When Gresh was a kid, his military dad worked overseas for a year and this English major/entrepreneur started a family newspaper to keep his whole family up to date on what was going on. His first business was born!

This week on the Finding Fertile Ground podcast, I interview Gresham Harkless, Jr., founder of CEO Blog Nation and Blue 16 Media, and host of the I AM CEO Podcast + CEO Chat Podcast. Gresh graduated from Howard University and Georgetown and has interviewed more than 1,000 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners, including me!

Life hasn’t always been easy for him, though. He graduated in 2009 during the economic crisis and felt like he did all the things he was supposed to do to position himself for success. But he had to learn it all on his own, because each of the companies he went to, he lacked mentors. With layoffs and tearing his achilles tendon, he felt like a ship lost at sea.

Gresh is a wonderful, warm human being and I enjoyed hearing about his life journey and how he ended up building two successful businesses at such a young age.

Listeners, did this episode inspire you? I’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions or have an idea for a guest or topic I should cover, drop me a line at marie@fertilegroundcommunications.com.

I help professional services firms avoid BORING and boost employee engagement, productivity, and readership. I translate technical, complex, and lackluster language into accessible, dynamic, story-driven text. Get known in your industry through outstanding thought leadership content. Walk your talk through outstanding, effective communications with your employees and clients.

As a podcaster for justice, I stand with my sisters from the Women of Color Podcasters Community. We are podcasters united to condemn the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police.

Fertile Ground Communications LLC is a certified women-owned business enterprise, disadvantaged business enterprise, and emerging small business.