About Me — Ehren Muhammad
Allow me to reintroduce myself
I’m Ehren (pronounced just like Aaron, not like the Key and Peele skit)!
Also, when I say “Chi-town,” pronounced like “Shy Town,” it is Chicago slang. It’s just how we do it.
It’s funny how easy writing is when you are not writing about yourself.
I needed some help, so I took some writing prompts because, without them, I’d be looking at this screen for about an hour or so, thinking, " Do I even know how to write about who I am?”
Here is a glimpse of me and what makes me tick.
Where am I from?
I am so Chicago that it is crazy. I grew up loving pizza, not just because I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan as a kid, but because pizza is an excellent food concept.
For those who don’t know, tourists love Chicago’s Deep Dish, like Giordano’s or Lou Manati’s, but born-and-raised Chicagoans love to eat Tavern-style pizza. There are more tavern-style places than deep-dish restaurants.
This building will ALWAYS be called the Sears Tower. Once the tallest building in the world, it will always be known as the Sears Tower to me and any true Chicagoan. You have shown your hand if you call it by any other name. We know your origin story.
I love this city despite all its problems because love is all about it. It comes with positive and negative because love is not rational. My responsibility as a man in love with his city is to do what I can to help this city better than the one I was born into. Although we are a diverse city, it’s still very segregated. Nowhere is perfect; although many things can be better, some things have been better. Every new decade and generation brings new challenges. That is life. As long as we keep going, things will change, and new opportunities will come, both positive and negative.
Chicago is the epitome of diversity.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was a textile trader from Saint-Domingue, what is now known as Haiti. The first non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago founded it in the 1780s and is commonly known as the “Founder of Chicago.”
We have the largest population of Poles outside of Poland and the fifth-largest Puerto Rican community in the continental United States.
This city is diverse, beautiful, and complicated, and what city isn’t, right?
What do I do for a living?
I use my marketing and design skills to help people turn their dream jobs into actual ones. As soon as I learned that effective marketing separates successful and unsuccessful businesses, I knew this was the industry for me.
Every skill I have acquired is for this purpose. To produce and execute successful marketing campaigns, I learned:
- Graphic design.
- Web design.
- Email marketing.
- Copywriting.
- UX design.
- Project management.
Marketing is the engine of a business, and small businesses need good marketing the most.
Without it, you don’t have a business. You have an expensive hobby.
What are my goals on Medium?
To contribute valuable ideas, information, and resources for readers. Sharing knowledge, skills, and experiences adds value to any community.
Medium is a platform where I can learn and share whatever I know with other creative professionals, industry peers, and the world. I am a creative person, which is why marketing is my passion. Marketing is where creativity and analytical thinking meet in the business world. I enjoy writing about my love and challenging what I know to learn even more.
Medium is great for this.
When people ask me, “Who do you read?” I give them this shortlist of authors:
And yup, they’re all on Medium. These are some of the authors I follow on Medium. They continuously produce insightful pieces, and I proudly recommend them to all Medium visitors and contributors.
I joined Medium after reading a piece by Denning and an article by one of my favorite authors, Mark Manson.
I’d love to know who you read.
Seriously, tell me now…
Please 🙏
Some of my incredible experiences?
Although I haven’t been to the Moon yet, I have had so many roles and traveled, so here are highlights that won’t take another article to explain:
- I managed artists who performed with Pitbull, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and E-40; if you don’t know them, search Spotify or YouTube and prepare for a musical journey.
- I’ve been the extra or “atmosphere” in 4 movies shot in Chicago. I like to say, “I was paid not to speak.”
Which topics do you like to write about on Medium?
Digital Marketing
Branding
Entrepreneurship
Self Confidence
Ambition
Podcast
Fuel Your Ambition | The Tools You Need
The Ambition Show Podcast | Episode 1
ehrenmuhammad.medium.com
Do I own any pets?
I was a cat uncle for many years. Unfortunately, my fellas are no longer with us, but maybe I’ll get another fur baby one day.
Where have I traveled to in the world that resonated with me?
This is probably the easiest of all the questions: Colombia, specifically Cali, Colombia.
Cali was my first international travel destination because too many tourists visited Medellin, and Brazil and the Dominican Republic were expensive then.
I do my best to stay close to the local people in any place I visit. Resorts are excellent, but by design, they are far too segregated from the reality of the place you’re visiting, which defeats the purpose of traveling. I have to be where the people are.
Cali, Colombia, is one of the best places to learn about the history of the African diaspora in the Americas. And this is not an overstatement, but that first trip changed my life. I learned about Cali’s acknowledgment of the city’s influences from African and Indigenous heritage and its rich biodiversity. I made new friends that I have had for years.
Fun Fact: I have been told that Cali is the capital of salsa dancing, and I even learned to dance salsa. Now I am only half bad.
By experiencing the music and the food, you could taste and feel the African influences from the Caribbean. I met business owners with unique stories, had great conversations with artists and tour guides, and got a client!
That is a little about me. Thanks for reading about me, some of my adventures, and how much I love my city.
I look forward to seeing which authors you all recommend — drop a comment.
Check out my podcast, The Ambition Show Podcast. Let me know your thoughts.
And with that, best to you and yours,
Peace out.
I devote my professional life to creating content that helps entrepreneurs reach their goals, so let’s connect on YouTube!
If you have questions about starting your own business or branding, please post them in one of our Quora Spaces. I answer questions every Monday and Saturday.
PS. I create while listening to music and am always happy to share my playlist.
This was written while listening to “Flava” by Black Coffee.
