Meet Bobby Harris | Entreprenuer & Hookah Curator

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

Hi Bobby, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor to my success has to be my support system. I have a small group made up of my girlfriend, family and friends that have really showed me support from the very beginning. Whether they’re re-posting content, helping with behind the scenes madness, or figuring out how they can incorporate my business into their daily activities for exposure, my support system has been nothing but great. I have always asked for us to keep a truthful line of communication. This helps when I might have a idea in my head that sounds great, but isn’t the best when said out loud. I don’t have all the answers, so having a group behind you that holds you accountable and emphasizes personal growth makes the sky the limit. Honestly, seeing them smile is the main reason I drive to be successful. Of course, everyone likes money but having my team around me and all of us being successful feels just as sweet. The money will follow the momentum.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Currently, I work as the Call Center Manager for a local roofing company. This position requires me to have strong people skills, be solution-seeking, and goal-oriented. A lot of what I do for my current position are the things that make me a strong entrepreneur. Being in the hookah business, you have to be a people person. The more comfortable your customers are with you, the better their experience, and the bigger the chance of them returning. My mindset is what I believe truly sets me apart from others in my field. I always seem to ask myself: how can I be innovative? I have always had the goal to stand out and make my services stand out; I’m always looking at different ways to elevate my customer’s experience. Starting out it was rough trying to reach success while still trying to juggle multiple commitments, but that’s where being a good leader and using my team’s strengths came into play.

The biggest lesson that I have learned in life is that if you truly want something or what to be successful in something, you will make time for it. This thought really helped me to start thinking of executing my plans and not just going through the motions. In this learning period, I had to switch my mindset and stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like an entrepreneur. Success is so important to me because starting this business wasn’t just to create another stream of income for myself, but in hopes to lay a foundation for my team to grow and eventually all become leaders that highly perform. My grandfather instilled a lot of the characteristics that I still hold on to today about leadership, amongst other things. Without him, I don’t think I would be able to lead in either area that I work in currently. I am no where near perfect, but I do believe that being a great leader starts with your growth as a person. My growth has come from different avenues and has helped me to become a better communicator to my peers. My team’s raw abilities make them great, but a great team isn’t going to follow anyone. The fact that they trust me enough to lead them, allows for me to prioritize my work and comfortably know that they will take care of any other task.

Up in Smoke’s brand is to “provide excellence service, one cloud at a time,” but excellence doesn’t stop with just service. It is something that we try to incorporate into our daily lives. If there is one thing I could leave everyone with, it would be if you chase excellence everyday and just do your best on that specific day, eventually momentum will catch up with you and you will see success!

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?
Atlanta has so many places to visit, you couldn’t possibly fit them all into one weekend. Based on a few different categories, these are some of my favorite places. For day time events I would check out the Aquarium, Coca-Cola Factory, Ponce City Market, The Beltline, Piedmont Park, or The Battery. During the right season I would recommend a Braves, Hawks or Falcons game. Some of many food places I like include: BQE, 10th & Piedmont, Lily’s, Toast on Lenox, The Goodz, Oh Pasha, and The Garden Room. For night life you definitely have to go to Suite Lounge, Views, Blue Flame, Sivas, or Elleven45 Lounge. Everything on the list has a variety of vibes and there is something to throw on your to-do list based on however you’re feeling that day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a HUGE shoutout to my team/support system! Thank you De’Miya, Jevin, Erika, Chelsea, Danny, Anthony, Jaquana, Brittany, Tamara, Brianna, Jasmine, Grey, Malik, Les, Tiffany and anyone else that I may have left off! You are the reason Up in Smoke is what it is today!

Website: www.up-in-smoke-services.com

Instagram: @upinsmokellc_

Facebook: Up in Smoke Hookah Delivery Service

Image Credits
Mukai Masunungure (Grizzy Grey)