Latest / Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals / This Creative Turned Black Businesses Into a Business - Ep. 192 w/ Black Owned With Becks

Transcript

This Creative Turned Black Businesses Into a Business - Ep. 192 w/ Black Owned With Becks · Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: People don't realize how many black businesses are out there, and I say that all the time, people don't know what they don't know.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Our focus is highlighting and supporting black on businesses, but we do that in different ways.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: So whether that's through content creation, so you see on social media, that's probably where I started, right?
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so you see a lot of what I do there, right, going to businesses, actually supporting them, getting to know the owners, getting to know the people who actually, you know, go to these businesses, black on with
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: work in professionals, creators, entrepreneurs, I need you out of tap the enter.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, if you tie out of fighting distractions at home or bouncing around from coffee shop to coffee shop, then Bamboo has exactly what you need to be able to lock in and get your work done.
• 1:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: In addition to having flexible meeting rooms and event space, they if got a community to actually support you.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: while you're in the building.
• 1:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you're ready to like and some space right now, guess what?
• 1:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I got you head over to bamboocoar.com right now and use the promo code Black Friday 20.
• 1:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: You get 20% off any of your rental bookings.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't waste any more time head over to bamboocoar.com and take care of that.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Use that promo code.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be seeing you at a bamboo location sometime soon.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now let's go ahead and get back into the episode.
• 1:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: We don't go Black Friday's family.
• 1:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to another installment of Black Friday's podcast.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Before we get into today's episode, hit the like button, subscribe, comment, share a video to family friends and loved ones.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we can keep this thing going.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now that we got that business out of the way, I got somebody in the bill there who is on the similar mission.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like Friday's being intentional in exposing you to Black on businesses in Black spaces.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ms. Rebecca aka Black on with Bex.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: How you doing today?
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm great, I'm great, thank you so much for having me.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I really appreciate that you reached out and that we could connect in this way.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: What took you so long to come on the podcast?
• 2:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Honestly, I'm tired.
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: I would literally say it's timing just like making sure our, like, you know, aligning our schedules, but no, I'm really happy to be here.
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was like, when you, when you reached out, I was like, yes, okay, finally we could make this happen.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: So no, thank you.
• 2:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: What's a gift for having me?
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: For sure.
• 2:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's great to be able to meet Ms. Capassi because I've been following your page for probably a couple of years now and just being able to see the content and tensionality behind it.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then also the fact that you're based here in Michigan, the Metro Detroit area like that
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: In the back of my mind, I got to be able to connect with her at some point in time in the future.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Similar missions, similar goals, so you know, figure out what that could look like.
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: So now the stars have a line that we hear.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely, absolutely, yes.
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I'm, like I said, I'm really excited to be here today.
• 2:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm really one of my favorite things that's connecting with like my to individuals whenever I'm out and about in Detroit or in Michigan.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love connecting with people.
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I'm really happy that we can start taking some of these internet connections and actually making them real life.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Exactly exactly and which you are in the midst of doing and we'll talk a little bit more about that But we love to be able to set the stage with you to introduce us to what black on with Bakes is because from outside looking in I would have been able to look into a page and thought it was more so influence or base But it's so much more than that in terms of being able to present different black on products services spaces to people In that capacity, so we love to be able to hear from you more about what you have built with black on with Bakes
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: So black on my back is essentially a community where a space that really focuses on highlighting supporting and just making sure that we can make buying back a lifestyle, right?
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think a lot of times people think that it's not attainable.
• 3:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, when I first started this page, it was really just about making sure that we could share the knowledge, right, because people don't know what they don't know.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it's just branched from there.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, like I said, our focus is highlighting and supporting black on businesses, but we do that in different ways.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, whether that's...
• 4:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: through content creation so you see on social media that's probably where I started right and so you see a lot of what I do there right going to businesses actually supporting them getting to know the owners getting to know the people who actually you know go to these businesses another part of it is actually bringing other people to support black owned businesses.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: a lot of times, you know, people think, okay, I did my job, I went in, I supported this black business once and then they never go back, right?
• 4:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so how do you encourage people to keep going back?
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: How do you encourage people to make buying black actually sustainable and something that can actually happen within their life, right?
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so that's my goal.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Overall goal is to make sure that people can make buying black a lifestyle for themselves and just presenting ways for them to do so.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: So
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah, I would say that's over overarching.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's what black going back to is.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: But sure.
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And how did you end up going down this pathway?
• 5:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because it's so because black on businesses, obviously, are in the minority, how was it?
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: When did you kind of see that pivot or that light to see, I see a gap?
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to be able to help fill that gap to direct people to more black on businesses?
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would say like if we start from the very beginning my family, they've always been huge supporters of black on businesses like and it I didn't realize this until I started doing what I'm doing that like this has been something ingrained in me for a really long time So I always wanted to just start off by saying that my grandmother, my mom, my dad like
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: All my family really like if there was a black on business, we're gonna put our money there If there's a a a a venue right when we're having a party and we know it's owned by a black family We're going there, right?
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so that was kind of already instilled in me without even really realizing and then What really got me going was it's probably around like 2019?
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was before the pandemic
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: But this is when we were starting to see a lot of people get removed from businesses or like, you know, people Black people getting treated wrong, right?
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: And we kind of felt like there was no way out, right?
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: There was the Starbucks situation, right?
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Where two guys had gotten arrested.
• 6:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so we just kept going and going, right?
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: And like the frustrating thing for me as an individual was How is it that like we, you know?
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: these businesses do what they do.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: They treat us like we do and we feel like we still have to go there, right?
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: There's got to be another way.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I started doing research, right?
• 6:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just for myself, I started looking at black owned products.
• 6:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: So started with hair care, right?
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Hair was a big thing for me.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was like, I know I can find black owned hair care.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: So started buying that.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: in college, right?
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: And was just like, okay, this is going to be my focus.
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then I started sharing it on my, like, on my personal page, right?
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I would just be like, hey, this is a black on business is a business I found today, or here's something that I found, and you guys should check it out, right?
• 6:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: and people loved it.
• 6:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, well, my page is getting overrun with Black on businesses all the time.
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: So how do I pivot from that?
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, you know what?
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: People don't know what they don't know.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: So let's start a page just sharing what you find, right?
• 7:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: Everything that you find just share it, right?
• 7:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so it just started like that.
• 7:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was just a hobby passion project.
• 7:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was like, I just wanted people to know what I found, right?
• 7:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: People seemed interested in, I just went with it, right?
• 7:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: And for me, the goal was
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: you know for people to be able to find these things easier.
• 7:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: So that's where I started.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, didn't know if it was going to go anywhere.
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Honestly, I stopped for two years.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was going.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was in, I just started working full-time.
• 7:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was a master student and I was like, well, I was overwhelmed and so I took a break and then,
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: Literally, somebody, his name is actually Mr. by Black Detroit.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I believe that's his name.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 7:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: He reached out to my personal page, right?
• 7:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I hadn't been on the Black Olympics page for years at this point.
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: He reached out to my personal page.
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: He said, hey, I saw what you were doing there.
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Don't stop.
• 8:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: You really should keep going.
• 8:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, and I was like, you know what, this is the push that I needed because I had been thinking about it, but I was like, nobody really cares, right?
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, and I went for it and ever since then that was what about five years ago now and now we're here.
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, that's really where we started and how we are here now.
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's not that they were able to help you see the light and then being able to get back in the game because like the content creation space is not for the week like you really got to have a love of the game or you got to really be Have a goal that you're trying to accomplish because I can't be numbers.
• 8:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, no, it really can't it really can't because you Convented metrics so like the venue measure.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's one thing, but like you really got to have something that you
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: truly trying to do change people lives or make X-Mona dollar, whatever case may be, you got to be dedicated to the process, because if not, it's easy just like, I'm good on this, because I'm on the work that you got to put in.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so that, I think it was really crazy, because like I said, there were a lot of people who would tell me this, right?
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: My family members would be like, oh, are you going to get back to blackmail events?
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: My friends would say the same thing and I'm like, whatever.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think it really took a stranger, right?
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Somebody who, I have no connections with to actually say something for me to realize, like, okay, like, this is actually making an impact.
• 9:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: And you're actually doing the things that you said, this was the point of the page, right?
• 9:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, like, keep doing that.
• 9:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, yeah, so that felt really good.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, that's why we're here.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's dope.
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so when I saw I didn't notice until we started until we started talking before we started recording that you were not from Michigan because I know you know your pay is to be Michigan based paid actually from Brooklyn.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we got so Brooklyn is in the house.
• 9:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you, I would love to know you coming to Michigan being in a Detroit area and being able to kind of like, and I know Brooklyn is pretty black, but just like the experience in Detroit first hand, and like the blackness of it, what was that experience like for you?
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: I interned with my job two years before that, so technically I've been coming to Michigan for the last nine years close to 10 years.
• 10:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it's been really amazing seeing how it continues to grow and how black businesses continue to thrive here.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I remember my 21st birthday, I actually went to the kitchen.
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, that was where I celebrated my 21st birthday.
• 10:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, with you.
• 10:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, with you, the kitchen with you, um, and so literally,
• 10:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was amazing to see how just that block started to transform, right?
• 10:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I didn't know much about what was going on there and just like, I'm just loving seeing how Detroit is growing, right?
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm loving seeing how the black businesses continue to thrive there.
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: I feel like every time I step into Detroit, I'm finding out about a new black on business.
• 10:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: And to me,
• 10:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's one of the things that feels like home, right?
• 10:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Brooklyn, you know, grew up in basically east flat bush.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like it's very much so mom and pop shops everywhere.
• 11:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: So like that whole seeing that begin to thrive here and seeing that continue to thrive here has been really amazing.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I'm really loving it.
• 11:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love, I think, not just seeing what it is, but seeing what it's continuing to be.
• 11:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I really, really love that about Detroit.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's what's up.
• 11:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then any parallels to like where you grew up and in Detroit?
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so I actually say like Detroit is the middle ground that I was looking for because I grew up in New York.
• 11:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: So very heavy in the city life, all of that.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Went to school in North Carolina, so very much so country things are closed Bible built things are closed in that 8 p.m. Um, so to come here and have the best of both worlds I like to call it, right?
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: I have the experience of that city life here in Detroit, but I still have the, you know, the space and the quietness that comes with being in the suburb sometimes.
• 12:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love that balance.
• 12:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think that Michigan has a really great balance just in general with having that city life, but then also Like I can go to the park and I can be in nature and I can do these different, you know I can do so many different things just within that space.
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I really enjoy that about Detroit and just Michigan in general But yeah, definitely in Detroit.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't so I'm gonna take a pause in the action because I want to Introduce you to my favorite part of Black Friday.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was just freestyle Friday, so
• 12:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Some of the greatest rappers that we've gotten have come from your neighborhood, your area.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: So feel free to go ahead and give us some bars whenever you're ready.
• 12:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can give us 8, 6, 16, whatever you got in the chamber.
• 12:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got some poems.
• 12:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: You want to sing, dance, have you want to, have you want to express yourself?
• 12:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: Mmm, okay, this is different, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: This is awesome!
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: I feel so good on this planet!
• 13:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You want to get out of jail, free car?
• 13:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, what's the deal?
• 13:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Get out of jail, free car, let me hear you.
• 13:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I asked your random assortment of questions, which is what Freestyle Friday's really is.
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: on this room.
• 13:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Hey, maybe we would do like an open mic, right?
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like far from back up, I'm gonna put that in there.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but that's the list for sure.
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: The collab of it.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what we'll do.
• 13:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: There we go.
• 13:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: There we go.
• 13:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I ask you, I do this a little bit differently, and I ask you your favorite black on X, and then you will let's know what this is.
• 13:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: So what is your favorite black on brand?
• 13:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: My favorite black-owned brand.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, I would actually say it's buttered.
• 14:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: I actually brought you something if you don't mind.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, I can.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: All right, yeah, I got to see this.
• 14:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: We love gifts.
• 14:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I brought you something.
• 14:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just as a thank you for having me on the podcast.
• 14:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Appreciate you.
• 14:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I gotta open up, just make sure, you know, you want to start her from me here.
• 14:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this is so this is butter and this is that's their hally jelly now controlling okay Yeah, um, and then this is Their body cream.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so There one of my favorite brands honestly probably my favorite because of the fact that it was one of the first brands I ever talked about on black on my backs.
• 14:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, I have been
• 14:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: Following her since we went to college together right we didn't know each other in college I just remember her making her butters and like you know you could go buy it at a pop-up shop Everyone's in a while you know or like she'll ship it to you and just watching her business grow has been amazing And just now the connection that I have with her as a founder we actually started our own venture
• 15:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, where we create spaces for creators and founders to get together and just be um, his call founders unplugged.
• 15:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, but just everything that she's done with her brand um, it has one healed my skin.
• 15:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, personally, I've seen the effect that it has on other people.
• 15:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, but yeah, one of my favorite brands.
• 15:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Uh, now, but I'll tell you about the products really quickly.
• 15:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Early jelly is their non-pitch non-
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: toxic version of petroleum jelly.
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: So this is your replacement for a vasyline Any sort of petroleum jelly that you use if you put it on your face or you lip, so what have you that's that's the replacement right there Okay, I'm an absolute fan of it.
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: I put so many people onto it.
• 15:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: My mom is obsessed with it.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: My grandmother's obsessed with it Like it's it's like that and then the butter Like I said it has definitely helped heal my skin personally.
• 15:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I use it all year round.
• 15:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's not oily
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, yeah, and so I just wanted to give that to you, uh, just try it.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: I hope you like it.
• 15:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm definitely not trying it.
• 15:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know the wife going to be happy about it because she loves she loves stuff like this.
• 16:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, we appreciate it.
• 16:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
• 16:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 16:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 16:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, so I would say buttered is my favorite black on business.
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: One of my favorites.
• 16:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 16:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: And what would you say is your favorite black on third space?
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so this one is, that's hard because the one that I would say is my favorite they unfortunately just closed was called some day Detroit.
• 16:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: They were an art and culinary art space.
• 16:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 16:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: They are an art gallery and culinary art space excuse me.
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: And they essentially put so many young artists on the map right.
• 16:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: They gave them a space to showcase their work.
• 16:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: But then also had really cool food creations and they just did a lot for the community.
• 16:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: They did different cooking classes and just
• 16:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: All of the things that they did, artist talks, you know, book really called them a releases.
• 16:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, book releases, just whatever you can kind of think of that really brings the community out.
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: They were doing that.
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 17:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: And every time I walked in, I felt welcomed, even from the first time I walked in there.
• 17:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would definitely say that was one of my favorite third spaces.
• 17:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: and speaking of books favorite black author or book written by a black author.
• 17:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so my favorite book written by a black author is it actually just, it dropped a few, it's actually their debut novel, it's by Disha Philly, Philly, I hope I'm saying her name right, but it's basically called the secret lives of church ladies.
• 17:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 17:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's a short book.
• 17:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: It has just enough mess and just enough drama, but I really liked it because I think it speaks to just sometimes how people put on a show for so many different reasons, right?
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: People have all these thoughts and you know, sometimes you never know what people are going through.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would say that's one of
• 18:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: So far, and then if I had to give a second one, it would definitely be before I let go by Kennedy Ryan.
• 18:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 18:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, I'm a huge fan of that series.
• 18:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm a huge fan of Kennedy Ryan in general.
• 18:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I really love that book.
• 18:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think it's like, I'm a big fan of romance.
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that book.
• 18:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: Just really spoke to just like what love can really be.
• 18:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would say those are my two favorites.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, yeah, and we so favorite black own coffee shop in Detroit You got to be in Detroit.
• 18:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, that's my hard one.
• 18:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, cuz I love I loved I love so many of them
• 18:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think I would say that my favorite so far would have to be the shop experience.
• 18:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where's that?
• 18:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want to say come on.
• 18:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, I believe so.
• 18:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: OK.
• 18:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: But it's the shop experience.
• 19:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: I've walked every time I walk in there.
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: I just always leave feeling so much better than when I walked in.
• 19:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I just really enjoy that space.
• 19:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Danya, the owner, she's so sweet.
• 19:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 19:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: I just love seeing how she interacts with not just myself, right?
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love having conversation with her, but I loved watching how she interacts with her other customers, right?
• 19:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: She makes everybody feel heard even if she's trying to have three different conversations at once, and so I really appreciated that.
• 19:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, it was, I was, I went in the first time.
• 19:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was having a really bad day.
• 19:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was not having a great day.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I just remember how she just uplifted my spirits.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: And just the space uplifted my spirit.
• 19:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would say that's one, that's my favorite.
• 19:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's true.
• 19:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: And last night, Lisa, favorite black on restaurant.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh my favorite black hole restaurant, okay, I can say this with certainty, Savannah blue.
• 19:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love Savannah blue, yes, yes, but I had to pick a black hole restaurant and Detroit it would definitely be Savannah blue.
• 19:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love their risotto.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I was literally thinking about like, if they were open today, I would probably be open before there's something to go.
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: This is for so close, but I love Savannah blue.
• 20:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love their food.
• 20:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: I always have a great experience when I'm there.
• 20:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and yeah, I've always treated really great when I go there.
• 20:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, and I love the, I'm obsessed with the food.
• 20:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, yeah.
• 20:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's just my favorite.
• 20:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you for partaking and freestyle Friday.
• 20:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a little bit on the addition.
• 20:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 20:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm going to make sure next time.
• 20:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Next time, I'm going to have my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my eight, my
• 20:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: how the content creation play a role in that in the sense of what's the goal to be able to creatively get that message out through content or that was that just the medium that you chose to do it in and you're like for like about the terms you would have did to work anyway just maybe in a different way.
• 21:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, honestly, I think I just used the most convenient thing for me.
• 21:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Funny enough, I don't really talk about it much, but I used to blog a lot.
• 21:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I had actually started a stem blog, right, because I'm an engineer by trade.
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I loved, I called them my stem influencers, right?
• 21:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I would highlight women who were doing their thing in stem.
• 21:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, like, just...
• 21:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: had I needed that right as somebody who you know I didn't see myself right a lot of times when I stepped into engineering spaces or many spaces when it comes to STEM and so I just wanted to ride that space so I started off blogging that and then like I said I started sharing black own products you know
• 21:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: through social media.
• 21:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I had to do social media.
• 21:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: But then I would also, you know, type, you know, blog about it, right?
• 22:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: But the blog fell off because I didn't have time for it.
• 22:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: And social media just became the most convenient thing.
• 22:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: So like Instagram specifically.
• 22:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, I think it would have, if it didn't happen this way, it would have happened some other way for sure.
• 22:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 22:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And like I went back to this term more into just social media account because you've had opportunity to partner with different people do brand deals, sponsorships, etc.
• 22:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: So could you talk about how those things came about and how you approached them?
• 22:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I guess how you've matured in those opportunities throughout the years because you know you start with such a noble cause obviously and still is noble, but just in the sense of I want to be able to create this awareness around this important thing to me and then it turned into a business so could you kind of talk about that process?
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, honestly, I think that was the hardest thing for me was turning it into a business because it was something that I was passionate about and I didn't want to
• 22:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: lose the purpose of what black and only vex was, and so that was definitely a difficult thing a transition for me to go from content creation to working with these deals, you know, working with people and partnering and all that, and so...
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think I would say I run my business maybe a little bit differently than most people because I do like to kind of meet sometimes.
• 23:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do like to meet people where they're at, right?
• 23:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that that's always been the biggest thing for me with black on my bexes.
• 23:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: I never want to feel like I'm exploiting a business.
• 23:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: I never want to feel like I'm taking advantage of a business.
• 23:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I also want to make sure that everybody who comes to my page knows that whatever I talk about, I actually am putting my name behind, right?
• 23:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I battled a bunch of different things when it came to that and before I keep going I just want to make sure I have the question correct.
• 23:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do you want to know how I transitioned into the business?
• 23:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 23:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: So basically I started off by, you know, people would reach out to me and they'd like a video and I'd be like, yeah, if you like the video.
• 24:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, you can pay me $50 for the video, right?
• 24:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: You can post it on your page, pay me $50, or whatever.
• 24:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, people would reach out and they'd be like, hey, can you create this content for me?
• 24:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I'd be like, okay, but then I'll be like, it's crazy, by the way, if you can tell me.
• 24:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was just insane.
• 24:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I can tell you for the first several months of realizing that oh, I can make money from content I was that people were snatching They were snatching the stuff from me, but it's okay.
• 24:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, you know, I was learning Didn't really know if I wanted to be selling content We're doing any of these types of things in the first place.
• 24:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: So Just was trying to figure it out from there.
• 24:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: I realized like, hmm, maybe my goal isn't to
• 24:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: do content, right?
• 24:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I started thinking about what is the purpose of blackening with Bex, right?
• 24:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: So in social media, it wasn't it.
• 24:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: So why would I make my business about social media, right?
• 25:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: So what I started to do was what I like to call last call.
• 25:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would essentially bring people together and we'd go to a certain business.
• 25:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I was like, I think that's the way that I can start this business was by working with people, creating events,
• 25:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Creating experiences while still putting people on to black businesses and so that was really where I was like, okay I think I can make this work And so from there literally I just started Testing testing the waters honestly.
• 25:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: I started like I said I did the events I would sell you know my content people liked it and they wanted it I'd you know sell them the rights to the content from time to time
• 25:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: But then I realized that I wanted more and so in that right I started I was like I can help people with their content Right I can help people, you know, maybe I'm not necessarily only doing content, but like how can I help them right?
• 25:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I actually work with businesses who need the help right whether it's content creation Whether it's creating their you know content schedule
• 26:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do that as well.
• 26:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I started to build on what black on with Bex was.
• 26:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so it took like I said, it took some trial and error.
• 26:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I realize that, you know, I can help people with their content.
• 26:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: From time to time, even though I don't really do it as often, I will absolutely, if people want to pay me for it for content, I'll absolutely do it.
• 26:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, if it aligns with black and white bags, and then also, if I know that I'm going to help them as a business, right?
• 26:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then mainly, it's getting people out to these businesses.
• 26:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: So events have been like one of my favorite things, and I think what I'm going to,
• 26:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: move towards as I start to build black on with Bexmore, and maybe hopefully transition out of my nine to five would be focused on events and curating experiences and working with brands and businesses to get people to their business, right?
• 26:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, whether that is
• 26:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: you know, I'm partnering with a brick and mortar to do a certain event, right, to get people there, or I'm, you know, setting up an event and having these brands as sponsors, or, you know, because I enjoy doing that as well, like, one thing.
• 27:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: I really, like, is putting the product in people's hands, because I realize that people love, they love free stuff, but then that's how you get people to buy, right?
• 27:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, like, when I do my events, I always have things, like, give
• 27:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: People are leaving with something.
• 27:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: I want you to leave with a black on bit like with something from a black on business.
• 27:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, really that's where I'm heading towards really is just events and then helping people build their their social their social media awareness in different ways.
• 27:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah.
• 27:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you got a chance to go down to, I believe it was as a first to do activation.
• 27:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so this was my second year doing an activation at Essence Fest last year as crazy how life kind of works reached out to new voices, which is their kind of small business ventures.
• 28:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: reach out to them to actually sponsor a different event that I was going to do with everything that happened with the tariffs and, you know, target and all the things that were happening new voices was like, hey, we would love to, but we have to really focus on the brands that are, you know, whether they're in target or what have you and help them kind of transition, right, during this boycott, during all the things.
• 28:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: But they were like, we love your
• 28:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: and I was like, no way, right?
• 28:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I couldn't believe it.
• 28:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, Essence Fest was all my vision board for five years down the line, right?
• 28:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so it was like an opportunity you dropped in my lap.
• 28:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I didn't say no.
• 28:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: I absolutely loved it last year.
• 28:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: And they invited me to come back this year.
• 28:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: They invited me to come back a month after.
• 28:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: let 2025 essence fest and they're like we absolutely want you to be back next year to do your activation and so we did it and we did a bigger this year and it was so rewarding.
• 29:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love making connections down there.
• 29:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think that's another part of what I love to travel.
• 29:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: so being able to make connections to people outside of Detroit as well has been great because they come to Detroit and then, you know, you build connections even, you know, even more connections that way.
• 29:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, but yeah, I love my experience at Essence Fest.
• 29:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was definitely scary.
• 29:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like I think sometimes you
• 29:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: You sell yourself short and you think like oh, I can't really do these things But then you realize the opportunities are put in front of you and you thrive and so I'm learning to Lean into the opportunities that I'm given and also like sit in the moment because sometimes I'm so like you know Just like oh, we got to get this done got to get this done and I finally got to just you know focus and
• 29:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Essence was, yeah, it was definitely a life-changing experience, and like I said from what I've been doing with Essence, with Susan Me with Butter, the Brittany, who's the owner of Butter, with Founders Unplug, now that we've done that, we're actually taking that to even bigger heights, right?
• 30:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so you'll start to actually see events and things coming to Detroit from our, you know, from that venture, right?
• 30:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: And where you'll start to see,
• 30:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: just not even just in Detroit, but just in other areas as well, but we're really starting to expand that.
• 30:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, yeah, you're going to start to see more of Founders on Plug as we grow, but that's really essence, that's really started that for us.
• 30:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 30:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you have a special challenge going on this month, right now.
• 30:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like currently going on present day, so could you tell us more about that?
• 30:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, absolutely, so right now we're doing the 30 days of black business challenge.
• 30:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: It was something that I wanted to do since last year.
• 30:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: I've been thinking about it since last year and I always loved, you know, the black music challenge that happens every June.
• 30:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 30:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I always loved that.
• 30:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, I think that this can absolutely happen for black owned businesses.
• 30:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, so I took some time.
• 30:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: I created those prompts and I put it out there and it's crazy seeing how much people know, um, you know, I was very nervous when I put it out there, but, um, it's really cool just seeing how many, you know, like I said, how many businesses people know, right?
• 31:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Right now our count is at like one.
• 31:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: 50 in the last, what eight days, nine days, we're at 150 businesses that people have talked about, highlighted, or supported.
• 31:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: But essentially, I created the challenge because I wanted people to start to realize that they know more black-owned businesses than they want to give themselves credit for.
• 31:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Right?
• 31:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: A lot of people think, oh, I don't know.
• 31:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: So that's why I don't do.
• 31:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it's like, no, you do know.
• 31:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I want to encourage you to do.
• 31:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so starting to see people actually had the excitement about, okay, wow, I actually did know this business or you know I do know this thing and you know this actually is a part of my lifestyle already right and give yourself credit for like making those small changes right because it doesn't it doesn't happen overnight right I know a lot of people think wow how do you know so many businesses.
• 32:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: I did the research and I just kept going, right?
• 32:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's not just about seeing one thing and stopping.
• 32:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's, you know, you keep going.
• 32:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: You keep building, right?
• 32:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: You change a little bit at a time and you'll start to see the growth, right?
• 32:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: I start off with hair care.
• 32:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Now most of the products in my home when it comes to household or whatever, they're black on.
• 32:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 32:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: And you start to transition and make it a lifestyle for yourself.
• 32:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: So the goal really is for people to one learn from the black on, like, learn about black on businesses.
• 32:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: But also to realize, like, hey, I actually know a lot.
• 32:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I can actually build this lifestyle for myself.
• 32:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I'm selling myself short.
• 32:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah.
• 32:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And people feel like they can't build or it's not sustainable to be able to have
• 32:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Black on business.
• 32:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I guess driven lifestyle where you only purchase from like black on or as much as you can Because obviously, you know, it it there it's challenges to do it strictly like that And I think killer Mike did a episode of his show on Netflix.
• 32:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: That was kind of satirical But talked about like well, what if we only use black on inventions stuff like that so or Purchase from black on businesses, but how was that for you being able to curate that lifestyle for yourself
• 33:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it took time, and I think that that's something, you know, I think content creation is very similar, right?
• 33:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or like being an influencer or being on social media, right?
• 33:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: Excuse me, time patience and consistency.
• 33:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: really that's like those are the things to make it a lifestyle for yourself.
• 33:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know for me, like I said, I had started off with haircare, right?
• 33:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that a lot of times people don't realize that they don't just have to start off, like they don't just have to buy everything, right?
• 33:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like not every business is for you, and I think going in with the mindset of, hey,
• 33:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: This business may not necessarily align with me.
• 33:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't have to put my money here, right?
• 33:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: And that's okay, right?
• 33:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: I can't support every black on business, right?
• 33:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I always tell people, like, I don't have kids, right?
• 33:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: So there are a lot of kids' businesses.
• 33:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, I couldn't tell you about them, but I've never shocked with them, right?
• 34:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it doesn't align with my lifestyle.
• 34:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: So you won't see me necessarily talking about it as much, right?
• 34:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so really, it's about figuring out what in your lifestyle.
• 34:14
  [SPEAKER_03]: you can change right and when I say you like you yourself not what everybody else is you know trending towards not what everybody else is you know doing what actually impacts you and you'll start to realize like it becomes natural.
• 34:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: When you start to focus on things that you actually like, right, like a lot of people think food and then they're buying all this food and it's like, I don't even like this food.
• 34:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, you know, or like they're buying a bunch of skincare products and then they have a bunch of skincare products just sitting around, you know, you got to be intentional, right, so I always encourage people, you know, when it comes to making that transition be intentional, right, I had to be intentional, right.
• 34:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I could see a black and business and want to spend the money, but I also have a budget, right?
• 34:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know what I mean?
• 34:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, it's really a balance.
• 35:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's really a balance.
• 35:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, that journey was definitely, there were some ups and downs, right?
• 35:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: There were times where I'm like, I don't know what direction this is gonna go in, right?
• 35:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if I'll ever actually be able to build this lifestyle for myself, like, is this actually sustainable?
• 35:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it was only until I started to realize, like, hey, you need to focus on what?
• 35:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: actually works for you that it became sustainable for me.
• 35:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: And now it's second nature, right?
• 35:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think a lot of times people, subscriptions are really big in my house, right?
• 35:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: When it comes to household items, if I want to make sure that it's going to come from a black on business, I make sure I have a subscription for it.
• 35:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: That way, I said it, I forget it, and I can move on with my life, right?
• 35:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I do that with most of my household items now, right?
• 35:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, you know, the subscriptions, but also like sometimes you just gotta be a little bit more on top of it than you were before, right?
• 35:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: It can't just be like, oh, I'm on my last roll of paper, you know, paper towel.
• 35:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I need to go to the store now, right?
• 35:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or like, I'm looking at the roll in my hand.
• 36:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: You actually have to be like, how many paper towel rolls do I have?
• 36:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Do I need to order this now?
• 36:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, you know, and you start to learn in that way, right?
• 36:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: That becomes your convenience, right?
• 36:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm down to two paper towels.
• 36:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: I need to order.
• 36:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: or like, hey, I'm out of, you know, trash bags or I order two sets of trash bags, the second, that first box is gone, I order the next one, right?
• 36:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so you have to build your own habits too, and I made sure to start building my own habits, and, you know, also encouraging people around me to start building those habits.
• 36:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Because as people around you start to feel comfortable in doing that and it becomes second to each of them, it's a lot easier for you too, right?
• 36:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so yeah, so
• 36:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's really how I do it.
• 36:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: I hope I say it on the question.
• 36:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, for sure.
• 36:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I was going to ask you aside from following your page what are some cheat codes or resources that people can leverage in order to source these black on product.
• 36:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: For example, if they want to have more black on stuff in there.
• 36:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: household or finding black on businesses.
• 37:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know it was a lady.
• 37:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't remember name her page, but she had created like a black business magazine, like a business thing.
• 37:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and then she shut it down to focus on something else, but that's one thing that came to mind, but we love to know, like how do you kind of source information to find something.
• 37:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: There are some really, um,
• 37:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: some great content creators out there right and some great pages and some great blogs out there that are constantly sharing black owned businesses.
• 37:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, what's his name?
• 37:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Black Friday podcast.
• 37:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, well, you know, I think that Black Friday is like people like yourself.
• 37:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, you know, by black mainstream, right?
• 37:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: He actually creates a lot of like actual blogs, tile material.
• 37:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: right and there are just a lot of places and a lot of like people who do that right so I do use like blogs that's how I started right when I wanted to look up something I people underestimate the power of a search engine right no we're trying to move away from Google but search engines will absolutely help like I will literally look up black owned blah blah blah and yes you do have to verify right don't get me wrong you do have to make sure yeah you definitely do because people will
• 38:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I started with search engines, just searching, looking it up, Instagram, take it off their great resources as well when it comes to social media and finding black owned businesses.
• 38:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Also,
• 38:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: take some time in the store, walk through the store.
• 38:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: You'll be surprised that you can start to recognize, like, this is actually a black owned business.
• 38:56
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, we put a little flare on things that people don't really realize sometimes.
• 39:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: And as you start to see it in the store, you're like, that looks like a black owned business.
• 39:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let me look that up.
• 39:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Right.
• 39:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so walk through your, walk through the aisles of your grocery store, walk through the aisles of different stores and start to look stuff up, right?
• 39:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I started doing that.
• 39:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: I would just go to my ear.
• 39:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: and I'd walk through an aisle.
• 39:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'd be like, hmm, this is a brand I've never seen before.
• 39:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let me look it up and see what's there.
• 39:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let me see if this is a black-owned business.
• 39:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I would say those are some really important things.
• 39:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: There's search engines and doing the research.
• 39:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Research research research.
• 39:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, I'm an engineer.
• 39:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: I grew up in a STEM family.
• 39:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: I grew up around scientists.
• 39:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Research has always been the thing, right?
• 39:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm always encouraged people to just
• 39:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: And how do we do have any thoughts on how we hold our Black businesses accountable because there are plenty because in much of our love, obviously I do this for my people, my community and Black businesses specifically, but obviously there are some that unfortunately just don't deserve or earned your time, your money, your energy, et cetera, and don't care that necessarily fix it, but have there been ways that you have
• 40:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: held businesses like that accountable in terms of what their service and people are providing the people as products.
• 40:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 40:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: I make it a point on my page not to talk down on anybody's business, which is something that I do for my page personally, but I am never above leaving a review.
• 40:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 40:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: I am never above sending an email.
• 40:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: and i say that because it's important to provide that criticism right because a lot of people you know when they hear that i do what i do they're like oh but it's so hard to support black on businesses because of how they treat us or because and like it becomes like they put us in a box right and so i never want to promote a bad you know that's the real type exactly
• 40:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I think it's really important that you still provide the criticism, so I will leave a review.
• 40:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like if I'm just not impressed, I will absolutely leave a review.
• 41:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: I also do leave reviews when I am impressed too, because I think it's also important to do that.
• 41:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't think people realize how important reviewing and sharing is to a business.
• 41:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I definitely leave reviews and I'm also sent an email just saying like, hey, you know, this is my experience You know as somebody who you know, and I don't brag on it, but I'm like, hey Somebody I have a platform.
• 41:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm an influencer and like this is the experience that I had here and like This is the experience your regular customers are having here and like if you want to get people to come or if you want to get people to do that like you know to purchase from you
• 41:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: you've got to change something, right?
• 41:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so like I do provide a lot of reviews.
• 41:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: I will email, I have absolutely sent product back.
• 41:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like if people have sent me something for free or you know, or like a business has reached out and said they wanted me to come through and I didn't like it.
• 41:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I will tell them exactly why I didn't put it on the page, right?
• 41:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 41:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I encourage people to do that.
• 41:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, hold them accountable by leaving a review, emailing them, letting them know.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, hey, this was my experience.
• 42:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: You don't have to be loud on social media at to hold a business accountable, essentially.
• 42:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: You don't have to move new for like that.
• 42:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: And like, I think that just life in general, right?
• 42:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, because sometimes, hey, the person might have just had a bad day, right?
• 42:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: And not saying that that's always the case, right?
• 42:22
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm also not saying that that's the mentality you have to go in with either, right?
• 42:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Because you deserve respect.
• 42:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, wherever you go, but I think it's important to remember that we're dealing with somebody's livelihood at the end of the day, even if they're not, you know, good stores of their livelihood, right?
• 42:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 42:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Doesn't mean that we have to pile on, so I always encourage, leave that review, send that email, but you don't have to go blasting them on social media.
• 42:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I agree.
• 42:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: I agree and I try to give multiple chances.
• 42:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm like okay, especially if it's a restaurant or something I try to get all right first time kind of off, but then I But yeah, one like second third time and it's still ain't right then.
• 42:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just yeah, I can't do it No, it's just not it's not worth my time Exactly.
• 43:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and there are places that you will not see me in you absolutely will not see him saying because of that and I'm just like and I won't say who they are There's something no name names
• 43:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: But no, but like yeah, like little there are just some places you just I won't be back And yeah, and so you just I need your list off camera.
• 43:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you really yeah You really be at the places.
• 43:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, you know, we can absolutely talk about that.
• 43:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah There are just some places where some businesses they just they will not get my money again And that's just don't for tattoo.
• 43:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah
• 43:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: for sure and I love the intentionality once again in terms of the content that you do because if I'm not mistaken I believe you and your husband had like majority like with very intentional black vendors for y'all for y'all weddings so tell us a little bit more about that yeah so all of our vendors for our wedding were black on every single one of them
• 43:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, and does I get married here or no, so we got married in Barbados.
• 44:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 44:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, we yeah, we decided that we wanted I always do I wanted a destination wedding that didn't stop me for making sure that everybody was black.
• 44:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, um, but yeah, so essentially that was something that I've always wanted to do was make.
• 44:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: My wedding black-owned, right, and so I knew that from the very beginning and I had already started doing some sort of research, right?
• 44:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: So like I knew who I was gonna reach out to when it came to my wedding planner shout out Alexis Goodwin I love her.
• 44:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: If you guys ever need a event planner or a wedding planner top tier.
• 44:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, she's yeah, amazing And I told her what I wanted to do and she understood my vision.
• 44:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: I said I want every vendor that I work with to be black
• 44:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: And she said, I got you no problems.
• 44:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: And she made it happen.
• 44:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: So even if there were places where I couldn't fill in, she had some recommendations.
• 44:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: But it actually isn't as hard as people think it is.
• 44:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it's not.
• 44:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like there are so many black vendors in the wedding space.
• 45:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like that people can tap into, you know?
• 45:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: And it's just also, you know, sometimes you got to determine what your priority is, right?
• 45:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Hey, you might not necessarily get this thing, right, when you're doing, you know, if you're working with this person, but that's okay, right, or like, hey, I was willing to spend the, you know, extra couple hundred, right, to work with this person, right, because I wanted to work with, you know, this, you know, in that space.
• 45:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: We were intentional about every single thing and we were.
• 45:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: early so like we planned our wedding two years out right a lot of people are like the next year but like I knew I was like we're being intentional about this like let's give ourselves some time to find these people to make sure this can actually happen um so yeah so we were very very intelligent once again did a lot of research um a lot of phone calls a lot of hey like this is what I'm trying to do are you aligned with this right um and so yeah
• 45:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's the stuff.
• 45:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I had to ask because me and my wife after we got married, we were very intentional about that too.
• 46:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So probably like 80 to 90 percent of our vendors were black on.
• 46:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: We got married at Eastern market.
• 46:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: We had a reception at Eastern market.
• 46:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: So obviously that didn't black on.
• 46:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: But as far as like the church where we got our suits, where she got her dress.
• 46:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: As far as like down to the food for the wedding, our coordinator, our decorator, our decorator, our DJ, everybody black.
• 46:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: Her roommate, our invitation is black.
• 46:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: We were not playing, we were really not playing.
• 46:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I'm like, I think because of what I've been doing for so long, my family has naturally gravitated to doing those things.
• 46:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: So like,
• 46:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: when it came to like our party favors right or like even our bridal party um even the um like our my bachelor at party all the things right we're black like all of our like um I guess corresponding events right we're leading into black on businesses right and so I will say and this is kind of a pivot from that but like one of the things I've loved in this experience was watching how
• 47:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: the people closest to me, right?
• 47:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: Not just strangers, but the people closest to me have changed their lifestyles as well.
• 47:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that has been probably one of the most impactful because you can influence people outside, right?
• 47:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes people are like, I don't have the support of my family and friends.
• 47:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't have this.
• 47:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: I absolutely have a hundred percent support of my family and friends and like I lean into that.
• 47:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: I watched them and they'll like reach out to me.
• 47:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: They were like, you suggested this product?
• 47:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: I absolutely love it.
• 47:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: I didn't even know they went and bought it, but just to know that they're maneuvering like that, right?
• 47:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, my mom being intentional, right?
• 47:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: She's a runner.
• 47:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: She'd be like, hey, I was doing some research and I found this black-on company that does this for running.
• 47:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, or like, I found this black-on-running group, or I found this.
• 47:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: And like, you just start to see how it really does impact people, right?
• 47:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, like, I, like, kind of get emotional when I talk about it.
• 47:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: But like, I remember a time where people would laugh and be like, black-on businesses, like, okay, right, whatever.
• 48:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, like, to actually see them,
• 48:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: transforming their own lives, like really is impactful for me.
• 48:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and that's what it's all about.
• 48:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, that's why I started just platforming to be able to introduce people, spot like black on businesses, creators, professionals who don't necessarily get the recognition that they always deserve, but definitely being able to give them that platform to be able to put them in that in that spotlight and then also being able to get people engaged more with black on businesses and now I'm starting to, you know, transition that into.
• 48:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: doing events as well, which we got to get you out to one.
• 48:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've been trying to get down to the black business, but I'm so excited for you to win.
• 48:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: Literally, if it wasn't, I'm, I told myself, I'm gonna slow down on traveling all the time.
• 48:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 48:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I can be here more for events because I realize some of the events, a lot of the times the events I want to go to.
• 48:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm just not here.
• 48:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 48:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, so yeah, I'm very ready.
• 48:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: What when's your next one?
• 48:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the next one the black business tour is going to be in September Okay, but then I'm gonna do a shameless plug real quick because on August 22nd I'm gonna be doing a black business scavenger hunt on the Avenue of Fashion So when this episode comes out, it'll come out on the 21st and then That Saturday from one to four p.m. Avenue of fashion black business scavenger hunt so I'm having people pull up
• 49:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then we got a good time.
• 49:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: We got some prizes.
• 49:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I got some dope prizes for people and yeah, it's gonna be it's gonna be experienced Oh, that's gonna be a time.
• 49:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna check my calendar make sure I'm free.
• 49:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: I I don't think no, I'm doing a 5k that morning I'm gonna do the 313 race, but I'm gonna try to slide.
• 49:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah
• 49:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's nothing.
• 49:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, no, absolutely definitely send me the details on that.
• 49:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: I got you.
• 49:37
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I got you.
• 49:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't be here.
• 49:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be here for sure But so as far as black on backs and as far as you overall where do you see this going?
• 49:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: What are you seeing your crystal ball?
• 49:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's on a horizon for you?
• 49:52
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so
• 49:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: Deep down black on with Bex is going to be a movement.
• 49:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: And when I say that, I mean that it's going to be a conglomerate of different businesses together, right?
• 50:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I say that because I don't think I'll ever lose the content creation.
• 50:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't think I'll ever lose the event planning, right?
• 50:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: But there are so many other spaces that I want to tap into.
• 50:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: to put other black businesses on the map.
• 50:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I'm really leaning into, I really want to make black on a bigs a household name.
• 50:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so that's the goal.
• 50:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: The goal is to make black on a bigs a household name.
• 50:35
  [SPEAKER_03]: And when I say household name, I mean in whatever way it works for that person.
• 50:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: So whether you're like, oh, I know her from, you know, I know black on a bigs from content, right?
• 50:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or I know black on a bigs because of the her events, right?
• 50:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or there events.
• 50:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know black on a bigs because
• 50:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: They did this collaboration with this brand, right?
• 50:53
  [SPEAKER_03]: And they had products and stores, right?
• 50:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Or like, they've set up a space for products to be in stores, right?
• 50:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so I see all of those things for black on with Bix.
• 51:02
  [SPEAKER_03]: And there was a point where I thought I had to limit what black on with Bix was, or where I see it going.
• 51:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that the possibilities are endless for me personally, because I know what I have is
• 51:18
  [SPEAKER_03]: it's important and it's useful and it's impactful and I'm learning that I can say that without feeling like I'm bragging about it, but I actually am starting to see the impact that it's having and I think that's the goal to continue to make an impact.
• 51:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, black and white vex is going places.
• 51:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're not limiting ourselves to what we're doing, but yeah.
• 51:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: And will we see any black on with big products in your future?
• 51:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, so that's the goal.
• 51:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I will say this year because I know people have been asking.
• 51:54
  [SPEAKER_03]: I will not be doing an advent calendar this year.
• 51:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 51:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: But that's because we're working on
• 52:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I self-funded my having calendar last year, absolutely love date, love the experience.
• 52:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: But there are just some things that need to get out of the way, like this whole nine-to-five situation.
• 52:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 52:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: And really, not necessarily that, but just having the time to actually do an execute it in the way that I want to, I learned a lot last year about it.
• 52:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, you know, just like what that process is.
• 52:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that starting fresh, I've already started working on it, but you know, for, for 2021,
• 52:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, but starting fresh and recognizing where I could grow from that.
• 52:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: So black on the backs will absolutely be doing more collaborative, um, showcases of products to, for in that way.
• 52:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: So like our admin calendar included 10 different black on businesses last year.
• 52:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
• 52:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, and really every product or everything that you see come out of black on the backs will be in some way to highlight another business.
• 52:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, you know, people asked me about merch.
• 52:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Maybe we'll get to a point where we'll have merch.
• 52:59
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, yeah, I would like to have some merch at some point, but really it's about collaborative items that showcase black on businesses for me.
• 53:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: So that's really where you're going to, what you're going to start to see from us.
• 53:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Love it.
• 53:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Love it.
• 53:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: And before I forget, for you out of here, it's black business month.
• 53:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: August is black business month.
• 53:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just learned this probably within the last three years.
• 53:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just what love to know what that means to you to be able to have a month that is focused on black on businesses.
• 53:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: I think what I love the most about this month is I know sometimes people are like, oh, it's performative, right?
• 53:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, or like, sometimes we have these months, like people, you know, have all these things to say about like black history month and, you know, all these things.
• 53:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: But I find that it's so important to have a black business month because people don't realize how many black businesses are out there.
• 53:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I say that all the time, people don't know what they don't know.
• 53:49
  [SPEAKER_03]: And to have a full month that's dedicated to the awareness of all that black businesses have to offer, I think it's so important, right?
• 53:58
  [SPEAKER_03]: Like, it's part of the reason why I did this challenge, right?
• 54:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: People are focused on black on businesses this month, right?
• 54:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: And I think that that's part of like bringing awareness, right?
• 54:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: That's the part of making sure that people know, right?
• 54:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Making sure that people aren't, like I said, have awareness.
• 54:12
  [SPEAKER_03]: That to me is the biggest thing, right?
• 54:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: And black business month puts them on the map, right?
• 54:19
  [SPEAKER_03]: Didn't know about black business month right they weren't focused on black businesses right and I think it's also really helpful because I know we start talking about black businesses in February People talk about it all the time and then there's a law and I think now like it's like this is perfect going into the end of the year We're reminding people hey black business.
• 54:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: This should be on the forefront of your mind That's what you step into the holiday season and all this stuff.
• 54:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: It gets it gets people's minds going.
• 54:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah
• 54:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and I think it's definitely important.
• 54:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: I know some people like I said people think it's performative I think it's how you look at it.
• 54:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks opportunity.
• 54:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely it's definitely an opportunity Yeah, so we're gonna people tapping with you if they ain't already following a page if you got web sites Whatever contact information you want to let the people know about working they find you
• 55:04
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 55:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: So if you're looking to find me, you can find me on at blackownedw.bex.
• 55:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: So Bex is spelled BECKS.
• 55:15
  [SPEAKER_03]: You can find me at that handle on just about every platform.
• 55:21
  [SPEAKER_03]: TikTok, Instagram, threads.
• 55:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do be stepping on threads, y'all.
• 55:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: So tap it with me there.
• 55:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: I do have a website is blackownedwbex.com.
• 55:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: We are currently revamping the website, but it's essentially going to be a hub of just businesses you'll learn about.
• 55:39
  [SPEAKER_03]: We're going to be blogging again.
• 55:41
  [SPEAKER_03]: You'll see our upcoming events events that are going on that people should know about But that's really going to start to be our community hub because like I said social media is not our only venture And then last but not least you can absolutely email me at Bexat blackonwvex.com if you ever want to reach out and talk about collaboration partnerships, whatever You can reach me there too.
• 56:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah
• 56:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: love it.
• 56:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Love it.
• 56:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: What we appreciate you for coming on and doing this special episode with this especially doing Black Business Month and grateful for all the work that you're doing in our community and then the top then Detroit Michigan as your own and be in continuing to stay here intentionally staying here and supporting the businesses in the community of the people that look like us.
• 56:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we appreciate you.
• 56:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 56:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Absolutely.
• 56:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: I feel so welcomed in Detroit.
• 56:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm always so appreciative of just
• 56:34
  [SPEAKER_03]: have been welcomed just with open arms.
• 56:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Honestly, I really just love being here.
• 56:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: I love just how it's continuing to thrive and so it always feels really good when I can connect to a native Detroiter.
• 56:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: So I really appreciate you for bringing me on here today.
• 56:51
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you for doing the work that you're doing with supporting and highlighting black on creators and just people black going to drop a new is in general, right?
• 57:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: I don't think that there's always a space for that.
• 57:03
  [SPEAKER_03]: we thank you so much for putting this on because I don't think people realize how important it is.
• 57:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, I've been telling people about your podcast.
• 57:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: I'm like, hey, you talk about me, you know, you need to tap him to black, laugh, you know, but, oh, yeah.
• 57:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But Friday is my guess.
• 57:20
  [SPEAKER_03]: I haven't talked it so long, so I was excuse me, but yeah, no, I think it's really important what you're doing.
• 57:26
  [SPEAKER_03]: So keep going.
• 57:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: I want to encourage you to keep going.
• 57:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 57:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: Keep doing events.
• 57:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: Let's collab on an event.
• 57:31
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, we have to get out of it.
• 57:32
  [SPEAKER_03]: Sure, but yeah, no, we're you're doing the work and it's really good to see.
• 57:38
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and I will make sure we got a tap into because I'd love to highlight you on black on the bigs at some point too.
• 57:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: Say less.
• 57:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: Say less.
• 57:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 57:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's do it.
• 57:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: All righty.
• 57:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: All righty.
• 57:47
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, yeah.
• 57:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
• 57:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Appreciate you.
• 57:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody watching.
• 57:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Listen.
• 57:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to tap in with y'all soon.
• 57:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Peace.