Brother Richard Makerson III (Spring 2001) Named Finalist For The Atlanta Business Chronicle's S
The annual Small Business Person of the Year Awards pays tribute to top entrepreneurs leading their companies to success. Brother Makerson -- CEO and Managing Partner of BlueFletch -- will be recognized in the category of Best Minority Entrepreneur at the 32nd annual award ceremony which takes place on Thursday, September 20, 2018, and is sponsored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in partnership with Metro Atlanta Chamber.
As the co-founder of BlueFletch, Richard is a Technical Manager with skills in Mobile, Microsoft .NET, and J2EE Application Development. Richard has also trained, deployed, and supported multiple application tiers across complex production environments. He has extensive technical experience in native, cross-platform and web-based mobile application development. Richard holds a BS in Computer Science from Morehouse College.
Since 2008, BlueFletch has been creating quality mobile, IoT and cloud solutions for the enterprise. BlueFletch strives to make their clients and partners look like rockstars by solving their toughest business problems with our proven process. BlueFletch prides itself on delivering innovative mobile solutions and compelling products that end-users love to use.
BlueFletch builds cross-platform mobile applications for the enterprise. They speak both technology and business to ensure your next project's success.
Atlanta Business Chronicle's Q&A With Richard Makerson -- 2018 Small Business of the Year Finalist:
Q: What strategies can small business owners use to build success into their companies from the start?
A: Seek as much advice as possible. Read, leverage your network, take your competition out to lunch or coffee. A good idea or practice to incorporate into your business can come from anywhere.
Q: What was the best piece of advice you took when starting your business? What advice did you disregard, if any?
A: The best piece of advice I took when starting my business is that people and relationships matter the most. In everything that you do build and protect the relationships that will develop in doing business with someone. At the end of the day the people that you work with will still be here; however, the companies/businesses they work for may not be.
Q: What would you share with an aspiring entrepreneur who is considering taking the plunge and starting their own business?
A: Leverage the Small Business Developer Centers (SBDCs) throughout the state of Georgia. The SBDCs are consultants that provide free advice based on their own experience within their particular business discipline.
Q: How does metro Atlanta support the formation of small businesses?
A: Metro Atlanta is able to support the small business community in a number of ways. The cost of living in metro Atlanta is still very affordable and lends well to someone taking a chance and becoming a small business. From the Atlanta airport 80 percent of the U.S. population is accessible within a 2-hour direct flight. Our colleges and universities are a wealth of young talent eager to make a difference and become a part of something special. Lastly, we have a number of Fortune companies that have tremendous track records of working with small business owners and even giving back through small business development mentoring.
Q: What can the region do better to help support small businesses?
A: The region can do a better job of highlighting the roles and success stories that small businesses have in supporting the Fortune 100 companies of Atlanta.
