By: Alexandra Perez

For Allen Black, success did not come wrapped in comfort or convenience. It came through hard lessons, second chances, and a steadfast belief that integrity can help rebuild what was once broken. The founder of Watt’s Right Electric has experienced both extremes, from homelessness and addiction to running a growing electrical company built on compassion, communication, and striving to do what is right, even when no one is watching.

“When I say I’m going to do something, my word means everything to me,” Black says. “It’s something I regained, and it’s all I have.”

From Rock Bottom to Renewal

Black’s story does not begin in boardrooms or business plans. It starts at a kitchen table in Oklahoma, where his father once sketched the logo for the family business, Black Fox Electric. As a child, he learned the trades under his father’s guidance, not by choice but by discipline. Summers meant job sites, sweat, and wiring lessons while friends spent theirs at the lake.

But the structure of his upbringing could not shield him from the storm that followed. Addiction took hold in his teenage years, leading to years of chaos, broken trust, and lost opportunities. His father’s death in 2016 marked the lowest point of his life, a tragedy that pushed him deeper into despair and eventually onto the streets of Tulsa.

Homeless and hopeless, Black had resigned himself to dying high until one night changed everything. He stumbled into a 12-step meeting, not expecting redemption but finding belonging. “It was the first time in my life I felt accepted and understood,” he recalls. “I didn’t stay clean that night, but I went back. And eventually, I stopped using.”

That decision became the foundation for everything that followed. Recovery was not quick or easy, but it gave him back his word, the one thing addiction had taken away. With that, he began to rebuild his life from the inside out.

Turning Pain into Purpose

Black started Watt’s Right Electric in March 2020, just as the world shut down. What most saw as an impossible time to launch, he saw as his moment. He began by cold-calling potential clients and working every role himself: sales, service, scheduling, and permits. Twelve-hour days blurred into nights, leaving little room for anything else.

He eventually realized that hard work alone might not sustain him. “I was the one answering the phone, pulling the permits, doing the work, and it was taxing everything in my life,” he says. “It was hurting my family, my relationships, even my recovery.”

So he did what most entrepreneurs resist; he asked for help. Hiring a coach, then another, he learned to build systems, delegate, and replace chaos with clarity. He rebranded the business in 2022, naming it Watt’s Right Electric, inspired by its guiding principle: in darkness and light, we do Watt’s Right!

Integrity became more than a slogan. It became the company’s culture. “True integrity is doing the right thing for the right reason, whether anyone’s watching or not,” Black explains.

The Power of Partnership and People

As the business grew, so did the need for structure. That was when Black met his now-partner, Luke, whose background in leadership and organizational systems brought a new dimension to the company. Together, they balanced drive with data, turning feelings into measurable progress.

Their approach is built on communication, accountability, and care. Every call, sale, and customer interaction is tracked, not just for numbers but for quality. They train their team not merely to fix problems but to connect with people. “We’re not in the business of electrical work,” Black says. “We’re in the business of people.”

From technicians to installers, each team member is empowered to grow. The company offers training, paid vacation, and even access to Financial Peace University to help employees learn how to manage and multiply their earnings. “I want our people to make the most money possible in the least amount of time possible,” Black says. “I want them to see the world, spend time with their families, and live fully.”

Giving Back the Right Way

For Black, success is not solely measured by revenue but by impact. Through its Helping Hand Initiative, Watt’s Right Electric donates complete electrical repairs to families in need every quarter, including veterans, single parents, and those simply trying to make ends meet.

The initiative was born from empathy, from remembering what it was like to need help and finding none. “Some people just need a break,” he says. “The same kind of help people gave me when I was at my lowest, that’s what we’re giving back now.”

Suppliers now donate materials. Churches contribute equipment. The effort has sparked a ripple effect of kindness in their community, one repair at a time.

Black and his team are also launching a scholarship fund for aspiring electricians, especially those in recovery. He dreams of one day opening a trade school that combines hands-on learning with life skills and leadership. “If a kid can learn to bend pipe and also learn integrity, we’ve done our job,” he says.

Watt’s Right, Always

Allen Black has seen every side of struggle, from loss and addiction to rebuilding and leadership. What makes his story powerful is not just survival. It is a transformation. It is the decision to turn hardship into honor, labor into legacy, and business into a sense of belonging.

He leads with the same principle that gave his company its name, doing what is right, even when it is hard. “Helping other people has to be a posture of the heart,” he says. “It has to be in you. And if you fake it, you’ll be exposed.”

Watt’s Right Electric is more than a company; it is proof that integrity can outlast circumstance and that a man once lost can build something greater than himself.