This Is What Building Actually Looks Like

"The door doesn't open the first time you knock. Or the second. Sometimes it doesn't open at all — and that's okay too, because every knock teaches you something about what's behind it."

This Is What Building Actually Looks Like

This week I sent personalized outreach to financial institutions, law firms, community organizations, and healthcare providers across Southeast Michigan. Some responded. Most haven't yet. That's the honest reality of building a consulting firm from the ground up in 2026.

What keeps me going is simple — I believe the work speaks for itself. Every email, every proposal, every follow-up is a brick. You don't always see the building go up in real time. But it goes up.

This week I also reached out directly to Chetrice Gillon, President and CEO of Making It Happen Foundation. Their HEROES Tech Mission — connecting young people ages 14–24 to technology careers across five cities — is exactly the kind of Detroit work that deserves a stronger digital voice. I'm still knocking on that door. And I intend to keep knocking.

If you're running an organization that's doing important work and struggling to be seen online, that's the door I'm here to help you open.

The MRJ AI Readiness Audit is open. One focused session. A written roadmap. Starting at $497. Email info@mrjcdetroit.com to book your free 20-minute discovery call.

Is AI Really for an Organization Like Mine?

Every conversation I have with a business owner, nonprofit leader, or professional service firm eventually lands on the same question. And my answer is always the same: yes, unequivocally yes.

A regional accounting firm reduced invoice processing from 28 hours to 2.5 hours per week using tools that cost less than $100 per month. An insurance agency cut policy processing from 90 minutes to 12 minutes per policy. These aren't tech companies. They're organizations that decided to start.

The window to move first is still open. But it's closing. The businesses acting now are building advantages that will be very hard to close later.

Show Up. Every Time.

This week my youngest son headed out on a school field trip — arcade, bowling, lunch with his class — one week after performing at the Fox Theatre.

There's something about watching a kid move from one experience to the next with that same energy that reminds you what it means to be fully present in the moment you're in. Detroit taught me to show up. I'm still practicing.

Community Spotlight: Coffee, Conversation, and a Room Full of People Doing the Work

Yesterday morning I attended Coffee and Conversation hosted by Community & Home Supports (CHS), a Detroit nonprofit doing some of the most important and underrecognized work in this city.

CHS empowers homeless individuals and families to achieve independence and permanent housing. Their Resource Navigators meet people where they are — in shelters, on the streets — and walk them all the way to stable housing. They house an average of 150 clients every quarter. And on July 11th they're hosting their first annual Hustle for Homes 5K to benefit Detroit's unhoused community.

I connected with Cheree Dowdell at the event. The work CHS is doing deserves a much larger digital audience — more donors, more volunteers, more community partners who know they exist.

If you're looking for a Detroit organization worth supporting: chsinc.org. And if you're running a 5K this summer, July 11th, be there.

Keep Knocking

The door doesn't open the first time you knock. Or the second. Sometimes it doesn't open at all, and that's okay too, because every knock teaches you something about what's behind it. Keep building. Keep showing up. Keep knocking.

— Redic Grant, Founder, MRJ Consulting. info@mrjcdetroit.com · 313-701-5970 · mrjcdetroit.com