William A. Foster, IV
It is no easy task for an entrepreneur or CEO of a startup, small business, or rapidly growing business to find time for themselves, let alone write a book. Yet, that is exactly what Delaware State University alum and Stevens Communications and Consulting founder managed to do. A compilation of fictional short stories show Stevens flexing his literary pen. Kip Diggs’ in his Amazon review says of Stevens’ book, “Chris’s freshman effort is a fine collection of short stories covering a wide variety of topics. He takes on mental illness, emotional abandonment, greed, lust and even workplace canoodling.”
Moments and interest away from your business are actually vital to building your business. The Guardian’s Mark Williams writes, “Small business owners can’t be good at everything, but many are particularly bad at taking time off. Research published by business software provider Sage suggests that more than 30% of UK small business owners didn’t have a summer holiday last year.” This lack of downtime impacts and often strains familial relationships, entrepreneur psychology, and health. All paramount to an entrepreneur’s capacity to remain primed to focus strategically and tacitly build their businesses.
HBCUpreneurs can definitely take a lesson of wisdom from Mr. Stevens and explore interest and time outside of their business. Jeff Weiner of the World Economic Forum says, “The solution, as simple as it sounds, is to periodically schedule nothing. Use that buffer time to think big, catch up on the latest industry news, get out from under that pile of unread emails, or just take a walk. What ever you do, just make sure you make that time for yourself — everyday and in a systematic way — and don’t leave unscheduled moments to chance. The buffer is the best investment you can make in yourself and the single most important productivity tool I use.” So find time to exercise, read, pursue a hobby, or write as in Mr. Stevens case. Whatever you do sometimes the best way to move forward with your business is to turn off for a moment. We will be looking for the next installment of Mr. Stevens literary works even as he continues to build Stevens Communications and Consulting into a media consulting powerhouse.
Click here to head over to Amazon and buy Chris Stevens’ “I’m Feelin That!: Stories Of Love, Life and Lessons Learned”
HBCU Money 
Hello Mr. Foster, I am Latena Hazard. Recently, I read an article you wrote describing how increasing graduation rates at HBCUs will increase endowments. I am currently writing an article about the financial status of HBCUs and would like to speak with you. I may be contacted at LMH2197@columnbia.edu. I look forward to hearing from you.