e-mailing him at INFO@VANROSEBROUGH.COM or visit the website at www.vanrosebrough.com.