Meet Ronnie McLaughlin | Entrepreneur & Motivational Speaker

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

Hi Ronnie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was born into a family of fellow, minority business owners. My grandad owned a repair shop, my stepdad owned an electrical business and his mom owned a catering business. Venturing out as an entrepreneur was never foreign to me, in fact, it was quite natural in my family to recognize one’s gifting and abilities and explore them deeply. After recognizing one’s uniqueness the difficulty is conforming to the demands and time constraints of a standard 9 to 5.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an entrepreneur/creative I am the owner of MacNificent Catering. My grandmother was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and my stepdads mom was from New Orleans, Louisiana. This rich heritage is what separates me from the rest. Two different regions and two completely different cooking styles. Besides my passion and God-given ability to thrown down in the kitchen I am also an educator by profession. Currently I hold a masters degree in Educational Leadership and have spent a considerable number of years leading instruction, teaching teachers and grooming leaders.

In this new year and next phase of my career I endeavor to gather aspiring leaders in one place and empower them through motivational speaking, team building exercises and offering them pedagogic tools to help them promulgate their own unique gifts and talents to help change a generation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Currently, I live in Atlanta, GA. Atlanta is rich in history and culture. Home to one of the greatest civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and the church that served as his spiritual birthplace, the Ebenezer Baptist Church. I am a major foodie and while I love cooking and entertaining I equally enjoy patronizing various restaurants. I enjoy a myriad of cuisines so there isn’t a single one that I prefer over another. I have an extreme appreciation for cinematography, horror, sci-fi and action films are my top three genres. If I had a bestie in town, catching a matinee on the weekend would definitely be on the things to do list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my mom! I could never excel in life without reflecting back on the strength that she possesses, feeds on daily and offers to others, namely me being her middle son. After my mom divorced my birth father she spent many years raising her three sons all by herself in the inner city of Detroit, Michigan. A number of the guys on our block ended up incarcerated or dead. My mom was tenacious enough to not allow that to be our story. As a result, she kept us busy in church, in sports and in school activities. I strive to be my best so I can give back to my community but also to her specifically.

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