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The Los Angeles-based entrepreneur is quickly working his way to the top of the entertainment biz.
Lonnie Anthony is widely recognized as one of the most powerful young black men in the entertainment world today for his steadfast climb to being a top talent manager and creative director. What first began as creative direction consulting soon blossomed into a full-blown business now known as Astoic Management. As the founder of the black-owned talent agency, Lonnie has represented household names such as Offset and Floyd Mayweather. He’s also worked closely with some of the most popular brands out there today including NBA2K, Caffeine, Facebook, Nike, Jordan, Adidas, AT&T, Microsoft, FOX, Stockx, Viacom, Postmates, New Era, Turo, and MLB, to name a few.
For Lonnie, arriving in the successful position he finds himself in today has taken years of hard work, planning, passion, and a bulletproof mindset. In fact, he attributes much of the success he has attained so far to the mental aspect of starting and running a business. Lonnie believes that the key to achieving his goals comes down to his mindset. “A successful mindset will allow you to manifest your wins and visualize partnerships months and years before they come to fruition,” he explained.
This mindset has kept Lonnie going through all of the ups and downs of running his own business. When times get tough, he reminds himself why he started in the first place. It’s what is able to keep Lonnie running when he gets into business ruts or creative blocks, as all successful entrepreneurs experience at some point.
In addition, Lonnie has stayed true to his values and his vision from the very beginning. This has been a contributing factor to the respect and credibility that he and his agency have today. Lonnie knew that Astoic Management was able to offer something that others couldn’t when they started being approached by agencies that have been around for decades. Lonnie has even managed to strike corporate partnerships with several companies, a very impressive accomplishment considering Astoic Management has never accepted any outside investments for their company.
One aspect of business that makes Lonnie unique is his easy-going and casual attitude when it comes to work. This informal nature in which Lonnie runs Astoic is what makes high-level talent gravitate towards his company compared to other traditional talent agencies who tend to be less personable and genuine. Astoic prides itself on checking in weekly with their clients, not only on a business level, but also to make sure things are going well in their personal lives and with their mental health. In an industry known for being quite two-faced, Astoic is certainly a breath of fresh air.
According to Lonnie, “The secret to scaling a business is making sure you have a strong foundation and branching out from there. After that, you are able to automate certain tasks and focus on further growth. The key to scaling is to create a seamless flow of ideation, creation, execution, and repeat.”
Lonnie is truly an inspiration to young black entrepreneurs worldwide, and his work ethic and willingness to share his insights are admirable. His best advice for aspiring business owners in any field is to, “establish a goal of where you want to be and begin working towards small wins that will lead you to the finish line. Keep your focus on your own journey and never forget why you started in the first place.”
We encourage readers to keep up with Lonnie Anthony on his Instagram. You can also learn more about Astoic Management by visiting their website.
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