1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Enjoying Black Tech, Green Money, had the iTunes or Google 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: podcasts and leave us five stars bonus points. If you 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: add a warm and fuzzy comment, how would appreciate it? 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any new 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: episodes when they dry. Afro Tech Oakland, California. Angela Canuwand 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: is the founder and CEO at The Shade Room and 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: it's on the main stage talking with them. Blackty editor 8 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: in chief Lily Working about how she grew with the 9 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: Shade Room Instagram account to ten thousand followers in just 10 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: one week and how creators, entrepreneurs and marketers can effectively 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: grow their audience on the platform. Any tips that you 12 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: may have for people who are on Instagram? Everybody who 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: has the Instagram in the room, I mean yes, pretty 14 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: much everybody so and a lot of us are using 15 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: it to grow our brands. So, like you know, considering 16 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: that the Shade Room has maximized this reached so massively 17 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: in just five years, right, and you were able to 18 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: come on the gram and gain TIMPs out the follows 19 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: in a week? How can people with some What are 20 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: some quick tips that you have have in terms of 21 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: creating content specifically for i G or for social media 22 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: to help your business growl building a demand for people 23 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,839 Speaker 1: to actually come to the page right and not relying 24 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: on an algorithm at getting people to actually come visit you. 25 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: What are some other quick tips that you may have. 26 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 1: You have to be consistent. Um, the share room posts 27 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: almost seventy times a day, which is well like forty 28 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: to seventy times a day. Wow, that's a lot. That 29 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: is a lot. I mean, how many people do you 30 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: have on staff who's well the whole good posting this stuff? 31 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: How many people? Well, we have like about now, we 32 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: have about like ten writers on staff and so like 33 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: they'll just you know, they were full time, but the 34 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: whole company is twenty people. So it's very I mean, 35 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: well we're hiring aggressively right now. So like I said, 36 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: um um, and really what it is is about um. 37 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: A lot of people think that you cast a wide net, 38 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: like you know, when you go fishing. Some it's kind 39 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: of intuitive business a little bit, because when you go fishing, 40 00:01:57,800 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: you want to cash a wide net to get all 41 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: the fish you can possibly get. And that's how people 42 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 1: treat business like how can I reach everybody? How can 43 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: I get everybody? And what I would say is it's 44 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: the exact opposite. In business. You wanna cast a very 45 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: specific net to get a specific kind of fish, and 46 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: then once you get that fish, everybody else is gonna 47 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: want to come in. Like if you look at Instagram, 48 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: Instagram was first for like photographers, and then everybody wants 49 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: to get on. Facebook was for college kids and everybody 50 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: wanted to get on. And so I would say, find 51 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: a niche audience and find out what they don't have, 52 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: give them what they don't have, and keep focusing on them. 53 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: Don't change your strategy because I know everybody was like, uh, 54 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: take the shade woman, make it more uh mainstream, you 55 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: know that's the that's that's the that's the word for white. 56 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: You know what I mean. Um, And so, but I 57 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: was like, nah, I like black culture. This, this is 58 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: my people. We're gonna keep focusing on this. I'm with 59 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: Lucas and this is black tech, green money. I'm gonna 60 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: answer to you to some of the biggest names, some 61 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: of the brightest minds and brilliant ideas. I feel black 62 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: and building or simply using tech to secure your back. 63 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: This podcast is for you. Oh. Laurie Swank is a 64 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: serial entrepreneur, celebrity fashion stylist, author, and as the founder 65 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: of CEO I Swank Blue, an online fashion shop hand 66 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: lifestyle brand. A former pre match student, oh Laurie got 67 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: her big break when she wasn't even looking forward as 68 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: dedicated as she was to break me into the health sciences. 69 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: I asked Olauria about how you can prepare your whole 70 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: life of success in a specific direction, but the path 71 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: that is in front of you can lead you to 72 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: things you didn't even imagine. So I mean to give 73 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: a little bit of backstory. I did want to be 74 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: a neurosurgeon. Like from the age of two, I was 75 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: always telling everybody, I'm gonna be a doctor. I'm gonna 76 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: be a doctor. Like school was always my thing. I 77 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: loved science, biology, anatomy like I was just a really 78 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: really big nerd. And the other thing about me, though, 79 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: was that I was always really fashionable, and so even 80 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: in college, I remember certain times getting kicked out of 81 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: chemistry labs because I had on the wrong shoes that 82 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: day because alway where high heels to school, and I 83 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: would forget, oh, I got a lab today, Like I 84 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: didn't bring close to sneakers and so I would have 85 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: to run back to my apartment, get sneakers, come all 86 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: the way back to campus, and still have enough time 87 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: to complete the experiment before the time was up in 88 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: the lab. So fashion had always been a thing for me. 89 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: I just didn't know that you could make a career 90 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: out of it. And so when I graduated from undergrad, 91 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: I told myself, you know what, I'm gonna take a 92 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: year off because I've spent the last four years going 93 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: to school all year round, like every summer I was 94 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: in class, like I was trying to get multiple degrees 95 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: in a four year span, So any time the school 96 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: was open, I was there taking the class. And when 97 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: I graduated, I said, you know what, I want to 98 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: see what it's like for people to take a break, 99 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: but I don't know what a summer feels like like, 100 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: so I'm just gonna take a year off before I 101 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: go to med school, like I'm I'm just gonna do 102 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: my thing, like I'm not gonna work. I'm I'm just 103 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: gonna hang out and then hanging out. I didn't realize 104 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: at the time that what I was doing was networking, 105 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: because you know, you always think networking has to be 106 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: this formal thing and it has to be a networking event. 107 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 1: You gotta bring this cards and get dressed up. But 108 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: in actuality you're always networking. And so I was out 109 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: one night and the VP of A and r UM 110 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: for Jive Records. At the time, I had seen him 111 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: a couple of times before then, like we were kind 112 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: of cool in passing, I guess at this point, and 113 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: he was just like, yo, I need you to style 114 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: this artist. And I looked at him and I was like, 115 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: I don't do hair like and he said no, like 116 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: I need you to dress her. And I'm still kind 117 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: of confused because I didn't know that this was a job. 118 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: And he's like, listen, if you'll just dress her, how 119 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: you dress will be good, like just give her your swag. 120 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: And I'm like, oh, I could do that, Like that's 121 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: easy for me, Like I just get up and put 122 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: clothes off. And an hour later, the accounting department at 123 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: Sony b MG was calling me and they're like, where 124 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: are we wiring this budget to um your tax I 125 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: D number and this form in that form and send 126 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: us a w nine. I've never heard of any of 127 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: these things. I'm college, didn't go to business school, had 128 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: no aspirations of starting a business like I didn't know 129 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: the lady was talking about, but I've always been very 130 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: quick on my feet and I adapt well. So rather 131 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: than look confused and sound confused on the phone, I 132 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 1: was smart enough to tell her I was in the 133 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 1: middle of something and her back in the hour. So 134 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: I got off the phone, and literally every single thing 135 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: I remembered her saying, I scribbled it on a piece 136 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: of paper and I started googling what is the W nine, 137 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: how do you get one? How do you get a 138 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,799 Speaker 1: business bank account? And within a period of seven days 139 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: I had started an entire business from having like my 140 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: of course business bank account, I got my E I 141 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: N number. I even went and got a PO box 142 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:27,559 Speaker 1: from the post office. Like everything I thought you needed 143 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: to have, I went and I got it. I've been 144 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: in business ever since, and I think that it just 145 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: goes to show that life isn't always going to take 146 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: that course that you've planned for yourself. UM plan change 147 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: and you have to be okay with that, and rather 148 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: than sit around and sulk and complain or freak out 149 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: or woe is me or panic, embrace it and adapt 150 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: to it. And that's just been the story of my career. Honestly, 151 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: from even the reason why my hair is blue. That 152 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,559 Speaker 1: was intentional either, and it's been blue for thirteen years now, 153 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: but I just adapted to it. So I think it's 154 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: really really important just for people in general to be 155 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: able to adapt and adjust. So how how would you say, 156 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: looking back at whatever year that was when you got 157 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: found discovered, right when you look back at that you 158 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: that day, what was it about you that you think 159 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 1: really caught it? Because I'm sure that they've seen people 160 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: who can dress before, they've seen people, you know, who 161 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:39,800 Speaker 1: they bump into in the club. What what? What do 162 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: you think it was about you that said, you know what, 163 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: this is the opportunity for her. I think I've just 164 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: always walked to the beat of my own drum, and 165 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: I've always just embraced my uniqueness. I've never tried to 166 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: conform to what seems normal standard. I mean, I can 167 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: go back to college. On exam day, everyone would show 168 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,079 Speaker 1: up with sweatpants on t shirts like they retired from 169 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: the night before. On exam days, I wore business suits. 170 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: I don't know why I used to do it, but 171 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: I'm like I was exam day, Like I'm talking about Blazer, 172 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: like I'm decked out, like I'm going to this important 173 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: meeting on exam day, and I didn't care that everybody 174 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: else in there was like dressed down and I looked 175 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: crazy with my suit on. It was just me and 176 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: me just being my authentic self, I think, is what 177 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: really not only stood out to that person then, but 178 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: just stands out to people in general when they meet me. 179 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: You just said a phrase that like being your authentic self. 180 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,439 Speaker 1: And there are so many people who don't know what 181 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: business they want to start, but they know they want 182 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: to start a business, right maybe they have a passion 183 00:09:55,960 --> 00:10:00,959 Speaker 1: for something, And how do you recommend people find what 184 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: opportunities they're best suited for. For me, it starts with problems. 185 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: Find a problem in the world and be the solution 186 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 1: for it. And that's your business right there. If you 187 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: want to take it a step further, find a problem 188 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: that you have in this world and be the solution 189 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,559 Speaker 1: to that problem. Those are the businesses that I've seen 190 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: do best and thrive. Are the ones that solve a problem. 191 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: A lot of times people just want to go into 192 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: business because it's trendy, it's cheek, it's like the cool 193 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: thing now. Like everybody wants to be their own boss, 194 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,199 Speaker 1: and it's really not for everybody, if we're being completely honest, 195 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: Like you have to really really want it, because the 196 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: Internet makes it seem just so clamorous and easy. And 197 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,319 Speaker 1: for me, I'm like, being an entrepreneur is giving up 198 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: forty hours a week to now work for maybe half 199 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: the pay. Facts you gotta ask yourself, like, is this 200 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: something that I really want? Just saying Oh, I want 201 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: to have a business, that's really not enough. Find a 202 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: problem that you want to be the solution to and 203 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: start there. So I was listening to an interview you 204 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: deal with Isaac Hayes and Brian Michael Coxon. You were 205 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: he was asking you about starting being an entrepreneur, and 206 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: you were saying, you know, make sure it's your passion, 207 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: particularly about doing retail and clothing. But do I need 208 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: to love clothes to be in fashion retail or do 209 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: I need to love merchandizing or business? And like, what 210 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: do I need to love to be good at selling clothes? 211 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: So it's funny, um to reference old interviews because it 212 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: it just shows you how much your personal mindset has evolved. Um, 213 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:55,960 Speaker 1: I think that. So I used to think that in 214 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: order for me to sell Close, I had to really 215 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: really be passionate about it, like I have to love clothes. 216 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: But then I found myself being this fashion person who 217 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: had fallen out of love with clothes. So it's like, 218 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: how do you keep going when you almost have a 219 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: disdain for this thing that you used to love so much? 220 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:18,719 Speaker 1: And so going through that phase of life, I had 221 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: to realize that maybe that's not enough, Maybe there's something deeper, 222 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: because I needed to find that deeper thing in order 223 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: to continue, in order to push through and say, Okay, 224 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 1: so you thought I was because you loved clothes, but 225 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: now you don't love clothes, So what's up? What is it? 226 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: If I had to ask myself, I'm like, okay, what 227 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: matters to you right now? And I started thinking, I'm like, well, 228 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 1: I love people. I love helping people. I've created this 229 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: vehicle where people who do actively love clothing can now 230 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: work and feed their families and their children and take 231 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: care of their parents. So then I started asking myself, well, 232 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: is it that you love close or do you love 233 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: helping people? So I think that like what drives you 234 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: and your purposes will change and evolve and multiply and 235 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: you'll subtract some and add some. So I don't think 236 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: it necessarily stays the same forever. I just think it's 237 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: important for you to constantly ask yourself what is it 238 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: that's fueling you? So I love that you, you know, 239 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: bring up the word purpose. When when I look back 240 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: at my life in my career, I've seen these moments 241 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:31,079 Speaker 1: where I didn't know why I was doing this particular 242 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: job and that particular job, and why am I experiencing 243 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: this thing? But then when I look back at my life, oh, 244 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: I can connect the dots now and I can see 245 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: that this experience gave me the skills to do this thing. 246 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: And so when you when you advise people because you're 247 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: a coach, also, so when you advise people who are 248 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: trying to figure out their game of entrepreneurship, um, how 249 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: much of it is about their personal life experiences that 250 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: allow them to be successful? Ultimately, I think personal life 251 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: experiences are vital because they're all little lessons in there. 252 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: You just have to pay attention. Um. I've learned so 253 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: much from a lot of my failures, and nobody wants 254 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: to fail, and it sucks and it hurts, But I 255 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: feel like when I look back, those are the moments 256 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: that really made me a champion. Like even when you 257 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: look at athletes, yeah they're winning games on the court, 258 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: but they had to win in practice before they could 259 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: come out and perform. And I think that our life 260 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: experiences really are just those moments for practice, so that 261 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: when we do show up to the court to play 262 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: the game, we've been through it so many times that 263 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: it's routine that it's almost like this beautiful choreography of 264 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: just performed now because you've been there, You've done that. 265 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: So find value in all of your life experiences, the 266 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: good ones, the bad ones, the tough ones, the challenging ones. 267 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: I embrace them all. So in trying to find value 268 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: in your life experiences, most people think, well, nobody cares 269 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: about that part of my life or this part of 270 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 1: my life wouldn't mean anything to somebody else. So how 271 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: how do I know people want what I have? Where 272 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: that my thing is or my life is interesting enough 273 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: to create in the Lord's Wing bubble brand in order 274 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: to sell the thing. I think that those moments that 275 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: people don't think are valuable and important are the ones 276 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: that keep us human and relatable. And the reason why 277 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: my brand has done so well is because my following 278 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: and my community they relate to me, and in order 279 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: for them to relate to me, I have to share 280 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: with them these experiences that I don't think might be 281 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: that important, but I know that they're going through them too. 282 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: Like I'm on this crazy, insane weight loss journey right now. 283 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: Like I did a think. I saw you put up 284 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,680 Speaker 1: a quarter mill, and I threw that was the only 285 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: way I was getting too that gym every day, and 286 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: I knew that my goal was insane, Like it boiled 287 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: down to me knowing me. I know in certain areas 288 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: of my life, I'm super super self disciplined, and I 289 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: also know that there's areas of my life that I 290 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: fall off and I slack off. And so I've started 291 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: I've had to start putting myself in position where because 292 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: I know my weaknesses, I'm battling against myself. I know, 293 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: all right, you on goal for the first four or 294 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,320 Speaker 1: five days, like you're gonna be consistent. But the second 295 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:36,000 Speaker 1: somebody calls you and ask you to get on a 296 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 1: plane and you take that trip, You're not coming back 297 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: for a year. So what are you going to do 298 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: to make sure that you're here? And I'm like, Okay, 299 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: what's valuable to you right now? What's the number that 300 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: will make you say, oh, we can't, we can't do that. 301 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 1: I ain't taking l on that. And I said, you 302 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: know why if you I had to tell myself, how 303 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: bad do you want? You wanted this bad? Are you 304 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: willing to do what it takes to get it? Because 305 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: if you're not, then shut up about it. Like I'll 306 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: complain to my friends like hunkay so much weight but 307 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: don't fit. But it's like you could change it? Do 308 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: you really want to change it? And when I made 309 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 1: that commitment to myself, I said, I'm gonna do it. 310 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: But then I had to make a deeper commitment because 311 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: I know motivation don't last long. Connervation is real sexy 312 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: the first couple of days, but you need that self 313 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: discipline to kicking. You need something else. And so I 314 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: I bet on myself and I do that a lot. 315 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: I have to put myself in position where losing is 316 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,360 Speaker 1: not an option. It's like we we only gotta win. 317 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: So what you're gonna do? When you're starting a business, 318 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: you're often even the security of a paycheck on Friday 319 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: and benefits to be your own boss. But what comes 320 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,120 Speaker 1: with this is a new responsibility to yourself to show 321 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: up every day, even when you may not feel like it. Entrepreneurship. 322 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: I asked so Laurie about how entrepreneurs can best put 323 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: themselves in a position to be prepared for the grind 324 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: and committed to the journey, or to be real with 325 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: themselves in the myth that they may not be ready 326 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: for this. Laurie speaks on it. This question is always 327 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: so tough for me because I don't think there's one 328 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,360 Speaker 1: way to skin a cat. I feel like the answer 329 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:39,120 Speaker 1: is different for everybody, but I know for me, I'm 330 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:45,159 Speaker 1: one of those where I performed best under pressure, Like 331 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: when my back is against the wall. It's a different 332 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 1: level of click in my mind that happened where I 333 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: get these blinders and I just black out and I'm 334 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 1: not finished until I'm done. And I mean in the 335 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,640 Speaker 1: beginning of my career, right when I first started styling, 336 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 1: and everything was cute and sexy, and I had a 337 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: client and I was doing these tours and things like that. 338 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: When that one client that I had decided that they 339 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,640 Speaker 1: didn't want to sing anymore. I was now stuck with 340 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 1: no clients and no experience, Like, yes, I had experience 341 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,639 Speaker 1: working with that client, but I don't know what happens next. 342 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: What how do you get clients? Like? There are so 343 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: many things that I had to learn, And in that 344 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: process of learning and failing, I got to the point 345 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: where I was so broke. I had to move back 346 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: into my parents basement. Like my only responsibility, I want 347 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 1: to say, was paying like my cell phone bill, which 348 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: was a hundred dollars a month, and I could barely 349 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:47,439 Speaker 1: afford that at the time. I mean, my parents are 350 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 1: paying for food, Like I didn't have to do nothing 351 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: but come up with this hundred dollars from my phone 352 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: bill every month. And I was struggling to do that. 353 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:01,199 Speaker 1: And so I started like telling my clothes out of 354 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: my closet. And I didn't even start doing that to 355 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 1: generate the money. Honestly, I was doing that just to 356 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: get rid of stuff in my closet. But I got 357 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: to a point where I had three hundred dollars left 358 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: in my bank account and I was just ridiculously depressed. 359 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: And I remember just being in the bed. The sun 360 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 1: would go up and come down and I just would 361 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: not move. It might have been like a whole fourteen days. 362 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: I just it was a blur to me because I 363 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 1: was that depressed and I was reading books, and I 364 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: just remember thinking to myself, I just gotta get to California. 365 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: I gotta get to l A. Why I needed to 366 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: get to l A, I don't know. I think I 367 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 1: had only been to l A once at that point 368 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: in my life, and it was only for a couple 369 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: of days, and I barely saw anything. So I was 370 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: just like, I gotta go to l A. I gotta 371 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: go to l A. And I had one friend I 372 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: knew that lived there and I hadn't talked to her 373 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: in maybe a year. And I called her and I said, hey, 374 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 1: I'm depressed. I hated here, Like can I just can 375 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 1: I come sleep on your couch? I need to figure 376 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,199 Speaker 1: my life out? And she said okay, And and she 377 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: said okay. I took half of that three hundred dollars. 378 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: I bought a one way plane ticket on air train 379 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: because it was a hundred and forty nine dollars from 380 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,880 Speaker 1: East Coast to West Coast. I can I can pay 381 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: for this? I bought that plane ticket. I did not 382 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: have a job, I did not have a plan, I 383 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:16,920 Speaker 1: did not have a client. I didn't even have a 384 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: car at the time. I had two suitcases and I 385 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: got on that plane and I didn't even tell anybody 386 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 1: that I was doing this. I didn't tell my family 387 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: until the night before I left, which ironically I left 388 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: on Black Friday. So I told them at Thanksgiving dinner. 389 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: I was like, I'm I'm moving to l a y'all. 390 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:39,679 Speaker 1: And keep in mind, they know I'm pissed poor. So 391 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: they're like, Okay, you're moving to l a Que when 392 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: And I'm like tomorrow. And they're like, make it make sense, 393 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,360 Speaker 1: like me, and you're leaving tomorrow. And I'm like, yeah, 394 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: I'm leaving tomorrow. And the reason why I didn't tell 395 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: them was because I knew how ridiculous that was, even 396 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: thinking back on it right now today, Like if somebody 397 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: told me I'm moving across the country from Atlanta to 398 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,920 Speaker 1: Los Angeles with no money, no job, no plan, no clients, 399 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: no car, I would tell you you are nuts, You're 400 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: an idiot. Don't like, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. 401 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: And I knew that my family would tell me that 402 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: out of their own fear and their love for me, 403 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 1: because sometimes people's love will stifle you based off of 404 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: their fear, and so I just I told him on 405 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving dinner. The next morning I left. I took the 406 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,479 Speaker 1: eight am flight. They didn't even have twenty four hours 407 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: to talk to me out of it. I was one, 408 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: and when I landed in l A. I remember thinking 409 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: to myself, all right, you gotta make it work because 410 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: you can't even afford to go back home. And I 411 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: figured it out. And so every time in my life 412 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: that I've needed to move on to the next level, 413 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: or I've needed to strive or aspire to something higher, 414 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: I've had to mentally take myself off to a place 415 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: where it's like, oh, you thought you had a choice, 416 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: so like it ain't no choice, Like you have to 417 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:11,400 Speaker 1: do this. And it's gotten easier for me to do 418 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,959 Speaker 1: it without having to physically do something. But when I 419 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: was trying to learn how to train that muscle, I 420 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: would have to put myself in predicaments where it's like, oh, 421 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 1: you had to figure it out. Like I remember being 422 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: in l A and not having a car, and I'm like, 423 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: before the car, I remember deciding I didn't want to 424 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,199 Speaker 1: sleep on that couch, no board, like her apartment was 425 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 1: the size of I mean a closet and it was 426 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: two of us and her dog and then friend and 427 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:41,959 Speaker 1: I was just like I gotta get like this is 428 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,120 Speaker 1: I can't be here. So I went and I signed 429 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 1: a lease somewhere knowing I'm like, well how many but 430 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:54,120 Speaker 1: and l a rent was not cheat that's not cheap 431 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: at all. And so I'm like, girl, like, how are 432 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: you gonna make the money? But I did it. And 433 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: then when I started getting comfortable with that, I'm like, well, 434 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: you don't have a car. So I went and I 435 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,720 Speaker 1: financed a car. And I'm like, you can't afford to dance, 436 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: But I did it. And so I used those little 437 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: small moments to realize that I can really achieve whatever 438 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: I tell myself I have to achieve. And so now 439 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: I just tell myself like, oh, there is no other option, 440 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: like you have no choice, you have to do it. 441 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: And I think that if you can tap into that 442 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 1: side of yourself where you don't give yourself an out, 443 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: you'll be surprised at what you can achieve. A lot 444 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: of us give ourselves out, like well, I want to 445 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: lose this much weight, but if I don't, it's like 446 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 1: why you need the rest of the sentence like, just 447 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 1: go after what you want and don't settle and tell 448 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: yourself that you can do it and you will because 449 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: whatever you believe in your mind is what's going to happen. 450 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: If you can do it, and you're gonna do it. 451 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,320 Speaker 1: If you think you can't, you're also right. So let's 452 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: give them some strategy behind. Because I've heard you talk 453 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,879 Speaker 1: about goals before and breaking it down in one of 454 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: your online courses, and what does a strong goal look like? 455 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: And what mistakes are people making with their goals that 456 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: causes them not to achieve them? I love that question 457 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: because I have an amazing answer. Let's go. Okay, So 458 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,120 Speaker 1: as far as goals, I used to tell people make 459 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: sure you set realistic goals because you don't want to 460 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: discourage yourself. My mentality on that has changed completely. I 461 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: need for you to set the most ridiculous, astronomical, damn 462 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: how they get it done goal because a lot of 463 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 1: us aim for under our true potential. So now, if 464 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 1: let's say my goal is I want to make a 465 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars this week, I'm a ten exit every time 466 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: I'm like, you know what, nah, I want to make 467 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: ten thousand this week? And then sit there and I 468 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: come up with a plan on how I can try 469 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 1: to make ten thousand, as crazy as the number sounds, 470 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:11,680 Speaker 1: because I know realistically for me, for one already sounded 471 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:14,399 Speaker 1: like okay, this is you know, but to ten exit. 472 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: So I've come up with a plan for that. And 473 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,560 Speaker 1: worst case scenario when you ten next your goals is 474 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: you might achieve double what you thought, like if for ten, 475 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:30,479 Speaker 1: I might mess around and only make two. But am 476 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: I gonna consider myself a failure exactly? And it's like, 477 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: but then you also surprise yourself because you're like, wow, 478 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 1: I really was aiming low. So start off with take 479 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: your goal, whatever that goal was, ten exit. If you 480 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,199 Speaker 1: wanted to achieve something in ten months, try to do 481 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 1: it in one. Then right down everything that you need 482 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: to do to accomplish that goal, and then re list 483 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: it in order of priority. So start with like the 484 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: highest level priority item and work your way down. And 485 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,360 Speaker 1: I that those lists eventually turned into my to do list. 486 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: So if I set a list for or if I 487 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,440 Speaker 1: set a goal for the year, I'll break it down 488 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: into like, Okay, what do I need to do each month? 489 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: And then I'll take the monthly and break it down 490 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: to what do I need to do each week, and 491 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: then that turns into my to do list, and then 492 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: the to do list is what gets prioritized in the 493 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:28,640 Speaker 1: list of highest priority stuff at the top and then 494 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: the low priority stuff at the bottom. And if I 495 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: don't finish the things on the bottom of that to 496 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: do list for that day, it just rolls over to 497 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: the next day until it gets done. But that's pretty 498 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: much how I break down my goals, and I just 499 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: I need to be able to see all the tasks 500 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: and just knock them out and do it one step 501 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: at a time. Yeah, you've heard these stories of people, 502 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure, who have tens of thousands and hundreds and 503 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: thousands of people who follow them on social media and 504 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: then they go put up some merch and nobody buys it, right, 505 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,920 Speaker 1: and you have, you know, like quarter million, three thousand 506 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: something followered. How did you know people would buy what 507 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: you put online? I let them tell me. That's the 508 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: difference I think between me and like some other people 509 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: is people just create things and they see, Oh, I 510 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,720 Speaker 1: wonder if I don't make nothing that my following doesn't 511 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:28,199 Speaker 1: ask me for. So if I'm wearing a dress and 512 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 1: they're like, we love your dress, dropped the dress in 513 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: fols it? They want dresses. If I'm posting my nails 514 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,239 Speaker 1: and they're like, oh, it's the rings for me and 515 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, uh, I guess they want rings. If I'm 516 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 1: randomly cooking on Snapchat because I just enjoy cooking and 517 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: they're like, where's the recipes is? I'm like, uh. Subscription service, 518 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: like I create what my people want. And when you 519 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: do it that way, you're satisfying a demand versus trying 520 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: to find people to buy your supply. That's my heck, 521 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: I'm not making nothing that people don't ask before. I 522 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: love it. So for the people who don't have the 523 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: tens of thousands, but maybe they have dedicated a couple 524 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: thousand or a few hundred, like how what is required 525 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: to build a strong brand enough to be able to 526 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: sell things? So how can they grow that? If it's 527 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: growing the brand, I don't you tell me. You have 528 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: to create a relationship with your community. That's what's lacking. 529 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: For those people who have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, 530 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: or millions of followers and they can't move products, it's 531 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:48,720 Speaker 1: because they're not connecting with their community, they're not creating conversations. 532 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: My followers if when they see me in real life, 533 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: it's like we're already friends. I don't know them in 534 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: real life, never seen them before, but they know everything 535 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 1: about me and it's like a conversation. And it's because 536 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: I create those relationships with them. I talk to them, 537 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: I asked them questions, I get their feedback, and so 538 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: it builds this relationship where they don't feel like they're 539 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 1: shopping with a popular stranger. They feel like they're supporting 540 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 1: one of their friends. And as far as like the 541 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: numbers go, I would hope that we're to the point 542 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: now where people kind of are understanding that those numbers 543 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: don't matter. It's the engagement and the value of the following. 544 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: So I tell everybody find your one thousand true fans. 545 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: It was an article that I read. Who wrote it, 546 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: I can't remember, but if you just google one thousand 547 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: true fans, you can um read the article. But if 548 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:51,120 Speaker 1: you're able to cultivate a thousand true fans, a thousand 549 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 1: people who will support you, you know, promote you, and 550 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: those sorts of things, you'll be fine because they will 551 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: help build your audience in your platform. You just have 552 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,520 Speaker 1: to work on creating that sense of community and actually 553 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: having a relationship with your fan base versus just being 554 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: this person that they can't connect with. You're a coach, 555 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 1: and how important has coaching been to your success as 556 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 1: an entrepreneur? And that's a brand um coaching took me 557 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: two different levels when I started hiring coaches and paying 558 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: for coaching. It's almost like, you know how they say 559 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: there's no shortcuts. That's the short cut because you have 560 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 1: somebody who's been there before, who's done it and already 561 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 1: made their mistakes, and they're willing to tell you the 562 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: answers so that you don't have to make those same mistakes. 563 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: Like life ain't long enough for all of us to 564 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: make enough mistakes to learn all the lessons, so sometimes 565 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 1: you gotta learn from other people's And that's why I 566 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: really I believe in coaching because it's it's a short 567 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: cut for me. I've learned things that if I would 568 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: have had to have learned on my own, it would 569 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,479 Speaker 1: have taken me longer. Am I A might have taken 570 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: me many more times of failing just to get the 571 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: right answer versus talking to someone and it's like, oh, well, 572 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: I tried this ten times. These seven didn't work, but 573 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: these three did. So now I have three that I 574 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: can go try versus having to do all of the ten. 575 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: So coaching it's it's always a yes for me. I 576 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: was talking to uh Ronnie Brown another episode about this thing, 577 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 1: and because you said what she said, it's like about 578 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: paying for coaching, and so many of us have this 579 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 1: mentality like like a mentor should be free, Like what 580 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: do you say to that when they pay, they pay attention? 581 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: And that includes me because there's times I'll get free 582 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: information and free nuggets, I'm not going to act on 583 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: it as fast as I would if I paid ten 584 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: thousand dollars for the information and needed to recoup my investment. 585 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:04,960 Speaker 1: So I think that paying it's sad that people think. 586 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: And I don't even want to blame people because there 587 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: are some unethical coaches. There are some people who are 588 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 1: just you know, trying to take people's money. But when 589 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: you are paying a coach, you're not funding and financing 590 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: their lifestyle like they've already if they're really the coach 591 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: that you want to be talking to in the first place, 592 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 1: they're making their money regardless you're investing into yourself. You're 593 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: paying someone to basically give you information that you now 594 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: need to turn into something for yourself. So, like I said, 595 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: if you pay, you pay attention. You just have to 596 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: shift your mindset. When I pay a coach, I can't 597 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 1: coach fits in grand one time. I'm like, all right, 598 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: I need thirty back, and it's my responsibility to make 599 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: me the thirty. It's my responsibility to take the tools 600 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: that he's given me and converted into thirty and sixty 601 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: and one fifty and keep building on it. So I'm 602 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: all for investing into yourself. What what does a good 603 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,640 Speaker 1: coaching relationship look like? I think that it depends on 604 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,400 Speaker 1: the cycle of life that you're in and what it 605 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 1: is that you're looking for. So I mean, I have 606 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,399 Speaker 1: an e commerce fashion brand, for example, So if I 607 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: was looking to figure out how to scale my fashion brand, 608 00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: then a good coach to me looks like somebody who's 609 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,800 Speaker 1: already done what I'm looking to do in that space. 610 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,520 Speaker 1: But let's say I'm still an e commerce fashion brand owner, 611 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: but I really just need help with diversifying my portfolio, 612 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:46,839 Speaker 1: or I need help with um, you know, accountability and 613 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,439 Speaker 1: things like that. The coach that I'm going to look 614 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: to for something like that is going to be different. 615 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 1: So I think it really just boils down to where 616 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 1: you're at and what it is that you're trying to 617 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 1: accomplish for your next And it's okay to have multiple 618 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:06,920 Speaker 1: coaches too, if you're trying to accomplish accomplish multiple things 619 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: in different areas. There was another point in that interview 620 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:13,839 Speaker 1: I was listening to on with Isaac and b Cox 621 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,160 Speaker 1: was this was back in I think it was that 622 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 1: that interview and they were asking you about your plans 623 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: for eighteen and you're like, I'm already in right, Um, 624 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: how important is this moment? This in the middle of 625 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:35,239 Speaker 1: pandemic covid era um where every business is upside down 626 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,520 Speaker 1: trying to figure out new models? How important is this 627 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: moment because there's so much disruption disruption with the the 628 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:48,400 Speaker 1: infrastructure and the previous players who were the gatekeepers, you know, 629 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,960 Speaker 1: the big enterprise, the big box stores and et cetera, 630 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 1: the big retailers. What is this moment? How important is 631 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: this moment to you? And what do you say to 632 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: other people who are trying to build brands in this 633 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 1: day to take advantage? How how can they take advantage 634 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: of it. This is gonna sound terrible, but this is 635 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:15,080 Speaker 1: the most beautiful time for anybody to start anything because 636 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:22,280 Speaker 1: there's no rules like this. A lot of the businesses 637 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: that have been disruptive, businesses that have changed industries, Netflix Uber, 638 00:36:29,400 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: they were all started in like recessions. And when I 639 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: hear that, it excites me because I'm like, oh, it's 640 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 1: our turn, Oh we can be that next. And because 641 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: there's no rules, like I always say that, like ingenuity 642 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: comes from inexperience. If you don't know how to do something, 643 00:36:49,719 --> 00:36:52,160 Speaker 1: you're not gonna do it like everybody else. You're gonna 644 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: do it the way you want to do it, the 645 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 1: way that you think to do it. And so some 646 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 1: of the most beautiful ideas are born from people were 647 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:03,120 Speaker 1: just not knowing how it's supposed to be done. And 648 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 1: because we're in a time right now where nobody knows 649 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 1: nothing about nothing, like everything is all over the place, 650 00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:11,440 Speaker 1: this is the best time for you to try to 651 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:13,799 Speaker 1: do something the way that you want to do it 652 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,880 Speaker 1: because there's no rules. There's no one that's gonna stop 653 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:18,879 Speaker 1: you and say, ah, that's not how we do it. 654 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,440 Speaker 1: Because the people who normally would are now looking at 655 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,279 Speaker 1: the way that they've been doing it, and they're like 656 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,719 Speaker 1: it's not working. So they don't have no room to 657 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,759 Speaker 1: tell you that your way isn't gonna work. So just 658 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:36,920 Speaker 1: go for it, like entrepreneurship is jumping out the window 659 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:40,280 Speaker 1: and building your wings on the way down. Just jump, 660 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:43,400 Speaker 1: go for it like I'm all for it in this season. 661 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,239 Speaker 1: Black Tag Green Money is a production of Black of 662 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:01,600 Speaker 1: the afro To Act and it's produced by Morgan Dabon 663 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 1: and me Will Lucas. But this is no production support 664 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 1: by Love Beach and raveneer Bor. Special thank you to 665 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 1: Michael Davis. Is the carsa von Yan you know like 666 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:13,959 Speaker 1: the wine. Yes, that's his real name. Learn more about 667 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,640 Speaker 1: my guests and other tech disruptors and innovators at afrotech 668 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:21,160 Speaker 1: dot com. Go get your money, peace and love,