1
00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:04,760
Speaker 1: I hope you guys have enjoyed your extended holiday weekend.

2
00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:08,440
Speaker 1: Now it's trying to get back to work. This week,

3
00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,239
Speaker 1: we're taking a look back to season one of Black Tech,

4
00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,000
Speaker 1: Green Money, where I talked to Tristan Walker, founder and

5
00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,600
Speaker 1: CEO at Walker and Company, makers of both Bebel and Form,

6
00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,520
Speaker 1: which were both designed to meet the health and beauty

7
00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,200
Speaker 1: needs of people of color. He's also founder and board

8
00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,920
Speaker 1: chairman at Cold, which matches high performing black and Latino

9
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,760
Speaker 1: undergraduate and graduate coulders and software engineering students with Silicon

10
00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,320
Speaker 1: Valley startles for internships. He sits on the board of

11
00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,040
Speaker 1: directors for both foot Locker and Shake Shock. And this

12
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,199
Speaker 1: is one of my favorite episodes in our catalog that

13
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,880
Speaker 1: Tristan was one of the first black figures we saw

14
00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,640
Speaker 1: leading in Silicon Valley and being featured in outlets like

15
00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,959
Speaker 1: tech Crunch. Since I asked him about what made him

16
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,560
Speaker 1: decide to pack up the family and move from Silicon

17
00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,760
Speaker 1: Valley to Atlanta, it's what he had to say before

18
00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,160
Speaker 1: I am the CEO of Walker and Company, I am

19
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,960
Speaker 1: a black man, I am a black father, and I

20
00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,080
Speaker 1: am a black husban um. So every decision that I

21
00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,880
Speaker 1: make is in line with my personal values, which happened

22
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,360
Speaker 1: to match my companies. But they're in my personal values

23
00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,240
Speaker 1: and happiness, um of my family, right, Um, you know

24
00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:23,559
Speaker 1: there are three things that I care about, my faith,

25
00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,120
Speaker 1: my family, and my work in that order. Right, So

26
00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,640
Speaker 1: the initial decision was really driven by the first two, right,

27
00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,160
Speaker 1: the faith and family. You know, I've been in Silicon

28
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,039
Speaker 1: Valley since two thousand and eight. It is the only

29
00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,200
Speaker 1: place that I've ever lived. I got less diverse. Right,

30
00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,040
Speaker 1: It's like and cut among a bunch of different ways, right, Um,

31
00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,600
Speaker 1: you know, wealth, race, etcetera opportunity UM, and I didn't

32
00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,559
Speaker 1: sit too well for me. Um. You know, my wife

33
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,680
Speaker 1: and I when we decided, hey, we wanted to consider

34
00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,800
Speaker 1: Atlanta for a number of reasons, not only personally, but

35
00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,160
Speaker 1: also for the business. That's where our consumers are. Um.

36
00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,160
Speaker 1: You know, that's where or the culture is. Um. You know,

37
00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,440
Speaker 1: it's it's very Walker and Company. We said, let's go

38
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,040
Speaker 1: give it a shot, right, And we were in the

39
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,720
Speaker 1: process of negotiating with um, you know, a properant gamble

40
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:14,320
Speaker 1: to go and we went, took my son, came back.

41
00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,400
Speaker 1: My son was four at the time. And I'll never

42
00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,720
Speaker 1: forget this moment. I was walking him to the grocery store.

43
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,880
Speaker 1: He said, Um, Kada in Atlanta is where all the

44
00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,200
Speaker 1: black people are into is where all the white people

45
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,240
Speaker 1: are Look four year old who had the sense to

46
00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,040
Speaker 1: recognize that? And then I had to have the sense

47
00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,680
Speaker 1: to realize how privileged he was and how I am.

48
00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,600
Speaker 1: He went to some of the best schools, um day cares,

49
00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,240
Speaker 1: among other things in Palato, and I rationalized and remembered

50
00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,840
Speaker 1: and reconciled with the fact that he had no black classmates,

51
00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,240
Speaker 1: He had no black teachers, right, And that became a

52
00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,600
Speaker 1: huge problem for me and my wife, who was also educated. Um,

53
00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,919
Speaker 1: so you know, for our own personhood a family, right,

54
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,440
Speaker 1: My wife as an educator now she teaches at a

55
00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,000
Speaker 1: school as a majority black black girls. My son gets

56
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,639
Speaker 1: to go to school with kids who look like him

57
00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,440
Speaker 1: as a black headmaster, right, Um, and black folks within

58
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,960
Speaker 1: positions of leadership. And we're in Atlanta, um with a

59
00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:19,800
Speaker 1: lot of folks who looks like me, who kind of

60
00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,240
Speaker 1: appreciate the culture. So all that even before I get

61
00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,600
Speaker 1: into the business park. Wow, and the business park just

62
00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,280
Speaker 1: became additive to the expression, Yeah, I want to do

63
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:35,000
Speaker 1: on this Atlanta thing, because Atlanta changed my life, Like

64
00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,560
Speaker 1: I'm from Ohio, from the Midwest, like forty minutes from Detroit,

65
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,080
Speaker 1: and so so Atlanta was the first place that I

66
00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:46,280
Speaker 1: saw black wealth in young people that looked like me,

67
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,080
Speaker 1: and they were enfranchising or they owned real estate or etcetera.

68
00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 1: So when you talk about what you see what your

69
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,840
Speaker 1: son even noticed that four years old, I found to

70
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:57,720
Speaker 1: be true in my own life story because it showed

71
00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,960
Speaker 1: me not only was it possible, but I had represented Patian. Yeah. Yeah,

72
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,720
Speaker 1: there's a productivity there. And in playing from the position

73
00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,320
Speaker 1: to strength that I care people about. I mean, every

74
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,920
Speaker 1: single thing that I've done is really about the celebration

75
00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,480
Speaker 1: of black economic environment. Everything that I will do will

76
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,599
Speaker 1: be in line with the celebration of black economic vironment. UM.

77
00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:23,960
Speaker 1: And I think Atlanta is a wonderful platform, right um

78
00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,760
Speaker 1: to help promulgate that message even further than I've tried

79
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,839
Speaker 1: to do with past that year. You've gone on the

80
00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,360
Speaker 1: record of saint black culture leads all global culture, which

81
00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,800
Speaker 1: I thought was fantastic for you to take that stance

82
00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,720
Speaker 1: number even you know, beyond the factual nature of it.

83
00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,960
Speaker 1: For people who um, this is a new, newly realized

84
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,520
Speaker 1: concept or ignored concept can you break down how this

85
00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,520
Speaker 1: is true. Yeah, it's important to start by saying, and

86
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,560
Speaker 1: people who don't understand it are very much as a minority, right,

87
00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,800
Speaker 1: So there's actually data here, um, like of white folks

88
00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,960
Speaker 1: the this to beat you, right, Like, I'll show you

89
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,680
Speaker 1: all types of meals and data, et cetera. I just

90
00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,520
Speaker 1: say what already exists. Right, it's just true. Yah. You

91
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,840
Speaker 1: think about food, music, dance, right, Um. You know we

92
00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,240
Speaker 1: influence everything. Um. And now, like what's kind of beautiful

93
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,120
Speaker 1: about it? You know, kind of you they posted color

94
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,839
Speaker 1: a little bit more broadly, Um, the influence together, the

95
00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,400
Speaker 1: amalgamation of all these kind of cultures together to create

96
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,640
Speaker 1: this new culture, the youth that's coming up and how

97
00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,560
Speaker 1: they're getting raised right um, and to kind of expand

98
00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,560
Speaker 1: what our influence on the culture looks like. People are

99
00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,440
Speaker 1: called the majority of the world right now, it's not

100
00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,680
Speaker 1: a niche opportunity. We should all be respecting our culture perspective.

101
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,040
Speaker 1: But it comes from blackhoofs right. Um. And again, the

102
00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:45,680
Speaker 1: celebration of that economic empowerment is not without a celebration

103
00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,640
Speaker 1: of our cultural impact. So all other cultures have made

104
00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,040
Speaker 1: products for us for so long, and why was it

105
00:05:54,080 --> 00:06:00,360
Speaker 1: important to design, develop, in manufacture these products for ourselves. Yeah,

106
00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:01,960
Speaker 1: I think because I mean a lot of people made

107
00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:03,760
Speaker 1: products for us, So that doesn't mean I think we didn't.

108
00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,440
Speaker 1: I mean we deserve to have products that work well

109
00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:12,359
Speaker 1: for us. Um. Look, I mean we should be treated

110
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:17,520
Speaker 1: not like second class instance. Um, we deserve an experience

111
00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,440
Speaker 1: that's just as great as anybody else's experience. Our cultural

112
00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:26,160
Speaker 1: impact like deserves it and requires it. Our purchasing power

113
00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:30,320
Speaker 1: deserves it and requires it, right, and our unique difference

114
00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:35,920
Speaker 1: deserves it and requires it. And I've been fortunate and blessed. Um,

115
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,640
Speaker 1: I just gave up the conversation. Actually a Walkering company

116
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,520
Speaker 1: I've spent the majority of my professional career at. I'm

117
00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,240
Speaker 1: still relatively undo, right, Um. But I've been able to

118
00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,599
Speaker 1: mold the overwhelmed the majority of my professional career around

119
00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,960
Speaker 1: what matters to me. And again, it's a celebration. Um.

120
00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,520
Speaker 1: So I don't know any alternative very much. Right, And

121
00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,680
Speaker 1: the fact that the makeup of my company is also

122
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:02,640
Speaker 1: representative of the culture that we love so much is

123
00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,760
Speaker 1: just wonderfully and starting for me, right um. And to

124
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,000
Speaker 1: be able to show people from a position of strength

125
00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,240
Speaker 1: that we matter, right And our unique difference matters, in

126
00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,320
Speaker 1: our culture matters, and our purchasing power matters. Um, it's

127
00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,840
Speaker 1: hard for people to rebut that, you know, I think,

128
00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,600
Speaker 1: to be quite honest, we owe you, you know, a

129
00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,760
Speaker 1: lot of gratitude because you know, they I remember you

130
00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,960
Speaker 1: told the story of you know, walking down the aisle

131
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,920
Speaker 1: and seeing the products made for black people, and it

132
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,920
Speaker 1: was always you know, the abili ocean looking dude on

133
00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,720
Speaker 1: the s curl box. It was dusty on you know,

134
00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,640
Speaker 1: and it was that doesn't represent a lot of us, right,

135
00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,720
Speaker 1: But it wasn't even beyond that. It wasn't a taken

136
00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:46,200
Speaker 1: care of shelf space, right And and I think, you know,

137
00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,520
Speaker 1: a Walmart came out, I think it was six months ago,

138
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 1: maybe it was even less than that, that they weren't

139
00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,800
Speaker 1: going to put our products behind cages anymore, you know.

140
00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:55,880
Speaker 1: And and I believe like a lot of that is

141
00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,520
Speaker 1: due to your advocacy and your evangelism with this stuff.

142
00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,240
Speaker 1: So yeah, well, I mean, look, I mean, my my

143
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,520
Speaker 1: evangelism is only so good as our consumers willingness to

144
00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,600
Speaker 1: support what we pupport, right, And I can talk all

145
00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,320
Speaker 1: the time, but if we weren't doing work, it wouldn't matter. Um.

146
00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,520
Speaker 1: And I think the fact that we were seeing results

147
00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,120
Speaker 1: from the work made other people stand at attention. Right,

148
00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,239
Speaker 1: it took too long. I mean, you know, this industry

149
00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,560
Speaker 1: has been around two hundred years, Like, why did it

150
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,040
Speaker 1: take us to kind of break that barrier? Right? But

151
00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,400
Speaker 1: we've got to do the work right, Um, time, time, last, forever.

152
00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,360
Speaker 1: We're just one bit on that timeline. Um. And you know,

153
00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,320
Speaker 1: I'm not going out without having some impacts attributed to

154
00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:43,320
Speaker 1: the work that I try to do every single day

155
00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,360
Speaker 1: in partnership with college. It seems like there's still yet

156
00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:53,040
Speaker 1: so many verticals where a black perspective or building from

157
00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,680
Speaker 1: a perspective of ethnic identity, um, could be valuable. Um,

158
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,960
Speaker 1: what does the opportunity black people have? How should we

159
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:05,000
Speaker 1: be thinking about building products for people who look like

160
00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,400
Speaker 1: us and have similar issues in etcetera. I mean, you

161
00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:13,119
Speaker 1: gotta be yourself, you know. I've the wonderful thing about

162
00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:17,760
Speaker 1: creating things for this audience and having an employee base

163
00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,280
Speaker 1: that represents the diversity of this audience is that we

164
00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:24,160
Speaker 1: can selfishly make things for ourselves. You know, we're more

165
00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,439
Speaker 1: alike than we are different. And UM, you know that's

166
00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:31,440
Speaker 1: not only the ingredients that go into a bottle. It's

167
00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,439
Speaker 1: the language that goes onto that bottle. It is the

168
00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,360
Speaker 1: imagery that we share out with the world. How do

169
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,360
Speaker 1: we inspire ourselves with things that we felt that we

170
00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:44,240
Speaker 1: deserve to have created for ourselves. Um. So, you know,

171
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:48,760
Speaker 1: as folks think about kind of making the choice between

172
00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:54,360
Speaker 1: kind of serving consumers, are black consumers specifically, I think

173
00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,439
Speaker 1: you consider a couple of things. Number One, why wouldn't

174
00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,360
Speaker 1: you authentically focus on this audience that's culturally up event

175
00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,120
Speaker 1: and authentic has greater purchasing power in various categories and

176
00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,960
Speaker 1: everyone else, Right, and again we look in kind of

177
00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,320
Speaker 1: other focus coloring majority of the world. I think it

178
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,280
Speaker 1: is the primary thought that should be on the minds

179
00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:15,680
Speaker 1: of every entrepreneur. It should be the primary thought on

180
00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,400
Speaker 1: the minds of every large business. Um. And you know

181
00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:21,840
Speaker 1: I'm going to be and I mean my commitment to

182
00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,440
Speaker 1: evangelize that because it's a good business and a hell

183
00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,240
Speaker 1: of a lot of fun. Yeah. I had this conversation

184
00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:32,240
Speaker 1: with Morgen Umdabon, CEO of Black Video on episode one,

185
00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,559
Speaker 1: and it was about building products for us, and she said,

186
00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:37,679
Speaker 1: you know, when she was talking to investor in the

187
00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,240
Speaker 1: early days, they were asking her if she was already

188
00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,840
Speaker 1: limiting her reach because she was only going to focus

189
00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:45,920
Speaker 1: on black people, and she was like, have you heard

190
00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,160
Speaker 1: of Brazil? Have you heard of you know, Europe and

191
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,920
Speaker 1: all these different places where we are the UK and Canada.

192
00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,840
Speaker 1: You can't all over the world. And I wonder if

193
00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,640
Speaker 1: now got to hear you say that, I'm wondering if

194
00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:03,640
Speaker 1: it is intention gonna be divisive potentially that we don't

195
00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:09,800
Speaker 1: get taught to us that we have the buying power

196
00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,800
Speaker 1: that we have, that our dollar can build billion dollar

197
00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,079
Speaker 1: companies and et cetera. I'm I'm not I don't want

198
00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,680
Speaker 1: to indict anybody, but I'm just I'm thinking through this now,

199
00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,240
Speaker 1: like we haven't been taught that if you build it

200
00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:29,160
Speaker 1: for black people, you can actually build a real business. Yeah, um,

201
00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,880
Speaker 1: I think we look I'm a victim of this too

202
00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,760
Speaker 1: because I come from it of relegating our thoughts on

203
00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:42,520
Speaker 1: business with what to what venture capitalists believe it should be.

204
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,560
Speaker 1: I find myself jealous not of the folks who raise

205
00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,360
Speaker 1: all this money itself for a billion dollars. Actually find

206
00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:55,960
Speaker 1: myself jealous of the small business owner who's black making

207
00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,440
Speaker 1: a million to two million dollars a year in profit

208
00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:03,440
Speaker 1: every year you've never heard for her, right, installing h

209
00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:08,280
Speaker 1: VAC you know, systems into homes, right, Um, and they

210
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:13,480
Speaker 1: have a freedom that doesn't require the opinion of anybody. Um.

211
00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:18,520
Speaker 1: So I think, yes, we have been unfortunately kind of

212
00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,880
Speaker 1: taught what actually isn't true. Um. You know, black folks

213
00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,240
Speaker 1: have driven the economic engine right in ways that have

214
00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,560
Speaker 1: been unseen to this country. Right. So it's important that

215
00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,959
Speaker 1: we also recognize that there are other folks who didn't

216
00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,080
Speaker 1: need a dime from a venture capitalists to realize their vision, right,

217
00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:42,880
Speaker 1: had their own definition of what success is. That is

218
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,679
Speaker 1: very different from in a lot of ways folks who

219
00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,640
Speaker 1: go to the Silicon Valley kind of way. Right, it's

220
00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,920
Speaker 1: very binary thinking there are rays to hit your singles

221
00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,040
Speaker 1: and your doubles, right and your triples and the power

222
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,040
Speaker 1: of compounding really kind of gives you the r v

223
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,120
Speaker 1: I s like over and over and over and over again. Um.

224
00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:06,079
Speaker 1: And that's the wealth creation stuff, right. Um. So, yes,

225
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,840
Speaker 1: I think it's unfortunate that we have been, um, kind

226
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:14,600
Speaker 1: of given this story that's inevitably not true and dictated

227
00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,520
Speaker 1: by the laziness and apathy of the muddied interests to

228
00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,080
Speaker 1: actually learn to rid themselves a very nurious um. But

229
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,560
Speaker 1: you know there's power in the entrepreneurs who haven't needed

230
00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:29,800
Speaker 1: their calls right who knew that there was an inevitability

231
00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,640
Speaker 1: to the demographic shift in terms of numbers, the cultural

232
00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:36,600
Speaker 1: influence in terms of numbers, the purchasing follower in terms

233
00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:38,760
Speaker 1: of numbers, and have been way ahead of the game

234
00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,000
Speaker 1: before me or a Morgan or a lot of the

235
00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:46,079
Speaker 1: others looking value ups who desired kind of those large outcomes.

236
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,319
Speaker 1: Tristan has been named one of Fortune Magazines fifty World's

237
00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,800
Speaker 1: Greatest Leaders, USA Today's Persons of the Year, EVNY Magazines

238
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:12,840
Speaker 1: one hundred Most Powerful People, Vinity Fairs, Next Establishment, Fortune

239
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:17,559
Speaker 1: Magazines forty Under forty at Age Creative fifty, the Hollywood

240
00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:23,720
Speaker 1: Reporters Digital Power fifty and Black Enterprises forty next Today

241
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,440
Speaker 1: at around thirty five years old, he sits on two

242
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:30,840
Speaker 1: publicly traded corporate boards, foot Locker and shake Shack. So

243
00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,080
Speaker 1: should more black people have a desire to sit on

244
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:44,320
Speaker 1: corporate boards? Tristan speaks on it. Um I paused because

245
00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,040
Speaker 1: I have to recognize a couple of things. Number one, UM,

246
00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,400
Speaker 1: my own privilege. I have to check my privilege. Right. Uh,

247
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,600
Speaker 1: you know, I am a city gender black man who,

248
00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,360
Speaker 1: regardless of how I was brought up, right, I ended

249
00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,640
Speaker 1: up going to a boarding school and tool scholarship. I

250
00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:07,640
Speaker 1: have a Stanford NBA. Um. You know, I sold a

251
00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,800
Speaker 1: company that was important to me. I am the first

252
00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,160
Speaker 1: black CEO and procanting animals history. I stood on two

253
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,320
Speaker 1: public boards. Right. The compound interests of my privilege has

254
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,360
Speaker 1: kind of scaled, So I want to make sure that

255
00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,960
Speaker 1: any answer that I offer kind of abstracts away the

256
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,960
Speaker 1: privilege that I can see. So let me kind of

257
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:30,040
Speaker 1: UM suggest this. It's only as important as you want

258
00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:34,440
Speaker 1: it to be right for me. Um. This idea of

259
00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,440
Speaker 1: freedom is something that I didn't really understand until I

260
00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:42,400
Speaker 1: sold the company in December thirteen. I realized that what

261
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,640
Speaker 1: freedom really means. It's not owing anybody anything. You know,

262
00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,880
Speaker 1: you pay back your investors, UM, you give your employees

263
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,560
Speaker 1: a good outcome. Um, you know your acquirer. You don't

264
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,440
Speaker 1: really owe right, like it's my duty to continue to

265
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,080
Speaker 1: do what I'm doing. But there's power and not feeling

266
00:15:58,080 --> 00:15:59,880
Speaker 1: like you have to owe anybody anything more and that

267
00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,720
Speaker 1: so that's a feeling that I never want to give away,

268
00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,280
Speaker 1: and it's also a feeling that I want people to have. Um.

269
00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:12,000
Speaker 1: So this idea for me around celebrating black economic compartment

270
00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,240
Speaker 1: really centers around that theme of freedom for me. So

271
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,200
Speaker 1: for me, it's important to be on these boards, right

272
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,920
Speaker 1: because I want to help quickly realize that vision for

273
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,760
Speaker 1: other people to the extent that they feel that there

274
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,280
Speaker 1: are barriers towards their attainment of doing it right. I'm

275
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,520
Speaker 1: on two public boards. I got there as a thirty

276
00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,880
Speaker 1: five year old black man. It is possible, right, certainly

277
00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,040
Speaker 1: with respect to kind of the privilege that I've had.

278
00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,200
Speaker 1: But even more than that, you know, it's not just

279
00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,080
Speaker 1: that I'm on the board, like I'm on the governance committee,

280
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,760
Speaker 1: uh and the nominating committee of these boards, right, I

281
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,720
Speaker 1: can have some influence on you know, how our frontline

282
00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,440
Speaker 1: employees and the majority of whom look like me are treated, um,

283
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,640
Speaker 1: you know, to our inevitable kind of shareholder interests, right,

284
00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,360
Speaker 1: but also how do we help them grow? Right? How

285
00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:02,040
Speaker 1: do we help them see um that you know, there

286
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 1: are folks, whether they look like me or that gentleman

287
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:08,880
Speaker 1: or woman as I mentioned earlier, running that profitable ah

288
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:13,719
Speaker 1: back right, Um, it's my job to evangelize it. Corporate

289
00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,800
Speaker 1: boards aren't for everybody, um, and folks can find as

290
00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:21,480
Speaker 1: much impact and building a wonderful profitable business. You know,

291
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,679
Speaker 1: I'd like to say progress and resistance is in a

292
00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,560
Speaker 1: one lane highway. I cho this lane because I think

293
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:30,320
Speaker 1: I have a unique point of view to help evangelize

294
00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,760
Speaker 1: kind of my celebration of black economic environment. Um, you

295
00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,840
Speaker 1: know that small business owner that's building something profitable for us,

296
00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:41,000
Speaker 1: that's another lane, right, and it's important. The destination is

297
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,720
Speaker 1: let's get to the same destination together. Um, But it's

298
00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,639
Speaker 1: just the lane. So I don't want to have a

299
00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:51,879
Speaker 1: kind of carte blanche assumption that everybody's potential participation on

300
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,360
Speaker 1: the board is right and much in the same way

301
00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,240
Speaker 1: that everybody is running their own company also isn't right. Right, Um,

302
00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:01,200
Speaker 1: you know, we need to figure out what we are

303
00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,160
Speaker 1: uniquely qualified to do and do that to the benefit

304
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,679
Speaker 1: of all of us. So rising tide to lift all

305
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:11,040
Speaker 1: those So I'm gonna flip that question, say, what is

306
00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:14,520
Speaker 1: the then, the corporate imperative to placing people of color

307
00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,320
Speaker 1: in these board roles? I mean, the inperative is something

308
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,560
Speaker 1: that we all know, at least to more profitable outcomes.

309
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,040
Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's like the it's staring everybody in

310
00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:25,080
Speaker 1: the face. You know, I've been doing a lot of

311
00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,360
Speaker 1: interviews lately, right, and I've been very blessed and fortunate

312
00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:28,960
Speaker 1: to have like a whole bunch of press about me

313
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,840
Speaker 1: company and all that stuff. Um. I remember I was

314
00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,639
Speaker 1: on Bloomberg the other day, you know, we had a

315
00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,840
Speaker 1: wonderful conversation around diversity, and I paused and I said,

316
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,119
Speaker 1: you know, I've been very fortunately, very privileged. I have

317
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,200
Speaker 1: so much press. Bloomberg was the first kind of TV

318
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,359
Speaker 1: interview I've ever done. If you go back, you'll see

319
00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,360
Speaker 1: I was saying the exact same things ten years ago, right,

320
00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,720
Speaker 1: I think, what what has changed? Um? And you know,

321
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,320
Speaker 1: I felt that it was their duty to continue to

322
00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,399
Speaker 1: hold corporations accountables to the things that they us. And

323
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,800
Speaker 1: one of the things that you hear them talk about

324
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,320
Speaker 1: all the time is how diversity leads to more profitable outcomes. Well,

325
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:11,399
Speaker 1: why aren't you, like, why aren't you doing everything in

326
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,800
Speaker 1: your like remote possibility to get this done? Right? Like

327
00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,960
Speaker 1: it it is a strategic priority. And that's the thing

328
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,080
Speaker 1: that I think I love so much about the potential

329
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,520
Speaker 1: from governance, right, and sitting on the boards. You know,

330
00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,960
Speaker 1: my job is not to run the company. That's management's job.

331
00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:30,159
Speaker 1: And I know, look, I mean folks have had terrible boards, right,

332
00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:31,800
Speaker 1: so I know what it's like to have before. That's

333
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,919
Speaker 1: over bearing. Um. But from my perspective or as a

334
00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,240
Speaker 1: religi to governance and having diversity leads to more profitable

335
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,760
Speaker 1: outcomes research that we've all ready Right, let's keep driving

336
00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,719
Speaker 1: at home until it starts to get realized in folks

337
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,439
Speaker 1: like foot lockers, shake Shack are realizing it, certainly at

338
00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,440
Speaker 1: the board level. Look again, thirty five year old black

339
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:54,959
Speaker 1: men who's gotten these opportunities. But it's a start, um,

340
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,080
Speaker 1: and this thing is gonna take some time. But now

341
00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:00,160
Speaker 1: I have a seat at the table, um to help

342
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:05,160
Speaker 1: catalyze UM for people who did do sit in these

343
00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,800
Speaker 1: prominent corporate positions, whether they be on the board or

344
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,639
Speaker 1: high level executives. Um, what is your thought process for

345
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,119
Speaker 1: how to remain authentic to your values? Speak up about

346
00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:18,359
Speaker 1: issues that UM matter to you from a cultural standpoint

347
00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:25,199
Speaker 1: without jeopardizing opportunities? Yeah again, privilege privilege, right, so let

348
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,040
Speaker 1: me let me let me separate. I like I, UM,

349
00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:31,480
Speaker 1: it's so important to me, right, because look, I mean,

350
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,600
Speaker 1: I gotta support you know, my black sisters, right, I

351
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,560
Speaker 1: gotta support my black trans folks, right like I gotta

352
00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,000
Speaker 1: like and not everybody has it as as I'm not

353
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,639
Speaker 1: gonna say as easy as I had it, um, but

354
00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,879
Speaker 1: I think a lot of folks have nuanced difficulties that

355
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,320
Speaker 1: they face it I'll never understand. So it's really really

356
00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:55,120
Speaker 1: really important for me to suggest that. But I'd also say,

357
00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:59,159
Speaker 1: and this goes to values, I broke them down and

358
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:03,560
Speaker 1: I define and I wrote those definitions down. Um, And

359
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,040
Speaker 1: I've tried my best, I really really really do, and

360
00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,280
Speaker 1: I encourage people to check me on it now when

361
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,119
Speaker 1: it's not the gig that I make every decision in

362
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 1: mind with those things because I did defined it, and

363
00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:17,320
Speaker 1: I try and at least for my team to help

364
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,800
Speaker 1: evangelize what those to the same personal values I have

365
00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,000
Speaker 1: or the same corporate values because I started the company,

366
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:23,920
Speaker 1: I'm like, wow, like I want to work around people

367
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,439
Speaker 1: who are like me from a values perspective. We can

368
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,080
Speaker 1: all be different people, but our value French because why

369
00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:32,879
Speaker 1: should I be hanging around anyone who doesn't share any

370
00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,120
Speaker 1: of the values that I have. But it also equips

371
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,399
Speaker 1: folks who might not have had the language, um to

372
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:41,440
Speaker 1: call people out when they do things that are out

373
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,680
Speaker 1: of line with those values. Right. So, whether it's a

374
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,080
Speaker 1: junior person talking to senior folks, um, now they have

375
00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:51,720
Speaker 1: the language that doesn't necessarily make them feel chastised. It's

376
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,840
Speaker 1: something that we've all agreed with. You went through our

377
00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:57,120
Speaker 1: interview process. You know what they are. They're defined there

378
00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,439
Speaker 1: in our annual review process. Right. It's very here and

379
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,600
Speaker 1: it's very objective. UM. So you know when I kind

380
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 1: of talk about authenticity, it's important to just know who

381
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:13,760
Speaker 1: you are, right and know what you're willing to not do. Uh.

382
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,879
Speaker 1: And values force you to pick a side, and you

383
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:21,320
Speaker 1: tend to find allies more quickly, and then you anticipate

384
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:23,880
Speaker 1: wants you to find what those values are. And we're

385
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,720
Speaker 1: all works in progress, right, Like I'm not there, um,

386
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:31,560
Speaker 1: even if I'm sixty six there, it's much better than

387
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,399
Speaker 1: not knowing who I am, um. And it forces you

388
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,560
Speaker 1: to really get a sense for who you are, what

389
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,320
Speaker 1: you stand for, and the folks around you. It's required

390
00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:45,440
Speaker 1: a lot of um, you know, tough conversations, honest conversations,

391
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,600
Speaker 1: self reflection. I have a wonderful wife who like forces

392
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,719
Speaker 1: me UM to you know, improve my emotional quotation UM

393
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,159
Speaker 1: and I have very much thank her for that. But

394
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:01,040
Speaker 1: she also reminds me of the privileges that I have, right, UM,

395
00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,440
Speaker 1: and the privileges my sons will have UM. And it's

396
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:06,359
Speaker 1: important for me to abstract those two a way. For

397
00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:14,679
Speaker 1: the reasons that are UM. Several organizations have developed develop

398
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,680
Speaker 1: people for board positions and but in reality and from

399
00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:23,280
Speaker 1: experience also as many of these nominations come from direct relationships, right,

400
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,160
Speaker 1: and how can these relationships be built? UM? And how

401
00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:31,879
Speaker 1: do we raise our hand for these types of roles? Yeah,

402
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,280
Speaker 1: that's a big one. UM. I know that this stuff

403
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,040
Speaker 1: takes time. I think there are a lot of people

404
00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,240
Speaker 1: who know that this is broken. UM. Yeah, we have

405
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,639
Speaker 1: an access problem, but also there's an awareness problem. A

406
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,120
Speaker 1: lot of people don't even know that this is an

407
00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,160
Speaker 1: opportunity for them, right, So you know, let's kind of

408
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,320
Speaker 1: shout this stuff from the mountaintops, like here's a viable

409
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:57,000
Speaker 1: path forward. And also knowing what boards do, right because

410
00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,960
Speaker 1: I think it sounds sexy, but there's work, right, and

411
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,399
Speaker 1: there's work that you need to know that you're contributing

412
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:08,160
Speaker 1: to UM as a legal fiduciary and steward of the business.

413
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,880
Speaker 1: And look, it's no different from knowing that you want

414
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 1: to get in. And you know, a lot of people

415
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,359
Speaker 1: come and say, hey, you know, I want to start

416
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: a company, and my first question of them is do

417
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,000
Speaker 1: you want to run it? And they very rarely have

418
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:21,520
Speaker 1: an answer for that, right, And it's the two very

419
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:25,520
Speaker 1: different things. Um So, i'd almost ensure that, you know,

420
00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,520
Speaker 1: when folks kind of look at board seats, know why

421
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,919
Speaker 1: you want one. I know, what are the things that

422
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,119
Speaker 1: you can potentially do to help other people if you

423
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,840
Speaker 1: get one to acquire that same thing. So this is

424
00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:39,679
Speaker 1: I'm still kind of going through that process myself. Um So,

425
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,040
Speaker 1: as far as like, you know, how do we open

426
00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:45,320
Speaker 1: up the opportunities for network There are some wonderful kind

427
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,959
Speaker 1: of organizations like the e l C Executive Leadership Council,

428
00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:53,240
Speaker 1: right among others that help folks kind of get trained

429
00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,720
Speaker 1: around how to run aboard, how to be a part

430
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:57,919
Speaker 1: of a board. I mean, there are a lot of

431
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:02,440
Speaker 1: entrepreneurs right now who can get the requisite training right

432
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:04,720
Speaker 1: to know what it takes to build a board with

433
00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,520
Speaker 1: proper governments. You know, by this time I had run

434
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,240
Speaker 1: my company as a chairman of the board. You know

435
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,159
Speaker 1: that I helped found I was a chairman of that board.

436
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,960
Speaker 1: So I had some perspective, albeit from kind of walking

437
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,720
Speaker 1: company coach, around what it took. I didn't do it

438
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,000
Speaker 1: in a billion dollar company, but I had a respect

439
00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:26,679
Speaker 1: for what government's meant um. And then, you know, I

440
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 1: think once I saw other folks on the board and

441
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:32,680
Speaker 1: know that I had access to them, I would reach

442
00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,360
Speaker 1: out to them and just have a conversation the way

443
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,679
Speaker 1: I got to the foot locker board, and you know

444
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,439
Speaker 1: shake Chack came because I was on the foot locker board. Well,

445
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:46,000
Speaker 1: there's a woman Rosalin Brewer who is such an inspiration, friend, advisor,

446
00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:49,200
Speaker 1: Men's whor min and Rose is the CEO at Starbucks.

447
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,480
Speaker 1: She yeah, she's on the board of Amazon. I got

448
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:55,639
Speaker 1: to know ros when she was a CEO of Sam's Club.

449
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,240
Speaker 1: And that's because, you know, when I started kind of

450
00:25:58,280 --> 00:25:59,920
Speaker 1: the company, we're in health and beauty. We're trying to

451
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,760
Speaker 1: figure out what my channels attribute and we just had

452
00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,200
Speaker 1: a conversation just about you know, what it takes to

453
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,480
Speaker 1: you know, succeed in the corporate environment. And we've been

454
00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 1: kind of fast friends for years now. So when I

455
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:13,960
Speaker 1: was ready, and I had told the company we just

456
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,000
Speaker 1: had breakfast, and I just asked her for our thoughts,

457
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,440
Speaker 1: like am I ready for this? Right? It wasn't me saying, hey,

458
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,520
Speaker 1: I want to do this. It was her helping me

459
00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,280
Speaker 1: understand if I was prepared for it right as someone

460
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,399
Speaker 1: who actually has had the experience. So someone is just

461
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,040
Speaker 1: raising the hand being vulnerable and have a willingness to

462
00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,400
Speaker 1: reach out to folks to have that conversation before you

463
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,719
Speaker 1: say that it's something that you want to do right,

464
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:42,520
Speaker 1: because if you've never done it before, you don't necessarily know. Um.

465
00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:43,960
Speaker 1: And maybe the case that you don't want to do

466
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,320
Speaker 1: it right where you can kind of focus on another lane. Uh,

467
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 1: that's contributory to the success and uplifting of black folks.

468
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,919
Speaker 1: So long winded for both way of saying, Um, number one,

469
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,600
Speaker 1: know what your values are? Are your values leading you

470
00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:01,520
Speaker 1: towards this potential TOI what do you want to do

471
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,720
Speaker 1: if you were kind of blessed with the opportunity to

472
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,719
Speaker 1: be on that board? And then also at least for me, Um,

473
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:09,879
Speaker 1: you know, I think a lot of people look at

474
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,640
Speaker 1: foot Locker and shake shock man wow, like too wonderful

475
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,199
Speaker 1: consumer brands but you know what, UM, it wasn't just

476
00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:17,680
Speaker 1: that I wanted to be on the board. I wanted

477
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:19,440
Speaker 1: to be a part of companies that had respect for

478
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:21,760
Speaker 1: the demographic shifts happening in the country and the culture,

479
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,760
Speaker 1: the black of black people. I wanted to be a

480
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,520
Speaker 1: part of companies that, you know, consider brands and great

481
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:29,679
Speaker 1: brands and of course we're good. And I wanted to,

482
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,040
Speaker 1: you know, consider companies that respected technology, not only it's

483
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 1: impact on the business, but also the unseen or forgotten

484
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:40,320
Speaker 1: right UM Walker and Company has done that, is done that,

485
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,560
Speaker 1: proper gambles doing it, foot lockers doing it, Shake Shack

486
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,160
Speaker 1: is doing it. So I've been blessed because I know

487
00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:50,120
Speaker 1: what's important to me, because I know what my values are.

488
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:55,800
Speaker 1: To almost have these opportunities UM and come without my

489
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,400
Speaker 1: kind of asking for them. All the experience I've had

490
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,640
Speaker 1: prepared me for it, but prepared me in a way

491
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,320
Speaker 1: that it was truly authentic to other folks who might

492
00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:10,280
Speaker 1: be chasing the same thing. Love it. UM specific and

493
00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,240
Speaker 1: social board appointments are a lot easier to achieve UM

494
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,680
Speaker 1: corporate board. Corporate boards, especially ones that have retainers involved,

495
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 1: be much harder. UM when people are I went only

496
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 1: to talk when you talk about the interview process and

497
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:27,240
Speaker 1: the when people are going through that process of board review,

498
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,200
Speaker 1: they are they're being nominated. What is the interview process? Like,

499
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,359
Speaker 1: how do you negotiate the retainer or if it's a

500
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:36,280
Speaker 1: negotiation all they didn't. They may just say we we

501
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,000
Speaker 1: pay ten dollars, you got ten dollars or you out.

502
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 1: You know, can you talk about just what that process

503
00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,320
Speaker 1: is like, Yeah, so I'll started in reverse part of governor.

504
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 1: She can't really negotiate it because remember your produce year

505
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,440
Speaker 1: and the shareholder. So there is a standard by which

506
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,840
Speaker 1: your contribution will yield whatever compensation has been UM agreed

507
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:59,040
Speaker 1: on by the board and shareholders. Right so UM, you know,

508
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,960
Speaker 1: certainly if you're part of certain committees and there might

509
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,800
Speaker 1: be kind of additional compensation for that, but it's pretty

510
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,560
Speaker 1: standard and you can do that work well in advance

511
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,480
Speaker 1: of even getting through the process. It's all a part

512
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,800
Speaker 1: of UM. You know, the public reporting that's out there

513
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:17,880
Speaker 1: and you can see how much I'm compensated, right UM,

514
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:20,120
Speaker 1: or anybody else on any board that you want. For

515
00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: public companies, the interview process UM, at least for me,

516
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,520
Speaker 1: was very unique. UM. And you know, I'll tell you

517
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,600
Speaker 1: how it worked for foot Locker, and then I'll tell

518
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,080
Speaker 1: you how it worked for appreciation. Um. I mean with

519
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,160
Speaker 1: Roz Rosber on a Wednesday, she was in Atlanta. She

520
00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:41,680
Speaker 1: spends time between Atlanta and UH in Seattle. And you know,

521
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,680
Speaker 1: I asked her, you know, I ready for it. You know,

522
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:45,400
Speaker 1: she said, listen, I think it is a great time.

523
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,160
Speaker 1: I want to connect you with a recruiting firm, let's

524
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,560
Speaker 1: locally to Atlanta that does a lot of great work

525
00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,200
Speaker 1: on executive placement board place. I met with this partner

526
00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,840
Speaker 1: on Friday of that same week. We had an hour. Um.

527
00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,680
Speaker 1: For the first fifty nine minutes, um, we just talked

528
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,480
Speaker 1: about my life. I grew up in Queen's Hum, the beginnings.

529
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,160
Speaker 1: All these opportunities have come my way, tech p ANDNG

530
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,560
Speaker 1: walking company. And that's minute fifty nine. She looked at me.

531
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,720
Speaker 1: She said, Tristan, I have an idea. I can't promise

532
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,400
Speaker 1: you anything because they're doing final round interviews on Monday,

533
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,440
Speaker 1: right I'm gonna have to reach out to the lead

534
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,080
Speaker 1: director to see, like, if there's a there there. Um

535
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,520
Speaker 1: and she said it's foot Locker. And at that point

536
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: my eyes opened. I had to maintain my decorum because

537
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,520
Speaker 1: I'm like, man, I can't fool foot Locker. I mean

538
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,440
Speaker 1: has been a part of my life since I was twelve.

539
00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,040
Speaker 1: I remember buying um, you know, sneakers out of the

540
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,560
Speaker 1: East Day with money or just like I am O

541
00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,040
Speaker 1: g foot Locker and like they're you know, East Day chants.

542
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,680
Speaker 1: But that like I that's all she had to say.

543
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,480
Speaker 1: Say no more right. She called me on a Sunday,

544
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,240
Speaker 1: She's like, they would like to meet with you. I

545
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,960
Speaker 1: flew out to me with the lead director that Tuesday.

546
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,480
Speaker 1: I guess that went well. Then I met with the

547
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:08,760
Speaker 1: head of Nominating Government Committee of Brazoom Thursday. That went well.

548
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,080
Speaker 1: The following week got throughout to New York to meet

549
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,640
Speaker 1: with the CEO for three hours. We walked the stores,

550
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,520
Speaker 1: that sort of thing, and that went well, and a

551
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 1: month later I was actual join the board. That is

552
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,640
Speaker 1: a really fast process, but I think it was really

553
00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,040
Speaker 1: spearheaded by the fact that like they were already in

554
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:26,440
Speaker 1: last round interviews and it got me through it. And

555
00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,200
Speaker 1: there's a window of nomination because they wanted us. It

556
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,760
Speaker 1: was me and another kind of board member who joined together.

557
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 1: So originally they're thinking one I came in and then

558
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,040
Speaker 1: they put both of us on, which was really really great.

559
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:40,240
Speaker 1: UM the second time at least for shap Check. And

560
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,880
Speaker 1: I was speaking with the buddy of mine, Josh, who

561
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 1: runs etsy UM. So you know, we had a fireside

562
00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,480
Speaker 1: one on one chat in Brooklyn UM at Etsy just

563
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,960
Speaker 1: talking about kind of diversity inclusion and you know what

564
00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,600
Speaker 1: it means. And Etsy doesn't really wonderful work here that

565
00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,720
Speaker 1: you know deserves to be lauded. But we had a

566
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:01,640
Speaker 1: side conversation. I'm like, yeah, you know what I'm thinking

567
00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:05,440
Speaker 1: about them, I'm going through this board process and he said, Um,

568
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,360
Speaker 1: you know I'm on the board of shape Ship. And

569
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:09,960
Speaker 1: I looked at him and I was like, I'm gonnajohn

570
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,920
Speaker 1: that board, right. I just had the kind of bold

571
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:14,720
Speaker 1: thought to just say it right and the worst you

572
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,400
Speaker 1: can say it now, right, So let's number one. You

573
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,960
Speaker 1: go get what you don't ask for. UM kind of

574
00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:22,040
Speaker 1: strugged it off. He was like, we're not really looking

575
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 1: at but let me connect you to Randy the CEO.

576
00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,320
Speaker 1: Connected me the following week over email. And this was

577
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,560
Speaker 1: in December, I believe. UM. You know, we had some

578
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,600
Speaker 1: back and forth. We couldn't meet because he was busy

579
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,160
Speaker 1: holidays all that stuff, and then we planned some time

580
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,040
Speaker 1: to meet in January, and I would never forget this.

581
00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,240
Speaker 1: It was mid January. I was about to get on

582
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,720
Speaker 1: my flight or all my way to the airport to

583
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,560
Speaker 1: fly to New York to meet just for the day

584
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:48,640
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, he was on his way back

585
00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,760
Speaker 1: from China. And that was the first time I heard

586
00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,520
Speaker 1: about the seriousness of COVID nineteen because he was like,

587
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: hatress and up to you, but I'm gonna send a

588
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,240
Speaker 1: note to my team that I'm gonna just go on

589
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,479
Speaker 1: quarantine for the extreme precaution for fourteen days. And at

590
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,160
Speaker 1: that point I was like, you know what, let's let's

591
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,480
Speaker 1: kind of reschedule and figure it out. Um. So then

592
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,080
Speaker 1: February hit and I'm started to hear about COVID ncine

593
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,760
Speaker 1: more um. And then marsh we were like, hey, let's

594
00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,840
Speaker 1: just talk right and a zoom check because this started

595
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,560
Speaker 1: him coming new normal. We had a chat. He liked me. Um.

596
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,400
Speaker 1: Next person I met was Danny Meyer, the chairman of

597
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,760
Speaker 1: the board. Uh. And then at that point I guess

598
00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,560
Speaker 1: it became a process, right because they weren't looking at

599
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:33,640
Speaker 1: the time. And then I just started to get invites

600
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:37,120
Speaker 1: in my email to meet other board members UM. And

601
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:39,280
Speaker 1: you know, a couple of weeks later, UM, I was

602
00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:43,880
Speaker 1: asked to join and then we announced UM in about

603
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,400
Speaker 1: a month, a little over a month ago. UM. So

604
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,280
Speaker 1: again I referred back to this idea like, yes, my

605
00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,280
Speaker 1: access got me there, but also a little bit of

606
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:55,400
Speaker 1: bold actually in my asking because I knew what I

607
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: wanted at that point. I had done my research around

608
00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,520
Speaker 1: kind of what public boards meant, of what my responsibility was.

609
00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,800
Speaker 1: I was prepared for that moment. I had time, having

610
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,080
Speaker 1: kind of merged our companies with Property Gamble, to really

611
00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:11,319
Speaker 1: think about the next stage in my career too, you know,

612
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,800
Speaker 1: up level my ability as a leader and CEO, and

613
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:15,680
Speaker 1: what better way to do it at an eight billion

614
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:19,480
Speaker 1: dollar company UM at the time with Flipbocker, right, a

615
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:23,520
Speaker 1: global multinational company, multi brand UM and then shape Check,

616
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:27,080
Speaker 1: which is a you know, sub billion dollar but growing

617
00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:31,480
Speaker 1: brand UM. And it really stretches the capacity with those

618
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:35,080
Speaker 1: three themes I mentioned to you earlier, and they're facing

619
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,200
Speaker 1: the same exact things, just in different categories. Right. So

620
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:41,840
Speaker 1: for me, like all this stuff online and made sense UM.

621
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,319
Speaker 1: But it was a very different process from a lot

622
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,120
Speaker 1: from what a lot of folks are used to in

623
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,560
Speaker 1: the least thing that I'd say is it wasn't the

624
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:52,960
Speaker 1: first time that I had spoken to a recruiter. In fact, um,

625
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,319
Speaker 1: you know a lot of the recruiters that I had

626
00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,240
Speaker 1: spoken to in the past almost have a conversation based

627
00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:00,440
Speaker 1: on the diversity flavor of the month, right for some

628
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,279
Speaker 1: period of time, you know, two thousands, tens and let's say,

629
00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: you know it was about blackfoot right two you know,

630
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:15,560
Speaker 1: twenty evenen or so I was a woman, right, um,

631
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,560
Speaker 1: And I just mean like the attention that's given to it.

632
00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:23,000
Speaker 1: So depending on what period you're speaking to recruiters, that's

633
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,800
Speaker 1: what's top of mind for them, because the companies almost

634
00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,880
Speaker 1: have a flavor of the month mentality, and that coupled

635
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:33,040
Speaker 1: with that, well, you haven't run a billion dollar business yet, right,

636
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,920
Speaker 1: It's like, okay, so show me on one hand, right,

637
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,839
Speaker 1: the number of folks you have access to who happen

638
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,520
Speaker 1: to be black, who've had those opportunities, and those tend

639
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,680
Speaker 1: to be the same people recycled on the same boards

640
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,840
Speaker 1: over and over and over again. And I have to

641
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,080
Speaker 1: give foot block and shake Chack to credit here, right,

642
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,560
Speaker 1: because they were forward looking enough to recognize here's a

643
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,960
Speaker 1: young guy who cares about these three things, which we

644
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,520
Speaker 1: care about these closer to our consumer. The overwhelming majority

645
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,040
Speaker 1: of our employees look like him, and he has a

646
00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,480
Speaker 1: point of view Um, And it's my hope that we

647
00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,000
Speaker 1: broke down some barrier of reflection there that will offer

648
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,359
Speaker 1: more opportunities for focus. And now I'm getting calls from

649
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,520
Speaker 1: recruiters asking who I know? Right, So I have a responsibility.

650
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:20,239
Speaker 1: Now it's wonderful. You have no reason to remember this,

651
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:26,040
Speaker 1: But I met you at tech Crunch Disruption because because

652
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,759
Speaker 1: because the crazy part is about it, and I'm getting

653
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:30,879
Speaker 1: to a question. Is there like three other black people,

654
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:35,080
Speaker 1: there's Wayne Sutton, Um and Paul Judge. My question is

655
00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:43,080
Speaker 1: do you feel an increasing responsibility to be accessible to

656
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:44,920
Speaker 1: black folks? And here's why I asked this because I

657
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,120
Speaker 1: talked to Morgan about this. I talked to Charles Hosting

658
00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,759
Speaker 1: about this is Charles says the same thing Morgan's says

659
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:52,960
Speaker 1: anything when they're at a conference or just out, all

660
00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:54,840
Speaker 1: the black people there want to come to you because

661
00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,319
Speaker 1: you're the one who may get it right. And so

662
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,680
Speaker 1: how much of a responsibility do you feel to be

663
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,040
Speaker 1: accessible to do things like this conversation even to to

664
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,839
Speaker 1: give back to the community. Yeah, a couple things. Number

665
00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,640
Speaker 1: one that only twenty four hours a day. Um, there's

666
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:15,239
Speaker 1: only seven days a week. Um. And you go back

667
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:17,319
Speaker 1: to the priority of things that you know, I take

668
00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:19,640
Speaker 1: priority for us my faith, my family, my work. I

669
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:24,000
Speaker 1: don't care about anything else, right, Um. And and every

670
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,640
Speaker 1: interaction and every decision that I make, it's like, all right,

671
00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:29,239
Speaker 1: does this stip my value? If it doesn't, it's not

672
00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:32,480
Speaker 1: worth the time. And you it's it's really fascinating how

673
00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:37,279
Speaker 1: how how clear your schedule and your time gets when

674
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,120
Speaker 1: you have a focus determination around you know what your

675
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:44,680
Speaker 1: values are, right, and you make more time for this right. Um. Secondly,

676
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,640
Speaker 1: you know, um, you know, is it getting in front

677
00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:50,040
Speaker 1: of my ability to kind of focus on my faith

678
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:53,879
Speaker 1: at them? If it does? Sorry, right, because those things

679
00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:58,440
Speaker 1: take priority now to the work thing. Um is it

680
00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,040
Speaker 1: in line or is it kind of contributory to the

681
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,279
Speaker 1: three things that I mentioned demographic shift, brand teken fact

682
00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:09,120
Speaker 1: and the celebration of black economic compartment. I know my

683
00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:13,359
Speaker 1: lane on that progress highway right, Um. You know it's

684
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,640
Speaker 1: not a one lane highway. I know my lane. And

685
00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,239
Speaker 1: there are other folks that are participating in their lane.

686
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 1: Um it's hard enough for us. I don't need to

687
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,080
Speaker 1: do redundant things. Um where folks are better in the

688
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:32,200
Speaker 1: world than I at that thing, right. So I it's

689
00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:36,200
Speaker 1: my duty, um, if things are contributing to this goal

690
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:38,319
Speaker 1: and mission that I have, assuming that there are enough

691
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:41,800
Speaker 1: hours in the day that I participate, right. Um, it

692
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,080
Speaker 1: is my duty when folks potentially come up to me

693
00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:48,040
Speaker 1: at a conference to not rushed out right like, and

694
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:51,000
Speaker 1: it's my duty to prioritize that's assuming it's not getting

695
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:52,920
Speaker 1: in a way of those other things and my values,

696
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,920
Speaker 1: right Um. So yeah, I mean the responsibility is so

697
00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:01,000
Speaker 1: much a responsibility as um, you know, commitment to it.

698
00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,440
Speaker 1: And I've dedicated my life to this for the past

699
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,200
Speaker 1: ten years and I will continue to dedicate my life

700
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 1: to it for the rest of my life because frankly,

701
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,759
Speaker 1: for me, I think it's the only thing we're focusing on, right.

702
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:16,640
Speaker 1: I think if we can realize some of the things

703
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:19,680
Speaker 1: that I hope for in this idea of like economic parent,

704
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:22,680
Speaker 1: you know, we will have made so much progress for

705
00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,319
Speaker 1: the secondary and tertiary things that we all want to

706
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:30,239
Speaker 1: see that. So, yes, it is a responsibility. It's not

707
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 1: a burden, um because also I know who I am,

708
00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:37,480
Speaker 1: and you know I can't be everything and everybody, and

709
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,960
Speaker 1: that's something I have to reconcile every day. And that's okay,

710
00:39:40,560 --> 00:40:08,920
Speaker 1: that's okay. Black Tech Green Money is the production of Blackty.

711
00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 1: Afro Tech is produced by Morgan Dubon and me Will Lucas,

712
00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:17,320
Speaker 1: with additional production support by Love Beach, Stephane y'all, Vogu

713
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:21,279
Speaker 1: and Raven near Borne. Special thank you to Michael Davis,

714
00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:23,840
Speaker 1: some Carra savan Yan you know like the wine and

715
00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:28,279
Speaker 1: yes that's his real name and Dominique right. Learn more

716
00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:31,200
Speaker 1: about Tristan Walker and other tech this for perusing innovators

717
00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:36,520
Speaker 1: at afro tech dot com. Go get your money, peace

718
00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:36,919
Speaker 1: and love,