1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: Afrotech Conference is back and return to Eightstown, Houston, Texas, 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: from October twenty seven through thirty first, twenty twenty five 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: at the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech 4 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: has been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers, 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: creators and investors. 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty. 7 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: Five is shaping up to be the biggest year yet, 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: though with fortyzery to ten hees expected. This year's conference 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: will feature five days of dynamic programming across six curator stages, 10 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: from discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear from 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: industry leaders at the forefront of change, learn from top 12 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: ten engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from nearly 13 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: two hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into what's 14 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: next with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad tech 15 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more. Whether 16 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: you're launching your first startup, pivoting into a new role, 17 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: or scaling as an execut there's something here for you. 18 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: Tickets and moving fast to keep your spot nowt at 19 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: Afrotech Conference. Dot Com will lucas here, Black tech, Green money, 20 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: so good to be with you guys for another week, 21 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: and I got a special guest today. I've been looking 22 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: forward to this when we've been planning this for like 23 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: a month. It feels like and we are finally here. 24 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: I am here with Omi Vel, who is the CEO 25 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: of Black Girl Ventures. Has funded hundreds of companies. 26 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 2: Last it looks like five to fifty. 27 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: It might be more than that by now five hundred 28 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: and fifty underresource companies and positively impacted over twenty thousand 29 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs small business owners, and that number is growing. Also, 30 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: she's got a partnership with TikTok, continuing that commitment since 31 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four, I think is when you guys started this, 32 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: they committed originally a million dollars to support black entrepreneurs 33 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: by launching the Sword Together, which is again continue from 34 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four. And these are efforts to support black 35 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs and we're going to talk a lot about that today. 36 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: It's a business accelerated program that you know, she's so 37 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: critical to, especially for black creators, black businesses, black entrepreneurs. 38 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 2: So Owe Peale, welcome to the show. 39 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 3: Thank you. I'm excited. 40 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 2: It's good to have you here. 41 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: So there's a quote I found from you where I 42 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: loved it, and I was like, I want to start 43 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: this conversation off from that. You said, a billion dollar 44 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:17,519 Speaker 1: network equals a multimillion dollar company, and so I want 45 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: you to talk about, like where you got that concept 46 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: from and how do you like operationalize that concept until 47 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: like the decisions you make every day. Yeah. 48 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 4: So my book Originate, Motivate, and Innovate Seven Steps for 49 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 4: building a billion dollar Network, and get it on Amazon 50 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 4: bars and over wherever you bouy books also the audible 51 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 4: of you listening to books and it is my voice. 52 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 3: So here's the thing that I learned, right. 53 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 4: I think when we start businesses, we focus so much 54 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 4: on like, oh, I need to like get the product right. 55 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 4: I need to like, you know, figure out how this 56 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 4: product works and customers and things like that. But when 57 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 4: you hit a wall or when you are just stuck 58 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 4: in a place where you're trying to understand like how 59 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 4: to move, you got to have a network. And I 60 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 4: think like network also means like two different things. Like 61 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 4: you need your business network or people that you can 62 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 4: go ask questions of, but you also need to have 63 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 4: your like wellness network, because if you want to get 64 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 4: closer to God become an entrepreneur. 65 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: That's a fact. 66 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: That's a fact. 67 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 4: But I came up with what that brought to mind, 68 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 4: Like coming up with that quote was I realized the 69 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 4: real moment that I started rocking and rolling as an entrepreneur, 70 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 4: really really bringing in impact and things like that is 71 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 4: when is when I connected my network to the work 72 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 4: that I'm doing by thinking about how can I leverage 73 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 4: you you want to have It's an asset. Your network 74 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 4: is an asset. Your ability to reach out and use 75 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 4: a free space. Your ability to think about like our 76 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 4: connection to TikTok means that we can connect creators to 77 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 4: different things we can We can also do things like. 78 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 3: Figure out how to support even the platform. You know. 79 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 4: It's sometimes the the biggest thing you can do is 80 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 4: not asking for the thing that's right in front of you. 81 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 4: It is thinking of what else do they have? What 82 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 4: else going to offer? What else is available? In how 83 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 4: you're going to grow your network. I think billion dollar, 84 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 4: billion dollar network means you got enough people there where 85 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 4: you can operate something as a multimillion dollar thing. It's 86 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 4: like you need that. You can get all the capital, 87 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 4: but when you hit a wall, you need a person. 88 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I would put this on thread a couple of 89 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: weeks ago. It's like I used to believe everybody should 90 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: start a business, and I was like, I don't understand 91 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: why anybody would go get a job, And I don't 92 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: believe that anymore because like this, doing this is like 93 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: it takes a special kind of person to wake up 94 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: to just drama every day, stress every day. You know, 95 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: there's no guarantee paycheck on Friday, Like you gotta go hunt, 96 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: you gotta go find that paycheck, and so like what 97 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: kind of people do you And I'm saying that you're 98 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: not saying that, but I'm sure there's some something in 99 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: that you can probably relate to. But I wonder, like 100 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,239 Speaker 1: what kind of people do you think are best suited 101 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: for this? Like what is a makeup of a person 102 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: who is best suited for this journey? 103 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, that's such a good question. 104 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 4: But to your point around like insight on that, I 105 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 4: think that your people ask me all the time, when 106 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 4: should I quit my job? How do I know when 107 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 4: to put my job? How do I know when I 108 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 4: should I just jump off, jump off the cliff and 109 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 4: build you know, willd up? No, absolutely not I do 110 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 4: not jump off anybody's cliff. Do not try to build 111 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 4: any wings or gain wings. 112 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,360 Speaker 3: None of that. You are not a parachute expert. Do 113 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 3: none of that. 114 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 4: But what you should consider I always tell them, I 115 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 4: don't know how resilient you are. I don't know if 116 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 4: you get down to the wire, if you're willing to 117 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 4: go donate blood. I don't know if you're willing to 118 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 4: like pawn everything in your house for what you believe. 119 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 3: I don't know if you're you see what I'm. 120 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 2: Saying, like have you had my journal? Like goodness gazeous like. 121 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 3: A I don't know what you're willing to do for this, 122 00:05:58,240 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 3: So I think that you know. 123 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 4: And there's a lot of I've been seeing a lot 124 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 4: of podcasts commentary because I'm also wellness practitioner, and there's 125 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 4: a lot of podcasts commentary out there right now around 126 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 4: how work life balance is BS, and like we don't 127 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 4: need work life balance. I don't think work life balance 128 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 4: is purely BS. But what I'll say is the concentration 129 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 4: has to be on work life integration, like how everything 130 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 4: is worth when what time it is? It is now, 131 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 4: it's time for me to be doing something. It's how 132 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 4: do you think even with my staff, when I hire people, 133 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 4: I tell them you can make a mistake, that's fine. 134 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 4: But if you're thinking it's off, you're gonna constantly make 135 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 4: the same mistakes over and over. So I would say, 136 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 4: just to break that down, culchability. 137 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 3: Your ability to be culchable. Resilience. How resilient are you? 138 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 3: What are you willing to do for what you believe in? 139 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 3: And I mean that by. 140 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 4: All legal means and safety needs necessary, But what are 141 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 4: you willing to do for what you believe in? I 142 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 4: don't know that right, Like, I can't desermine that that 143 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 4: your grind is kind of like the most predictable factor. 144 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 4: That's a part of you building a business as part 145 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 4: of your entrepreneurial repertoire is going to be like, I 146 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 4: don't know how far. 147 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 3: You're willing to go. Some people wally like sleep on couches. 148 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 3: Some people are like like, nah, I can't do that. 149 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 4: So you got to know you. I think that's that's 150 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 4: the thing. Who are you exactly? And if you don't know, 151 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 4: you will find it out real quick? Will you try 152 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 4: to run a business? 153 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm gonna take that question one level deeper. Is 154 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: you know because they're running it. No matter what you're doing, 155 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: it's gonna be hard, and especially in those early days especially, 156 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: And so at what. 157 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 2: Point do you know it's hard. Yeah, because it's supposed 158 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 2: to be hard. 159 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: But let me keep going, or it's hard because I 160 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: probably shouldn't be doing this. 161 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 3: I think the thing about strategy is time. 162 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 4: Like strategy is about time, so you can have like 163 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 4: good ideas you can have you say, I'm gonna you know, 164 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 4: you have a great to do list, but you're not 165 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 4: being strategic if you don't have time attached to it. 166 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 4: So when I started Black or Avengers, prior to this, 167 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 4: I had a T shirt company and I was doing that. 168 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 4: I was row and I worked myself out of poverty 169 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 4: with that TEACHHERT company. So backing up a scept to 170 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 4: my story, I'm I'm a computer scientist. I had great jobs, 171 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 4: but I had two children, have my first child when 172 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 4: I was seventeen, my second child when I was twenty one. Now, 173 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 4: I didn't grow up in any and the way I 174 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 4: grew up was very. 175 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 3: Middle of the most middle middle class. 176 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 4: But as an adult, because I now had these two kids, 177 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 4: went to school all of that, I ended up on 178 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 4: Section eight ended up food stamps, government assistants, all of 179 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 4: that just to keep things going. America is not built 180 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 4: for a person, a single person with children. 181 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 3: That's just the reality. And so. But I had good jobs. 182 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 4: I was a kay through stove educator, I worked at 183 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 4: a patent trademark office, you know, things like that. But 184 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 4: I still couldn't afford to live. Entrepreneurship was really my 185 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 4: way out. I had gotten laid off twice. Me and 186 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 4: my fiance broke up. I realized I'm not going to 187 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 4: get married now, I have three children, and I'm not 188 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 4: going to go back to anywhere where anybody can ever 189 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 4: come to me and say I'm laying you off. But 190 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 4: you know, people can only see your actions, they don't 191 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 4: have your vision. 192 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 3: I knew who I was. 193 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 4: What it looked like on the outside was crazy, and 194 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 4: people like, what should you do? I build a TP 195 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 4: in my living room and rented it out on Airbnb. 196 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 3: People was like, what is she doing? 197 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 4: I said, I'm never going back to work for anyone 198 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 4: unless the conditions. 199 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:17,599 Speaker 3: Make the most sense for me. But you won't be 200 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 3: able to come in and say you lay me off. 201 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 4: So in that case, I was looking at like, how 202 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 4: am I going to build with whatever I have, and 203 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 4: so I learned to print T shirts. I started a 204 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:34,559 Speaker 4: T shirt line. It took off, We made Essence Magazine. 205 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 4: We traveled all up and down the East Coast vending 206 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 4: and I worked, and then I ended up getting deals 207 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 4: with like Google and Amazon. I worked myself off of poverty, 208 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 4: paid for my kids to go to school, like all 209 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,559 Speaker 4: those kinds of things. And then black or Adventures came 210 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 4: up for me because I need a community. I'm not 211 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 4: a pro. I didn't just want to be head down. 212 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 3: That never worked for me. But I had a contract 213 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 3: with Google. 214 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 4: So I was doing work with Google, bringing in community, 215 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 4: training entrepreneurs, and I was starting up Black gir Avengers. 216 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,440 Speaker 4: Blacker Adventures wasn't bringing in as much money, so I said, 217 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 4: I gotta give it. I'm gonna give it three months. 218 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 4: I'm gonna give it all I got for three months. 219 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 4: If you don't take off for three months, I'm letting 220 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 4: it go. And I think it's important for people to 221 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,199 Speaker 4: wrap time around what you're trying. Yeah, so you and 222 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 4: don't keep trying the same thing for the whole time, right, Like, 223 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 4: give yourself a time window. Okay, I'm gonna go at 224 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 4: this while I work. Hello, please be working while I 225 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 4: have some inncome coming in. I'm gonna go at this 226 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 4: as hard as I can for six months. 227 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:39,560 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, move it. Yeah. So I got to ask. 228 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: I'm formulating this question as I was speaking, because you 229 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: just said a couple of things that I want to 230 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: dig deeper on. Like you talked about like you worked 231 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: yourself out of poverty by building this business's T shirt line. 232 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: Then you talked about the work you do with Google 233 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: with training entrepreneurs. And my first thought was that on 234 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: me is different than the ow me that is now. 235 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: And what about that on me that was probably new 236 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: in business or hadn't been wildly successful yet, says to Google. 237 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 2: I'm gonna go train entrepreneurs on your behalf. 238 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 4: This is you're good at it, you know, like not 239 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 4: everybody's good at it. 240 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,199 Speaker 3: Okay. 241 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,680 Speaker 4: The interesting what's interesting about the difference between that only 242 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 4: and this on me is I was way more willing 243 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 4: to take more. 244 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 3: Risks right now. 245 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 4: I have so many partners, I have so many alliances. 246 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 4: You're not gonna catch me on anybody's social media talking 247 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 4: bad about anybody, Yes, you know, and that and that's 248 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,079 Speaker 4: a hard place to be in right, it's a privilege 249 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 4: because I get to I honestly have been blessed enough 250 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 4: for these brands to allow me to do the work 251 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 4: I feel like I want to do. That's a blessing. 252 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 4: Not everybody gets that. They're not dictating what I do. 253 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 4: They say, even with our relationship with TikTok, came to 254 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 4: them to say, hey, we like what you're doing. Let's talk. 255 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 4: We started talking. I said, look, this is what I 256 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 4: want to do. I want to put together a fund 257 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 4: that would give out marketing money to entrepreneurs because that's 258 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 4: the one thing that creators don't have, marketing dollars. They said, okay, 259 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 4: I said, I want to do storytelling around it. So 260 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 4: we did two seasons of a podcast called The weigh 261 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 4: In Series, and they also worked was We went through 262 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 4: a TikTok accelerator as well to learn how to use 263 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 4: a platform more so where that brands go through. So 264 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 4: all of these resources that came to me, I'm trying 265 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 4: to learn and give it back all the time. I'm 266 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 4: trying to like take what I got and give it 267 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 4: back so that me then didn't have anything. I had 268 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 4: nothing to lose. I had no money, I had no alliances. 269 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 4: I was like that mobile, I'm gonna do whatever. When 270 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 4: I started to work with Google, they were launching a 271 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 4: brand new program and again network I was already a 272 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 4: Google supplier. 273 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 3: So I was already doing business with them. 274 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 4: The person I was doing business with them through said Hey, 275 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 4: we're starting this new program where we're going to train entrepreneurs. 276 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 3: We would love to have you're part of it. I said, Okay, 277 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 3: the parameters will loose. 278 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 4: Now what a program is now is way different than 279 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 4: when I started, because they still have a digital coaching program. 280 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,559 Speaker 4: But it's different now if they in fact, if they 281 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 4: still have it. But again, I've been privileged enough, busted enough. 282 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 4: I'll say to work with partners who say here's what 283 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 4: we want, go do that. 284 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 3: At that moment, I got to create. 285 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 4: I got to think of how I wanted to do it, 286 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 4: and that was a space that honestly, working at Google 287 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 4: shifted a lot for me. 288 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 3: It taught me how to be a leader. It also 289 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 3: helped me. 290 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 4: They gave us access and privilege that our average contractors 291 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 4: didn't have. 292 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:36,959 Speaker 3: So I've been a Google officers all around the world. 293 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 4: Also just looking at the way they have treated their 294 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 4: employees and I'm not here to. I'm not caving for Google, 295 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 4: but I'm just saying that, like, it taught me a 296 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 4: lot to see this idea of like we treat you well. 297 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 3: And you'll do the work well. We'll feed you, you. 298 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:54,839 Speaker 4: Can take a nap, you can go for a swim, 299 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 4: you could. You know, whatever you get in the work done, 300 00:13:58,040 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 4: We're gonna get things done for you. 301 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 3: And that helped me adapt as a leaders. I was like, 302 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 3: who I am now. 303 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: Diet You said something about one thing creators and honestly 304 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: small business owners don't have is marketing dollars. And too 305 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 1: often we get into business and we think about every 306 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: expense or investment except. 307 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 2: Marketing dollars, advertising dollars, and. 308 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: So can you talk about how important it is number 309 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: one to have the thinking that I need to set 310 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: aside resources to put my brand, my product, my stuff 311 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,239 Speaker 1: in front of people and build awareness. 312 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: And how we get. 313 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: Those resources to be able to do that when we 314 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: already have limited resources one hundred percent. 315 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 4: I mean, part of what I want to bring up 316 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 4: here is the power storytelling. That's really what is in 317 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 4: that that your business has to sell things, you have 318 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 4: to sell yourself, and you have to sell yourself not 319 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 4: your soul, right, Like you have to sell your product, 320 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 4: you have to sell yourself, but the story you're telling 321 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 4: and the way you position that store is everything. And 322 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 4: this is you know, with our the way we use 323 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 4: our TikTok is all about like how do we help 324 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 4: these founders get positioned to tell the story. So if 325 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 4: you're local and you're like, I'm looking for that hair 326 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 4: braider or that skin caroline or that, and you're like, hey, 327 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 4: or it's at the nearest variety store, go buy it. 328 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 4: So to a mass of a two hundred thousand dollars 329 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 4: over thirty million impressions, and working with TikTok, the way 330 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 4: that we work, it's all about how can we tell 331 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,360 Speaker 4: the best stories so that people can get access and 332 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 4: so in terms of marketing dollars, that's when I realized 333 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 4: that people are missing. If I could go if I 334 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 4: were to go back to twenty sixteen, we're gonna be 335 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 4: ten next year. If I were to go back to 336 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 4: twenty sixteen and launch BDV all over again, I would 337 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 4: launch a impact report. I would watch some kind of 338 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 4: white paper, some kind of report, and then I would 339 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 4: go on a narrative tour and I would build the 340 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 4: narrative first. So what I did was I went into 341 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 4: the I went off of the stat one percent of 342 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 4: black and mirond women are receiving venture capital, less than 343 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 4: two percent of women of receiving venture capital. And I 344 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 4: was looking at so much of that as problem. I'm 345 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 4: a solution problem, I'm a solution. But in the narrative 346 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 4: of this, all of all of this is what I 347 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 4: learned over time, which is we're talking about families. We're 348 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 4: not talking about some flippant just like, oh a VC 349 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 4: didn't give you funding. No, we're talking about your ability to. 350 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 3: Be economically sound. And I experienced that firsthand. 351 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 4: It still didn't see that tie into a way later 352 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 4: where I was like, shoot, had it not been for 353 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 4: me starting a business, I wouldn't been and put my 354 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 4: kids through college by myself on a teacher salary. It's 355 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 4: just not a reality, you know. So I think that 356 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 4: in terms of like where I have developed over time, 357 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 4: what I've learned over time is like I wish that 358 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 4: I could get out to founders because sometimes founders can't hear. 359 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, sometimes creators they can't hear. They're doing what they're doing. 360 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 3: They're in it, that's all they see. 361 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 4: That, and I probably was, like at some point I 362 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 4: was a hard headed teenager, you know what I mean. 363 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 4: So I mean they're not just better just saying that, 364 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 4: like the it's hard to hear, but if a narrative 365 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 4: storytelling position yourself, because I'm the kind of person that 366 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 4: if you if I'm on the list and they say, oh, 367 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 4: you only is the top one hundred people with glasses, honey, 368 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 4: you would have thought I was number one. 369 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 3: I was poking it. I'm the top person with glasses all. 370 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 4: You know, you got to really maximize everything you get 371 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 4: when you're in the early stages of entrepreneurship. 372 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 3: And I never let that go. 373 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 4: Which is why we are so well positioned with companies 374 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,479 Speaker 4: like Nike or TikTok or pim Co is because that 375 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 4: narrative part. 376 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 3: I'm always focused on that. 377 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: So when you partner with a company slash brand like 378 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: a TikTok, and what are some of the things you 379 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: insist on, like non negotiable things that you know you authentic, 380 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,679 Speaker 1: You come into this authentically and they have things that 381 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: they are trying to achieve. Also, like what are some 382 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: of the things that are like non negotiables for you 383 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 1: and that you insist on and where might you have 384 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,200 Speaker 1: had to compromise if at all. 385 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a great question. 386 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 4: We live in this crazy economic time, so I think 387 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 4: that it's shifted in terms of what I have the 388 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 4: ability to insist on, who we. 389 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:23,360 Speaker 3: Serve and how we serve in a way. 390 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 4: And it's not that, you know, it's not the brands 391 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 4: that are saying that to me, right, It's more like 392 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 4: the landscape that we are living in that causes us 393 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 4: to have to shift. Right, the brands are still doing 394 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 4: the work, I'll be honest, I have not the brands 395 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 4: that we work with behind the scenes. 396 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 3: They still are doing the work. 397 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 4: It's just that again from that storytelling us, of that 398 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 4: narrative piece, we all got to be talking different about it. 399 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,439 Speaker 4: So I would say that now I feel like I 400 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 4: have to compromise because of where we exist the current landscape, 401 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 4: not because of the brands. I want to be clear 402 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 4: on that. I feel like I have to compromise with 403 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 4: how I want to refer to the audience that I serve, 404 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 4: and that pains me, if I'm being honest, it pains me. 405 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 3: I hate it. 406 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 4: I don't want to do that, Like I don't want 407 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 4: to do that I want to loud and proud say 408 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 4: black and brown and not feel like I got to 409 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 4: worry about being sued or anything like that. We're just 410 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:21,199 Speaker 4: not living in that kind of space right now. And 411 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 4: so I so I've been bullished on that though. I've 412 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 4: been bullished that, like, I want to serve who I 413 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 4: want to serve the way I want to serve them 414 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 4: where I need to serve them. I know I'm an entrepreneur. 415 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,159 Speaker 4: I serve entrepreneurs, and I know exactly what I need 416 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 4: to do. Just fund us, tell us your wins. We 417 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 4: will make the winds happen for you, will make these 418 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 4: winds mutual. In terms of compromising, I can't say. I 419 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 4: can't say I've had. 420 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 3: To make a lot of compromises. 421 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 4: I mean, maybe sometimes I compromise on location, Like somebody, 422 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 4: you know, maybe a partner wants to go to a 423 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,840 Speaker 4: city that I don't that I'm like, we could go 424 00:19:57,880 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 4: to that city, but it is the best city for 425 00:19:59,480 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 4: us to be in. 426 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 3: Sometimes I'm lifting a city for. 427 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 4: A partner, right so, and that's why they want me 428 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 4: to go there, because they're trying to lift the city themselves. 429 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 4: And so one of the things that we're good at 430 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 4: behind the scenes. This is something I want to share. 431 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:16,640 Speaker 4: My entrepreneurship is reporting. Our reporting is a unique value 432 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 4: proposition for us in the ways that white people work 433 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 4: with us, because we really focus on how much impact 434 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 4: we can make and how we can report it to 435 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 4: you according to your wins. Yeah, you get money based 436 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 4: off of who needs a raise. If I can get 437 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 4: you a raise, I'm gonna get money. 438 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 2: So much sense. 439 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean like that that but a me ultimately, 440 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 4: I haven't had to make a lot of compromises. Like 441 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 4: I said, I feel extremely blessed that the partners who 442 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 4: come to us say I am authentic, this is who 443 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 4: I am, And I'm like, hey, we're going to do 444 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 4: what we do and we want you to rock with us. 445 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 3: And they haven't. 446 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:56,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, So I want to go back to the point 447 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: you just made about you know, having to talk differently 448 00:20:59,320 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: about it. 449 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 2: This is like, this is. 450 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: So interesting to me because you know, I've also sat 451 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: in like seats to where you have impact and there 452 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: is a time to be vocal and also a time 453 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: to be quiet. And I wonder what your thoughts are on. 454 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 2: Is is the is the forced you. 455 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,919 Speaker 1: Know, discussion that we have had to confine to a 456 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: way of speaking, is that not? Can we see that 457 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: as an opportunity? 458 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 2: And here's why. Here's what I mean by that. 459 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,159 Speaker 1: It's because so when you're in a position of power 460 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 1: and it's not the time. 461 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 2: To be vocal, you can, Hey, get through the door. 462 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 2: I'm gonna hold this door open. Just keep just get 463 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 2: through the door. 464 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: And yea, I'm gonna get as many y'all through this 465 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: door as possible, and we're gonna let them do what 466 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: they gotta do over there. But as many y'all get 467 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,400 Speaker 1: through this door while I'm gonna be quiet. Sometimes being 468 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 1: too loud cause too much attention to what you're trying 469 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: to do. So I just wonder what your thoughts are 470 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,360 Speaker 1: on how we can think about it. 471 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 2: Can we shift our narrative the. 472 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: Thinking about opportunity also and fighting speaking true to power? 473 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: But how do we see opportunity in this? I guess 474 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 1: it's the point I'm making. 475 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, So it's interesting because some people don't like these answers. 476 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 4: So you ask the question that I feel like a 477 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 4: lot of people are like, no, be radical, no, be loud, 478 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 4: no always like but I think what I tell people 479 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 4: when you're moving in realms of power, there's a few 480 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,640 Speaker 4: different principles. It's pleasing, appeasing, proving, and adapting. No matter 481 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 4: how much money people have, they're doing those things. They're 482 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 4: pleasing each other, they're appeasing each other, they're proving to 483 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 4: each other, and they're adapting. So when people say like 484 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 4: I don't got nothing, I don't care about not nor 485 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 4: I don't got nothing to prove, well you that person 486 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 4: doesn't have a lot of power because everybody in power 487 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:47,400 Speaker 4: got something to. 488 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 3: Prove, I don't care. 489 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 4: From the biggest billionaire you know to the smallest millionaire, 490 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 4: they all have something to prove. And it's just a 491 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 4: part of the game, right, So it doesn't always make 492 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 4: sense for you to speak up in a certain way 493 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 4: because you're gonna you're. 494 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 3: Gonna knock out one of those principles. 495 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 4: You're not gonna be it's gonna cause you impede on 496 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,439 Speaker 4: your appeasing of someone that you need to appease for 497 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 4: you to be able to help your community. So it's 498 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 4: always like a dance and in sil enough to where 499 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 4: you're asking. During the during the George Floyd when George 500 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 4: what was murdered and this big like worder fall moment, 501 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 4: we were not on social media running down like power 502 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,959 Speaker 4: to the people kind of stats. Now we were addressing it, 503 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 4: we were saying what we were saying. We were, you know, 504 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 4: supporting people on the back end, but we were mindful 505 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 4: of what the narrative needed to because we knew this 506 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 4: day was coming, this day to where right now, this 507 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 4: day was inevitable. So it was like, we're not gonna 508 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 4: not stand for our people. So to your point, exactly 509 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 4: what the way you described it, that was my thought. 510 00:23:58,000 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 3: Let's get this. 511 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,680 Speaker 4: Door open, let's hold it open, Let's pull as many 512 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,400 Speaker 4: people through here as we can in this moment. Let's 513 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 4: get as much of this capital and give it away 514 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,479 Speaker 4: like this, how much of this capital could be take 515 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 4: and giveaway. 516 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 3: That's literally what my thought was. 517 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 4: So I set up some system to be able to 518 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 4: have all the calls and the meetings and be able 519 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 4: to get the capitol in quickly, and it we scaled 520 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 4: exponentially through that serving virtually because of a band in it, 521 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 4: but also the level of capital that we were able 522 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 4: to get in because I knew I had something. I 523 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,880 Speaker 4: think another thing is that if you know you have something, 524 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 4: that is more of the reason for you to figure 525 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:39,399 Speaker 4: out the dance, because when you figure out the dance, 526 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 4: once you get in there, you know you got something. 527 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 4: All I needed was the money. I was already doing 528 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 4: the work. I knew I could impact people. I knew 529 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,120 Speaker 4: I could put systems around getting the money out. 530 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 3: I knew that. 531 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,479 Speaker 4: So it would have did a disservice to me and 532 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 4: my community had I taken a certain route of discussion. Now, 533 00:24:57,600 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 4: I host a serious XM show, and I'm very vocal 534 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 4: about what are protesting what I'm not. I'm very vocal 535 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 4: about politics in the ways that I think about it. 536 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 4: I'm very vocal about service to others, and I don't 537 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 4: back down and compromise other those on those things, but 538 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 4: I do. 539 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,880 Speaker 3: Think about how I say them. 540 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 2: Absolutely, I love that. 541 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: So you talked about how you knew you had something 542 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: in The people that you target are the people who 543 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: need or raise Those are the people that can create 544 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: these opportunities. How do you know who has the budgets? 545 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,440 Speaker 1: Like when you go knock on the door, Let's pick 546 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: a company, TikTok, Nike, Google, the one is the one 547 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 1: that you partner. How do you know where to go? 548 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:46,200 Speaker 1: I got something I know I can affect my community. 549 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: Somebody here needs a raise. How do you know who 550 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: got the budget? 551 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, great question. 552 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 4: So from a non we're a nonprofit, So from a 553 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 4: nonprofit standpoint, there's going to be a couple of roles 554 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 4: that match up with people who got a budget. It's 555 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 4: gonna be your CSR people, Corporate Social responsibility, your impact people. 556 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 4: So the impact side of things, which is usually the 557 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 4: philanthropic arms of the corporate regions. 558 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 3: There's also marketing. Always got the money. 559 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 4: By the way, like the marketing people, they always have 560 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 4: the budgets, but they're a little bit different to work with, 561 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 4: so you have to figure that out. Now, if it 562 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:28,400 Speaker 4: comes to philanthropy, then you might be looking for program officers, 563 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 4: or you might be looking for people who. 564 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 3: Are launching something new. So sometimes I'm. 565 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 4: Looking for like who's like, who's launching a new thing, 566 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 4: and then who's ahead of that launch and what does 567 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 4: that look like and how does that align with our 568 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 4: with our with our entrepreneurs that we serve. I'm also 569 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 4: keeping my ear to the street, and this is where 570 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 4: your your this is where your network comes into play. 571 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 4: Now it's chilly enough, this this is a bit behind 572 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 4: the scenes that this question you're asking me right now, 573 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 4: because a lot of people try to figured this out. 574 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 4: We have worked networked our way through global affairs or 575 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,400 Speaker 4: or political affairs. But that's because I was based in DC. 576 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 4: I'm in LA now, but I was based in DC. 577 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 4: And being based in DC, I would, you know, go 578 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 4: to Capitol Hill for different things, or because different companies 579 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 4: would we would go round tables things like that, or 580 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 4: I was in that ecosystem. So because so think about 581 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,360 Speaker 4: one thing that people need to think about is your 582 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 4: proximity to what kind of thing in your local area. 583 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:33,959 Speaker 4: Because I was in DC, my proximity to the government 584 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 4: was right there. Now, global affairs people don't directly have 585 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 4: a budget, but they know they know all the people 586 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 4: that got the budgets. So that's how we got some 587 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:46,199 Speaker 4: of the deals that we got because I was working 588 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 4: my way through some of that Capitol Hill network. Also, 589 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 4: your trade associations or things that you're a part of, 590 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 4: things you're membership of. I'm a member of a couple 591 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 4: of different things where I've gotten a couple different opportun 592 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,960 Speaker 4: It needs to meet different people navigate their different things, 593 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 4: I think. But one of the hardest things as the entrepreneurs. 594 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 3: Really to know what you're looking for. 595 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,360 Speaker 4: Once you land on that, you can kind of navigate 596 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 4: your way to the person who's the head of it 597 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,920 Speaker 4: or the person who's the assistant of the person. Don't 598 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,920 Speaker 4: take anybody for granny, that's for sure, don't. I tell 599 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 4: people all the time it was a janitor that let 600 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 4: Fantasia back into that American Idol in that American Idol 601 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,600 Speaker 4: performance her initial time when she got selected. Don't take 602 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 4: anybody for granny. I'm speaking to everybody, from the clean 603 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,640 Speaker 4: lady to the second like, whoever's the assistant. All those 604 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,479 Speaker 4: people can get you where you need to go. You 605 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 4: just gotta be you gotta be a people person so we. 606 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: Can Goodness, I ain't got to none of the questions 607 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: I had because you're saying so much that it's like 608 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: I want to go dero all these things you're saying. 609 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: Like you just said, you know, marketing always has the budget, 610 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: and I wonder, like what are we missing as small 611 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: business owners because if these big companies, no marketing needs 612 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: the budget, they always delegating that budget. But we small 613 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: business are like marketing ain't never got the budget. We're 614 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: trying to, you know, always do something organically, always trying 615 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: to get it to go just hope they like share. 616 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: You know, we tweet whatever you know, organically, but we 617 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: starve marketing in our businesses. Like what are we missing 618 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:22,280 Speaker 1: there with that thinking? 619 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 4: So I think again, as the person who's creating the business, 620 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 4: you have so many things on your mind. 621 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 3: You're just trying. 622 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 4: You're thinking my product needs to be great. You're thinking 623 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 4: my software needs to be great. You're thinking my service 624 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:38,160 Speaker 4: needs to be great. 625 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 3: How many mediocre things do we know? Like the little 626 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 3: kid juice box. 627 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:46,440 Speaker 4: It's the worst invention. Every time you put that straw, 628 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 4: you're gonna get some juice out it. Like it, then 629 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 4: it barely straw barely goes in. You know, it's just 630 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 4: stop worrying so much about having the perfect product of 631 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 4: perfect service and just find the person who likes to 632 00:29:58,360 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 4: engage in imperfect things. 633 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 3: So well, that's the way to think about it. 634 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 4: There's so many of us who will be To be honest, 635 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 4: sometimes we're shooting for such a high bar and most 636 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 4: people in mediocre. 637 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 3: I hate to say it, but like most people are 638 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 3: just like the average thing. 639 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 4: And you know, and that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that, 640 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 4: but we want like the perfect thing, the bigger thing 641 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 4: the batter thing, and it's like, find you a market. 642 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 3: And just take the stronghold over it. 643 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 4: Like if you know people who got locks and you 644 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 4: know and they go to church on Sundays and shoot, 645 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 4: just go market to them. Stop thinking you need the 646 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 4: people that got straight hair in locks and they go 647 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 4: to church on Saturday. Like, you got to get real specific. 648 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 4: I think what we're missing is specificity. We don't get specific, 649 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 4: we don't get particular, and we don't think about owning 650 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 4: the market that we can own. We think so broad 651 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 4: about owning every market. And I think it's the thing 652 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 4: where social media can be helpful. What platforms like TikTok 653 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 4: where you have the ability to kind of throw out 654 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 4: what you want and have people find you and run 655 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 4: ads TikTok shop people are making like a yeah, people 656 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 4: are making their annual salaries selling on TikTok shops. 657 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 3: Yeah. 658 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 4: So I think we have to dig into where the 659 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 4: platform support us. 660 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: Finally, there is over time with this TikTok you know, partnership. 661 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: How do you envision it evolving, you know, whether that's 662 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: a deeper platform integration for our creators and entrepreneurs, maybe 663 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,719 Speaker 1: revenue sharing models just or you know something like, what 664 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: do you imagine it looks like if you look out three, five, 665 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: ten years. 666 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I think we imagine what it was 667 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 4: like for meeting them or whatever. 668 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: Partnership and hopefully what the partnership outcomes are, even if 669 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: it's not you know, BGV a TikTok. 670 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I think understanding that digital marketing equals economic empowerment, 671 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 4: and so I think I'm looking forward to the the 672 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 4: tools that they're developing to continue to drive awareness, booth sells, 673 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,640 Speaker 4: connect people to new markets. I think that you know, 674 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 4: BGV is equipment people were practical skill skills. We're also 675 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 4: looking at store We also focused on storytelling and things 676 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 4: like that. 677 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 3: But I think that. 678 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 4: Like one of the pieces of TikTok that's really interesting 679 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 4: to me is the ability the live selling part. I 680 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 4: think that like some of the platforms are trying to 681 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 4: do it, but they haven't been able to nail it 682 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 4: the way TikTok has it, Like the way that the 683 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 4: live selling connected to the TikTok shop connected to you've 684 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 4: been able to get like points on screen connected to 685 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 4: like So I'm looking I'm looking to the evolution of 686 00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 4: that and how like even how can we raise money 687 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 4: for BGV but support our brands, right, Like, Okay, we 688 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 4: have all these founders that have come through rest with 689 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 4: Bunds is a product. Some of them are telling them 690 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 4: TikTok shop. So I'm looking forward to ways that we 691 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 4: can do things like that more partnerships that are with 692 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,680 Speaker 4: TikTok is a player and a partnership, but we're working 693 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 4: with the creators to really help them get assets, help 694 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 4: them get up to speed. So we did a part 695 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 4: of that program that you mentioned earlier that we worked 696 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 4: on was a part of helping people with TikTok shops. 697 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 4: So we pulled in hay Seanceques. She's like got over 698 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,240 Speaker 4: a million followers. She was actually one of our founders 699 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 4: early on. We knew her way before this moment, so 700 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 4: I think we get to see people early. So I'm 701 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,960 Speaker 4: looking forward to to partnerships like TikTok continuing to help 702 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 4: us support like the longevity of founders through live selling, 703 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 4: through continue with storytelling. Ways that storytelling can take place 704 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 4: that maybe we haven't thought of yet. 705 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, actually that wasn't the last question. I like, 706 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: so this this is the last question. So the because 707 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: you renewed from twenty twenty four. We're in the you know, 708 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:46,760 Speaker 1: we're in twenty twenty five now deep into twenty twenty five, 709 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: So where does the partnership like, where are we in 710 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: this twenty twenty five cycle of this partnership and what's 711 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:54,600 Speaker 1: the what's the plan. 712 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 4: We are evolving? Okay, that's that we are coming back 713 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 4: to the table and thing and they're like, what makes sense? 714 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 4: Up next, we have I'm not exactly sure when this 715 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 4: will air, but we have a live fish competition that 716 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 4: we're doing. So we do a competition called pull Up 717 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 4: and Pitch. Pull Up and Pitch Tip is typically a 718 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 4: competition where we go into a city and anybody in 719 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 4: a city can literally pull up and pitch. You got 720 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 4: sixty seconds. There's three judges. You get a thumbs up, 721 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:22,719 Speaker 4: thumbs down. You get one thumbs up, you get two 722 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 4: hundred dollars, you get two thumbs up, you get two 723 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 4: hundred and fifty dollars, you get three thumbs up, you 724 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 4: get five hundred dollars. You go to the next round 725 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,160 Speaker 4: to pitch for up to ten thousand dollars have been 726 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:33,759 Speaker 4: on with the partners at that time. We are going 727 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 4: to run that on TikTok and so in November November. 728 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 3: Eighteenth, I believe it is to be a zach We're. 729 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 4: Going to be running that and this will be our 730 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,400 Speaker 4: first time experimenting with what it means to do a 731 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,759 Speaker 4: live pitch competition. We'll work with them to help like 732 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 4: get some application on a platform, so the live goes 733 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 4: bigger and we're gonna see, like what does it look 734 00:34:54,680 --> 00:34:56,320 Speaker 4: like to live stream and give out capital. 735 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 3: I mean, if we can make. 736 00:34:58,080 --> 00:34:59,880 Speaker 4: This work, I could see the partnership involved into MA 737 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 4: dollars evolving into what gap would take tak shop shop shop, 738 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 4: the you know, like shot the competition kind of stuff 739 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 4: is what we're looking forward to. 740 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,720 Speaker 1: Afro Tech Conference is back and return to Eights Town, Houston, Texas, 741 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,640 Speaker 1: from October twenty seventh through thirty first, twenty twenty five 742 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: the George R. 743 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 2: Brown Convention Center. 744 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: For years, afro Tech has been the go to experience 745 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 1: for black tech innovators, founders, engineers, creators, investors. For twenty 746 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: twenty five is shaping up to be the biggest year yet, 747 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: though with fortyzery tendees expected. This year's conference will feature 748 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:36,799 Speaker 1: five days of dynamic programming across six curator stages from 749 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 1: discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear from industry 750 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 1: leaders at the forefront of change, learn from top ten 751 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from nearly two 752 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:49,000 Speaker 1: hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into what's next 753 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,360 Speaker 1: with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad tech and 754 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,759 Speaker 1: health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more. Whether you're 755 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: mounting your first startup, pivoting into a new role, or 756 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:01,879 Speaker 1: scaling out, that's an exact there's something here for you. 757 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,359 Speaker 1: Take us and moving fast to keep your spot now 758 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 1: at afrotech Conference dot com. Black Tech Green Money is 759 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: a production of Blavity afro Tech on the Black Effect 760 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 1: podcast Networking. 761 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,000 Speaker 2: Night Hire Media, and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me. 762 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,840 Speaker 1: Well Lucas, with the digital production support by Kate McDonald, 763 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:20,640 Speaker 1: Sarah Ergan and Jada McGee. Special thank you to Michael 764 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: Davis and Lovebeach. Learn more about my Guessing Other Technics 765 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:25,880 Speaker 1: Up is an innovators at afrotech dot com. 766 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:28,040 Speaker 2: The video version of this episode will drop 767 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: To Black Tech Green Money on YouTube, so tap it 768 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: in enjoy your Black Tech Green Money shot us to 769 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: somebody go get your money, peace and love.