Minority-Owned Business Finalist: Expert Maintenance and Construction LLC

Kelly Rosenblatt
Former Senior Manager, Small Business Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Published

October 09, 2019

James Moore: Expert Maintenance and Construction LLC

To better highlight the impressive members of the small business community, we sat down with the 2019 Dream Big Award finalists to learn more about their startup stories, the challenges they have faced, and what the future of business looks like to them. We chatted with James Moore of Baton Rouge-based Expert Maintenance and Construction LLC. Here is what he had to say (what follows has been lightly edited for length and clarity):

Q: What inspired the creation of your business? What problem does it help to solve?

A great need exists in minority communities and beyond: a need for business know-how. This need is created by the disconnect between talent and knowledge of how to reap the benefits of that talent. With a college education in business management, I wanted to seize the opportunity to help minorities develop businesses, showing them what could be accomplished by combining their God-given talents with an understanding of business management. The specific problem solved is providing a practical, real-life demonstration of how to finance their businesses and implement good financial practices that enables them to find and secure jobs and/or contracts, but primarily teaching them how to invest back into their business.

Q: What is the greatest challenge you faced while building your company and how did you overcome it?

The greatest challenge I faced while building my company was not having the money to obtain larger-scale jobs. There was a vicious cycle that kept me at a certain level. In order to break the cycle and grow my company, I learned that I had to sacrifice economic wants. I now believe that it is vital to put every investment back into a growing business. If you are a small business owner, you must always treat your company as your first financial priority.

Q: When it comes to your business, what has been your proudest moment to date?

My proudest business moment so far has been being named 2018 Louisiana District SBA 8(a) Firm of the Year and 2019 Louisiana District Minority Small Business Champion of the Year.

Q: What does American entrepreneurship mean to you?

The greatest facet of American entrepreneurship is the opportunity any individual can have to make his or her goals and dreams become a reality. Entrepreneurship has been described as the “capacity and willingness to develop, organize, and manage a business venture along with any of its risks to make a profit.” That takes courage, determination, and industriousness. Those risks can be minimized by business know-how, and that expertise is available from men and women who have already become successful entrepreneurs and have the desire to help others.

Q: If selected as the winner of the Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award, how will you invest the $25,000 grand prize?

In keeping with my business aspirations, the money will be invested in another new minority-owned small business to give someone else the opportunities I have enjoyed, helping him or her take their own small business from startup to success.

To learn more about the 2019 Dream Big Award finalists, click here.