We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyshawn Luke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyshawn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I never in a million years would have imagined that I would embark on the journey of starting a business! For me, the idea to start a business came during one of the darkest periods in my life. I was incarcerated. In a 6×8 feet prison cell, I laid on my bunk trying to make sense of my life. I could not understand how I let myself spiral so far out of control that I had lost my freedom. Not only was my freedom gone, but so was my dignity. I no longer had any pride, peace, or hope. I felt defeated. At the age of 25 years old I was a four-time convicted felon. I had been on trial twice fighting for my life facing double digit prison sentences. However, God said no – not him. Through a jury of my peers, I was acquitted of some very serious charges that would have otherwise sent me away for a very long time. Although I was spared from the worse charges, I was found guilty of a lesser charge. A conviction which sent me to prison for 3 years as opposed to 25 years. So yes, in my 6×8 feet prison cell I knew that I needed to make sense of my life moving forward. I knew that I had to make some drastic changes. On March 29, 2020, I made the decision to pursue entrepreneurship. In my prison cell, I dreamed big. I knew that there was much more to life than I had previously known. I knew that I was given a second chance at life. I truly believe that God makes no mistakes. While he spared me from the most serious charges, he gave me enough time to sit down and get my mind right. And with that time, I stand a free man to tell my story and help inspire others. I truly believe that although we cannot rewrite the past, we can direct our future. Through my entrepreneurial endeavors I look forward to the ability to pay everything forward!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
BEYOND Soul Companies is a Food & Lifestyle brand. We specialize in the industries of Event Catering, Event Planning, Food Products, Media Production, & Real Estate. BEYOND Soul Companies functions as a business management consulting firm which manages and operates our brand’s portfolio of businesses. The BEYOND Soul Companies portfolio includes BEYOND Soul Catering Group, BEYOND Soul Manufactured, BEYOND Soul Media Management, & BEYOND Soul Estates. Our business provides services to the metropolitan areas of New York City, Atlanta, & Los Angeles. Our brand products include seasonings, sauces, and sides. As the Founder & CEO, getting this business off the ground has been a journey.

After creating a business plan while incarcerated, I came home with a comprehensive blueprint on how to move forward. As I begin to do real world research into my perspective business endeavors, I begin to realize that the one key component missing in my business plan was higher education. I had no formal business education to support my elaborate ideas. And just like that I enrolled in college. I was able to obtain my associate degree in business in only 12 months! By taking course overloads up to 24 credits per semester, I was able to finish in record time. But that’s not all, I am currently executing the same formula to obtain my bachelor’s degree in business in another 12 months. Ultimately, I am pursuing an MBA degree which I will be completed in June 2025.

While I have learned to trust the process, I do not always agree. Entrepreneurship is not for the weak nor weak minded! You have to be so disciplined. You must believe in yourself. That is something that sets me apart from many. I believe that I have the ability to do anything that I set my mind to. Literally, that is my mindset. That mindset has gotten me far! In 19 months, I have been able to turn my prison business plan into an actual company. While I still have a way to go before launching, the process has been commendable. Through the help and support of my family and friends, my vision is becoming a reality. I believe that anyone with a dream deserves to experience it coming into fruition. It is so gratifying. While it won’t be easy, nothing in life worth having will be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta Itinerary

Wednesday – Suite Lounge

Thursday – Old Lady Gang, Bulldogs

Friday – Views Bar & Grill, The Mansion Elan, Blue Flame

Saturday – Phipps Plaza, Lenox Mall, Atlantic Station, Gold Room

Sunday- Toast On Lenox, Piedmont Park, Joes On Juniper

Monday – Mr. Everything Cafe, Magic City

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?
My shoutout goes to my mother and grandmother. Those two women raised me to be the man that I am today! My entire life I have witnessed these two hardworking women make ways out of no way. In my eyes, my mother and grandmother represent what a strong black woman is. My grandmother was one of ten siblings raised in the South. She has struggled her entire life to make better and do better. I have never heard her complain nor seen her give up. As for my mother, she’s just as solid as they come. I am so thankful for the unwavering support through everything. I have put both of these ladies through some headaches and heartaches. I just want you both to know that my entire life’s mission is to show you both that those headaches and heartaches were not in vain. I love you both to the moon, eternity, and BEYOND!

Website: www.beyondsoulcompanies.com

Instagram: Ty_theowner (Personal) // BeyondSoulCompanies (Business)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BEYONDSoulBrand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BEYONDSoulBrand/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beyond-soul-companies-brooklyn

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEnU6eJXb0UfYZhEFoXuIXw

Image Credits
Photographs by: Arturo Satterwhite

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