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HBCU Serial Entrepreneur, David Castain Shares Gen Z's Blueprint To Success

This article is more than 5 years old.

Generations are made of dreamers and believers. The Baby Boomers gave us Steve Jobs, who pioneered Apple. Generation X gave us Elon Musk, who launched Tesla Motors and SpaceX. The Millennials gave us Mark Zuckerberg, who led us into a new technology dimension with the launching of Facebook. Now we have Gen Z, those who were born between 1995 and 2012, who are expected to be the most entrepreneurial generation yet. This comes after a Millenial Branding study found that 72% of high schoolers want to start their own business someday.

Millennials, who were born between 1981 and 1994, also share the dream of becoming thriving entrepreneurs and starting their own businesses. Millennials were expected to be the successful influencers of tomorrow, but with the weight of the world on their shoulders, their entrepreneurial endeavors seem to be falling a bit short of market expectations. From 1989 to 2013 the number of people under the age of 30 who owned a business fell by 65 percent, according to an analysis of Federal Reserve data.

Barrington Bryant

Serial entrepreneur, David Castain, 29, suggests that “Millennials let their dreams stay dreams by working for others who believed in themselves. However, Gen Z is on track to flourish, and what they do next will determine whether they’re dreamers or believers." Castain, a Millennial himself, chose to take a slightly different path than his peers. He created a blueprint he feels will catapult Gen Z to entrepreneurial success by leveraging the best of both generations.

I had a great chat with the fearless David Castain for this segment of the Gen Z Mentor Hot Seat interview series. Castain is the CEO and Founder of the marketing firm David Castain and Associates, as well as the real estate investment firmCastain Capital Investments. He has circled the globe, and expanded his business portfolio to over 32 countries with clients like Chipotle, Corvias, Warwick Hotels and Resorts, Frozenyo, and Custom Fuel. He also runs the David Castain Foundation which helps Gen Z’ers with their matriculation through college, and into entrepreneurship. Let's delve a bit deeper into Castain's anecdotes for Gen Z's success. 

Marcus Noel: According to the Economic Policy Institute, research shows that since the 1970s the cost of college has skyrocketed by increasing over 151%. Also in 2011, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, reported that student loan debt exceeded consumer credit card debt. When considering these factors, what’s your take on education for Gen Z’ers?

David Castain: Although the cost of college has increased exponentially, I feel that investing in yourself is never a bad investment, not to mention the fact that billions of educational grant money goes unclaimed. Pursuing a degree doesn’t mean you have to graduate, get a job and work for someone else for the rest of your life; I didn’t. You can easily run a successful business while pursuing your education.  I strongly believe that without my bachelors from Howard University, master's from Georgetown University, and pursuing my Ph.D. from Howard University, I would not be as successful as I am. Education has a way of establishing credibility and mirroring your level of seriousness, commitment and passion. It not only gives you the knowledge to be successful in your field; it also provides a strong network, life lessons in human interaction and a mental framework that can be applied to your entrepreneurial life.

Noel: When attempting to cultivate a new business relationship, what is your advice?

Castain: I think that all relationships should be treated as potential business relationships. People do business with people they like, and they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. My first contract for David Castain & Associates was during my sophomore year with Franklin Park Homes in Greenbelt, Maryland. I was introduced to their marketing manager, Evan Allen, by a student at my university who was acting as an ambassador. A few weeks later I signed a $175,000 contract with Franklin Park. As you can imagine, I went above and beyond to help Mr. Allen accomplish the company’s goals, which also helped cultivate our relationship. When Mr. Allen later decided to make a career change to Cort, headed by Warren Buffett, he took me with him. Without my interpersonal relationship with my classmate, as well as Mr. Allen, I likely would have never been considered for either contract.

Noel: Why was it important for you to give back to Gen Zer’s through the David Castain Foundation?

Castain: When I was their age, there was no one in my environment attempting to promote education or entrepreneurship in any form or fashion. Being a minority, and growing up in an urban area, there weren’t many scholars or business owners who looked like me. I was under the impression that you not only had to be a genius but extremely wealthy to own a business or attend college.  It’s my goal to help illuminate the possibilities of Gen Z by teaching them to think outside of the box and find the educational path that best fits their career pathway to ensure success on their entrepreneur journeys.

Noel: In what ways do you think the buildup of your own personal brand has contributed to your overall success?

Castain: At the core of all my businesses, what I’m really selling is the David Castain brand. Without it, the chances of my success would be slim. In today’s society, a client is going to know whether they’re open to doing business with you after one Google search. I think it’s safe to say that Google is the new resume. Business cards, personal references, and background checks will soon be a thing of the past. A simple Google search will pull up my education, businesses, reviews, publications, income, thoughts, interest, places I’ve been and even criminal records in the blink of an eye. I’ve been in rooms with businessmen and women who have Googled me on the spot and immediately wanted to do business after seeing my search results, and verifications across multiple social media platforms. At this point, my personal brand has allowed me to expand my business ventures into a wide array of industries throughout the world. Who I am, how others perceive me, and what I have accomplished is vital to the success of my business. If you build your brand, opportunities will come; so, focus on you, until the focus is you.

Noel: How can Generation Z’ers utilize the tools of the Internet to increase their likelihood of success?

Castain: Unlike previous generations, Gen Z’ers have access to a surplus of information. The entire world is literally at their fingertips, and ready, at any given moment, to answer any question their minds can fathom. The internet has revolutionized access to knowledge, there are online universities, video tutorials, learning courses, audio books, applications, forums, statistics, literature, and electronic databases that you are able to carefully navigate from the comfort of your own home. You can find the dos and don’ts as well as the 'how-to' for just about anything. You can message a CEO on LinkedIn, get advice from your favorite entrepreneur on YouTube or stream his or her life story on Netflix to learn from his or her mistakes. You can learn how to build any business from scratch, or how to curate your social presence with the click of a button. In my opinion, that increases the likelihood of their success tremendously.

Noel: From a freshman at Howard, to a firm worth over $5 million, what qualities should a Gen Z’er possess to remain focused at this level?

Castain: Humility. I was taught to never let your success get to your head, and never let your failure get to your heart. I am well aware that I am incredibly fortunate to be where I am in life. I am also aware that many people work just as hard as I do who have not been presented with the opportunities I have been afforded. Whenever possible, I ignore anyone or anything that could cause me to be out of character or lose focus. Staying humble for me goes a long way and assists me in keeping my goals in perspective.

Noel: With the race to entrepreneurship at its prime, and social media highlighting the accomplishments of successful Gen Z’ers, what is your advice to those who may be discouraged?

Castain: The only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday. The average social media post consists of something funny, cool, or exciting. You see very few posts about hardships and struggles. I think any entrepreneur would be doing a disservice by saying that their journey was not a struggle. We are all on our own separate paths, and the worst thing you could do is compare your life to someone else’s highlight reel.

Noel: When developing goals, what are the main points you consider?

Castain: I strongly believe we are capable of anything, so I attempt to do everything I set my mind to. For me, that means turning my dreams into goals. Whether I’m developing a plan for David Castain & Associates, Castain Capital Investments or the David Castain Foundation, my main consideration is a reality check. I stop and ask myself  'are these realistic goals?'. It’s imperative that they are because my dreams are written down with dates and so are my goals. My goals divided into steps are my plans, and my plans backed by my actions become my achievements. I have learned over the past few years that it is great to have high expectations for oneself, as well as one’s business, but it is also very important to not lose a sense of reality.

A dream without a goal is just a wish, it’s the actions you take that separate the dreamers from believers!