1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Black Tech, Green Money. Will Lucas here so excited to 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: be back. 3 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 2: And I have a special guest today, Joan Weaver's founder, 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 2: n CEO Forefront and Atlanta based startup that's on a 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 2: mission to bring black brands to the forefront literally by 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 2: connecting them with influencers who promote their products to millions 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 2: on social media. Which is also a twenty twenty four 8 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 2: Black Ambrush and HBCU Grand Prize winner fifty thousand dollars. 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: Welcome Jordan, Thank you. 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 3: I'm excited to be. 11 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 2: Here, absolutely absolutely So. I want to start this off 12 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 2: and I want to provide in this interview like a 13 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 2: lot of value for both black owned brands and black 14 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: creatives if you can help me out with that. And 15 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 2: so let's start with creatives. So, how can emerging creatives, 16 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 2: people who don't have a million followers yet, but they're 17 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 2: you know, they're talented perhaps or they think they're talented, 18 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 2: how can they start earning money from their content? Like, 19 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 2: what are the best ways to start doing this? Even 20 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 2: if you just have a small follower. 21 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 4: I think the best way to begin to monetize your 22 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 4: content your audience as a smaller creator is through UGC 23 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 4: collapse so that's user generated content, and that's essentially when 24 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,839 Speaker 4: a brand is paying you to have access to content 25 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 4: that you create. So it's not something they're paying you 26 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 4: to get access to your audience or to post in 27 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 4: front of your audience. They're just saying, hey, you create 28 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 4: quality videos. We want you to create some videos of 29 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 4: you using our product. We're going to take full license 30 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 4: of that content and share that with our audience, share 31 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 4: that through our marketing ads and things of that nature. 32 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 4: I think that's a great way for creators to start 33 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 4: because it kind of helps you to booch your rapport, 34 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 4: booster your portfolio, but it also allows you to really 35 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 4: get that practice in without having to lean so heavily 36 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 4: on your audience. So as you're still working to build 37 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 4: your audience, you still have the ability to monetize, let's say, 38 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 4: even if you only have a couple hundred followers. So 39 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 4: user generated content is definitely something that I want to 40 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 4: see a lot more creators leverage as they're working to 41 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 4: build their audience. So that's one of the main ways. 42 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 4: But also just getting started with gifted campaigns. I know 43 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 4: a lot of times people hear the word gifted free. 44 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 4: Nobody really wants to work for free, but especially if 45 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 4: you're a creator, you know, just trying to get your 46 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 4: foot in the door. Give the campaigns are a great 47 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 4: way for you to boost that rapport, booster rapport with 48 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 4: that brand so that they're comfortable to begin paying you. 49 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 4: So they can kind of see what your work looks like, 50 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 4: how good you guys work together, and then maybe the 51 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 4: next collaboration they see just the value you were able 52 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 4: to bring to that brand and that campaign, and now 53 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 4: they want to pay you. So I would say UGC, 54 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 4: but also not being afraid to run from those gifted 55 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 4: campaigns in the beginning and. 56 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 2: You get free, but yeah, have a free product. And 57 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 2: so with a brand is looking for somebody to that 58 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: doesn't have a huge follow when yet, but they're looking 59 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 2: for somebody to you know, take that content and read, 60 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 2: you know, collabor on that content, or take that content 61 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 2: and publish it directly on their platforms. 62 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,119 Speaker 1: What are they typically looking for? 63 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 2: So because this person as does have like a million 64 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 2: followers yet, so what is it that they're looking for 65 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,119 Speaker 2: in these smaller creators that says that's the person who 66 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 2: you know, I like what they do. 67 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 4: So it's actually crazy that nowadays a lot more brands, 68 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 4: whether they're larger brands or smaller brands, they're actually looking 69 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 4: for more micro creators and that's because they have a 70 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 4: lot more engagement. They have a higher engagement rate versus 71 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 4: somebody who has millions of followers. They may have the 72 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 4: follower account, but they might not have the ability to 73 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 4: convert or have high conversion rates. So I think that's 74 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 4: one of the biggest things that brands are looking for 75 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 4: is Okay, if I invest in you as an influencer 76 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 4: to promote and create content from my brand, what is 77 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 4: the ROI going to be? Because ultimately that's what the 78 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 4: brands are looking for. Even if it takes a longer 79 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 4: time to see that ROI, brands want to see that 80 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 4: that investment that creator was worth it. So outside of 81 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 4: just follower account, it really does have to do with engagement. 82 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 4: But also a lot of brands are wanting to really 83 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 4: work with creators that align with their brands. They're no 84 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 4: longer just here to throw money at content creators just 85 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 4: because they're cute and have a lot of followers. Like, no, 86 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 4: I want to make sure that you align with my brand. 87 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 4: How do you connect with the creator the consumers that 88 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 4: we're trying to reach until brands are really making they 89 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 4: want to make sure that there's alignment because ultimately, when 90 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 4: I go back to the ROI, they wanting to see 91 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 4: how long can we work with this creator, how long 92 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 4: can we you know, establish this partnership. So it's not 93 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 4: just a one and done type of partnership. And so 94 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 4: I think again with these micro creators, they have the 95 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 4: ability to really connect with these brands, especially if especially 96 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 4: if you're an emerging up and coming creator for example, 97 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 4: who creating content about locks, right, you have a large 98 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 4: community that you're beginning to grow that also you know, 99 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 4: come to you for style tips or you know, ways 100 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 4: to really take care of your locks. You're building a 101 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 4: community within your audience that brands really value and they 102 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 4: want to pay you for because obviously the audience is 103 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 4: really who they're looking at target as well. So ultimately, 104 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 4: outside of follower count, I think it's all about engagement 105 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 4: product alignment again, because it's a partnership, it can't just 106 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 4: be a one off type of thing. Brands really want 107 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 4: to see who they can begin a partnership with for the. 108 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: Long run, defying UGC for me, so. 109 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 4: UGC is user generated content and so a lot of 110 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 4: times people merge influencer partnerships with UGC. They're similar, but 111 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 4: they're different. So you can be an influencer with a 112 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 4: whole bunch of followers that a brand is bringing you 113 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 4: in on for UGC campaign. So again, what a UGC 114 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 4: campaign is really when a brand is paying you to 115 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,239 Speaker 4: get access and right to your content. So let's say, 116 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 4: for example, I'm a large creator, I have millions of followers, 117 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 4: but a brand may not be able to afford my 118 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 4: rate to get in front of my followers. They could 119 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 4: possibly play my UGC rate where I can create some 120 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 4: content about their products, whether my face is in. 121 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 3: It or not, and get access to that content. 122 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 4: So it's really a way for brand to get quality 123 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 4: content about their products or with their products without having 124 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 4: to go and create that because obviously, being a merging brand, 125 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 4: being a team of one or two creating content is 126 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 4: the last that you want to do unless you just 127 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 4: enjoy it. So UGC is a way for a brand 128 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 4: to hire a content creator who understands what it takes 129 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 4: to create quality, just convertible content and be able to 130 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 4: invest in that as a way to use that on 131 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 4: their social media pages, to use that as a running 132 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 4: ad to use that on their Amazon storefront to kind 133 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 4: of show how the product works. You know, what are 134 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 4: the benefits of the product. So UGC is not just 135 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 4: a way to kind of demonstrate the product, but also 136 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 4: allow your audience to learn about your product, to learn 137 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 4: about your brand and why they should be buying it. 138 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 2: So if I'm developing content just because I love to 139 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 2: develop content and that brand see something in my feet 140 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: that they say I want that, I'm assuming that's it 141 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 2: versus and you can clarify if I have this wrong. 142 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: Versus them sending me a script, it's saying we want 143 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: you to do this. 144 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, it could still be a little bit of bird 145 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 3: both excuse me. 146 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 4: Where the brand has a criteria of what they're looking for, 147 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 4: but a lot of times there may be a content 148 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 4: creator that they see that they that aligns in their 149 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 4: industry or what have you, and they want to pay 150 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 4: that creator. So sometimes the the brand can get that 151 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 4: creator full access to create on their own terms, which 152 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 4: creators really love, as well as kind of give them, 153 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 4: you know, limitations just kind of what we're looking for. 154 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 4: So the brand still has some type of free range, 155 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 4: but it really comes down to okay, we're going to 156 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 4: get full rights to this content, so we own it 157 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 4: and we can use it as needed. Versus, Hey, we're 158 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 4: going to pay you to post a video on behalf 159 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 4: of our brand about our product to your audience, and 160 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 4: you leave it up for about six months or two 161 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 4: weeks however long you guys negotiate and it's off their page. 162 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 4: So essentially UGC just allows that brand to get that 163 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 4: right to that content and use it as needed. 164 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 2: So we have a good landscape that you've set for 165 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 2: the opportunity for creators in for brands. Talk about where 166 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 2: forefront sits in this whole ecosystem. 167 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, So I start a Forefront just because I saw 168 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 4: a huge gap in the market for black owned brands 169 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 4: and content creators. So I saw at Forefront just really 170 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 4: for my love for black owned businesses and supporting and 171 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 4: championing those businesses and just really seeing that there was 172 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 4: a huge opportunity within the influence and marketplace for bipop 173 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 4: creators to use their platforms and their influence to support 174 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 4: and uplift black owned brands. And so that's really how 175 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 4: Forefront was birthed, just really looking at the by black 176 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 4: landscape as well as the creator economy and seeing a 177 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 4: huge gap in the market where a lot of influencer 178 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 4: marketplaces were not catering to these small and minority owned businesses. 179 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 3: So when you go on to a. 180 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 4: Lot of our competitors platforms, you don't see creators that 181 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 4: identify or look like the consumers that they're looking for 182 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 4: or the consumers that they're already targeting. So what Forefront 183 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 4: does is makes it easy for these bipod and these 184 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 4: emerging brands to be able to connect and find content 185 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 4: creators that look like them, that connect with their audience, 186 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 4: but also really can create content that's authentic to who 187 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 4: the brand is versus them getting on these platforms finding 188 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 4: a content creator who just does not look like them 189 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 4: does not align with their brand, their brand's mission, just 190 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 4: their culture. And so that's really what Forefront is here 191 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 4: to do. Make it easier for emerging brands to be 192 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 4: able to play in this field of influencer marketing, which 193 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 4: is approaching a half a trillion dollars in the next 194 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 4: few years, and giving them an opportunity to earn, thrive 195 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 4: and shine in this market as well. But also on 196 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 4: the creator side, just on that same token, there's a 197 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 4: lack of representation. So when they get onto these marketplaces, 198 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 4: they're not seeing a lot of brands or products that 199 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 4: align with them, right, So what forefront is here to 200 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 4: do it just connect these creators who are looking for 201 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 4: opportunities to monetize their audience, but also connect with brands 202 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 4: that care about them, that value them, that look like them. 203 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 4: And also for the brands, making sure that they're able 204 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 4: to find creators that can help them to boost their 205 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 4: visibility and their sales online all within one. 206 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 2: And so for those brands that you know have the 207 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 2: revenue to do paid but they just want to do 208 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 2: gifted And I'm a creator, how should I think about 209 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 2: those opportunities. 210 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 3: From a creator standpoint. 211 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: Or from a creative standpoint? 212 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 3: Okay, I would say, would have. 213 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: Seen me all this stuff, but I know you can 214 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 1: run me your check. 215 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I would say take some of those products, 216 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:24,839 Speaker 4: show them what you're capable of, even if you don't 217 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 4: want to post it. Send them a message like, hey, 218 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 4: this is what I was able to create. If you 219 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 4: want access or rights to this content, this is my rates. 220 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 4: And if not, I appreciate them. I appreciate the gifts, 221 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 4: but I think that's a great way to start and 222 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:40,439 Speaker 4: even if they don't want to, you know, accept the 223 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 4: right then and there continue to show them what you're 224 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 4: capable of. 225 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 3: But like I said, I would not shy away. 226 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 4: Depending on where you are on your creator journey, I 227 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 4: wouldn't shy away from those gifted opportunities because you just 228 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 4: never know where that could lead. I get a lot 229 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,200 Speaker 4: of brands who reach out to me personally who say, 230 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 4: this is no strings attached. You know, we're just going 231 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 4: to get your feedback on the product, whether you post 232 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 4: it or not. And so that's a great opportunity for 233 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 4: myself as an emergent creator to say, hey, I actually 234 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:07,199 Speaker 4: really enjoyed this product. 235 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 3: I would love to create some content. What is your 236 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 3: budget like? 237 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,679 Speaker 4: So it's really just an opportunity for brands to you know, 238 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 4: explore opportunities with creators as well. It's not just that 239 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 4: they're looking for free content, but they're also looking for 240 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 4: relationships and partnerships. So it's really a matter of how 241 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 4: you want to maneuver through that. 242 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 3: But I would definitely. 243 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 4: Say take advantage of that opportunity, you know, create some 244 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 4: content if that's something that you feel would be useful, 245 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 4: if it's a brand that you would desire to work 246 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 4: with in the future and use it as an opportunity 247 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 4: as a stepping stone to get to a paid partnership. 248 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 2: So Jordan, as a founder CEO, you're getting ready for 249 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 2: your day, You're getting ready to lead a house, the apartment. 250 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: What is in your EBC, your everyday carry? 251 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 2: What are those things that you have to have on 252 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 2: you close by, within arms reach as you go throughout 253 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 2: your days. 254 00:11:57,720 --> 00:11:59,719 Speaker 4: Well, on my laptop, I don't go anywhere without my 255 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 4: lab top. I think my entire life is on this laptop. 256 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 4: I think I have a MacBook Air. Yeah, I might 257 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 4: need a new one soon. I've had this for a 258 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 4: few years, but we're going steady. I'm still a little 259 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,199 Speaker 4: bit older school when it comes to like my note takers. 260 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 4: Like I have two journals to have a personal journal 261 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 4: for just like you know, when I'm watching sermons. 262 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 3: Or just my every day just journaling. 263 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 4: But also I have a notebook for just my to 264 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 4: does and my task and my notes for throughout the day. 265 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: So any kind of journals or like mole skins or 266 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 2: it doesn't matter what kind of brand it. 267 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 4: Is, anykind really, but yeah, I have to that's just 268 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 4: you know, regular notebooks. I just I just like to 269 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 4: write my stuff down and cross it off. So those 270 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 4: are my every day I don't know if this helps, 271 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 4: but my topical gloss, that's my every day. I need 272 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 4: that to get through the day. If I leave it 273 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 4: at home, I'm like just not okay. Mentally, my lists 274 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 4: a little chat. But those are a couple of things 275 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 4: that are like constantly with me. 276 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 2: Say talk about you know, I talked to a few 277 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 2: creators recently, you know, DeMarcus Sean has been on recently, 278 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 2: Marshay Robbers Honts on recently, and they talked a lot 279 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 2: about like their daily routines and how they treat this 280 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 2: like a job. Can you talk about those those routines 281 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 2: or habits or lifestyle choices that successful creators have that 282 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 2: you found unsuccessful ones and ones that are struggling don't have. 283 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think one just really getting in the mindset 284 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 4: of creating content as a career. So when you think 285 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,439 Speaker 4: of Lebron James or any professional athlete, what they do 286 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 4: on each and everyday basis is go out and practice, 287 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,679 Speaker 4: go out, you know, shoot some threes, whatever the case is. 288 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 4: I think treating your craft as a content creator just 289 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 4: the same where you're getting up and practicing your craft 290 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 4: and proving craft, whether you have a brand deal or not. 291 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 4: If you're going out and let's say you're going to 292 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 4: support and trying out some new beauty products, create some content. 293 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 4: Don't wait for a brand to come to you with 294 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 4: a brand deal or with a check to say you're 295 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 4: gonna create some content. 296 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 3: I think that repetition is key. 297 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 4: That's how you're going to improve your craft because it's 298 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 4: definitely a craft, right, there's you know, art in the 299 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 4: science to creating content. I think the more you're out 300 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 4: creating content, getting feedback from brands, getting feedback from your 301 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 4: audience is when when you're gonna really learn what sticks 302 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 4: and what's gonna work. So, whether you're a larger creator 303 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 4: or a smaller creator, I think just getting out creating 304 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 4: content as much as possible, not just for the sake 305 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 4: of us, but to really learn your craft, to really 306 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 4: learn what your audience likes and cares for. But I 307 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 4: think that just really allows you to get as much insight. 308 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 4: So when brands do come to you, you have the 309 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 4: insight they know exactly what you're good at, what you're 310 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 4: valuable with, and you know going from there, So I 311 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 4: think just having that repetition and just getting in the 312 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 4: mindset each and every day going to create some content, 313 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 4: or you're learning from other content creators, so you're not 314 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 4: just in the business of scrolling on Instagram to you know, 315 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 4: you know, for entertainment, but you're looking, you're learning new 316 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:14,479 Speaker 4: tips and tricks. 317 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 3: And things of that nature. 318 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 4: So I think those are what separates, you know, the 319 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 4: best emerging content creators versus the ones who are not 320 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 4: really doing so well, they haven't really made that switch 321 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 4: of this is my career, this is something I really 322 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 4: want to truly pursue full time. 323 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 2: You talked a lot about how creators can you know, 324 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 2: especially are they're getting gifted you know, campaigns, how they 325 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 2: can communicate value. Can you talk about like some tactical ways, 326 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 2: especially if you have limited metrics, your numbers aren't super 327 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 2: huge yet, how can you communicate your value to a brand? 328 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 4: I think, ultimately, and this is something that we are 329 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 4: being very intentional with on forefront, is really just talking 330 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 4: about how you are to use that product or how 331 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 4: that product or that brand fits into your every day life. 332 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 4: Because again I'm sure a lot of these brands, especially 333 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 4: your favorite brands, they're getting a lot of creators pitching them, 334 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 4: they're getting a lot of agencies pitching them. 335 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 3: But if you can be very unique. 336 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 4: As to one, I use this product, I love this product, 337 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 4: and this is why, and then you can showcase and 338 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 4: demonstrate how you can incorporate that into your content, that's 339 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 4: going to be very valuable for brands. One of my 340 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 4: favorite content creators I can't even think of her name. 341 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 4: I think it's Chrissy, but she creates all the funny 342 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 4: content with her husband, and she's just goofy, like just 343 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 4: silly and so like she does a lot of content 344 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 4: creation or brand partnership to like these imitation cakes and 345 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 4: things of that nature, and I just love it because 346 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 4: it fits so well with her content. 347 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 3: She's goofy, she's silly, she's. 348 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 4: Just like never serious, and so a lot of these 349 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 4: unorthodox brands can come to her and they see themselves 350 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 4: in her content in her and there's alignment. So I 351 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 4: think from a creator's standpoint, just really being able to 352 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 4: not try to pitch every single brand, not trying to 353 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 4: go after every single partnership, but being very strategic on 354 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,479 Speaker 4: who are you as a person, what interest do you have, 355 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 4: what is your influence, What are you using your influence 356 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 4: for and how can that brand fall into place with that? 357 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,879 Speaker 4: So it's never just about Okay, I have a follower account, 358 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 4: let me just pitch every single brand I you know 359 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 4: have locks. Let me go and work with ten different 360 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 4: locked brands to you know, people still want to have 361 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 4: that trust, so they want to see, Okay, which. 362 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 3: Lock brand do you believe? 363 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, like, which one. 364 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 3: Do you really invest your money in? Things of that nature. 365 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 4: So I think just being very strategic on who you 366 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 4: pitch and why and knowing exactly why you want to 367 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 4: work with that brand and why that product aligns with 368 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 4: who you are as a person, who you are as 369 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 4: a creator and your audience. 370 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 3: So I think ultimately just having that alignment. 371 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm following this quote from you. 372 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 2: I don't know how old it was, but maybe there's 373 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:50,439 Speaker 2: a change in how the app works now. But you 374 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 2: said we're different from other marketplaces for black businesses because 375 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 2: we're not a marketplace. We're a social shopping app that 376 00:17:57,680 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 2: lets you follow your friends and top brands and state 377 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 2: updated on your favorite products. You talk more about this 378 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 2: and how it fits into the landscape of what you're 379 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 2: doing today. 380 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 4: Yeah, so that probably was a little bit older. We're 381 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 4: not so much of a social commerce like. That's kind 382 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 4: of how we started in like the social commerce place. 383 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 4: It was really back in the pandemic when I think, 384 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 4: really before TikTok really became what it is now. But 385 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,919 Speaker 4: we just wanted to see again just seeing more people's 386 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 4: shop and support black owned businesses. How can we get 387 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 4: them at the Forefront, And so I had this idea 388 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 4: of Forefront being the social shopping platform where as you're 389 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,880 Speaker 4: shopping and discovering black on brands, you can bring your 390 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 4: friends along that journey. And even though we've kind of 391 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 4: pivoted from that, we still have a similar sentiment on 392 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 4: that is just like, how can we as consumers, whether 393 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:48,720 Speaker 4: you're a content creator or not, how can we use 394 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 4: our influence to continue to uplift and champion black owned businesses. 395 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,360 Speaker 4: And so at the core of what Forefront is, that's 396 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 4: what we're all about. Our vision, Our mission is to 397 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 4: bring black businesses to the fore on other world. And 398 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 4: what that means to us is our black owned business 399 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 4: is becoming the next generation of household names. So how 400 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 4: can we do that? And looking at the current landscape 401 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 4: of social media and content creation, and how content creators 402 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,439 Speaker 4: really play a huge role in that. A lot of 403 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 4: the brands that we discovered today, before we go and 404 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 4: make a purchase, before we decide to purchase a product, 405 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,199 Speaker 4: we're looking at what other people are saying about this. 406 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 4: And so my thought process of what Forefront is today 407 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,119 Speaker 4: is like, these influencers, they have huge influence and we 408 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 4: want to help We want to help them to be 409 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 4: able to use that for the betterment of our community, 410 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 4: for black owned businesses, etc. So that's really kind of 411 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 4: the starting point of what Forefront is. But ultimately we 412 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 4: learn a lot from starting there, and we just realized 413 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 4: a lot of brands just wanted to connect with creators 414 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 4: and vice versa, and so that's how we pivot it 415 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 4: into being the first influencer and UGC marketplace for emerging 416 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:55,360 Speaker 4: bipop brands and creators. 417 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. 418 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 2: I mean, it's no secret that we're having a big 419 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:02,160 Speaker 2: national conversation about you know, these. 420 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,160 Speaker 1: Big retailers like Target. 421 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 2: Who was you know under protest you know, economic protests 422 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 2: from median our community at this point, and my only 423 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,239 Speaker 2: you know, concern about that is like where do we 424 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 2: go next? We're not so while we have energy against 425 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 2: what is the energy for and I hear more energy 426 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 2: about the against we don't want to shop here versus 427 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 2: energy four. Here's where we're going to shop. So I 428 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 2: would love to hear your take on this whole landscape. 429 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 3: Hmmm. 430 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 4: I love that you said that, because you're really speaking 431 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 4: my language. When all this stuff was happening earlier this year, 432 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 4: I was kind of a little bit frustrated because as 433 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,400 Speaker 4: someone who always has been about this life of supporting 434 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 4: black owned businesses before it's trendy or before something happened 435 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 4: within you know, Target, or you. 436 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 3: Know, a black man or a woman gets murdered. 437 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 4: Like I've always been about this life, I still am, 438 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,440 Speaker 4: you know, especially living in Atlanta, it's pretty easy. I 439 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 4: can just get up go to a coffee shop black 440 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 4: owned because of that nature. 441 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 3: So it's a lot easier for me. 442 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,480 Speaker 4: And I understand that not everyone has that mindset to 443 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 4: shot black first. So when that entire thing happened, I 444 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 4: was a little frustrated because I'm like, why are we 445 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 4: only talking about this one stuff like this happens. We 446 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,159 Speaker 4: should always be supporting black owned businesses. But to your point, like, 447 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 4: why are we talking so much more about boycott and 448 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 4: Target and not just supporting black owned businesses like that 449 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 4: should be in my mind, that should be just the 450 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:30,719 Speaker 4: top of the conversation, and I would love for it 451 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 4: to be you know, more normal, right. But ultimately my 452 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 4: initial thought process, I wasn't really I wasn't against the boycott, 453 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,760 Speaker 4: but I was not completely for it because my mind, 454 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,479 Speaker 4: I'm thinking about the black owned businesses that I always 455 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 4: go to Target to support and how they were going 456 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 4: to be affected by this boycott. 457 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 3: So that was my initial thide. I'm like, Okay, why 458 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 3: are we boycotted? 459 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 4: Like I get while we are, but also like can 460 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 4: we be a little strategic with it and still find 461 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 4: a way to support and champion the black owned businesses 462 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,400 Speaker 4: who are going to be most effected by this boycott. 463 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,440 Speaker 3: And understanding just the land of just. 464 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 4: Retail partnerships and things of that nature, why them being 465 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,119 Speaker 4: on these shelves is so impactful for these brands. But 466 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 4: also I had to realize from the grand scheme of 467 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,639 Speaker 4: things and then seeing some of these brands, you know, 468 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 4: get on board and say like hey, continue to boycott Target, 469 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 4: like we'll figure this out. 470 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 3: We're gonna survive. 471 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 4: And I think ultimately we do have to think bigger 472 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 4: as a community where we're talking about boycotting. 473 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 3: Or supporting black owned businesses. 474 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 4: And really having to sit down and think about how 475 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 4: are we as a community going to benefit the most. 476 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 4: So to your point, I think besides just saying boycott's target, 477 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 4: boycott Amazon, we should be highlighting where are we shopping, 478 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 4: how we're going to shop, And a lot of people 479 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 4: were taking that stance of like, let's just support them 480 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 4: on their websites. But again, if we're only going to 481 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 4: do that for the first couple of weeks while it's trendy, 482 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,880 Speaker 4: it does no good for anybody. So I think even 483 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 4: with forefront and our goal is to continue the conversation, 484 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,399 Speaker 4: to continue to keep these brands at the forefront of 485 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 4: consumers of our timeline, So regardless of if something is 486 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 4: trendy or not, somebody is being boycotted or not, we're 487 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 4: still in the mindset of supporting these black owned businesses. 488 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 3: Three sixty five twenty four seven. 489 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:17,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, and kind of along that line, Like you know, 490 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 2: I think a lot about ownership and we're always or 491 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 2: we're too often in my view, reliant on somebody else's 492 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 2: thing to make our stuff go, and so that that 493 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 2: leads me into this question of because we talked a 494 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 2: lot about creators here and how can we use our 495 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 2: platforms are you know, thousand and ten twenty thousand followers 496 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 2: million followers to launch our own. 497 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: Products and services. 498 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 2: So instead of just relying on you know, these brands 499 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 2: to give us deals, how do you encourage creators? You know, 500 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:53,640 Speaker 2: you should be thinking about your own stuff too. 501 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's so important. 502 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 4: Like you're seeing a lot more creators nowadays leverage their infots, like, hey, 503 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 4: I sold millions of products, millions of dollars in products. 504 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 4: Now I want to create my own. I love to 505 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 4: see Jackie and and she she did something very similar. 506 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 4: She launched a candle line and a perfume line. And 507 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 4: you know, I think that's it is needed, right because 508 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:15,120 Speaker 4: brand deals aren't going to always be there, especially even 509 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 4: for some of the larger creators who you know, they're 510 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 4: saying a lot of these brands are going towards some 511 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 4: of these smaller creators because they're cheaper and they're a 512 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 4: little bit more valuable. 513 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 3: In terms of engagement. 514 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 4: And so I think it's so important because again, if 515 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 4: you can sell somebody else's product, you can sell your own, 516 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,159 Speaker 4: especially if it's your product that aligns with who you 517 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 4: are and why your audience supports you. I think it's 518 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 4: kind of a no brainer, and that's a way for 519 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 4: you to continue to leverage your influence for your own good. 520 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 4: You don't have to rely on brand partnerships coming in 521 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,480 Speaker 4: or out. You know, regardless, you're going to be good 522 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 4: because you have this one product that already resonates with 523 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 4: you and your audience, and they trust you because of 524 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 4: your influence already. So I think I would love to 525 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 4: see more creators leveraging that, And I don't think you 526 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,199 Speaker 4: have to be a larger creator to do that. You 527 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 4: don't have to have, you know, millions of followers, and 528 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 4: it doesn't have to be you know, to the extreme, 529 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 4: doesn't have to be a CpG product. It could be 530 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 4: an ebook, just starting from there and continuing to leverage 531 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:18,199 Speaker 4: your platform, how it aligns with your audience. So it 532 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 4: could be educational, it could be a plethora of things. 533 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 4: I think, just finding what aligns with you, what you're 534 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 4: good at, learning, what your audience comes to you for, 535 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 4: Why do they go and view your content, why do 536 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:31,360 Speaker 4: they follow you? A lot of those things will tell 537 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,919 Speaker 4: you the type of products that you can launch to 538 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,200 Speaker 4: continue to have that revenue coming in as a content 539 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 4: creator despite you know, rand. 540 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 3: Deals or not. 541 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 2: You know, I was paying attention to this streaming university 542 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 2: that kay Shanna had going on that recently. Yeah, And 543 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 2: I think about this idea of collectives and cooperatives and 544 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 2: you know, many of us, many of us have also 545 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 2: not heard of these influencer house to where you know, 546 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 2: you go or you live there and you create content 547 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 2: with each other. And like, what are some of the 548 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 2: benefits can you speak to of creating. 549 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 1: These collectives and cooperatives. 550 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 2: Enhance you know, both you know, awareness and earning potential. 551 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, first, I want to speak on the streamer university, 552 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 4: Like that was just so legendary. 553 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 3: I love Kasana. 554 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,639 Speaker 4: I'm not even like big into the streaming world, but 555 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,359 Speaker 4: anything that he's doing, I'm paying attention because he's so 556 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 4: iconic to this generation what the creator economy is. But 557 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 4: also love that he knows his value, just the fact 558 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 4: that he turned down so many you know, streaming deals 559 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 4: just because he knew his value. He knew he could 560 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 4: do you know, millions of streams. And I think I 561 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,680 Speaker 4: can't remember what they said, like three, I can't even 562 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 4: I'm not even going to just call it. He just 563 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 4: did his thing with the streamer University in terms of 564 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,159 Speaker 4: just viewership and engagement. He didn't need a Netflix, he 565 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 4: didn't need an Amazon Prime, and he did it on 566 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 4: his own. 567 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 3: But I think that just speaks to. 568 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,720 Speaker 4: The value of the volume of community and why that's 569 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 4: so important. 570 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 3: He has learned outside of just. 571 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 4: Viewership, the importance of a community and finding people who 572 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 4: can in. 573 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 3: Some way aspires. 574 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 4: They want to aspires to be similar to you, they 575 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 4: want to get to a love of a cay snot 576 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 4: so anything that he drops. They're paying attention to, they're 577 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 4: learning from. But if there's an opportunity to be a 578 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 4: part of this larger collective or streamer university where I 579 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 4: can I don't even know if they were really learning. 580 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 3: I know they have professors. 581 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 4: I know it was like on a college campus, but regardless, 582 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 4: it seemed like it was more so even an association 583 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 4: thing where people's follower account just grew just simply being 584 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 4: in attendance, and I think that's beautiful. But also just 585 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 4: seeing how intentional Kai was with selecting smaller creators who 586 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 4: might not be the most watched on Twitch what have you. 587 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 4: But they're eager, they're hustling, they're ready to learn and grow. 588 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 4: I think that's so important. So some of the things 589 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 4: that we're considering as we're thinking about growing our own 590 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:01,640 Speaker 4: creator community. 591 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 3: Is just education. 592 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 4: How can we continue to uplift these creators, give them 593 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 4: access to the education that they need to be successful creators, 594 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,400 Speaker 4: to be, you know, at the levels that they want 595 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:12,880 Speaker 4: to be, whether they want to be on the coss 596 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 4: that level, Jackie, ain't a level, whoever it is, whatever 597 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 4: level you want to be on, how can we help 598 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 4: prepare you to get to that point and allow you 599 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 4: to do it amongst other people who are like minded, 600 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 4: who are also trying to grow. And so that's something 601 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,399 Speaker 4: that we're being very intentional about. How can we create 602 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 4: these different experiences and these different opportunities for these creators 603 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 4: to come together and not have to feel like they 604 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 4: have to build in silos. And I think that's one 605 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 4: of the biggest things that we've learned a lot of creators. 606 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 4: They're just trying to figure things out on their own 607 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 4: when there's so many other ways to go about it 608 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 4: amongst the community, amongst other people that you can learn from. 609 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 4: And so I think that's the biggest thing is just 610 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 4: being able to provide value, whether that's education, just opportunities 611 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 4: for them to. 612 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 3: Continue to grow. 613 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 4: But yeah, I think what ka I did was very 614 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 4: much legendary and that's something that we're definitely, you know, 615 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 4: watching and learning from as we're continuing to build our 616 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 4: own community for creators. 617 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 2: I finally other quote from you. You said, it's been 618 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 2: a long journey getting to market. I had a huge 619 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 2: vision for Forefront that involved tech, but I had no 620 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 2: tech experience and ca you talk a little bit about 621 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 2: being a non technical founder and how you've navigated, you know, 622 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 2: building a technology without being able to do it you 623 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 2: know yourself. 624 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 4: I think it's all about finding the right people, regardless 625 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 4: if it's a tech company or not being a solo founder. 626 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 4: Just being a founder or CEO, you realize, Okay, I 627 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 4: have to play into my own strengths and find people 628 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 4: who can operate in some of those things that I 629 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 4: consider weaknesses. And so the first person that we brought 630 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 4: onto the team was Alison, who's our head of product 631 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 4: and that was game changing for me and for Forefront 632 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 4: in general, because it allowed me to be able to 633 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 4: focus on what I do best, which has been the visionary, 634 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 4: which is kind of helping to bring this company about 635 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 4: where we can bring out and on who has expertise 636 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 4: of building product and technology and helping us to bring 637 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 4: that forward. And you know, he and I we can 638 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 4: collaborate on brainstorm different ideas and he can go out 639 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 4: and execute that. So that's been game changing, just realizing 640 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 4: all right, kind of getting out of the mindset of 641 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 4: just I want to be an entrepreneur to I want 642 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 4: to be a founder and CEO and making sure that 643 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,840 Speaker 4: I can bring this vision to life with the right people. 644 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 4: And so that's something that I've been learning along this journey, 645 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:39,680 Speaker 4: is like we have to bring on the right people. 646 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 4: So on top of that, we also just hired our 647 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 4: new partnerships coordinator who's going to be helping us to 648 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 4: just really facilitate better partnerships. 649 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 3: Within the marketplace. 650 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 4: So I think overall is being able to be a 651 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 4: good leader in general is just being able to take 652 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 4: a step back of like, Okay, what does your company 653 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 4: need to be successful? Can I provide that? And if 654 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 4: I cannot, can I bring the right person on to 655 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,440 Speaker 4: do the job. And so that's how we've been able to, 656 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 4: you know, step into this landscape of technology without my 657 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 4: personal expertise of being a coder. 658 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, before a creator, I should say what are the 659 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 2: steps to join Forefront if it's that kind of process. 660 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, So for creators and brands, you're able to create 661 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 4: your own account. Obviously for brands and creators will be different. 662 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 4: But if you're creator that's interested in you know, securing 663 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 4: brand deals and want to use your influences, your influence 664 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 4: to uplift black on brands and other minority brands, you 665 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 4: can just create your account. You let us know your interests, 666 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 4: your hobbies and the type brands that you're looking to 667 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 4: work with, and then from there we'll be able to 668 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 4: match you with the right brands. 669 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 3: To begin those partnerships. 670 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 4: And so you can do that a Forefront atl Backslash 671 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 4: creators and sign up there. 672 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 2: Black Tech Green Money is a production to Blavity Afro 673 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 2: Tech on the Black Effect podcast Networking Night Hire Media, 674 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 2: and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas, 675 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 2: with additional production support by Kate McDonald, Sayah Ergan, and 676 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 2: Jaden McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis in Love Beach. 677 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 2: Learn more about my guests and other tech distructors An 678 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 2: innovators at afrotech dot com. The video version of this 679 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 2: episode will drop to Black Tech Green Money on YouTube, 680 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 2: so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech Green money, Share 681 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,440 Speaker 2: us to somebody, go get your money. 682 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:21,680 Speaker 1: Peace in love,