JeVon McCormick: From Poverty to CEO of Scribe Media

JeVon McCormick is an author, speaker, and the CEO of Scribe Media. Scribe Media is a multi-million dollar publishing company that helps entrepreneurs, executives, and experts write, publish, and market their books. Things weren’t always so great for Jevon though–he was born the son of a Black pimp father and a white single mother on welfare. Poverty, abuse, eviction, and discrimination were a daily part of his life. Jevon worked his way up through corporate at Countrywide Home Loans, but then lost everything when the housing bubble burst, and had to start over again. He met former POZcast guest and legendary writer Tucker Max at Scribe Media when he was looking to write his own autobiography, and the two clicked, eventually leading Jevon to taking over as CEO. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Jevon experienced the lowest of “American poverty” , a distinction that was important to him to make in our conversation. That means as a kid he had to line his hole-riddled shoes with plastic bags to keep the water and snow out, and was forced to resort to the garbage at times for a meal. After working his way up through corporate with only a GED and a 5th-6th grade reading level, Jevon lost everything in the housing bubble collapse of 2008. He was more comfortable than one might have expected though, with confidence stemming from his experiences as a kid when he learned to survive from nothing. One of the most important lessons learned from Tucker Max was when he told Jevon he was “the fastest learner he ever met.” Jevon justly considers Tucker a genius, who was Ivy League-educated, and with Jevon’s lack of education changed his perspective on his own ability and talent. Scribe Media has a tougher hire rate than the acceptance rate at an Ivy League School. They also won’t work with clients who approach them trying to “write a New York Times Bestseller.” Those types of accolades have been and can be achieved, but they can’t be the primary goal. The foremost goal must always be the story told. One of the most powerful tips Jevon gives to the people he mentors is to show up 30 minutes early, especially for interviews. That way they can stand out and show punctuality, without even touching on their experience level. For more, please check out www.scribemedia.com If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers. Whether you’re doubling down on business development or recruiting talent, Interseller does all the heavy lifting of finding contact data, automating the email and follow-up process, and syncs all that rich data into 20+ CRMs and ATSs. Reach out and get going in a 2-week *free* trial today and let them know you heard about them from Adam on #thePOZcast. Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ If you are curious how Adam has created #thePOZcast and turned it into an ecosystem that builds real relationships, clients, thought leadership, and content, check out www.thePOZcourse.com. For more shows, please check out www.thePOZcast.com Thanks!