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Meet Erika McCall of Don’t Wait Create in North Hollywood

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika McCall.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Erika. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2010, I walked away from my full-time job to publish a book titled Go for Yours. This book is a compilation of stories about young African Americans who were brave enough to follow their dreams. In 2014, I moved to Los Angeles to work at actor Hill Harper’s Manifest Your Destiny Foundation. Within a few short years, I went from a volunteer to the Executive Director. In 2018, I stepped away from another job to start the Go for Yours Foundation whose mission is to provide the next generation of leaders with financial assistance, resources, and guidance to make a positive impact in their communities. In 2018, the foundation partnered with Usher’s New Look Foundation and TI’s Nonprofit Foundation to send over 500 students in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles to see Black Panther. In the summer of 2019, the foundation the Shade Room Sponsored over 25 students to attend the Go for Yours Dream Experience in Los Angeles. The Dream Experience is a one-week leadership development fellowship. Students in attendance flew from various cities across the country. Through the foundation’s Go for Yours Fund, the foundation has provided scholarships for young people following their dreams. The first recipient of this scholarship was Thelonious Stokes, who will be the first African American student to graduate from the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

Most recently, I started Don’t Wait Create LLC, a publishing and consulting company. The first book to be published is titled All Good Just a Week Ago. I co-wrote this book with my best friend Niesha Forbes and it is a book of funny dating stories to help people keep their heads in the dating game. This book is scheduled to release on October 27th. For more info, visit www.allgoodjustaweekago.com. The consulting portion of the company will help other creators create projects from start to finish.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been so many obstacles along the way. When I began my journey with Go for Yours, I was living in my grandmother’s basement and was what most would call a struggling artist. I stepped out on faith to do something out of the ordinary and there were lots of ups and downs along the way. Some of those struggles include my computer being stolen in the midst of me writing a book, running behind on bills, and missing out on various life events. The biggest obstacle was changing my mindset. As someone who began this journey in their late 20’s, I felt like being an entrepreneur did not fit what I viewed as the “American Dream.” It took a long time for me to accept that my journey is unconventional and embrace my calling as an entrepreneur.

Please tell us about Don’t Wait Create LLC.
Don’t Wait Create LLC is a publishing & consulting company. I created this business because I wanted to publish my own books and content. When I wrote my first book, Go for Yours, I went through a self-publishing company. I was not able to track the success of my book as much as I wanted to. Most self-publishers don’t get the credit they deserve. I am really proud to have created a publishing company that produces great content that will stand out as if it were published through a major publishing company. It may sound crazy but I am most proud to figure out how to create a hardcover book, something that most independent authors have not been able to do. I am also excited to consult creators and help them launch projects that they have been sitting on.

What sets me apart from others is that I’m a doer. My new book, All Good Just a Week Ago was written and published in 10 months during a pandemic. When I say I’m going to do something, I get it done. This has allowed me to come up with a model to help other creators get their projects off the ground and finish what they started.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories was being on the basketball team in junior high school. I was horrible. On the B team to be exact. However, I was number 10 like my favorite basketball player BJ Armstrong and I was able to rock my Grant Hill shoes made by FILA. When BJ was traded from the Bulls, I cried. This isn’t my favorite memory but one of the funniest.

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