Conscious Entrepreneurship: May I introduce Adrian Sullivan Jr.
Adrian Sullivan is an entrepreneur from Long Island, NY who is now based in Philadelphia. From a young age, sports and media played an instrumental part of Adrian’s life. That led him to attending Temple University as a student athlete — he studied media production and was on the D1 football team. After graduation, Adrian knew that his two greatest callings were to help people and to work in media.
Adrian struggled to find the intersection between those two callings. He worked in education and took on corporate jobs but did not feel that he was working towards his vision. For that reason, he took the leap of faith in 2020 to become the co-founder and president of his own media agency. Today, Adrian is gearing up to officially launch Rockstaws Incorporated — a full-service media agency promoting black talent, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP — What meaning do you give this term?
Conscious entrepreneurship is all about building a business that pays it forward. You can do anything to make money, but my company places a higher value on impact. How do you leave the world a better place than you found it? For Rockstaws Incorporated, that is a question that drives our passion, purpose and mission. We strive to empower our community. Through our stories as successful, young black men, we plan to give the blueprint on how others can achieve success and carve their own path. The most loving thing you can do for someone is give them the tools to be the best version of themselves. Nourishing our audience’s mindset is how we set out to change the world.
MENTORS — We all need a little help along the journey. Who has been an invaluable mentor for you? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Often times, we think of mentors as people we find along our path. I have been blessed to have those people in my life, but I also started life with a profound mentor. My grandfather is the greatest mentor and role model that I could ever ask for. One of the most impactful messages I have been receiving throughout my whole life is building a great reputation through great actions. I have constantly heard it takes a lifetime to build a great reputation and seconds to destroy it. We see constant examples of people who make one costly mistake that they struggle to recover from. Like any person, I have my shortcomings but that has been a very impactful lesson in my life. It reminds me to be more well thought out and mindful.
CAUSE — What are the causes close to your heart, and you are supporting right now? Can you share a story how you got involved? How did it make you feel?
The main causes that are close to my heart involve the education crisis within inner cities. A lot of children are not able to manifest their innate abilities due to a lack of resources and access to information. While being a student athlete at Temple University, I got involved through community service and continued working in education as a coach and mentor after college. The bleak reality that a lot of kids have to deal with growing up in inner cities without access completely changed my mindset. I developed a focus on how I can help as many kids as possible improve their situation. At times, it made me feel hopeless until I realized that I could become a change agent and positively impact the lives of these children on a large scale. That is a major reason that my media agency is designed to share successful stories of black men and women. If you give these kids a blueprint to success, I believe they will be able to apply it.
ADVICE — What kind of advice would you like to give to an aspiring entrepreneur who feels limited due to their background or lack of resources?
Advice I would give to an entrepreneur that is limited due to background or lack of resources is to start with their why and their purpose. If you have a strong conviction about why you are doing the things you are doing, the rest of the process is achievable. At some point in entrepreneurship, you need to attract people and resources to you. The way that you attract those things is through your mission. The stronger that mission is, the better you will be able to recruit the support you need. Your why, purpose and mission is the foundation that will serve as the platform to bring the right people on board.
DRIVE — Do you sometimes feel bad for “wanting more out of life”, and if so, why? What is your personal motivation that leads you through the hardships of entrepreneurship?
I have always been a person that wants the best that life has to offer. We only get to live once and I want this experience to be as grand as it can be. My personal motivation that leads me through entrepreneur hardships is largely based around freedom. Entrepreneurs are the people who are more fearful of the ordinary life than of failure. I believe in myself to be the designer of my life and to live on my own terms. I truly imagine I am boundless and anything that I want to pursue is achievable.
INSPIRATION — Is there an entrepreneurial book or podcast that inspires you that you would like to share with our readers?
A podcast that serves for inspiration for me is the Joe Budden Podcast. One of the thematic elements of the podcast is ownership and carving out your niche. It is very scary to venture out and create your own business. However, the podcast stresses the importance and beauty of running your own business.
YOU — Is there anything you would like to share that we have not asked you here?
Aside from being an entrepreneur and the co-founder/president of Rockstaws Incorporated, I am deeply passionate about mental health advocacy. I have a passion to help young professionals and business leaders unlearn negative habits and mindsets so that they can create a more positive, abundant life for themselves and those around them. I am also currently writing a book on self-development to jumpstart young professionals on their journey towards empowerment!
THANK YOU!
Reach out to Adrian Sullivan on LinkedIn.
Demee Koch about the MEDIUM interview series on CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
Conscious entrepreneurship for me is about building a sustainable business that values and respects the resources used and makes an effort of giving back to society.
I believe we need entrepreneurs to really get involved in the causes close to their heart.
This is why I reach out to entrepreneurs that aim for more than generating profit. With this interview, I aim to share entrepreneurial purpose-led passion to inspire others.
Looking forward to learn from you. Reach out to me via LinkedIn.
Demee ❤︎
