Meet Alex Brown | Cell Phone Store Owner Turned Real Estate Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Growing up i worked for my grandfather, who was the first black American business owner in my small town in upstate NY. My grandfather owned car washes, janitorial services, and pressure washing companies. So I learned quickly that i wanted to be my own boss one day. After i graduated from college i made it a mission to learn as much about how the businesses i worked for made money.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I quit my salaried job to take a leap of faith into entrepreneurship when i saw an opportunity to start my own business. The opportunity was selfie sticks. While working at Verizon, a wholesaler walked into my job and tried to sell them to our store, but the manager declined. I asked for his card and told him id buy the minimum, which he said was 1000. The next day I took vacation days to find a place that would approve me to have a kiosk. After being denied 20x, the 21st time, a mall in Fort Lauderdale called beach place gave me an opportunity. I put in my 2 week notice and my friends, coworkers and family thought i was crazy.. My little kiosk grossed 145k the 1st year and grew and changed into a cell phone repair store and wholesale company from 2014-2019 when i sold it.

I wanted out of retail, but to continue my entrepreneurial journey. So I turned to real estate, where it took a few years for me to start seeing success. Now I am having an amazing year. I recently capped at my company and I plan on having my own real estate team in 2024.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would say they need to check out the beach, Las Olas, and downtown Fort Lauderdale. So they can experience great food, night life, and scenery. I would also have a friend take them out on a boat to see all the great views!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank my parents, grandpa, and college football defensive coordinator for helping me become a disciplined and competitive individual. I would also like to thank my district manager from Verizon for all of his tough love. Tony Robbins is also very inspirational for living a positive life. My real estate coach, John, gave me many wonderful lessons. He told me not to focus on the outcomes, but to focus on helping people. Their happiness has to drive you more than the results.

Website: Downtownalexbrown.kw.com

Instagram: Dwntwn_abrown