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Tonté Pouncil

I caught fire coding…

That’s until I put on my business hat!

I always thought my dream was to be a Professional Consultant and App Developer, sipping my coffee in some off the beat coffee shop in an exotic destination.  It seemed like an appropriate dream given that I am self-taught practitioner of software development.  The more and more I cranked out various apps the more I learned how to collaborate with others and manage a team of developers on the wide range of projects that I had dreamed up.  Before I knew it, I had unwittingly slid out of the Professional Consultant and App Developer role and into a more business-oriented role.

And that’s when it happened; one day I looked up and I realized that I was much, much more than a Professional Consultant or an App Developer.  I was fortunate enough to find a business development coaching program; which provided a blue print for success.  And that was it!  That was the spark that ignited the CEO in me.

I always had entrepreneurial spirit; it has always been in me.  It was just something I knew growing up in my hometown of Flint, MI.  I cut grass, raked leaves, and painted houses, shoveled snow for 2 winters straight, learned to cut hair and provide a service to the boys in my neighborhood, had up to 4 paper routes for the Flint Journal newspaper, and received high recognition for my concert band percussion trio, all before I was four-teen years of age.

By the time I finished my high school career I:

• could type up to 35 wpm
• was a top Sells Person at the Coda – a retail clothing store inside Genesee Vally Mall in Flint, MI
• was well versed in parliamentary procedures as I was a member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Tulsa Daniel Webster High School (DWHS) chapter.
• placed 3^rdin state at the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) State Career Development Conference as member of the DWHS DECA chapter
• elected President of the DWHS African-American Student Association – where my quiz bowl team won 1^stplace at the Black Heritage Bowl Challenge.
• delivered Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech to the entire DWHS.

I caught fire coding at Michigan State University (MSU).  It was here I was exposed to the internet for the very first time.  While working as a Computer Lab Monitor, I was fortunate enough to witness the birth of today what would be called a Web Developer as I group of students stood by in awe of a young man showcasing his newly created fraternity’s website.  From that point on, I was on my own learning track and been self-taught ever since.  Ironically, I didn’t get this training from the classroom because the technology landscape was simply moving too fast for traditional school’s degree programs to keep up.  I unenrolled from MSU a few years later.  Although I never graduated from MSU, I did graduate from the school of “Do IT Yourself”.  Before leaving MSU I managed to create a student book exchange website called “StudentsEveryWhere” and had small success marketing it to the student population at MSU and later a half-a-dozen more schools.  And I created a Java algorithm for the Pick 3 Lottery, which generated and increased high probability winning numbers.

Although, I am still passionate about application development; I have discovered I'm ecstatic about business development.  I enjoy working with the business community to add real value to people’s lives.  Since day one I’ve been on a path to help my local business communities and the people of the world!  These days, I focus on setting the vision and direction for my company, knowing my profit margin numbers, and working the marketing & sales process.

I love the hustle!  For better or worse, I’m here for all of it!