I'm Naim Collins, the Start Somewhere Coach. I grew up in public housing in Wilmington, Delaware. I've started things and finished some. Today I lead people for a living, and I'm building CHOSENPRENEURS in public, after work. This is how I got here.
I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, in public housing. Our family was on public assistance. There were no luxuries.
What we did have was my mother. She worked hard, poured value into us, and never let our finances stop us from chasing our dreams. My values, my convictions and how grounded I am all come from her.
My father was a swimmer, a champion, a martial artist and a lifeguard. My roots in the water come from him.
I made poor decisions, and they had real consequences. Then I chose differently.
I went to Delaware State University and earned a B.S. in Sport Management. I paid my own way, and I still carry more than $100,000 in student debt. I call it investing in myself, and I'm being honest that it isn't paid off.
I went from swimmer to swim instructor, to lifeguard, to aquatics coordinator, and into a career in recreation and leadership. Today I serve as Superintendent of Recreation for the City of Wilmington.
I've always had ideas. Some I finished: my shoe designs with Kavod were featured in Vogue, and I've written and published books.
Others sat on "someday" for years. Not because the ideas were bad, but because I didn't have a clear order to follow or people to keep me accountable.
Teaching, mentoring and speaking taught me something important: people don't need more information. They need someone to walk the next step with them.
One day it clicked: it was never an idea problem. It was an order problem. Once I found guidance and a process, things started moving.
That's why I'm building CHOSENPRENEURS in public, after my 9-to-5, using free AI tools as an assistant. You get to see the real numbers, the real lessons and the real mistakes.
To the 9-to-5er who knows there's more in them: you don't need everything figured out. You need a starting point. That's why I call myself the Start Somewhere Coach.
A four-part documentary about where I started, what changed, and why I'm building in public. Watch the preview.
If my story sounds a little like yours, let's talk. Thirty minutes, free, no pressure.
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