>> ALL OF OLD STANDS FOR BRINGING OUT SUCCESSFUL SISTERS AND THAT IS THE MISSION OF THE BOSS NETWORK. AN ONLINE GROUP OF WOMEN WHO SUPPORT EACH OTHER THROUGH DIGITAL CONTENT PROGRAMS OF IT BASED NOT WORKING. HERE WITH MORE ON THE BUS NETWORK,
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER DOCTOR COULD BECAUSE SMITH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. ALL RIGHT. TELL US ABOUT HOW THIS ALL STARTED. 15 YEARS NOW. YEAH. >> SO RIGHT HERE IN I WAS UNEMPLOYED FOR CHICAGO, PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND I GOT LAID OFF AT
THE HEIGHT OF THE RECESSION. HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE MORE CAN MAKE A SIDE AND I HAD THIS IDEA OF LIKE STARTING THIS EVENT, MARKETING COMPANY. AND SO I GOT LAID OFF. I WAS JUST LIKE I’M GOING
TAKE A YEAR OFF AND KIND OF IS BILL MY BUSINESS AND JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS. BUT DURING THAT TIME, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF RESOURCES FOR BLACK ENTREPRENEURS. AND SO I WAS GOING PLAY LET THE LAUNCH
A SERIES OF EVENTS JUST FOR US THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE STARTING BUSINESSES AND WE LOST OUR FIRST SERIES AND IT BLEW UP SO FAST THAT, YOU KNOW, I STARTED TOURI AND GOING ACROSS THE COUNTRY DOING
THESE EVENTS AND 50 YEARS LATER, WE HAVE OVER 20,000 WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE’VE DONE SO MANY GREAT THINGS LIKE BEING IN FORBES AND EAKIN. YES, NOT GREAT JOURNEY. A LOT OF GREAT WRITE UP SOME MAJOR NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS. BUT LET’S BREAK
DOWN WHAT YOU JUST SAID. SO YOU >> HAD THIS UNFORTUNATE EVENT HAPPEN IN YOUR CAREER, THEN YOU’RE ABLE IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE STARTED HER OWN BUSINESS. YEAH. HOW DID HE EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS? WELL,
THAT’S SOMETHING I PEOPLE I WAS GROWING AS I WAS GROWING. YOU KNOW, SO I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO START A BUSINESS CREATE A COMMUNITY SELFISHLY FOR MYSELF. BUT THAT COMMUNITY ALSO WAS SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER. SO BRINGING THESE WOMEN
TOGETHER, I WAS LEARNING ABOUT ASPIRIN OR SHIP AND WE WERE KIND OF TEACHING EACH OTHER. SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A SELFISH THING FOR ME. BUT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, OK,
I’M LELEARNING MUCH. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXTEND THIS TO OTHER WOMEN. AND THEN THAT’S WHEN WE LOST A DIGITAL PLATFORM. THE BUS THAT WERE DOT ORG. AND SO THAT SPACE IS WHERE ALL THE WOMEN CAME TOGETHER ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE STARTED TALK ABOUT BUILDING BUSINESSES. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE FACE AND HOW DO WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER? AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING SO MUCH IN THE COMMUNITY. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN SO MANY THINGS HERE.
>> WE HAVE A COUPLE OF INITIATIVES FOR THE 15TH. YOU’RE DOING IT. YOU’RE YOU’RE AROUND. EXCUSE ME. ALL YEAR. INVEST IN PROGRESS. GRANT, LET’S START THERE. YES. SO THIS ACTUALLY IS OUR 3RD YEAR WITH THE INVEST IN PROGRESS. GRANT DURING COVID. MANY OF
YOU KNOW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE STRUGGLING. >> AND A LOT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN BUSINESSES WERE NOT GETTING ACCESS TO THE LOANS THAT WERE AVAILABLE. AND SO I JUST SAW THE COMMITMENT THAT A LOT OF THE BRANDS ARE
MAKING TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT? I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 10 PLUS YEARS. LET ME LAUNCH MY OWN FUND AND ACTUALLY FUND RAISE AND WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE AMAZING BRAND CALLED SAGE. THAT’S A LEADER IN FINANCIAL
ACCOUNTING AND HUMAN RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THEY ACTUALLY INVESTED THE FIRST 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS. GRANT. AND THAT’S HOW WE WATCH INVEST IN PROGRESS GRANT THAT’S IN THE LAUNCH OF THE BOSS. IMPACT FUND AS WELL. THAT YES MENTIONED. BUT WE GOT A
MENTION, TOO, THAT YOU DO NEED TO $250,000 TO 9 SORORITIES, RIGHT? WELL, ACTUALLY, WE’RE FOR THIS YEAR’S GRANT PROGRAM WHERE PARTNER WITH THE CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, A VERY INSTITUTIONALIZED FIGURE HERE IN CHICAGO. AND THEN ALSO THE
DIVINE 9 SORORITY. SO THERE’S 4 SORORITIES REPRESENTED WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. AND WE’RE WORKING WITH 3 OF THOSE ACTUALLY GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THESE GRANT PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN START GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED VERY EARLY BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE ROADIES
THEY STARTING COLLEGE, THOSE WOMEN. AND SO NOW WE’RE TEACHING HOSPITAL WORSHIP AND GIVING THEM START OF GRANTS. THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING THINGS THAT YOU GUYS IMPLORE. JUST LISTEN LIST OF WAYS THAT YOU’RE GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELPING IF
ANYONE IS WATCHING RIGHT NOW, THOUGH AND WANTS TO BE A BOSS, YOU WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS? HOW CAN WHAT THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY IS YOU NEED MONEY TO START A BUSINESS, RIGHT? SO I WOULD VISIT THE BOSS IMPACT
FUND DOT COM AND APPLY FOR THE GRANT. THE DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY YOU GET GRANT AND A FOUR-YEAR OF MENTOR SHIP THROUGH THE BOX BUSINESS UNIVERSITYTY. AND STHAT IS THE WAY TO GET STARTED. BUT ALSO I TELL PEOPLE THERE’S 3 THINGS.
THAT’S HOW MOST BUSINESSES YOU WANT START WITH DOING YOUR RESEARCH, WANTING TO KNOW WHAT IS THE BUSINESS AN ISSUE THAT I’M GOING AND WHAT’S THE MARKET LOOKING LIKE FOR THE INDUSTRY AND HOW DO KIND OF BRING SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE? SECOND IS REVENUE.
YOU’VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW MAKE MONEY WITH HIS BUSINESS, RIGHT? AND THE 3RD THING IS RELATIONSHIPS. PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS MATTER SO MUCH IN YOUR BUSINESS BECAUSE THAT’S GOING CUSTOMERS, PEOPLE BUSINESS. LOOK AT THEY KNOW AND THEY
SPEND MONEY WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY LIKE. SO VALUABLE RESOURCE. AND THAT’S A WONDERFUL THING. YOU GIVE PRACTIC ADVICE. BUT THEN YOU ALSO SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT. YES, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
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