Impacting lives around the world

With determination and grit,
we create opportunities for students to learn in new ways.

About Dr. Dawn Lindsey

Dr. Dawn Lindsey’s journey as an entrepreneur began long before titles, degrees, or boardrooms—starting at the age of seven. Growing up with a mother who had only a second-grade education yet successfully ran multiple home-based businesses, Dawn learned early that ingenuity, determination, and work ethic mattered more than age or formal credentials.

As a child, she earned money by guiding blind community members through town for a small fee. That first venture quickly grew into a series of hands-on jobs: sweeping hair in a men’s barbershop, cleaning fish at a local fishery, repairing books in a bookstore, and decorating store windows for a toy shop. Each experience reinforced a powerful lesson—opportunity favors those willing to work, learn, and create value, regardless of circumstance.

Despite not completing high school, Dawn went on to found Malotane Building Services, becoming one of the first Black woman–owned construction companies in South Africa. Her leadership and impact in housing development earned international recognition, including acknowledgment by the Open Society Foundation and in Parliament at a Women in Housing Award ceremony - an extraordinary milestone in a male-dominated industry.
With just $2,000 and her youngest child, Dawn immigrated to the United States and once again built from the ground up. She established Next Generation Fuel, one of the few Black women–owned oil and gas companies in the country, supplying Fortune 500 companies. The company was recognized by the Minority Business Development Agency and the Dayton Business Journal as one of the fastest-growing minority-owned businesses in the region. - another extraordinary milestone in another male-dominated industry.
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Today, she is the owner of Vari-Tek LLC, an underground utility supply company serving infrastructure and construction markets.

While growing and leading her businesses, Dr. Lindsey pursued higher education with the same discipline that shaped her entrepreneurial life. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business, a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and a PhD in Public Policy. She also holds a Doctoral Certificate in Educational Leadership.

Drawing on decades of lived experience, academic rigor, and business leadership, Dr. Lindsey started mentoring other small, youth and minority businesses, and this led her to design the Youth Entrepreneurial System (YES)—a copyrighted program that forms the foundation of IndyEXCEL’s business education offerings. YES is accredited by the American Accreditation Association and is built to ensure that young people and aspiring entrepreneurs gain early, equitable access to economic knowledge, practical business skills, and real pathways to ownership, independence, and wealth generation.

Book Dr. Dawn Lindsey

Speaker | Podcast | Panel
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Bring real-world entrepreneurship, resilience, and wealth-building insight to your audience. Dr. Dawn Lindsey delivers powerful, experience-driven perspectives that inspire action and lasting impact.

Dr. Dawn Lindsey 

Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and purpose, proving that entrepreneurship is not taught only in classrooms but forged through experience, courage, and an unwavering belief that new systems can and must be built.

Georgia Davis
Co-Founder 

Allan Miller
Campaigns Director

Olivia Emma
Partnerships Manager

American Directory of competent personnel 

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  •  Accredited organizations can list their certified trainees and employees in the directory
  • This listing enhances the visibility of their qualifications and skills on a recognized platform
  • You can issue digital certificates to your certified personnel
  • Each certificate includes a unique URL link that is validated by AAA, providing authenticity and credibility
WHAT THEY THINk

Our students love us

“Dawn's a great person. You're gonna learn a lot from her. You're gonna be very successful if you're willing to learn. ”

 CORY CRUMPTON

“I think every young person should take this program and learn how to make wealth early in life.”

T.J.

“We recommend this program to all entrepreneurs.  .”

LaShaunna Bentley

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