WEBVTT - Chairman and CEO of Truist Bank, Bill Rogers 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.559 Building the Good Life with John Hope Bryant is brought 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:06.119 to you by Prudential Financial. John, things are built in stages. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:11.080 I mean we we always said in our relationship with Hope. 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:13.600 You know what we said, we wanted our goal to 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:17.680 be We weren't necessarily going to be the largest donor, uh, 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:20.959 but consistent with our purpose of our company now, which 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:24.040 is to inspire and build better lives and communities. What 0:00:24.079 --> 0:00:26.239 we said is we wanted to be first. We wanted 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.080 to be inspirational. We wanted to do things that people 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:32.360 could follow. We wanted to be I'd say, a pebble 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:34.920 in a pond, you know you you said, not whether 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:39.040 you be a boulder and upon them, but that we 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.920 do things that create ripples. This is John Hope Bryant, 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:45.680 and this is Building the Good Life. I'm here with 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:50.159 Bill Rogers, the chairman and chief executive Officer of Truest. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:53.600 Truest is last time I checked, sixth largest bank in 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:58.560 America and growing. Bill Rogers comes with an incredible pedigree. 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.200 He was prior to the as president at Truest as 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:05.400 a result of a merger. Before that, he was CEO 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:08.559 of sun Trust Bank here in Atlanta, which is where 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:10.760 I met him. Bill Rogers and I met in a 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:13.120 quiet conference room while I was talking to It wasn't 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:16.920 a quiet with his predecessor, CEO, Jim Wales, who was 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.280 introducing us. And Bill didn't quite know what to make 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:21.119 of the guy he was meeting, so he just sat 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:23.679 there quiet and let me run my mouth and figure 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:25.800 out to see. I's gonna run it myself into a bitch. 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:30.240 And somehow these two odd fellows became very dear friends. 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:33.160 And I really consider a Bill today a brother from 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:35.960 another month. It was just a lot lighter, that's all. Bill. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.080 What was it? What did you see in that conference room? 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:41.680 And why didn't you run for the hills with your 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:44.160 feet on fire when you meet well, John, thank you, 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:48.000 thank you for than for having me here. It's great 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:50.560 to be with you friend. And we have had a 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.760 we had a long relationship which is fantastic. And you 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:57.520 described sort of the beginning of that relationship. You know 0:01:57.720 --> 0:01:59.640 part of it, and you've sent this a lot part 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.160 of it. You come with someone's endorsement, right, so Jim 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.000 Will said, Hey, I want you to meet this guy. 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.840 So so it starts there. We all, I mean, that's 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:09.000 part of the you know, community that we live in 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:11.280 and the way that we have to build opportunities for 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.320 each other as make you know, make those introductions. And 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:18.200 then John, I think you know, in Fairnace, all the 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:23.000 conversation was always looking forward. It was never you know, 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:25.600 it wasn't backward looking. It was And I want to 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.520 condemn you for doing this, or I want to criticize 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:31.040 you for doing this, you know and banking, but I 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:33.240 want to work with you on how we can do 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:37.480 things moving forward. It wasn't about left or right politically, 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:40.000 you know, those things weren't important. It's just how do 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.040 we work together and how do we make communities better? 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:46.520 And you know, quite franking, that's just I mean, I 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.280 just was drawn to that. Uh. And then you know, John, 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.120 I mean you're you've got a little charisma and a 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:55.520 little you know, a little magic of magic dust about you. 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:58.200 And uh, you know that that's build over to I'll 0:02:58.200 --> 0:03:00.640 admit that we've got a bit of a man crush 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.360 on each other. At least I'll admit my my part. Uh, 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:05.920 He's build is really a cool dude, which is really 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.480 interesting thing to say about a banker. Uh and a 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.280 bank CEO. That's maybe the first time and only time 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:15.240 on mainstream media that Bill Rodgers or any top ten 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.680 CEO has been called a cool dude. But I but 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.120 I will take that. Let me let me underscore that 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:23.639 that's not just some you know, soft soap statement. We're 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:25.720 gonna get into some real serious issues here today. And 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:27.679 I don't want you to understand how to build, which 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:29.440 means you need to figure out how to get some 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:31.880 money out of this guy and his bank to invest 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.160 in your your dreams that start a business, to uh 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.880 grow a business, to uh build a home, to build 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:43.640 a home, a home life to uh to grow your dreams, 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:45.920 and which means you need to understand how to access 0:03:46.760 --> 0:03:51.760 um all the opportunities and assets that they've got. It 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:54.960 is institution, so you need to understand how the game 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:57.920 is played to be uh, to be blunt. So we're 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:00.240 gonna get into that. But before we get into I 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.440 think you need to understand why I love this guy 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.840 so much. We were a lot of wonderful moments. This 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:08.640 particular moment I didn't share with him, but I did 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:13.160 view how he handled it, and I think this says 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:17.560 everything about Bill Rogers. So, um, I got a call 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.560 one day said, well, we just figured something out and 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:21.880 we need to figure out what to do about it. 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:26.200 The legacy bank that they acquired, going back over a 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:29.120 hundred years ago, uh, maybe even a hundred and fifty 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:33.280 years look at the numbers, UM was involved in, as 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.839 was almost every bank in that era slavery. In fact, 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.440 there is a bank I won't name the name, it's 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:44.240 not true, it's uh that actually found out they owned slaves. 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:46.480 So this is like a hundred and fifty years ago. 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:51.479 This is just disgusting part of our history. And every 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:56.120 banker I know who's who has discovered some association with 0:04:56.240 --> 0:05:01.400 that past has run for the hills and tried their 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:05.640 best to ignore the topic, building run from it. He 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:10.360 ran into it and dealt with it. Why Bill, and 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:13.240 what what was it? What was going through your head? 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:17.800 And I thought your response was really quite honorable for 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.279 my ancestors, said so, thank you on behalf of all 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.599 those who came before me, and how you do But 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:25.799 what what did you do at that moment? And why? John? 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:28.240 Thank you? And I think you know, as we were 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:33.360 thinking about what the country was going through, particularly in 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:39.159 the aftermath of George Floyd, and you know, being purpose driven, 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:41.200 we had to think about what's our role. I mean, 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:42.839 what do what do we want to say? What do 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.039 we want to do not only within the four walls 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:47.240 of our company, but outside or how do we want 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:52.440 to represent ourselves and being you know, two financial institutions 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:54.760 that came together that were born in the South over 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:58.160 a hundred years ago. I mean we sort of start said, 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:00.240 you know the place we've got to start. We have 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:04.000 to acknowledge our history. You know, the benefits that our 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:08.200 company received, uh, you know, through the efforts of enslaved 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:11.479 people is just irrefutable. I mean that that just is 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.520 just there. I mean the businesses that we bank, the 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.360 communities that we served. I'm sure you know some of 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.240 the executives that let our companies. I mean just those 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:25.839 are just real things. And you know, particularly you know, 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:28.039 we sit here in Black History Month, it's important to 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.160 have that conversation. And we said, well, the first thing 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:32.160 we have to do is acknowledging. We have to acknowledge 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:34.680 that to our teammates, we have to acknowledge it to 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:38.719 our broader community. Uh. And then John, you were nice 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.799 enough to work with a you know, a group of leaders, 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:45.600 just fantastic leaders. Unbelievable that they would all say yes, 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:49.560 and we went and help us, help us talk about this, 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:52.840 and let's make sure we're thinking about things the right 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:56.760 way and looking forward, but looking forward and acknowledging our past, 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.600 and like everyone should learn from our past. And let's 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.400 aure out how to not make not I'm just not 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:04.560 gonna make that mistake again. But I don't we not 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.160 make mistakes again? And how do we move forward? And 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:10.720 as a result of that, you didn't just provide platitudes. 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.360 And by the way, for the listening audience, I don't 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.800 think you've ever heard a top ten banks CEO in 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:21.560 the history of America without fifteen handlers around them form 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:26.520 a sentence that had slavery in it and and not flinch. 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:31.840 That's Bill Rogers, he is um. Look a saint is 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.400 a center that got up. You want to find some 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:37.960 far with Bill Rogers, Yeah, you'll find it just as 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.600 his wife, who I know. You want to find some 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.800 fat with John Hopebryan, You'll find it as my wife. 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:45.920 I guarantee you She'll give you you. She'll give you 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:48.760 plea your father or ask my friends or my you 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:51.960 know whatever. We're none of us perfect, right. The question 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:55.240 is not what happens to you, But how did you 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:58.560 respond to it? And life is ten percent with life 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:00.760 does to you and nine percent you respond to it. 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.040 I'm always looking for the response because the problems are 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.000 gonna be there. Our history in this country is just messy. 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:10.200 I mean, it's just democracies are messy, capitalism is messy, 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:14.400 and free enterprise and it's messy. But but freedom of 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:19.840 opportunities should be assured and build responded with the bank 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:25.800 by making an incredible commitment to all things I believe 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:30.040 that matters. And massive investments in HBCUs. I'll let him 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:35.240 get into that, hopefully. And part of this conversation, massive 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:39.680 investments in institutions UH, not just a higher learning but 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:43.960 nonprofits community base who are making a difference around what 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:46.880 I call social justice to an economic lens in the 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:52.680 underserved communities. UM. A twenty million dollar investment for somebodys 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.120 I keep wanting to say, forty men, and maybe I'm 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.760 being an aspirational bill. A twenty million dollar investment in 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:01.080 Operation Hope UM to allow us to exp band the 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:06.360 Hope inside locations within the truest branch network. UM. We 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:10.880 will probably end up being half of all in half 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:13.480 of all truest branches. They have two thousand bank branches. 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:18.679 That means we'll be into a thousand branches. That's transformational. Um, 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:22.480 that's game changing, and in many ways, it's a direct 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:26.280 response from the banking industry to what Abraham Lincoln was 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:30.120 dreaming about with the Freedman's Bank in eighteen sixty five 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:32.840 March three, when he created a bank chartered to quote 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:35.440 to teach free slaves about money and Domassau their savings. 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.000 Now you may not know that history, but it exists. 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:40.320 It's been lost to history because Lincoln was killed the 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:45.520 next month. The free The vision for forty acres was 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.680 January eighteen sixty five. Looked that up field, Actually fifteen 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.600 a mule. We worked that lance hard. Secretary of War 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.120 Stanton General Sherman said, my god, there's so industrious day 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.680 African Americans. Give them a mule. It's like saying, invest attractor, 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:02.319 forty acres in a mule. January February ac five March 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:06.480 came the Freeman's Bureau Act, which was Hospitals and Institutions 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.120 of Higher Learning, which led to HBC use historically black 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:15.199 college universities, and the Freeman's Beer also created the Freeman's Bank. Unfortunately, 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:19.000 Abrahem was killed in April the next month, and that mission, 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:20.880 with that vision was lost for a hundred and fifty years. 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.760 I covered the history in my book The Memo, and 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.040 we're gonna get into a story in a minute. I 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:30.200 bet that Bill Rogers lost with me, I wondering if 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:34.559 we were gonna go there. But just the fear is 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:38.080 that finish this serious coment. They made this investment, just 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:41.079 in my example, into the Hope and Side network, which 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.000 is raising credit scores, getting people access to capital, letting 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.640 people start business and become homeowners who people look like 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:50.000 me and others. Uh to give them a hand up 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:52.400 and not a hand out. I believe in the James 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:55.000 Brown version of affirmative action. Open the door. I'll get 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:57.400 it myself. And then they invested also in the one 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:00.640 Million Black Business Initiatives one m b B, which is 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.400 a lead commitment from Shopify a hundred thirty million dollars. 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.280 They came behind it the Truest and said, let's create 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:09.280 new black business in America. So I think that this 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.640 is the rainbow after the storm, at least as relates 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:14.120 to how Truest has stood up. I want to see 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:20.280 other banks follow uh Bill's lead. Now, Bill, Uh, you 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:24.240 know I've had moments uh, one of which I don't 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:27.600 know if you remember. I think you dud jabbed you 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.240 about it. About a month ago. I was in your office. Um, 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:33.280 you were the first to give me a shot at 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:36.360 an institution, a major institution, putting hope inside in one 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:38.920 of your bank breaches. You told me initially not to 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:40.880 ask you for money, let you control the budget. I 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:43.880 thought you're being cheap by the way, uh and um 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:46.080 and you and to trust you. I trusted you. We 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:48.640 put five or ten locations in your offices, and then 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.040 we went from that to five and now we're looking 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.319 at a thousand. So that bet was right. But I 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:55.600 remember the first time I actually got some money, I 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:59.280 mean some real money, A million dollars. Do you remember that, Bill? 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:04.480 I do, John, Yes, And I came in your office 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:08.559 to get the check. This is back look at Mellon Dolls. 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:10.280 There's always a lot of money. But this is when 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.480 I've never seen a million dollar check in my life. 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:15.160 And I was coming to pick my check up for 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:19.120 operational million dollars. And I'm in Bill's office, and I mean, 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.080 I'm into Bill have a dream. I sounded like Dr 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:25.360 King Junior Junior junior. I had a dream of fake 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:27.720 not a very good doctor. I want to do this 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:29.840 I have do you, Bill? Do you remember what you 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.760 told me your John? You're gonna have to do it 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:38.600 on your own. Doesn't Bill want cop to this? I'm 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.760 running my mouth. I'm running my mouth, Bill city John 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:46.560 that we're friends. John, please take yes for an answer, 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:48.920 take the million dollars and get into my office before 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:53.240 I changed my mind. Don't talk past the clothes. This 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.880 is a good This is a good lesson for upcoming entrepreneurs. 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:01.720 Don't talk past the clothes. Get any It was like 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:05.360 I got another meeting, the checks, the check will clear, 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.560 but you got to leave my office. Why is it 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.560 important for you? Know? We're friends, and it was it 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.320 was joking, But that's actually a very good lesson for people. Bill. 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:21.640 Why less is less more important in business and in banking? Well, 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:24.800 I mean, John, things are built in stages. I mean 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:30.040 we we always said in our relationship with Hope. You 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.040 know what we said, we wanted our goal to be 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:36.000 we weren't necessarily going to be the largest donor, uh, 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:39.320 but consistent with our purpose of our company now, which 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:42.400 is to inspire and build better lives and communities. What 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:44.600 we said is we wanted to be first. We wanted 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:47.400 to be inspirational. We wanted to do things that people 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.720 could follow. We wanted to be I'd say a pebble 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:53.280 in a pond, you know you you said not rather 0:13:53.320 --> 0:13:57.400 you'd be a boulder and upon them. But that we 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:02.360 do things that create ripples and use our company, use 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:06.440 our relationship to yeah, to get on the edge of 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:09.320 innovation and to do and look not everything we've done 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:11.120 is worked perfectly by the way we know that. I 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:12.960 mean things are done to sort thought, well, I didn't 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:16.000 work that great. Uh. And then other things that we've started, 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.600 we've learned how to scale together. And that's the that's 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:24.480 the magic of doing well. As anybody can innovate small, 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.920 that's that's actually not that hard. But innovating at scale 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:31.720 and innovating for purpose that's really really hard work. And 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.800 so your point of the point was there is don't 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.160 don't sell all the ripples. Let's get the pebble in 0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:40.760 the pond first, and then let's figure out figure out 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.880 what they're doing, what are they creating? Right? And I 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:47.480 think also if you're an upcoming entrepreneur, a business person, 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.520 a dreamer. You start with selling this dream and you 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:52.720 you really all you have that moment is your mouth 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:57.480 and your hustle. That's very valuable. But when you're in 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.640 front of a banker, you have to understand. And they're like, 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:02.560 can if there's an end of this story, can we 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:06.080 please start there? I don't use twenty words when two 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:08.760 will do. You're gonna make the banker nervous. I'm serious, 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:11.720 like you, you'll you keep talking, you'll free bankers out 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:15.600 because the entrepreneur is like on going on fire, but 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:19.080 the banker is conservatives. The banker, you know, the entwinner 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:20.880 trying to drive down the road, the bankers trying to 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:23.000 keep you on the road. And if you start talking 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:25.240 so much and you're you're excited when you're hitting the roof, 0:15:25.240 --> 0:15:27.920 you're you know, you're like you're on a controlled substance 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:30.800 or an uncontrolled one, you actually might talk yourself out 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:33.120 of a deal. The banker might actually because it's about 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.280 texture and and and and your you know, are you 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.640 and I only say stable, but are you? Are you grounded? 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.200 Are you gonna leave that office and go buy a Ferrari? 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.400 And A three Bentley's and a and and go and 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:50.520 get on private jets and lose your mind versus being 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:52.960 mindful of your business plan. They want you sober, I 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.280 don't mean, I don't mean legally sober. They want you 0:15:55.320 --> 0:16:01.800 to have sort of a straight ahead, unimpeachable, unshakable commitment 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.280 to what you told them you're gonna do with that money. Bill, 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.440 Is that right? I think I think that's right, John May. 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.720 But don't don't throw bankers out, you know completely, and 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.640 that we want to. We want to we want to 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.760 understand what the future is and what the vision is. 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.560 But our jobs also to protect the downside, you know, 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:24.640 and to understand, you know, how the foundations being built. 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:26.480 We want to hear what's going to be built on 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:29.880 the foundation. Absolutely, that's exciting. That's why we're in this business. 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:31.520 Part fact, that is why I love being a banker. 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:36.240 But we want to understand how strong the foundation is. 0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:38.480 You know, if you want to build up skyscraper audit, 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:41.680 then it's got to be pretty darned strong. Uh, And 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.160 we need to understand that. But don't don't, don't throw 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:48.280 us out of the vision. Yeah, well, you know, but 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:51.560 Bill is a Bill is a bit of an outline. 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:54.400 He says that he really does want to hear, as 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.960 you just heard from his own mouth, your dreams. But 0:16:57.240 --> 0:17:00.080 I've met enough of folks who are just they want be, 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.080 They want to be first and second place. They they 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:05.840 don't want to their capital is for them as a coward. 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.560 They want the safest place to hide. They And you know, 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.040 if if they've never seen an African American, in my case, 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:15.199 mail come in looking for big figures, big numbers, you know, 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:18.439 they may be looking at the nuances, the subtleties and 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.639 um and the little things and not just your you know, 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:23.840 your collateral and your application in front of you. And 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:28.040 so you've gotta be able to work the the magic 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:31.200 of what kind of culture you create in their head 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:36.240 that matches your business plan. And uh, don't just bank 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.359 on the on you're gonna meet a Bill Rodgers. Uh. 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.240 In fact, hope for the best, expect the worst, and 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:45.720 condition your mind for whatever happens. You know, Dcorne didn't 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:47.359 go to the mall and say I have a dream 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.040 that GDP will grow by two percent a year. But 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.639 that is that is what bankers have to hope for. 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.320 And so I think you've You've got to be able 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:01.119 to understand the role of everybody. And America would not 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:05.760 be America without banking. You can't grow communities without banking. 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.560 Uh So we need to understand what their criteria is 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:13.760 and their stresses and uh as you want them to 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.040 understand yours. I'll say this one last thing and we'll 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:18.760 get back to a couple of things I want to 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:21.199 share with the audience. But I remember a rapper was 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:26.280 complaining about, uh oh, this banking do it. It's bad 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:29.440 to me and you know, foreclosing on my stuff. Wait, 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:31.520 wait a minute. You weren't upset when you wouldn't got 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:33.399 the loan when they gave you the loan for the 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:35.600 mansion and toy gave you the loan for the car, 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:37.560 you know, But when you lost your money and then 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:39.040 pay the loan, all of a sudden, now the banker 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:41.120 is a bad person. Look, you don't pay me back, 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:44.280 I'm gonna be upset with you. So I think that 0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:48.919 we have to understand the delicate role that banking plays 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:53.440 in society and understand how to make that system work 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:55.280 for us, which is why it operates. Hope, we're getting 0:18:55.320 --> 0:19:00.240 credit scores up fifty four points working with. That's some 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.200 of the work we're doing together. Bill, by the way, 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.640 and getting in a hundred, it's at fifty four points 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:07.760 in six months, a hundred twenty points and twenty four months, 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:09.680 and nothing changes your life more than God or loved 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:12.480 the movie. Your credit score a hundred twenty points because 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:15.439 the banker cannot tell you yes for a dream for 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:18.760 small business below seven hundred credit score generally speaking, because 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:20.880 it's considered a risky credit. But then never tell you 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:24.760 that because bankers, you know, might get sued for nine 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:27.880 thousand things and regulations. But I'm telling you, you've got 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:29.360 to get to a point where the banker can can 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:33.880 afford to say yes to you, and truest is trying 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.520 to lean back in to say yes to you. By 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:39.120 the way, they're not a sponsor to this show them. 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:41.760 I'm getting nothing out of this. I'm just telling you. 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:48.480 I believe that they are walking their talk Bill before 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:53.040 we get into the mission and all that. I have 0:19:53.119 --> 0:20:02.439 to rib you. We had a bet, were you done Mud, 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:04.720 would you like me to just just do it? John? 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:07.679 Just yes, I would. Actually, I've got to own the 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:10.840 fact that I would. I would because of the sixth 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:17.199 largest I'll own it. So, um, John was telling me 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:21.240 about this vision of the Freedman's bank. Uh and and 0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:23.439 look in furnace. I had to go look in history 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.359 to the Freedman's back, so you know. But so the 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:29.960 concept was just fantastic for the Freedman's back. And John, 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:33.560 you really, um, you know, I had a vision for 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:35.760 how to talk about this from that concept. So I 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:38.800 spent a lot of time trying to understand. And uh. 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:41.639 And then you told me you had this plan that 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.440 you were going to get a building at Treasury named 0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:48.200 after the Freedman's back. Well, I've worked a lot in 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:50.240 d C. And I know how things work, and I 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:53.959 know the speed at which things go. And um, and 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:55.960 you had a timeline up on which you're going to 0:20:56.040 --> 0:20:59.840 do this, and I just told you you couldn't get it, 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.160 and that you really shouldn't go spend your time doing 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.080 some all the things. And you know you're tilting the 0:21:05.119 --> 0:21:08.639 windmills and it is just sadn't gonna be helpful. And 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:13.120 I bet you a full dollar about I want my dollar. 0:21:13.920 --> 0:21:19.280 I've given you your dollar. And there's two I always 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:22.960 been uh and uh, not only did it happen, Not 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:25.280 only did it get named and I and I also 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:27.639 promised you that if it happened, I would go whatever 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:29.800 celebration there was, whatever that I that I would that 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:32.480 I would be there. But I remember not only that 0:21:32.560 --> 0:21:36.280 it happened, that was fantastic, but the meeting that that 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:39.120 you and I were able to go to UH with, 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:45.600 you know, to two of my heroes, UM C. Vibian 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:48.880