Business: Walker and Sons Enterprises

2024 MBA Cohort Member: Monique Smalls

Industry: Septic Installation

Location: Ridgeville

Website: walkerandsonsenterprises.com

Tell us about your business.

Walker and Sons Enterprises is a septic installation company. Our owner and operator, Jacob Walker has over 15 years’ experience in installing conventional and engineered septic systems throughout South Carolina. We specialize in ensuring our customers have an amazing experience and can rely on our expertise that each system will be installed properly and with excellent care.

What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

My father, Jacob Walker motivated me to become an entrepreneur. He started the septic business because his father had a desire to work in the industry. However, because of my grandfather’s health challenges he was unable to perform the labor intense demands of the business. So, my father learned the septic industry and received the license to start his own business, formally called Walker Landscaping. It brought my dad great joy to have my grandfather come to the work site and watch his dream materialize through his son. After my grandfather passed, my dad continued to work as a sole entrepreneur. As I saw my father striving to leave a legacy for his children, I was motivated to help him build and grow the business. In March 2023, I resigned from my 15-year career as a Grants & Programs Manager to work full-time for our family business. It is my mission to bring awareness to the septic industry through employment and training opportunities and expand our business throughout the state of South Carolina.

Is there something you particularly proud of in your business?

I am proud of the financial growth our business has experienced within the last 3 years. When we first started the business in 2020, we grossed about $150,000 in revenues. However, in 2022 our business grossed over $1 million dollars in revenues. It was a true testament of hard-work, diligence and great customer service.

What is one thing you want others to know about you and/or your business?

I want others to know that our business is built on our faith in God, family and to maintain a reputable name in business.

What made you want to participate in the Lowcountry Minority Business Accelerator?

I was interested in participating in the Minority Business Accelerator program because I saw this an opportunity to glean from business experts that could give me the tools needed to fulfill my mission. I understood that this new direction of being an entrepreneur would require a skill set that I’d never developed. Participating in the MBA program would allow me to be surrounded by individuals that would push me and help hold me accountable to growing our business. 

What advice would you give to other minority business owners?

I would encourage other minority business owners not to judge themselves by themselves. I would advise them to seek out the resources, lean on the expertise of others, invest in the growth of their business and don’t take shortcuts when establishing their business.