Wymon Brown spent the majority of his life delivering materials. He worked as a UPS truck driver for 32 years and was employed with the company for over 37. As he approached the age of retirement, he began to consider using his experience to start his own freight transportation operation. Due to his lack of business experience, however, Brown turned to the Aiken Area SBDC for assistance.

During his initial counseling session, he was introduced to Aiken Area business consultant Brent Hoover, who was eager to take on Big WY Transport as a full-time client and help it grow. “As a new consultant, I was excited to have Wymon as my first long-term client,” Hoover said. “From the get-go, he was laser-focused on launching his business and forming a brand that reflected his strong work ethic and dynamic personality.”

Brown’s initial plan was to acquire a micro loan to cover his company’s startup costs. Hoover helped him develop a business plan to present to the bank when applying for the loan, as well as informed him of the different licenses he would have to acquire in order to begin operations. During the process, Brown decided it was best to forgo the loan and finance his company out-of-pocket—so Hoover helped him with his initial purchases of a truck and trailer and by encouraging him to focus on branding. Hoover also suggested Brown engage a graphic design team to create a logo for the company.

As the grand opening quickly approached, Hoover helped ensure that Brown was organized and positioned for success. He not only sorted Brown’s financial and business records in an excel sheet and binder, but he also helped Brown organize his cash flow and tax record files. Within his first two months, Brown had made $10,000 in sales with a $3,000 net-profit in his first month.

“Wymon has an infectious personality and truly loves driving,” Hoover said. “He also loves that his business gives him a chance to see the country while working.” Brown did have a chance to see the country, with his work taking him everywhere from Nevada to Massachusetts. However, the fuel costs for his cross-country trips were having a substantial negative impact on his profits. So Brown approached Hoover, asking for his assistance with applying to be a government contractor to focus his work on more local jobs.

Hoover contacted a fellow SC PTAC consultant, Scott Bellows, who agreed to help Brown become a registered government contractor. Bellows used his expertise to help Brown access his business’ DUNS number and begin prepping for his Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) application.

He also recognized that Big WY Transport was located in a Historically Under-utilized Business zone (HUBZone) and worked to prepare Brown for his HUBZone certification.

“Wymon is on track to break-even in 2019,” Hoover said. “He is experiencing an increase in profit every month.” Right now Brown is focused on preparing to pursue high-dollar government contracts and is expected to begin bidding on his first contracts by the end of 2019.