
Climmie Mosley works as a cook in a buffet restaurant in Thomasville, Georgia. He has been faithful for fifteen years, but his twelve-dollar-per-hour pay is not enough to keep his family out of the struggles of poverty. To help cover expenses, he starts a side hustle barbeque in his backyard. Every weekend, his wife, Ashley, and daughters join him. It is a family affair.
They are wildly successful! The cars line up through the neighborhood on Saturday, and on Sunday mornings after church.
But working seven days a week is exhausting. Climmie gathers his courage and asks for a raise. No response. He waits and asks again, but still no response.
Working all week for his employer and all weekend for himself is a struggle. He lives exhausted and dreams of a better day. Climmie doesn't have a choice but to keep up all the hard work.
Times are hard, and money is tight, so Climmie asks a third time for a raise. For all his courage, he gets a one-dollar-per-hour raise. The paltry one-dollar raise stirs up something in him. Suddenly, he can see a clear vision of having his own restaurant. In a leap of faith, he strikes out to establish his own BBQ restaurant.
Around the same time, Climmie and Ashley hear about a twelve-week program called Spark Thomasville that helps connect "underestimated" entrepreneurs like them with valuable resources.
Still operating out of his backyard, Climmie's new business is wildly successful. But his success is hard to hide. In time, the health department shuts it down, for not satisfying the required guidelines for operating a "restaurant" in his backyard. The couple barely survives on Ashley's salary as an educator.
The twelve-week Spark Thomasville meetings are designed to be "a business incubator for the underestimated." Climmie and Ashley get their own business coach. They also receive business training and support and learn about affordable resources. The sessions are life-changing for them.
It is the middle of the Covid shutdown of 2020, and Climmie and Ashley struggle. But during the crisis a local restaurateur passes away. His facility with a commercial kitchen, limited seating, and lots of capacity for takeout becomes available. Inspired by Spark Thomasville's vision, a local investor steps forward to help Climmie get the building. It is the beginning of a great Thomasville success story.
Today, if lines around the block at H&M Bar-B-Que and Soul Food restaurant at 325 North Blvd, Thomasville, Georgia, mean anything, Climmie has found success. So much so that Ashley has left her job to join him full-time in the business.
Ashley comments on having their dream crushed and eventually revived, "God stepped in and closed one door while opening another for the business to expand. What a blessing!"
Potential business leaders and communities often suffer because they don't realize and maximize their impact. Spark Thomasville gives them joy, enthusiasm, and vision.
Having received a network of trusted advisors, rich friendships with people they trust, and enhancing their decision-making abilities and strategies, Climmie and Ashley are inspiring others. Not only have they provided for themselves, but they provide jobs for the community. Their story proves that the world is full of possibilities for "underestimated" entrepreneurs.
They are entrepreneurs bearing fruit, right here in Thomasville, Georgia!
Harry T. Jones
P.S. Check out Spark Thomasville. If you know someone who needs them, pass their info on. Looking for a way to give back? Give me a call and I will help you get involved.
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