1 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,559 Speaker 1: Most of us don't like hearing that two letter word no. 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: But to make sky's the limit the success it is, today, 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: your goofy self decided. 4 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 2: I want to hear a thousand os explain it. 5 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 3: One of the things I've learned about entrepreneurship is failure 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 3: is a necessary component. But if you reframe it as learning, 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 3: you know everybody can get by and learning right. But 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 3: if you say do you want to fail? People are like, no, 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 3: I'd rather not. So getting to a thousand no's means 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,279 Speaker 3: that there gotta be some yesses along the way. 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: Right, Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm no Courtney, 12 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: I'm an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach in inner 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: city Memphis. And that last part, well, somehow it led 15 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: to an oscar for the film about one of our teams. 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 2: It's called Undefeated. 17 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: Guys, I believe our country's problems are just never going 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: to be solved by a bunch of fancy people and 19 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: nice suits who's in big words on CNN and Fox 20 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: that nobody really ever uses, but rather by an army 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: of normal folks that's just us. You and me deciding Hey, 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: maybe I can help. That's what Bogardelli, the voice you 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: just start is done. BO is the co founder of 24 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: Sky's The Limit, the world's leading digital platform for connecting 25 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: underrepresented entrepreneurs with education, mentors. 26 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: And access to capital. 27 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: Since twenty ten, their own army of ten thousand mentors 28 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: have supported over one hundred thousand entrepreneurs and have helped 29 00:01:54,680 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: launch seven thousand businesses across the country. We all started 30 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: with Bo taking one step to help a couple entrepreneurs 31 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: and of all places, Morocco, and he never dreamed that 32 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: this work. 33 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 2: Would get this big. 34 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: Bo will teach you about taking the best next step 35 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: as a social entrepreneur or as a volunteer. Right after 36 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: these brief messages from our general sponsors, Bo geared Delhi 37 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: from Seattle, Washington. Welcome to Memphis. Well, thank you everybody. 38 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: We are live, We have a live audience. We are 39 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: here at the Memphis Listening Lab and the Crosstown Concourse. 40 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: Longtime listeners of the show will have heard about this facility, 41 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: a Crosstown Concourse and the Memphis Listening Lab. We want 42 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: to thank the folks at the Memphis Listening Lab for 43 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: hosting us. We have in the audience day fifty or 44 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: sixty people that are part of the Memphis Society of 45 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: Entrepreneurs and the Memphis Chamber Small Business Council, and so. 46 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: Bo, you got an audience there you are, hey, audience, 47 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 2: clap it up? Sorry my ear is it? 48 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: Yay for all our listeners and audience everybody. Bo is 49 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 1: the co founder and CEO of Sky's the Limit, based 50 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: out of Seattle, but by no means restricted to the 51 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: bounds of Seattle. And your story is amazing and I 52 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: can't wait to get into it. So first, you know, 53 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: the vast majority of people in our country run from instability, 54 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: but you dove headfirst into instability. And even more than 55 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: diving headfirst into instability, you dove headfirst into instability into 56 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: the Arab spring. 57 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 2: What and why? 58 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 4: Well, to answer that question, I probably got to go 59 00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 4: pretty far back. You ready for that? 60 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: I'm ready, Okay. 61 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 4: So I was born and raised in Oakland, California. 62 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 3: And to answer this question, I think it matters right 63 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 3: because it chose these things because of the way I was, 64 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 3: the way I grew up. Right, So if we go 65 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 3: all the way back to being raised in Oakland at 66 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 3: the time, it was the murder capital of the country. 67 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 4: So that was one dynamic of my life growing up. 68 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 3: And then I'd say probably the most momentous thing that 69 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 3: happened to me as a kid is I lost my 70 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:34,559 Speaker 3: mom to cancer at six and that made me start 71 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 3: to ask questions about life and what the meaning of 72 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,799 Speaker 3: life was. I think a lot earlier than my peers would, 73 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 3: that question. 74 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 4: Why am I here? What am I doing? 75 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 3: Led me down many paths and purpose and service was 76 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 3: something that our family encouraged, and I found a lot 77 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 3: of value in it, and I found a lot of meaning. 78 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 3: And that's from service trips to to building houses in Mexico, 79 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 3: to be in the philanthropy chair my fraternity in college, 80 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 3: and then to joining Teach for America right out of 81 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 3: undergrad and and and Russian to South central Los Angeles 82 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 3: to teach sixth graders English and social studies, which was 83 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 3: the hardest. 84 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 4: Thing I've ever done to this day. And uh and 85 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 4: and all of that, I think I think. 86 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:32,600 Speaker 3: Built up to to why why to go to Morocco? 87 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 3: I realized so twenty seventy, two thousand and nine, I was, 88 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 3: I was a teacher, and you were you kind of 89 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 3: forced into the union and in the Teachers Union and 90 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 3: the Los Angeles Unified, and in two thousand and nine 91 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 3: there were they laid everybody off, but they laid you 92 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 3: off in the reverse order of when you joined the union. 93 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 3: So I was a young teacher, so we were the 94 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 3: first ones to go, even though we were really cheap 95 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 3: as far as teachers went. And I had to figure 96 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 3: out what to do. You know, I got a pink 97 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 3: slip in May. The end of the school year was 98 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 3: two weeks later. I had nothing lined up. I was 99 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 3: going to thought I was going to teach again. And 100 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 3: I took a year to kind of figure out what 101 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 3: to do. I mean, it was not a good time 102 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 3: to be a twenty four year old in two thousand 103 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 3: and nine looking for a job, and I, you know, 104 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 3: I got to do have some experiences. I moved to Dubai. 105 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 3: I thought that was a good place to find work. 106 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 4: It wasn't. I ski bummed with my best friend for 107 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 4: a winter. 108 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 3: We tried to get try to work on the mountain, 109 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 3: but those jobs were all gone too. And then with 110 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 3: my other best friend, I took a road trip around 111 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 3: the country for three months. Because by that time I 112 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 3: realized that I should probably use this time in my 113 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 3: life to find something less depressing than getting rejected from jobs. 114 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 4: So I so we did it the Four Corners of 115 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 4: the United. 116 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 3: States road trip, and that's where I discovered the Smoking 117 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 3: Mountains and had it a wonderful time there. I did 118 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 3: not get to go to Memphis because we wanted to 119 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 3: stay in nature. I was cheaper too to get a tent, 120 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 3: you know, out out in the Smoking Mountains, and that's 121 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 3: why I got to see our country and got to 122 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 3: learn about what an incredible country it is. So all 123 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 3: of that, during that time, I was like, I guess 124 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 3: I got to go back to school because what I 125 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 3: really want to do is I was fixated on this 126 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 3: idea of like, there are all these market failures out there, 127 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 3: and that's why a nonprofit exists. 128 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 4: I think nonprofits, at least I think that. 129 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 3: I think nonprofits exist to solve market failures. Capitalism is 130 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 3: amazing until it isn't, and I think that buying large. 131 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 3: I love the system, but there are some things that 132 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 3: slipped through the cracks, and that's where we got to 133 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 3: address them. And often there's not a business model for 134 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 3: profit business model that will support you doing that. And 135 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 3: so I went to school for nonprofit management at University 136 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 3: of Washington and Seattle, and I you know, learned a 137 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 3: lot more from my family full of small business owners 138 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 3: at the dinner table growing up and realized that, you know, 139 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 3: kind of between the two of these these experiences, I 140 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 3: could put that together. And the Arab Spring at this 141 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 3: time was dominant on the news, and it was particularly 142 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 3: resonant with me and my generation because it was about young, 143 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 3: working age adults being unemployed. Right, that's the for those 144 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 3: of you remember their spring, you know, really the unrest 145 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 3: was started by people being unemployed. When you have fifty 146 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 3: percent unemployment rates, you can imagine how destabilizing to a 147 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 3: country that is. 148 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 2: To a whole region, to an entire region. I mean, 149 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 2: I know you. 150 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: Were in Rocco, but the date I've read is between 151 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: forty and sixty percent unemployment across the entirety. And now 152 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: Morocco is North Africa, obviously, and we think of Middle 153 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: East starting on the other side of Egypt. But really, 154 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,439 Speaker 1: if you ball up all of North Africa into traditionally 155 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: Prussia and the Middle East, Egypt, all of that area. 156 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: In twenty ten, I've read the unemployment rate over the 157 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: entire swath of that area was forty to sixty percent. 158 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: So as Americans, when we see all this stuff on 159 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: the news about unrest and everything else, it really does 160 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 1: boil down to poverty and lack of jobs for the 161 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: young people coming up and they have nothing else to do. 162 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: I mean, is that correct? 163 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 3: That was my takeaway, and that had been a belief 164 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 3: I'd built through my entire life. Little signals that say, really, 165 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 3: a job and poverty is the root issue in your 166 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 3: life if you're experiencing it right. And even when I 167 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 3: was teaching in South central LA with with sixth graders, 168 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 3: you know, I got to teach an elective and I 169 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 3: let my students pick. I said, what do you what 170 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 3: do you all want to learn about? And they said, 171 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 3: we want to learn how to make money? And I said, okay, 172 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 3: So this class is now called entrepreneurship because that's I 173 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 3: think one of the best ways to learn how to 174 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 3: create value, which is what you If you can create value, 175 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 3: then you can make money and capture some of that value. 176 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 3: And so that there's all these little experiences that laddered 177 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 3: up to going to North Africa, where you know the 178 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 3: work of Sky's the Limit began. 179 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: So you go from Oakland to south central LA to 180 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 1: a tenth and the Smoking Mountains to Morocco. 181 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 2: Everybody does that, right, I mean, there's a track. I 182 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 2: love that you say. 183 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: You got to see how wonderful our country is and 184 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: what a great country it really is, especially in your generation. 185 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,680 Speaker 1: That perspective is awesome to me. But you find yourself 186 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: in Morocco. I think they're the Peace Corps, correct, correct? 187 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: All right, So you show up in Morocco, you work 188 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: for the Peace Corps, right, what is your kind of job? 189 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: And then tell us how Sky's the limit became a 190 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: thing in all of all places in Morocco. 191 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 3: Well, I'd say the Peace Corps was definitely a catalyst, 192 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 3: but not in the way that they would probably want 193 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 3: to be. It's probably where my belief that the government 194 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 3: is not going to save us or started when I 195 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 3: saw just how the bureaucracy and culture of the government 196 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 3: wasn't interested in results and and wasn't for me in 197 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 3: my Peace Corps experience. So they gave me a job, 198 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 3: and I said, no, that's not what needs that's not 199 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 3: what the community needs, and why else am I here 200 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 3: if not to you know, try to be valuable to 201 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 3: the community. 202 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 4: I'm living in. 203 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 3: There's no other reason to do the Peace Corps, in 204 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 3: my opinion, than to try to be valuable in your 205 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 3: community that you're living in. And so I get there 206 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 3: and and in the first month I'm approached by over 207 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 3: a dozen young people who say, I got business ideas. 208 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 3: I need to do this. I have no job, there's 209 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 3: I need to put food on the table. I need 210 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 3: I need this business idea to work. And there's jobs 211 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 3: we had, there are none. So you got to make 212 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:55,439 Speaker 3: your own right, sometimes called necessity entrepreneurship. And that was 213 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 3: it was just, you know, as clear as day that 214 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 3: this was what I needed to be doing. This was 215 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 3: the the and it was an organic coming to me. 216 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 3: I wasn't out there, you know, I'm trying to guess 217 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:11,679 Speaker 3: at what the issue was. 218 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 4: So I said, this is what I'm going to do. 219 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But 220 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,200 Speaker 1: first you guys got to hear this, Okay, this is 221 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: real opportunity. Our six local service clubs are now badly 222 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: one another through April eighth to see which of them 223 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: can recruit the most members to their giving circle of 224 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: just ten dollars a month and up, and the winner 225 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: of this thing is going to get a twenty five 226 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: thousand dollars grant. 227 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 2: From Stand Together. 228 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 1: If you live in Memphis, Oxford, Atlanta, Wichita, Northern Dutchess County, 229 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 1: or Ozaki County, join your giving circle today by visiting 230 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: Normalfolks dot Us backslash Service Clubs, normal Folks dot Us 231 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: backslash Service Clubs and just click on your club. And again, guys, 232 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: the club that raise the most money and gets most 233 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: people and the most of the giving circle, Stand Together 234 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: is going to grant that club twenty five k to 235 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: go do something good in your community. I can't imagine 236 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: why you guys wouldn't do that. It's free stuff. 237 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 2: We'll be right back. You know. 238 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 3: The Peace Corps also says you're not allowed to start 239 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 3: an organization while you're in the Peace Corps. And I 240 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 3: ignored that rule too. I just didn't see that it 241 00:14:54,760 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 3: was aligned with the interests of the community. We did, 242 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 3: so we started started an organization both the United States 243 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 3: and in Morocco, a nonprofit we essentially after we so 244 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 3: after these the aspiring entrepreneurs got their business ideas mapped 245 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 3: out and they knew what they needed to do to 246 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 3: launch the company. They said, we need funding now, and 247 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 3: this is uh, you know, So we went around to 248 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 3: the micro finance organizations. We're talking about one thousand bucks, 249 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 3: you know, five hundred bucks in some cases, right, And 250 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 3: these micro finance organizations were also nonprofits and backed by 251 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 3: the government, and they said, nope, you're too risky. I 252 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 3: was like, well, what's the point if you haven't filmthrop 253 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 3: in capital if not. 254 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 4: To solve for this issue. 255 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 3: So I was upset by that, and I flew home 256 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 3: the United States and put together a fundraiser and raised 257 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 3: some money for a micro loan fund, flew back the 258 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 3: next week. And then when you say some money like 259 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 3: ten grand, okay, yeah, yeah. 260 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: And the reason that's important is when you hear the 261 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: numbers of the later, when we talk about the numbers 262 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: of people that your organization serviced, you think in terms 263 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: of hundreds of thousands of dollars, which seems out of 264 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: reach for a normal person. Right, you talk about ten 265 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: grand here you raised it in a week. 266 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, Now I'm luny. 267 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 2: Are I think that. 268 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: Ten grand can make such a difference. I think we 269 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: can't just walk past that fact. 270 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 3: No, But I do think that, like, you need to 271 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 3: know people who have ten grand, sure you know I. 272 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 2: Mean, or you need to know ten people that have 273 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 2: a grand. 274 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 4: That's what I mean. 275 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 3: I mean it was really more like twenty people of 276 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 3: five hundred, So that's what it took. 277 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 4: And then we used that money we flew. 278 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 3: I'll get to the later's later pieces of raising money, 279 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 3: because that's definitely part of the journey. Not why I 280 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 3: got into it, but seems to be my job a 281 00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 3: lot these days. But that money was able to twelve 282 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 3: entrepreneurs to launch in Morocco and they use the capital 283 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:08,919 Speaker 3: to buy inventory, right, Like, this is like really just 284 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 3: trying to drive straight to revenue. I know the media 285 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 3: likes to talk about entrepreneurship is like raising all this 286 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 3: money and then you know, living on a hope and 287 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 3: a prayer that you eventually make revenue someday. But that's 288 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 3: that's just not entrepreneurship to me. So so they they 289 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,880 Speaker 3: got these companies up and going, and then they said, well, 290 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 3: how do we how do we keep this alive? 291 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 4: Now? How do we how do we grow it? 292 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 3: And that's where I was like, oh, we need a 293 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,400 Speaker 3: mentoring program because each of you is dealing with such 294 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 3: nuance around your personal situation. What you know what you 295 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,400 Speaker 3: don't know, what resources you have, what resources you don't, 296 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 3: what connections you have, and those you don't. You need 297 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,680 Speaker 3: somebody to individualize their support for you. And that's why 298 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 3: mentors are so important, and they've been hugely important to 299 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 3: me and so important to the entrepreneurs we helped get 300 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 3: off the ground and then and the good thing was 301 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 3: is those mentors helped us. Helped the entrepreneurs to make money, 302 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 3: which means they could pay their loans back, which meant 303 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 3: we could we could lend it back out again. 304 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,119 Speaker 4: And that's what I did for for two years. 305 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 3: We got the state we want a very competitive state 306 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,479 Speaker 3: department grant, so I, you know, don't like the government, 307 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 3: but I'll take their money. But and then we grew 308 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,199 Speaker 3: it so and I turned over the operations of the 309 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,399 Speaker 3: of that organization, the Moroccan Organization, to my co founder 310 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 3: who's Moroccan in my lived in my village, who was 311 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 3: part of one of the microfinance organizations, and talked him 312 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 3: into joining us and running that and yeah, kept that 313 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 3: going for for many many years. 314 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: One of the things I read that you said is 315 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: that the Holy Trinity for you and Morocco, which actually 316 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: I think remains the same in yours is one education 317 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: for entrepreneurs, two business mentoring, and three access to capital 318 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: that they just can't otherwise fund. You will talk about 319 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:12,680 Speaker 1: that a little bit. 320 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 3: Yes, that you nailed it, So that's that's exactly right. 321 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 3: And I think that you get results great in the 322 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 3: sum of its parts when you put those three things together. 323 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 3: If you look at how you know there are some 324 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,479 Speaker 3: entrepreneurs who don't need a lot of help, right, so 325 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,880 Speaker 3: they either they learned how to build a business from 326 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,880 Speaker 3: from a parent or a grandparent or ann or uncle, 327 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 3: somebody you'd already built a business, maybe a bunch of them, 328 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 3: and they all coached and helped. That's the entrepreneurship education 329 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 3: piece that many successful small business owners have. Then they 330 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 3: had friends and family money because that's where your first 331 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 3: capital to start a company comes from. Banks won't touch you, 332 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 3: right unless you want to put up your house. But 333 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 3: if you we already own a house, you've already got 334 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 3: more money than than many people do. And uh and 335 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 3: so then that's not necessarily your your issue. So that 336 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 3: friends of family capital is vital. And we've named Sky's 337 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 3: Limits Grant Fund the Friends of Family Fund because we're 338 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,439 Speaker 3: trying to recreate that level of support for entrepreneurs who. 339 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 4: Don't have friends of family. 340 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 3: And the grant's twenty five hundred bucks, right, so it's 341 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 3: not it's not a lot, but it's enough to start 342 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 3: making money if you're careful with it. 343 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 4: And so then the last piece is that is that mentorship. 344 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 3: I had a one of my college friends dads is 345 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 3: a lawyer, and he did our five oh one C 346 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 3: three filing for us, which was would it costs thousands? 347 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,360 Speaker 3: We had another guy who's an accountant, family friend. He 348 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 3: helped us set up our books. There's another couple grant, 349 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 3: you know, and then it goes out we had marketers 350 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 3: who helped us for free. These are this is that mentorship, 351 00:20:58,440 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 3: this subject matter expert. 352 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, but let's be real. If you're some some poor 353 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 2: village of Morocco or maybe more locally the hood in Memphis, 354 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 2: you don't have any family friends that are attorneys that 355 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 2: can set up for five on one point, you don't 356 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 2: have any family friends that are accountants that can help 357 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:18,919 Speaker 2: you with your books. You don't have any of that. 358 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: So one, you don't have the expertise available to you, 359 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: and two to garner the expertise. 360 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 4: You've got to bleed, Yeah, gotta pay for it. 361 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: The point is, it doesn't matter if we're talking Morocco, 362 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: South Central La, Chicago, or Memphis. Without mentoring, education and 363 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:43,439 Speaker 1: access not only to money, but access to the mentoring 364 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: and education, you can have the next great to ten 365 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,920 Speaker 1: billion dollar idea, but it ain't going nowhere. 366 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 2: And that's what you tapped into. 367 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, and I. 368 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 3: Think, I think unfortunately our culture has portrayed entrepreneurship as 369 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 3: trying to chase billion dollar ideas. And those billion dollar 370 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 3: ideas are great, and those companies change our lives right, 371 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 3: sometimes sometimes a good way, sometimes and not so good ways. 372 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 3: But entrepreneurship, at the end of the day, can it 373 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 3: looks like small business mostly. If you look at the 374 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 3: number of entrepreneurs out there, it's like less than a 375 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 3: couple percent that are building high tech, high growth companies. 376 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 4: That everybody would know the name of. 377 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 3: So to me, it's small business is the backbone of 378 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 3: our society. It's the backbone of most stable societies around 379 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 3: the world have a strong small business sector. 380 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: So you learn it, you do it, you get it 381 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: off the ground of rocco, you actually get paid some 382 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 1: of the back money and over the two years after 383 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: those first twelve. Real briefly, because I've read the list 384 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: so that people to really actually hammer home what you've 385 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: just said about billion dollars for small businesses. What are 386 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: some of the businesses in Morocco. I mean I read 387 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: like one was a farm for fruit or something. I mean, 388 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 1: what are the businesses? 389 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, that was two brothers. Two brothers. 390 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 3: They basically realized that there was there was a bumper 391 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 3: crop that season in the fruit orchards. Uh in the 392 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,719 Speaker 3: in the area where I was. It was a it 393 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 3: was a very agricultural town town of fifteen thousand people. 394 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:29,560 Speaker 4: And these two. 395 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 3: Brothers said, uh, there's not enough people to pick it. 396 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 3: And some of these farmers wanted to de risk and 397 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 3: so they on they were willing to sell the yields 398 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 3: to these trees before it fully matured, and and so 399 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 3: they and they didn't have people to pick it anyway, 400 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 3: So they got this huge discount rate on buying the 401 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 3: peach yields and that's what we financed. And then they 402 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 3: went and picked it and they you know, they ten 403 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 3: x their money. 404 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 2: Phenomenal story. 405 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, and barbershops and other stuff. 406 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 2: I mean, just name them. 407 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 3: A sheep farm right, So just getting the original you know, 408 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 3: five five female sheep, one male sheep, and just you're 409 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 3: going and starting a farm. And then that if you 410 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,439 Speaker 3: take good care of them over the years, you know, 411 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 3: it exponentially grows. And each of those she not only 412 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 3: provided food security for their family. So if it was 413 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 3: a bad year, like you could just eat one of 414 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 3: your sheep, right, but if you didn't have to do that, 415 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 3: you could sell the sheep. 416 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 1: And that almost sounds funny, but that's nineteen twenties America. Yeah, 417 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,840 Speaker 1: that's what America was. Across the land stamp of this 418 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: whole country was tons of small farmers. 419 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, who ate what. 420 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: They grew and sold the rest and if things got bad, 421 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:53,640 Speaker 1: they at least didn't start. 422 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:55,760 Speaker 4: And I mean that's a lot of the world still 423 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 4: looks that way. 424 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 2: Yes it does. 425 00:24:57,720 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: But the point is if you don't have money or 426 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: act that's or drib or anything, you can't even do 427 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: that basedic sustenance. 428 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's what you felt. We'll be right back. 429 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 2: So cool story. 430 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 1: Two years you hand it over to your Moroccan co 431 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: founder and you're helping entrepreneurs in Morocco, but America is 432 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,240 Speaker 1: your home. America is the home of the American Dream. 433 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:36,680 Speaker 2: We really need this help here. 434 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, we do. 435 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 3: And I I was raised on the American dream, you know, 436 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 3: I was. 437 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 4: I drank that. 438 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 3: Kool aid and it certainly felt like I got I 439 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 3: got to have. I feel like I had some of 440 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 3: the American dream. But I don't think that everybody gets 441 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,400 Speaker 3: the American dream in the United States. And I think 442 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 3: that there are huge pockets of talent around the country 443 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 3: that are lacking opportunity. 444 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 4: And that's why we exist with sky's a limit. 445 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 2: So when you came back, what'd you do? Well? 446 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 3: We had one of these, one of these donors who 447 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 3: chipped in a few hundred bucks during that that Christmas 448 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 3: time fundraiser. When I when I came back for a 449 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,399 Speaker 3: week from Morocco, he said, why aren't you doing this 450 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 3: at home? 451 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 4: And I said, oh, that was a light bulb. 452 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:36,239 Speaker 3: Oh and uh and sure enough. You know, basically, as 453 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 3: soon as I came home, you know, I was broke. 454 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:42,719 Speaker 3: I spent my savings trying to trying to get this 455 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 3: thing up and running. So I got a job teaching 456 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:50,160 Speaker 3: entrepreneurship with a nonprofit program, and on the side I 457 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,959 Speaker 3: was building what is you know, the sky's limit in 458 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 3: in the US, we already had the nonprofit set up, 459 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 3: so it was is all about establishing a pilot program 460 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,479 Speaker 3: and getting out there and showing that we could do 461 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 3: what we said we could do for entrepreneurs and that 462 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:11,360 Speaker 3: there was really a need. 463 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 4: The need was obvious. 464 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 2: Uh. 465 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 3: It was very easy to find, particularly young adult entrepreneurs 466 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,720 Speaker 3: who were saying I need to start a business and 467 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 3: uh and and bring them in. And we partnered with 468 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 3: some other nonprofits who said, we have all these young 469 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:28,879 Speaker 3: people who want to start businesses and we don't know 470 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 3: where to send them because we don't do that. 471 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 4: You know, we teach how to get a job. Usually 472 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 4: it's a workforce development type program. 473 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 3: So that was it. That was the first year. It 474 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 3: was like working. You know, I was I was living 475 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 3: in my parents' basement. 476 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 4: Uh. 477 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 3: You know, my parents charged me rent market rent because 478 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 3: that's how our family roles, and so. 479 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 2: Kids are going to listen to this last I do 480 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 2: the thing. 481 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I raised you, I got your clothed 482 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: and house and fed, I got you through college. 483 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 2: What else am I supposed to do? You got to 484 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 2: pay your rent? 485 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 3: Absolutely absolutely, uh I and I would I would do 486 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 3: the same, but I think that it was a great 487 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,640 Speaker 3: fire underneath underneath me to be like, hey, I need 488 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 3: to I need to make this work because doing doing 489 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,440 Speaker 3: the side hustle, which is how so many entrepreneurs get 490 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:25,159 Speaker 3: started and work in the full time job. 491 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 2: Uh. 492 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 3: It's it's exhausting, but it's good to do when you're young. 493 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 3: I had a lot a lot of energy back then. 494 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 3: Uh and uh and and that's that's what it looked like. 495 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:37,959 Speaker 3: And you just kind of had to piece it all 496 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 3: together and we started to prove ourselves. We got the 497 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 3: Oakland Mayor's office to uh to to back us, and 498 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 3: another that convinced another foundation to also join in. And 499 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 3: that was our That was our big break, and that's 500 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 3: where I could leave my job and go full time. 501 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: I've read in twenty fifteen you asked for applications for help, 502 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:08,719 Speaker 1: and if there's nothing more than this one thing that 503 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: proves out how important your model is. You've got five 504 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: thousand people to respond to say I need a little 505 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: money to help my idea. 506 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, not just even a little money, it's they need 507 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 3: the package, right, it's the training, like how do I 508 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 3: start a business? Because they're there are some generally accepted principles. 509 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 3: I know there's a lot of entrepreneur I think almost 510 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,560 Speaker 3: everybody's an entrepreneur in this room or or is you know, 511 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 3: supports works with entrepreneurs, and and if we talked about 512 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 3: some of the ways to get started in a business, 513 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 3: I bet we could all kind of agree on some 514 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 3: things that yes, generally you should do that, No, probably 515 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 3: not do that. 516 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 4: And so that process of like trying to remove we. 517 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 3: Don't teach entrepreneurship schools, so where are you supposed to 518 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 3: learn this? So that education piece is huge. But yes, 519 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 3: they also want money. Everybody wants free money, right, So 520 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 3: so that's that's not hard. But then also mentoring because 521 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 3: it's lonely being an entrepreneur. Most most entrepreneurs are solo entrepreneurs, right, 522 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 3: Having a co founder is a is a luxury and 523 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 3: if it goes well, and if it's not, it's a curse. 524 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 3: And and so yeah, five thousand people signed up on 525 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 3: our form that said you know we want this, uh, 526 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 3: and we said we have no way, no way, shape 527 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 3: or form can we meet this need. But it was 528 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 3: evidence to demand and we were able to show that 529 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:44,240 Speaker 3: evidence to demand to some other funders and we got 530 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,440 Speaker 3: our next big break with with Accenture. We pitched it 531 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 3: to some fortune five hundreds and and some foundations and 532 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 3: but really it was eccentric. You stepped up and they said, yeah, 533 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 3: we think you know, we think your plan to become 534 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,479 Speaker 3: a tech nonprofit is is correct, right. We think that 535 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 3: this is how you meet that need because you can't 536 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 3: do it from an office in downtown Oakland. 537 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:13,959 Speaker 1: It was I think your co founder and best friend 538 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 1: who said we can combine this program model with technology 539 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 1: and address this demand at scale. Once you understood with 540 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 1: the five thousand people wanting your work that there was 541 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: scale available to you, I think it's really interesting what 542 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: Nick was also the co founder of and how that 543 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:38,680 Speaker 1: kind of evolved into what Sky's Limit is. Now you 544 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: want to tell us about that? 545 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, Nick, Nick is Nick's my brother from another mother. 546 00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 4: Like he is. 547 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 3: This guy is has been with me in the trenches 548 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,960 Speaker 3: for over a decade. And the crazy part is that 549 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 3: Nick was building a whole nother high tech, high growth 550 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 3: company at the same time as being my co founder 551 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 3: and put thousands and thousands of volunteer hours into it 552 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 3: along the way. But if we go back to how 553 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 3: we met, he lived across the hall from me in 554 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 3: the dorms freshman year, and we hit it off very early. 555 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 3: We had similar similar values and we're asking similar questions 556 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 3: about life and what it meant and what we wanted 557 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 3: to do with it. And he, you know, he was 558 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 3: raised by a single mom in Colorado and was an 559 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 3: entrepreneur as a kid. You know, he was selling clams 560 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 3: in Long Island during the summers. And then he got 561 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 3: into the web very early, at least for our generation, 562 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 3: and at sixteen had a website development company and I 563 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 3: think I think one of his favorite stories from that 564 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 3: time is that he learned, you know, a lot of 565 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 3: hard lessons through this we web development company as a teenager. 566 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 3: But he traded a full website build to this sandwich 567 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 3: shop and they're like, you guys can have a sandwich 568 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 3: a day forever each for this. 569 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. 570 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, but it doesn't work when the sandwich shop goes 571 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 3: out of business the next year. So so they you know, 572 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 3: they learned, they learned things. But yeah, so he was 573 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:21,720 Speaker 3: he was a web developer, and then he goes to 574 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 3: college and he takes over the IT department for at 575 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,200 Speaker 3: the school and he was working all through college. And 576 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 3: we were talking about you know service, I was the 577 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 3: philanthropy chair the Fratney and he was the president, and 578 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 3: so we worked together a lot on that kind of stuff, 579 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 3: and you know, we both had that entrepreneurial spirit and 580 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 3: he went that tech entrepreneurship route and I went the 581 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 3: social entrepreneurship route. And so I called Nick up and 582 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 3: and I was like, this is it like that we 583 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,520 Speaker 3: have five thousand people who want what we need. He's like, yep, 584 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:59,000 Speaker 3: we will build technology for it. And then we started 585 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 3: shopping that picture around and at the time he was, 586 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 3: you know, had just launched a company called blockchain dot com, 587 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 3: which is a large crypto company now today. 588 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:11,720 Speaker 4: Yeah. 589 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, And so he moved to York in the United Kingdom. 590 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 3: It's a smaller, you know, smaller regional city outside of 591 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 3: ways out of London, just side Unseen and to be 592 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 3: there their first CEO and uh and co founder of 593 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 3: this company. And it grew like gangbusters, right, So this 594 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:37,839 Speaker 3: thing shot up now you know, eighty million users. They've 595 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 3: raised over a billion dollars now in venture capital, and 596 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 3: they're going to IPO this year hopefully. And Nick's pledged 597 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 3: half his shares in that company. The Sky's Limit, which 598 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 3: is an incredible, on top of thousands of hours of 599 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 3: his time will trying to build this thing volunteering. 600 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,799 Speaker 1: And that concludes Part one of our conversation with Bo 601 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,919 Speaker 1: gear Delli and you do not want to miss part two. 602 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 2: It's now available to listen to. 603 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,080 Speaker 1: Together, guys, we can change the country, but it starts 604 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:12,160 Speaker 1: with you. I'll see in part two.