Josh Lloyd is not your typical entrepreneur. As the founder of oo.Ventures, he has created what he describes as “a community of professionals that help disadvantaged people thrive.” His mission is clear and powerful: to empower disadvantaged individuals through entrepreneurship, either by acquiring businesses for them or starting new ventures together. This story is brought to you by Rocket Lawyer, legal services for personal and business.
The Inspiration Behind OO Ventures
The seed for OO Ventures was planted about ten years ago when Josh, then a college student, had a transformative encounter with a homeless man on a bus. Despite his own circumstances, the man offered Josh his lunch after learning he was a student. This act of generosity shifted Josh’s perspective:
“That just completely blew me away that a homeless man who, at least from my estimation, is ultimately way worse off than I was at the time as a student, considered my situation to be that bad. What that taught me ultimately is that everybody, we overlook people. We need to cultivate this good seed that’s inside of people, and really, all we have to do is kind of capitalize on that.”
After years in biotech, running a startup out of the Cleveland Clinic, and pivoting to data engineering and AI analytics, Josh finally created OO Ventures to fulfill his deeper purpose.
How OO Ventures Works
OO Ventures functions as a portfolio of companies, all operating on cooperative principles. For individuals who fit their program, Josh and his team either acquire a business or start a new one with them. The goal is to provide support, guidance, and accountability while fostering community.
One success story involves Melissa, a mother of six who wanted to return to the professional world after years as a stay-at-home mom. She was interested in bookkeeping as an entry point to eventually providing strategic business consulting. Josh recognized that his portfolio needed bookkeeping services, creating a perfect opportunity for collaboration.
Leveraging Legal Tools for Business Growth
For Josh, legal protection isn’t just about avoiding lawsuits—it’s about building better relationships. He views contracts as opportunities to “clearly define upfront what the roles and responsibilities are going to be” and to establish exit strategies before they’re needed.
“If you think ahead of time on what the exit strategy is for any relationship, you have it well defined. It just leads to a far better outcome whether the business is good or bad or the relationship is good or bad. You don’t have to argue how to end it when it needs to end.”
When setting up new ventures like Melissa’s bookkeeping service, Josh uses legal tools to create entities quickly, obtain EIN numbers, draft operating agreements, and handle document signatures—allowing him to focus on what matters most: helping his partners succeed.
Josh’s Advice for Entrepreneurs
People Over Profit
Josh strongly believes in putting relationships first. “A lot of success comes from your people,” he says, emphasizing that when you invest in people more than results, the results naturally follow.
Learn to Surrender
Growth requires letting go of what’s not serving you. Josh helps his partners identify thought patterns, behaviors, and skills that might be holding them back, allowing them to focus on what will move them forward.
Data-Driven Decision Making
As a data expert, Josh emphasizes the importance of extracting “intelligence”—unique insights that provide competitive advantage—from business data. “If you’re operating on the right data, you’ll have all the right insights to improve your business,” he explains.
The Formula for Success
Josh’s formula is simple yet powerful: “The right people strategy with the right data strategy makes an unstoppable business every time.”
Through OO Ventures (www.00.ventures), Josh continues to build a community where disadvantaged individuals can “work, sweat, cry, and bleed together” while freeing themselves from societal limitations—proving that with the right support, anyone can thrive through entrepreneurship.
This story is brought to you by Rocket Lawyer, legal services for personal and business. See how they can help your business grow, like they helped Josh.
