Devon Moody-Graham began her first venture in entrepreneurship when she was just 10 years old. She used her allowance to buy snacks and sell them to her fellow students at school.
“I had my book bag with my school books and then I had a book bag with snacks,” she said.
Moody-Graham had a front-row seat to entrepreneurship even before she went into business herself as a kid. Her father, Robert Moody, is the owner of Broadway Shoe Repair in downtown St. Louis.
Today, Moody-Graham is continuing the family tradition of business ownership. She owns her own consulting firm, CEOMom Empire LLC, and a premium valet laundry startup called BubbleMate. Clients of CEOMom Empire have included Harris-Stowe State University, National Development Corp. and the Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois Edwardsville. Revenue for CEOMom Empire has grown 35% in the past year, Moody-Graham said.
As a consultant, Moody-Graham helps business owners and nonprofits with new market strategy and partnership development. She also has helped coach entrepreneurs, having recently led the programming for Harris-Stowe’s accelerator program for justice-involved individuals. She also is an entrepreneur in residence with the Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneur Network (ITEN).
How did you get into consulting? I started in consulting in 2008. I started in the space because I supported my dad and his business, helping with the financial stuff and paperwork. When marketing went from not just business cards and flyers to social media, I created a social media presence for him. But what I was really finding is that businesses, especially micro-enterprises and especially Black businesses, weren't growing and scaling as much. It wasn't that they didn’t have products or that they didn't have good service and foods, it was really the lack of capital and really understanding the processes and having access to the relationships that actually helped them grow and scale.
You’ve talked about the challenges for minority entrepreneurs. In the 15 years you’ve been an entrepreneur, do you think it’s gotten easier for minority founders? I think it has gotten easier and I think it can only continue to get easier when you have people who have gone through the harder (aspects). I didn't have many people to look at. Even when I started my consulting company, I only had one mentor that I ended up meeting. She gave me a lot of the tools, but I didn't have anybody to help me through this process. I didn't know any consultants. I think it's gotten easier and it will only get easier if more people can share the true journey and not the pretty stuff. Share the hard things.
What’s the inspiration for the name of your company, CEOMomEmpire? The name comes from the fact I'm a mom of four. I've been a mom my entire adult career, so I've had to maneuver being a business owner and to pursue my dreams. Traditionally, that may be for people without children or men. I’ve done a lot of things really in my own right to prove to myself that I could and then also to show my children that even though I chose to have a family, it doesn't mean that I can’t attain certain goals. That was always important to me.
What do you like to do when you’re not working? I actually love to travel. My favorite place to be is Paris. I didn't go until 2017 for fun for my birthday. It's something about being there. It's not moving as fast. It’s a slower pace than here in the U.S. I like to read when I can. I used to read physical books all the time, but my time doesn't permit it. I do more audio books now while I'm in the car. I like to design and I love fashion. I don't do like hardcore stuff, I might just do some embellishments or maybe print T-shirts.
Who is your hero? My mom. My mom is a cosmetologist. My grandmother had a cosmetology school. And I think I get a lot of my dedication from both my parents. The funny story is, before my mom had me, she literally was in labor with me and she was doing hair. My mom would not leave until she finished that person's hair because she didn't want them to look crazy. She has always been so supportive of everything that I do.
More about Devon Moody-Graham
Title: Founder and owner, CEOMom Empire LLC and BubbleMate.
Age: 39
Family: Moody-Graham has four children.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in consumer and textile marketing from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Favorite book she’s recently read: “Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom," by Tabitha Brown.
