"Surround yourself with smart and positive people.'
Ebony Karim Tweet
Born in Colorado and raised primarily in Michigan, Ebony Karim comes from a strong, close-knit family that encouraged her to be educated, assertive, and to operate in excellence. The spirit of ambition was instilled from birth as her (paternal) family was among the first African-American families to settle and establish land ownership after being freed from slavery. She spent her developmental and young academic years as a stellar student, in Kalamazoo and later attended Chicago State University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in biology and business management.
Knowing that education would be critical to her success, she relocated to earn a Master’s degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland University College, followed by earning certificates from the prestigious Wharton School of Business. After relocating to the east coast, Ebony delved into the Information Technology industry in a managerial capacity within the public sector industry and expanded her professional portfolio as a STEM educator with The Maryland Center at Bowie State University. She educates students in grades 6 through 12 in Cybersecurity. As she gained experience, she used her growing business savvy to transition into freelance consulting and independent contract work.
In 2013, she launched the first imprint under the Embarkus umbrella, Embarkus Solutions—a federal IT consulting firm headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. Through this business, she provides public and private sector clients with high-end, full-service professional consulting. With 20+ years of experience, the firm effectively strategizes scalable solutions to enhance organizational infrastructure. Long-term clients include The U.S.Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. General Services Administration, and others. Her professional success led her to author her first eBook in 2021, So You Want To Be A Federal Contractor? Her best-selling book gives step-by-step instructions on how to become a successful government contractor.
Ebony’s business and educational achievements have propelled her to board seats with the Loudoun County Family Services Advisory Board and the Maryland Center at Bowie State University Education Innovation Initiative. Ebony also holds membership affiliations with the National Contract Management Association, the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Female Executives, and Women Impacting Public Policy. In September 2019 Ebony’s passion for health and wellness emerged as she founded the Embarkus Wellness Program. The company is a full-service concierge nutrition and wellness company; specializing in maximizing individuals’ elite functions by focusing on total human performance. Ebony and the Embarkus Wellness team will develop comprehensive solutions to the underserved American’s poor health crisis. Officially launching in December, she unveiled the core team of clinical practitioners from Chicago, Miami, and New York. Aside from her professional achievements and personal accomplishments, she prioritizes quality time for her 4 children—who have always been her greatest motivation. In her downtime, she enjoys reading, traveling, mentoring, and volunteering.
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Table of Contents
Let’s start with a brief introduction first. Introduce yourself to our readers.
Ebony Karim: My name is Ebony Jowharah Karim. I am the Founder & CEO of Embarkus Solutions, a small women-owned management boutique firm, located outside of Washington, D.C. I was raised in the Midwest and attended undergraduate school in Chicago, IL. After graduating from Chicago State University in BioChemistry, I relocated to Maryland to pursue a master’s degree in Business Management from The University of Maryland, Maryland College. I currently reside in northern Virginia and am the mother of four children ages 24, 22, 14, and 9.
Our audience is interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to become a CEO or was it something you were led to? Our readers would love to know your story!
Ebony Karim: After working in the public sector industry for over 15 years, I decided to branch out and pursue my dream as an entrepreneur and started my own consulting company in October of 2013. While supporting the federal government as a consultant, I was able to learn how to administer and manage contracts for multi-million-dollar IT programs on an enterprise level. I then took those skill sets, knowledge, and expertise and venture out as a small business owner. I’m not entirely sure if I always wanted to be a CEO but I always wanted to work for myself and control my destiny.
“Selfmade” is a myth. We all received help, no doubt you love to show appreciation to those who supported you when the going got tough, who has been your most important professional inspiration?
Ebony Karim: Wow- this is a great question. If I had to think of one person who has been the most important inspiration to me, would be my mother. My mother has always been my biggest cheerleader- both personally and professionally. As an educator, she has always instilled in me the value of believing in myself. She equipped me with the tools to be able to take risks and always strive to be the best version of myself. I am my competition.
How did your journey lead you to become a CEO? What difficulties did you face along the way and what did you learn from them?
Ebony Karim: My desire to become my own “boss’ and to control my destiny led me to the path to becoming a CEO. I’ve always strived to be the best in whatever I do so that I can create a legacy for my family. Being a woman entrepreneur comes with many challenges, especially in industries where it is male-dominated. Women are always tested in the workforce. We’re always tested to see how intelligent we are, fight to have a voice and a seat at the table.
Tell us about your company. What does your business do and what are your responsibilities as a CEO?
Ebony Karim: Embarkus Solutions specializes in providing program and project management support to the Federal Government and its Contractors. From defining requirements to choosing the correct contract type to measure performance metrics, Embarkus provides the strategy and acquisition support tools needed to navigate through the acquisition lifecycle. Our highly trained team of consultants excels in developing standard operating procedures, templates, and training modules to streamline the processes, allowing for efficient acquisition document production and review.
We leverage a vast network of corporations, associations, and industry thought-leaders to enable multiple opportunities for business networking, strategic marketing, channel development, resource-shaping, and industry best practices. Established solutions in producing, strengthening, and sustaining business channels to foster growth.
What does CEO stand for? Beyond the dictionary definition, how would you define it?
Ebony Karim: CEO stands for “Chief Everything Officer”. That means we are responsible for every facet of the business. From hiring employees to cleaning the bathrooms.
When you first became a CEO, how was it different from what you expected? What surprised you?
Ebony Karim: My business is classified as a micro-business. My team is comprised of a unique set of consultants who operate independently. Most of my responsibilities consist of day-to-day operations and client relationships with most of the focus on business development opportunities.
There are many schools of thought as to what a CEO’s core roles and responsibilities are. Based on your experience, what are the main things a CEO should focus on? Explain and please share examples or stories to illustrate your vision.
Ebony Karim: The main things a CEO should focus on developing strategic objectives and direction, implementing proposed plans, directing, and overseeing overall corporate strategies, budgeting, and forecasting, fostering business relationships, and establishing a healthy work culture and environment.
How would you define success? Does it mean generating a certain amount of wealth, gaining a certain level of popularity, or helping a certain number of people?
Ebony Karim: Success to me simply means the satisfaction obtained from excelling in one’s true purpose. Success usually comes with a certain amount of wealth or popularity. But for myself, the epitome of success is when I’ve been able to break generational curses by building a legacy for my family and children.
Some leadership skills are innate while others can be learned. What leadership skills do you possess innately and what skills have you cultivated over the years as a CEO?
Ebony Karim: My key leadership skills are the ability to possess a clear vision, be courageous, honest, have integrity, be humble, and have a clear focus.
How did your role as a CEO help your business overcome challenges caused by the pandemic? Explain with practical examples.
Ebony Karim: I believe my role as a CEO allowed me to use my business relationships as a resource to navigate through the pandemic and partner with other small businesses that are in the same space- public consulting. The advantage of working with the federal government is that business is always open.
Do you have any advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders? What advice would you give a CEO that is just starting on their journey?
Ebony Karim: My advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders would be to learn what you are good at. Then do what you love. If you want to become successful, strive for personal growth. Read, read and read. Learn to assess risks and results. Believe in your ideas. Surround yourself with smart and positive people. Build a strong circle- your tribe is everything. Appreciate constructive feedback. Study your industry. Find a mentor. Partner up with other companies and always have a backup plan.
Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with our readers! They would also like to know, what is one skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire but never really could?
Ebony Karim: Become proficient in playing the viola. I played as a child and always wished I pursued it as an adult.
Before we finish things off, we have one final question for you. If you wrote a book about your life today, what would the title be?
Ebony Karim: “Pink Sweater Chronicles”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Ebony Karim for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Ebony Karim or her company, you can do it through her – Facebook
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