RCK Member Kim Isenberg introduced Todd Kelly, Jr., a Team Financial Advisor in the Merrill Lynch Advisor Development Program. Mr. Kelly is the founder of TKJ Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization that works with inner city youth. Mr. Kelly is the son of RCK member, Renee Kelly.
Mr. Kelly’s presentation was about Preparing for Success and Building Your Brand. He described preparing for success as making ready beforehand for a favorable or desired outcome. He suggested that in working toward whatever we want to accomplish, we try to make each step leave a bigger footprint.
He spoke about branding and reputation. Your brand is what comes to mind when people think of you. He suggested that in building a brand, we should believe in our desired brand. That belief provides a foundation for developing the brand. We should embody our brand, live it out through things that we can control – character, heart and attitude. He spoke about motivation and having a central purpose in life.
He placed considerable emphasis on positively impacting young people. He suggested that we should each share our brand with young people. Part of that sharing is being authentic, disciplined and infectious. We should seek to challenge and impact those that follow us.
In the question and answer session, Mr. Kelly spoke about the TKJ Foundation. Mr. Kelly was greatly impacted by the shooting death of a family friend, Zaevion Dobson, a student at Fulton High School, which Mr. Kelly’s mother had attended. After young Dobson’s death, Mr. Kelly sought to honor his memory by wearing number 24 on his football jersey at the University of Tennessee – 24 was the number that Dobson wore at Fulton. After his football career ended, Mr. Kelly and his wife began a football camp, called Camp 24, for children aged 7 to 14. It seeks to help them develop teamwork, life and leadership skills in addition to athletics. That camp is now operated through TKJ Foundation.