1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: I'm Will Lucas and this is black Tech dream Money. 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Derek Falcon is the owner and founder at Cloudy Donuts, 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: one hundred percent vegan, small batch score Maybe donut shop 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: with locations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Brooklyn Heights, New York. 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: The delights have gone viral on social media and our 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: dairy free and exclude any animal products or buy products. 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: Before serving eleven years in prison and upon his release, 8 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: he knew he was going to do something special in 9 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: business in the food industry and serve them. Well, there's 10 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: a growth in desire for more sustainable foods, vegetarian, vegan 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: and less processing. How does Darek see Cloudy Donut as 12 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: part of this movement? Specifically, when it comes to my 13 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: involvement with the movement as much more from a space 14 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: and visibility as opposed to like physical products, So like, 15 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: how can we introduce non traditional things in a very 16 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: traditional method right? So Like, specifically when it comes to 17 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: our people, I believe that veganism is something that has 18 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: always existed in Black culture, and the majority of vegans 19 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: in terms of percentage wise all Black people. I think 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: that now it's just now getting into more um more 21 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: inside like the in like the in the in the 22 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: hood communities like and like being able to get there 23 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: because the food that's are just being honest with right, 24 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: So like the best way to introduce people to something 25 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: that's um non traditional is to a traditional medium. So 26 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: like the role that we play is as much more 27 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: visibility as opposed to physical product in terms of the 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: the quality of the product and like the logistics in 29 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: the vending and like the people that we're going to 30 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: deal with in terms of sourcing I'll go over a 31 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,479 Speaker 1: period of time, is to directly connect with inner city 32 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: farmers or like local farmers that we deal with based 33 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,639 Speaker 1: on locality, so that we can get products from small 34 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: black businesses and create and you know, continue to allow 35 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: that ecosystems to flourish. So that's how I see that 36 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: for us to your to your last point there, you know, 37 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: there is often the desire when black owned businesses, you know, 38 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: you want to keep the money in the ecosystem doing 39 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: business with other black businesses. Have you found it to 40 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: be challenging or is it important at the onset to 41 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: do that when it could be a little bit more 42 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: costly to keep the money in the ecosystem, or you 43 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: may find vendors who there's something that may over deliver, 44 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: but you know that prices may be too high and 45 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: you can get things cheaper in other respects because other 46 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: people may have more scale. So how do you think 47 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: about trying to keep the money in the ecosystem and 48 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,839 Speaker 1: also trying to grow a business yourself. When it comes 49 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: to black consumption support all entrepreneurship in general, the goal 50 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: is to lead with a social undertone. I mean, I mean, 51 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: just to be honest with you, when black people consume 52 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: products specifically from black people, it's more than likely because 53 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: they're black, you know what I'm saying. Like black people 54 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: will buy a PC, like a black person who travel 55 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: from Queens that come to my Donat shop in Brooklyn 56 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: because they heard I was black owned. White people don't 57 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: do that. Like white people don't go to like name 58 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: my Marcus because it's white owned, right, They just don't 59 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: do it. So I think when it comes to support 60 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: side of things, that has to be a social undertone 61 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: because when you see and that's another thing like that 62 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: our people don't really understand sometimes, like when you're supporting 63 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: a business, that means that you're going above and beyond 64 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: to intentionally give a business a level of support, meaning 65 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: like whether you're telling a friend, the family member, whether 66 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: you're decide and that the prices are all attle bit higher, 67 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: but you're going to deal with those particular vendors. That's 68 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: what support consumption. That's when when businesses have things that 69 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: you want, the pricing is ideal to quality, the product 70 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: is ideal, and now you begin to you beginning to consume. 71 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: So that's consumption. But I think like it's a duality 72 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: in both of those things. I think, yeah, I agree 73 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: with you, Like it can be challenging, you know what 74 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying, dealing with our people at times, but socially 75 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: it can be very enriching too, so it's worth it. 76 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: So I would always encourage you to spend your money 77 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: specifically with black people as much as possible, because it's 78 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: just necessary. Some of them, you know, to my earlier point, 79 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: may be very well as established businesses. Some of them 80 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: may be getting started like you are, several years ago. 81 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: How can you how can you best you know, position 82 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: them to be able to up raise their standards to 83 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: meet yours. We can't, you know, you can't make a 84 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: low quality person a quality person. It is what it is, 85 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, and then that's not really 86 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: the tone anyway, because for me to step into that 87 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: business and try to get them to elevate who they 88 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: are just based off of the fact that I have 89 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: them more of an elevated palette, it just won't work 90 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: that way. You typically will get resistant. So, like whenever 91 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: we're dealing with black businesses in general, we got to 92 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: meet them where they at or don't or don't deal 93 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: with them at all. And you know, whether that's high 94 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: end or low end, it's not the same. You know 95 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: someone's on the high or the low end of the spectrum. 96 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: But like you kind of know who you're dealing with, right, 97 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: Like you don't go out on a date with somebody 98 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: and just try to get them to elevate their standards 99 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: like they should already meet the standards. So you talked 100 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: about in previous interviews. You know, you're spending eleven years 101 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: in prison and two years even in solitary confinement, but 102 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: when you came out, you knew you wanted to start 103 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: your own business, and you did. What are some of 104 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: the things that you did to put yourself in position 105 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: to start a business? I think about financing, you know, 106 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 1: partnerships in the cetera. But some people come out and 107 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: they just trying to figure out how to make sure 108 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: that they can find a place to live and find 109 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: a place you know, to work. But you just said 110 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: I want to start a business, and you did. What 111 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: are the steps you took to make sure that they happen? Well, 112 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: I started a business before I went to jail. I 113 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:31,919 Speaker 1: just was breaking a law while I had a business. 114 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: So I went to jail and like for me, like 115 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: I always said, I speak for the working man. I 116 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,359 Speaker 1: speak for the common man because it's much more of 117 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: us than that like Kevin Durance, Right, You're not just 118 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: walking around six to eleven with a with a handle 119 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: papass and shoot, you know what I'm saying. So like 120 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: when it comes to when it comes to prison, there's 121 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: a level of preparedness like there is anything else that's 122 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: difficult in life. It's the same thing with young kids 123 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: who go to college. They spend their time around the college. 124 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: Then they graduating, they scrambling for a job. So I 125 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: think I think preparedness is just something that's innately within you, 126 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: whether you're in prison or whether you're in college. But 127 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: what we've done. Whether America has done is they placed 128 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: the stigma on the black man. So the tone specifically 129 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 1: when it comes to my story is like, oh, well, 130 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: he must be great because he went to prison for 131 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: eleven years. I was born great. I believe in myself, 132 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: My mother believed in me. I'm a champion. You know 133 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. I just so happened to break the 134 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: law and get caught. These white boys break the law 135 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: and they not, they not, They not consider ex convicts, 136 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: you see what I'm saying. So you gotta think about 137 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: it like this, right, Like Martha Store went to a 138 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: federal m low, she went to federal prison. But that's 139 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 1: not the that's not the title that she's gonna wear 140 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: to America and to Black America. In a sense, she's 141 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: gonna be Martha Store at the media mogul, the household name, 142 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: the conglomerate, the tycoon, you know what I'm saying. But 143 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: when it comes to our people, they're gonna leave with me. 144 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: I'm the ex convict who so happened. I had it 145 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: on ourself, you know what I'm saying. So I think, 146 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: like the number one thing that we have to do 147 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: first is have a level of empathy for the imprisoned 148 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: black man and what he's gone through because I think 149 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: the way the society positioned black man specifically come out 150 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: of prison, it's like, well, you must have been some 151 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: some sort of outlaw, outcast, so now you deserve everything 152 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: that you get in good luck when you get out 153 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: of it. Right, So like when you when you when 154 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: you're going through the system, you got to realize that 155 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: bro most of them guys in the system, they talented 156 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: and they got all kinds of I mean, they came 157 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: into prison. Like prison donna make you more talented. It's 158 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: into a certain degree. It could break you. You know that. 159 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: You know you can go on prison and get sexually assaulted. 160 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: You can't go you can go in prison. You can't 161 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: gonna prison for five years and never come home. You 162 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: can go in prison and catch a murder while you're 163 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: in prison protecting yourself and then get forty five years. 164 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: We've seen this. You can go in prison and be 165 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: in solitary confinement, they go crazy and hang yourself. We've 166 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: seen this, right. So like when it comes to prison, 167 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: prison didn't make me. As a matter of fact, prison 168 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: was an old block on my way to success. I 169 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: already knew I had it, you see what I'm saying. 170 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: So like what I would encourage, you know, people in 171 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: civilization who not incarcerated right to do is have a 172 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: level of empathy for the man that comes from prison. 173 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: And then specifically when it comes to my success and 174 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: how I bootstrapped myself, is that I took accountability for 175 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: my action. I broke the love. I ain't gonna sit 176 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: up here and say, you know, somebody told me a 177 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: person can't tell what you don't tell them. So I 178 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: went to prison. I locked and I studied. I came home, 179 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: and I knew I was gonna be somebody when I 180 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: came home. But I knew I was gonna be somebody 181 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: while I was in there and before I went there. 182 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: It's just that so many people kind of caught up 183 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: on like, well, damn, he went to prison for eleven 184 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: years and he made something of itself. So as black people, 185 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: we live vicariously, right, So we said, well, damn, my 186 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: uncle locked up, my father, locked up my brother, locked 187 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: up my nephew in and out of jail, and look 188 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: at dark if he did it, you can do it. 189 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 1: That's all bullshit because I would have made it while 190 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: I went to prison or not, and and and I'm 191 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: a one percenter, So like that's that's not the reality 192 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: of the guys in prison. For them to look at 193 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: me and feel like that they can make it the 194 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:55,679 Speaker 1: biggest thing that the guys in prisoners need to step 195 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: by step booklet as to how to make it, how 196 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 1: to build a scale, you know, the assets or the 197 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: qualities that they have so that they can build a 198 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: life for themselves when they come out. It's not about 199 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,559 Speaker 1: emulating me, but it's about the ordinary man doing extraordinary things. 200 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: And they come whether you're in prison or whether you're 201 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: in college. I represent all black man. Yeah, yeah, we've 202 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: we've had this conversation about having a passion, growing up 203 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: with the passion to do a certain type of business 204 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: versus you know, finding an opportunity and just taking advantage 205 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: of the opportunity. Is so often many people in our 206 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,199 Speaker 1: community don't have the opportunity to be opportunistic. And when 207 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: my counterpolice, you see, hey there's money over there. Let 208 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: me put together this business. You know, I may not 209 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: love you know, donnuts, or I may not love gas stations, 210 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: or I may not love laundry masks, but there's an 211 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: opportunity there, so let's take advantage of that. We're told 212 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,959 Speaker 1: all too often, in my opinion, find what you're passionate about, 213 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: find what you love when you could do that too, 214 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,839 Speaker 1: but just find an opportunity to make some money. And 215 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,319 Speaker 1: I wonder because I don't imagine that you grew up 216 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: being passionate about donnuts and wanting to own a donuts shot, 217 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 1: you know, since you were a youngster. But can you 218 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: talk more about how we can realize success for ourselves 219 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: just in finding an opportunity in the marketplace. Yeah, so 220 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: black people need to snap the fun out of it. 221 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:16,319 Speaker 1: That's the number one thing that we need to do. Right. 222 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,720 Speaker 1: So for white folks is twenty twenty three. For black folks, 223 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: it's nineteen twenty three. I'm sure the headphones that we're 224 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: talking on, the computer that I'm looking at you and 225 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: was all created by white man. You got up the 226 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:28,599 Speaker 1: day you picked up the white man's phone, and you 227 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: drove in the white man's car, specifically maybe to the 228 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: white man's building. Right, So, like what we gotta understand 229 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: a lot of our black businesses a very mom and poplight. 230 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: So the only way that we can boot up bootstrap 231 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: by ourselves is do the three ESSs. So like me, 232 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,959 Speaker 1: I always say saving plus sacrifice equal scaling. We need 233 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: to learn how to save some money as black people. 234 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: Once you learn how to save a dollar, you can 235 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,079 Speaker 1: put some money away and you can build some things. Right. 236 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: Another thing is we can't major in minor things. So 237 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: many people called up on having their name on the 238 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: front of the business that they missed the whole play 239 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,439 Speaker 1: that the business, it's of the business and what the 240 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,599 Speaker 1: value really is of having a business. You see what 241 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: I'm saying. So like when we speak on the culture 242 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: and being able to take advantage of certain situations and 243 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: not necessarily getting caught up. We'll be passionate about but 244 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: doing something that's gonna bring a dollar in. Right, to me, 245 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: that's the utmost important thing because in order for the 246 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: world to be progressive and move forward, you need creativity, right. 247 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: But in order for things to be creative, you need 248 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: financing or you need economics right. And I think like 249 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: when I deal specifically with a lot of black creatives, 250 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 1: they very lofty and up in the air as the 251 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: you know, their product or the service that they provide 252 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: the world with. And then there's a sense of entitlement 253 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: with that where they're not really trying to put over 254 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: real working. Then I meet a lot of guys who 255 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: were then put a lot of work in, but they 256 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: don't understand value, so they don't get for the work 257 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: that they put in. So I think like, now, like 258 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: you said, like, I'm not a doughnut Connors, so I'm 259 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,000 Speaker 1: not I'm not a pastry chef for a bigger I'm black, 260 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 1: and I want to own suit. You gotta like, if 261 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,440 Speaker 1: you black, the first thing you need to do is own. 262 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 1: So I'd rather own a small house then run a 263 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: big penthouse. And I think, like, we need to understand 264 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: like our wealth strategy and these wife folks wealth strategy 265 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: is totally different. Our wealth strategy is gonna have to 266 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: come from starting a small business that's gonna be supported 267 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: by black people, building a robust top line for that 268 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 1: business so that way you got disposable income, which means 269 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: that you can hire all black people, and then taking 270 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,440 Speaker 1: that disposable income and figuring out how to invest actively. 271 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: Because that's another thing. I was talking to the brother 272 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,439 Speaker 1: yesterday and the conversation was, you know the majority of 273 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: the young people in the rush to do nothing. Everybody 274 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: wants to sit on the ass. You know, you watch 275 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: Instagram and you hear about passive income or NFTs and crypto, 276 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: and now you run into that that ain't even your passion. 277 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: You need to sit down, figure out what it is 278 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: that you like to do. Put some money behind that, 279 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 1: because you can control your destiny. The fastest way to 280 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: become successful in this world is the investor yourself. We 281 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: brag on the internet about owning stocks in these white 282 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: boys companies, and that ain't gonna get you nowhere because 283 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: all you basically did was give him money to further 284 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: his business and he get your dividend. It's over with them. 285 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 1: Days are over. So now it's time for you to 286 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,319 Speaker 1: invest in yourself, invest in your team, invest in your man, 287 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: your friend. Don't buy the Nike, stop your home. We 288 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: got a T shirt line, give him a thousand dollars. 289 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: Push that because you can control the narrative. Don't buy 290 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: the Apple, stop invest in black technology. It's just time, 291 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: like black people need to snap out of it. You know, 292 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: when we pick these phones up every day, we see yachts, 293 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: and we see and we see hotels across the world's 294 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: in vacation. We don't own none of that ship. So 295 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: you go on this exotic vacation in Monica and come 296 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: right back to the apartment you're staying with your brother 297 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: or your sister, Like, we gotta snap out of it. 298 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: So the number one thing I knew was like, Yo, 299 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: life real, And if I don't own it, I can't 300 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: control my narrative. If I can't control my narrative, I'm 301 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: caught up in the next man situation and I can't 302 00:13:48,280 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: have it. Brooklyn Heights is seventy two percent white, one 303 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: of the most affluent neighborhoods in New York City. But 304 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: Derek has thrived with multiple locations, always situated in predominantly 305 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: white environments, and it's aiming to bring visibility, diversity and 306 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: awareness of these scenes with quality black owned products. And 307 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: they pull up. How does he do it? Derek speaks 308 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: on it. Black people have less than one percent of 309 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: the wealth in this country. Would you agree that's true? 310 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: That's true, that's true, right, all right? So who got 311 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: the majority of the month? White will got it right, 312 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: all right? So too, so I'm and then I got 313 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: high quality product, and you know, white people got the money, 314 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: and then white people want they consume. You got to 315 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: think about how white people consume black people consume based 316 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: off of socialism and heard you was black owned you, 317 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: you might have a level of accessibility to I heard 318 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: it was a quality product. Right, White people consume offer 319 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: two things, not impersonal. Is it high quality product? And 320 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: is it closed to me? If so I bought all day. 321 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: If I'm into one percent and it's it has a 322 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: low price, like a low ticket price, like four or 323 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: five dollars, I'll buy it all day. It's not like 324 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: they buying the maserati. You see what I'm saying. So 325 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 1: you got to realize, like positioning was the number one 326 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:14,640 Speaker 1: thing for me. How could I position my brand to 327 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: be most successful, not to be most socially acceptable? Most successful? Yeah? 328 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: So you know people saying to me, yo, won't you 329 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: go on a black neighborhood, say black neighborhood like well, 330 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: like Brownsville or like Brown Heights or bead Stop. They're 331 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: not black neighborhoods. They white neighborhood. White boys on the neighborhoods, 332 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: black people live there. We don't own anything there. You don't. 333 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: We don't own a majority of no neighborhood in New 334 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: York city, should they not black neighborhoods. There's a lot 335 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: of black residence in a concentrated space, right, So that 336 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: won't work for me because if if the if the, 337 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: if the income levels they're are low and can't support 338 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: my product, then how can I be successful? So our 339 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: niche was built around our product and the price point 340 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: for our product, which happens to be a sixty dollars 341 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: dozens of donuts. Right, So like in that's space, you 342 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: would want to go to Soho tribe, back to the 343 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: West Village, you know, Brooklyn Heights. Now we would probably 344 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: go to the majority black neighborhoods if we were in 345 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: like Atlanta, you know what I'm saying. But people still 346 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: have to own those properties in those neighborhoods to me 347 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: for them to be considered black neighborhoods. So I was 348 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: going in Brooklyn Heights was very strategic. It was about 349 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 1: putting black faces in white spaces. When I was hustling 350 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: and I was moving around, when I was living in LAM, 351 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: when I was in New York or DC, I always 352 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: was in the flooring neighborhoods and I rarely saw it myself, 353 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: and I knew that, so I knew it was room 354 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: for me there. You know what I mean is how 355 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 1: many of floring black people. Let me ask you this question, right, 356 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 1: A flooring and successful black people, they typically got to 357 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: spend their money with white folks. When a flooring and 358 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: successful black people go out to eat, they don't go 359 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: to a five star black restaurant. They don't go shop at, 360 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: you know, a luxury black department store. They don't so 361 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: like it's a lane just specifically for servicing that level 362 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: of black people. And that's what I'm here for. I'm 363 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: here for them as well. I think that how do 364 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: you determine how much of yourself you can bring to 365 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: you know when if you're building these in predominantly non 366 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 1: black neighborhoods, and as a black as black people, it's 367 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: not always easy to just beat ourselves in these neighborhoods 368 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: and continue to have them want to do business with us. 369 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: How do you think about that? How did you bring 370 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: the culture to your shops? You get all the shit 371 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: if you want, But black people, see, I'm gonna be 372 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:25,639 Speaker 1: honest with you, and I'm not speaking in general. I'm 373 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: speaking on a lot of black people, right. A lot 374 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: of black people are afraid of white folks. They scared 375 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 1: because you got to think about the indoctated mindset. Right, 376 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 1: the majority of black people, progressive black people right out 377 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: every day have a job, right, so they got a job. 378 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: The majority of them got degrees, and they work for 379 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: white folks. So like black people have a tendency to like, 380 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: you know, kind of whisper when white people come around 381 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: if they're talking about white folds. But white folks fooling 382 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: not respect that. I rather know you don't like me. 383 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: I rather know you get up. I just rather know, Right, 384 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: So you got realize, Like bro, always tell people, I'm 385 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,159 Speaker 1: not gonna be the more successful. I'm gonna be the 386 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: most popular, but I'm the most failest. So the fear 387 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: comes from not owners, and the feed comes from being 388 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: lazy and not doing the work. Like for example, right, 389 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: think about life is a fight that you prepared for. 390 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: Once you prepared nine times out of ten, you're not fearful. 391 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:18,199 Speaker 1: Think about the fight, and you're getting the ring and 392 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 1: you don't own yourself. Someone else manages with you and 393 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: it's another company promoting the fight. You gotta now playcate 394 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: them and appeal to what they think. Are you? I 395 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: never built a format where I had the appeal to nobody. 396 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: So you gotta vadize, like, yes, my whole ship was this. 397 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 1: I've rather had something small that I own. There's something 398 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: big that I don't own, because once I got something 399 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,159 Speaker 1: smaller than I own, I can really beat myself. So 400 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: you averlize on today's society. Right, I'm gonna tell you 401 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 1: the number one thing in today's society, in a world 402 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,159 Speaker 1: where a lot of young black people are trying to 403 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 1: figure out who they are, the number one thing you 404 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,159 Speaker 1: can figure out is who you're not. You need to 405 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: know that. You need to know who you're not. And 406 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 1: a lot of people working up every day not able 407 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: to beat themselves. A lot of people working up they 408 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,400 Speaker 1: having to make themselves small. And that's from a lack 409 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,359 Speaker 1: of ownership, a lack of entrepreneurship and a lack of 410 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,679 Speaker 1: ownership more specifically. So I wasn't really interested in that. 411 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: Like to be honest with you, I like to go 412 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 1: to the neighborhoods and be myself and to be honest 413 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 1: with you. They respect that more because it's like, Yo, 414 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: they already know I got thirty black people that work 415 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: for me who don't act nothing like you. I'm like, yeah, 416 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 1: they did. When they get off of work, they're scared. 417 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: They're scared, and like, you don't know how many times 418 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: I've been on platforms with successful people, right black black 419 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: men and women who are like yo, I wanted to 420 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: say the same shit you said, but I feel you, brother, 421 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 1: I can't say it well at that point, like what's 422 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: the purpose of living? Yeah for me? For me, you 423 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, I'd rather make twenty dollars I 424 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: had my opinion than to make ten thousand dollars. I 425 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: had to care of who I am, you know what 426 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: I'm saying. So, so if you were to google your 427 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: shop or you know, go on social media Instagram and 428 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: TikTok whatever, there's a lot of social media for people, 429 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: not even just from you guys, people being at your 430 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: shop or having your How have you leveraged social media 431 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: intentionally to generate that much attention? Yeah, So I don't 432 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: control the social media. My partner's D two, but she 433 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: control the social media. It's crazy because like, she put 434 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: a lot of work in the social media. So she 435 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,920 Speaker 1: built us up from like you started with like seven 436 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: eight thousand followers when she came on to fifty thousand followers, 437 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: and it's you know, a lot of the posts that 438 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: she's put up best gone viral or had a lot 439 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: of attraction and things like that. And you know, just 440 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 1: two days ago somebody hacked out page. So we lost 441 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: a lot of those followers on the Cloudy Underscool Donuts, 442 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,680 Speaker 1: but we now on Cloudy Donut Coke, which, like she said, 443 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: you don't make more sense obviously, But yeah, dude, hack 444 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: the page called me talking about um, you know, I 445 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: got your page. Hack, how much you're gonna pay me? 446 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: Like I'm not paying you. I built it again. I 447 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: got the recipe. It's me. You know what I'm saying. 448 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: I understand like this man, when you got a recipe 449 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: for success, you could get it back. I can make 450 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: the mambo saw spinning on the floor and make it again, 451 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: you know. Izing so um in terms of social media, 452 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: how she's leveraged, and she's definitely got a lot of 453 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: very important and profound people in the culture into the shop. 454 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 1: We've got a lot of great feedback when it comes 455 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:14,919 Speaker 1: to the quality of the the product, because I focus on 456 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: the quality of the product, and she focused on the 457 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: interface and the floor of the shot. She control all that. 458 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: But man, I'll just be trying for the man. Yo, Listen, 459 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: I try to give them the best ship we could 460 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 1: give them in the world. Like, Yo, to realize, I'm 461 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 1: coming from a place where I'm an authentic self. I'm 462 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: in a rich white neighborhood. You know what I'm saying. 463 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: I got a pass. They could google me. So, like 464 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 1: what gives me the leverage the quality product? See, black 465 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 1: people need to understand that. Yo. Once we start leaning 466 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: in the quality products the world to a certain degree, 467 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: the sea pots for you. Because think about these white boys, right, 468 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: Like these white boys when they create companies and products, right, 469 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: they're able to get away with murder. They do all 470 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: kind of shit because they got power and influence and 471 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: they own you think, let me ask you a question 472 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: right now, do you think that the world is positioned 473 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: for Jeff Bezos or Elon Muster just go to jail 474 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: and it's just over all that shit they're responsible for. 475 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: If they get pulled over or do some wild man, 476 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: they're gonna get a slap on the wrist. You know 477 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Just keeping it a buck, right, you 478 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: know what's going on? So, like, you know, all these 479 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: white boys when they own companies. But we don't have 480 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: that space. But I'm gonna tell you why we don't 481 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,640 Speaker 1: got the space because we don't own. See, we complain 482 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: about them, Listen, we complain what we're gonna do, what 483 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: the fuck we're supposed to do. If you bootstrap yourself 484 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,920 Speaker 1: and you own something, and you put you on your 485 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:40,439 Speaker 1: people on, you can control your narrative and you have 486 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: a much bigger voice in your community, black or white. 487 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: So you gotta realize I think about Cloude either. Yeah. 488 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: The one, the number one thing about Cloudy Darners Brooklyn 489 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: Heights is they're life folks in Brooklyn. I'm glad that 490 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: they love us and they support us, but they got 491 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: to deal with me. Whether they love us to hate us. 492 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: You want to deal with my black ass, Well, I'm 493 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: going I own this. Shi what you're gonna do, I'm 494 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,200 Speaker 1: putting you on your head. See, once I own something, 495 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: I'm putting you on your heels. So let's talk about 496 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,239 Speaker 1: the multip You got multiple locations. Now, how did you 497 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 1: build that capacity to be able to because when you 498 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: specifically food service, when you're doing food services, it can 499 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,160 Speaker 1: be very hands on. If you didn't build it correctly. 500 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: How do you How did you build an operation that 501 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 1: allows you to not be be super close but to 502 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,719 Speaker 1: be able to do it from a distance. Now I'm 503 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 1: hella closed. I made the donuts this morning, like I'm close, 504 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,199 Speaker 1: like because yo, listen, that's another thing I want to 505 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,199 Speaker 1: talk about too, like because people would see me and 506 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: get them thinking like, oh, you know, I could have 507 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: five stores and be hands up, yo. I work every day. 508 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 1: I work, Yeah, I work. I'm gonna make it cool. 509 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: I ain't even gonna try to play it up. I 510 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 1: got the role lections and I'm on it, y'all. I 511 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: ain't none, ain't or none of that ship. I'm in 512 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: there watching the donuts. I'm at the brunch, watching the 513 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: brunch like we we we we we missed construed like 514 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: I gave away everything to get what I got, so 515 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: I always you know, Ray Dalio said best. You can 516 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 1: have anything in this world you want, but you can't 517 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: have everything. So I don't go on vacation. I don't 518 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: got you know, um all the extra trappings. I'm not 519 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: caught side with the celebrities and shit like that. Like 520 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: I'm sitting in a spot watching and make the donuts. 521 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: That's how I scaled, see like, That's why I say. 522 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: And we live in a society with everybody in a 523 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,640 Speaker 1: race to do nothing. And I always tell people, look 524 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 1: a person that's sitting next to you for two days 525 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: and think they could beat you. They see you and 526 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 1: think they could be you. That's the problem with young people. 527 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: So that I put you got put a head set 528 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: on for three days, He's like, oh yeah, I don't 529 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: need will no more, and forget the twenty years of 530 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: work that you put in to get where you're at, right, 531 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: you see what I'm saying. So like, for me to 532 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: scale those locations, it really came from a place to 533 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 1: like desperation. It ain't come from a happy place. Well, 534 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 1: it came from like mine. Listen, if I don't scale this, 535 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 1: my father dophing. I can't go back to prison, you 536 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. It can't from like yo, Like 537 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: when I'll be building the stores, I don't be having 538 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:07,679 Speaker 1: a bunch of money. I'll be having a bunch of heart. No, 539 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,679 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna figure it out. Yeah, y'all don't be 540 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: having though I'm not sitting up here kicked up and 541 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 1: jeweled up like I'm in it, like all right, it's 542 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand for this store, but it's fifty for 543 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 1: me to get in. Let's just focus on the fifty 544 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: I get in, all right, it's fifty for me to 545 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: build it out in another fifty and fifty and then 546 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna just keep going. I'm gonna just keep digging 547 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 1: into the ship down like some of the stores taking 548 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: me two years to build out, because I'm building it 549 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: with my own money. Like I ain't it ain't It 550 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: ain't sweet over here. It's a dog fight over here. Yeah, 551 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: this ain't sweet. So you know, people tending to see 552 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: the end result but down't see the process. So I 553 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: scaled my shit out off for like, man, I got 554 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 1: this one store, but I know there's not enough. I'm 555 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: gonna live in a studio apartment. I'm gonna driver Mini Cooper. Yeah, 556 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 1: I don't watch TV. I don't drink, don't smoke, don't 557 00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:58,919 Speaker 1: hang out. So it sounds good till they get on 558 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: that run with me and they all off. It's a 559 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: real mirth thumb, you know what I'm saying. And it 560 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: and to be honest, I wouldn't suggest people take my path. 561 00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,919 Speaker 1: I took a real, drastic, real one percent type of 562 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: role bro like, I ain't gonna see that pain in 563 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,800 Speaker 1: line and be like, yeah, y'all could be just like me. Man, 564 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,160 Speaker 1: a mouth animal. Man. The majority of people ain't even 565 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: gonna make the sacrifices I'm gonna make just being honest. Right, 566 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: So at this point, if your goal was not to 567 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 1: be me, your goal is to become inspired by me 568 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,360 Speaker 1: to be you. Yeah, they're that. I like that line. 569 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 1: You know, there's a quote I read that you did 570 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: another interview where you said, you know, you're the first, 571 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: particularly to your location in Brooklyn Heights. You're the first 572 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: in your only black owned shop there, but you don't 573 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: want to be the last. I mean, can you talk 574 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,360 Speaker 1: about what you've done and what you're passionate about doing 575 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 1: to make sure that other black entrepreneurs can thrive in 576 00:26:54,800 --> 00:27:00,280 Speaker 1: locations that are not predominantly black people? Oh, man, listen 577 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,360 Speaker 1: to me, you thrive, to be honest with you, You're 578 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: gonna thrive more because listen to me, black people are 579 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,160 Speaker 1: gonna come to you wherever you Yeah, I'll not forget Listen. 580 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,879 Speaker 1: All my locations in white neighborhoods, they just talk about it. 581 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: Because I'm in Brooklyn now a right, I'm in my 582 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: toiout lady like YO, when I opened up and brought 583 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: them a roping up in Federal Hill, and it was 584 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: like and I was like, yo, I don't know where 585 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: all the black people come from. Every time I opened, 586 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: she said that it don't matter if you opened in Alaska. 587 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: If you're blackness, some shit good, they're going to come. 588 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,879 Speaker 1: But if but white folks not gonna come, they're not 589 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,479 Speaker 1: gonna come to Brownsville to get the doughnuts. So, yo, 590 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: you can. It's a super win because if if you're black, 591 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,879 Speaker 1: you're needed in white neighborhoods. They want the coach there anyway. 592 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 1: You know what it is, they still the coach and 593 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: they pose a line like, man, what are we caving? All? 594 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 1: That's what they do. They appropriate, right, all right, it's cool, 595 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: So create the medium of commerce in the middle of it. 596 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: Like you're crazy. You think you think if I go 597 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: to track backa right now, that blacks ain't gonna be outside. 598 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 1: They're gonna be outside looking for me and waiting on me. Man. 599 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: So more black people definitely need to We need more 600 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 1: black faces in white spaces. I mean I think that, 601 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: like even in what I did in Baltimore. It ignited 602 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: a whole movement where two or three other restaurantores came 603 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: behind me and got restaurants downtown in the in the 604 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: city there. And then a buddy of mine, Um Curity, 605 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: from the Good Parting Company, he did a juice spat 606 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: on John Hopkins. He and John Hopkins University but dominant 607 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: affluent white university. So these things that happened, And like 608 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: Ji Rous the younger um the Burgler spot, he is 609 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: so well, it's a black man, Like you know what 610 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 1: I'm saying. It's just that I'm gonna tell you will 611 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: be the difference. I'll be going to the spot and 612 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: I'm a little ghetto ye, So it's like, you know, 613 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 1: they'd be thinking like, damn, he's really really really you 614 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: know what I mean, part of the culture. So it's 615 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: like and that's what really helped help me stand out 616 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: because I'm able to bring all that culture with me. 617 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: In that same interview, I believe you talked about systems 618 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: and education that you wanted to build, that you were 619 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: building for other black entrepreneurs to be able to find 620 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: success and thrive, particularly when you're doing multiple locations. It's 621 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: important to have those systems like this. These you know, 622 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 1: standard operating procedures. What key things have you learned that 623 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 1: allows your business to thrive when you're not there that 624 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: other people can implement in their businesses. You got to 625 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: get out of your emotions. This system will allow you 626 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: to prevail. Invest your money and systems. They won't let 627 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 1: you down. People will let you down all the time. 628 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 1: My other brother system, they're gonna let you down, infallible 629 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 1: the people they make mistakes. This system is the most 630 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: consistent thing that will allow your brand to perpetuate. Don't 631 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: get emotional about your business. People tend to say, well, 632 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: I want to get my business in my son or 633 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,360 Speaker 1: my daughter. They don't even want to run your business. Well, 634 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 1: you know, I want to give it to my system 635 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 1: because why well because that is my sister. Yeah, your 636 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 1: ship gonna be closed next year. Black people have to 637 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: understand that for us to grow our businesses, we have 638 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: to withdraw all emotions. Your business is best being passed 639 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: down to the person that can further the business, not 640 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: maintain it, and not let it go down. The person 641 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: that can further the business. There's no one in my 642 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: immediate family that could perpetuate my business. Further than I have. 643 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 1: So therefore I wouldn't give it to them. But what 644 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: I would do is I would give it to someone 645 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: who could perpetuate it and create a trust where they 646 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: can benefit from. So we gotta we gotta get out 647 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: of our own way. So when it comes to systems 648 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 1: and processes, specifically even in the day, your day to 649 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: day in a way in which you live your life, 650 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: you know, getting up on time, going to work early, 651 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: staying late, not really watching the clock, being able to 652 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: make sure that you got you know, a level of 653 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: balancing in life, but not extreme balance, because we live 654 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 1: in a self care phase where people just feel like 655 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: the down gotta do shit. And then that's why you 656 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: know they live in a small studios or efficiencies with 657 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: roommates because you know, you feel like you ain't gotta 658 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 1: do shit. In order for us to get where we 659 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: gotta go, I'm talking to black people. In order for 660 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: us to get where we gotta go, you're going to 661 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 1: have to work extremely hard and extremely smart. And then 662 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: after you work hard and smart, you're gonna have to 663 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: attract people who work really hard and really smart. Yeah, 664 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,480 Speaker 1: it's no duck in it. It's no only fans in it. 665 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: It's no overnight Instagram app. And then now these these 666 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: white boys created these apps. I told Zodie the other day, 667 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 1: Listen when they took the fifty thousand followers from us, 668 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: how you feel? Because I'm still me, you know what 669 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:33,400 Speaker 1: I'm saying. So I'm still a hustler. So that shit 670 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,040 Speaker 1: really don't matter. Don't get tied up in and none 671 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 1: of that. Put your money into yourself, put your money 672 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: into your people. Like for example, right now, the next 673 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: phase for me is I'm on the ground bootstrap VC money, 674 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: like at that build out the donut shops, and I 675 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: do what I gotta do. I'm real to state developing. 676 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 1: I'm looking. I'm looking for young black entrepreneurs who got 677 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:55,480 Speaker 1: some shit, and I'm trying to get your bat So like, 678 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: it's a lot of people that's not gonna have systems 679 00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: in processes, so what you're gonna count them out? But 680 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: they got a high quality product or service. Put the 681 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:04,520 Speaker 1: system in process around them and get this some money. 682 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: You know what I mean. We're leaven a lot of 683 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: money on the table. Man, We're putting all this money 684 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,239 Speaker 1: in the crypto NFTs. We don't know shit about these 685 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 1: people or what they got going on. You don't personally 686 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: know this man, like you don't know Bill Gates personally. 687 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: You don't even know if he liked black people, but 688 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: you keep bragging abody, you got twenty shares of micro shot. 689 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: What are some of those critical mistakes often made, particularly 690 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: black owned shops retail shop You don't just shops, particularly 691 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,200 Speaker 1: not CpG everything like that, but critical mistakes often made 692 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:41,440 Speaker 1: where we end up owning a job versus owning a business. Okay, 693 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: I say two things typically coming to plan, we put 694 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: the product before the process, so like yeah, yeah, so 695 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 1: we put the product over the process. So a person 696 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: attended to come at me and be like, yeah, I'll 697 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: make a crazy cookie cookie. I make everybody love it. 698 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: My mother love it, my sister love it. I got 699 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: twenty thousand followers, and I say, well, how much the 700 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: cook he cars to make? I don't know, Like, all right, 701 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: how long do it take you to bake two thousand cookies? 702 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: If you get an order? I don't really know, Like 703 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 1: you know, I normally just do it for my home girls. 704 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: And now you're in that space, right. I've run into 705 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 1: so many private chefs who you get on Instagram I 706 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:24,120 Speaker 1: got a hundred thousand followers, and they don't know. They've 707 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: got no process. They just sit in the house and create. Right. So, like, 708 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 1: I think about it like this, because a buddy and 709 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: mine told me said, think about the artist. Right after 710 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 1: the artists paint the Picasso and the businessman walk up 711 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 1: to him and say, well, how much did that? Cause 712 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: he typically don't know. And that's why Picasso live a 713 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: life of insolvency and want Buffett live a life of influence. 714 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: And then, now, how can we marry these two parties? Right? 715 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: How can the black businessman or the capitalists be able 716 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: to see that young guy who's a party promoter or 717 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 1: who's an artist or who's like a like a like 718 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:56,480 Speaker 1: a big graffiti artist in New York and say, yo, 719 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: we can monetize this. We can add a level of 720 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,479 Speaker 1: calm rest to this while also keeping it authentic and 721 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: keeping it culturally and rich it you feel, I'm saying, so, like, 722 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: that's the That's the first thing they do. They put 723 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:11,960 Speaker 1: process over product. They put product over process. The second 724 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 1: thing they do is they allow two very important emotions 725 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 1: to get in their way. Feel ego, the feel of 726 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: if I team up with you what is it going 727 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: to do to me? Or the ego of I can't 728 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 1: team up with you because I'm better than you, and 729 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 1: you don't win with neither one of those joints. When 730 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 1: neither one of those situations, you always lose, right. So 731 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 1: like for me, I run into an all day with 732 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 1: what black entrepreneurs where it like we'll reached out to somebody, right, 733 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 1: We'll be like, yo, um we know this. You make 734 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:43,439 Speaker 1: really good cupcakes. We don't make cupcakes. And then it's 735 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,960 Speaker 1: like they'd leave you on scene, right, and they circle 736 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,919 Speaker 1: back after you get hot, and you'll be like, yeah, 737 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,480 Speaker 1: we reached out to you two years ago. Yeah I 738 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: wasn't really, but you broke you made your minded things. 739 00:34:57,239 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, like like like black people focused on all 740 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:01,960 Speaker 1: the wrong Oh shit, like I might listen, I'm like, 741 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: d m M kid me me, I don't got no 742 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:07,440 Speaker 1: popular Instagram four hundred five. I might d m A kid. 743 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: He got fifty thousand followers, he's selling wings. Right. He 744 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:13,560 Speaker 1: leave me on saying oh, I think about it, I'm 745 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: to see then next hit double back with me and 746 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:17,920 Speaker 1: you find out like, so how much money you made? Oh? 747 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,359 Speaker 1: I don't really like A thousand a week, I'm gonna 748 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: stop playing man. I don't know, like think about it, like, 749 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,200 Speaker 1: think about large groups of black men, that's powerful ownership together, 750 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 1: that's the ego. Think about small black guys who want 751 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: to come up, that's fair like you o fit ego 752 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:36,840 Speaker 1: getting away. So I always say, you know, put process 753 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,200 Speaker 1: over product, eliminate your fears and your egos. You're gonna 754 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: get anywhere you gotta go. Once you get over the 755 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:43,239 Speaker 1: good look, you get some good money. Then it's the 756 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: three e's, education, experience, and exposure. Those things gonna leave 757 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: black people to be the fourth EA, which is an entrepreneur. 758 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:52,440 Speaker 1: And then when it comes to your legacy, it's the 759 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: three p's. You see what I'm saying. Preservation and protection 760 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:57,440 Speaker 1: could lead to perpetuation. It could put you in this 761 00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:59,240 Speaker 1: space where you can grow something. You have to preserve 762 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: or protect what it is that you have so that 763 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 1: you could perpetuate it in further and any time to 764 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:06,920 Speaker 1: get hard. You got the three asses, saving plus sacrifice 765 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: equal scaling. It will definitely put you where you need 766 00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:12,840 Speaker 1: to be. Don't worry about borrowing no money. We're about 767 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:16,560 Speaker 1: saving somebody. The minute that you borrow your enslave to it. 768 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:18,600 Speaker 1: I didn't. I didn't borrow. I didn't borrow, I didn't 769 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,279 Speaker 1: took out hard money loans to get real estate, all 770 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: that type of I'm glad I'm getting out by to 771 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:25,879 Speaker 1: those situations and I got out the most of them. 772 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,240 Speaker 1: Like nah, so like focus on, like yo. The biggest 773 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:31,920 Speaker 1: thing for black people to be successful right in anything 774 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:37,319 Speaker 1: they do, it's all instill in principles, not practices. A 775 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:39,600 Speaker 1: practice is what you sell. A principle is what you 776 00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: live by. You see what I'm saying. It's gonna take 777 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:48,200 Speaker 1: some long standing principles like integrity, hard work, leadership skills, 778 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 1: how not to quit, how to have some grit, stop 779 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:55,200 Speaker 1: looking on the internet for the answers, looking yourself. The 780 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: internal work that's gonna push you to the next level, 781 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:14,840 Speaker 1: that's the answer. Black Tech Green Money is the production 782 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,960 Speaker 1: of Black Vit, the afrotech When, the Black Effect Podcast Network, 783 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 1: and iHeart Medium. It's produced by Morgan Dubonne and me 784 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: Well Lucas, with additional production supported by Sarah Ergin and 785 00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:27,880 Speaker 1: Rose McLucas and special thank you to Michael Davis. Something 786 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:30,720 Speaker 1: That's a Serrano. Learn more about Midcast and other technis 787 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:34,920 Speaker 1: represent innovators at afrotech dot com. Enjoying black tech, green money. 788 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:40,719 Speaker 1: Share us with somebody, Go get your money. Peace and love,