Hello, my name is Akeba Lawrence. I am a 14-year disabled Air Force veteran and a first-generation entrepreneur. I am a single mother with a 6-year-old daughter and is currently residing in NE Ohio with my mom. I started my ATM business in 08/2022 after being medically separated from the military in 2015, because I wanted to create financial independence for myself since I never received a military retirement. I chose the ATM business because I felt it was a good investment due to the high demand in our local area. I also wanted to create a business with residual income to pass down as a legacy to my daughter and future generations to come. I am launching this campaign as an attempt to save my ATM business and my legacy.

I did not have a mentor to advise me on how to properly launch and run a business when I deployed my first ATM in 08/2022. I took out a personal loan for $10,000 to pay for the ATMTogether program, which provided the blueprint on how to start an ATM business. The program also included a free ATM and location placement.

My first client owns several stores in the NE Ohio area. We agreed to start off deploying one terminal, with the option to expand to all 6 locations after the trial period. When I met with the first client, his brother happened to be present. His brother operates one of the remaining 5 locations, and he was so impressed with my professionalism he immediately requested an ATM for his location as well. After posting both ATM installations on Facebook, I received a request to deploy my third terminal with a different company who also offered options to expand to multiple locations. I did not have any prior knowledge of properly scaling a business, so I took out an additional $20,000 in personal loans to cover the 2 new terminals and operating costs.

I did not realize until months later, I created a serious financial deficit before ever deploying my first ATM terminal. I was so committed to succeeding, I began self-funding this project to repay the loans when monthly profits fell short. I even started Doordashing to supplement my 9-5 income, which provided some breathing room.  After 6 full months of successful operations, I was proposed in 02/2023 by the first store owner to replace the current ATMs deployed at the other 2 store locations. The store owner also requested 2 additional ATMs be placed at 2 new store locations they were planning to open (which launched in 01/2024). I attempted to acquire additional funding through personal loans for the additional 4 ATM terminals requested, however, I had maxed out my debt-to-income ratio. I unfortunately had to decline the offer to expand at the time.

In 10/2023 my vehicle was totaled in a hit and run accident while parked on a side street. I was unable to get a loan to buy a new vehicle, so my dad volunteered to transport me so I can continue operating my ATM business. I was unable to Doordash to supplement my income, so I started using payday loans to get by. I’ve been personally funding my ATM business for the past two years and am financially unable to continue.

I am requesting assistance in raising $100,000 to help save and properly scale my ATM business. The funds will be used to pay off the personal loans I incurred when launching my ATM business. The funds will also be used to scale my business for the additional 4+ locations currently requesting ATM terminals (including operating costs). Any additional funds will be used to purchase a company vehicle to continue self-operating my ATM business. I am eternally grateful for every cent this campaign will raise, regardless of whether the goal is met. I affirm I will use every penny to turn this situation around now that I’ve learned the error of my ways.