Ones to Watch: Tim Lampkin x Lampkin Consulting Group, LLC

“I’ve always been involved in the community but never associated with a specific field. I’ve always been intrigued with the fact that we can create projects and initiatives to help people, and I got (and still get) a thrill out of that. My leadership skills began to develop back in High School. I got involved with different organizations, got started with projects, which led to me taking the initiative to lead projects. My mentality has always been “Let’s do this. Let’s get the job done.”– Timothy Lampkin

As one of Mississippi’s rising figures, Tim Lampkin has plans to revitalize the Mississippi Delta and change the way the place he calls home is depicted. Although born in Chicago, Tim has spent most of his life working to empower the people of the Mississippi Delta. In the past 4-5 years he has realized just how good he is at “the good work,” as he calls it, and has decided to turn it into a business. Tim calls 2015 his year of confirmation which solidified his purpose, and now he’s walking in it. We got the chance to chat with Tim and learn about his background, his goals, his strategies, and just how dear to his heart the Mississippi Delta is.

Name: Tim Lampkin

Age: 29

Location: Clarksdale, Mississippi

Current Title: CEO of Lampkin Consulting Group, LLC and Higher Purpose Apparel, LLC

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Mississippi Valley State University (2008); MBA from Delta State University (2013); Masters of Science in Organizational Performance at Bellevue University (2014). Lampkin is currently working on a Doctor of Education (Ed.D), Adult and Lifelong Learning at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

You were involved in Habitat for Humanity while you were in school and you worked in sales which eventually led you to the field you’re in now. For the people that don’t know – can you define your job title and what you do? How did those past experiences prepare you to take on this role?

I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity started when I was in High School. One of my first real projects was a cardboard sleep-out for the homeless. Through this project I was able to raise about $5,000 and meet so many people in the community who were passionate about giving and helping the homeless. That particular project taught me that there is power in giving. It also taught me that I was pretty good at showing people how we should help those in need.

During my freshman year at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), I received a call from one of the ladies who donated to Habitat for Humanity. She called saying that she remembered me, and she heard that I was going to MVSU. She offered me a position to run a university initiative. This really positioned me to come in the door as a leader. At that point I still wasn’t really comfortable being a leader but I learned how to get people excited about things that probably didn’t matter to them.  In addition, I learned about the grant world; how to manage the funds, do the reporting and some of the state and federal regulations. I finally decided to get involved with the Student Government Association and eventually became president. This gave me insight and the opportunity to develop my leadership skills. Eventually I worked for the provost and assisted with student engagement and academic issues. During this time I learned how to network and the importance of interpersonal skills. After graduating from MVSU I transitioned to retail management working for a fortune 500 company. I learned so much because I had a great mentor who shared  a ton of knowledge with me. I became one of the youngest managers in the district, managing a team of 10 employees who were older than me. I realized I was successful but I wasn’t living my purpose. I remember thinking I’d obtained all those skills, but I needed to use them for a greater cause. I moved back to the Mississippi Delta and started working on several community projects and eventually worked for one of the largest rural development banks in the country. While in this position I was able to secure funding for projects in Coahoma County. In March 2015, I decided to leave the company and relaunch my consulting firm. I am the CEO of Lampkin Consulting Group, LLC where I primarily work with nonprofits, local government entities, and universities to develop projects, identify funding, and work with entrepreneurs to help start their businesses.

If you could describe the Mississippi Delta in one word what would it be? What’s a common misconception about the area?

If I could describe the Mississippi Delta in one word, I’d probably say opportunity. There’s so much opportunity in this area. As for the biggest misconception, it’d probably be that the people are lazy and want to be poor. That frustrates me because there are hardworking people like myself that are fighting to reverse the poverty. Often people that have never been here or done real research, don’t understand the generational poverty the people in Mississippi are trying to overcome. It doesn’t help that the media plays up the poverty. They never focus on the progress.

What are some of your most effective strategies when seeking investors/funding?

I see the Mississippi Delta transforming 5-10 years from now, and I give people hope. I leverage the opportunities and the positive aspects of the Mississippi Delta. I create new projects to address core issues such as: poverty, financial literacy, access to healthcare and fresh foods. Proposing innovative ways to address those priorities is essential to getting people interested in investing. Collaboration with local partners is also important when you approach funders. There has to be local support and resources allocated before any external funding is secured.

Does social media play a big part in your business? Are there any specific ways in which you use social media to further your mission?

I never imagined how much social media would impact our world. Over the last couple of years I’ve been doing more reading, studying, trying to figure out what works best. I’m very intentional about the content I post and release. I see social media playing a major part in how I share the work that I’m doing, my personal story, and my efforts to revitalize one of the poorest areas in the country.

Social media is one of the key part of my strategy in 2016 because content very important. Everyone should explore how to use social media to expand their reach and distribute content. You can pick one platform. It’s very important to find your voice which will enhance your brand. You represent your brand and the brand represents you so the two should be connected. You have to ask yourself – how do i want people to see me? How do i want people to see my brand? What’s the first word you want people to think of when they see your brand.

Can you name one specific event that let you know that this was the right thing for you to be doing, where you truly felt appreciated for your hard work?

Things started happening for me in January 2015. I don’t know if there was one particular event, but there were definitely signs I wasn’t paying attention to. I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the job that I was doing. I was getting some attention from people and others were gravitating to me. They saw me as an expert in this field. I’d thought to myself I needed to be a full time entrepreneur because at that time I was only consulting part time.

March 31, 2015 I left 8-5pm job and I built up the courage to do consulting full time. Sometimes you have to step out there on faith. A lot of people are scared of falling. If you align you align your purpose with your passion and giving it your all, eventually you’re going to start to fly.

I’ve had more opportunities come to me since I’ve left my job. My work has always been appreciated, but I think people like that I’m not attached to a large corporation. I would’ve never imagined that within six months of leaving I’d be invited to the White House.

You recently took part in the White House Rural Placemaking Summit – what was that experience like and how did you end up getting this opportunity?

This was actually my second time at the White House this year. The first time was in May with the Delta Leadership Institute where I was invited along with a group of others. The second time, I was personally invited. It was very interesting how I got the invite. When I went to D.C. in September I spoke at a National Rural Assembly and I reconnected with some colleagues at Project for Public Spaces based in New York. They invited me to speak in Brooklyn at St. Francis College about placemaking. I was on a panel with Jamie Bennett from ArtPlace America, we discussed how placemaking can help us be intentional, inclusive and address the inequity in the community. I guess I did a really good job because two weeks later they told me they were doing a placemaking summit at the White House and that I should attend. When I got the email from the White House I was like, “Oh! I’m going to the White House.” Initially, I was just supposed to attend a meeting, but three days before the event they informed me that they wanted me to speak on a panel. I didn’t speak long but Ethan Kent from Project for Public Spaces captured a great picture of me and quoted me while I was discussing equity. It was a wonderful opportunity and I look forward to visiting the White House again.

Do you have a team that you work with or do you pretty much handle everything yourself? What traits do you look for in the people that you work with?

I don’t have a core team that I work with every day yet, but I think it’s coming. My goal is to train and employ youth in the community to pass along skills I’ve been given. I’ve been fortunate enough to create partnerships with a few groups and organizations, so there are a lot of people I reach out to when I need expertise in a particular area. Some examples are the affordable design entrepreneurship program a joint program sponsored by Babson College and Olin College, where I’ve worked with a team of undergraduate students on a local community development project. I’ve also had the opportunity to forge a unique partnership with Presidio graduate school in San Francisco. I was able to connect with them when I went to Tech808 in Oakland a few months ago.

I know you were born in Chicago, have you ever thought about doing work there? Have you given any thought to expanding your work to areas of the country outside of the Mississippi Delta?

I think a lot of people don’t know I was originally born in Chicago. I lived there for about 10 years before moving to Mississippi so it’s a big part of who I am. I’ve thought about going to Chicago to help with projects,but not necessarily to go and lead initiatives. I have thought about expanding the work that I’m doing in other areas but I don’t know if it’s happening any time soon. The Mississippi Delta is one of the poorest regions in the country so I figure if I can be successful and make projects work here, I can create best practices and take them to other places. Right now I’m focusing on building up this place that I call home.

You mentioned that you’re running two businesses and launching your non-profit in the next coming weeks. Can you tell us about those projects and what the process has been like? What are their missions? What hole do they aim to fill?

We spoke about one of the businesses – Lampkin Consulting Group, LLC. I started my second business, Higher Purpose Apparel, LLC in June 2015 with my co-founder Ryne Gipson. We are not just a t-shirt company but a positive lifestyle brand. We have two shirts out now with messages such as  “Death to Negativity” and “Dream Chasers.” We currently support charities in the Mississippi Delta by donating a percentage of our sales. A lot of people including Grammy Award Winners J. Ivy and Tarrey Torae, Julian Mitchell writer for the Huffington Post and Forbes, Simone “Boss Lady” Amelia, Content Director for the Source, Sheena Allen the CEO of Sheena Allen Apps, Divine (The 4th Letter) and Trumaine McBride who’s originally from Clarksdale and plays for the NY Giants, support our brand. We are gradually building up our brand, and we have some amazing items launching in the spring.

I can give you some details of the non-profit. I’m really looking to elevate the consulting work that I’m doing. The priorities that we want to work on are: affordable housing; community leadership – building up the next generation of leaders  by teaching them leadership and networking skills. Neighborhood revitalization – creating community gardens, tearing down dilapidated houses, making communities very bright and vibrant; and entrepreneurship – building up a pipeline of minority entrepreneurs and looking at ways to integrate technology. Social entrepreneurship is huge. We’re trying to get people to see technology as a way to address some of the issues they have in the Mississippi Delta. 2016 is going to a great year.

You seem like a pretty optimistic and positive person. When was the last time you felt discouraged and how did you overcome it? Furthermore, What do you do for fun in order maintain a level head?

The last time I felt discouraged was about two weeks ago. An idea wasn’t clicking and I shared the idea with one of my friends. They told me the idea was stupid, and in that moment I felt like a link in my circle was broken. What I realized was that my friend was a consumer, not a creator, so he didn’t understand my language.

Your circle should include more creators than consumers. When you’re a creator you think about things differently. I realized there wasn’t anything wrong with my idea or the individual, but I’m at this point where I’m a creator. I’m an innovator. I’m a thinker. The closer I get to where I think I should be/where I want to go, my circle gets smaller. The only people I allow in my circle now, are creators because I thrive off of their creativity. You should have your friends, your associates, and a tight group that’s your circle who empowers and challenges you to be your best.

To maintain a level head, I listen to a lot of music. Some of my favorite artists include J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Erykah Badu. They are at the top of my list. I’m kind of an old soul so I also like the O’Jays, Frankie Beverly and Maze and Lalah Hathaway. I love to travel. I try to disconnect and just enjoy life. I meditate on my purpose and my goals. I also like to eat, try new restaurants and new foods. I’m not much of a club person so I try to lounge, network and chill. Sometimes you just have to spend time with yourself.

Are you hopeful that there will one day be real substantial change for the people of the Mississippi Delta, and furthermore black people around the country?

I’m very hopeful. I think we’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go. When you think about some of the race issues we see today, it was happening years ago. It’s interesting to see this narrative replayed again. A lot of people thought we were past it, and unfortunately we still have to deal with it.

We have to fully address race across the nation and have the conversation. I think often it’s the elephant in the room, and people don’t want to talk about it. No one wants to bring it up but it’s an important underlying issue. Some people don’t want to work with other races because they have misconceptions or preconceived notions about people from other backgrounds. With a new generation of leaders, new ideas and an open mind I think we can definitely see a lot of progress in the Mississippi Delta as well as across the nation.

What advice would you give your 23 year old self?

Find your purpose. Find what you’re passionate about and be okay with fulfilling that purpose. Push pass the obstacles and really see every obstacle as an opportunity. I would also tell myself to look at everything as an opportunity and push through those. Faith over fear is what I live by now. It’s so important to have faith.

Tim Lampkin is Black to Business….

Happy Hour or Brunch? Happy Hour

What show do you wish was still on the air? Martin

If a movie were made about your life, who would play you? Wood Harris played in The Wire, Remember The Titans, Paid in Full, and a ton of other movies. People always say I look like him.

Dessert or Appetizer? dessert

What album or song(s) are you listening to heavily right now? a lot of Kendrick Lamar, Big KRIT, David Banner and J. Cole  

I wish I could ____ better: Cook. I watch the food network trying to get inspired and I create stuff,but it just doesn’t look like what they create on TV.