WEBVTT - Toy Making, Representation, and Securing Shelf Space w/ Yelitsa Jean-Charles 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:07.880 Afro tech World. Marie Sayris is the founder and CEO 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:11.959 at Bloom and Bloom Bespoke floral Design Studios. Needs in 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.920 the afro tech metaverse talking about a non tech these 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:18.439 guys to storytelling using social media in order to build 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:21.480 an audience and grow a business in today's climate. When 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:25.520 I went to college, I really was into the nuts 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:28.920 and bolts of how things work as opposed to like 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:33.000 the tech of how things work. However, since having a business, 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:36.479 I understand that a mass way to communicate to customers 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:41.800 and a great way to communicate with people period is 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:45.919 through social media through our phones, and I found that 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:48.920 Instagram was one of the major ways that I was 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.240 able to communicate to other people and to like take 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:56.080 something that is so the three dimensional on so um 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:00.279 hands on that track and three dimensional, and the way 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:04.520 it translates on camera, it really flattens out. And so 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.560 I wanted to figure out a way to still share 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:11.160 what I do and what I'm experiencing when I see 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:17.679 the person through photography and through that digital platform. I 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:21.640 love how visual Instagram is. I think it's so cool, 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:24.200 and so I wanted to contribute to that, and so 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:28.360 I use that as my portfolio. I am not a 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:34.600 tech savvy person, However I understand it's important and how 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:38.319 it's the way that one can have a viable business. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:44.520 So that's been a really, really great active way to 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:48.080 have a portfolio and to like start to create your 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:52.200 own messaging. So that's something that I use constantly to 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:56.840 communicate ideas, what we're up to, what we're into, and 0:01:56.960 --> 0:02:00.760 I think that has drawn of an audience that is 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:05.000 interested in what we do. I'm Will Lucas and this 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.920 is Black Tech, Green Money. I'm gonna introduce you to 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:11.120 some of the biggest names, some of the brightest minds 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:14.120 and brilliant ideas. If you're black, in building or simply 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:22.320 using tech to secure your back, this podcast is for you. You. 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:25.200 Lisa Gene Charles is the founder and CEO at Healthy 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.920 Roots Dolls, which makes toys that represent more diverse backgrounds. 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.519 A Detroit native, her dolls teach natural hair carried the 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:35.919 young girls of color through toys. One of the things 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:37.760 we talked about often in tech is the need for 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:41.280 representation in order to inspire other black youth to leverage 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:45.160 tech for generational wealth. Ask you, Lisa, why is so 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:50.360 important for representation with something so simple as toys. Yeah, 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:54.360 when I was studying illustration at the Round School Design, 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.160 I didn't really have an interest in toys. Haven't really 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:58.960 had an interest in toys since I was like four. 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:02.679 But uh, I did have an interest in social impact 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.720 and the work that artists do and the way it 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:09.239 can influence culture and conversation. And so for me that 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:12.520 meant researching and learning that toys actually have a huge 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.720 influence on how kids think, act and see themselves, and 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.320 so when children can't find products that look like them, 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.360 it can have a negative impact on their self esteem. 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:24.560 I also learned a little bit about the brown versus 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.040 Board of Education trial and the Mammy Clark doll test 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.960 and what role that played in children's self perception and 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.880 asking children how do you feel about this white doll 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:37.080 versus black doll, and having white children overwhelmingly abscribed negative 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:39.480 attributes to the black doll, but also having black children 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:42.440 do the same thing. And so we see how at 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.480 a young age people children can be socialized to have 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.320 these biases, and then thinking about, well, what can we 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:54.240 do and what can we create to counteract that? Far 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:56.119 too often, you know, because I have the arts, far 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:58.600 too often, you know, parents will say, you know what, 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.440 will they all feel? You know, well, it's just a doll, 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.200 you know, because we don't really see the impacts like 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.600 present day and may play out over a lifetime when 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:11.920 you are doing that research, like, how did you recognize that, 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:19.039 you know, creating the change for young girls and boys today? Um, Actually, 0:04:19.080 --> 0:04:21.800 in your marketing strategy, how do you communicate that this 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:24.800 actually has an impact and it's important to be resolved 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:27.760 today versus waiting till they're older, you know, to try 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.559 to fix, you know, the perceptions that they have about 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:34.760 communities that they are part of. Actually, I don't think 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:38.440 we really include that in our marketing because people Our 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:41.440 goal is never to convince people that this product is important. 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.640 It's to present it to people that understand or that 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:48.440 are looking for it. You can't force people or force 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:52.159 feed them the understanding that this is our reality. Like 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:57.000 children are influenced by these things racists, real, prayer is real. 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:02.080 You can only resent them opportunities to purchase products that 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:05.039 might counteract that without them knowing. So we don't really 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:07.280 put that in our marketing. Our marketing is mainly just 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:10.240 look at this really great toy, kids love her. Here's 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:12.320 what she teaches them to do, and then you know 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:14.760 what under the surface of that, this is the potential 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:17.360 long term impact that you might see. You know. I 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:21.240 love that response because it plays into so many different verticals. 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:23.960 I was having a conversation UM and I wasn't I 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:25.680 didn't prepare us. But you made me think about the 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:29.120 conversation I had with Dr Key Holman, who runs UM 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.640 the Market in Atlanta, and I was talking to her 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:39.080 about how I don't particularly subscribe to, you know, support 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:42.360 our businesses. I feel like I want to create value. 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:46.159 And if you see value, then like we don't support Walmart, 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:48.640 we don't support Target, like we go shop there because 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:50.839 they have the things that we need. And so I 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:53.480 wonder what your perspective is on because you just talked 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:55.760 about you don't you you don't try to sell a narrative. 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:59.159 You're trying to create something hopefully people see value. What 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:02.000 do you say to that perspective? Because I'm very interested 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:05.320 in this. I don't I never want to just go 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:07.359 around and say, hey, come buy my thing because I 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:11.719 need your support. No, I think it makes sense. I 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:16.240 always believe that you have a company if you people 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.640 are buying your product, and if you are not buying 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:22.719 your product. You don't have a company, and there's nothing 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.919 you can say or do to make people buy something 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:27.840 if they don't want to buy it. They're not gonna 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:30.480 people are gonna buy something just because you're black, just 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:32.599 because you're a woman. They're gonna buy it because you 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:34.880 are those things and they value that, and they also 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.400 love your product. And so I believe in letting the 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:40.159 products speak for itself. And if you also think that 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.560 the story behind the person who built it is great, awesome, 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:46.560 but that's not what's going to make you. That's not 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:48.599 what my goal is to make you buy this product. 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.080 My goal is for people who identify with the value 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.120 to purchase it. So let's go a step further there, 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.039 you know, because you're not trying to sell people who 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.840 you know, may not, you know, prescribe to that idea. 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:03.280 But there's also hundreds of other dolls you know that 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:07.400 maybe of color. What separates healthy roots dolls apart from 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:09.800 the pack when you're not trying to necessarily sell a 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:13.960 narrative it's a healthy Roots doll. The other dolls are 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:18.720 healthy that. I think it's interesting because people are like, oh, 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:20.760 how are you different? Or so and so could could 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:22.720 do this. It was like they could, but they're not, 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:26.280 and they can't. That's our product. But the other thing 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:29.400 is I don't necessarily see this competition because there's no 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.680 child that only has one doll. We just created another 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.000 option for you, and if you add Zoe to that 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:40.400 club of toys, awesome. We often see products that target, 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:43.920 you know, black consumers, whether it be black children, black adults, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:46.240 or whatever, and they often, too often I think they 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.960 are lame attempts, likely designed with the idea that we're monolithic, 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:54.520 you know, sometimes designed with stereotypes um to thinking about 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.080 toys we don't or before healthy roots, like we haven't 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:03.040 had many that reflected shade well, um talls that were 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:05.000 very dark, dolls that were very light, like how do 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.920 you find, you know, dolls that represent the spectrum you 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:11.120 know of black people. Why do companies still to this 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:15.640 day have such a hard time with this. I don't 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.840 know if that's true, because I see so many different 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.560 toys that I even now I am collecting. If I 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:23.560 see something on the shelf, like I'm grabbing it, like 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.080 I just saw in contest from Disney, they release those 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:30.360 dolls Raya, the Last Dragon, They released dolls for those characters. 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.000 So I think it's more so it's not that they 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:38.040 don't exist, it's that people can't find them. Okay, then 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.880 that's probably my case. But no, that's another thing. Why 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:43.440 are these products not widely distributed? Why are people not 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:45.480 aware of the products that exists out there? Why do 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:47.880 they have to have an ad be shown to them 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.960 first before they know it exists? Why is it not 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.760 on every Walmart shelf? Why is it not in every store? 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.320 Why is it not equally as distributed as the non 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:00.960 parents of color? So let's talk about distribution, you know, 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.360 because we're moving into a world because I wanted to 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.240 talk to you about how about getting on a store shelf? 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:09.520 And I wonder if you think do we still need 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.719 to be on store shelves? Or is direct to consumer 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:19.400 a valid distribution channel for startup toymakers. I think d 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:23.760 TWOC is a great channel. But it's also marketing. So 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:26.319 if you're not able to market a product and build 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.360 an audience and know how to speak to that audience 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:30.679 and utilize all the tools in order to get your 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:32.960 ads in front of the right people, build your email 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:36.520 marketing funnel, build the right website, you're not going to 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.080 succeed in that space. It's very challenging. You have to 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:41.880 have all the right tools, all the right approaches. But 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.120 it's great when you get it right. It's the way 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:47.040 so many brands have been able to launch themselves and 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:50.400 then establish with retailers. It's how a lot of you know, 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:53.360 underestimated founders get their products into the market in the 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:55.800 first place. But they also have the tools and resources 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:57.440 to do so, or they have to figure it out. 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:01.560 So I totally believe in direct consumer channel. I love it. 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.240 It's great. It's a marketing effort for sure, but it's 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.400 not the only way. It's a great way to start. 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:09.640 And I was just um, took my keys to watch 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:13.600 in Conto, and I get why they want those toys 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:15.720 because they were just on the big screen. You know, 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:18.520 these sorts of things. How do you if you were 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:22.360 building healthy routes over today in the world of Snapchat, 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:24.880 in the world of TikTok, in the world of roadblocks. 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.800 You know, I I tweeted this on a couple of 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.560 weeks ago that I believe roadblocks is like the LinkedIn 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:32.480 for kids, Like that's how they go and they meet 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:34.439 people and they see what they did because they got 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:38.160 this backpack full of these virtual toys in their metaverse. 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:43.400 So how do you build demand for toys when we 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.880 are so used to, at least in the day I 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:47.960 grew up, if it was on TV, that's what I wanted, 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:50.400 And it's not maybe so much the case of that anymore. 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:53.720 Is that correct from my well, I know from my 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.920 experience that it's grown organically. So it's a lot of storytelling, 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:00.440 it's a lot of organic marketing, you know, sharing your story, 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:05.160 doing the podcast, going to the events, creating your content 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:07.880 and sharing it online with an audience, and then people 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:10.640 organically deciding to say, hey, I found this thing, you 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:12.960 should totally check this out for your kid, and then 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:15.959 you know, earned media. But that that's a slow build, 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:17.760 and I think that's something that people forget when they 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.360 can look at a company like Healthy Roots. Oh wow, 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:23.320 this happened so quickly. It's like no, I started in 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:27.560 class and that was like five years of developing the 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:30.560 first product, getting building a lot of organic relationships that 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:32.400 have helped us help to make it a bit easier 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.319 to get those those big published gigs, getting into you know, 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:37.640 being nominated for Toy of the Year, last year and 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:41.160 things like that, and so I say that I think 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:45.000 it's really valuable to focus on organic, so organically having 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.080 kids find your product and clicking with it because you 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:50.040 sent it out to a bunch of influencers and they 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:52.080 all did YouTube reviews and now all the kids know 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:53.960 about it and things like that. They're telling their friends. 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:57.280 It's incredibly valuable. Do you think there's a day where 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.240 you might you know, have the dolls as care there's 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:05.480 on TikTok. I think that's such a concept. Um. I 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:09.800 think that also costs a lot of money. You go, 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.760 I love it. Just that's it. You know, if I could, 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:19.640 if I could do everything, I would do everything for sure. 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:21.400 Like it's some because so many of our people and 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:23.080 I want to talk about you know how you funded 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:24.760 this in a little bit, but so much so many 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:28.080 of our people have these remarkable things. Um. But you know, 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:30.680 having the fuel in the tank is can be an issue. 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.960 So you just talked about the the idea that this 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.720 wasn't this was not fast for you, But how do 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:40.319 you know, Let's say you're the toymaker, you're a kid's 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.240 book publisher, and you're doing this out of your kitchen 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:46.680 or your garage and it's year three and you went 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:50.600 from selling twenty to two hundred. Like, that's not like 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.800 a huge amount of growth over a period of time, 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:55.280 not at least not in the world that we talk 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:58.600 about of scale. But how do you know that it's 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.600 worth it to keep going? What are the indicators you're 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:05.640 looking for? I mean those indicators are metrics that you 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:07.920 define for yourself. So if you told yourself in a 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.600 year that you're going to hit these sales goals and 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:12.640 these are these are the strategies you're gonna implement to 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:16.360 hit those goals, and then you don't, you gotta decide 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:18.200 do I keep going or do I try something else 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:21.360 and see how that impacts my goals for the next year. 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:26.080 So you set your own pace, you set your own 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:29.319 factors that determine success, and if you don't hit those factors, 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:31.360 then I guess that's how you make your decisions whether 0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:34.160 or not to keep going. Yeah, I was talking to 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:40.080 a fashion designer a few episodes ago about getting celebrity backing, 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:42.839 like somebody to an influencer to to wear your stuff, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:45.720 and how much of an impact that is required in 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:49.160 order to build uh a label that you know people 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:52.640 want in desire, And I wonder, because you mentioned this, 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.360 getting influencers, you know, getting it in their hands and 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:57.679 getting them to talk about it. Um could be an 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.760 important you know, road and a venue for you know 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:03.360 you to build demand for your things. Can you talk 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:06.080 about some strategies that may have worked for you or 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.439 that you've seen work with regard to toys and dolls 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:12.280 and novelties to being able to get people to pay 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:16.280 attention to talk about your things on their channels. Yeah, 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.840 I think one of the brands that has the money 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:25.040 to do this. Um leal Surprise is this major. I mean, 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:27.720 you already know your kids already have them, don't pay Yeah, 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:32.760 they already do, yes, yeah yeah, but LLL Surprise has 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:37.160 taken how our attention has changed and also recognizing how 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:41.560 short children's attention is on products by creating these little 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:45.920 just like scared like scarcity moments with these different little products, 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:48.880 and it literally is the way that kids brains work. 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:52.400 It's that like hit of like opening something, getting all 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.520 these little different things and then like being able to 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:57.720 go buy another one. And they're not expensive, they're not expensive. 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:00.640 They're fairly priced for all these little pieces. And it's 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:04.800 like wow, and and it creates collectibles for you know, 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:08.120 the older demographic of people who participate in doll collection 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.480 and things like that, and they trade these things. And 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:14.080 they also use celebrities like Cardi b who have kids. 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:17.240 They might not be always family friendly characters, but they 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.720 have children who love these things and throw birthday parties 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:23.040 for them. So it's like the scarcity combined with the visibility, 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.760 combined with the fun play pattern, it's a hit. I'm 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.040 not my brain has not moved past where you talked 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:31.120 what we talked about the animation and having like the 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.800 TikTok you know, virtual star of a Healthy Roots doll. 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:38.320 Because I think about Barbie and then all the verticals 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:41.560 Barbie has moved into, whether it be you know, Barbie 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:44.520 comic books, and there's Barbie posters, and there's Barbie stickers 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:48.200 that you can and all of these different things. What 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:53.320 what are low hanging fruit verticals that Healthy Roots could 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.240 go into, should just the right partner come along. I guess, 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.400 I'm I guess. My question is probably more so of like, 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.040 what is if you were to grow one point five 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:06.040 times your girl today? What are the key things that 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.960 would need to happen for your target audience what I 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.120 would imagine, and you can correct me. It's like an 0:16:11.120 --> 0:16:14.360 eight to fifteen year old. Eight to fifteen year olds 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:18.400 my target audience. I'm asking right now, I'm asking, what's 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.800 what's your target? No, it's six six six to that. 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:26.440 I was too far off, too far off. I don't 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.520 see the fifteen year olds walking around. If you see 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:29.960 a fifteen year old with one of my dolls with 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:34.280 a matching app, please taking because because I see healthy, 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.760 Because representation has not been there, I think there's an 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:39.920 opportunity here. Now we we off on a whole different thing. 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:42.240 Like I'm I feel like there's a bigger market play 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:45.760 for you versus like other dolls, because we haven't had 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:53.000 that representation with young girls who see themselves physically animated. 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:58.080 You know, and that girl, that girl probably missed seeing 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:01.640 because we talked about distribution. I go down the aisles 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:03.920 of target again. I talked about I don't see a 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.080 bunch of shades, and so maybe I'm in the wrong 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:11.760 target And that's probably valid. You know what I see potentially, 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.000 and I'm in My oldest is eleven. So we'll figure 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.520 this out in four years. If she still wants to representation. 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.680 But I do see like for girls who did grow 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:24.160 up at you know, five, six, seven, didn't see themselves 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.920 in those dolls. Perhaps maybe they're not playing with them, 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:31.200 but perhaps they are the collectors of these things. Perhaps 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:34.320 because that's where the age we totally have collectors. It's 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.240 a thing we lots of people like I didn't have this. 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:37.960 I bought one for my grand baby, but then I 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:41.480 also bought one for me. But so you don't see 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.200 like there's any fifteen year olds who are like an 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:50.679 avenue into that demographic. Maybe if we got maybe if 0:17:50.680 --> 0:18:00.000 we got Zoe some like lashes and let's go acrilics. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:02.359 It all happened on black Tech Free money. Come on, 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:05.000 see people think it's some lashes for these dolls, because 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:07.720 it's happening because they represent what's like you get some 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:09.880 of them furry slippers. Put it on that that doll, 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:18.040 get her a little tell far let's go ye love it. 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.720 Many of the places where you've raised money, like they 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:26.920 don't like fund CpG. I don't know if this is 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:30.399 CpG or not, or toys like their tech investors. You know, 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.880 many of the places where you've got money, what from 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:36.720 your seat being the person who pitched and and one 0:18:37.280 --> 0:18:41.760 these competitions, one these investments. What was it that got 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:44.840 them to buy in and say, yo, U has got something. 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.280 I know we are doing tech over here in courts 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:50.760 and engineers, but this because I've heard so many people 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.800 who do packaged goods and I'm not sure this falls 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:56.080 in that category. I don't know if this is a 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.440 CpG player, you can correct me. But I talk to 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:02.000 people like Tristan Walker, who actually does cepg's, Like those 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.199 investors who he was friends with were like, is the 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.119 market that big? You know, when you talk about the 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:10.680 black consumer, how do you get those investors to buy 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:18.360 into this? It's me and my pink sweaters. Um no. Uh. 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:23.280 So I am always very strategic in terms of the 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:26.240 spaces I go into and the conversations I have with people, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:31.600 because UM seventeen is very hard for me. When I was, 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:35.600 you know, college student firstly, firstly graduated, didn't come from 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:39.240 an entrepreneur background. I was an art student. I study illustration, 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:42.800 even though I had done an accelerator program. But people 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:47.320 didn't see the necessary requirements in order to believe in 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:50.239 me as a founder just yet. Um. And so I 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:51.960 learned that the most valuable thing that I have is 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:53.840 my time, and so I would always tell founders, you know, 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.240 stop chasing money and go find people that actually want 0:19:57.280 --> 0:19:59.480 to fund you. And so you can't go to the 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.920 competition tiens where they're focused on tech and sas and fintech, 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:05.280 because you know, if you're competing with a person that's 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:07.040 trying to cure cancer and you're making dolls, they're not 0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:11.280 particularly interested in that. So I actually only participated in 0:20:11.359 --> 0:20:14.520 programs and pitch competitions where they were either trying to 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:18.600 support female founders, founders of color, or invest in physical 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:21.040 product companies. So one of the first competitions I did 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:25.200 was the Startup Stampede in Durham, North Carolina, which is 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:28.480 actually specifically for e commerce companies, which is where I 0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:32.199 learned how to make Facebook ads and that's how I successfully. 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:37.720 UM had really strong sales seasons in twenty so how 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.440 I learned how to build dynamic audiences online. I then 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.560 went on to win the first New Voices pitch competition 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:46.920 at Essence Fest, which is where a lot of black 0:20:46.920 --> 0:20:49.560 women are and there that fund is specifically for black women. 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.240 I then did another accelerated program, then I won UM 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:58.080 the Wendy Lee, UM mainstream Venture Grit, which is Fromcinnati, 0:20:58.119 --> 0:20:59.280 which is in the city that I lived in, and 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:02.200 they were supporting founders. So all my money technically came 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:04.760 from these places, like even the quick and Loans Detroit 0:21:04.760 --> 0:21:08.600 Demoday where we could come dollars. That was for companies 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:10.720 that were in the city of Detroit. UM that were 0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:13.359 starting like my phase would start like I was a 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:15.800 new company. I told the compelling story, and I also 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:17.600 had the support of the community after being there for 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:21.600 some time, and the people voted for me. So UM. 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:24.960 The short answer is that I tell a compelling story, 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:27.680 I have a great product product, and people believe in 0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:30.119 the work that I'm doing. I also curate with the 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:33.600 things that I compete in. UM. But that's a lot 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:38.359 of time. A lot of a lot of black founders 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:41.600 find or I guess a lot of founders in general, 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:45.119 find that they need to be part of that story, 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:48.360 part of the story. How do you have to, as 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:53.159 an entrepreneur be the thing to the consumer that sells it, 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:59.080 or can you lead with the product? I think what 0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:01.280 I'm when you say that, all I can think about 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:04.159 is authenticity, which oftentimes means that you have to be 0:22:04.200 --> 0:22:08.600 a part of the story. So I started this company. 0:22:09.160 --> 0:22:12.720 It's relatively young. I'm young. I created this because of 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:16.280