Meet Robert Youngblood

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Robert Youngblood. Robert was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Halston Shannon.

Robert , can you walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a native of the Bronx, NY, I grew up in a single parent home. My father was murdered when I was two and as a result, I had to overcome the trauma from this experience along with the challenge of dealing with low self-image and a lack of self-esteem. In 1996, I participated in a black college tour, sponsored by the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity out of Harlem, NY. This 11-college journey lasted 7-days and enabled 40 students from the NY/Tri-State Area to travel from Greensboro, NC to Baltimore, MD. As a result, I earned admission and a presidential scholarship to Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA. My growth from an unsure, fatherless boy to a confident, inspirational man took place over an 8 year period as I strived to earn my bachelors degree. During that time, I tapped into my gift of connecting, promotion and relationship building. I attracted a prestigious internship opportunity with Chase Manhattan Bank, through INROADS, which enhanced my professional awareness and communication skills. It also was the catalyst for my desire to become an entrepreneur. In 2004, after graduating from college, I launched my first business venture, a direct selling company that allowed me to leverage the products & services of an international manufacturer to generate revenue to build business teams. This experience led me to see a gap that many entrepreneurs possess – the struggle with networking and building professional relationships. In 2012, an unfortunate layoff led to the greatest blessing of my life. It gave birth to my current venture – YBConnects and allowed me to operate in my gift to empower, inspire and impact people to live out their God-given purpose while enhancing their ability to increase the visibility, credibility and profitability of their professional brand or business. Now, I am a 2x author, coach, consultant and trainer who leverages my personal experience to bring value to every relationship that I enter.

Please tell us more about your brand, YBConnects
YBConnects, LLC is a Richmond, VA based Professional Development Training & Consulting Firm that empowers entrepreneurs & executives to enhance business relationships and communication skills. What sets me apart from others is that I’m an Engagement Specialist who is able to facilitate connections that lead to outstanding outcomes while also teaching my clients to do the same. As a Brand, I’m most proud of being known as “The LinkedIn Locksmith” because of my ability to unlock the power of LinkedIn for professionals who are responsibile for attracting new clients and generating revenue.

Halston Shannon and “Halston Shannon Visual Artistry & Branding” have been great to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship with them as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Halston Shannon and “Halston Shannon Visual Artistry & Branding” and your experience with them.
Halston and I are members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and I remember being inspired by recognition he received in November 2020 from our fraternity. This prompted me to find him on LinkedIn and send him a personalized note to invite him into my LinkedIn network. From there, I made it my purpose to add value to him by sharing his work with my network and offering opportunity to connect him with prospective clients who could benefit from his service. I later introduced him to my strategic business development partner and fellow graphic designer – Marshall Fox, who took Halston under his wing as his branding coach.

What I admire most about Halston is his fraternal & visionary spirit. He is able to see the big picture but is detailed enough to catch the slightest item that may be out of alignment. He is coachable and willing to overcome overthinking to achieve success on multiple levels.

His brand design skills are totally TOP NOTCH! What he does for Authors, Greek-letter alumni chapters and philanthropic organizations to enhance their visbility is unmatched. I’m grateful to have Halston as a friend, fraternity brother and business development partner.

Halston is the personification of “Collaboration Creates Currency” and I’m excited about his new book and our opportunity to impact Divine Nine organizations, starting with Alpha Phi Alpha, through individual & organizational brand design; relationship marketing; strategic consulting and LinkedIn profile auditing & makeovers.

Website: www.CollaborationCreatesCurrency.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ybtheconnector

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ybconnects

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YBConnectsLLC