Robert Nickell and Van Taylor on Why Giving Back To the Community Should Be Your Priority

Once you start making profits with your business, it can be a natural feeling to retain all of the money for yourself. After all, you made it! However, one of the most rewarding things in life can be to give back to the community you live in. Robert Nickell and Van Taylor are both passionate about this aspect, and want to urge fellow entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps.

Robert Nickell is the CEO and founder of Rocket Station, which helps businesses outsource their tasks and grow their workforce. When he first started building his own business, he was working 80 hours a week, which just wasn't sustainable. He then outsourced tasks to others, which made a tremendous difference. "One way to give back can be to treat the people you hire well," Nickell says. "Creating jobs that pay well and have great benefits will motivate your employees." Nickell also loves giving back by speaking at non-profit conferences. "I want to show people how it's possible to build something new, no matter your budget. Having your own company is an investment that just keeps on giving."

Van Taylor is a Black entrepreneur who loves to inspire people from his community. "Many Black people aren't able to escape the stereotypes that people have for them," Taylor says. "I want to show that it is possible to break free and be successful, no matter the color of your skin." Taylor wants to inspire people and help them find their passions. Building your own fortune may be difficult, but Taylor sees himself as proof that it is possible, no matter your situation. He also sets aside a significant portion of his income to combat food insecurity in Senegal, West Africa, as well as for his new project of creating coding schools in the area. "It hurts me that there are people suffering when we have the means to stop it. Since I have the means to give back, I want to do that for them."

Giving back to your community can mean donating time, money, or whatever you have to give. Both Robert Nickell and Van Taylor are proof that it's possible to make a difference, no matter where you live or how much money you make.