WEBVTT - The Burns Brothers on Serial Entrepreneurship 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.080 Check me out at the annual Black Effect Podcast Festival, 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:06.800 happening Saturday, April twenty seven in Atlanta. Live podcasts are 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:09.400 on deck from some of your favorite shows, including this one, 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.760 Black Tech, Green Money, and also some of the best 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.440 podcasts in the game like Deeply Well with Debbie Brown 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:17.480 and Carefully Reckless. Atlanta is one of my favorite cities 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:19.479 in the world. I lived there for two years. Actually, 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.000 in my worldview, seeing us successful in every industry and 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.840 not having any limits on our potential largely was shaped 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:26.480 by Atlanta. 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:27.360 So to be there with. 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.120 You doing this podcast talking about how we build or 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:33.680 leverage technology to build wealth. Come on, man, doesn't get better. 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:35.840 I want to see you there. Get your tickets today 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:40.480 at black effect dot Com back Slash Podcast Festival. I'm 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.320 with Lucas and this is Black Tech, Dreen Money. John 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:47.400 and Mike Burns, known as the Burns Brothers, are serial 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.199 entrepreneurs with companies in a variety of verticals like organizational 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:55.960 culture and diversity, marketing, PR and events, hospitality, and lifestyle. 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.400 You may have heard of their companies like Manchester Park 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:04.120 Created Agency, HQ House, a Social Club, a Koy Collective, 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:08.600 a DEI Strategy, firm. John is an attorney by trade 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:12.480 and community activists. Mike is a seasoned executive coach and 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:17.280 former army officer. The Burns brothers have found synergy working 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:20.920 together and their company is growing internationally and they set 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.959 their sites on the African continent, working in Kenya, South Africa, 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:28.679 Ethiopia and more. There's a lot of opportunity on the 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:31.440 continent that many black entrepreneurs from the States had taken 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:35.160 advantage of, whether it is simply finding opportunities or partnering 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:37.200 with natives own business moves. 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:39.640 For the Burns brothers, what about. 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:42.280 The continent, said to them, this is your next move. 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:44.320 So Mike and I've been doing work in Africa for 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:48.320 the last five seven years, so we understood kind of 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:51.040 the opportunity that exists there and the need that exists there. 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:53.680 But we also wanted to be a bridge between African 0:01:53.720 --> 0:01:56.080 Americans here in this country and then Africans on the continent. 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:58.320 We recognize that Africa is going to be twenty five 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.200 percent of the world's population in the next decade and 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.240 a half, and so how can we be stewards for change? 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.920 How can we really be that connective tissue? And we 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.560 thought just based upon our experience, there is tremendous opportunity 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:11.160 to have that connection point. 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:15.440 So when you think about going into new territory, there's 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.080 not just about having the dollars and resources to go 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.160 open up, but there's also you know, political implications and 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:23.120 not that And I don't mean like law and politics, 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:25.120 but I mean but like nuances about being in a 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.920 certain space that you don't necessarily know being from the 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:30.240 proverbial outside. 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.239 So how do you do that. 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:33.640 When you go into a space like did you have 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.000 local partners How did you consider this new territory to 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:39.359 find that you know, we want to be successful here. 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:42.200 This is the guy, the girl, the lady, the man 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:43.800 that can help us navigate that. 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:46.959 Yeah, well you're exactly right. 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.920 So we specialize in the connection and the community, but 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.920 we will readily admit we don't know Africa as well 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:59.040 as is needed to deliver what we're trying to deliver. 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:00.440 So partnership is essential. 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:02.799 And so as John said, we've been doing this and 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:05.959 integrating ourselves into Africa over the past five and seven years, 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.480 primarily in the space of like helping to decrease the 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.240 unemployment rates which are crazy across the continent. So if 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:18.800 you're a skilled African Black African, about thirty percent of 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:20.639 the time you will be unemployed. So these are people 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:22.880 went to college and did all the right thing, they're unemployed, 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.799 and if you're a black woman, that moves to almost 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.320 seventy percent. So over the past couple years, we've been 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:33.560 partnering with organizations, specifically three organizations. One called CCI, which 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:37.080 is the biggest private employer. They do call center services, 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:38.840 So when you're thinking about how do you employ a 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:41.440 lot of people at one time, like the call center 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:44.880 industry is one of those spaces, and we've partnered with CCI. Also, 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:48.040 another organization called Talent Match, which focuses on people who 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:52.200 have really high levels of skill like developers, digital marketers, designers, 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:54.400 and how do you place those people get them jobs? 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.520 And then finally the third organization that really kind of 0:03:57.560 --> 0:03:59.720 helped us out as well as this organization called Endeavor, 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.360 and they're actually building cities. 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:03.840 Across the cognitive Africa because. 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:06.840 They have a proposition that you can't bring multicultural or 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:11.640 multinational organizations into or on the continent because the infrastructure 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:13.480 is not right, so you need to build from scratch. 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:15.800 So they actually building these cities and so with those 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.440 three partners, they have feet and boots on the ground. 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:22.760 Plus they've just been great guides to ensure that we're. 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:24.680 Connected with the right people and doing the right things 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:25.960 to set up for success. 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:28.280 You know, it's interesting when you said that, I thought 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.800 about a question. I get asked a lot because I 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:33.920 have three buildings commercial properties and they're in a Censius 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.920 tract that is not great and so but the opportunity 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:39.200 to build things that are great in this this tract 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.880 is a really great opportunity. And so I'm my question 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:46.120 is directed at like this the spirit of entrepreneurship where 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.760 you're building in Africa. You know, so you have two 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.159 guys you know, from the United States going and taking 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.279 advantage of an opportunity building something to help people, to 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:56.960 create connections for them, create opportunities for them in et cetera. 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.039 How do you recognize the spirit of entrepreneur worship as 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.400 pervasive there and the ability to get something started Because 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:08.440 when you have thirty percent seventy percent unemployment, I imagine I 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:10.680 got to go start something because nobody's trying to hire me. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.160 Well, it's interesting and I'll turn it over to John. 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:21.200 But like entrepreneurship comes out of problem sets oftentimes, and 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:23.720 when you don't have a lot of opportunity, your whole 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:26.920 life is a problem set, and so you have to 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.119 create and figure things out. So if you think about 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.760 just the richness of entrepreneurship in Africa on the continent, 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:37.000 it's inherently already there, and so finding the talent to 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:40.120 partner with, finding the talent to actually employ there to 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:43.640 help drive our mission. Having people that have this visionary mindset, 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:45.760 it's not something you have to teach and just alreadys 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.000 ingrained and who they are just based off of their 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.640 socio economic and personal circumstances. 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:52.200 So, John, I don't know if you have other pieces 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:52.719 to add to that. 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:54.839 No, I totally agree. 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:56.640 I couldn't agree more that I think for us, based upon 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.320 kind of the mindset that we kind of moved with, 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:02.520 it was all aroun driving opportunity. It's this this wealth 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.440 of enthusiasm, this wealth of knowledge, this wealth of talent, 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.600 this wealth of expertise, but just the lack of opportunity. 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.320 And I speaking to like the entrepreneurship point that Mike mentioned, 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:15.120 there's so many bright minds and so our mission separate 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:17.440 apart from HQ is how can we drive opportunity, how 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:19.799 can we drive by engagement and how can we ultimately 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:20.440 drive impact? 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:23.279 I want to ask that same question kind of, you know, 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:26.559 like about DC. Is you have HQ DC House now, 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:28.960 which I think is fantastic, and. 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:30.200 I also have a social club. 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:32.760 I don't know if so, but I'm I'm I'm interested 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:35.920 in this question of you know, is it important to 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:40.680 have sort of a missing mission oriented social club, like 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:44.680 dedicated to helping a community achieve you know, specific things 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:47.880 or general things even not even specific things, or is 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.920 it the social aspect of having a club to where 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:52.919 you know, cool people just want to hang out with 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:53.760 other cool people. 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:54.960 Is that enough? 0:06:56.640 --> 0:06:58.320 Yeah, that's a great question. I want Mike to kind 0:06:58.320 --> 0:06:59.080 of jump in here too. 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:01.120 At our club is unique in the sense it's really 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:04.200 based upon three core principles, right, So it's a social 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:07.280 aspect which is really important. But for us, the almost 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:10.720 more important aspect is a development both personal and professional. 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:13.520 We think it's important to as people of color that 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.480 we're being developed personally professionally, and so we have cohorts, 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.160 we have workshops, we have classes that really focus on 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.120 that critical piece and we always say why we want 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.320 to create social experience. We want to create a safe space. 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:29.120 We are really driven by, ultimately, how can we mobilize, 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:31.080 how can we support, and how can we empower people? 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:35.080 And so to answer your question, we kind of convey 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:38.400 to our membership the importance of how can you collectively 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:40.400 or individually make an impact, whether it be in your 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:43.600 personal life, your community, or on a global scale. And 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:46.600 that's kind of mantra that we move with. And so 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.440 it's bigger than the social experiences. It's bigger than the 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:51.640 cool vibe, it's bigger than the parties. 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:52.640 It's really this. 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:55.640 Global community that we're trying to create that really kind 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:57.680 of convenes black folks around the world, and we can 0:07:57.760 --> 0:07:58.480 kind of speak to that. 0:07:58.440 --> 0:07:58.960 Some more too. 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:01.400 Yeah, please go in on this. 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.760 Yeah, and it is actually a really good question, a 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.680 little because I don't know if it's an either or right. 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:10.200 I think that at the end of the day, whether 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:13.320 it be a social club or you're making a widget, right, 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.680 you have to have like passion or drive around what 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:18.440 you're doing. And so John and I just happened to 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:21.280 have passion and drive about making a change and impact. 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:24.640 We come from, you know, grandfathers and mothers of like 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:27.960 the civil rights movement, right, So everything we ever saw 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.680 was people who were put in self second and others 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.160 first in order to drive change in the community. And 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:37.160 so we just happen to create a product that is 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:39.800 tied to that. Could we have done it and just 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:42.520 been a social club and had parties and drinks. I've 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.319 seen that model work as well, but for us, that 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:46.880 really wasn't the foundation of. 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:47.640 Why we were doing it. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:50.520 Yeah, So I love your responses on this, and I 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.000 want to go on a level deeper because when I 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:55.640 think about, like take Soho House, you know, like they 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:58.320 don't have to have a mission to galvanize people. 0:08:58.360 --> 0:08:59.520 They could just open a club. 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.040 But like you and so, it's like when we do things, 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:04.240 and I don't know if that's you know, just in 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:07.080 here because of our history, but like when we do things, 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.160 they tend to be more mission oriented and mine as 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.120 a mission, like toe House has a mission. Like our job, 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:16.200 I believe is to organize the community's doers. 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:17.080 So I have a social club. 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:18.480 That should probably just tell you a little bit about it, 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.360 because if you don't know, so toe House is a 0:09:20.400 --> 0:09:23.440 private social club, you know it's for the city to well, 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:26.960 then creative and entrepreneurial class and it's and it's built 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.000 on the waterfront here in my hometown. It's twenty five 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.840 thousand square feet. So we have that social parts, five bars, 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.560 five lounges of coffee house, jazz club, et cetera. But 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:39.080 what we're doing is organizing the people in the community 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:41.559 who are doing the work to help our community be 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:43.280 what it could be if we got out of our 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:46.640 own way. And so when people hear about where I'm from, 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:48.800 they're like, oh, you know, sorry to hear that, or 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:51.080 you know, there's all the young people want to leave 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.720 when they graduate from high school and all of these things, 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:55.800 and I'm like, we have really cool stuff here. We 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:58.000 just got to get the right people in the right 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.439 place to know each other in create that cross pollination 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.040 and et cetera. But then you think about a different 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.760 type of club. Our counterparts they don't have to do that. 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:10.559 They could just go put a beautiful space and if 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:12.880 if you want to be in, you in, or maybe 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:15.760 not in, but you know, because their waiting lists are 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:18.240 you know, I would love to have that sort of 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:20.240 waiting list. But they don't have to have the mission 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:24.240 underpinning the community. So I'm interested in your thoughts on 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.559 at what point or is it important to even aspire 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.760 to just be able to do something just because this 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:32.360 will be dope? 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:38.720 Well damn, that's that's really good brother. So this is 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:40.840 how I interpret it, and I like it just hits 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:48.000 me right. Could we do it? Absolutely? Would it be successful? Absolutely? 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:51.320 Where we have like a waiting list like some of 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:56.040 our competitors. Could I mean it's a tough, but I 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.680 think why why we tend to go towards like the 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:03.120 impact and the community. I think there's something inherently built 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:06.920 in us based off our history, that our survival is 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:11.520 based off community, and also our strength comes from community. 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:15.199 So I think naturally when we build, I mean think 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:16.960 about we grew up in the church, we grew up 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:20.599 in like fraternity and rorities, like everything, especially in the 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:21.679 Black experience. 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:22.679 Is very much tied to community. 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:25.920 So I think we naturally just migrate to it, even 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:28.960 when we go into entrepreneurial ventures, because that's where we 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:32.200 find our collective power. So I think we do, and 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:35.760 we could be just as successful without the community our 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:38.800 empowerment based aspect. But I think based off of our 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:43.920 customer base, both you and ours, our we are our 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:47.520 client and our customer base need the community aspect of it, 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:50.920 probably more than some of our competitors. 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:54.480 Yeah you chime in on that, John, No. 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:55.200 I couldn't agree more. 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:56.839 I really have nothing to add, And I think I 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:58.400 think it's to Mike's Moore. I think it's kind of 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:02.840 based on the foundational fabric of who we are as 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:04.439 people of color, and. 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:05.440 I think it's heightened. 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:09.960 By the continual kind of visible political climate that we 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:12.439 live in in this country. Right we need safe spaces 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:16.160 to convene and ultimately community to help us mobilize. And 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:18.439 so I think whether it be your membership club which 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:21.840 is super dope Maa, so congratulations that sounds incredible, or 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.280 it's ours or others, I think the foundational framework of 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:28.760 what we do as people of color is mobilized through community. 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:31.800 You think about every organization from Jack and Jill to 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.720 the links I know Mike mentioned, like the Divine Nine. 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.600 Everything's based upon like how can we convene, how can 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:39.880 we mobilize to ultimately move our culture forward? 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:42.319 And so it really begs the question to. 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:45.560 Your point, when can we get to that point where 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:47.880 it doesn't always have to be around how can we 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:48.640 change the narrative. 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:50.080 How can we move our culture forward? 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:53.040 How can we just get together and have a good 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.480 time right that doesn't have to be built on some 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:56.280 other framework. 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:56.680 Yeah. 0:12:57.920 --> 0:12:58.000 Do. 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:00.240 I didn't plan on going this deep on this because 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:01.800 but I love your responses to this. 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:06.280 Do do you think about so I have in. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.320 The other spaces we have like we're building a market, 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:12.920 And immediately ninety percent of the people I tell that 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.720 I'm building a market, grocery store, etc. They assume that 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:18.600 I'm going to try to. 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:20.640 Solve the food crisis issue. 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:26.760 And I would imagine when one of our less melanated 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:29.880 part friends may say that they don't get that assumption. 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.160 But when I say I'm going to go build a market, 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:34.280 people assume I'm going to go try to solve the 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:37.920 food crisis, food desert issue. And I'm like, I want 0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:40.360 to compete with Whole Foods. I want to compete with 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:43.760 Trader Joe's. And at what point can we think. 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:45.840 That way versus always. 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:47.520 Trying to And again, if you want to do that 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.959 food desert thing, that's I applaud that, and I think 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:52.640 we should do that. But we also have to see 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:58.120 people like yourselves building beautiful spaces just because we want 0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:01.360 to enjoy beautiful spaces, and we want to be around 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.040 other people who are like minded in that way that 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:05.160 they want to enjoy. 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.800 People who enjoy beautiful spaces. 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.200 And know what's so interesting? Right, So when John and I, 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.040 HQ is one of the other, Like, we have multiple 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:16.920 companies that sent under the Burns Brothers organization. HQ's one 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:18.719 of them. One of them is like a marketing and 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.160 branding company. And I remember when we first started it 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:23.240 and we also have an event company. I said John, 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:27.120 I don't want to be like the best black market, right. Yeah, 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.840 I don't want this company to like hire us because 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.040 it's African American or Black History Month, and so they're 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:34.920 looking to run some programs. So then they come to 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.440 us to fill some type of diverse supplier quota. I 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:41.640 just want them, but they want the best production event company. 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:41.840 In the world. 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:45.960 You come to Styles right by the Verns Brothers, not 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:48.960 because it's black. And so I completely agree with you. 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.800 I think the issue we face, and it goes back 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.760 to like community and all the other stuff, is that 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.880 we don't control the narrative, right, And if you don't 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.360 control the narrative, you're just righting the wave of the narrative. 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:02.360 You kind of just kind of take it takes you 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:03.400 where if it wants you to go. 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:06.640 And so community numbers are so important, the fact that 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:10.400 we will be the numbers if we connect and we 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.520 have this point of kind of community, then we can 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.480 have the volume to start controlling our own narrative, and 0:15:16.520 --> 0:15:21.040 not just our narrative, but the narrative of the whole ecosystem. 0:15:21.320 --> 0:15:23.160 But right now, I think when you go to that 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:25.520 food example, is that we don't control the narrative, and 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:27.480 someone else would created the narrative for us. So that's 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:29.920 all you could be doing if you're trying to open 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:30.640 up a marketplace. 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.080 Yeah, as really good. 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:37.240 So I asked Quintin Harris, Who's I believe you guys 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.400 know Quinton. He's a co founder of CEOI Retrospect there 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:42.560 in DC. And I asked him to send me a 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:44.840 couple of questions for you guys. I wanted to ask 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.920 somebody who's experienced your spaces and know the you guys's work. 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:50.800 I'm like, I wonder what he would ask if he 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.280 was given this opportunity. 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:52.960 So he sent one. 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:56.160 He sent two, actually, but this first one he said, 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.360 they have very strong views on black excellence and how 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:03.520 it restricts inclusivity and collective progress. How are they intentionally 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.040 redefining the meaning of black excellence? 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:08.440 Mike, you want to take that one. I got to 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:09.720 think through it. I love that question. 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.360 I love Quentin's a great guy too, So when I 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:14.760 take it, I can kind of follow up. 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:18.280 So funny enough, we actually own the trademark to a 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:19.720 phrase called blaxcellents. 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:20.840 We have like the domain. 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.040 We're not sharing exactly what we're dealing with it yet, 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:24.200 but we got to figure it out. 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:26.800 But it's tied directly to this question, right. 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.680 I think that how we look at black excellence even 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:33.080 as black people is like very narrow, right, and we 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:36.640 actually then reinforce and reaffirm that by who we celebrate 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:37.440 around excellence. 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:39.680 It's usually athletes, it's usually entertainers. 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:42.240 I mean, we're on a podcast with a brother who 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:44.440 is the chairman of the board of. 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.240 The University of Toledo, Like, that's black excellence. Yeah, And 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:47.760 so how do. 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:51.280 We tell stories that are stories that are never been told, 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:54.080 are people who have never been highlighted that actually show 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.680 the whole gambit of. 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.280 What we do as people and how we do it better? 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:01.440 Than anybody else. 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:03.400 We grew up, like I said, in the Civil rights 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.120 era where grandfather was part of NAACP, who took place 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:07.199 in this context when were a. 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:08.680 Little kid called AXO. 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:10.320 I'm not sure if it was just based out of 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.280 Texas or if it was like a national like kind 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.000 of quiz competition. 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:15.560 On black history, right. 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.359 And part of what was so nice about AXO is 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.679 that you had to learn how black people kind of 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.440 dominated in all sorts of fields that you would. 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:25.160 Have never thought about. 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:29.280 And I thought AXO like define, like this is black excellence, right, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:34.159 Like what Carver did with the peanut is black excellence. 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:38.120 What what happened with Madam C. J. Walker? And here 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:39.359 that's black excellence. 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.480 I'm not saying that Lebron and all these old cats 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:45.240 aren't black excellence as well. They are, but it's just 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:48.760 so much bigger. And that's how I personally see it. 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.000 And we need to tell the stories and highlight the 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:54.760 things that aren't highlighted around what we're capable of and 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:55.560 what we have done. 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.280 So John, yeah, yeah, And I think Mike kind of 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:00.359 mentions the depth of the black experience to kind of 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:02.960 what that looks like, right, And it's very We're not 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:05.440 monoliss right, So we're very multi dimensional. And I think 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:07.880 for us, as we try to build commit and especially 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:11.000 a global community, it's highlighting these stories. 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.119 From around the world what black excellent truly looks like. 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:15.800 And so I think in the US sometimes we can 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:19.760 get very specific around just what that concept looks like 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:23.399 to us, But we are global black people around the world, 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.359