Meet James Elems III: Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Elems III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The initial thought behind starting my own business was the desire to have something I could call my own. I knew from an early age that I did not want to work for someone else the rest of my life and at some point I would need to start my path to leaving the rat race. I started with network marketing businesses that had copy and paste business models which taught me a lot about entrepreneurship and different skills, but at the end of the day I was still representing someone else’s brand. So one day I decided to take all the skills I had acquired over the years and create my own thing. I wanted to start creating things that represented me and build a brand that represents my passion to help people, building generational wealth, and starting legacies to leave behind for families and youth. I started Red Crown not just for me but for the people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Professionally i’m an Higher Education Advisor. I help high school students with their pathway to college or their post graduation plans. I specialize in assisting with FAFSA/TASFA , college applications, transcripts, and many other areas of high school to college transition. I am most proud about the many lives I am able to help daily. My passion and desire in life is to help and change as many lives as I can. My life took many twist and turns before I got to the point of where I am today. It wasn’t easy and I didn’t know what I always wanted to do professionally, but I did know I wanted to help people in any aspect that I could. I overcame my challenges through perseverance and survival instinct. I took many losses but I also learned many lessons. One of the biggest lessons I learned was not to be scared to take a leap of faith. My faith in God has gotten me through the toughest of times and keeps me humble in journey to success. Without faith and hard work I would not be where I am today. Something the world should know about my brand is the Red represents the blood of Jesus and the Crown represents the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross when he was crucified. I designed this brand for the people and every decision I make has the people in mind. Red Crown always give back to the people , and makes sure its products and services are affordable for all people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are many places throughout Fort Worth that I love to eat and drink at. Some of the best foods spots depend on what type of food you like but I personally love going to Yucatan Taco Stand, Stormie Mondays, Big Boyz BBQ, and Jubes Smokehouse for local good food. If I want really good drinks I usually go Gloria’s , Rio Mambo, or BoomerJacks which all have good deals on drinks and nice drinking atmospheres.Most hang out spots are usually located near West 7th Street where a lot of bar and lounges reside.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First I would like to shout out Katrina Williams of Level Twenty Seven Coaching & Advising for being a very instrumental person in helping me become an entrepreneur . She gave me a lot of business knowledge and know how which a lot of small business owners lack when they are first starting out. She was always willing to answer any questions and point me in the direction of where I needed to go. Still to this day she supports me and check on me to make sure things are going well and I love her for that. Next I would like to shout out Troetta Ward and MiEshia Runnels of Being This That & Black for being my accountability partners. Not only have we supported each others businesses throughout the years, we make sure we all stay on top of our business behinds the scenes. We make sure we’re filing out taxes and keeping things legit which is very important when starting and running your own business. Also, I would like to shout out Dominique Hawkins of Im Your Plug Co for helping me build my brand through the different logo’s he creates for me. I tell him what i’m trying to express, create, and its meaning then he brings it to life. Those designs help me take my marketing to the next level and I thank him for that. Last, but definitely not least I would like to shout out Trayon Ivory of Ivory Legacy & Services for being a great business partner and supporter. He has invested in me in many ways and continues to support me, motivate me, and push me to be a better version of myself everyday. He has pushed me out of my comfort zone and continues to help me elevate. With his help and knowledge I continue to grow and follow in his footsteps of being a full time entrepreneur.