WEBVTT - UP LIFT US FOUNDERS – Tuna Casserole 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.960 Welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. Today we 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:07.520 have sisters, Crystal Jones and Kendrill Settle, owners of uplift 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:11.240 us Marketplace. Uplift Us Marketplace is a retail store that 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:15.079 dedicates ad of its shelf space to black entrepreneurs to 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:18.159 probably sell their products while offering consumers a place to 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:20.600 actually shop black. You don't have to go all over 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:23.079 the internet, guys. You can go to one store and 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:29.400 you can actually buy their buy online online. Yes, yes, today, 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:33.360 what do you have us eating? So? Today we're making um, 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.480 actually a meal that I still love. It's tuna cast 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.400 role and it came back from when I was I 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.040 had three kids by time I was twenty four, so 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:44.600 I used to make this because it's good and it 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:47.360 goes a long way. Yes, and it's affordable. I think 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.920 this mail costs roughly five six bucks at the most. 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.559 And it's got a white sauce, so it looks like 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.160 it's gonna taste really good. Um, can you tell us 0:00:56.240 --> 0:01:01.360 what are the ingredients? Yes? So the ingredients our egg noodles, 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:07.120 Campbell's cream of Mushroom soup, a can of tuna, and 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:10.120 cheddar cheese. Awesome. So did you come up with this 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:13.759 yourself or did you google it? You know what, Honestly, 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:16.560 I don't know. Mom made this when we were little too. 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.759 Our mom used to make it when we were little. Okay, okay, okay, awesome, 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.920 So why don't you start us off? Okay, So first 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:27.479 I'm going to take the egg noodles and put them 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:31.600 in this pot. And just so you guys know that's listening, 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:34.399 we pre cooked them a little bit so we will 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.920 eat faster because it's only a thirty forty minute shoot, 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:40.520 but on average the meal the noodles only took like 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:44.360 eight minutes to cook. Yeah, exactly. So you just um, 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.600 you know, boil the noodles, drain the water, which it's 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:49.640 already done here, so I'm just kind of heating it 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:54.360 back up the pot, and then I'll take the tuna first, 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.960 so tuna goes first, and then I'll take the tuna 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.280 I'm getting in years so that can get heated at 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:04.640 Usually it's just for a pack of egg noodles. It's 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:09.359 just one can't larger can of tuna and mix that in. Man, 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:13.080 that sounds a little crazy, but no, no, no, I 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:17.040 used to mix my tuna with mac and cheese. I 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.799 don't know. Yeah, today in my house, my husband looks 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:24.240 at me like I'm white. So I don't like dragging 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:27.519 about it. But it actually it's really good. Yeah, you 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.799 know what. My husband thanks the same thing actually about 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:36.840 this meal. But I like it, k So, yeah, it 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:42.399 looks like it's it looks like quality for budget, yeah exactly. 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:45.639 And I've never had the couple of mushrooms soup or 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:48.680 any of that, so I used for actually a lot 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:52.680 of things. Yeah. So yes, I have a little bit 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:54.840 of Lowry's seasoning salt just to give it a little 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.160 bit of flavor. You don't want it, you know, to 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:00.120 be bland. You can add pepper if you want. I 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.160 will add a little bit of that as well. So 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.480 when was the last time you ate this dish? You know? 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:10.320 It's funny because my uh my daughter who's twenty one, 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:13.320 still ask for me to make it. Okay, So I 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:18.280 made it maybe about a month ago, about a month ago. 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:21.280 I don't make it very often now, but it is 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:24.640 requested from times to time. So so you said this, 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:28.679 You made this when you were twenty four, you were 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:32.240 your mom? Is this when you started your entrepreneurship because 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.680 I know you you've been an entrepreneur for quite some time, 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:40.320 both of you guys, we started an entrepreneurship a little bit, well, no, 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:44.839 actually run around then. Maybe when I was right, Yeah, 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.240 I think so, because I had chat I was about 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:55.440 twenty seven. Indoor play center time together. We've been partners forever, yes, yes, 0:03:55.880 --> 0:04:00.200 and I had and I had two little boys when 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.560 we opened the first business, so it seemed like were 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:07.880 you guys trying to fill a need? Then? You know, 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:11.280 we've just always had the entrepreneurship bug, like we just 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.320 always came up with these great ideas. I think one 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:15.360 day we were just talking and I had an idea 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:19.640 of like, let's open an indoor play center, and she 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:22.640 got excited by the idea, and you know what, our 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:24.640 energy just kind of bounces off of each other to 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:26.680 where we get excited and we just go for it. 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:29.280 So one little spark of an idea, then all of 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:30.760 a sudden we're like, oh, we can do this, we 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:33.160 can do that. And then next thing, you know, so 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:36.800 how do you fund these ideas when you're like, Okay, 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:42.080 I have this idea, let's go right yeah, well, tiny 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:45.280 town we actually funded that with loans. We did, and 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:47.760 thankfully we had like really good credit, so we were 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.240 able to get a loan to open it and it 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.640 didn't take a lot um. The cost wasn't too high 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:55.599 to open it because we just had to rent a 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:59.240 you know, an empty space. Yeah, rent an empty a 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:03.200 large empty space. It's like four square feet and we 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:07.400 just filled it with fun things, jumpers, and because we 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:09.800 had little kids and you know, we were always doing 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:12.280 other things, we really kept the parents in mind. So 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.400 we set it up to where the parents could sit relaxed, 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.719 watch TV, drink coffee, and watch their kids play with 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:22.640 nice Of course, the parents loved it, so you were 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:27.080 definitely filling a need. Filling a need. Okay. So now 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:32.600 fast forward to uplift us Marketplace. What was going on 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.440 at the time where you guys decided we're going to 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:38.119 create this retail store and we're gonna support a hundred 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:41.560 percent black owned businesses. Okay. So that was during them. 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:43.640 It was during the pandemic. You know, we were all 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:47.160 home and you know, everything was happening. It was a 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:53.159 major movement at that time with George Floyd everything going on. Yeah, exactly, BLM, 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:56.520 and we were trying to be really conscious about shopping black, 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.280 you know, and it had to be online. Um, and 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.720 it was difficult. It was I'm sorry, Yeah, you can 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:06.039 go at the same time. One day, I just like 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.640 VEGGI out on TV because we were home doing the pandemic, 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:13.520 and I watched like a ton of documentaries on Black 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:17.400 Wall Street. And as I was watching those documentaries, one 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:21.200 I was just so moved by seeing the images of 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.960 Black Wall Street years ago and then just hearing the 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.800 statistics now about Um, you know how long the black 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:31.400 dollar circulates, which is only six hours, unfortunately, and that's 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:36.080 compared to the white dollar, compared to any other community, 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:40.000 any other white which circulates for thirty forty five days. 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:45.240 So you know, that creates a huge, huge gap in 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:48.800 our communities in just everything that we have. Now. I 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.240 was a little confused when that, Like I was doing 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:55.440 some research and and you talk about the black dollars circulating. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.120 I guess my question comes in, like, if the black 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.320 market has so much buying power, why is it circulating 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:04.719 at such a small time frame. Well, that's not where 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:08.239 we're spending our money. Yeah, we have the second highest 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:11.560 spending power in the United States. But when you look 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.960 at the products in any major retailers or even small retailers, 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:17.840 we only have three percent of the shelf space. So 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.440 when you go, when you're spending your money nine times 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:23.400 out of team, you're spending it on you know, products 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:26.160 made by other people, which there's nothing wrong with that, 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:30.120 but we found that, you know, it's just difficult to 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:32.280 find the products that are made by us because they're 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.720 not on the shelf. Right, Yeah, so, but this also 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.920 goes back to, you know, before George Floyd, you know, 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.320 I think targets started to pick up black brands, but 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.840 when they did, you saw the hate mail come through 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:48.119 for them picking up a black brand. I know, after 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:51.440 Black Lives Matter, brands started to become conscious. And I 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.360 honestly think that the only reason why George Floyd had 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.520 like such a positive impact was we were in a pandemic. 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.680 There were no sports too to fluff us over right, 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.360 people literally had to face music. Because this has been 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.240 going on for years. For years, black black people have 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:09.239 asked for equal opportunities in retail and have been producing. 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:11.160 It's not like these products don't exist. It's not like 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:14.000 black entrepreneurs don't exist. It's not like our dollars don't exist, 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:17.760 our buying power doesn't exist, and there's high quality black 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:21.000 products out there to use, hair care, there's even toothpaste. 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:25.440 That's absolutely It's definitely not from a lack of quality 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:28.440 or lack of availability. It's just being able to have 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.000 the opportunity and and find it. Yeah, and it's well, 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:35.079 I guess the problem area would be the lack of distribution. 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:38.880 And that's where uplift us marketplace. You know, I'll tell 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:41.240 you from experience. I was walking through the Fox Hills Mall. 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:44.120 You know, I'm used to seeing your typical brands, your 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:48.240 full lockers or champs, you know, whatever traditional stores we 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.920 all grew up with, and I came across your store 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.040 and it was like we support you know. I think 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.760 it was like over of your products in your store 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:01.960 are black owned, and I was a hundred percent black 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:06.600 owned and over eighty brands, and I stopped in my 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:10.000 tracks as, oh my gosh, you know, and I remember, 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.000 you know, when the Black Lives Matter movement, I did 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.120 have the urge to say I want to shop black, 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:19.720 but shopping black wasn't as easy and accessible. You know, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:21.720 you have your one or two brands that got picked 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:25.559 up by major retailers since you know, George Floyd and 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:29.080 and honestly, for me, it's just really not authentic enough 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.560 for me. I feel like we almost had to like 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:36.160 literally die to get that distribution and to be to 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.600 walk into your store. Of course, I was like, Okay, 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:41.120 this is great that it has all these black products. 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:43.400 So IM merely walked over to your you know, I 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:45.800 checked out the products. The products were amazing, everything you 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:51.040 could imagine, from food to clothing too, bonnets to a 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:52.839 whole bunch of different items. By the way, me and 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:58.800 my daughter now have matching bonnets, and uh and uh. 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:02.000 What I thought was I wanted to ask the person 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.160 that worked there. I just had to know because of 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.720 what happened with Target. And I'm not trying to sing 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.360 out Target or any major retailer, but I felt like 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:13.800 their obligation to support us was more out of obligation. 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.760 And I had to know if uplift us marketplace was 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.720 black owned, because you do see that a lot. Yes, 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:24.760 you know, try and represent right exactly. Yeah, And that's 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:27.679 what we were finding also finding because in our mission, 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:30.200 once our consciousness was raised and we were trying to 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:32.800 seek out black products, some things weren't and we were like, 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:34.800 oh my gosh, I bought this thinking you know, that 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.280 party and it wasn't and then of course shooting fees 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.120 and everything, and that's where the idea came from, like, 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:43.240 you know what, we need a space that we can 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:46.920 go to r Yeah. And it's so funny because when 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:51.120 she had the idea, I immediately thought like, um, I 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.480 thought of the space. I was thinking, I wanted to 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:56.760 be beautiful, like I wanted to be just like that 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.319 farmhouse look, just something that people wouldn't expect. And it's 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:02.360 so funny because when we started telling people like, oh, 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:05.160 we're opening a store that sells, you know, all black 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.600 owned products, and everyone's reaction was, oh, you're opening the 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:13.880 swat meat, right, that's what they were picturing, right exactly, 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.640 And no, we wanted to raise the bar like you know, 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:19.360 it's going to be a space where it's absolutely beautiful 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:24.040 and when you walk in, your surprised and um, you're 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:30.400 proud experience. Yeah, exactly, the shop there, but kind of 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:32.920 going back to what you said, and you could definitely service. 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:41.080 While we're discussing this feel hungry. That's I agree with 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:43.640 you in the sense where people thought, okay, swap meat, 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:46.480 because I think maybe a part of the reason why 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:48.600 I even asked if it was black owned or what 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.000 have you could have been the fact that it was 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:54.760 such a nice store to walk into. It was like, okay, 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.400 is this really and that's I guess that's kind of bad, 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:03.119 but you know it's it's it's reality. It's reality exactly, 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:06.480 and we want to change that whole because also, and 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:10.320 this is just to be quite honest, sometimes um, even 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.840 talking to people about trying to shop black, I would 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:15.559 people say I tried to support a black business and 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:18.520 I got attitude. I didn't have good customer service. We 0:12:18.559 --> 0:12:22.240 want to change that perception that it's not right. Black 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:26.160 entrepreneurs out here working hard, creating quality products and we'll 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:27.920 give you the service. So we figured, you know what, 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:30.800 we'll be that standard. We'll make a place where we 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.760 know we're gonna be. Yeah, it was. It's beautiful. It's 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:37.560 a beautiful experience. The customer service was above par. Now 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:39.920 as we get into this meeting, I have to have 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:45.120 to sample. You're eating more, all right, let's see here 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:53.440 we go. Mm hmmmmm. It's pretty tasty, right, very tasty. 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:58.320 Mm hmm. I'm gonna going for a second bite. And 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:02.640 this is an easy Is this your first time having 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:04.880 This is my very first time having to astroom. So 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:09.560 what about a twenty minute meal? Yeah, really quick. You 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:11.240 can't put it in the event if you want, but 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:15.560 still task. I got see why your daughters still asked 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:19.959 for It's affordable. We all you college students out there. 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.800 It's a good alternative to Ramen versus us tweaking Ramen 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:32.360 all the time. So when you were creating uplift marketplace, UM, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.720 I'm pretty sure you guys had some hard milestones, Toad 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.360 or some challenges. Can you share with us what some 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:43.520 of those challenges were. UM? I think probably the startup 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:47.640 costs was probably the first challenge. Um. We ended up 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:50.679 funding everything ourselves. We got help, We got some help 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.360 from some family and friends. UM, but just trying to 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:56.800 I would think it the funds to start the business 0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:00.079 would be on the business side of it hard this 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:02.400 thing because you know, we were a business coming out 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:06.280 of nowhere, so loans and everything. They're like, yeah, but 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:12.079 you're in business with yourselves, especially during people the pandemic, 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:17.640 Like you're opening a business during the pandemic, and when 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.520 you were hit with those hurdles, no part of you 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.200 was like, maybe we should wait till the world opens up. 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:27.080 You know what. We laugh at ourselves all the time. 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:29.120 We're just not geared that way. Once we have an 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:33.120 idea and we think it's good, we go and we 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:38.200 go hard. So you started ironically, I would have thought 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:40.480 that you would have started e commerce, but you wouldn't 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:44.720 directly into retail. Yes, during a pandemic, I have to 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:48.360 stress that journey. You're like, hey, guys, I know it's 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.880 gonna cost you a lot of money. We're gonna invest 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:54.400 our personal dollars, husband and you know, husbands and children. 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.480 We're gonna invest our personal into a retail store to 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.440 support black old businesses in the at all of a 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:02.480 pandemic when people are locked in their house, right, I 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:04.240 want to I just want to know the thought process. 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.040 We felt like everyone was hungry for the same thing because, 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:10.040 like you said before, sports was going on, and everyone's 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.520 attention was on what was happening in the United States 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.240 when it came to you know, the black lives and 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.600 just everything that was going on. So we felt like 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:20.520 this is the time it, you know, despite the pandemic 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:24.440 everything else, everyone's awareness is heightened right now and we 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:28.560 had to jump on that. Um also launching e commerce first. 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.920 It's like that was part of our hurdle at first. 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:35.080 It's finding everything online, not seeing the quality, feeling it, Yeah, exactly. 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:36.680 So we wanted them to see it and fill it. 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:39.920 And honestly, we were thinking a lot smaller when we 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.080 had the idea. We were thinking of maybe we'd have 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:45.920 fifteen companies in the store. How do you find these companies? Right? 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:47.480 So we start we kind of just put the word 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:49.560 out there. We were looking on Instagram. We reached out 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:51.560 to a few companies that looked like they had like 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:55.600 really good products, something unique, you know, right, We set 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.800 up meetings, met with them, and we're spread. Next thing, 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:02.880 you know, we had sixty We had hundreds of companies 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.320 contact us to get into the store. That shows how 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:09.200 big the demand was. Exactly hundreds you said, hundreds of 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:14.880 companies reach out to hundreds and still they d right now. Yeah, yeah, 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.240 so that's that is part of what sparked us. And 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:21.240 then seeing them come in and these people they didn't 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:24.640 know us from a cannidy and build the space, but 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:26.800 they believed in the idea too, and they were willing 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:30.360 to put their products there. When we were like this 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.480 is and it felt good, It felt right. You know, 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:36.640 once we start filling everyone's energy to our next thing. 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:39.240 You know, we had sixty brands that we narrowed it 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.160 down to to start with. And when I say our 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:46.840 grand opening, it was phenomenal. There were it was. It 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:50.200 opened at what twelve, It went from twelve to fives, 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.240 It was supposed to go from twelve to five. We 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.040 had a line wrapped around the corner and the entire 0:16:56.160 --> 0:17:01.040 day it was overwhelming. So the demand was for surely 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:03.760 there was there. And it's crazy because you feel now 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:07.880 hearing this, you feel like, I, for lack of better word, 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:10.879 I feel like there's chains. There's still those barrier of 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.800 chains that's wrapped around black and brown folks. Because here 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:17.880 you open a store, over a hundred brands are reaching 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.399 out like please give me the distribution, and then you 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.639 have customers, please sell me the product. And then you 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:25.680 look at our buying power, which is what one point 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.119 seven billion you said, are on one point seven billion 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:32.600 dollar buying power, and yet only three of our products 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:35.240 are in the market available to us. And you guys 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:38.200 had to literally look on the rocks and softly you 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.160 spread the word, but the word spread all on its own. 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:43.800 The great thing about is because we have all of 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:46.840 these businesses within our business, they're all spreading the word 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:52.159 about so it's a great collaboration and we see it 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:58.359 going very far. Because I had so much pride and 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.919 like love and I can't even described the motion when 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:03.639 I saw your store, I said, oh, you know, I 0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:06.800 was with my daughter. I feel like I had been 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:09.480 locked out of a room with the steak and the 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:13.040 inside and I had been starving and here it's like yo, 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.560 just a glass wall between us and the door opened, 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.359 and it was it was a sense of pride, you know, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.520 And that's what we want to give. Want the businesses 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:25.639 to be proud to have their stuff there, and we 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:28.359 want every customer to feel proud when they come in. 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.560 And you know, we have all nationalities coming in shopping 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:36.080 and all of them are feeling that same pride and 0:18:36.359 --> 0:18:40.960 export you're excited. I don't. I don't think I even 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:42.960 looked at the price that I said, is it You 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.680 just feel like this is a mission based price? Yeah, 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:48.199 you know, Yeah, you're shopping with purpose, you know. And 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:50.480 because the products are, like I said, they're high quality 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.840 practice therefore everyone they're made by black people, but they're 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:57.920 for every everyone. Yeah, and and really our price points 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.120 are really good. I would say, no, one's really jacking 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.920 their prices up or we're not their good prices. And 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.879 they're all small businesses on top of black owned businesses, 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.760 so it is a purpose every sell. I mean, we're 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:17.200 excited every sell is making a difference. So what would 0:19:17.200 --> 0:19:21.040 you say? And I hate the point like focus on 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:23.280 pain points, but I know as an entrepreneur, it's like, 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:25.600 we walk up, we see this beautiful store location, we 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.800 see sisters that actually get along, which shout out to 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:31.760 my sister because you know, she barely enswers my phone 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:36.120 calls right now. But we have sisters, you know, and 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:38.600 everything looks great from the outside. But I kind of 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:42.840 want to unpackaged some kind of the weeds to how 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:46.840 you boom to flowers sort of say, um, as far 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.720 as our journey open, Yeah, well, I will say again, 0:19:49.800 --> 0:19:54.760 because we're working mothers. That is hard trying to find 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:57.520 that balance to put in enough time to make the 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:01.880 business successful and enough time doing all the mother things, 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:04.440 white things, everything that you need to do. It's it's 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.320 a constant struggle. It is. I don't know when that 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:09.960 will go away. But we're in the middle of that field, 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:11.960 right man. I have a question as a mom, I 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:16.440 have two questions. Okay, do you where do you? I 0:20:16.480 --> 0:20:18.520 would say, lose your balance? Like I know, for me, 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:20.760 like cooking has like I don't even remember the last 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:23.399 time I cooked. My husband has became the chef, like 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:26.520 he's cooking. He's cooking things that I'm like, oh, the 0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:30.320 housemas like you became a chef, you know. So it 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.000 is that, like I'm sure something has to give right 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:36.680 where the sacrifice does. That's definitely been one of the 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:39.959 sacrifices for me. Think goods. My husband enjoys cooking and cooks, 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:42.800 but I mean I'm so exhausted by time. I mean, 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:44.480 if he asked, what's for dinner? I try to play 0:20:44.520 --> 0:20:52.240 it like you're like, I'm great at ordering. But yes, 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:56.439 that's definitely one of the things that that I just 0:20:56.480 --> 0:20:59.760 don't do like I used to. And my day is 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:02.080 just alone. I'm going to be it later because that's 0:21:02.119 --> 0:21:03.880 my time when the kids are sleep to say, okay, 0:21:03.960 --> 0:21:05.359 let me work on this, let me work on that. 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:08.800 And I would say for me, thankfully, during the pandemic, 0:21:08.800 --> 0:21:11.080 while we were home, I taught my boys who are 0:21:11.119 --> 0:21:14.840 fourteen and eighteen, how to cook. So we kind of 0:21:14.920 --> 0:21:17.920 that that has been They have been so helpful with 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:20.280 this because like, if I come home exhausted, I say, 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:22.320 you know, I'll buy something for one of them to cook, 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:25.360 which is great, But I would say the biggest struggle 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:28.679 struggle comes in where when I'm exhausted and my fourteen 0:21:28.760 --> 0:21:30.840 year old and he's help with his homework and I 0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:33.679 am tired, you know, and before I would have the 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.720 energy for that, but you know, they're understanding. I just 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:40.120 feel bad that sometimes I just don't have the energy. 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:43.800 It's like, if you're giving all your energy at one 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:45.479 point to the business, then you feel bad at home. 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:47.920 If if you shift that, now you're giving most of 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:50.120 your energy at home, you're like, oh, the business will 0:21:50.119 --> 0:21:52.320 be doing better if I did. So it's really just 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:55.960 trying to find that balance being easy on ourselves and 0:21:56.080 --> 0:21:58.840 for me. All my kids are you know, pretty much 0:21:58.880 --> 0:22:01.680 old enough to understand, so communicating with them, Let's say, 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:03.359 you know, I'm here if you need me, if something 0:22:03.440 --> 0:22:10.919 is important that this is also something working. Has the 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:14.320 business hit the all the milestones you imagine, didn't exceed 0:22:14.359 --> 0:22:18.760 it or didn't miss a couple we're still working at Yeah, 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:21.000 like we're really trying to build our online business. We 0:22:21.080 --> 0:22:23.960 just launched that February first, So that's been a lot 0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:26.880