Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship
Salutes Black History
Many remarkable stories can be told of the individuals who pass through the halls of the University of Houston’s Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. There are stories of success and challenge. Of heritage, too.
“In honor of Black History Month, these three examples bring to life the spirit of creativity and the willingness to work hard that all innovators need if they are to see their ideas bloom. They also show the courage and faith passed through these generations to power the visions through the years,” said Dave Cook, executive director of the Wolff Center.
As a child, Boma Cheetham-West roleplayed the financial smarts that formed part of the bedrock of her career. Jonathan Brown learned his first business skills amid a family heritage of faith. Michael Talley focuses on his vision for the future, as he shares advice to younger dreamers ready to embark on their path.
“Although 2024’s official Black History Month is closing, we continue to honor the bigger history that keeps unfolding,” said Wolff Center program director Danna Ceron. “We’re proud of these three Wolff Center stories – from Boma, Jonathan and Michael – and we honor all the dreams that are growing here.”
JONATHAN BROWN
Jonathan Brown's first masterclass in running an essential business came from the very soul of his family. As the son and grandson of pastors, he spent almost as much time at the church as he did at home.
“I love the values that were instilled in me,” said Brown, a 2014 alum of the Wolff Center, an established business owner and a mentor for the current Wolff cohort.
In his youth, as church elders decided on goals and debated major expenses, he and his three siblings were busy at the church, too.
“It always felt like a family business because everybody in the family had a role to fill. It required respect as a business,” he said.
That early experience revealed the engine that powered the church.
“It was never just one person. There was a treasurer watching the finances, directors guiding the church and leaders organizing committees. It was always a collective. I saw how important each individual is.”
No way to know at the time, but years later that closeup view of the church’s inner functions would replay as his entrepreneurial future was starting to unfold. It would be his experience at the Wolff Center that would polish his preparation. But first, the Waco native had to find his way there.
“I didn’t visualize my future until I was enrolled in the University of Houston. Then I discovered that entrepreneurship was actually something you could learn and that the country’s No. 1 undergraduate program is right here at UH,” Brown said.
“The mission isn’t over. We’re still creating Black excellence. I see a lot of people here in Houston doing great things, and I will be part of that. I will work to be an exemplar figure for my culture, my community and the whole city around us.”
- Jonathan Brown
Jonathan Brown with his father, the Rev. Dennis Brown, pastor of St. Mary’s Baptist Church in Mart, Texas.
Jonathan Brown with his father, the Rev. Dennis Brown, pastor of St. Mary’s Baptist Church in Mart, Texas.
The more he found out about the Wolff Center, the more determined he became.
“There must be a lot of really great people there,’ I told myself, ‘and I am going to be with them.’”
Turned out to be a wise choice.
“The Wolff Center is where I started to get more understanding of how the business world works,” he said. For instance, big-name consulting firms offer services to large corporations.
But for small to mid-sized businesses there is a void for guidance in fine-tuning their visions and wisely deploying their resources. He and his business partner Ash Jones jumped into that gap. For the past four years, they have run ReImagine Biz, a business strategy company.
“We focus on teaching companies how they can compete and how they can identify certain bottlenecks in their businesses,” he said.
Clients have ranged from local restaurants and retailers to some giants to the nonprofit Mason Makes Money, which has granted thousands of dollars to young entrepreneurs on the path of learning. And Brown embraces the place where it all started.
“Sometimes when I’m on the phone with my dad, I tell him, ‘I’ll be your church consultant. Your job is in the pulpit. I can help navigate the business.’”
That’s honoring the past and looking to the future.
BOMA CHEETHAM-WEST
It’s understandable if you don’t think often about sonic branding. But chances are it’s not far from your ear right now.
Sonic branding is everywhere — stores, restaurants, hotel lobbies, social media, the wait while your call is on hold — but its considerable power is often underestimated.
Boma Cheetham-West wants to change that.
Cheetham-West, a Wolff Center 2017 alum and current Wolff mentor, pivoted her longtime hobby of building friends’ playlists into BomaCurates, a thriving marketing agency that features the niche specialty of sonic branding along with mainstream digital marketing. The business is now 3½ years old.
“A lot of research finds that diners linger longer in restaurants when the music fits the brand and customers even spend more money in restaurants and stores that play music fitting the establishment’s brand,” she explained. Most of the marketing companies that offer sonic branding services are in Europe or are US-based offices of European agencies.
Stepping into entrepreneurship’s unknowns challenged Cheetham-West, who said she naturally finds more comfort when the picture of the future is firmer.
“I wouldn't have taken the big chance if I hadn't learned so much at the Wolff Center. Those lessons enabled me to get to where I am now,” she said.
She is not her family’s first to take big chances. After immigrating from Nigeria, her parents became entrepreneurs by opening and operating a KFC franchise.
“When I was younger, my dad would tell us: ‘It’s OK to work for someone else. It’s better to start a business and build something for yourself.’”
Lessons in business and finance came early. Her favorite childhood toy? A children’s check-writing kit.
“Toys R Us had make-believe checkbooks for kids, next to the toy cash registers. So I practiced writing checks,” Cheetham-West said. “Those lessons as a kid helped me as a grownup. I entered adulthood already knowing something of how the banking system works, thanks to learning from those toy checkbooks.”
With BomaCurates doing well, Cheetham-West is giving back to the Wolff Center’s current class.
“I love being a mentor. I had no idea this would be so much fun,” she said. “I had an amazing mentor during my student days at Wolff. Now it’s exciting to watch my mentee grow into her future.”
What would she say to generations who came before her?
“I would say thank you for charting the way. The people who were a part of the civil rights movement fought for justice. They were the reason my parents could even think that America is a place to have a new life. I'm very thankful for all the people who came before my family and fought for Black people to have their place in this country.”
“Sonic branding uses sound to enhance your brand and to connect more with your audience. It can be background music or a sonic logo. Think about the Netflix ‘tah dum’ or THX’s ‘the audience is listening’ opening sounds. Or the MGM lion’s roar. Play a well-curated opening sound, and your public is already anticipating your product.”
- Boma Cheetham-West
MICHAEL TALLEY
There is a lot on Michael Talley’s mind at the moment, which is nothing new. After graduation from the Wolff Center in May, he will launch his career in sports marketing or technical sales. “Eventually I intend to start my own agency,” he said.
But in this very moment, all his energy points toward Wolffest, the annual final competition among Wolff teams.
“If I can manage the madness right now, I’ll be well prepared for the future,” he said.
Talley’s earliest years were spent in Blytheville, Arkansas. “A small, close-knit community where everybody knows everybody,” he said.
He set his first entrepreneurial roots in Blytheville, with lemonade stands and yardwork in the neighborhood.
“I was finding ways to make my own money. That was the biggest thing on my mind,” he said.
By the time he started high school, his parents had moved the family to Dallas in search of bigger opportunities.
“Growing up, my ultimate vision was to be a professional athlete. As I️ grew older my passion for being in the NBA was matched by a new pursuit – business. Or maybe the best of both worlds,” he said. “In my sophomore year, I turned to the Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center, in Garland Independent School District in Dallas.”
There, he found his first lessons in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.
“We went on field trips, listening to what business professionals could tell us. And we ran a retail store like it was our own. We purchased inventory and did all the sale and management duties,” Talley said.
The business world had delivered his first lesson in being ready to pivot.
“From that point, I was looking at top business schools, including UH’s Bauer College of Business. When I learned the Wolff Center was the No. 1 undergrad entrepreneurship program in the country, my mind was made up,” he said.
The Wolff experience, he says, is a constant mixture of time management and prioritization.
“The biggest challenge is that you go through a different challenge each semester,” Talley said. “Through it all, you need to keep a clear head and live in the moment, taking advantage of what’s in front of you.”
But for him, the best jewel is mentoring.
“The energy and aura of the Wolff mentors remind me of certain family members, including my parents, grandparents, and uncles – key pillars of my development during my time in Blytheville.”
He is grateful for all the gentle guidance along his path, including the experiences of his ancestors of past eras.
“We’ve come a long way, but I know we’re not finished,” he wants them to know. “Someday it will be my turn to pass down what I’ve learned, not just to the next generation but also for the next and the one after that. It’s generational knowledge, experience and, hopefully down the road, wealth as well. This isn’t the end. It’s only the beginning of what’s to come.”
To younger people with dreams, Talley advises: “Find a foundation that keeps you grounded. Nothing’s impossible. Keep your head on straight, and make sure you push forward.” His strength comes from family. With Michael, from left, are his mother Kristy, brother Christopher and father Michael.
To younger people with dreams, Talley advises: “Find a foundation that keeps you grounded. Nothing’s impossible. Keep your head on straight, and make sure you push forward.” His strength comes from family. With Michael, from left, are his mother Kristy, brother Christopher and father Michael.
Michael Talley poses at the lectern with Cougar pride in November 2023. A while earlier, the room was crowded with Wolff students, faculty and fans celebrating the announcement of the program’s fifth straight No. 1 win as best entrepreneurship program in the United States.
Michael Talley poses at the lectern with Cougar pride in November 2023. A while earlier, the room was crowded with Wolff students, faculty and fans celebrating the announcement of the program’s fifth straight No. 1 win as best entrepreneurship program in the United States.
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