UMGC Unstoppable Stories: Robert Blackwell Jr.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
I always say that no one wants to build a yellow brick road. They just want to walk on. And in doing so, uh, it goes back to that statement that my dad told me, you get in what you put in. Sometimes you got to build a road. There are going to be some folks that build a road and walk on it. There are going to be some that just want to walk on it.

So it's a testament of hard work. You got to put the dedication, the effort, the time, sweat, tears into this road that you're trying to build because it's your legacy at the end of the day. You know, uh, one of the things I'll say, there are two dates that everybody always tracks. The date that you're born, the date that you die.

They don't really matter. That dash in between. It's what really matters, what you do with that time that you have, I think is most important. Welcome to the

Intro:
UMGC podcast, Unstoppable Stories, with your host, Lauren Cardillo.

Lauren Cardillo:
Today I am joined by a UMGC grad, Robert Blackwell. Welcome, Rob.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Hey, thank you for having me.

Lauren Cardillo:
So the reason you're here is UMGC grad and you are an entrepreneur. And head of your own company, Cytech Services. Tell us what Cytech does and how you sort of got into it.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Sure. So, Cytech Services LLC is a IT consultant company based out of the Washington, D. C. area. And, uh, we support a lot of government contractors and DOD.

The business got started by accident, actually. Um, I had an opportunity where I was working for a lot of larger companies and what ended up happening is I acquired experience throughout that. I'm sure we'll talk about that. And then I started helping a buddy of mine with his smaller business. As its vice president, and then I got an opportunity to jump out and do my own.

Lauren Cardillo:
So on a day to day basis, what do you do?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
So for the most part, I'm consulting from a cybersecurity risk management perspective for my clients and managing my personnel that fall under my business as well. Lucky for me, I have a good team supporting me, so it's not a lot that's on me for the day to day.

But for the most part, uh, cybersecurity risk management, um, assessments and different things like that for risk management.

Lauren Cardillo:
So, go back a little. Was this something that you ever thought you'd be doing, running your own company in cyber?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, entirely no. I mentioned one day that I wanted to start a business, but this happened by complete blessing, an accident that turned into a blessing.

So, um, I'm grateful for it. So initially, no, it wasn't something that I, you know, dreamed to do every day since I was a child, but I fell into it and it's just been a blessing. So I try to be a blessing to everybody else I come in contact with.

Lauren Cardillo:
Did you have a dream, you know, of what you wanted to do

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
actually?

Yeah. So, um, getting inside T. Um, I had my first opportunity through the D. C. Summer job program by Marion Barry when I was a teenager at the Department of Labor, Francis Perkins building. And in doing that, I got exposed. I got to work with the department. I got exposed. I said, you know what? I wouldn't mind supporting the government doing I.

T. Then as to how, how do I get there? So in high school, I ended up, uh, working at, uh, the James Forrest Technology Center down in St. Mary's County. I got some more experience, and then after I graduated, I went, uh, right into the workforce. So when I went into the workforce, uh, I had an opportunity to get exposed very early in IT, and I was like, this is the dream job I wanted to do.

So, you know, technology changes, so I went from IT into cyber and then cloud computing and all these other components that we'll talk about. But, um, it was always something I wanted to do to get into IT.

Lauren Cardillo:
But you didn't go to college. You just, you just went straight from high school.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Went straight from high school.

I did not initially go to college at first.

Lauren Cardillo:
So what changed your mind?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, I got told no, uh, one time, you know, for a promotion that I clearly was, uh, eligible to do. I had the experience. I knew what needed to be done, but I didn't meet the minimum requirements, which was having a bachelor's degree. And that's someone telling you no, that's just, it's a non starter for me.

So I said, I never want to feel this way again. So Hey, I registered to go to school.

Lauren Cardillo:
So replay that for me a little in your head. Was it a phone call? Was it an email? Was it an office visit where somebody pulled you in and said,

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
even worse, I did the interview and made it all the way to the end of my, I was doing so well all the way to the end.

And then when I didn't get selected, I got my feedback and they said, well, you know, you're young. And I was, I was babbling that as well because you know, I didn't go back to school. So I was about six years, uh, six years removed from high school. So I'm thriving in my career at a very young age, I'm making good money, you know, all blessings as I said, and, uh, did great in the interview, everybody knew, like, Rob is the one for the job, well, per HR, we can't put him in a position because he doesn't have the degree.

I said, Oh, wow, never wanted to experience that ever again.

Lauren Cardillo:
Did you go home, at that point, were you married?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Yes. Uh, it's, it's ironic. Uh, our interview, my daughter was born on January 8th, I interviewed, I want to say on the 9th. But that same week she was born. So I absolutely upset. Absolutely upset. I think my daughter may have been a day or two old.

Our interview crushed it. I'm extra motivated. I have this kid I'm ready to provide for and no, no dice.

Lauren Cardillo:
What was your wife's reaction when you told her this story?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, you know, she was still in, uh, mommy land at the time, you know, becoming a new mom at the time. But She was like, she had been telling me for a while, Hey, you, you're gonna have to go back to school at some point.

But in my mind, hey, I'm making six figures at the time. I'm good. I don't need to worry about it. Well, getting told no is not a good feeling.

Lauren Cardillo:
But she didn't like hold it over your head, right? ,

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. She didn't hold it over my head. But, uh, , I hold it over my whole head. I used it as fuel as motivation.

I did not like that villa. And then every day when I didn't feel like doing my schoolwork or I was tired, I'd just go back to that, that moment like, hey. You got to do it, do you got to do it.

Lauren Cardillo:
So you grew up in the area and big family and they really instilled you with some, I don't want to say qualities, that's not the word, but like some motivation.

What was, what were they about? Was it about education, the military? What, what would, what did they want for you?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
So, uh, I did grow up in a large family, uh, the Blackwells down in St. Mary's County on St. George's Island. My grandfather, my grandmother. I think between them, they have 12 kids and then they all now have 29 first cousins and then I have my own siblings.

So every Sunday, Sunday dinner on the island, that's just, you know, what we do. Every time I mention that to somebody, they say it's unheard of. But what they taught us was it's strength in numbers and you need to stick together. And then my dad used to harp on me and my siblings every day. Uh, you know, you get in what you put out.

If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all. You hear that every day your whole life, you know, at the time, you don't really know what that means, but every day, you know, Hey, you're gonna get in what you put in. If you work hard, it's going to pay off. If you, you know, if you have do it, it's just not going to work out the way that you want it to work out.

So, um, they kept me, they were my foundation. They, they kept me really focused a foundation, especially having younger siblings, because as the older brother, you want to make sure that you're building a path that it's okay for them to follow behind. Right? So, you know, Hey, I, that's one of them. That's been one of my motivating factors.

And now being a father. Hey, I want my daughter to be able to walk that same path and build her own path, build her own bridge off that path. So, um, the family though, my uncle's cousins, all of those, everybody poured in me in their own respectable way. Uh, one dimension, particularly my uncle, Billy always poured into me and Toby.

He said, he calls me hoss. He's a hoss. You can do whatever it is that you need to do. So, you know, I had a lot of support. For my family. So I am forever grateful for that bunch of folks down there in St. Mary's County.

Lauren Cardillo:
How did that, um, that work ethic or that desire to do better? Like you just said, how did that help you in college?

Because you're working and you got a kid and you're going to school,

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
man, that children do something to you. So, you know, uh, I tell every young dad that I know, uh, you know, as a woman's going through the pregnancy, it still doesn't hit us. It didn't hit me that I was a father. And so they left me in the room by myself.

And I looked at this baby and I said, Oh my goodness, I'm responsible for you. And that's one of the biggest motivating factors to, you know, my dad always provided for us, always made sure we had what we needed. My grandfather was the same way. All my uncles were the same way. My aunts were the same way. So it was kind of like natural succession.

Like, Hey, you got to get out and go make it happen. And, uh, that was like my biggest motivating factor, just making sure that I can provide for my family, uh, that they include my household and to include my siblings as well.

Lauren Cardillo:
Were there days where you thought, I just can't do this. I'm working full time. I got, I've got to earn, you know, how many credits towards a degree?

How do I keep going?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
One day I'm sitting there toying with the idea and I think I was talking to my dad, I said, man, I'm at 50, you know, I do 10 more, I can get an associate's degree and call it even, man, be done with it. And he looked at me, he said, Hey, you're not learning anything. I've been telling you.

He said, you know, you're getting what you put in, you know, go ahead and finish it out. So yes, there were moments where I was like, it's just too much. But I will say, um, the way that the school is structured, you know, I was able to kind of start building my schedule around it. Time management is extremely important.

Um, and you know, most assignments were due on Sunday at that time, so you know, football season. That's when I would get frustrated, during football season, because I wanted to watch the game, but I knew I needed to go in the office and get this work done. But uh, for the most part, uh, time management, uh, getting it done.

But yeah, there were some moments I wanted to quit.

Lauren Cardillo:
So at this point, your daughter's maybe how old? Like when she sees you plowing through all of that? Toddler?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
My daughter, yeah, she was definitely a toddler at that time because I went back, I graduated high school in 2006, I started back in 2012, she was born in 2013.

So yeah, she got to see bits and pieces from my bachelor's degree all the way up to my master's degree that I took at UMGC.

Lauren Cardillo:
How do you think that's affected her?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
I think it affected her in a positive way because she understands that it's a standard of education that needs to be maintained. So you know, she's in school.

She takes her studies very serious. She's a tennis player, one of my favorite tennis players in the whole wide world. And she also picked up in the process of picking up two additional languages. So she has a knack for wanting to learn, but it's to her own leisure. Right? And, and I love that part of it.

You know, she see, see the hard work that's gone into it. She watches her aunts and uncles who, you know, my brother, Brandon graduate from UMGC, Working on a grad degree, her aunt Jessica, who just graduated with her bachelor's degree, getting ready to go to grad school. And then I have another brother that I'm 20 years older than as a junior in high school.

So you know, I skipped that, that, that part I didn't take from my dad. You know, he has a boy every 10 years. That part I didn't take from my dad. I let him have that. And my grandfather did the same thing too, so I let them have that.

Lauren Cardillo:
You have your own path.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
My own path. Hey, look, I did not do that. So all, me and my brothers are all, I'm 10 years older than Brandon and I'm 20 years older than Deb.

Lauren Cardillo:
And I saw a picture of Devin on your LinkedIn at, was it 16? Yeah. He got a certificate. Yeah.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
He picked up a security plus. Yep. And Brandon has it too. My sister has it and I have it. Setting a standard.

Lauren Cardillo:
And it's like, it's become a family thing. Like, we're going to be, you know, get educated, move forward, make a better life.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Absolutely. I mean, not everybody has access to education. So, and you know, just, uh, stating the obvious, you know, historically for African Americans, we didn't always have access to education. So why not max it out? Well, now that I have the access to it, why not max it out?

Lauren Cardillo:
I read in a previous interview you did that you even said, maybe I'll get a master, another master's or a PhD.

Now, really?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
No, I, I, I will say this. Uh, I have been going through withdrawals over the last couple of years, not being in school. And I say that because I think from the time I started to the time I finished my masters. Six years of always having something to do. Now I'm had this break and I'm like, you know what, maybe I could do something else.

Or I can grab another master's degree or I go look at a PhD. And I have been flirting with the idea, but business is just so busy that, you know, I don't have the time just yet, but I think it's something I'm going to come back to. Because it keeps jumping on my back. So I think I'm going to come

Lauren Cardillo:
back. I love that.

And if it's okay with you, I went back and looked at your interview. And you said in high school you had a 2. 6 GPA. And now you're this guy who Entrepreneur, you have an undergrad, you have a master's, some day flirt with something else. Is that a shock? What would you say to that kid?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, you know, I would say to that kid, uh, follow the path.

Um, you know, it's so funny you mentioned the 2. 6. That's why I structure my scholarships the way that I do when I pass them out because You know, you don't know what all your options are, you know, you figure out if I'm not in AP classes or I'm not this honor roll student, you just don't know what all your options are.

So, one of the things that I made a point to do is to make sure that everybody has an opportunity, you know, to go to school. I don't just seek out individuals that have 4. 0 GPAs or 3. 5s. Everybody should have an opportunity to get educated. But, uh, what I would say to my older self, stay to the course.

Your race is your race. You just gotta, you know, it's gonna come. And I would say Going through all of that, me, my, where I am today, uh, made me appreciate it a lot more. It made me appreciate it a whole lot more.

Lauren Cardillo:
Tell me a little bit more about the scholarships, and then I also read that you do stuff with your fraternity.

Why the giving back?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Giving back, that's just something that's in me, man. I'm just, I'm naturally a giving person. If you ask anybody about, anybody about me. Rob, I'll give you the shirt off his back. I just, I genuinely enjoy helping people. I don't know why I think I get it from my grandmother, but, um, I genuinely enjoy helping people.

So, um, that correlates over to the community service as well. Just giving everybody an opportunity, giving them a chance. So, um, as far as community service, I'm, uh, I am a member of, uh, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, The best fraternity in the whole wide world, but, um, in doing that, I've done a lot of community service to them and I've also done some community service to, uh, innovation, innovative community engagement, the ice foundation, where we give us backpacks and supplies to students that need opportunities.

And also we go up and we do a career days and different things like that. It's all about your exposure factor. If you expose individuals to a different way of life and different things. Then they know it's attainable, especially if they know that you just came right from where they are. So, um, especially not being far removed to as well.

So that and then the scholarships. I enjoy doing that. Because as I said, you know, I didn't know what all my options were when I was graduating high school. So, being able to give somebody an opportunity to go to schools, and some of the students have gone to schools like North Carolina, A and T, University of Virginia, um, somebody went to University of Southern California and also do cyber security.

vouchers for exams every now and then. So it's exposing folks at an early age. I think that's the key thing. You know, when you think about leadership, you know, what mark do you want to set? You have to sow seeds, you know, and when you sow seeds, it builds a garden and eventually that garden could turn into a forest.

And you know, I'm a good practicing Catholic and Proverbs 27, 17 says iron sharpens iron. So it's your duty to, you know, help others as we move forward. You got to share your gifts. So that's one thing that I like to do. It takes a village. Mom and dad isn't enough to get it done. So, you know, sometimes like for me, I mentioned my family, it took my grandmother, it took my grandfather, it took my aunts, my uncles, my older cousins, my mother, my father, you know, my siblings at times.

So I believe in that. I stand on that.

Lauren Cardillo:
And you can tell, I mean, just because of the way you speak and, you know, when you talk to your brother or your daughter, you know, who I loved watching play tennis, you know, I mean, would you rather play tennis or study, play tennis or study?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
You know what's funny about her?

Uh, she has practice. She practices about five days a week. Her studies are done before she goes to practice. By the time I pick her up from school, it is not done. She's on the laptop in the backseat of the car. That young lady does not play when it comes to her studies. She, no games. She got a B one day and had a whole fit and I was like, it's okay.

No, it's not. Okay. Okay. Yes, ma'am

Lauren Cardillo:
She has different standards So, did you join the fraternity while in school online?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, I had to wait so the fraternity's requirements you have to have a bachelor's degree So when I became interested in the fraternity I think I was in my second year of school when I was like extra motivation to finish school, right?

So when I finished I had my bachelor's degree And I waited and started my master's degree. So as soon as I graduated with a master's degree, I pursued a fraternity and been active ever since. I'm actually the current chapter president of one of the largest chapters in all of the fraternity. And I won a couple of fraternal awards too.

So thankful for that as well.

Lauren Cardillo:
Love that. And all, and all from an online college too, which is, it

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
was surprisingly, a lot of members have gone to UMGC. Surprisingly. Well,

Lauren Cardillo:
I mean, cyber is like, especially in this area. is booming. So I totally get that.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
And beyond, and actually beyond cyber too. Some of them have MBAs.

Some of them have, uh, business degrees. A lot of UMGC alumni. I've come across it, especially with their master's degrees.

Lauren Cardillo:
So it is like a big family.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
It is. It is. It is. And, and selfishly, when I was a program manager with some of the larger companies I worked for, if I saw their, saw a degree came from UMGC, I get my opportunity.

They got a leg up. I'm not gonna lie. It definitely got a leg up. I know what I was capable of going to this school. Hey, we're cut from the same cloth. You get an opportunity too.

Lauren Cardillo:
But that's what colleges do. Legacy, right? I mean, it's what the Ivy Leagues have been doing forever and what alumni networks do.

So you're doing it. Absolutely. I mean, that is, nothing wrong with that. Going back to high school for a sec. Did you go to high school graduation?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
I did. I went to my high school graduation, uh, Choctaw High School down in St. Mary's County, uh, Colton Point, Maryland. And I also, uh, went to the tech center, which we had a graduation there to, uh, a lot of lifelong friends.

I met, uh, from the tech center that I still talk to today, but, uh, yeah, definitely with the high school graduation, but I missed my, uh, my, uh, bachelor's degree graduation because I thought the school had won a commencement at the time. So I waited and I conferred my degree and I was like, Oh, I don't get to walk.

So I had to wait to my master's cycle.

Lauren Cardillo:
So run through that day for me. You're, you know, you had never thought you were going to go to college. You now have an undergrad and now you have a master's. You're getting ready to walk across a huge stage. What was your day like?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
It was exciting because originally I really didn't want to do it at first, but then I was told that hey, it's not about you.

It's about family. You need to do it. So okay, so that day my mom, my father, my stepmom, My younger siblings were there. My daughter was there. My wife was there and my grandfather was there. And then my uncle, my uncle Billy that I mentioned, he was also there too. So a lot of people that supported me, you know, tickets are limited.

My family will fill the whole stadium up if you let them. So, uh, everybody, uh, couldn't make it for that reason, but it was just exciting. You know, um, my grandfather who we have the same name and my dad has the same name. He got to see his namesake go across the stage. Um, my family who was filling in the gaps for me, got to see what their sacrifices paid off for my brother at the time, hadn't graduated from college yet.

He was still in school. He got to see his brother graduate and my sister who ended up going to college got to see me graduate. And now my daughter, who's talking about college all the time, uh, which is she's only in sixth grade, but yeah, dad, I don't know if I'm going to private public, but you know, I think, uh, it sowed some seeds that day.

Sell some seeds for my family that day.

Lauren Cardillo:
And that's why you went,

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
right? Absolutes.

Lauren Cardillo:
Were there any student experiences, like student support experiences, while at UMGC that really stuck with you?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, in my master's class, uh, the very last class of the capstone, where they bring all of the various, uh, IT security and Homeland Security degrees together.

In that class, I met some lifelong friends that I still talk to to this day, and we support each other through career advice, different things like that. Some of them started families. Um, resources at the school. Anytime I need anything from the council department, they took care of it instantly. No long waits, no long lines.

I call up there, they would take care of it instantly. So, um, I never really had any complaints with any, anything like that. They always took care of me and the bookstore was good. The online books, the resources that they had to get those assignments done, because, uh, I had been far removed from school six years, APA format.

All right, let me go back and uh, figure this out real quick. So not everything that they had was great.

Lauren Cardillo:
You had this great line in the interview that we did previously where you talked about the yellow brick road.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Okay.

Lauren Cardillo:
You know, and the idea that Nobody gives you the yellow brick road. You have to, you sort of have to build that path yourself.

And I think people get a visual of that, you know, what you're saying. It's a great, it's a great metaphor. Tell me more about that.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, yeah, I always say that, uh, no one wants to build a yellow brick road. They just want to walk on it. And in doing so, uh, it goes back to that statement that my dad told me.

You get in what you put in. Sometimes you got to build a road. There's going to be some folks that build a road and walk on it. There's going to be some that just want to walk on it. So it's a testament of hard work. You gotta put, you gotta put the dedication, the effort, the time, sweat, tears into this road that you're trying to build because it's your legacy at the end of the day.

You know, uh, one of the things I'll say, there are two dates that everybody always tracked. The date that you're born, the date that you die, they don't really matter. That dash in between is what really matters, what you do with that time that you have, I think is most important.

Lauren Cardillo:
People tend to focus on those two.

And it's like, they're, I hate to say they're short,

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
but I hope mine isn't anytime soon, but for the most part. That dashed in between I want to make sure that I, you know, how they say max it out. Want to make sure you're doing that. And then another part of the yellow brick road. Going to college and getting your certifications before people meet you, they read about you.

It's all about your branding. The Yellow Brick Road is a part of your branding, who you are, what you're about.

Lauren Cardillo:
So what's your hope for future of your company? Where, where do you want to, where are we going to see yourself eventually?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, retired, retired, but, uh, I hope to see, I hope that I continue to grow, um, as a business and, uh, create other business ventures for other people.

Uh, some folks have sat down and mentored me getting started. Which I greatly appreciate and I want to do that for others as well. But I, I, I would like to get it to a point to where, hey, I could sell that bad boy and I'm done. But knowing me, I'm gonna find something else to do. I can't sit still. That's just me.

Always been that way.

Lauren Cardillo:
Well, you could have time to, you know, mentor, mentor people.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Hey, that's always on the table. Whether I'm tired or not, I'm always, I'm gonna be a servant to somebody else.

Lauren Cardillo:
Do you ever, do you ever feel like yourself, you're, you're, you don't have enough time in the day or there's enough joy in this that it doesn't matter?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Uh, which the first part you said, yes, every day feels like there's not enough time in the day. But sometimes though, uh, if you enjoy what you're doing, it's kind of, it's almost like, um, you're, you're, you're, you're pouring back into yourself in a way, right? Because eventually life is about, uh, how you make people feel the connections, building lasting bonds.

And those go a long way, um, in the future. Like for me, as I talk about growing a business, my business grew fast because I sold seeds early on in my career. You know, people came to me to give me opportunities.

Lauren Cardillo:
If someone watches the podcast and says, you know, I want to be like him, I want to get my degree.

I want to start my own company. What's the best advice for them?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Start now. Go ahead and start now because the longer that you sit back and think about it and ponder, you're going to find reasons not to do it. Um, you know, I learned how to swim, uh, because one of my older cousins dropped me in the deep end.

Jump in the deep end and go for it. So one thing, yeah, I would tell them to start now.

Lauren Cardillo:
It's never too late, right?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Never too late. Um, especially with, uh, individuals that I've mentored, um, that want to transition into cybersecurity. Well, a lot of them say, Hey, well, I've never done cyber or I've never done this.

And they fail to realize is that experience that you have leading up to this point is applicable on this other side. You just got to figure out what your lane is. You may not be a software developer, you may have been a program manager your entire life, but you can do, you can go do risk management, you can go manage cybersecurity projects.

So I think, uh, everybody just needs to know and understand that you bring something to the table, but don't just think about it, stop and think about it too long because you may miss the bus.

Lauren Cardillo:
You talked about how you lacked confidence, you were nervous, you were a little anxious before you actually got a degree.

Why was that? And what changed?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Um, a lot of it. Was, you know, because you feel like you're not measuring up, right? And that's and I'll be honest with you. That's why I have a lot of certifications because I figured that that would, you know, smooth over not having a degree and I end up obtaining a bunch of certifications.

Some I don't even need at this period of my life and probably didn't need there. So you feel like it's like a sense of wanting to belong or wanting to feel like, Hey, I deserve to be here. Right? And, you know, I went through that and I'm still young in my career too. So. It's just one of those balancing acts like, well, I know, I know the work, I can do the work.

I'm capable of doing the work, but you know, I'm trying to get an opportunity to do the work. And that was that roadblock that just stopped me from doing, you know, some of the things that I wanted to do at that time.

Lauren Cardillo:
And so now that, that confidence, that nervousness is gone.

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
All the way gone. Now I will say, you know, in business that comes with some fears and uncertainties and different things like that.

But as I told you, you keep thinking about it, you're not going to go out there and get it done. So you got to move.

Lauren Cardillo:
One last thing I wanted to talk to you about is your wife is probably a big inspiration to you because she came with an undergrad and was she on her MBA already?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
Uh, when I met her, she had just started her MBA.

She had got her undergrad from Tuskegee University in political science, and then she was already working on her, uh, master's degree at that time, MBA from UM, UMGC.

Lauren Cardillo:
So what did you think of that, what she was doing at that time?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
At first I wasn't paying any attention to it. I was like, she's just going through the motions But when I got told no I start watching and i'm like, well, she's able to go do her discussions or tuesdays and thursdays.

No, tuesdays and sundays And then, you know, she's in the house, she's able to get stuff done. And I was like, you know, I think I could do that. So watching her do it, uh, inspired me to go ahead and do mine. Cause she actually took a break, um, when we got married and started getting a house. And then my daughter came and I was in school and I was like, Hey, you got and finish like I'm finishing.

So she went ahead and knocked it out. But it wasn't inspiration cause it showed me that it was possible. I was to the assumption that, hey, man, I got to go sit in somebody's classroom. Don't really want to do that. Don't have the time to do that. Traffic is terrible in the area which I live in. It already takes an hour and a half to get home, and it just worked out.

Lauren Cardillo:
How did you guys

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
meet? It worked. My dad, she worked with my dad for about a year before I met her.

Lauren Cardillo:
So like he didn't set you up or anything?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
He may have. He might have. He may have had a hand into it. He, before we started dating, he would always call her his daughter. So, you know, I was like, okay. But it worked out for 14 years later next month.

Lauren Cardillo:
Congrats. Thank you. How do you see your, your role as a leader evolving? I

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
think sometimes in my opinion, the best leaders know when it's time to follow. And I think that, you know, it's important to start training up the future leaders that are coming. And then move out the way and allow them lead to support them from afar, you know, well, not from afar, but quietly support them from behind the scenes because, you know, sometimes folks, you know, they finally get in leaderships and leadership positions and they ascend and they don't know when it's time to step back and allow the next group to step up and start leading.

And then that leaves you a stagnant pattern. So I think for me, my next move in leadership. When my race is getting to a close, I'll move out the way and start training some of the younger ones. And I'm already kind of doing that with scholarships and mentorship and different things like that. But I'll be more silent and I'll be more, I'll be more of a silent partner at that point in time.

Lauren Cardillo:
Following that idea for a moment, you work with your brother now. I mean, he's been with you for a year. How does that feel?

Robert Blackwell, Jr.:
It's great. Um, me and my siblings are really close. So my brother, uh, working with me every day, it's been great. It's somebody that I trust. Um, somebody that I watched grow and man, he is a fantastic software developer.

He's a subject matter expert. So it's great. It's bittersweet because I get to work with my brother. I get to hang out with him all the time. He conducts business. He's serious about conducting business and I get to watch him growing his craft at the same time. So it's almost like extending that olive branch and now he's growing and he's going to do great things as he moves out to as well.

Lauren Cardillo:
Thanks, Rob, for joining us today. We loved having you as a guest, and we loved sharing your story with our viewers. And for everybody listening and watching out there in the podcast world, please like and subscribe if you want to hear or see more Unstoppable Stories. Until next time.