1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Well, look you see in Black Tech, Green Money. So 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: good to be back with you guys. 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:09,120 Speaker 2: And I've been looking forward to this episode almost as 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 2: we started doing this podcast, so I've been waiting for 5 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: the right time to do it. So he's been like, 6 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 2: you know, he's one of my favorite entrepreneurs, but to 7 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 2: say the least, I mean he's an inspirational entrepreneur, a 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: mission driven entrepreneur, and ladies and gentleman. Ryan Wilson Gathering 9 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: Spot co found the CEO of Gathering Spot, which is 10 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: a private membership club, deeply ruty in community and culture Atlanta, 11 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 2: d c LA got communities in New York City, Chicago, Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 2: all over the place. 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: Brian, could that be. 14 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 3: Hey, man, I appreciate you, thanks for having me. I'm 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 3: really excited to speak with you, and in deep respect 16 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 3: for all of the work that you've you've been doing 17 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 3: over the last forever, I. 18 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: Feel, yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying. 19 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 2: So yeah, I've heard you talk a lot about the 20 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: origin story of the Gathering Spot, and we're not going 21 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 2: to go there because that story is very well documented, 22 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: but I am interested in There was a particular frustration 23 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 2: you had with the lack of spaces for you know, 24 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 2: particularly black people with diverse, diverse professionals to kind of 25 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 2: gate connect and get inspired. And what has changed about 26 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 2: the landscape from when you had that thought ten ish 27 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 2: or more years ago to today? 28 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 3: If anything, I mean the fundamentals of why we do 29 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 3: this work that hasn't changed at all. But I do 30 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 3: think that specifically this moment, what we do like it's 31 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 3: really really important. Right. I wasn't fully anticipating that we 32 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 3: would be in what feels at times like such a 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 3: strong backlash to really any attempt to be diverse, equitable, 34 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 3: or inclusive. And we knew from the from the beginning, 35 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 3: right that if we were going to do this, that 36 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 3: we were only going to be in the unity business, right. 37 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 3: But two, we were also going to make sure that 38 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 3: the values of trying to promote real deep connectivity between 39 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 3: people that ordinarily wouldn't they wouldn't have met, that was 40 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 3: going to be core to the whole effort. So I'm 41 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 3: as embolden as I've ever been in terms of us 42 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 3: just like needing to make sure that we do what 43 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 3: we do well because this moment really requires it. 44 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 2: You know, Let's go in there, you know I wasn't 45 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,919 Speaker 2: planning to go here, but you make me think about 46 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 2: why what's different or more important for the work that 47 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 2: you do to make sure that black people are uplifted 48 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 2: now more than it was even a year ago. 49 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, So look, I mean to be fair, like, our 50 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 3: existence identity, right, culture has always been contested in some way, 51 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 3: shape or form. Right, That that isn't a twenty twenty 52 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 3: five new fact, right. I do think what's new is 53 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 3: that it's overt and and direct in a way that 54 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 3: in some ways makes it easier to address right, but 55 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 3: in other ways because of of of just how how 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 3: specific a lot of different groups are being about not 57 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 3: wanting to see I mean, I'll give you a quick example. Well, 58 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 3: I had a I had a corporate partner a couple 59 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 3: of weeks ago say that they couldn't host an event 60 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 3: at TGS because of the company's rollback to DEI efforts. 61 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 3: And then when asked, well, like, how does hosting an 62 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 3: event at the gathering spot, which is a black owned 63 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 3: business and does have many black folks that call the 64 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 3: club home most of the majority of the of the 65 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 3: membership base, how how do those two things tied with 66 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 3: one of them? How Is this a DEI effort? 67 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: Yeah? 68 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 3: Really, they couldn't explain, right. I think that there was 69 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 3: a quick moment of realization that like, ah, wait, hold on, 70 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 3: I'm I'm I'm not willing to engage the gathering spot 71 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 3: because I have been tricked into believing that engaging black 72 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 3: folks during this time is something that is that's wrong 73 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 3: to do. So that's what's new, right, Like, like there's 74 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 3: a there's a pressure that many people feel like exists 75 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 3: to not engage where they were willing to engage twelve 76 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 3: twenty four months ago. 77 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 2: You know, maybe a question will come buy this, but 78 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 2: you have me thinking about something somebody told me one day, 79 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 2: you know, and this, you know, for the sake of 80 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: the audience. Like I've come to Ryan often because I 81 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 2: have a social club also, and so Ryan has been 82 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 2: super helpful to me just in helping navigate how to 83 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 2: do this thing. And so, you know, one of the 84 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 2: things somebody said to me a long time ago was like, 85 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: you know, when somebody these corporations joined, they're using their 86 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 2: DEI budget to do this because you know, whatever, however 87 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: they are doing it, I'm glad to hear I appreciate that. 88 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 2: And you got me thinking about something the Key talks 89 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 2: about doctor Key Horman and who said, you know, you know, 90 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 2: we talked to have a conversation about support and like 91 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 2: when people go to Kroger, I'm not necessarily supporting Kroger. 92 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: They just have what I need. 93 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: And when I go to Costco, I'm not necessarily that 94 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 2: might be supporting cop but I'm but that's. 95 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: Not why I go. They have what I need. And 96 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: so to your point, like this is space. 97 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 2: You know, it's a there's a bar there, there's furniture here, 98 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 2: there's a microphone, all the things that's here. 99 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: So I'm trying to form a questions a by thinking. 100 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: So it's like yes, go no. 101 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I mean I think that that's the that's 102 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 3: the challenge, and I think that the the the pushback 103 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 3: right that we have to continue to have at this moment. 104 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 3: We have to we have to take people's values and 105 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 3: put that mirror back up and say wait, wait, hold on. Recently, 106 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 3: the type of conversation that we were having was this one, 107 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 3: and what I just heard sounds a little bit different. 108 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 3: Slat's a lot different from what we used to talk about. 109 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,479 Speaker 3: I just want to understand, is there been a value 110 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 3: shift here because again, twenty four months ago, right, if 111 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 3: you go back to twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two, 112 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,160 Speaker 3: some of these companies were falling over themselves trying to 113 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 3: figure out how to get to black, black consumers. And 114 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 3: then now those same same companies they don't even seem 115 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 3: to know like what any of those efforts were remotely about. 116 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 3: And I think that's just that's unacceptable, and it requires 117 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 3: us to again hold the mirror up and ask critical 118 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 3: questions and realize that, like, if there's anything that gives 119 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 3: me hope at the end of the day, the pendulum 120 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 3: is absolutely about to swing back. The math requires it. 121 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 3: These companies cannot meet their thesis if it doesn't, right, 122 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 3: So that's what's fascinating about, Like, is anybody looking at 123 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 3: the math here, right? Because this math equation that y'all 124 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 3: are promoting, you will not hit the numbers that you 125 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 3: have been talking about hitting without black folk and a 126 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,359 Speaker 3: every other type of folk. You feel like, isn't isn't 127 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 3: necessary in the moment Again, if you look at your 128 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 3: P and L, you actually know that that statement isn't 129 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 3: isn't the truth? So you know, we got to weather 130 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 3: this storm. But ultimately will it be okay? Yes, it 131 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 3: will be okay. The math dictates that it has to be. 132 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 133 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 2: How do you see you as a representative of what's possible? 134 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: Because I think about it. 135 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 2: I came from like radio, nightclubs, all the things, promoting parties, 136 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 2: all of that, and I think about and I don't 137 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 2: know if it's a graduation, but maybe it's just different. 138 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 2: Like you and I are in the hospitality, food and 139 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 2: beverage and et cetera, and it's different than nightclubs per se. 140 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: How do you see. 141 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 2: Your role as representative of we can play in this 142 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 2: space too. We can do retreat which we'll talk about. 143 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 2: We can do hotels, we can do these things, you know, 144 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 2: fashion houses versus just clubs and just nightclubs. 145 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 3: I think that it doesn't matter what industry we're talking about. Fundamentally, 146 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 3: we have to continue to remind people right again. This 147 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 3: is where I love that we still celebrate people that 148 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 3: are the first to do things right. We still have 149 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 3: that's still in our culture A lot. Sometimes we're challenging 150 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 3: about some of those moments. Though, is that like sometimes 151 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 3: we're discussed it's a little bit ahistorical. Black folks have 152 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 3: been doing all of these things for a long time. 153 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 3: We've had restaurants, we've been in Hoteling, we built big businesses, right, Like, 154 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 3: those things have occurred, right, So a lot of times 155 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 3: what I'm trying to do is remind people that this 156 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 3: actually is not a new tradition for us. It's an 157 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 3: old tradition and I'm a party to be a prod 158 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 3: to be a part of that continuum. Am I contributing 159 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 3: new things? Yes, I believe so, right, But am I 160 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:57,959 Speaker 3: the first to do some bit of this? No? I 161 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 3: don't need to be the first, right, I need to 162 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 3: be a valuable contributor to what I see again as 163 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 3: a continuum. But it's hard to become something that you 164 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 3: have not seen before. On the other hand, right, so 165 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 3: we have to address folks that if you're in the 166 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 3: community and you have not seen what I'm talking about, well, 167 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 3: it's very hard in any context to become that thing. 168 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 3: So I think part of our responsibility is to be vocal, right, 169 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 3: so the folks see that, like, not only are we here, 170 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 3: but others have been here. And if this is a 171 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 3: game that you want to play in, then come into 172 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 3: the you know, and come into what is a powerful 173 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 3: and rich tradition. But I live in Atlanta, and so, 174 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 3: like I, I hear from people that live other places 175 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 3: where I guess the day to day experience is maybe 176 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 3: a little different. But I live in a city where, like, 177 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 3: black folks have been at the highest heights of all 178 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 3: of it for a long time, right, So that gives 179 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 3: me a tremendous amount of confidence to know that even 180 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 3: when there are thing that I know that we haven't 181 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 3: accomplished yet, I feel possibility. It's more of a like 182 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 3: when is this going to occur and less of an if, like, 183 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 3: I feel really confident we're going to get there. 184 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 2: So before we go much further, I want you to 185 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 2: talk about what Retreat is because I have a lot 186 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 2: of questions that may touch on it, and I want 187 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 2: to I used to know, like what you're doing now. 188 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,199 Speaker 3: Retreat is a new effort from us that's a new 189 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:31,839 Speaker 3: club that's focused on hospitality and wellness and privacy. It's 190 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 3: sixty thousand square feet of the same things that we've 191 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 3: always had from a space perspective, right, So it's event space, 192 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 3: restaurant and bar and workspace, but with Retreat we have 193 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 3: a rooftop pool and just amazing all around amenities, right, 194 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 3: But part of our thesis in the first iteration of 195 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 3: teachers the original clubs, we were really trying to figure 196 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 3: out how to create an environment where people could work. 197 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 3: Workspace is a big part of the footprint in any 198 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 3: gathering spot plus event plus dining, right, But if you 199 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 3: if you're there day to day, the work and event 200 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 3: piece really kind of leads that really drives the experience. 201 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 3: It's the opposite here at retreat, the hospitality and the 202 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 3: relaxation less work, right, Like, we're not allowing laptops here. 203 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 3: If you go to the gathering spot, there's a ton 204 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 3: of laptops intentionally, right, So this is a a new 205 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 3: offering from us. We're being really intentional how we are 206 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 3: curating the membership. They're about one hundred and fifty members 207 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 3: and a wait list of like a thousand people, and 208 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 3: we're being very specific about how we continue to add 209 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 3: to that group, not with the goal of being stuffy, 210 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 3: but with the goal of making sure that the relationships 211 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 3: that are being fostered, because this is a very very 212 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 3: social experience broadly really meet the meet the needs of 213 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 3: the membership. Right. So I'm excited about it. Again. Footprint wise, 214 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 3: it's much larger than anything that we've done so far. 215 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 3: So the original gathering spots is twenty five thousand square feet. 216 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 3: This club is sixty thousand, so it's significantly larger. And 217 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 3: we've got three sixty views of the entire city. So 218 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 3: on one side you're looking at the entire Atlanta skyline. On 219 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 3: the other side basically looking at the rest of the state. 220 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 3: And that's the same side the sunsets on. So it's 221 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 3: a really amazing kind of view of the both the 222 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 3: city and the state. 223 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, how does the expansion into retreat kind of open 224 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 2: the aperture of the mission of TTS. 225 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 3: So I've always wanted two things. I wanted our community 226 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 3: to have access to the best of whatever it is 227 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 3: that we're talking about, right, and so in this context, 228 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 3: it's space. I wanted our I want our community to 229 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 3: have access to the best spaces around. This is world 230 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 3: class space. We can go head to head with any 231 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 3: favorite rooftop that you have around, right, I mean, it 232 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 3: really is that sort of product. But the second thing 233 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:12,559 Speaker 3: is that I've always known that right, people connect or 234 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 3: want to connect for different reasons right there, They're different environments, 235 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 3: and so if there's a meaningful community conversation that we 236 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 3: need to to host. That's gonna be at the gathering spot. 237 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 3: That's the tradition of any gathering spot, right to host 238 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 3: meaningful discussions where we bring everybody together. But if you 239 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:39,319 Speaker 3: need a spot to bring your clients or to to disconnect, 240 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 3: right to just sit by the pool and be for 241 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 3: a second, that's retreat. Overall, though, as an entrepreneur, I've 242 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 3: always been inspired by the big the big companies that 243 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 3: are out there right. So what that means to me 244 00:13:55,240 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 3: is the same way that uh Hilton can have a 245 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 3: number of experiences or brands in its portfolio, or Marriott right, 246 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 3: or a car company can have multiple models and different 247 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 3: I believe the gathering spot over time can curate different 248 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 3: experiences as well, and so retreat is our first stop 249 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 3: and kind of a broader perspective of different experiences that 250 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 3: will host. 251 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: Shifting Gear a little bit. 252 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 2: I saw your posts that you had put up, you know, 253 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 2: I think it was today yesterday, and you say, you know, 254 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 2: this is my first job, you know, And I found 255 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 2: that like, you know, you know, I chuckled a little 256 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 2: bit inside sound like you know. 257 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: My question is how did you learn to lead? Like? 258 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 2: Leading people in operationalized things systems and hold people accountable. 259 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 2: How did you learn to do that? 260 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 3: So I'm very honest about the fact that I started 261 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 3: my entrepreneurial journey with a huge advantage. Right. My parents 262 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 3: are entrepreneurs, Right, so I grew up in a context 263 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 3: of seeing seeing them in business and learn thing I 264 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 3: didn't even know I was learning just by being in 265 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 3: the house, right, I quick aside, But I remember when 266 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 3: we first started ten years ago. I was with a 267 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 3: member of our team and she heard me leave a voicemail. 268 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 3: I left my number, I sat my number twice at 269 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 3: the end of the voicemail. For folks like. 270 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, born in the olden ages like me, you used 271 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 4: to have to you know, you couldn't read the voicemail out, 272 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 4: so you had to say the number twice so that 273 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 4: people could write it down. 274 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 3: Well, she asked me. She was like, well, like, how 275 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 3: did you know how to do that? Right? And I 276 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 3: thought about it and it was like, well, I've been 277 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 3: sitting in the car with my parents for years, and 278 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 3: every time my dad leaves a voicemail, he would say 279 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 3: his number twice to give them an opportunity to write 280 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 3: the number down. So I learned a lot that way, right, 281 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 3: But then the rest of it right, because you don't 282 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 3: pick up everything in the car the rest of it. 283 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 3: I have learned by being open to to learning. I 284 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 3: haven't been, and I'm not right now a perfect leader, 285 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 3: but I am a person that spends a lot of 286 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 3: time in reflection. I know and care about my team, 287 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 3: and so when you know and care about folks, you 288 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 3: you're committed to improving. And so I've just gotten better 289 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 3: at knowing how to handle different situations. You learn things early, 290 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 3: like the business goes the way that you go right Emotionally, 291 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 3: if I'm super excited about something, the business might be 292 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 3: really excited about it. But if I'm super not interested 293 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 3: or down, the business also can be those things too, right, 294 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 3: So like staying as flat as possible, right, that's something 295 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 3: that I gained through experience just in working with people. 296 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 3: But it's been a decade, right, So you know, if 297 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 3: you're committed to growth, which I am, you should be 298 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 3: able to look back over a course of a decade 299 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 3: of leading things a business right and being responsible for 300 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 3: people knowing that like, well, yes, this is the only 301 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 3: job that I've had. I don't expect this to be 302 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 3: the only job that anybody else will had, And I 303 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 3: want the skills that they're learning, the experience that they're 304 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:15,880 Speaker 3: having to be meaningful and hopefully complimentary to whatever their 305 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 3: next opportunity is. Right, But I've always taken a really 306 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:24,640 Speaker 3: kind of long range view of our relationship with one another. 307 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 3: I'm privileged to say our first member of our team, 308 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 3: she's been here with us ten years. Second member of 309 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 3: our team been with us ten years. Third member of 310 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 3: our team been with us nine years. Right, So, like 311 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 3: our core team has been together for a minute. But 312 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 3: there are other people that have come in a different 313 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 3: seasons in the business that are doing really amazing things 314 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 3: in other contexts right now. And I'm proud that TGS 315 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 3: helped to be a part as a part of their 316 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 3: professional journey. And again, I have a responsibility there. I 317 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,159 Speaker 3: have to be a good steward of the time and 318 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 3: talent that they're playing with us. 319 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 2: What is in Ryan Wilson's EBC your every day carry 320 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,439 Speaker 2: like aside from your phone, Like, what are the things 321 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 2: that you know you wake up to lead a house? 322 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:11,360 Speaker 1: This is gonna be on you somewhere. 323 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 3: So I have a backpack, which is not that exciting, right, 324 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 3: But like it's a mobile I could work from anywhere. Right. 325 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 3: My backpack has everything that I possibly need, laptop, tablet, 326 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 3: every charger that you can need, every adapter that I 327 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 3: can buy. I travel a lot, right. We have got 328 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 3: locations in different places, right, So as long as I 329 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 3: have my bag, I can. I'm good. The thing that, 330 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 3: honestly that I first thought about that when you said that, 331 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 3: And this is super not interesting, but it's been. It's 332 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,640 Speaker 3: something that I'm trying to talk about more, especially as 333 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 3: this kind of has gone on longer. If you see 334 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 3: me these days, I have like a gallon water jug 335 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 3: that goes everywhere with me, and it's a part of 336 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 3: my daily daily habit, Like I don't leave the house 337 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 3: without my is it right here? Like time? And the 338 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 3: reason why I bring it up, I am prioritizing taking 339 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 3: care of myself much more than I did when we started, 340 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 3: Like I slashed, I didn't at all when we started. 341 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,959 Speaker 3: I was. I mean, I look, the discord was different 342 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 3: when when we was ten years ago, right, so like 343 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 3: it was full. We were right in the middle of 344 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,439 Speaker 3: hustle culture, grind out. I'm like, if I'm being honest, 345 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 3: I'm naturally built that way, right, I am a I 346 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 3: don't have a problem with working, but I'm prioritizing like 347 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 3: rest water. Yeah, just overall being a lot more overall 348 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 3: stronger than I did when we started. And again, it 349 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 3: wasn't even something I talked about historically, but like I 350 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,880 Speaker 3: had been trying to to mention it, because you can 351 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 3: work yourself to and through these things right like and 352 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 3: and out. And I realized that I was on a 353 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 3: trajectory that was not sustainable. 354 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: What is the best thing you have read or learned recently? 355 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 3: The best thing I've read recently. 356 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: Or learned. 357 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 3: That's a great question. So I'm I'm a I'm a policy. 358 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: I read a lot of like, let me ask, when 359 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: when are you running? Let's let's talk about that. 360 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 3: I run early in the morning. 361 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: But no, no, no, no, when are you running off 362 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: from last for office? 363 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 3: Oh no, I've never run for office. I'm gonna go 364 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 3: back to what I've learned, hold on for I Look, 365 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 3: I saw this stat recently, and it affirms something that 366 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 3: I felt like I knew. But like when I saw 367 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 3: the stat, it was like, oh wow, eighty six percent 368 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 3: of all jobs are secured through a relationship. 369 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: Okay, And when I heard that yeah. 370 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 3: It's it's intuitive like in one sense, right, but like 371 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 3: and another it's like wait, wait, wait, At the end 372 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 3: of the day, any opportunity statistically that you're going to 373 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 3: get is through somebody that somebody else, right, that you 374 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 3: likely know or that that person knows. And again, I 375 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 3: don't want to overhype this number, right, but I think 376 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 3: it helped to continue to reinforce that the relationships that 377 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,239 Speaker 3: we have every single day that we're facilitating with one 378 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 3: another really are the tail of the tape, that they 379 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,879 Speaker 3: really are the thing that are going to determine a 380 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 3: lot of things that are going on in our lives 381 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 3: and are we investing in in meaning for relationships. A 382 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 3: lot of cool tools out there, a lot of people 383 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 3: liking photos of this, that and the other and engaging 384 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 3: with people online and look cool. I like those as tools, 385 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 3: but the relationship, like the actual engagement with one another 386 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 3: super super dope. And the last major book that I 387 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 3: just reread Range, which I highly recommend for any entrepreneur, 388 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 3: like highly highly recommend. It's It's David David Epstein's book 389 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 3: and they just talk. It basically makes the claim that yes, 390 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,160 Speaker 3: entrepreneurs are really anybody like the most successful people are generalists. 391 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,440 Speaker 3: They're people who know a lot about a little and 392 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 3: or no, I said the backwards a little about a 393 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:47,679 Speaker 3: lot and that Really people who hyper specialize are the 394 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 3: ones that face the most challenges. People who like, are 395 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 3: you know, only good at like a particular thing. Range 396 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 3: again kind of makes the argument that like, no, yeah, 397 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 3: as well rounded as possible. Maybe it's another way of 398 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 3: saying that. 399 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:07,479 Speaker 2: So I'm not gonna forget that I did mention this 400 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 2: Ryan Wilson run for office, and you kind of really 401 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 2: fastly skated by that one. When I listen to you speak, 402 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 2: I hear a future pick pick one, you know. 403 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 3: Sid that I really I don't. I don't even I 404 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 3: don't I have folks have said that to me before. Look, 405 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:33,159 Speaker 3: we're having the engage in politics here, welcome have welcomed 406 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,919 Speaker 3: over the course of years everyone from President Biden to 407 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 3: Vice President Harris on multiple occasions, to many city United 408 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,400 Speaker 3: States senators and cabinet secretaries and folks all the way 409 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,640 Speaker 3: down to school board like we've always taken civic engagement. Really, 410 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 3: it's a really kind of core thing that drives with 411 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 3: TGS is about I though true, that kind of how 412 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 3: I see my job at TGS. Like to be the facilitator, 413 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 3: the connector of those candidates to people that I know 414 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 3: and care about or to, or or being able to 415 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 3: have a platform in TGS that can highlight issues that 416 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 3: are really important to us. If I'm being super super 417 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,440 Speaker 3: plain about this though, Like I also like being able 418 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,959 Speaker 3: to say what I want to say kind of how 419 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 3: I want to say it. And I think one of 420 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 3: the early sacrifices that you have to make as a 421 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:33,199 Speaker 3: politician is that constant negotiation of how to say this, 422 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 3: that or the other. Well, like my stakeholders are the 423 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:38,959 Speaker 3: gathering spot community, and I'm really in tune with what 424 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 3: they think and feel about our work. But it's a 425 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 3: very different context than being an elected official. And in 426 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,680 Speaker 3: this season of my life, I couldn't predict that I 427 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 3: would be doing this. I went to school to be 428 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,399 Speaker 3: I was in law school graduate fro law school immediately 429 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 3: before starting TGS, so I did not imagine that I 430 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 3: would be an entrepreneur. I do not imagine running or 431 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 3: seeking office, but I always will be engaged because I 432 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 3: had a professor years ago say, you know people that 433 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 3: that that try to make the argument that they're not 434 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 3: politically involved, Like, what does that mean? It's all politics. 435 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 3: The way that we're having this conversation, from the microphone 436 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,360 Speaker 3: that you're using to the lights that are that are 437 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 3: all both the rooms that we're in, it's all politics. 438 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,480 Speaker 3: It's all it's all regulated and controlled in some way 439 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 3: or influenced by government. So it's our responsibility to to 440 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 3: lean into that rather than to act as if there 441 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 3: is some world that we can exist in. That's that's 442 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,800 Speaker 3: outside of the realm of politics. Because again, I mean, 443 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 3: what world is that we're all We're all in it 444 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 3: right now? 445 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know you talked about your parents and the 446 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 2: influence they had even when you weren't even conscious that 447 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 2: the influence of entrepreneurship was there. You know, many of 448 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 2: us in our community don't come from entrepren oreo households 449 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 2: and so, but that doesn't rule those folks out. What 450 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,680 Speaker 2: advice for people do you give when they didn't grow 451 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 2: up seeing this when they're not in Atlanta. I love 452 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 2: how you say, you know, like I'm in Atlanta. I'm 453 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 2: seeing this every day. We're at the Black pop were 454 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 2: at the top of everything, but most of us, just 455 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,360 Speaker 2: by numbers, don't live there. Obviously, it's very dense. But 456 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 2: most of us are all over in communities where we 457 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 2: don't see, you know, black people at the highest level. 458 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 2: So in both those respects, how do you convince, advise, 459 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 2: inspire black people to be something that they have not 460 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,159 Speaker 2: seen in their immediate. 461 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 3: I'm going to answer the question that you just asked me, 462 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 3: and I'm going to answer question that you didn't ask 463 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 3: me the question that you did ask me. Look, the 464 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,160 Speaker 3: people that you think have it all figured out or 465 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 3: know everything about a given thing, I can promise you 466 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 3: that they don't. Right this morning, I woke up trying 467 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 3: to figure out how to figure it out. Anybody that 468 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,439 Speaker 3: you know in respect did the same, right, I just 469 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,120 Speaker 3: at a like very fundamental level. Now, is there access 470 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 3: knowledge skill sets that are built over time? Absolutely? Right? 471 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 3: But and this is a fairly kind of old school value. Right. 472 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,640 Speaker 3: But I went to Georgetown for undergrad and I believed, 473 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,359 Speaker 3: and still I got to I remember being at convocation 474 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,199 Speaker 3: and they asked all of the valedictorians and salutatorians to 475 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 3: stand up, and that was not me, And I remember 476 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 3: looking around being like, why am I in here? But 477 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,920 Speaker 3: then we got into class, we got into the arena 478 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 3: and I saw pretty quickly that I was willing to 479 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 3: go to places that I was not sure that those 480 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 3: folks were willing to go to. All the valedictorians, all 481 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 3: the smart people. My mother had sent me up to 482 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 3: DC to get that degree, and I was coming back 483 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 3: home with the paperwork, and again, I know that I'm 484 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 3: willing to go to Like, you're not going to outwork me. Yes, 485 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 3: you started right with whatever advantage, right, but on a 486 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:14,880 Speaker 3: and I'm talking about this on an individual level, right, Systemically, 487 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 3: there's some other things for us to address, But like individually, 488 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 3: I am not going to sit here and believe that 489 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:26,719 Speaker 3: all of the good, big, fancy whatever, right, all the 490 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 3: all the cool stuff is for you, and that my 491 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 3: job is just to sit here and take the scraps. 492 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,679 Speaker 3: So I don't care where I'm starting the conversation. I 493 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 3: just like I don't I fundamentally do not believe that fact. Now, 494 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 3: the question you didn't ask me is, and where I 495 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 3: think we need to spend more more time, is that 496 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 3: if you have some of that privilege, right, even a 497 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 3: little bit of it, you have a responsibility to make 498 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 3: sure that you are pouring into someone else that doesn't. 499 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 3: This morning, the they were having this conversation, I spend 500 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 3: time with youth. I regularly prioritize spending time with youth 501 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 3: to try to close the exact gap that you're talking about. 502 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 3: So I have less advice honestly for what to do 503 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 3: if you don't have it, and a ton to say 504 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 3: to people. When you do have it, you have a 505 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:22,600 Speaker 3: responsibility to do something with it right personal gain for 506 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 3: the pursuit of just having it. One isn't that fulfilling 507 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 3: at the end of the day. And two, if you 508 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 3: can show up positively in a person's story as the 509 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 3: person that helped to make a difference. To me, there's 510 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 3: no higher honor that you can have in a person's life. 511 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 3: And so again, if you've been blessed to be a blessing, 512 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 3: then like please do so, like please please act accordingly. 513 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 3: And that to me is where we don't put as 514 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 3: much pressure often where we spend so much time on 515 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,479 Speaker 3: the other side of the equation, you know, with all 516 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 3: these tips and tricks, when if we would take that 517 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 3: energy and to say, hey, cohort of people that again 518 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 3: have been blessed just by circumstance a lot of times 519 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 3: right had had this opportunity or that one go facilitate 520 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:17,520 Speaker 3: at least one other person having it. And if you 521 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 3: disagree with me, I don't know much what to say too, 522 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 3: but I will say that I would urge you to 523 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 3: reconsider our community. Especially again, I'm talking on an individual 524 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 3: level right now. Systemically, a lot of what I just 525 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 3: said is you can't overcome some of the systemic barriers 526 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 3: that I'm talking about by working hard, right, And a 527 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 3: lot of my work is really looking at systems, right, 528 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 3: the system that we live in right now, the fundamentals 529 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:46,840 Speaker 3: of a lot of aspects of that system. I'll give 530 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 3: you a quick one. Yeah, if you were born on 531 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 3: the west side of Atlanta, right, you have about a 532 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 3: four percent chance of escaping poverty. Said differently, there's a 533 00:30:57,560 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 3: ninety six percent chance that if you're born into poverty 534 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 3: you're going to die in it. 535 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: That's right, Yeah, yeah, yeah. 536 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 3: In that same neighborhood, right, if you're if you're on 537 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 3: the west side of the city, the life expectancy in 538 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 3: Bankhead is ten years less than if you live in Buckhead. 539 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 3: That is a system issue. That that that that that isn't again, 540 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 3: that isn't the try hard that I just talked about. 541 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 3: From an individual perspective. So part of what we have 542 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 3: to be doing across community, but certainly people, if those 543 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 3: of us that have the access to to try to 544 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 3: alter some of these stats are circumstances that I'm talking about. 545 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 3: We have responsibility to do that too, right, and we 546 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 3: have to do it from the lens that like, I 547 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 3: live in this city and it's not helpful to me 548 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 3: as a citizen to have people that cannot escape socioeconomic 549 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 3: pressures that are just ridiculous and that and that ultimately 550 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 3: are causing them in many ways to die younger. Yeah, 551 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 3: that that that is not a city that is hopeful 552 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 3: for me to live in, and so it is again 553 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 3: important for me to get active about doing something about it. 554 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:13,160 Speaker 2: I've got two more, I think, and this one I'm 555 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 2: gonna ask you the question that I'm going to tell 556 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 2: you why I'm asking, and then I'm gonna let you go. 557 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 2: So this one is the question is like what did 558 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 2: you learn about investor alignment? 559 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: So there's there's stories. Obviously you went through something a 560 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:26,800 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. 561 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 2: People can read all about the dy This is actually 562 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 2: not really about that directly, but it's more about the 563 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:37,960 Speaker 2: alignment or misalignment and so we've often talked about when 564 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 2: you're going to raise money, you know, in our community, 565 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:42,920 Speaker 2: don't just get somebody with the pockets, but get somebody 566 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 2: aligned with you know where you're trying to go. And 567 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:49,360 Speaker 2: my question is the premise is, like, what did you 568 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 2: learn looking backward about what would you have done differently 569 00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 2: to say, Okay, we might not be aligned on the 570 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 2: future here. 571 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 3: I don't want this to sound like a cliche, but 572 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:04,719 Speaker 3: it's just honestly how I feel about it. I wouldn't 573 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,080 Speaker 3: have done anything differently, right, Like, you make the best 574 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 3: decision that you can as an entrepreneur when you can, right, 575 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 3: And so I just don't play the game with this like, oh, 576 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 3: if the set of facts that apply in twenty twenty 577 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 3: five applied in twenty twenty two are applied in twenty 578 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,479 Speaker 3: twenty right, Like, well, those are different facts that existed 579 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty two. 580 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 4: Right. 581 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 3: So like the back pattern fundamentally like drives the output, 582 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 3: like drives the decision, which drives the outcome. Right, So 583 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 3: I don't allow myself to get into a mode of 584 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 3: like I can genuinely tell you that I have always 585 00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 3: made the best decision that I thought, Like possible. When 586 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 3: I was making it, it was. It was the best 587 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 3: decision at that moment, right, which again, maybe in hindsight 588 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 3: you could you could say, if I knowing what I 589 00:33:53,920 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 3: know now, I would But like and my faith, my 590 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 3: faith is very important to me, right, I don't believe 591 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 3: without that chapter of the of the business that I 592 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 3: would be having this conversation to you about this chapter. 593 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 3: I actually don't believe that that, like like, that season 594 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 3: was required in like like truly in order to have 595 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 3: this season. So for me to regret that would be 596 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 3: to meet to be I guess regretting this, and I don't. 597 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:29,000 Speaker 3: I don't regret this. I'm excited about this the bigest 598 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 3: product we've ever had, right, So, like, yeah, now to 599 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 3: your question around alignment. Look, I'm fairly simple about this. 600 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 3: I call it the cell phone test. If when you 601 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,960 Speaker 3: are talking to a person in real time, and this 602 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 3: is a potential investor as an entrepreneur, and if you 603 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 3: think to yourself, when I look down at my phone 604 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 3: in the future and their name pops up, how will 605 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:57,279 Speaker 3: I feel about that when I see their name, Will 606 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 3: i'd be excited to talk to them? Will I think 607 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 3: that there's possible there that they're gonna be helpful or 608 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,359 Speaker 3: they're gonna at least ask me questions and good faith 609 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 3: to try to make the business better, or are they 610 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 3: about to be a person that I really don't know 611 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 3: if I can stand And if you on the front 612 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:14,600 Speaker 3: end answer that question, if you're being honest with yourself 613 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 3: as I can't, I can't imagine speaking to this person 614 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,080 Speaker 3: long term, then do not allow them to invest in 615 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:25,600 Speaker 3: your business. It's just a lot of times, as entrepreneurs, 616 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 3: your gut feeling about a lot of this stuff, especially 617 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,200 Speaker 3: these things that are less quantitative. It's really just about 618 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 3: how you like Actually, how you feel about it really 619 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:38,360 Speaker 3: are important. So I would encourage you to ask tough questions, 620 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 3: take risks. This whole thing is risky. Again. That's another 621 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 3: thing that gets brought up all the time. People are like, oh, well, 622 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,520 Speaker 3: you know if you could do this, that this has 623 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:51,720 Speaker 3: all been risk this has all been impossible in some way, right, Like, yeah, 624 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,440 Speaker 3: it was a bit possible. Maintaining that was like so 625 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,799 Speaker 3: to hype, to hyper focus on one moment and be 626 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:00,879 Speaker 3: like what about that one? And I'm like that one 627 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 3: we just came off of COVID and you're asking me 628 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:09,399 Speaker 3: it's all. It's all risky, it all doesn't make sense. 629 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:11,919 Speaker 3: We're all trying to figure it out. Make the best 630 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:14,719 Speaker 3: decision that you can right now. That that's all I got, Like, 631 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 3: do not play the game with this. There's no such 632 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,120 Speaker 3: thing as perfect circumstance. You're not gonna have the right 633 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:21,799 Speaker 3: amount of money or the right team or the right 634 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 3: You gotta do the best that you can, but what 635 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 3: you have with the cards that are in your hand 636 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 3: right now. And so I can tell you in sincerity 637 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 3: that I have always played the cards that I've had 638 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:38,359 Speaker 3: in front of me out And in some cases I 639 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:42,080 Speaker 3: looked down in my hand and I had four aces 640 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 3: and and like knew we were about to like like 641 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:47,440 Speaker 3: run the table. 642 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:48,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. 643 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:50,600 Speaker 3: And then in other times I've looked at my cards 644 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 3: and been like, we gotta go board and just try 645 00:36:53,760 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 3: to survive. Sorry if anybody don't play spades, Yeah, that's 646 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 3: part of the game. So you know, I don't know, 647 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:05,160 Speaker 3: I don't I don't look at it that way. I mean, 648 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 3: it is what it is, what it is. But every 649 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:10,840 Speaker 3: season builds on builds to the next and not some 650 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 3: seasons don't always end positively. I'm not even trying to 651 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 3: make this like some sort of rosie. Sometimes there are 652 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,800 Speaker 3: negative circumstances, but if you talk to even those founders, 653 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,200 Speaker 3: they will say, look, when my companies shut down, when 654 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 3: we failed, I learned X, and that helped me to 655 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,600 Speaker 3: do Why that's who you're experiencing right now? Why without X? Though? 656 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:31,279 Speaker 3: That's right, we're not in a conversation. So again, I 657 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:33,480 Speaker 3: don't I don't. I don't mean for that to sound cliche, 658 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:34,120 Speaker 3: but I just. 659 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: Is real. 660 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 3: We get caught up in the in the like trying 661 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,759 Speaker 3: to quarterback decisions that were made long ago, and it's 662 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,880 Speaker 3: like to what end? Right? I mean, we got to 663 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 3: do the best for where we're standing. 664 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 2: For the second of people who have no idea what 665 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,720 Speaker 2: even to Google search or look on Africa. 666 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:57,360 Speaker 3: We were acquired in twenty twenty two by Fintech. We 667 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,200 Speaker 3: ended up reacquiring the business a year and change later. 668 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 3: It wasn't the best alignment for us as a company, 669 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 3: and we professionally kind of went in different in different 670 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 3: directions after that time period. Right, And so where the 671 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:15,200 Speaker 3: question comes a lot of times is would we have 672 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:22,320 Speaker 3: gone through that acquisition knowing what we know now? And 673 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,720 Speaker 3: again that's out a question that I can really answer. 674 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,359 Speaker 3: It was the best decision for us to make at 675 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 3: the time that we made it. And here I am 676 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 3: now coming out of that experience with the biggest project 677 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,000 Speaker 3: that we've ever had that I do not believe would 678 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 3: have happened had we not gone through being acquired and reacquiring. 679 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,919 Speaker 1: Company Love It last one. 680 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:51,440 Speaker 2: And this is when I read this, I'm like, Okay, 681 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:56,080 Speaker 2: this is in my top five goat entrepreneur quotes. And 682 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,080 Speaker 2: you said it, you said, I think it was the 683 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:01,439 Speaker 2: city life, see the life that that come some time ago, 684 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:04,040 Speaker 2: And you say it, we will thrive because our competition 685 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:09,279 Speaker 2: barely likes a community that we love. And I'm like, oh, 686 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:13,719 Speaker 2: that goes on the wall. Tell me more about like 687 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 2: this the spirit behind that quote. 688 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, fundamentally, Like I love the community that we serve 689 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,080 Speaker 3: every single day, and so you might have better a 690 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 3: lot of things, more cash, more space, more and better 691 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 3: investor whatever, right, But like, I don't believe that any 692 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:31,839 Speaker 3: of those things are going to compensate for the fact 693 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,680 Speaker 3: that every single day I wake up with a team 694 00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 3: that is deeply focused on caring for our community in 695 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:40,680 Speaker 3: a way that I don't believe that you're going to 696 00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 3: be able to do because you don't care about them 697 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:46,120 Speaker 3: the way that I do. Right, So look at the 698 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:47,759 Speaker 3: end of the day that I mean, another way that 699 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,279 Speaker 3: you maybe describe this is like customer obsession maybe is 700 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,719 Speaker 3: the startup way to talk about it. But like I'm 701 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,840 Speaker 3: obsessed with my with my customer, my member, my community 702 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 3: in a way that again, like you're you're just trying 703 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 3: to figure out you're having you're having going back to 704 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 3: our previous conversation, you're having DEI talks internally right now, 705 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,279 Speaker 3: trying to figure out like what the strategy is going 706 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,280 Speaker 3: to be. I've never once had a DEI conversation inside 707 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:16,880 Speaker 3: of TGS, not like that, right, So, like I just 708 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 3: like we're fundamentally like coming into you are coming into 709 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:23,080 Speaker 3: this game at a disadvantage if you're trying to go 710 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 3: get my folks, because again it's a strategy for you. 711 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:30,799 Speaker 3: It's like this is like coming from my soul. So 712 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:33,920 Speaker 3: do I think that you can beat me in in 713 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 3: like soul work? 714 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 5: Nah? 715 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,319 Speaker 3: I don't. I never never will ever believe that, right 716 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:43,359 Speaker 3: Like I like I and if I'm wrong, like you've 717 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 3: got to go prove that out to me, Like We've 718 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 3: got to go, like go play the game and go 719 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:50,000 Speaker 3: see But I know deep down in places that you 720 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:52,520 Speaker 3: don't want to acknowledge. Again, this is this is a 721 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:57,799 Speaker 3: strategy for you. This is I'm not being strategic. I'm 722 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:01,759 Speaker 3: not trying to take advantage of demographic changes like this 723 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 3: is coming out of like this, this is fundamental to me. 724 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 3: So like let's let's lace them up and see what 725 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:11,880 Speaker 3: happens next. Right, But like I fundamentally think that we 726 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:15,600 Speaker 3: win under under these it is to look at sports 727 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:19,080 Speaker 3: and I'm sports person, Like it's like I'm playing at home, 728 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 3: like you're you're constantly playing an away game. Yeah, much 729 00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:28,480 Speaker 3: better you have to be than me at home to 730 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:32,360 Speaker 3: be on the road and like win. There's a reason 731 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 3: why there's such a thing as a home team advantage 732 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,320 Speaker 3: for a reason because like when you're when you're comfortable 733 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:41,759 Speaker 3: in environment that allows you to create and and care 734 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,879 Speaker 3: for for all of the things you need to look 735 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 3: at differently than like the person that is like trying 736 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:54,399 Speaker 3: to get adjusted to the to the atmosphere. So yeah, 737 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:56,839 Speaker 3: I mean again, we've been short stacked a whole bunch 738 00:41:56,840 --> 00:41:58,919 Speaker 3: of times against a whole bunch of people. I've seen 739 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:04,520 Speaker 3: businesses come and go in this in this game. Respect 740 00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:06,400 Speaker 3: to them, right, but like a lot of times when 741 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:08,560 Speaker 3: they would announce they have these big funding rounds, people like, 742 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 3: are you nervous, like nervous about what again? This is 743 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 3: a strategy for them? 744 00:42:14,719 --> 00:42:15,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not. 745 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:23,440 Speaker 3: And what happened? The fundamentals survived. You had better space, 746 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:26,920 Speaker 3: you have more resources, you had all of it. You 747 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:30,719 Speaker 3: came in with you, you built the technology, own the 748 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:31,680 Speaker 3: real estate. 749 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:32,799 Speaker 1: Like any thing. 750 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 3: But when you had to go heads up against the 751 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 3: gathering spot, right, and when care was on the line, 752 00:42:41,719 --> 00:42:46,040 Speaker 3: your great facility could not outcompete the fact that when 753 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,759 Speaker 3: folks walked through the door they felt like they were 754 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 3: at home. You couldn't out home us. And so respectfully, 755 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:55,480 Speaker 3: I'm sure you get this question too. It's like what 756 00:42:55,480 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 3: happens X, Y and Z person comes into the market. 757 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:03,920 Speaker 3: I I live here right like this, this is what 758 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 3: I do. This is the only job I've ever had. Yeah, 759 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:11,240 Speaker 3: there's no way that, just purely out of entrepreneurial pride 760 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,040 Speaker 3: that you think that. Again, like you care about this 761 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,279 Speaker 3: from nine to five? I care? This is all I do. 762 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,960 Speaker 3: I don't believe those short hours are are going to 763 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:25,800 Speaker 3: put you in a position to out work or beat us, 764 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,319 Speaker 3: and so that's what I meant. So I'm like talking 765 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:31,360 Speaker 3: about that long but it's just like, but every entrepreneur, 766 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:33,920 Speaker 3: especially black entrepreneur out there, no that you probably are 767 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:37,839 Speaker 3: competing against someone right now that has more. But do 768 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 3: they right? That's like, like do they really at the 769 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 3: end of the day when it when it gets down 770 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:50,520 Speaker 3: to just like pure customer relationship, if you if you're 771 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,480 Speaker 3: if it's coming out of your heart, I don't believe. 772 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:57,919 Speaker 3: So I don't believe they can beat you. And I'm 773 00:43:57,920 --> 00:43:59,720 Speaker 3: not trying to take away from the fact that somebody's 774 00:43:59,719 --> 00:44:01,480 Speaker 3: gona hear and be like, yeah, but they got more money, 775 00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:04,879 Speaker 3: they're building more of this that this is a long game. 776 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:06,719 Speaker 3: This is a long long Yet there's a lot of 777 00:44:06,719 --> 00:44:08,719 Speaker 3: people that have built a lot of things faster than you. 778 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,200 Speaker 3: It's not actually even that's not where you win. Can 779 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:16,320 Speaker 3: you sustain? I'm looking at a decade right now. Again, 780 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,480 Speaker 3: I've seen I've seen stuff start closing, restart. The founders 781 00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:22,320 Speaker 3: are on like their second third. I'm on my first 782 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:26,719 Speaker 3: situation right now, and it's because I've stayed very, very 783 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:32,680 Speaker 3: focused on a community that I love that you sometimes 784 00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:36,080 Speaker 3: like and we'll just be honest and sometimes like it's 785 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:41,240 Speaker 3: even being generous. Yeah, that's the especially in this environment 786 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:44,000 Speaker 3: sometimes like it's the nice way to say that, Like 787 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,400 Speaker 3: we're being really honest. I love a community that you like, 788 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,000 Speaker 3: you don't really care for, or at least you're not 789 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:54,000 Speaker 3: willing to show that care, right, And like again, that's 790 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:56,319 Speaker 3: a dangerous place for you to be in because if 791 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,080 Speaker 3: you think that you're gonna out out play us in 792 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:01,240 Speaker 3: that environment, Yeah, okay. 793 00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:04,320 Speaker 5: Black Tech Green Money is a production of Blavity Afro 794 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:07,360 Speaker 5: Tech on the Black Effect podcast Networking Night Hire Media. 795 00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:10,680 Speaker 5: It's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas, with 796 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:13,840 Speaker 5: the additional production support by Kate McDonald, Sayah Ergan, and 797 00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:16,920 Speaker 5: Jaden McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis and Love Beach. 798 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 5: Learn more about my guests and other tech destructors an 799 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:22,960 Speaker 5: innovators at afrotech dot com. Video version this episode will 800 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:25,279 Speaker 5: drop to Black Tech Green Money on YouTube. So tap 801 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 5: it in, enjoy your Black Tech Green Money, share us 802 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:30,600 Speaker 5: to somebody, go get your money. 803 00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:31,839 Speaker 1: Piece in Love