Clarence Bethea

Clarence Bethea

Founder & CEO


Upsie

Minneapolis, MN USA


If it’s your goal in life to only do what’s required of you, then you aren’t going to be very successful. Life is about going over and above. The ones who succeed are the ones who work harder, do more, and are more grateful.

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By Roadtrip Nation

Clarence Bethea

Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA.
Grew up in a rough neighborhood and in an abusive home—I fell into a life of selling drugs and spent most of my early life trying to figure out who I was.
When I was 15, I was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.
Moved to Minnesota to turn my life around and won a basketball scholarship to Bemidji State University.
After graduation, I began working as a sales manager for 43 Hoops Basketball Academy and helped it grow into a company worth over $1 million in its first year.
While working there, I met one of my mentors, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, who began coaching me in business and helping me build my confidence.
I struggled in my early entrepreneurial years with mental health issues, financial disappointments, and racial discrimination within the tech industry.
In 2015, I started my company, Upsie, where we developed an innovative way of selling extended warranties for electronics and now have over $2 million in funding behind it.
Keep following my journey

Education

High School
Associate's Degree
Cowley College
Bachelor
Bemidji State University

Career

Founder & CEO

I help consumers get affordable and reliable warranties for all of their electronic devices.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Entrepreneurship
Accomplishing Goals

Day to Day

I spend most of my time in a lot of meetings with the team. My main focus has been on growing the company, dealing with operations, and financials. I enjoy being an evangelist for our company and our mission, so I talk to customers and businesses to tell them about what we are doing and how we can help them. Growth is always a challenge, so in order for me to continue talking to investors and getting our name out there, we have started hiring more people to take on the growing workload.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

Reach out! Connect with the people around you or to the people doing the work you want to do. Ask questions. Surround yourself with positive people who will support you. Shed the negativity.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Parents:

"You're going to be dead or in prison by 18 years old."

Challenges I Overcame

Financial
Gangs / Violence
Drugs / Addiction