Prominence when he became President Trump ’ s first minority appointee to the U . S . Small Business Administration in 2018 . As administrator for Region IV , Bell oversees operations of the SBA in eight states – Florida , Alabama , Georgia , Kentucky , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , and Tennessee .
How Did He Get Here ? Bell recalls receiving a call from former National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer in 2016 . The call was an offer for Bell to work on the Trump campaign to help with African-American outreach efforts . What was supposed to be a three-month stint turned into something very different once Trump won the election ? All of a sudden , Bell , a former Democrat found himself on the president ’ s transition team .
“ It ’ s funny when you think about it . I had taken a leave of absence from my law practice in Atlanta to work on the campaign ,” Bell recalled . “ It was supposed to be a temporary job , but then we won the election , and here I am .”
During a recent interview , UPDTV and Urban Pulse Direct cofounder Stacey Clarke was able to gather some amazing insight into Mr . Ashley Bell ’ s plans to reinvent and rejuvenate the SBA . Here a few nuggets from our conversation :
Stacey : Let me start by saying Congratulations .
Ashley : Well , I appreciate that . This is an incredible opportunity ; I was humbled when the President asked me to serve in this capacity . This is a region which I know so much about having spent my time as a lawyer traveling this region working with private sector businesses on how to grow and expand in the industries that there in is a great fit for me .
Stacey : Well , you know something about your audience , being an entrepreneur yourself ; you started young .
Ashley . Like many of the people who are following us today , if you want to be able to control your destiny , if you want to be able to pick where you work , be your own boss , that ’ s why I became an entrepreneur . Now , I could take control of my destiny by going back to my hometown , start a business there and hire the people in my community . Stacey : Not only do you have a law practice , but you also have two other businesses as well , right ?
Ashley : My law firm is over ten years old now , we ’ re in several states , and I took leave from the firm to this full time for the administration helping to build out the small business administration ’ s efforts here in the South East . I have two nonprofits that are dear to my heart . What makes business owners so special is that in every community , business owners are not just there to pick up a check rather , they ’ re usually your basketball coaches , there on the board of the boys and girls club , they ’ ll either be a part of a nonprofit or maybe even start one because they invest in the community , and I think that ’ s what makes small businesses so important to communities we serve .
Stacey : It ’ s very difficult to start a business and then stay in business , what advice do you have for entrepreneurs to help them stay in business ?
Ashley : I think what ’ s unique about this time at SBA is that we ’ re surrounded by so many people who ’ ve been in the real marketplace . I have been an entrepreneur since 22 , my administrator who was appointed by the president Linda McMahon . Many people know her from WWE . As a kid , I would watch Hulk Hogan vs . The Ultimate Warrior , and it ’ s just crazy that 30 years later , I ’ m working for her . She ’ s the first to tell you that the WWE wasn ’ t always what we know it to be . At one point , it went bankrupt ; she lost her home in foreclosure , she watched her car get repossessed . But she sat with her husband and said tomorrow ; we ’ ll start again . I think many of our small business owners can appreciate the fact that for the first time in 25 years we have a small business administrator who was a small
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