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Businessman Collins McClain Shares His Journey of Making an Impact Through Entrepreneurship

25 year old entrepreneur Collins McClain is helping to bring a new spin on financial literacy to his hometown & surrounding cities. He’s here today to share his inspiring journey through the ups and downs of growing a successful business.

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What first inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

As a young kid, I knew that I wanted “something” different. It started in middle school, I always looked for a way to make money. When my parents would go shopping at Sam’s Club, I would ask them to purchase me bulks of candy and chips and I would sell them at school and make a profit in doing so. At that moment I knew that I was on to something. When I arrived at High School (with an entrepreneurial mindset), I continued to sell chips and candy and increased my profit by selling shoes from my unique sneaker collection as well. I accumulated enough money that resulted in me having extra funds for college.

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I found fulfillment in my college experience at Morehouse College located in Atlanta, GA. One I will never forget! I thought I was fulfilled after graduating from Morehouse College and landing what is perceived to be the “American Dream Job”, taking the traditional route of working in Corporate America until I realized after 2 weeks in, this wasn’t the route for me. My creativity was being suppressed because I wasn’t in the correct space to exercise it. Upon this realization, at the age of 24, I begin to plan my exit strategy by saving at-least 10K in six months so that I could become a full time entrepreneur. I believe that God laughs at us when we make plans and our plans don’t align with what HE has in store for us. Month’s later, I was laid off from my corporate job during the Pandemic in May, 2020! I was given a severance package and I haven’t looked back since.

That’s a great story. So as a businessman, what would you enjoy the most about entrepreneurship?

As an entrepreneur, I most enjoy the freedom and creativity that comes along with it. I also enjoy the fulfillment of helping others reach their goal. Working for Corporate America allowed me to fulfill someone else’s dream within a specific time frame (usually 9-5). As an entrepreneur, I don’t mind working looooooong hours that will someday, not only benefit me, but my family lineage as well.

Tell us a little bit about the business you’ve created. What is the concept?

I’m a part of an organization called Play Runnaz Association (PRA) Within that group, is my business based primarily out of Milwaukee, WI (PRA x MKE). We're educating the masses on how to invest in the largest financial market in the world. A lot of people don’t realize that the foreign exchange market used to be economically impossible to invest in unless you had a specific amount of capital, but now the way that things are shifting, anybody can invest into this market.

Providing massive success in Milwaukee is my top priority. If this skill was around and accessible 10 years ago, a lot of people that I grew up with would probably still be here today. I know for a fact that people within my community want to exercise their abilities and creativity, but they haven’t had the opportunity or platform to do so. I want to put people in a position where they can use the information and resources that are available through this business to fund their passions.

Sounds like an amazing business model. So tell us more about how you’re helping people through PRA x MKE.

I can break this down into a few points:

It all starts with education. We educate people by providing them with the information needed to help them become skilled traders & business owners, showing them the reality of trading and investing in the financial markets just like the 1%. It's about having the right people around you who can not only give you the information but help you apply it correctly.

We’re inspiring entrepreneurs in the city of Milwaukee. This is a business that can help create capital. This is a very unique opportunity.

We’re helping people get their time back and more freedom to pursue their passion and their dreams, while supporting their families and ultimately working towards generational wealth.

We’re encouraging people to become the best possible versions of themselves. Becoming mentally strong and resilient is just as important as becoming financially independent.

You’re really bringing value to a lot of people. What else do you have planned for the future of PRA, and for yourself personally?

Personally, I want to become a multimillionaire by the age of 30. I’m 25 right now, so that’s the end goal for my 5 year plan. With our group, I want to positively impact as many lives as possible. The pandemic showed us that digital currencies are the new way and people need to be aware of this transition. Educating yourself earlier will make the transition easier if cryptocurrencies really do take over the tangible dollar.

What kind of adversity did you face growing up and in growing your business?

Growing up I was always someone who thought outside of the box. I'm not someone that wants to follow the trend. My purpose is making a difference by helping people. This was instilled in me by God & my parents at birth. My experience living in Milwaukee, I noticed that some communities are limited to thinking outside of the box and feel more comfortable sticking with what they know.So I’m very grateful that I was able to leave the city and get more life experience in an environment that helped me on my entrepreneurial journey.

In growing my business, having this mindset of marching to the beat of my own drum made it hard for me at first because a big part of this business is mentorship, and I wasn’t necessarily coachable to what my mentors were telling me. But I soon realized that in this business if someone has the results that you want, you have to be a student and take in all of the information that your mentors have to offer you.

I’ve also realized that everyone will not believe in or support your entrepreneurial journey and that's okay. Continue to let God lead you and as long as you serve your purpose, do what is from your heart with a goal of helping others, everything else will align.

You’ve definitely come from humble beginnings and have created great success for yourself. In closing, what are your best pieces of advice for the aspiring entrepreneur?

For any aspiring entrepreneurs that are currently working a job and want more, make sure that you have an exit plan & save your money! It will help with start-up capital for your business!

Listen to people that have the results you want. Don’t be afraid to reach out for mentorship, look for people in your space who have the results you want to achieve and study them, learn about their strengths and weaknesses and apply this knowledge to your own journey/business. Learn what to avoid.

Invest in people who invest in you. Network with others, build lasting relationships with like-minded individuals.You can't look at people like numbers, you have to really take the time to get to build those relationships. At the end of the day, you won’t get anywhere on your own.

Get your mindset and spirituality right. Entrepreneurship is not meant to be easy - it’s not for the weak-minded and it’s not a shortcut. So you have to make sure that you have faith and belief. Pray, meditate, read, take care of yourself, work out, and develop yourself in all areas.

If you’re in a room where you’re the richest and most powerful person, you’re in the wrong room. Stay around people who have the results you desire so you’ll always stay hungry to achieve what they have achieved.