Madison has resources, talent, and institutions that want to support entrepreneurship, but as a Black or minority business owner, you still have to fight to be seen, trusted, and taken seriously. That is especially true in logistics, where credibility matters. Brokers, drivers, partners, and customers want to know you can perform consistently.

Being connected to the Black Business Hub has been important because it creates a real ecosystem around entrepreneurs. The Hub gives businesses like ours access to visibility, support, resources, and community. The microgrant was helpful, but the bigger value is knowing that there are people and institutions that recognize what we are building and want to see it grow.

For me, growing in Madison has meant learning to carry both ambition and responsibility. We are not just building for ourselves. We are building in a way that reflects what is possible for other entrepreneurs watching.

3. What are some of the challenges you face and how do you push through them?

One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to fail often, fail fast, and keep moving.

Entrepreneurship is not a straight line. In logistics, the market changes constantly. Rates shift, brokers adjust requirements, drivers come and go, insurance matters change, and every day can bring a new problem. We had to become incredibly versatile as a company. We learned not to be afraid of change, but to adjust quickly, study the market, and keep improving.

In this industry, it is never a question of if problems will arise. It is how you handle them when they arrive. That is something we teach our team every day. Stay on your toes, communicate clearly, handle things professionally, and move with grace under pressure. A delayed load, a driver issue, or a broker concern can either expose a weak system or show the strength of your team.

In the beginning, it took almost two years of working 12-hour shifts before we were able to build a real team. There were long days where everything depended on us directly. But that season taught us what the business needed. It showed us where the pressure points were and where systems had to be created.

Now, the focus is not just working hard. It is building systems, keeping people accountable, and making sure the company can operate beyond one person. I believe the true measure of a leader’s success is how the organization performs in their absence. That only happens when you build the right people, the right processes, and the right standards.

4. How has your business changed or grown since starting?

Cargo Champion has grown tremendously.

When we started, it was much more hands-on and reactive. We were learning the industry, building broker relationships, figuring out driver support, and trying to understand what it would take to compete. Today, we have around 50 drivers, a growing internal team of about 10 people, and a much stronger operational structure.

We have consistently broken records every month of 2026. Reaching our first million-dollar revenue year was difficult. It took a lot of work, sacrifice, and learning. But after crossing that milestone, we were able to move faster. Last year, we passed that mark, and this year we are on track to reach even greater heights.

The biggest change is that Cargo Champion is no longer just a small company trying to figure things out. We are becoming a serious logistics operation with systems, standards, a team, and a national presence.

5. What helped you grow most? Mindset, products, or customers?

Mindset helped the most, but relationships made the growth possible.

The mindset had to come first. You have to be willing to fail, learn, adjust, and keep going. You cannot be afraid to pivot when the market changes. Cargo Champion has grown because we stayed flexible. We did not get stuck doing things one way just because that was how we started.

At the same time, in logistics, your product is trust. Brokers have to trust that you will move freight professionally. Drivers have to trust that you will communicate, support them, and help them earn. Your internal team has to trust the vision enough to keep building with you.

Customers, drivers, team members, and community support all played a role. But without the right mindset, none of those opportunities would have turned into growth.

6. How does the current market feel for your business?

The current freight market is competitive, but Cargo Champion is in a strong position.

The industry has been tighter than it was during the COVID freight boom. Rates are more competitive, brokers are more selective, and companies have to operate with more discipline. But that type of market can actually separate serious companies from temporary ones.

We now work with many of the top brokers in the nation and have built hundreds of relationships based on trust and performance. That matters in this industry. Freight is not just about having a van available. It is about communication, reliability, accountability, and solving problems when things do not go perfectly.

Problems are guaranteed in logistics. What matters is whether your team knows how to respond. At Cargo Champion, we teach our team to stay ready, communicate professionally, and handle pressure with grace. That is part of what has helped us build credibility in a difficult market.

Cargo Champion has become a formidable name in the cargo and sprinter van freight space. The market is challenging, but we are built for challenge. We are versatile, relationship-driven, and constantly improving our systems.

7. How important has community been for your growth?

Community has been extremely important.

No business grows alone. Even when you are the founder, you need people who believe in you, support you, open doors, give advice, and remind you that the work matters.

The Black Business Hub has been part of that for Cargo Champion. It gave us access to an ecosystem that supports Black and minority-owned businesses not only with funding, but with recognition and connection. That kind of support gives you momentum.

Community also shows up through our drivers, our internal team, our families, and the brokers who gave us a chance. Every driver who trusted us with their career, every dispatcher who helped keep freight moving, and every partner who believed in our ability to perform has helped us grow.

8. What’s one thing you want people to know about your business that they might not know?

I want people to know that Cargo Champion is not just a trucking company. It is a platform for opportunity.

A lot of people see trucking as simply moving freight from one place to another. But behind every load, there is a driver trying to provide for their family, a dispatcher coordinating details, a broker trusting us to deliver, and a company trying to build something sustainable.

We help drivers break out of the traditional work structure and create a path where their effort directly impacts their income. That is powerful. A driver can choose to stay on the road, work harder, build consistency, and create more earning potential for themselves.

Cargo Champion moves freight, but we also move people forward.

9. What is next for you and your business?

The next phase for Cargo Champion is growth with stronger structure.

We want to continue expanding our driver network, growing our internal team, strengthening our broker relationships, and improving our technology. We are focused on becoming more scalable without losing the standards that got us here.

A major focus is building systems that allow the company to grow beyond any one person. Better onboarding, stronger dispatch processes, clearer accountability, improved communication, and more data-driven decision-making.

Long term, the goal is to make Cargo Champion one of the most recognized cargo and sprinter van logistics companies in the country. Not just because we grew quickly, but because we built something reliable, disciplined, and real.

10. What advice would you give another Black-owned business starting in Madison?

My advice would be to take yourself seriously before anyone else does.

Do not wait for perfect funding, perfect timing, or perfect conditions. Start building. Learn your industry. Know your numbers. Ask questions. Follow up. Put yourself in rooms where opportunities exist, even when you feel uncomfortable.

Also, do not be afraid to fail. Fail fast, learn from it, and adjust. Some of the most important lessons in business come from the things that did not work. Failure is only wasted if you refuse to study it.

I would also tell new business owners to build systems early. Passion may start the business, but systems grow it. If everything depends on you, the business owns you. The goal is to build something that can survive, grow, and serve people even when you are not in every room.

And for the love of god, remove your ego out of the way!