WEBVTT - BasBlue Is Creating Space for Women in Business

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<v Speaker 1>When we talk about social networking crucial to really gaining

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<v Speaker 1>access to professional opportunities, whether it's business, entrepreneurship, you name it.

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<v Speaker 1>Those networks have often been in place for decades for

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<v Speaker 1>the establishment, and I'm often talking tim about white men. Yeah. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>two co founders and entrepreneurs are working to change that.

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<v Speaker 1>Nancy Tellum and Natasha Hildebrand are the co founders of

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<v Speaker 1>bass Blue. It's a nonprofit space dedicated to women's needs

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<v Speaker 1>and fostering a diverse, authentic, and inclusive community. They joined

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<v Speaker 1>us on the phone from Detroit. Nancy, Natasha, how are

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<v Speaker 1>you great? Thank you for having us all. Hey, Nancy,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to start with you. Um. You moved to

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<v Speaker 1>Detroit a few years ago from l A. Give us

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<v Speaker 1>the story about how you started bass Blue. Yeah. I

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<v Speaker 1>I moved from Los Angeles to Detroit about six years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>and upon rising Um, I was just amazed by the

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<v Speaker 1>amazing women who I met, but many of whom didn't

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<v Speaker 1>know each other. And I realized that what was really

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<v Speaker 1>lacking in the city and Francie and old cities is

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<v Speaker 1>that that connection, a space where women can indeed connect

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<v Speaker 1>and with that UM be able to add resources and

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<v Speaker 1>support for for working women, whether they're starting in the

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<v Speaker 1>working space, whether they're in it, or they're looking to

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<v Speaker 1>transition into something else. Well, and Natasha come on in

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<v Speaker 1>on this. I mean, how does it work at pass

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<v Speaker 1>Blue in terms of bringing people together? Who are you

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<v Speaker 1>bringing together? How does it all work? And you've done

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<v Speaker 1>it before in l A, New York, London. Um tell

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<v Speaker 1>us the results of bringing these people together? What's the impact? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>You know, as you mentioned, UM networks are vital to success,

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<v Speaker 1>right and I've seen that success take shape in all

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<v Speaker 1>of those cities you've mentioned, and that really starts with

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<v Speaker 1>creating space, space for those conversations, as Nancy mentioned, to

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<v Speaker 1>create base connections as well as space to learn and

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<v Speaker 1>grow and be exposed to individuals and areas outside kind

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<v Speaker 1>of your silos. And especially as we you know, kind

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<v Speaker 1>of get rooted in our careers sometimes and even just

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<v Speaker 1>world we live in, we kind of stick to those silos.

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<v Speaker 1>And what Boss Blue is aiming to do these really

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<v Speaker 1>break those silos and get people talking to one another.

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<v Speaker 1>And we do that through programming. So everything from having

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<v Speaker 1>a mentorship sessions to member matching programs where we match

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<v Speaker 1>our members based on interests or life stages or educational

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<v Speaker 1>seminars on how to you know, start over against essentially,

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<v Speaker 1>or how to brand a business um to education in

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<v Speaker 1>the other side of the coin of the cooking class

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<v Speaker 1>um or how to learn how to play poker even

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<v Speaker 1>or all the kind of different things um that might

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<v Speaker 1>go into the personal and professional Well, it's so true,

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<v Speaker 1>Like I think about guys forgive me, but you know golf,

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<v Speaker 1>like the amount of networking and deals that get done

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<v Speaker 1>on the golf course or just talking sports. I see

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<v Speaker 1>it just in and around our world. You know, where

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<v Speaker 1>guys come in they don't even know each other, but

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<v Speaker 1>they they automatically start talking sports and there's a connection.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, Nancy, So much of what happens, whether it's

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<v Speaker 1>when we're talking diversity, whether it's women, whether it's people

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<v Speaker 1>of color. I mean, we need to figure out how

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<v Speaker 1>to create that pipeline so individuals can create companies or

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<v Speaker 1>really have um a trajectory to some of those senior

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<v Speaker 1>positions and companies. For sure, I mean to your point,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is obvious something that I've experienced personally throughout

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<v Speaker 1>my whole career, is that men's do have an easier

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<v Speaker 1>way through golf through men's sorts of things to connect

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<v Speaker 1>and they connect on a I'll say on a much

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<v Speaker 1>more base level through sports fans, through actually playing of golf.

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<v Speaker 1>For women, actually, our connection is a little bit more complex.

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<v Speaker 1>And what we came up with Bossblu that we wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to create a homelike feeling, so when people came to

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<v Speaker 1>the space, it was very accessible and comfortable and at

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<v Speaker 1>the same time using the programming in order to initiate conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>collaboration creation. We're really focused on, you know, providing that

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<v Speaker 1>kind of conversation, providing the network, allowing the members to

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<v Speaker 1>offer up resources and to mentor each other to advance well.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's interesting too when you think about I think

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<v Speaker 1>about anybody I've been part of clubs or something. When

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<v Speaker 1>you actually have Natasha a physical space where people could

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<v Speaker 1>collect it, there's something about it where you know you

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<v Speaker 1>can go and you can meet people that you've seen

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<v Speaker 1>before and meet some new people. And you guys have

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<v Speaker 1>a great um mansion that you've done. I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>in midtown on Ferry Street, right, uh, in Detroit. Tell

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<v Speaker 1>us a little bit about the space itself. Yeah, so

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<v Speaker 1>we've got three or four stories really and if you

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<v Speaker 1>if you've open the ground up. On the bottom floor,

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<v Speaker 1>we've got showers and lockers and a wellness and fitness space.

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<v Speaker 1>We've got some peloton bikes in there if you want

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<v Speaker 1>to squeeze in a quick ride if you will UM

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<v Speaker 1>in between meetings of the day UM as well as

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<v Speaker 1>get ready UM. I will also be doing a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of meditation workshops and just kind of general wellness things

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<v Speaker 1>down there. You then go up to our our next

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<v Speaker 1>floor and we've got a full cafe UM and bar area,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's in partnership with Marrow UM. You'll have an

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<v Speaker 1>amazing options for breakfast and lunch and happy hour. We've

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<v Speaker 1>also got a lovely library area which we planned to

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<v Speaker 1>stopic books from local luminaries as well as the amazing

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<v Speaker 1>female authors. You then go up UM actually my favorite

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<v Speaker 1>space in the house, which is kind of like the mezzanine.

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<v Speaker 1>We have this little nook of a room that is

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<v Speaker 1>as cozy as they come UM, which is actually fully

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<v Speaker 1>stopped for conferences and conference calls and whatnot. UM. And

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<v Speaker 1>then we've got on the next floor phone books as

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<v Speaker 1>well as a large conference room that is free of

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<v Speaker 1>us to our members, as well as a little bar area, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>and additional lounge space and meeting space, and then the

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<v Speaker 1>last floor really is our gathering space. UM. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>it's all kind of a gathering space, so that's kind

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<v Speaker 1>of our event space. So when we talk about that programming,

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of that will be hosted up there. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>We've got a full screening capability. Of course, another bar

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<v Speaker 1>because happy hour is great network UM and can't forget that. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>And and then little touches throughout the house that really

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<v Speaker 1>can have softer collaboration and Nancy, you've spent years working

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<v Speaker 1>for for profit companies. You were at CBS for fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>years a senior adviser to the CEO. You're the president

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<v Speaker 1>of CBS Network Television Entertainment Group. You're a president of

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<v Speaker 1>Xbox Entertainment Studios. UM. Bass Blue. Though Boss Blue is

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<v Speaker 1>a it's a it's a nonprofit. So talk to me

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<v Speaker 1>about the structure and how how you plan to keep

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<v Speaker 1>it making money and how why you chose a nonprofit

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<v Speaker 1>for it. Yeah, well, you know what I gotta say, Honestly,

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<v Speaker 1>when we first conceived of the idea, we thought of

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<v Speaker 1>it as a for profit, much like a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>other spaces that you find primarily in New York and California.

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<v Speaker 1>But as we kept going back, we kept going back

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<v Speaker 1>to the mission, and we felt it was essential that

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<v Speaker 1>the space be the mission first, and therefore we really

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<v Speaker 1>were committed to making it a nonprofit and particularly you

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<v Speaker 1>know again, as a nonprofit it kind of um kind

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<v Speaker 1>of uh liberates us from this drive to actually make

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<v Speaker 1>money to actually if we could break even and really

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<v Speaker 1>have our mission first and bring in, as you mentioned,

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<v Speaker 1>a really diverse, inclusive membership that's the most important, and

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<v Speaker 1>provide the programming and those connections that so needed. So

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<v Speaker 1>the nonprofit piece of it is extraordinarily important. As far

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<v Speaker 1>as you know, we've had amazing response from donors who

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<v Speaker 1>really believe in the mission. We also have membership fees

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<v Speaker 1>that hopefully will um also help us reach to this

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<v Speaker 1>break even point, hopefully in a couple of years. We

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<v Speaker 1>also we had private events base help us as well. Nancy,

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<v Speaker 1>we forgive, forgive us because and we hope you can

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<v Speaker 1>come back and talk some more about what you guys

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<v Speaker 1>are doing, because it really is important, and especially in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of the access that you're giving. Nancy Tellum and

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<v Speaker 1>Natasha Hildebrand joining us right here have a good and

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<v Speaker 1>safe evening everyone. This is Boomberg