An author, Detroit Native, and Cass Tech High School graduate, Daniel R. Simmons is the Founder of a Detroit-based Tech company MR. TECH YOU UP LLC provides innovative solutions tailored made to cater to the unique I.T. needs of businesses, brands, non-profit organizations, and ministries. Since 2014 Mr. Tech You Up LLC has taken the technological ideas of individuals and brands and has brought them to life. Mr. Tech You Up LLC is determined to TECH your purpose, your dream, and your passion to the next level.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Daniel, to know a bit more about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Daniel: Well, I believe I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. I remember being in 7th grade and my English teacher challenged us to a project to present a business we would like to create for ourselves. I remember going home and dreaming of myself owning a custom car detailing company in L.A. so I created my project around that. That 7th-grade project really sparked my entrepreneurial spirit and made me sit down and construct my business ideas on paper.
Q. How did you get started?
Daniel: Well I remember back in 2014, I got a chance to be an I.T. independent contractor for a local Mentoring program in the city of Detroit called the Manhood Project with Coach Phil Black which I am grateful to him for. Because I had tech experience in the workplace prior at Quicken loans but being brought on independently with the Manhood Project was my first entrepreneurial experience. It was then when I penned the name Mr. Tech You Up and did the business off and on but it wasn’t until 2019 when I met my Pastor, Dr. Teresa D. Cox, and joined her church Efficacious Global Ministries that I really had a chance to see my purpose in the tech business. She allowed me to work on major projects for her major ministries and brands and mentored and continues to mentor me in both business, life, and faith. So without Dr. Teresa D. Cox I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now with my first tech company or building my second which is a software development company launching this year, I am forever grateful for her. Too often people forget about the ones who gave them an opportunity and invested their time and resources into them, so thank you, Coach Black and Dr. Teresa Cox.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Daniel: My biggest startup challenge was not being consistent and procrastinating. In the beginning, I would work on the business for a period of time then venture to something else. I overcame this challenge by simply listening to the guidance and mentorship of my Pastor, Dr. Teresa D. Cox. I watched her determined to see things through that she started, no matter how big or small. She always tells us about finishing what we started so I applied her example and knowledge and got my business bank accounts, got it registered with my state, built my site again, and sought out clients, consistently.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
Daniel: Wow the most memorable thing I’ve been blessed to do since I started my business was create an online school for my Pastor. I had never done a project like that before. I remember my Pastor telling me how she had been searching for others to complete the technological vision she had and that I had created it how she had envisioned it. Look I am a college dropout, so everything I do is self-taught, So working with my Pastor on her school, and seeing her face light up when she saw the completed project I will never forget. Working with her on that project really allowed me to see that my gift in the tech business is very unique and I have to give God the glory for it, and again thank my Pastor.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Daniel: One book I would recommend is my book, “One Million hours of Isolation – Striving towards success because there you can not only learn more about me and why I am passionate about what I do, but I break downtime and how it equates to your success. It’s a simple cliché of how using your time determines your success but I really wanted to put this into perspective to the reader so I talk about how the average person lives to be about 70 years old and in those 70 years you would have lived over 613,000 hours, So this book will challenge you, inspire and really allow you to think about how it’s really no excuse as to why you aren’t fulfilling your purpose and dreams. Check it out on Amazon.com
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?
Daniel: My top 3 favorite online apps for my business are:
1. Smartline with Godaddy because it allows me to have an 800 number for my business without having to buy another phone.
2. Linkedin because that is how I find the majority of my leads for the business. I absolutely love Linkedin because I get to connect with professionals in all areas from all over the world. It’s amazing.
3. The Life info App. I love this app because it’s a super app and as techy, I love the concept of it. With it, I can earn cashback and trip credits when I make purchases. I can buy gold or invest in bitcoin. Listening to financial literacy, it’s amazing. The access to it is based on referrals so contact me to learn how you can get your hands on it
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Daniel: The legacy and mark I want to leave on this world are to simply let my creator be glorified through what I accomplish. I want major success to point others to faith. To see that my creator can take a young black, man from Detroit who slept in his car and dropped out of college but He did something great in him.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Daniel: The best advice I can give someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey is to remember that you don’t know everything so I would tell them to get connected to their assigned mentor fast. You may ask what and who is my assigned mentor, trust me you will know when you meet them. And when you do, be sure to honor them, listen, and apply what they are instilling in you, and your business will begin to take off. You can’t accomplish success without continual mentorship.
To keep up to date with Daniel and his journey, connect with him on LinkedIn.
