1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:00,640
Speaker 1: How you doing.

2
00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,680
Speaker 2: There we go, I'm good, I'm good. How you doing good?

3
00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,280
Speaker 1: Good? Thanks for being here, well, thank you.

4
00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:08,840
Speaker 2: For having me. I really appreciate it.

5
00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,039
Speaker 1: Jessica Spaulding, this is an interesting and it's an important

6
00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:17,000
Speaker 1: story to tell. So uh shout out to Adrian Walton,

7
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:23,160
Speaker 1: our mutual friend, a legend put us together last last year,

8
00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,120
Speaker 1: and then you know, I had to reintroduce the situation recently.

9
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:32,240
Speaker 1: But long story short. Jessica is an entrepreneur who owns

10
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:41,199
Speaker 1: the Harlem chocolate factory Staple Staple and Harlem and have

11
00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,320
Speaker 1: come up across some unfortunate situations. But it's a I'm

12
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,040
Speaker 1: gonna let you tell a story because you could tell

13
00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,400
Speaker 1: it obviously better than I can. But it's an important

14
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,280
Speaker 1: conversation that I think we need to have as far

15
00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,720
Speaker 1: as entrepreneurship, small businesses in our community, access to capital,

16
00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,560
Speaker 1: brick and mortar, different things that nature. So can you

17
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:00,960
Speaker 1: tell it? Can you tell a story to kind of

18
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:01,480
Speaker 1: open it up?

19
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,120
Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean the quick overview is we started the

20
00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,040
Speaker 2: business in twenty fifteen after I joined a business plan

21
00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:15,520
Speaker 2: competition and I was unemployed and I found out about

22
00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,440
Speaker 2: the competition while I was at the library with my kids,

23
00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:24,039
Speaker 2: and I wound up winning the competition to start my

24
00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:29,600
Speaker 2: business for fifteen thousand dollars. But I started to learn

25
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:36,160
Speaker 2: right after that how media coverage can also thank you,

26
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,600
Speaker 2: because immediately that winter, we went into two hundred and

27
00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:47,760
Speaker 2: fifty Media Kids given out by Sam Adams, and we

28
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,520
Speaker 2: were flooded with orders and I was working out of

29
00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,040
Speaker 2: a little six foot table in a commercial kitchen, and

30
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,840
Speaker 2: so it was just like really a really rapid growth.

31
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,240
Speaker 2: Went from a two foot table in the back of

32
00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,320
Speaker 2: a Brownstone selling our products to now being in like

33
00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,440
Speaker 2: major tourist attractions and selling out every week. And then

34
00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,480
Speaker 2: from there we went to the Fancy Food Show and

35
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,919
Speaker 2: got selected as like the best bites at the show,

36
00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,040
Speaker 2: and so I'm like, Okay, we need to find a

37
00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,080
Speaker 2: larger production space. At the time, Amazon reached out and

38
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,440
Speaker 2: wanted this huge six figure order, and so I'm like,

39
00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,200
Speaker 2: let me find a production space. Let me find a

40
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,160
Speaker 2: production space. And I couldn't find one, and I couldn't

41
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,640
Speaker 2: find the capital to find a space that was big

42
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,640
Speaker 2: enough for us to really produce in. So we found

43
00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,000
Speaker 2: the store. And the thing that I didn't realize I

44
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,840
Speaker 2: was doing was I was changing my business model. I

45
00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:53,120
Speaker 2: had been doing wholesale and doing corporate gifting, and that's manageable,

46
00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,239
Speaker 2: you know, with a small team. The introduction of retail

47
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:02,280
Speaker 2: and brick and mortar come completely shifted the model and

48
00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,880
Speaker 2: it feels like, Okay, I'm making so much more money,

49
00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,079
Speaker 2: or the sales are different because they're in the face.

50
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,080
Speaker 2: But now I have this very very important part, especially

51
00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,519
Speaker 2: for a black owned business, which is customer service. I'm

52
00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,040
Speaker 2: spending forty five minutes explaining to people why my chocolate

53
00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,280
Speaker 2: costs more than what's at the corner store, and customer

54
00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:31,160
Speaker 2: education and customer acquisition, and then distribution for each and

55
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,720
Speaker 2: every individual order. Where before I'm boxing one hundred bars

56
00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,520
Speaker 2: at a time and shipping it out in one box.

57
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,600
Speaker 2: Now Tamika want six chocolates, and I got to spend

58
00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:46,520
Speaker 2: a half an hour making sure every six chocolate is

59
00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,400
Speaker 2: correct and goes to her you know office. And it

60
00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,440
Speaker 2: really really really became a struggle to manage in such

61
00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,160
Speaker 2: a small space. Our kitchen is two hundred square feet

62
00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,240
Speaker 2: and we were pumping out thousands of bars and we've

63
00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,600
Speaker 2: sustained and carried on this time, but at my sacrifice,

64
00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,840
Speaker 2: and so people are like, Okay, well, let me get

65
00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,080
Speaker 2: you more orders. Let me get you more orders. And

66
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:22,200
Speaker 2: I'm like, you're actually low key drowning me. You actually

67
00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:27,200
Speaker 2: and and and trying to explain the economics of why

68
00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:33,799
Speaker 2: more ordering actually has put us in a worser financial

69
00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:38,119
Speaker 2: position has been really really difficult to communicate to people

70
00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,640
Speaker 2: who are like, we support you and we love you,

71
00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,440
Speaker 2: and people mad at us because you're not open, and

72
00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,320
Speaker 2: I'm like, I have to be closed because I have

73
00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:51,960
Speaker 2: to satisfy contracts that actually make us money because I'm

74
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:57,080
Speaker 2: basically breaking even in this retail space. So it's just

75
00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,320
Speaker 2: it's led us to really, really really pay it attention

76
00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,280
Speaker 2: to how we need to shift the model and do

77
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,520
Speaker 2: the thing that I was afraid to do in the

78
00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,559
Speaker 2: first place, which is go after what we truly needed,

79
00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:16,719
Speaker 2: which was a larger production space and satisfying larger clients

80
00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:18,080
Speaker 2: and larger contracts.

81
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,320
Speaker 3: When you say larger clients, larger contracts, that's inside of

82
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:25,960
Speaker 3: the new model. I'm assuming what else is entailing inside

83
00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:27,920
Speaker 3: the new model? Because this is interesting, right, people would

84
00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,040
Speaker 3: think if I bring in more revenue that would help

85
00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,039
Speaker 3: the business. But I'm like, you're saying, like, hold on,

86
00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,479
Speaker 3: we have to catch up. To our obligations to actually

87
00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,960
Speaker 3: make sure this makes sense. So what have you done

88
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,159
Speaker 3: internally to design the new model?

89
00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:46,400
Speaker 2: So what we did is we I identified key partnerships

90
00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:51,640
Speaker 2: that would allow us to scale out. So we have

91
00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,080
Speaker 2: to reach a specific price point in a specific volume

92
00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,760
Speaker 2: to have the profitability to grow the rest of the

93
00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:02,640
Speaker 2: day business. Right Like, it's a it's a different model

94
00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:07,200
Speaker 2: because now our terms are net sixty net thirty. I mean,

95
00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,520
Speaker 2: I'll be trying to get due on receipt for certain

96
00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:15,880
Speaker 2: certain partnerships, but identifying people that had enough growth for

97
00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,800
Speaker 2: us to start at this smaller level, but then also

98
00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,480
Speaker 2: scale with them, so we have I cannot mention I

99
00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,880
Speaker 2: asked for permission to mention it today, but I cannot

100
00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:30,039
Speaker 2: mention it today. But it rhymes with all Star. You'll

101
00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:36,600
Speaker 2: be seeing a new partnership this week that we're that

102
00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,920
Speaker 2: we're launching. That again just allows us to open up

103
00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:44,719
Speaker 2: doors to larger volumes, because especially for chocolate, this is

104
00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,800
Speaker 2: not like any other CpG business. The CpG business. The

105
00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:52,720
Speaker 2: next you know, breakpoint might be twenty five hundred and

106
00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,279
Speaker 2: then I can go to a cod packer. I'm competing

107
00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,960
Speaker 2: at the co packers. I'm competing with grocery stores. I'm

108
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,760
Speaker 2: competing with big brands. So my little oh, I got

109
00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,640
Speaker 2: a twenty five hundred bar order, They're like, baby, that's

110
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,520
Speaker 2: going to cost us eight dollars a bar to make

111
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:13,640
Speaker 2: for you. And so we're not really seeing a break

112
00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,800
Speaker 2: point until we're in the high you know, we're in

113
00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,840
Speaker 2: a six six figure kind of like unit number. So

114
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,920
Speaker 2: by having these partnerships, that allows us to like really

115
00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,800
Speaker 2: negotiate with co packers or even if we're taking on

116
00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,600
Speaker 2: production ourselves to increase our volume because now I have

117
00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,440
Speaker 2: something to kind of like bet against with it. When

118
00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,720
Speaker 2: it comes to funding, I just thought that I have

119
00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:38,880
Speaker 2: all these eyes on my business. I can get funding,

120
00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,560
Speaker 2: and it's not when I talk to venture When I

121
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,120
Speaker 2: talk to investors, they're like, you not going to grocery

122
00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,680
Speaker 2: And I'm like, no, that's where our business would go

123
00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 2: to die because that's what everybody else did and that's

124
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,680
Speaker 2: where their businesses are closing. But it's a non traditional

125
00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,160
Speaker 2: model and so they're like, well, prove that it works

126
00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,800
Speaker 2: first and come back. So the parts are just at

127
00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,960
Speaker 2: a larger scale for us to say like, hey, over

128
00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,200
Speaker 2: the course of this year, we're going to do one

129
00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,960
Speaker 2: hundred thousand bars with this one company, or we're going

130
00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,920
Speaker 2: to do fifty thousand bars with this one company, And

131
00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,120
Speaker 2: that gives us a little bit more leverage when it

132
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,240
Speaker 2: comes to proving that this has scalability versus I'm going

133
00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:20,560
Speaker 2: to try to convince fifty more people to come in

134
00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:21,360
Speaker 2: here per.

135
00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:26,280
Speaker 4: Day, knowing everything that you know. Now, for the entrepreneurs

136
00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,560
Speaker 4: watching tonight, how would you identify what's the perfect business

137
00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,960
Speaker 4: model for your business?

138
00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:38,719
Speaker 1: Because we always are taught.

139
00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,760
Speaker 4: More is better, right scaling. I even seen a comment

140
00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,800
Speaker 4: as someone's a water why not start a venture fund?

141
00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,200
Speaker 4: More is not always better, right? So how if you

142
00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,920
Speaker 4: can go back? I know you said your your business

143
00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,520
Speaker 4: model is different, but often times a different business model

144
00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:56,840
Speaker 4: is the one that's going to lead the way.

145
00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,880
Speaker 1: How would you identify what your perfect business model is?

146
00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,400
Speaker 2: I think that if I was able to restart, I

147
00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,480
Speaker 2: would start with the equations that I've created now, right,

148
00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:12,080
Speaker 2: Like what's the volume of products that I need to

149
00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:16,720
Speaker 2: make in order to sustain at a specific margin for

150
00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,600
Speaker 2: not only operation, but for my own life. Like there's

151
00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,959
Speaker 2: all the statistics black women where the fastest group of entrepreneurs,

152
00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,320
Speaker 2: where the you know, most educated, most everything but the

153
00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:32,280
Speaker 2: reality is we make the least amount of revenue out

154
00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,839
Speaker 2: of every group. We are over educated in degrees that

155
00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,640
Speaker 2: don't actually make money, like we have the lowest our

156
00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,360
Speaker 2: degrees are the lowest income generating degrees. So there's the

157
00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,720
Speaker 2: other side. We're in a lot of the marketing around it.

158
00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,400
Speaker 2: And I know for myself my face was used as

159
00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,640
Speaker 2: a part of many, many, many campaigns to show love

160
00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,640
Speaker 2: and support for black women. But I think that when

161
00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:01,520
Speaker 2: I get back to the forefront of it, that I

162
00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,440
Speaker 2: would really make sure that my business had me in

163
00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,360
Speaker 2: it and was and whatever model I was choosing, made

164
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,160
Speaker 2: sure that there was some version of salary for me,

165
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,240
Speaker 2: maybe not a big ticket item, maybe not whatever, so

166
00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,960
Speaker 2: that I can make these decisions more clearly. A lot

167
00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,560
Speaker 2: of this business model shifting is out of a place

168
00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:25,840
Speaker 2: of no for no better words, but desperation, like right,

169
00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,839
Speaker 2: like I need cash in here now, this contract. They

170
00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:31,760
Speaker 2: love us and everything, but they're not going to pay

171
00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,079
Speaker 2: me for sixty days. And that's after I get all

172
00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,480
Speaker 2: of my paperwork uploaded for them to even process the ach.

173
00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,280
Speaker 2: And then what happens when Sheila go have a baby

174
00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,840
Speaker 2: and then my invoice don't get processed you know, like

175
00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,800
Speaker 2: there are real life things that can, you know, derail you.

176
00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,280
Speaker 2: So when you're choosing a business model and when you're

177
00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,120
Speaker 2: choosing a price point, I think that we have this

178
00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:58,160
Speaker 2: idea that we want to be these like mega billionaires,

179
00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,920
Speaker 2: But you might be more profitable at a at a

180
00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,520
Speaker 2: two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year, you know,

181
00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,240
Speaker 2: like price point, you might be able to take more

182
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,200
Speaker 2: margin out of that than if you was trying to

183
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,040
Speaker 2: I feel like sclare globally like I from myself, I

184
00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,800
Speaker 2: realize we've been really boxing above our weight class trying

185
00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,360
Speaker 2: to do this direct to consumer model and reach all

186
00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:29,800
Speaker 2: these individuals. That takes money, like you know, and it

187
00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,960
Speaker 2: takes dedicated staff, human capital. There was a real benefit

188
00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:38,080
Speaker 2: to not having to pay for staffing For some other businesses,

189
00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,200
Speaker 2: you know, they had five hundred years of free labor.

190
00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,040
Speaker 2: I don't have that. My cousin want to come work

191
00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,880
Speaker 2: for me. My cousin bills ain't gonna go nowhere. I

192
00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,200
Speaker 2: have to pay her for the day. She can't volunteer.

193
00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,960
Speaker 2: She might volunteer at night after work, but I need

194
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,160
Speaker 2: somebody during the day. I need somebody to answer the phone.

195
00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,439
Speaker 2: And AI is doing a lot to help and assist,

196
00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,640
Speaker 2: but they're a real physical human capital needs that I

197
00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:05,679
Speaker 2: would consider and incorporate into whatever model I was choosing.

198
00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,760
Speaker 2: And I think we confuse models with sales channels and

199
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,160
Speaker 2: thinking that like, oh, we're just adding another sales line,

200
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,000
Speaker 2: and you're really shifting your entire model. If it requires

201
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,600
Speaker 2: you to operate differently, then it's a different model and

202
00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,800
Speaker 2: it's not an additional sales channel.

203
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:26,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wanted to bring you on. I want just

204
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,319
Speaker 1: to put it in perspective for people. So, yeah, you've

205
00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,360
Speaker 1: become a staple in the community as far as hall

206
00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,720
Speaker 1: them chocolate factory. But I thought it was is important.

207
00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,559
Speaker 1: It's like a real life case study because we bring

208
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,440
Speaker 1: a lot of entrepreneurs on and a lot of times

209
00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,320
Speaker 1: the stories are extremely success story your success story also,

210
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,839
Speaker 1: but you're facing hard times right now, right like, so

211
00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,439
Speaker 1: I think that this is real education that people can

212
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,760
Speaker 1: actually learn from because it's ups and downs entrepreneurship. It's

213
00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,720
Speaker 1: not always somebody making a million dollars a month and

214
00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,720
Speaker 1: somebody that's killing it and stuff like that. Like we've

215
00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,600
Speaker 1: highlighted that story a lot, but I think it's also

216
00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,920
Speaker 1: important to highlight people that may have currently been going

217
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,560
Speaker 1: through rough patches right now, So talk specifically about where

218
00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,080
Speaker 1: the business is right now. I know that you're in

219
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:18,040
Speaker 1: a business, you're currently closing the physical location, right and

220
00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,640
Speaker 1: then also talk about how like the access to capital

221
00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:27,160
Speaker 1: conversation and how you were actually on New York City's website. Yes,

222
00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,600
Speaker 1: explain that, explain that part of it, right.

223
00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,400
Speaker 2: Like, I do a lot of like behind the scenes

224
00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:37,400
Speaker 2: work because I mean I literally needed money for myself.

225
00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,240
Speaker 2: Because there's also a reality, right, Like I don't want

226
00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,040
Speaker 2: to even participate in my own gas lighting where I

227
00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,200
Speaker 2: pretend like there wasn't a sacrifice that went into scaling this,

228
00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,360
Speaker 2: right Like the original SWAT analysis said that this was

229
00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,760
Speaker 2: capital intensive and it was going to be hard, and

230
00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,199
Speaker 2: the market is saturated and all these things, and then

231
00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:01,000
Speaker 2: the only way in was through this niche. But the

232
00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,920
Speaker 2: what I did is I built like a platform for

233
00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,560
Speaker 2: myself because I am extremely I find myself to be

234
00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,640
Speaker 2: honest about what it really takes to build a business.

235
00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,120
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna front for you. I'm not going to

236
00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,760
Speaker 2: pretend like you know, like oh whatever, I've been on

237
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,440
Speaker 2: Oprah's Favorite Things. I did and they called me twice

238
00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,000
Speaker 2: and all of that, and I could do all of that,

239
00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,560
Speaker 2: not the swing. But what does that do for anyone

240
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,360
Speaker 2: if the reality is when I go for funding, I

241
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,720
Speaker 2: get turned down. When I've tried to raise money for

242
00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:33,160
Speaker 2: for for contracts, they shift the goalposts. And so I

243
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,440
Speaker 2: think I just got to a place of frustration because

244
00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:39,000
Speaker 2: my face was on the New York City's fund Finder.

245
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:43,280
Speaker 2: I'd launched this GoFundMe campaign after I got rejected for

246
00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:48,400
Speaker 2: accounts receivable funding. I don't want to close our store.

247
00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:49,520
Speaker 2: The goal is to.

248
00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:52,920
Speaker 1: Let's load down a little bit. Let's let's take that

249
00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:58,640
Speaker 1: your face was on New York City's golain that.

250
00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:03,720
Speaker 2: It's called the It's called the funds Finder, right like.

251
00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,120
Speaker 1: From New York City. It's where you go to get

252
00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:06,360
Speaker 1: money for your business.

253
00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,560
Speaker 2: Yes, where you find funds. It's literally the funds Finder.

254
00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,800
Speaker 1: So you were essentially to post a ch out for that.

255
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,760
Speaker 1: Your face was on there, Yes, but you couldn't get funding.

256
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,760
Speaker 2: Zero funding options available is what it said to me.

257
00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:26,200
Speaker 2: And that becomes the thing, right Like people are like, oh, well,

258
00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,440
Speaker 2: you have all these connections, like you're good, like you

259
00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,320
Speaker 2: could get funding whenever, and I'm like, yeah, you know

260
00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:34,080
Speaker 2: where the funding comes from me, I keep my salary

261
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,480
Speaker 2: in that business every year, like we are still here

262
00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:41,360
Speaker 2: at my sacrifice. And so people were like responding to

263
00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,640
Speaker 2: our go fundme by saying like, well, you're on funds

264
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,040
Speaker 2: finder or there's like hey, I found a link to

265
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,520
Speaker 2: the New York City funds finder. Go on there, like

266
00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,360
Speaker 2: oh wait, your face is on there. So I kept

267
00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,800
Speaker 2: getting it and kept getting it, so I literally made

268
00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,840
Speaker 2: the video to show like there are no there were

269
00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,480
Speaker 2: no funds, like it was zero from one hundred and

270
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,920
Speaker 2: fifty k plus to less than ten thousand, there was

271
00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:04,960
Speaker 2: no funds.

272
00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,600
Speaker 3: So how did they respond to have they responded to this?

273
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,720
Speaker 1: Like what, what's the update? Obviously you brought this to

274
00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:12,240
Speaker 1: their attention.

275
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:14,840
Speaker 3: Obviously you're getting hit up, and it's like, yo, this

276
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,000
Speaker 3: is this press is actually working negative for me because

277
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,040
Speaker 3: people think I got it. They're not likely to help

278
00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,680
Speaker 3: if they think I got it. It's just unfortunately, how

279
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,120
Speaker 3: have they responded since you brought it to their attention?

280
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,880
Speaker 1: Obviously they put you there, they know it.

281
00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,080
Speaker 2: They called me to told me that they took the

282
00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:34,280
Speaker 2: picture down and that I should find some grants to apply.

283
00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:38,000
Speaker 4: For, which grants are not the easiest thing, just for

284
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:42,120
Speaker 4: those who don't know, they just don't fall off the sky.

285
00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:43,920
Speaker 1: Why do they put the picture up there? To begin with?

286
00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:51,800
Speaker 2: I think that I think that black women are the marketing.

287
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,240
Speaker 2: I think that it's very very easy. I think that's

288
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,640
Speaker 2: the way and to prove that you like, show support

289
00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,400
Speaker 2: for the community. And I think black women sometimes are

290
00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:02,760
Speaker 2: very very and and I can't let me not talk

291
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,119
Speaker 2: for all black women. I think that there are times

292
00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:10,960
Speaker 2: that I've approached entrepreneurship happy to be invited, and it's

293
00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,159
Speaker 2: encouraged an air that I'm easy to take advantage of.

294
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,000
Speaker 2: And so I snapped and I went online and I

295
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,560
Speaker 2: told the whole world that there was no funds. Because

296
00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:24,000
Speaker 2: normally I'm quiet and I don't say nothing because maybe

297
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,719
Speaker 2: it can help someone else. And black women are very

298
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,760
Speaker 2: very amenable, and you know that we get this rap

299
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,879
Speaker 2: about our attitudes, but I've seen women cry after haircuts

300
00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:37,000
Speaker 2: and when they nails was messed up, So we don't

301
00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,320
Speaker 2: say anything. And I said something this time. So they

302
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:43,040
Speaker 2: took the picture down. Still no funds. They connected me

303
00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:49,119
Speaker 2: to another funder who had already rejected funding me. But

304
00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,359
Speaker 2: I guess people are moving now. But it's like a

305
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,679
Speaker 2: eight to twelve week process, and I'm like, I needed

306
00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:04,360
Speaker 2: money years ago, and so it's just literally like I

307
00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:06,919
Speaker 2: would never want to turn to my community that I

308
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,040
Speaker 2: already know is facing things to like beg for money.

309
00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:14,399
Speaker 2: But this where we're at in this and especially on

310
00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:19,240
Speaker 2: the precipice of these partnerships, I'm like, nah, I've taken.

311
00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:21,000
Speaker 2: I've taken all the l's that I'm going to take,

312
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,600
Speaker 2: and I can only come to people and be transparent

313
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:26,719
Speaker 2: about where we are and what we have going on

314
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:31,080
Speaker 2: and ask for some assistance because my goal ultimately is

315
00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:35,480
Speaker 2: to help my community. Like this ain't Jessica Spaulding's chocolate factory.

316
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,399
Speaker 2: This is Harlem's and so I feel like I'm just

317
00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,679
Speaker 2: a steward of the opportunity. And so it's worth the

318
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,040
Speaker 2: fight and the embarrassment. Because somebody just left a comment

319
00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,000
Speaker 2: before I came on here telling me I should stop

320
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,359
Speaker 2: begging and all different type of losers and whatever. I

321
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,960
Speaker 2: took a screenshot of you and you and my file

322
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,160
Speaker 2: of all the people who ever talked about me because

323
00:18:55,200 --> 00:19:02,439
Speaker 2: I plan to come back around the block. But no, no, no,

324
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:05,639
Speaker 2: I go up on one of level between fifth lndaes.

325
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,359
Speaker 2: I've lived in home of my whole life. Stop playing

326
00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:10,520
Speaker 2: with me. Y'all be talking very crazy on this internet

327
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:11,800
Speaker 2: and I'm trying.

328
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,159
Speaker 3: To be then stop playing on the internet.

329
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,680
Speaker 2: Please please When you never see nothing.

330
00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,520
Speaker 4: Yeah, but a lot of people are going through pain

331
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:25,760
Speaker 4: and take it out on others to have a successful business.

332
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,159
Speaker 4: What pushback were they giving you for not giving funding

333
00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,600
Speaker 4: for those who are looking to pitch? What what roadblocks

334
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:34,600
Speaker 4: were they putting in front of you?

335
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,640
Speaker 2: To tell you know, uh, I will tell you that

336
00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,040
Speaker 2: the amount of goalposting that I have faced during this.

337
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,000
Speaker 2: So it's like when I first started and I was

338
00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,360
Speaker 2: in there was money at the bottom. When I had

339
00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:53,680
Speaker 2: the sad story, the single mom that you know, I

340
00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,760
Speaker 2: have my two kids and and and I don't have

341
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,719
Speaker 2: my life together and I'm going to who you know,

342
00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,679
Speaker 2: try to find a job, they was throwing money at me.

343
00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,879
Speaker 2: I got a micro loan when I had no job,

344
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,480
Speaker 2: so it built in me that like, okay, well if

345
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:12,919
Speaker 2: I prove that I have whatever, I'm gonna get it.

346
00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:15,480
Speaker 2: Then they gave me ten thousand and I paid it back,

347
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:17,520
Speaker 2: and then they gave me twenty thousand. I paid it

348
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,840
Speaker 2: back and then it was time to like put your

349
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,520
Speaker 2: money where your mouth is and I'm like, yo, I

350
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:24,040
Speaker 2: want to build out this facility. I think that we

351
00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,639
Speaker 2: can really like grow contracts. I found a way in

352
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,760
Speaker 2: into this industry. Then it was like, ooh, to risk

353
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,919
Speaker 2: you don't know if you're too risky, Like ooh, what

354
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,199
Speaker 2: if you're gonna do? What? What do you everything? I

355
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:41,200
Speaker 2: just said I was gonna do the things that I

356
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,439
Speaker 2: did them and and so the goalpost moves. It was

357
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,040
Speaker 2: get a contract and come back. Come with a contract. Yeah,

358
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,439
Speaker 2: but how do we know it sells? Like airports? Like

359
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:58,800
Speaker 2: people don't even spend money in airports? Huh? Okay? Hotels?

360
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,520
Speaker 2: I mean are people even staying at hotels anymore? Is

361
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,199
Speaker 2: there any like what? Then I'm like, all right, let

362
00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,399
Speaker 2: me come back with the invoice. I'm gonna come back

363
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,639
Speaker 2: with the invoice. Yeah, but you didn't ship the product yet,

364
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,200
Speaker 2: so you know this doesn't really funder, you know, fall

365
00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:19,360
Speaker 2: under accounts receivable. You need growth capital. Okay, well you

366
00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,680
Speaker 2: look at the growth give me the capital, yes, but

367
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,399
Speaker 2: you know what we would really want is the is

368
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,440
Speaker 2: the contract. I can't get the contract until I give

369
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,840
Speaker 2: them the product and they that they see that it sells. Yeah,

370
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,600
Speaker 2: so after it sells then we'll do it. But we

371
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,040
Speaker 2: know it sells cause it's been selling, because I got

372
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,360
Speaker 2: ten years of historical data that it sells. What. And

373
00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:44,560
Speaker 2: that's when I realized, like, oh, everybody's lying to me.

374
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,439
Speaker 2: Y'all hate me, and let me just stop. And I

375
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,040
Speaker 2: just did the goalfundme and I was like here boom, like,

376
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,280
Speaker 2: let me do this, and then I'm gonna double back

377
00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:59,040
Speaker 2: and charge everybody twice. And I have a list. I

378
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:00,920
Speaker 2: want you to know. You're in my little black book.

379
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:07,920
Speaker 2: We're just trying not to make that way, but just

380
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:10,840
Speaker 2: like yo, you know because these same people when the

381
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 2: cameras come out, I know what y'all are gonna do.

382
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,200
Speaker 2: Y'all want to pull up, y'all want to oh, let

383
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:15,959
Speaker 2: me take a picture.

384
00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:17,480
Speaker 1: I'm so proud of you.

385
00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:20,560
Speaker 2: I'm so proud, and we knew you was gonna make it.

386
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,199
Speaker 2: I want you to know I know who all you

387
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:27,440
Speaker 2: are and I am it's me and Fifthy. You will

388
00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,680
Speaker 2: not get in. You will be standing outside. You will

389
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,840
Speaker 2: not get in. I am very nice, I'm very sweet.

390
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 2: I don't have I no no, but.

391
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:38,680
Speaker 3: Pray for them now we're gonna pray.

392
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,119
Speaker 1: Chocolate factory definitely a staple in the community. Explain the

393
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:48,280
Speaker 1: go fund me. Explain the GoFundMe, what's it for? What's

394
00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:53,520
Speaker 1: the goal? Yeah, and uh yeah, explain that.

395
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,280
Speaker 2: So it's yeah, So what we're what we're trying to

396
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,719
Speaker 2: do is we have like some specific the debts that

397
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,879
Speaker 2: we need to clear in order to just free up

398
00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:08,120
Speaker 2: cash flow. Then on the other side, there are deposits

399
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,880
Speaker 2: that we need to make immediately in order to fulfill

400
00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:16,760
Speaker 2: these contracts. And the if we wait, we're gonna be

401
00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,240
Speaker 2: outside the window and we're not gonna be able to

402
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,840
Speaker 2: fully take advantage of them. And so the GoFundMe, we're

403
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,879
Speaker 2: trying to raise fifty K. If we could get to

404
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,119
Speaker 2: a hunt it, y'all would literally be saving my little life.

405
00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:31,840
Speaker 2: But fifty is what we need to, like you know,

406
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:37,360
Speaker 2: like really make these specific investments to have that leverage

407
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,080
Speaker 2: the way that we need to for our cash flow

408
00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,879
Speaker 2: and really not be waiting for sixty days for the

409
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,919
Speaker 2: invoices to clear and be able to go out after

410
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:49,200
Speaker 2: even more contracts.

411
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:51,920
Speaker 1: And what's the what's the what's the website or what's

412
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,800
Speaker 1: the Instagram? How can people if they're interested.

413
00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,080
Speaker 2: You can go to Harlem Chocolate Factory Dot com and

414
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,879
Speaker 2: we have the link there and then on our Instagram

415
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:06,800
Speaker 2: it's Harlem Chocolate Factory. The link is in our bio. Ultimately,

416
00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:11,439
Speaker 2: I want to create an entity with like with community

417
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,439
Speaker 2: shares like. I'm still researching on how to do that

418
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,720
Speaker 2: and how to set up the structure because I want

419
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,159
Speaker 2: the community to have shares in it. This is the

420
00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,840
Speaker 2: temporary need that we have that will help us bridge.

421
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:31,800
Speaker 1: And yeah, well thank you for coming on, just having

422
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,280
Speaker 1: really appreciate your story. And I'm going to encourage everybody

423
00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,880
Speaker 1: to to try to give what they can because it's important.

424
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:41,959
Speaker 1: You know, we got we can do it. Trying to

425
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:47,840
Speaker 1: save a black business a vital part of our community.

426
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,080
Speaker 1: We understand that entrepreneurship is a real gateway and you

427
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:55,359
Speaker 1: talk about businesses, you know, it employs people, it gives

428
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,800
Speaker 1: level of inspiration, hope, and is the whole economic system

429
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,840
Speaker 1: that done. And when you think of Harlem, you think

430
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,040
Speaker 1: of the mecca of black culture, going back from you know,

431
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 1: nineteen twenties Hallam Renaissance and sugar Hill and all of that.

432
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:14,080
Speaker 1: So you know, it's the it's this season of giving.

433
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,520
Speaker 1: Some people say Christmas is the season of given, but

434
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,600
Speaker 1: it's Black history months. So I feel like February is

435
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,000
Speaker 1: the season of given and we wanted to highlight you

436
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,800
Speaker 1: just to you know, for educational purposes, but also you know,

437
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,399
Speaker 1: we have a platform, so we try to try to

438
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,560
Speaker 1: do good with our platform when we can, as far

439
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,040
Speaker 1: as to help people that are haveing some level of need,

440
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,600
Speaker 1: because we're all going to need help at some point

441
00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:40,320
Speaker 1: in time. And it's a good story as far as

442
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:44,560
Speaker 1: what you've been able to accomplish and would love to see,

443
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,800
Speaker 1: you know, the trajectory, you know, change on the situation.

444
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,880
Speaker 1: So yes, go to Halem Chocolate Factory dot com if

445
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:59,480
Speaker 1: you're interested, and we will definitely stay in contact with

446
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,120
Speaker 1: you all best and thank you for coming and telling

447
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:03,320
Speaker 1: your story. Greatly appreciate it.

448
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:05,399
Speaker 3: Appreciate you so much.

449
00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:06,879
Speaker 1: Thank you for sharing.

450
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,159
Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you guys,