Life & Work with Jennifer Matthews

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Matthews.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a lifelong learner who aims to acquire new knowledge and skills to take on new and challenging responsibilities. I knew I wanted to empower the lives of the next generation by helping them gain the knowledge I have acquired. It is important to me to see them soar to higher heights in their careers and lives. Therefore, with all these thoughts in my mind, I knew I had to do something positive with my knowledge.

My business, Dr. Jennifer Matthews Consulting, is unique because my goal is to educate the public and law enforcement about how effective body-worn cameras and closed-circuit television cameras are and how to use them more effectively. The services I provide are virtual/in-person training, and keynote speaker services to educate the public on best practices when dealing with law enforcement. My business provides training to high schools, colleges, law enforcement academics, etc. All to create positive social change in communities and beyond.

My business also provides consulting services for attorneys who need body-worn camera videos and closed-circuit television cameras analyzed for court cases. This valuable service could mean the difference between an innocent person going to jail for the rest of their life or being rightfully released. Currently, there are very few (if any) minority-owned and female-owned businesses that are concentrating on this subject matter. My efforts are highly necessary for today’s social climate.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Dr. Jennifer Matthews Consulting provides education and awareness to the public and law enforcement professionals. Being an African American female speaking to predominantly male professionals creates barriers to disseminating information while addressing a predominantly male audience.

It has been my experience that I have had to prove myself more often than not when pitching for contracts or speaking with potential clients. For them, it’s not every day that they meet someone of my pedigree (i.e. female, experienced, and educated in the field of criminal justice).

So, in that regard, I can somewhat understand where they are coming from. But once I am hired, my clients find that I far exceed their expectations. Dr. Jennifer Matthews Consulting seeks to provide clients with the services they request and to anticipate their future needs. Once the contract is completed, my clients are already spreading the word to their other colleagues about what my business can do for them.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I earned my doctorate, I started my own personal entrepreneurial path. I have over 7 years of hands-on training experience in criminal justice and body-worn cameras. I’m a person who aspires to expand her knowledge and abilities in order to take on more difficult and demanding duties.

I was aware that by sharing the knowledge I have learned with the younger generation, I can improve their life. Their ascent to greater heights in their lives and occupations is something I value greatly. As a result of having all of these ideas running through my head, I realized I needed to put my knowledge to good use. Therefore, I sought out a brand manager to build my business. After sharing one conversation with Helena Paschal of Overachievers Agency, we decided to bring my business vision to life.

We were confident that, with the combination of her managerial abilities and my talent, she could assist me in starting a firm that would enable me to make the most of my skills. Not just for the next generation, but also to teach law enforcement personnel, speak at career days, give keynote speeches, and offer expert witness testimony for lawyers who could use my knowledge in court cases. We immediately got going after that and haven’t looked back since.

My company, Dr. Jennifer Matthews Consulting, is distinctive because I want to inform the public and law enforcement about the benefits of using closed-circuit television cameras and body-worn cameras. To inform the public on good practices when interacting with law enforcement, I offer keynote speaking services as well as virtual and in-person training. In order to encourage positive social change in communities and beyond, my company offers training to high schools, colleges, law enforcement academics, and other organizations.

Furthermore, my firm offers consultation services to attorneys that want an analysis and enhancement of body-worn camera recordings and closed-circuit television video for legal proceedings. The end result of these crucial services could determine whether an innocent person spends the rest of their life in prison or is lawfully set free. There are currently not many (if any) female-owned and minority-owned business owners focusing on this particular sector.

For the social atmosphere of today, my actions are of the utmost importance.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
To somebody who is just getting started, I would say to keep going. Lacking the necessary tools, advice, and finances can make it challenging to launch a firm. Success, though, will require hard work. If you stop the voyage too soon, you’ll never know what might have happened to your company. Maintain the course and have faith in your business acumen.

Recognize that your abilities will be sufficient to enable you to be successful. Seek advice from those who are willing to mentor you and who have greater knowledge and expertise in your profession. You will be able to steer clear of some of the difficulties they ran into at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey by going this route. I wish I had known that making mistakes was acceptable when I initially started out. I’m the kind of person who thinks she can accomplish anything with the right training. In actuality, I can, but when establishing a business, you have to try some things out in many ways before they work.

Secondly, I wish I knew that it was acceptable to charge what I was worth. When I first started, Dr. Jennifer Matthews Consulting, I set fees for my services that were far below what I was worth. Because of this fact, people were able to take advantage of my knowledge and time when I was utilizing a lot of my resources to offer more beneficial services, and this hurt both my business and me. However, I was able to set my fees more in line with those of my competitors after researching the market. I can now continue to deliver top-notch work products to my clients while also providing them with valued services and avoiding undervaluing my time, resources, or myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: drjennifermatthews.com
• Instagram: @drjennifermatthews and @criminaljusticecorner
• Linkedin: Dr. Jennifer Matthews
• Youtube: Dr. Jennifer Matthews PhD
• Spotify: Criminal Justice Corner Podcast

Image Credits
Felice Kimbrew