Meet Kwan Grimes | Educator & Business Owner

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

Hi Kwan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The road for starting BMT LLC has not been the smoothest. I have had to lean on many of the life lessons from growing up in the inner city and having to make the impossible, possible. Getting started was one of the biggest struggles. For our branded clothing, it has always been important to me to produce products that stay on trend while maintaining high quality standards. I needed to learn all the little things like finding wholesale vendors and connecting with the right people in the right places. Once I got the ball rolling, time management became another struggle. I had set realistic goals for what I would accomplish as an entrepreneur, while maintaining a full time career that I am just as passionate about. Even today, it still feels like a challenge trying to get it all done in a day.

The success of BMT LLC is Taking everything I learned from growing up in Milwaukee, attending an HBCU, and working in urban education, I knew that I wanted to start a business that stood on something powerful. I wanted to create something that made it look cool to be a positive image as black man. With inspiration coming from early black fashion brands like FUBU and Phat Farm, I started Black Men Teach LLC.

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

I have always understood the importance of having a black male presence and the greater impact we have on the community. Being the man that many of my students and athletes look to for support, encouragement, and leadership is a truly humbling experience. The brand that I am continuously building is ultimately inspired by the work that I do and the kids that I serve.

Taking everything I learned from growing up in Milwaukee, attending an HBCU, and working in urban education, I knew that I wanted to start a business that stood on something powerful. I wanted to create something that made it look cool to be a positive image as black man. With inspiration coming from early black fashion brands like FUBU and Phat Farm, I started Black Men Teach LLC.

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?
I credit much of who I am to the city that raised me, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The city taught me the importance of having grit, creating a hustle, and always looking out for the community. My grandparents also played a large role in making me the man I am today. I watched my grandmother served as an educator and I watched my grandfather build his own successful plumbing business. Watching there hard work and dedication to servicing the community and building wealth for our family planted a seed in me to do the same for my future. Leaving Milwaukee to attend an HBCU gave me greater sense of pride in my blackness and gave me the opportunity to support the community in ways that I had not done before. These experiences lead me to a career in urban education and youth athletics, which has truly become my passion.

Instagram: BlackMenteachllc

Linkedin: Kwandelgrimes

Twitter: coach_grimes1906

Image Credits
Khalil Taylor Jonny photographer Amare Scott Ryan Roberson