Entrepreneur Turns Passion For Training Into a Business  

dward Carroll's life has been one open door of opportunity after another. As a Northside High School Class of 1977 graduate, he has the type of drive and ambition that is necessary to succeed in today's business world. His successful career stems from the personal development skills that he acquired during his high school years.

Early Years Brings Forth Personal Development

During his years at Northside, Carroll was an outgoing and focus student. He became a member of the marching and concert band because of his love for music. He was also the yearbook editor during his senior year. Carroll was influenced by his teachers to strive for success both professionally and spiritually. He was taught the fundamentals of typing from Ms. Jackson, diction and writing skills from Mrs. Doughty-Thomas and spirituality from Ms Miller." My favorite teacher was Mrs. Doughty and everyone in the world knew it," says Carroll. He had aspirations of becoming a newscaster and made plans to major in communication at the University of Memphis. However, his father advised him to major in Business Management he believed that, as a black man, a career in the media would not allow him to gain the success that he could have as a business owner. Carroll decided to take his fathers advice and major in Business Management. "I thought that I would own my own business in the future. At the time, I never thought that it would be in training and development." After graduating from the University of Memphis, Carroll decided to enroll in The University of New Orleans to obtain his masters in Business Management. After completing his MBA, Carroll started his journey through corporate America.

Job Changes Lead to Valuable Experience

Carroll has been through several jobs changes throughout his career. While working for St. Joseph Hospital as Director of Admission, he was offered a job at Federal Express (FedEx) as a Training Specialist for ground operation. However, this position required him to relocate to Dallas, Texas. In Dallas, Carroll was given the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership and organizational skills. His abilities and work ethics did not go unnoticed by management. In 1989, Carroll was asked to relocate to Atlanta and open the new call center as the Manager of Training and Development. Carroll left FedEx in 1993 and went to work for Airborne Express. He soon realized the move was not what he expected. "Airborne Express offered me perks and incentives. Sometimes we think that the grass is greener on the other side." Carroll worked in the banking and utility industry before landing a position with his current employer TechRx. Carroll was hired as a Point of Sales Trainer with TechRx. He is currently manager of Training, Development and Quality Assurance. "The thing that I like most about my job is that it allows me to use the tools that I've learned from other companies and manage the training process," says Carroll. The training experience, which he has gained within different industries, has benefitted him as an entrepreneur.

Becoming an Entrepreneur

Carroll's years of corporate training lead him to start his own company called Training Consultant, Inc. in 1991. "People from other companies were always asking me how I became so good at training people. I decided that I could start a business by consulting for other companies." Carroll started Training Consultant, Inc. with a $71.00 cost for his business licence. Some of the training that Training Consultant, Inc. offers are in the area of Customer Care, Discrimination and Harassment, and Management.

Carroll advertises his company through the use of a database that he purchased. He sends out letters, brochures and email to major corporations. During his business travels for TechRx, he is able to market his company in other cities across the United States. Some of his clients are Evergreen Hotel and Conference Center, Bank of America, Airborne Express, Cobb EMC, and Equifax. The twelve consultants, that work for him, service clients in Atlanta and other parts of the United States. Because of his hectic schedule, Carroll's accountant handles all the bookkeeping for his business.

Finding the time to service all of his clients has been his biggest challenge. The success of his company comes from his ability to be consistent and fair with his clients. "My goal is to make sure that my customer's needs are being serviced," says Carroll. Carroll works out of his home office but is currently looking at real estate to purchase for office space. He also hopes to one day work with his consulting business on a full time. We asked Carroll what motivates him? He replied, "Walking away knowing that I have helped someone and got paid for it."

Acquiring an Interest in Gospel Music

Carroll has always had an interest in music. While in Memphis, he was the music director for his church choir. He was also a member of the James Cleveland Gospel Music Workshop, Memphis Chapter since age sixteen. When he joined the Atlanta Chapter, he was selected to become part of the executive board. Currently, he serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the James Cleveland Gospel Music Workshop of America and is the COO for the National Mass College Choir Workshop. Carroll also writes and produces gospel music for his church choir. However, he does not allow his outside interest to get in the way of family time.

The Importance of Family

Family has always been important to Carroll. As a single parent raising his fifteen-year-old son Rashad, he has been able to balance his career with parenthood. "It is not an easy job. However, I would not trade it for anything. My work schedule is flexible enough to allow me to spend the time needed to effectively parent my son." He tries to instill in his son to appreciate and respect the differences of people regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. Currently, he has plans to extend his family.

Carroll is in the process of adopting two children because of his genuine love for children. "This is something that I have thought about doing since my son was six years old," says Carroll. The adoption process requires him to attend ten classes during a ten-week period. After attending the class, he will meet with a social worker before visiting with the children. When all parties are satisfied with the selection, the adoption process will take an additional month to complete. The addition to his family will allow him to share with his children his Memphis heritage. Carroll visits Memphis at least twice a year to visit his mother and two brothers.

Edward Carroll continues to challenge himself both personally and professionally. He counts his blessings every day and definitely makes the most out of each day of his life.