Dontae “DR” Cunningham was born in Washington, DC to two military parents. He was raised on the philosophy, “You work for what you want. Period. Nothing will be given to you.” While DR’s parents envisioned him being a scholar and professional athlete, he was unsuccessful at the latter. Instead, he followed his parents’ example of productive citizenship post-military and became an entrepreneur. DR often recalls a time he wanted to remodel his living space and his father replied, short and sweet: “Go get a job.” At 16, he took it a step further and decided not to just get a job, but own a business.
As a teenager, DR’s winning personality, business savvy, and creative public relations skills afforded him the opportunity to build relationships with many influential people and experiences. While a student at Suitland High School, DR participated in an entrepreneurship program. His teacher and mentor encouraged him to develop a business plan, mission, vision, and goals for his company. He later assisted DR in birthing Stealth Protection Services, LLC, The Purple Print Mentoring Program, and The Purple Highlighter Mentoring Program.
After graduating in 2006, DR gained additional skills and experience while securing a major recruitment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The next level was one of major growth and mentorship. As one of the youngest recruits, DR experienced familial-type relationships like no other. Still, he knew he was destined for more. Four years later, he received his first opportunity to jump into his passion for executive protection, and was offered a position in private security for R&B recording artist Trey Songz. Challenged with the decision of staying with the FBI or entering the private sector, DR made a move to follow his dreams. To this day he credits an insightful conversation with his superior agents at the FBI (Mr. Dean Bryant, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office, and Ms. Phyllis Watson, Supervisory Special Agent of the Washington Field Office) as the catalyst for his move.
This first opportunity led to many other opportunities to serve as an executive security director for other high-profile clients, and DR’s professional career flourished. Over the years, he founded three startup businesses while working in managerial positions. These roles taught him basic business skills and key entrepreneurship skills including decision-making, communication, discipline, and the importance of planning. Still, there was more.
One of DR’s former mentors, Mr. Rodney Grimes (PhotoTime & Production, LLC), challenged him to give back to the community, to pay forward all that he had successfully experienced. “If you can conceive it, then you can achieve it. And be sure to always give back to the community you come from,” he would say. This inspired DR to create opportunities to not only share his success story with others, but to give them the blueprint to discovering their own road to success. He developed this distinguished plan, “the purple print,” driven by the confident aura of the red-blue hue.
DR birthed The Purple Highlighter Mentoring Program to focus specifically on students, noting the malleable nature of their youth, and the opportunity to drive them toward their own innate success. Through this program, DR hopes to inspire students to pass on their stories, too, inspiring those who come after them. He encourages youth to use their stories not as excuses, but as opportunities to charge individuals and communities to embrace their greatness.
Another significant part of DR’s approach lies in his grandmother’s simple yet timeless philosophy: sharing is caring. DR believes as a society we’ve stopped sharing, which means we’ve stopped caring. “You have to share in order to get anywhere,” he says. “Share with anyone who is willing to listen. It’s my story, your story that helps someone else become greater.” DR uses this mentality to drive his mission: to reach back and help youth and communities define their success and use their story to empower and leave a purple legacy on the lives of others.
Everyone has a blueprint, but at what point does your blueprint charge you to stand out and be distinguished?
