About Us
The vision is to start a Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFIs, in the form of a nonprofit credit union. This will provide financial solutions to surrounding low-income communities. Members of these low-income communities will have the same opportunities as others to obtain loans and other products needed to be a thriving force. Members will have access to fair-priced loans and can receive these loans even with imperfect, limited, or no credit history, and low credit scores.
The goal is to provide financial awareness to the community and develop relationships through educating on the importance of investing, building, and credit worthiness. Funds will also be available to assist small businesses in the targeted areas, along with showing them how to give back to the communities that support them.
D2SP, Inc. will have an entertainment division that consists of Independent Filmmakers, Independent Music Artists & Labels, and Playwrights. We recognize that there are many individuals with great talent in entertainment, who struggle to have the opportunity to gain exposure for their works. Utilizing a strong and solid knowledge of each industry, we are confident that we will be able to assist the right individuals with getting their projects off of the ground.
Films
There are many great unnoticed talent in the film industry. It is our goal to nurture and help individuals who are able to show that they have a completed film that is registered with the WGA and Library of Congress. This film will be reviewed by our dedicated team. Once it is deemed a marketable piece, we will provide funding to get the project distributor ready. We have a very appealing strategic plan in place utilizing our many connections to the industry.
Music
Our desire is to give independent artists and independent labels a one-shot chance to be successful by giving them a jumpstart. This is not a management deal nor are we creating a label. We are currently developing relationships that will be conducive to the chosen artist’s or label’s career. With the plan we are developing, no one in the music industry is doing it. The chosen artist or label will be left with several choices and opportunities that they would not ordinarily have on their own. All of which includes giving them the choice to stay independent if they so choose to. We have the right team and the right connections to break an artist or label into the industry successfully.
Stage Plays
Many playwrights are waiting on someone to notice their great work and the biggest obstacles are funding and guidance. We will provide the needed funding, marketing, and routing to the right playwright, all while allowing them to maintain creative control over their project. We will not be taking over their project but forming an alliance that allows them to experience longevity in the play industry.
The leadership of Desire to Succeed Project, Inc has over 160 years combined experience of business building. D2SP, Inc. will leverage its deep and extensive connections in various industry backgrounds, experiences, and influences to launch, assist, and guide small businesses on their road to success.
Desire to Succeed Project, Inc. is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV, with remote locations in GA, NC, MO, and FL.
Building a trusted circle of leaders
One small business at a time!
Executive Team
Phelicia Scarboro, CEO
Phelicia Scarboro is an author, script developer, Ghostwriter, stage play director, and business mentor. She has been writing for 18 years for herself and for others in the areas of books, Independent Films, television, and stage plays. She has ghostwritten for several people to help bring their vision to life in both fiction and nonfiction. She has personally trained individuals in acting, held casting calls for independent producers, as well as, assist other writers in character development and scene structure. She is currently working on a few novel projects of her own. In her past, she led a team of leaders in Direct Sales becoming Top Performer under the mentorship of Eric Pope. Her stretch of work and skills extend into a passion for helping others, which led her to develop a work-from-home job agency.
As a current Independent Business Owner in the field of Customer Service, Sales, and Tech Support, she is able to help other business owners recognize their strengths and weaknesses, develop a business and marketing strategy, and develop campaigns for hiring qualified individuals. Phelicia was previously instrumental in hiring volunteers and she coordinated events for an HIV awareness nonprofit organization in the Pinellas county area called Help Us Help U, Inc. She has, also, for a brief election stint, assisted with a political campaign as Event Coordinator and became the writer for one of the key candidates of St. Petersburg’s School Board campaign marketing materials and print media. She was Co-Founder, CEO, and Chairperson of the Board for Onyx Business Exchange-Atlanta, Inc., while under the mentorship of George L. Smith where various businesses were under its umbrella. She and her team advised small startup businesses on setting up their businesses and handled their administrative needs. Currently, she advises and mentors other startups with everything from naming their businesses to their administrative needs. She will be under the mentorship of George L. Smith for this next venture in business, The Desire to Succeed Project, Inc.
Eric G. Pope, President
Eric G. Pope is a passionate and intuitive mentor, leader, and trainer to successful entrepreneurs. At age 21, he co-founded Pope, Anderson, Swain, and Sweet (P.A.S.S.) Communications, one of North Florida’s first Bellsouth Mobility cellular phone distributorships. Eric successfully led Fortune 500 multi-million dollar sales and Operations teams, including United Parcel Service (UPS), Neopost-North America, and Verizon Yellow Pages. He has led, developed, provided vision and training for several direct sales company teams resulting in $100M+ in profitable revenue. Eric trained thousands of direct sales professionals through his daily “7 AM Jump Start” and weekly training conference calls. In addition, he trained companies in the fields of Neuro-linguistic Programming, Advanced Leadership, Body Language Recognition & Pacing, Emotional Intelligence and Advanced Group Dynamics. He is currently Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Preeminence Community Development, Inc. Headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, Preeminence Community Development, Inc. (PCD) is an organization designed to help at-risk populations throughout the metro Atlanta, Georgia area. With a concentration on real estate development, zoning, and education of at-risk youths, PCD takes a multi-faceted approach to community building.
Among its other subsidiaries, Preeminence Academy, has created a strong reputation in the Southeastern United States as a post-secondary, basketball-centered, prep school that assists at-risk young men in winning college scholarships. A voracious reader, Eric devotes time to assist with at-risk youth mentoring programs annually and speaks at “Real Men Reads” and “Read to Children” career day seminars in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL.
George Smith, Chief Operating Officer/Co-Founder
George Smith is responsible for raising over $100 million for small businesses and was one of the first African-Americans to be hired as an auditor by the Big Five accounting firm, Ernst & Young (formerly, Ernst & Ernst). He was the founder, CEO, and President of multiple companies including Smith Engineering, The Bank of Oakland, Pacific Cal Airlines, and Pacific Cal Management. He was contracted to oversee and run the private airport in Oakland, CA. Mr. Smith managed various artists and was also instrumental in the early careers of LA Reid & Baby Face, Bobby Brown, Charlie Wilson, and The Gap Band, Pebbles, Michael Cooper of Con Funk Shun, Loose Ends, and many notable others. Mr. Smith served on the Board of Directors at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, the home of the Oakland Raiders, Oakland A’s, and the Golden State Warriors, for over ten years. President Jimmy Carter recognized Mr. Smith as the Small Business Person of the year. Mr. Smith holds a BS Degree in Business with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, Hayward, and was an attendant of the Harvard School of Business Management Program.
Rasheed A. Salaam, Senior Vice President of Finance
Karen Ulrich, Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Karen Ulrich brings 20+ years of Human Resources, Organizational Development, and Equal Employment Opportunity experience in both the public and private sectors. She has had ultimate responsibility for Human Resources and Equal Opportunity departments at several organizations including a Community College, Santa Clara County, Waste Management, Inc. and a steel and galvanizing company. During her career, she designed and implemented organizational strategic long-term planning; developed, recommended, and administered Human Resources policies, procedures, programs and budgets. She has also been responsible for Federal and State Law and Regulation compliance relating to all areas of Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity.
Karen has provided leadership, guidance, and direction on Equal Employment Opportunity matters related to discrimination in the workplace, and was hired to manage compliance with a seven-year, multi-million dollar consent decree for discrimination against women and minorities in hiring and in the workplace. She has conducted high-level, confidential EEO complaint investigations whilst providing guidance and direction to a team of EEO investigators. In addition, she has conducted, settled and negotiated labor union grievances, appeals and agreements.
Karen earned a B.S. degree in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco, an M.S. degree from Golden Gate University, and completed coursework towards a doctorate degree (EdD) in Executive Leadership.