Latest / Babes, how did you get here / Why I Threw Away My US Degree & 6-Figure Tips to Move Back to Jamaica

Transcript

Why I Threw Away My US Degree & 6-Figure Tips to Move Back to Jamaica · Babes, how did you get here

0:00
Definitely college is one of those things that I feel like if you don't know what you want to do in life, I would highly suggest it.
0:07
I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't that great.
0:10
No, but I think because I did know what I wanted to do.
0:12
Well, that's a beautiful thing.
0:13
It speaks to your point.
0:14
Yeah, that's a beautiful thing.
0:15
I feel like if you don't know what you want to do, you go to college or if you've never been anywhere.
0:19
Yes.
0:20
going to college makes you realize some people have never left the street that they are from.
0:25
No, but for most people, especially in America, you'll appreciate, for most people, it's the first time they're like leaving their state.
0:31
Right.
0:31
And I used to ask them, but hold on, you never went to the state, just next door?
0:34
Right.
0:34
Just to see what, and they were like, no.
0:36
I was like, really?
0:37
Some of them have never been to the downtown of their city that they're in.
0:41
How crazy?
0:41
It's really...
0:43
eye-opening.
0:44
You know, we talk about like, things that shape you.
0:47
Yes.
0:47
You know, I feel like if I didn't go to college, or even if I didn't leave Jamaica, really and truly when I think back on it, because the ignorance struck me at a young age.
0:56
Like I'm telling you, at 12, I feel like that was the age that I really became aware.
1:00
Sure.
1:01
And could really understand people, their differences and their intellect.
1:05
And just, you know, their exposure, which I feel like is a huge thing.
1:08
People lack exposure, which then leads to ignorance.
1:12
Yes.
1:13
You guys can see what's going on in the world now.
1:16
Welcome to A Life Elsewhere, a podcast where we unpack what it really means to start somewhere new.
1:23
I am April Jackson, and I know all too well the pull between staying put and chasing a dream of a different life.
1:30
I'm going to speak with Dijon Powell, whose story I find so relatable.
1:34
She left Jamaica at the age of 12, only to return years later to take over the family's restaurant business as the youngest boss in charge.
1:42
In this episode, we talk about what it really means to return home, how her perspective changed after leaving America, and what she means when she says that she doesn't believe in coincidences.
1:55
Dijon, tell me how long have you been living in Jamaica?
1:58
Well, you want to know as of recent or would you like to know like the whole background?
2:02
Wherever you want to start with the story.
2:04
Okay, so I feel like my story is a little bit different from the typical Jamaican being that I actually was born in the United States.
2:12
And when I was three, my parents made the decision to move us back here.
2:16
So all my fondest stories.
2:18
earliest childhood memories are of me being here.
2:21
So some people may not consider me Jamaican.
2:24
They might consider me Jamaican, which two things can be true at once.
2:27
Okay.
2:28
But
2:29
I consider myself Jamaican.
2:31
So at the age of three is when I moved to Jamaica, lived here until I was about 12.
2:35
And when I was 12, I moved back to the States.
2:37
Now, as of recent, I moved back last year around January.
2:41
So I've been back in Jamaica since January of 2024, which would be about what?
2:46
A year and a half now.
2:47
Okay.
2:48
So when you came here at three and you're three to 12, how did you feel about going back to the States?
2:59
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3:03
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3:09
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3:11
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3:15
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3:18
You know, it's interesting because I don't know if I could hone in on exactly how I felt.
3:24
It's kind of like,
3:26
We visited the states a lot, so it wasn't an unfamiliar territory.
3:31
But in the case of living there, going to school there, creating a social life, once again, I mean, it almost felt like a fish out of water.
3:39
Okay.
3:40
I have a keen memory of the day that I moved back to the state.
3:43
Oh, really?
3:44
And I remember we were going to the airport and
3:46
My uncle was there, my cousin, who ironically she lives in the States, but she always spent the summers here.
3:52
I remember we were leaving.
3:53
I remember crying like on the flight.
3:56
That's like one of the memories that I remember from that time, like bawling my eyes out on the flight.
4:02
I think it hit me that, OK, this time we're going to the States, but we're not going to be coming back.
4:06
It's not like summer break.
4:08
But so, yeah, it's just I don't know how to describe exactly how I felt other than just
4:16
being ripped away from what my norm was.
4:20
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4:25
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4:31
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4:36
And in Jamaica, where were you living?
4:38
In Montego Bay.
4:39
And then when you went to the States, what part of the States were you living in?
4:41
I was living in Miami.
4:42
Miami, Florida.
4:43
South Miami, I want to specify.
4:46
South Miami, Kendall.
4:48
What is specific about South Miami, Kendall?
4:51
Yeah, there's a difference.
4:53
Miami's a small place, but it's big at the same time.
4:56
I think when people think about the Jamaican diaspora and where people move, they instantly think...
5:02
South Florida, Miami area.
5:04
That's not necessarily where I moved to.
5:07
Where I moved was predominantly Hispanic people.
5:11
I mean, there was one and two Haitians, a couple Jamaicans, but- But it wasn't Kingston 21?
5:17
what's that um New York Miami Miramar prime book prime that's what they were telling me yesterday Miami is referred to Kingston 21 well it's true not the Miami I was living in I know exactly what Miami they're talking about it's sure Miami I was on the completely opposite spectrum okay any person listening to this that's from Miami they'll know may not consider where I'm from Miami yes it's a whole thing right um but yeah so definitely a fish out of water experience just being that
5:46
you thought you're moving somewhere with a bunch of Jamaicans or it would be similar, but you know, it's so different even though Miami is still a very
5:55
Caribbean immigrant heavy populated place.
5:58
Sure.
5:59
And then can I, upon reflection, when you look at the fact that you lived your early years here, but then 12 is still a crucial age in terms of forming our personalities and who we are and finding yourself, you're going through the hormones, a lot is going on post 12.
6:14
How do you think that spending that time in America influenced who we are now as an adult?
6:21
It influenced so much of who I am because I feel like at the age of 12 is where you're more aware of your surroundings, of people, people and their differences, cultures.
6:33
I mean, super crucial because I think growing up in Jamaica, it's a melting pot, right?
6:39
Our norm is so different from...
6:42
I mean, any culture could probably say that if they're displaced and taken out of it.
6:46
So I think it definitely gave me a lot of perspective.
6:51
I like to think that I got the best of both worlds.
6:53
I mean, a part of me wish I had that teenage years in Jamaica, similar to like my siblings.
7:00
I didn't really get to have that experience.
7:02
I mean, I literally studied for the GSAT.
7:04
just to move right after.
7:05
You pass and you move.
7:06
Really?
7:07
Just think about the stress of what that was.
7:10
So you didn't actually do the exams?
7:11
I did the exams.
7:12
But then you'd never go to the school that you got into?
7:14
Exactly.
7:15
That whole buildup, it was like...
7:18
Right.
7:19
Okay.
7:21
So, I mean, I wish I had that experience, but in the same breath, I feel like at 12, I think you're a little bit more adaptable, or at least maybe I am.
7:29
I can't speak for all persons.
7:31
I think children have the tendency to be able to like mold
7:35
depending on surroundings or whatever.
7:37
So I think 12 was a prominent age that really shaped who I am.
7:44
Just going from being somewhere comfortable to then being somewhere uncomfortable.
7:49
I think I got used to that feeling, which is not a common feeling.
7:53
A lot of people live in the comfort space the entirety of their life.
7:57
And, you know,
7:59
the outcome varies per person.
8:01
But do you think that you have particular characteristics that you would be like, oh, those are my American characteristics versus my Jamaican characteristics?
8:12
That's a tricky question because you know what?
8:14
I'm the type of person that I just feel like I'm me.
8:16
Sure.
8:16
You know, regardless of where you put me, I'm going to be me.
8:20
Of course, there is this attitude and this confidence that comes with being Jamaican and pride.
8:27
or maybe that's a Caribbean thing.
8:28
I like to think it's a Jamaican thing.
8:30
No, I think it's a Jamaican thing.
8:31
Yeah, definitely.
8:32
So I think there's that and that homeliness that comes with the Caribbean comfort of, you know, treating almost everyone like family.
8:41
I can definitely say those characteristics of myself are from the Jamaican side.
8:46
The American side, maybe it's just, you know, convenience.
8:50
Mm, yeah.
8:52
American culture is built on convenience.
8:54
People are making a killing off of
8:56
monetizing convenience.
8:57
Oh, that makes sense.
8:59
Definitely.
9:00
We can attest that to the American side.
9:02
So you go to university in Miami?
9:05
I actually go to university in Orlando.
9:07
Oh, really?
9:08
Yeah.
9:08
Cool.
9:08
So, you know, during that short time, you move at 12 and you only have a couple more years, right?
9:14
Of like your teenagers, the adolescents.
9:16
So,
9:18
I moved, I went, I came in the middle of middle school.
9:20
Right.
9:21
That was like two years.
9:22
Then I had to move again.
9:23
So that was another feeling of have to start over.
9:26
Sure.
9:27
New faces, new friends.
9:28
Yeah.
9:29
You know, still in the same area, but moving schools, I feel like it's always it's always like, yeah.
9:34
Always an event.
9:35
I like how you said that.
9:36
And then high school, I think I got in my groove there in terms of like, really adapting to the culture of the part of Miami I was in.
9:46
Sure.
9:47
Yeah.
9:47
And then graduated from high school and I went to university in Orlando at the University of Central Florida.
9:53
What did you study?
9:54
I studied integrated business.
9:56
Okay.
9:57
But I didn't initially go in there thinking I was going to do that.
10:00
Which is pretty common for all college students.
10:02
I initially went in thinking I was going to do health sciences.
10:05
Okay.
10:06
Which I like to joke.
10:07
I don't know who I was trying to fool.
10:09
I don't know if it was myself, maybe my parents.
10:12
I don't know.
10:12
But one thing led to another and I realized that that wasn't really for me.
10:18
And went into the business route.
10:20
So when you went into the business route for school, what was the plan post-university?
10:27
Okay.
10:28
I don't know that there was a plan.
10:29
Okay.
10:30
I really don't.
10:31
And I think college is such an interesting time period and an interesting option.
10:37
I know like being from a Caribbean background,
10:42
you don't really have an option, right?
10:43
I didn't want to go to school.
10:45
My dad didn't go to university and I was telling him, like, I just want to start business.
10:48
I don't want to go to university either.
10:50
My dad was like, every child of mine has to go to university.
10:53
I applied to UTEC in hope that no American university would accept me because then at least I can stay in Jamaica.
10:59
I didn't tell him.
11:00
This is probably the first time he actually knows.
11:02
But I applied and that was, to me, I was like, don't worry that no one accepted me because I can go to UTEC and I can get, like,
11:09
staying home.
11:10
That was like the main thing on my mind.
11:12
And then I ended up in New York and ended up at university.
11:15
But the four year program also was really different because I'm used to a three year program.
11:20
The British is really.
11:22
Really?
11:22
Yeah.
11:23
And so I was like, damn, no, I have to stay here for four years.
11:26
But I actually wrote a letter to the deans and petitioned to get out in three years.
11:30
So, yeah, I was so over it.
11:32
Also, I like Ivy League.
11:35
I'd watched too many movies and I thought it was going to be like surrounded by really intelligent people and have all of these thoughts and ideas.
11:42
Right.
11:43
And it just wasn't that.
11:44
It wasn't that at all.
11:45
You know, there were still people who were at Columbia asking me if Jamaica was in Africa.
11:49
And I'm like, we're down the road.
11:50
Like New York is a three and a half hour flight.
11:52
And so I think my expectations like most things in life.
11:54
My expectations were probably too high.
11:57
And so I really didn't enjoy my college experience.
12:00
I appreciate it though.
12:01
Because if I didn't have it, I think I would always have wondered.
12:05
But having had it, I'm like, no, it was cool.
12:08
Definitely college is, college is one of those things that I feel like if you don't know what you want to do in life,
12:13
I would highly suggest it.
12:15
I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't that great.
12:17
No, but I think because I did know what I wanted to do.
12:19
Well, that's a beautiful thing.
12:21
It speaks to your point.
12:22
Yeah, that's a beautiful thing.
12:23
I feel like if you don't know what you want to do, you go to college or if you've never been anywhere.
12:27
Because going to college makes you realize some people have never left.
12:32
the street that they are from.
12:32
No, but for most people, especially in America, you'll appreciate, for most people, it's the first time they're leaving their state.
12:39
And I used to ask them, but hold on, you never went to the state, just next door, just to see what... And they were like, no.
12:44
I was like, really?
12:45
Some of them have never been to the downtown of their city that they're in.
12:49
It's really...
12:51
eye-opening.
12:52
You know, we talk about like, um, things that shape you.
12:55
Yes.
12:55
You know, I feel like if I didn't go to college or even if I didn't leave Jamaica, really and truly when I think back on it, because the ignorance struck me at a young age, like I'm telling you at 12, I feel like that was the age that I really became aware.
13:08
Sure.
13:08
Um, and could really understand people and their differences and, um, their intellect and just, you know, their exposure, which I feel like is a huge thing.
13:16
People lack exposure, which then leads to ignorance.
13:19
Yes.
13:20
And sadly,
13:21
You guys can see what's going on in the world now It's really the truth.
13:25
No, I think you're so right about exposure I wonder when you left at 12 and you're crying you already knew you loved Jamaica Jamaica's home and who doesn't love home right?
13:38
Yeah, even with the trials and tribulations that come with it You know home is home at the end of the day.
13:43
It's always gonna have a special place in your heart Yeah, no matter
13:48
If it was the best of times, worst of times, I'm a mix of them both.
13:51
So, yeah, of course.
13:53
I think earlier than 12, I realized that.
13:56
Do you know when you realized you love Jamaica?
14:00
I don't know if I could pinpoint an exact...
14:03
age.
14:04
Because there are some people that are Jamaican living in Jamaica and maybe it's because of our cable television that tends to be American television.
14:11
But there seems to be like a real love of foreign.
14:14
Everything foreign is better than home.
14:16
And I always say that if I could give everyone a gift, it would be just the opportunity to travel just once.
14:22
Because I feel like when I started to leave Jamaica traveling, that's when I really fell in love with Jamaica.
14:28
So I'm just wondering if you had an experience that kind of solidified why.
14:34
Because home doesn't, a lot of people I speak to, home isn't necessarily where they were born and raised.
14:39
You know, they find a place, I've been speaking to a lot of people for this, where they find a place like Jamaica that just feels like home to them.
14:45
But it seems like from an early age, this was home.
14:48
not just because you were born and raised here, sorry, born in the States, but raised here.
14:53
And I just wondered, what do you think contributed to that feeling of this being home?
14:59
I think it's just people.
15:01
Okay.
15:02
People.
15:02
It's a simple, it's a really simple answer.
15:05
But, um, when I just think about all the people that impacted my life, um,
15:10
being that my earliest memories, you know, are here.
15:13
Yeah.
15:13
It just always ties back to Jamaica.
15:15
Sure.
15:16
You know, the small people, the big people, you know.
15:19
So I really think it's the people that came.
15:22
So you finished university in Orlando.
15:24
Yes.
15:25
What's our next move?
15:27
I wish I knew what the next move was, to be honest.
15:29
I just knew that it's so funny.
15:32
I think a lot of the moves that I made as like a young adult, I didn't have necessary like a specific
15:40
I didn't have a specific destination, right?
15:49
And you know, I envy people like you that know what they want out of life.
15:54
You know, I think...
15:56
As a creative individual, it's kind of tricky, right?
15:59
And I think persons who know exactly what they want.
16:01
Sure.
16:02
Yeah, the road may not be easy, but you know exactly what you're working towards, right?
16:06
Whereas I feel like I'm a person with a lot of ideas and I just kind of like sometimes we'll sit on them instead of like actually, you know?
16:13
Sure.
16:13
Getting the job done to get towards them.
16:16
Right.
16:17
So when I went to college, I didn't necessarily know I was doing, but I knew there was no other option.
16:23
Okay.
16:23
And honestly, I didn't even,
16:25
I don't even think that was based off of like the pressure of my parents.
16:28
I just think the type of person I was knew I wanted more out of my life.
16:32
And I'm like, okay, college is the next step.
16:34
Being that I went there, I now know it's the perfect cushion for any young adult.
16:38
Sure.
16:39
If you don't know what you want to do.
16:41
Right.
16:41
Right.
16:42
What do you think that that college experience gave you in terms of whether it is your own personal development or coming closer to that answer of what you want to pursue?
16:53
It really, college really just gave me more insight to more people.
16:58
Okay.
16:59
And to even myself.
17:00
I feel like I learned a lot about myself.
17:03
I think I know myself and I think from a young age, like on a spiritual soul level, I feel like I know who I am.
17:09
Yeah.
17:09
But going to college made me realize a lot of people don't know who they are.
17:12
Okay.
17:13
Which.
17:13
kind of made me realize like okay yes I have something that's sometimes showing you the opposite yeah is that confirmation yeah of your truth yeah because some of the things that people were speaking of that we were the same age to me was just unbelievable like I'm like this is what you're thinking this is how you're operating oh okay like I vibrate on a different level which is fine um and just different walks of life even more different walks of life
17:39
And honestly, college was inspiring because we're getting people from all over.
17:43
You know, some people came there super ignorant.
17:45
And by the time we graduated, you know, to now.
17:47
They have the wisdom.
17:49
Right, right.
17:50
They're impressive individuals.
17:51
And, you know, you would never you would never guess.
17:54
And I think it's just honestly.
17:57
I rate college.
17:58
I vouch for college.
17:59
Yes.
18:00
I can understand why some people don't see that it's necessary.
18:03
And I think it's pressured as this big educational thing.
18:08
And I think what I took from college was not what we're learning in the books.
18:12
Right.
18:12
It was more life lessons.
18:13
It was more the connections I made, the friends that I made, the memories, and the growth that I really...
18:19
had there.
18:19
I find it interesting that you have that experience and you did business because a lot of people say that they go on to do their MBA for all of those things.
18:26
You do your your masters not for the academics but for the connections for the people.
18:31
Yeah.
18:32
And for like more life lessons if you will.
18:34
And their MBA?
18:35
Yeah.
18:35
Oh interesting.
18:36
And like for example at Columbia most people go to Columbia to do their their masters not for the paper but it is for the people that you meet and connect with and it sounds like you got that from undergrad.
18:47
Yeah definitely.
18:48
I mean,
18:50
if I was going to go to the next thing is I graduated college and I still didn't have this clear green light of like this is the path I'm gonna take this is what I'm gonna do like that still didn't exist for me so the MBA program I completely I could get that yeah because everybody who's going to invest in an MBA because now it's not like undergrad like you're investing like you know real time yeah you've stopped your career to go and exactly yeah and so I could understand that and networking there's probably amazing yeah everybody is going in there probably with
19:20
you know, end goal of what they're trying to accomplish.
19:23
So I completely get that.
19:25
I think, and I know I've only spoken to you for a couple of minutes, but you feel like you have quite an old soul, an old spirit.
19:31
Would you say that that is fair?
19:34
Old soul?
19:35
Yeah.
19:36
You say things like you knew who you were quite early on, you were able to navigate being in a new high school, going into middle school, and...
19:44
Also, there's people who say that they don't know what they do, but they feel that the way they say it feels almost as an insecurity.
19:50
Whereas the way you describe it is very matter of fact.
19:52
I didn't know what I was doing and that's okay.
19:54
And so I wondered, did you get that through your college experience or would you say that you were just always kind of...
20:01
Some people saying that they don't know something, but some people they see that as a negative.
20:07
And I think that it's amazing when people can say, actually, I didn't know and that's
20:11
and you don't feel the need to pretend that you knew.
20:14
And I was just wondering, where does that come from, that energy?
20:17
Ah, I think that's just an innate thing.
20:19
I really don't have the answer for that.
20:21
I just...
20:23
I try to be as honest with myself as possible and honest with other people naturally through that.
20:28
I mean, I'm a very what you see is what you get kind of person.
20:32
I mean, there's more to me, of course.
20:34
Sure.
20:35
But I never tried to be anything that I'm not.
20:37
So, and that's just how I've been like from a very young age.
20:41
So were you scared that you didn't know what to do after college?
20:46
Um, yes.
20:48
Okay.
20:49
Yes and no.
20:50
Okay.
20:51
Because.
20:52
It's just ironic.
20:53
I feel like making that change from health science to business.
20:57
was a big thing, of course.
20:58
Like, I hyped it up all my life.
21:00
I'm gonna be a doctor, I'm gonna be a nurse.
21:03
I don't know, being fugazi, fooling the masses, right?
21:07
And then I got to college and it was easy for me to realize after my first semester that this is not for me.
21:15
What about it?
21:16
What about the course?
21:17
Honestly, I'm gonna tell you the truth.
21:18
I went to community college before I went to the University of Central Florida.
21:22
What does that mean?
21:23
So it's like a two year.
21:25
So you get your...
21:27
I forgot the words it's like your associates okay so in the states we have the associates the bachelors is the four year okay and then like if you go anything off after that would be like masters PhD so the associates is like the prerequisites that's like all courses basic like English math nothing within your major sure okay so I actually went to TCC which was a community college in Tallahassee which was even more of a culture shock I can't believe
21:54
I think I was really sad during that part of my life, so I kind of block it out.
21:58
But that was a big jump.
22:00
Jamaica to Miami, sure, fine.
22:02
Miami, I mean, Spanish people are different.
22:07
At least I think we're similar, but we're different.
22:09
You know what I mean?
22:10
And then obviously there's racism within Spanish culture, because there's white Hispanics.
22:17
Some may disagree, but there's white Hispanics, there's black Hispanics.
22:19
You know what I mean?
22:20
So that was...
22:23
You know, you had to adjust to that, but we had similarities in culture.
22:25
So you could find some common ground.
22:27
Right, right.
22:28
And if you grew up in Miami your entire life as a Spanish person, I mean, you're exposed to Jamaicans, you're exposed to Haitians.
22:35
So, you know, it's not that...
22:38
I mean, it still was, but it was easier to adjust.
22:41
Sure.
22:42
Moving to Tallahassee, which is the capital of Florida.
22:45
Okay, I didn't know that.
22:46
Yeah.
22:46
Right.
22:47
It's North Florida.
22:48
Right.
22:48
So like in Florida, we have a joke, a running joke, like Miami is not a part of Florida.
22:53
Okay.
22:54
Right.
22:54
Because
22:55
You may not know, but Florida is like a red state, which means they're very conservative.
22:58
Okay.
23:00
Rednecks.
23:01
Right.
23:01
Things like that.
23:02
Right.
23:02
So Tallahassee is real Florida.
23:05
Real Florida.
23:05
Okay.
23:06
Yeah.
23:06
So leaving Miami and going to Tallahassee, it was a college town.
23:10
Okay.
23:10
But it was literally, that was a real fish out of water experience actually because like
23:16
Even the temperature was changing, it would get cold up there.
23:18
Oh really?
23:19
Yeah.
23:19
I never knew Florida would get cold.
23:21
Yes, North Florida.
23:23
And it could be gray and bleaky.
23:25
Really?
23:25
And it was just, that was, I think I was really around white people.
23:30
Okay.
23:30
So there's white Hispanics and then there's Caucasian persons.
23:34
So in Miami where I grew up, they were a minority, white persons.
23:38
white American Caucasian person.
23:41
And then- You moved to Tallahassee and that's the majority.
23:44
That's the majority.
23:45
It's just different.
23:47
I'm sure it was, I moved there with some of the friends from high school.
23:50
They also went to like university.
23:52
They got into FSU.
23:53
I went to the community college.
23:55
And even for them, it was like something to adjust to.
23:57
So that's why I really knew.
23:58
I'm like, okay, this- It's not just you.
24:00
This is different.
24:01
Yeah.
24:01
See, I forgot how I even got on this point.
24:04
Because you were explaining that you moved to Tallahassee for your associates.
24:07
And so you're going to explain to me basically how that then led to your to your bachelor's.
24:11
But before you explain that, did you know what to expect from Tallahassee or was that a surprise?
24:17
It kind of was a surprise because I really wanted to leave Miami.
24:22
Why?
24:24
Because I just
24:25
I didn't, okay, Miami had a community college.
24:27
Right.
24:27
And I was like adamant on not going to that community college.
24:30
Like everyone's moving.
24:32
The university I ended up going to, I got deferred, which was pretty much means like I didn't get in for the fall semester.
24:38
Sure.
24:38
They accepted me for the spring.
24:39
Okay.
24:40
Which in hindsight, that was like what, four months of my life I would have to stay in Miami.
24:45
But I was just like, I'm not staying in Miami.
24:47
Okay.
24:48
Everyone that, you know, I was acquaintance with, friends with, they all got in fall semester.
24:54
Some even got in summer.
24:56
And I was like, there's no way I'm staying.
24:57
And I'm definitely not going to go to Miami-Dade College with everyone that.
25:03
No, I wanted more for myself.
25:05
I always want more for myself.
25:07
So I was like, I'd rather just go to Tallahassee, be in a college town, and I would just go to the community college there.
25:13
And if anything, I transfer over to the university there.
25:17
Initially, that was my plan to go to FSU to transfer over.
25:21
They were adamant about me completing the entire two years.
25:24
Okay.
25:24
which I wanted more for myself.
25:26
I was like, I'm not going to stay in community college for two years.
25:29
People try to sell it to you like it's cheaper.
25:31
You save money.
25:32
Okay.
25:32
I don't care because your credits can transfer.
25:35
Right.
25:35
Okay.
25:36
Right.
25:36
But after probably the first semester, I was like, okay,
25:42
I need to know to get into FSU.
25:44
They told me I need to complete the two years.
25:46
And I was like, I'm not staying in the community college for two years.
25:48
Sure.
25:49
I can do what I need to do.
25:51
So then I ended up applying for University of Central Florida, which is the school I initially got into, but I got deferred.
25:56
Right.
25:57
And they accepted me for the upcoming fall.
25:59
Okay.
26:00
So I just did my one year at community college.
26:02
Right.
26:03
But why even brought this whole backstory up is something I really took away from TCC, which is the community college in Tallahassee.
26:11
I had a psychology professor.
26:13
Okay.
26:13
And at one point I thought I was going to go into psychology.
26:15
I love psychology.
26:16
Ironically.
26:17
When I was like dabbling in health sciences, okay, if I'm going to be a doctor, maybe I can become like a therapist of some sort.
26:24
This professor, I do not remember her name, but her message was so impactful to me.
26:30
One day we're in class, right?
26:31
And she was talking, psychology is fun because it's kind of like what we're doing right now.
26:34
We're just having a conversation and kind of dissecting what's going on.
26:38
Something she was talking to us about was our future careers, right?
26:42
What does everyone want to do?
26:43
Yeah.
26:44
And she said, okay, if you want to be like a doctor, think about like the lifestyle you want.
26:51
Do you want flexibility?
26:52
Do you want something rigid?
26:54
What type of person are you?
26:55
Yeah.
26:55
And I think that's a really powerful conversation to have with young adults.
27:01
Yes.
27:01
Because...
27:02
Like you said, when you asked me about going to Tallahassee, like what was I expected?
27:06
Did I go in there blindly?
27:08
Like young adults are thrown into life blindly.
27:11
Unfortunately, probably everyone before us, our parents, our parents' parents, were thrown into life blindly.
27:17
You're fortunate if you have someone to really hold your hand and direct you.
27:20
But we all have different paths.
27:22
So even if your parents try to direct you, like we might just be going in two different directions.
27:27
So I feel like that conversation was really powerful.
27:29
It's such a simple conversation, but
27:31
Here I am, 10 years later, which is crazy to say 10 years later.
27:35
But I still remember that because when I talk to people about my journey, that's a conversation that always comes up.
27:42
Because she was talking about flexibility.
27:45
Doctors have to be on call.
27:46
You know, when we're growing up, especially with a Caribbean background, it's like, you know what I mean?
27:54
obviously we've come so far now yeah um but when you're saying a doctor you're like oh yeah they pay good money oh all right they pay good money okay but what about your lifestyle yeah what about your day-to-day and so this conversation was held in what 2014 maybe early 2015 and something that stuck with me yeah and if i ever talk to someone young like it's a message that um yeah i feel like
28:19
that's a conversation people should have and really think about because do you want to get up and travel that was something she said do you want to be able to take trips yep um do you want to sleep in do you want to be able to work out like simple things so taking it from conceptual this sounds nice right the title i like the status that it will bring right but actually break it down to day to day does it align with the things that you want with who you want to be in in my life i always knew you know i always knew i never wanted to work for people okay
28:47
So I think that's why it's funny when it's like, okay, what was next?
28:50
Or what was your plan?
28:51
It's like, I didn't have a plan.
28:52
Sure.
28:52
I just knew that I was going to do what I had to do to put myself in a position to like essentially be my own boss.
28:59
Okay.
29:00
And it's just, I don't know.
29:02
Life is so ironic because as I say these things out of my mouth, I don't really have conversations, which is similar to the last time we spoke.
29:09
I'm like, when I'm saying them, I'm like, oh my God, I've come such a long way.
29:11
Sure.
29:12
But that's something that was innate in me.
29:13
I always knew that.
29:14
Okay.
29:15
I didn't want to work for other people, but that doesn't mean like I wouldn't do the job if I had to do it.
29:20
You know, I graduated from university.
29:23
Did you get a job?
29:24
Yeah.
29:25
OK, I did get a job.
29:26
Yeah.
29:27
I went and tried to be a corporate girly and get a job.
29:29
I love that you said try.
29:31
I tried.
29:32
I tried my heart.
29:33
And you know what they say?
29:34
If you're not trying, you have to try in life.
29:36
But I think also it really resonates with me because I feel that we're living in an age where people are kind of shitting on employment.
29:44
Right?
29:44
And I say to people all the time, I've never worked for anyone, but I say I really wish I could.
29:49
And I think, you know, the means, if you work 10 years for someone else, imagine what you could do for your own dreams.
29:54
I think it's disingenuous, it's toxic.
29:58
And I'll give you the example.
29:59
I would say if you met a man who worked for Ford, and he worked for Ford 40 years ago, back in the day, maybe his wife didn't work, they had two kids, they were living comfortably.
30:08
They weren't living large, but they were living comfortably.
30:10
We would look at that man with respect and say that he was a family man who took care of his responsibilities.
30:15
Right?
30:16
That same man now in like 2025, we'd be telling him that he wasted his life building someone else's dream.
30:23
And I don't believe that everyone should be an entrepreneur or a business owner.
30:28
And it's not to say that one's better than the other.
30:30
Right.
30:31
they're very very different paths and i admire people who can be disciplined enough to listen to their superiors even perhaps when they don't want to or they can move up the ranks because anytime you're moving up the ranks you have acquired experiences along the way for sure and unfortunately i'm just not dis like the idea of going to someone and asking for when i can get holiday is just it's just beyond me but i blame my dad you know my dad always was in business and so that's the environment that i i grew up in yeah
30:56
And I think that we have to be really careful, especially with young people who are figuring out what they want to do, and not having those honest conversations.
31:03
Because again, we paint this idea of business ownership as though you own a business, the money's just running and you get to have cute handbags, right?
31:12
Someone told me a chef came to get a job with me.
31:16
He said the reason he started his food truck before he was applying for this job was because he thought that when he was his own boss, he'd have more free time.
31:24
And I was just like, what are you actually talking about?
31:26
But there's this idea that you do less work but get more money.
31:30
And so I guess in my mind, you said that you always knew that you wanted to have your own business.
31:36
But you tried the corporate world.
31:37
And that's why I laugh.
31:38
Because I feel you on the effort.
31:40
And I do think that sometimes if it's just in you, I don't even know the why.
31:45
It might have been an influence from other people.
31:47
Then there's always going to be a certain level of friction.
31:50
Mm-hmm.
31:51
Yeah, it's so funny because I remember being a child.
31:54
This memory just came back to me.
31:56
Being in prep school here in Jamaica.
31:59
And them asking what you want to be.
32:01
And it's similar to you.
32:03
Growing up around entrepreneurs or people who are just not taking the traditional route.
32:08
The teacher asked, what do you want to be?
32:10
And I was...
32:12
entrepreneur but I was so young I couldn't even spell that I was like how do you spell entrepreneur I'm just remembering that and like her spelling it to me and me writing it so I definitely think influences has something to do with that like we are who we are because of who we come from yes and that's from generations generations generations before us people we never even met they are parts of who we are sure on a soul level um but yeah
32:35
I'm sorry, I lost the question.
32:36
Don't worry.
32:37
Why did you try the corporate route and not immediately try and figure out your own business?
32:42
well because my parents paid for me to get my degree so you needed to put it to some use i had to do something right and also i'm i'm a silent competitive person okay you know and this is why i really cherish my friend group because and why i love my college experience and i know it's not the same for everyone sure but i have a really large friend group okay some would say both male and female
33:07
All minorities, Hispanic, black people.
33:12
And we were at a university that was predominantly white together with big dreams.
33:17
And I always was like, in my mind, I'm like, I'm not going to be the one that doesn't amount to something.
33:23
So I was like, okay, everyone's leaving.
33:25
During college, I would say I'm a social person, but I wasn't as involved in college.
33:30
When I think back, I don't really know why.
33:32
I feel like I found my group.
33:33
I feel the same thing.
33:34
I feel like I should have done more social things.
33:36
Luckily, I think being friends with them kind of broadened my reach naturally, but I never really put myself out there.
33:44
I don't think I was too cool, but like I said, I feel like I know myself and I'm like sororities and things like that.
33:50
I just knew they weren't for me.
33:52
I can see the benefit from them, but I felt pretty confident in my friend group.
33:58
they were really well-versed lawyers, doctors, you know, everything that your parents tell you about.
34:03
And I'm like, okay, I'm living it now.
34:04
And here I am boldly leaving health sciences, saying I'm going to do business, which in college business, and well, communications was the major that everyone kind of was like, okay, you're just getting a degree to get a degree, like, you know, communications.
34:21
And then business, I feel like kind of,
34:24
followed suit.
34:24
I mean, if you're not math savvy, people would think right.
34:27
Business is like, oh, my God, you're doing business.
34:29
Right.
34:30
So, yeah, I was like, I have to get a job.
34:33
Everybody's gotten internships.
34:34
I never did that in college.
34:35
Yeah.
34:37
Yeah.
34:37
I took some summer classes and I had a regular job, yeah, like retail, restaurant, things like that.
34:43
So I'm like, OK,
34:45
College is over.
34:46
What now?
34:47
Everyone knows like the next step, whether they're going to get their MBA, they're going to the next step in medical school, whatever the case may be.
34:54
I didn't have that.
34:56
And I wasn't going to go.
34:58
I didn't want to go back to school.
34:59
Okay.
35:00
To be honest.
35:01
And I definitely didn't want to go back to school if I didn't know exactly what I was going for.
35:05
Because like we discussed earlier, an MBA is like a true investment.
35:09
College is an investment.
35:10
Yes.
35:10
But it's next level.
35:12
It's the next level.
35:13
And you're not trying to do that with nothing in mind.
35:15
So I was like, okay, I'm going to get a job.
35:19
Naturally, I was like, I'm going to get a job.
35:20
I don't I try to be as independent as possible.
35:24
I'm really fortunate in life.
35:25
God has blessed me and that's something that I don't take for granted.
35:28
I still try to do what I have to do in life.
35:31
Right.
35:31
Right.
35:32
So I went throughout, got a job at Enterprise Enterprise rental car.
35:36
Yes.
35:36
Me.
35:37
Enterprise rental car.
35:39
Funny.
35:39
And what were you doing there?
35:41
What was I like a car?
35:43
A car.
35:44
sales associate renting vehicles cool put it in like layman terms that's really what it was yeah um they kind of painted it like this whole package okay they even show you like climbing the corporate ladder and like even through those trainings i'm like listen like i'm not i'm not gonna go that long i don't care enough about cars sure i'm not trying to deal with people being rude yes um just all that came with it but i did the job okay i did the job because
36:10
I needed the money.
36:11
Right.
36:11
And I'm a type of person like... Are you in Orlando?
36:13
No, at this point I moved back to Miami.
36:15
Okay.
36:15
So that was another thing too.
36:17
I wasn't going to stay in Orlando.
36:18
Okay.
36:19
Which when I think back, I wouldn't have been so bad.
36:21
But I feel like when everybody's moving on, I'm not getting left behind.
36:24
Right.
36:25
You know, I'm silently competitive.
36:27
I'm like, everyone's moving.
36:28
I need to move too.
36:29
I'm moving too.
36:29
Right.
36:30
Everyone's getting a job.
36:31
I'm going to get a job too.
36:32
Right.
36:33
So I went, I was working at Enterprise.
36:36
That was 2019.
36:37
I got that job the end of 2019.
36:38
So that's December of 2019.
36:41
Yeah.
36:42
Obviously, we know what happens following that.
36:44
Right.
36:45
COVID.
36:45
Yes.
36:46
COVID hits.
36:47
Everyone got like not laid off their jobs, but everyone was home.
36:51
Yeah.
36:51
We were essential workers.
36:52
and I find that so laughable.
36:54
For car rental?
36:55
For car rental.
36:55
But who are the tourists or the people that are renting the cars?
36:58
I don't know, people going to drive through graduations, I don't know.
37:02
Oh, okay.
37:02
But we were essential workers.
37:04
So you're still working?
37:05
I'm still working.
37:05
I remember when the news broke, like everyone was texting the group chat, like we're off work and I'm like, I'm still at work.
37:11
I'm waiting.
37:11
I'm waiting for the memo.
37:12
Sure.
37:13
No memo.
37:14
One week passes, then they kind of give us a break.
37:16
Okay.
37:17
And tell us like, say like April, I think we were still working.
37:20
well into March and there was a date set for April.
37:23
Okay.
37:23
I remember during this time, people that were like my higher ups, people that I knew that like recommended me the job and stuff like that because enterprise kind of like captures college, freshly college kids.
37:36
Sure.
37:36
And paints this picture to them, you know what I'm saying?
37:40
I remember hearing all those people were getting laid off.
37:43
Oh, I know.
37:44
And for me, it wasn't frightening because I actually really didn't like that job.
37:47
Okay.
37:48
I had to be up so early, deal with rude people.
37:51
What is interesting about renting a car?
37:53
Like nothing, except for like driving new cars, you know?
37:58
But nothing was interesting.
37:59
It didn't align with who I was at all.
38:01
However, I'm grateful for that time period because
38:04
It made me kind of lean more into like my creative side.
38:07
Okay.
38:08
It also gave me the budget to do that.
38:09
So, you know, that's one
38:12
good thing about getting a job yes and earning your dollars yes and seeing like okay this sucked yeah but this money that i made from it this is all me this is sacrifice um you know character building yes so i'm not knocking like when i sit and say like i know i always knew i never wanted to work for people like it's not me knocking it it's just one of those innate things um and like you said like it would be nice to be like okay
38:37
I'm fine with working at 9 to 5.
38:38
There's a security.
38:40
Yeah, there's a security in that, for sure.
38:41
Like I said, the theme of this story of my life, what is secure other than knowing that I'm still going to go because I'm competing with me.
38:50
It's like, whatever.
38:53
So yeah, enterprise, I'm grateful for that experience.
38:58
I didn't get laid off though.
38:59
Okay.
39:00
This is the funny part.
39:00
So the universe didn't want you to leave.
39:02
So that's what I'm saying.
39:03
Everyone's getting laid off.
39:04
I'm like, okay.
39:05
Yeah, it's coming.
39:06
Yes.
39:06
They were giving stipends and stuff like that.
39:08
Stipend coming.
39:09
Okay, they can lay me off.
39:10
Right.
39:11
Whatever.
39:13
Trump was giving money.
39:15
They would have gave me money.
39:15
I was like, I could live off.
39:16
Plus the savings that I made during that time.
39:18
I love that you were already calculating where you're going to be when you're laid off and then it doesn't come.
39:22
Yeah.
39:22
And it never came.
39:23
I got called back to work.
39:25
Oh God.
39:25
And I was working there and I was just like, okay.
39:28
I think I worked there, I ended up quitting in October.
39:32
Okay.
39:33
So I stayed there for a while.
39:34
Yep.
39:35
I think we got called back to work May-ish.
39:38
And I ended up quitting.
39:39
Okay.
39:39
Right, I was like, people got laid off and I quit.
39:41
Right.
39:42
And I remember thinking to myself about this quit and like, what am I gonna tell my mom?
39:47
What is my plan?
39:47
What was your reason for quitting?
39:50
Just because you knew that you didn't like it?
39:51
I knew I didn't want to do it.
39:52
And at the time, in college, I always dabbled with the camera and made content.
39:59
And I like to be in front of the camera.
40:02
I like to be behind the camera.
40:03
So during that time period with that budget that I had from working at Enterprise, I leaned more into my creative side.
40:10
Sure.
40:11
To kind of create that balance in my life, which is so important.
40:13
I'm like, I hate this job, but how can I make the most of my day afterwards?
40:17
But ironically, through that job, I had my first
40:21
paid videography gig.
40:23
Oh, yes.
40:24
OK, I wasn't the most professional and I hope that client that I had, like, if they ever see this, they forgive me because they really took a chance on me.
40:32
It was like this young married couple.
40:33
They were
40:35
They were launching a skincare brand.
40:36
I thought you were going to say you did their wedding and you messed up the wedding.
40:38
No, no, no.
40:39
I wouldn't jump into a wedding.
40:40
It was like a skincare brand.
40:41
I remember they came and we were just talking.
40:43
And this was during the time I was thinking about quitting.
40:45
Sure.
40:46
And we were just having a conversation.
40:48
And it's just funny how God puts certain people...
40:52
I feel like messages come through people and experiences come through people.
40:57
Like God send them to you in like a really funny way.
40:59
Yeah.
41:00
But like I remember renting in the car and they were young black couples, so they're kind of just being real with me.
41:05
It wasn't so like, you know, professional.
41:07
Sure.
41:08
So they're just asking me like, what is it that I like to do?
41:10
And I was like, yeah, I like to do videography.
41:12
Right.
41:13
And they're like, what?
41:14
And they're a Christian couple, too.
41:17
They're like, what?
41:18
And I was like,
41:19
They were looking at each other and I'm like, what?
41:21
Like, what is it?
41:22
And they're like, we're trying to launch this brand.
41:23
We've been looking for a videographer.
41:25
But at the time, in my free time, I was shooting content.
41:29
I was building a portfolio.
41:30
Right.
41:31
So I had all these clips of like different concept ideas I would do with like models and stuff like that.
41:37
So I had that to show for it and I booked that gig.
41:40
I think they paid me $1,800 to shoot this.
41:42
And it was...
41:45
I hope they forgive me because I wasn't my best self.
41:47
I was also really young and they really took a chance on me and they made me realize like I could make money doing this.
41:52
Okay.
41:52
Right.
41:52
So that was my plan when I quit.
41:54
Okay.
41:55
Enterprise.
41:55
I was like, you know what?
41:57
I was looking at other people because I'm silently always competing with people and I'm like, people are making money doing this.
42:03
I can do that.
42:04
Sure.
42:04
Mind you, I'm completely self taught.
42:05
I never went to school for this.
42:07
It's just something that I enjoy doing.
42:09
People big me up.
42:10
So I'm going to big myself up.
42:11
Okay, I'm good.
42:12
I can do this.
42:14
And yeah, that was the plan when I quit.
42:16
Okay.
42:17
When I quit Enterprise.
42:18
I quit in October.
42:19
I had a decent savings.
42:22
So we go into the new year.
42:25
We go into the new year.
42:26
My friends come down for her birthday from New York.
42:29
Okay.
42:29
And when you say come down.
42:31
To Miami.
42:31
To Miami.
42:32
She comes to Miami.
42:33
So Miami was a very interesting place.
42:35
I don't know if this is appropriate for the box.
42:38
Okay.
42:39
Miami was a really interesting place during the pandemic.
42:41
Okay.
42:42
People were like.
42:44
really balling in Miami.
42:46
Let's just put it that way.
42:47
Whether they were scamming, however they were getting the money, it's not my business.
42:50
But money was flowing.
42:51
But money was flowing through Miami.
42:53
Okay.
42:53
And so, and Miami was one of the only places that was open during the pandemic.
42:56
Okay.
42:57
Yeah, like, everywhere was really, like, restrictive during the pandemic, but, like, Miami was... Miami was living, like...
43:04
probably peak, right?
43:06
Peak Miami, probably since back in the day.
43:08
Sure.
43:08
Everyone was flying and they knew it was somewhere they could.
43:10
That's why I had to steal that enterprise, because there were still people.
43:13
Yeah.
43:14
Makes sense.
43:15
Makes that makes sense, actually.
43:16
And the people drive bad too.
43:18
OK, so they crash their car and enterprise.
43:20
Yeah.
43:20
Yeah.
43:21
They work with insurance.
43:22
So, yeah, my friend comes to celebrate her birthday.
43:24
We go to this restaurant.
43:26
OK, it's a black owned restaurant.
43:28
Right.
43:29
It was like the talk of the town.
43:31
We go in there.
43:32
And it's like so lively, like it was popping.
43:36
Right.
43:37
I would say it was popping.
43:38
Right.
43:39
And I'm sitting there and I'm just looking around.
43:42
And I'm counting the money in there.
43:44
Really and truly, if I'm being honest, we're sitting here, celebrating her birthday.
43:48
And I'm like, I'm doing the math of the bottles coming out and like how much money.
43:53
And I'm like, there's money in here.
43:55
And I remember looking around, I'm like, there's no black server in here.
43:58
Black female server, let me specify.
44:00
Now we're in Miami.
44:02
And the Miami we come from, it's
44:03
Hispanics run Miami.
44:05
Okay.
44:05
When we talk about like beauty, the beauty standard, it's the Hispanics.
44:10
Sure.
44:10
So it was ironic to me because this was like a well-known place, black owned place, which the Miami that we're from, there's not a lot of black owned spaces.
44:20
I remember looking to my friends and I was like, I'm going to get a job here.
44:22
Okay.
44:23
And they're like, you should talk to the manager.
44:25
Mind you, we're drinking.
44:26
I'm like, I don't know if now is, I'm in like a going out outfit.
44:29
I'm like, I don't know if now is like the best time.
44:31
They're like, yeah.
44:32
So I go and I'm like, I asked to speak to the manager and he takes my number.
44:38
He takes my number.
44:39
He's like, I'm going to set you up with another manager for an interview.
44:42
Okay.
44:43
Next week.
44:43
I'm like, okay.
44:44
All right, good.
44:45
I go back.
44:45
I enjoy my night.
44:47
We get our stuff paid for.
44:48
Like, this is how I'm knowing, like, okay, there's money in here.
44:50
Like, I'm thinking about it.
44:50
I'm like, okay, I got to get a job here.
44:52
That's the plan.
44:53
My savings are depleting in front of my eyes.
44:55
And now I've seen the money.
44:57
There's no more stipend.
44:58
Like, I can't rely on a stipend for the lifestyle that I'm trying to live.
45:02
Sure.
45:03
So, I was like, I'm going to get a job here.
45:05
And the flexibility that comes with this job, I'll pursue the videography.
45:10
Right.
45:10
That was the plan.
45:11
Right.
45:11
Right.
45:12
That became the plan.
45:13
That wasn't the plan when I quit.
45:14
But when I went there, I was like, that's the plan.
45:16
So we went there early February and
45:20
I remember I was like writing in my journal, like I will be employed at the place.
45:24
It's called Victory.
45:25
I think I'll be employed at Victory out like writing this.
45:27
I'm going to get this job manifesting.
45:29
Yes.
45:30
So the manager tells me to come in for an interview.
45:34
Okay.
45:35
I go for the interview with the other manager.
45:37
He's not expecting me.
45:38
Okay.
45:39
I'm kind of like, well, the guy said to come to you.
45:42
So I need an interview like today.
45:45
So we're talking and he's just like, look,
45:47
to be honest, I have to fire some people to make space for you.
45:51
And I was like, what does that have to do with me?
45:53
Fire them today because I need a job.
45:55
And he's like, I will let you know.
45:56
OK, let's say this was like a Thursday.
45:59
I go out with my friends.
46:00
There's another black owned spot that was like, a little bit more upscale and not as
46:06
you know, the money people, it wasn't the same vibe, but it was a restaurant and restaurants in Miami make really good money because of gratuity and just tip culture.
46:15
I know it's not like that in the UK.
46:16
Yeah.
46:17
That's the thing.
46:18
Yeah.
46:19
People get really upset even about service charge, but that's a whole nother.
46:22
Yeah.
46:22
In Miami, it's like the norm.
46:24
Service charge tip like it's insane.
46:26
Yeah.
46:26
So I was like, we went out, we went to this spot, we meet this guy and I remember
46:34
in the journal i had wrote that i would be employed by march 1st okay and i'm saying the story and i feel like that was the first time that i ever like manifested sure because that was the goal i was like my savings is depleting i need a job by march by march first so i went early february yep i got the interview like the last week of february okay
46:52
I went on a Thursday, we go out.
46:54
We're out, we meet this guy.
46:56
And I'm telling him like, oh, I'm trying to get a job here at Victory, the other spot.
47:02
And he's like, what?
47:03
I can get you a job at the other place.
47:05
The other place.
47:06
Okay.
47:06
And I was like, really?
47:08
And he's like, yeah, I can get you the job like this week.
47:11
And I was like, okay, but say less.
47:13
I kid you not,
47:14
Five minutes after he told me that, the manager from Victory texted me and he said something like, this is your shot.
47:20
Like, come in tomorrow.
47:22
Okay.
47:22
And I was just like, I don't need your offer anymore.
47:26
I'm out of here.
47:27
So, yeah, I ended up working at a restaurant, a black-owned restaurant, which there's a difference for sure.
47:32
Sure.