[spreaker type=standard width=100% autoplay=false episode_id=5631082] 

Devin Robinson (known to many as Professor Devin) is a business and economics professor and author of eight self-help books. His latest book is “Power M.O.V.E.: How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur.”

He is a well sought after speaker, consultant and trainer on business and community development. His largest accomplishments began after experiencing a less than favorable experience in 2005 while shopping at a beauty supply store for his salon and barbershop, he decided to open his own beauty supply store. Once he was able to get pass industry obstacles and understand the dynamics of this business, he opened two other locations in Atlanta, Georgia over the next 12 months. His store motto and success secret, “Treating You with the Respect You Deserve.”
After realizing his sweat equity was larger than the community his stores were serving, in late 2007, he decided to sell his barbershop, salon and retail chain to (on a full-time basis) help other aspiring owners get into the beauty business. By 2008, he founded Taking it Back University, an institute that educates aspiring entrepreneurs on how to successfully open beauty supply stores, avoid industry pitfalls and losing money while doing it.

Professor Devin appeared in the “Black Hair” documentary as a store owner in March 2007, which led to him writing the book “Taking it Back: How to Become a Successful Black Beauty Supply Store Owner” in November 2007 selling over 25,000 copies independently. He has appeared in many publications, to include Ebony magazine and the NY Times newspaper, and was a recurring SME on the nationally syndicated “Michael Baisden Radio Show” where he shared tips on business with the show’s 6,000,000 listeners.

In 2010, Taking it Back University rebranded into Beauty Supply Institute, which lead to it expanding into international countries. Later that year in 2010, the company held its first Beauty Supply Entrepreneurship Conference in four different cities attracting attendees from across the United States. Now, every year the conference has a Winter Conference in Los Angeles, California and a Summer Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Under Professor Devin’s leadership, Beauty Supply Institute trains thousands of entrepreneurs annually in the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, London, Switzerland, Canada and The Netherlands. Beauty Supply Institute has become the #1 resource for beauty retailing industry entrepreneurs’. Beauty Supply Institute received the 2013 Best of Atlanta Businesses award by the Atlanta Tribune.

In 2012, Professor Devin founded Urban Business Institute to assist urban entrepreneurs develop their ideas or improve their businesses through the company’s Small Business Academy. In 2013 the academy received a grant from the Obama’s Administration federal Economic Development Agency to train small business in disaster area. The academy has since trained over 1,000 student entrepreneurs and is now available in 14 cities across the United States and Caribbean.

To date, Professor Devin and Beauty Supply Institute has opened over 70 black-owned beauty supply stores and have generated over $13 Million in revenues for urban communities. He continues to serve as the CEO and Program Director of Beauty Supply Institute (www.BeautySupplyInstitute.com) and Urban Business Institute (www.UrbanBusinessInstitute.com) and he teaches over 100 students every semester in his business & economics courses. He is a former entrepreneurial columnist for billionaire Bob Johnson’s website www.OppsPlace.com and a former 7-year columnist for the Daily News newspaper. He holds a Bachelors in Business Management, Masters in Business Administration and completing a Doctorate in Business Marketing.

He continues to teach the general public on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship using the Power M.O.V.E. Principles teachings from his latest book.

Learn more about Professor Devin Robinson at www.DevinRobinson.com.