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This episode is about issues in people of color owned business.
The Minority Serving Institution Student Council (MSISC) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas along with KUNV Radio are proud to present 'You Gon Listen', a twelve part podcast that aims to shine light on the issues and experiences that minority students and staff face at UNLV. The purpose of this series is to hear and learn directly from one another. We hope to create a dialogue about social issues and current events that shape our daily lives in order to make UNLV a better and more inclusive place.
0:00:00
Welcome to You Gone Listen at 91.5 KUNV. I'm your host, Karen Jean Charles, and I'm here with Jada Germaine and Renee Scott, and we're talking about Black-owned businesses and people people of color owned businesses today. So local businesses are the backbone of our communities. We spoke about capitalism in a previous episode. In that episode, you mentioned Jeff Bezos and Amazon. A way to combat giving these mega corporations who exploit the workers money, money is by shopping small and shopping from black owned and people of color owned businesses. I remember during the beginning of quarantine, racist people were completely avoiding Asian restaurants and shops because they were convinced that they were spreading the virus, which is totally absurd. And during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, people made it a point to shop small and to shop black. But where has that gone since then? A lot of local businesses have closed since then and are struggling to get back on their feet right now. So before you go directly to Amazon to find something, try sourcing from local businesses first. Instead of going to that fast food chain, try that local spot right next to it. I also want to reiterate that these suggestions are for people who can afford it and not people who are unable to afford it. By all means, do what is within your budget and don't feel guilty about that. But if you can't afford to do so, do so. So let's talk about some Black and people of color-owned businesses today. I just want to remind you that you're listening to You Gone Listen at 91.5 KUNV. I'm your host Karen Jean Charles and I'm here with Jada Germaine and Renee Scott and we're talking about Black-owned and people of color-owned businesses today. So first I want to thank you both for coming.
0:02:02
Hey. Yeah, good to be here, yeah.
0:02:04
So awesome.
0:02:05
Can you guys tell me what your name is, where you go to school, and what do you sell?
0:02:10
Hey, y'all.
0:02:11
My name is Jada Jermaine. I am a current student at Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia. I am a senior, and the business that I have is the Zenergy Lounge. I sell crystals and other holistic items like sage for you know your spiritual beings. Okay what about you Renee? Okay so my name is Renee Scott. I'm currently not a student yet but I am in the process of going to the United States Air Force so that the government can pay for my culinary school. Come on, somebody. Okay, per. When I did have my business, I made a slogan back when I was a sophomore in high school. It was called UBTBS, the letter UBTBS, and that stands for Unbothered by the Bulk, and then eventually I just kind of turned that into a clothing line. Since, since then, you know, that's, that's in my past now, but I'll, I'll always love that idea. And I really feel like I learned a lot from that experience. So what inspired you guys to start your business?
0:03:28
Like what pushed you to start in the first place? Um, I'll start.
0:03:33
So during the whole quarantine period and like being stuck in the house and bored in the house and in the house bored, I very much like wanted to find a hobby or just something that I can, you know, do that's going to, you know, make me money because, you know, running a business is about, you know, putting out items and stuff like that for customers, but essentially businesses are there for the person to make money. So I started a business and it's no longer in business anymore. We kind of shut that down. But I noticed that with that first business I wasn't as passionate with that first business and I felt like if I wanted to be a business owner it had to be something that I really enjoyed and really loved a lot. So once I realized, you know, I love crystals and I love, you know, learning more about spirituality and things like that, I just thought to myself, like, why not, you know, make money selling a product that you're more familiar with and that, you know, that you love. So that was definitely my inspiration for starting my crystal business, my little baby. So I love it so much. For me, what prompted me to start that business? Honestly, I'm going to piggyback off of what she said. That business, I was not extremely passionate about it because clothing, I love clothes. I've come into me growing my own personal style and the clothes that we were making, me and my business partner at the time, were those types of clothes. And so that was really where I got the enjoyment out of it. But also, and I feel like this is where my passion was, the actual concept of the clothing, the slogan, the brand. And back then, we actually dropped this last year in July. And of course it was in the middle of complete and total chaos in the country. A lot of racial tension going on. And I took that and I took that slogan that I created before all of this happened and I made it so that it was kind of like an encouragement piece to people of color and black folks. Because I really feel like it was a lot of BS going on. And I know that BS goes on, you know, every day, all day, and it's been happening in this country for centuries. But I really feel like I just needed something to put out there that came from my own brain, my own heart. And that's where the passion was. I really wanted to just put it out there as encouragement for people who look like me, you know? And even for the people who don't really look like me, but they are in the same boat as a minority, because we're gonna be living with this for as long as we live here, you know? It's not going anywhere in this country. In my personal opinion, it's not going anywhere. But I feel like one of the things that we can always do is encouragement, encouragement, encouragement, encouragement, because I feel like that push for our community, specifically, it pushes us to start those businesses, to live our dreams despite the restrictions that we have in this country. And I felt like my acronym was really pushing that. So speaking of which, when you guys were starting your business,
0:07:13
I know Renee, you just spoke a little bit about this. But did being black have much to do with it? Like did it give you an advantage? Did it give you a new perspective? Did it hinder the process a little bit? Like, how does your blackness affect your business? That's a really good question. Thank you.
0:07:42
I definitely think that, and I hate to say it, but we are not as, we're just not quick to jump to go support our own people. And initially, like when it first started out and stuff, when I first started my business is both. It was a lot of support in the beginning, but then as time started to do its thing, I just feel like that support started to slowly but surely go away. I just feel like it's more difficult for people of color and minorities and black people to have that consistent support like starting out small versus other people, I'll say. But I don't know, like I wouldn't say, I don't know, because in terms of like hindering my business experience?
0:08:50
I don't know.
0:08:51
I don't know if I could say like,
0:08:53
that my blackness took away from me being successful or anything, because that's in a day, there's plenty of black successful business owners and you know, of course, we don't stand those people. But yeah, that's a really good question.
0:09:08
I like that question.
0:09:09
You better go Karen. I love to see it.
0:09:14
Thank you.
0:09:15
How about you, Renee?
0:09:18
So, repeat the question real quick.
0:09:20
How does your blackness affect your business? Does it give you an advantage? Does it hold you back a little?
0:09:29
You know, something like that. My answer to your question, it's a little hard to navigate because it was so small and, you know, because of the lack of passion that I had in the end, some tiffs that I ran into with the business partner. I'm no longer owner of that business. I handed it off to that person. Once again, you know, because my heart just wasn't in the clothing line. It was in the brand, but it wasn't in the clothing line. And that's where it was at. I couldn't give my 100% into it. But I definitely think that had it gone big, I really feel like my Blackness would have helped it go forward. Because like I said, I kind of made that slogan into a pillar of encouragement for my brand. And that was specifically for, I was talking to and targeting black people and people of color. And I feel like that's definitely something sort of like a megaphone to our communities. And so I think that only comes from my Blackness. That would have only came from my Blackness, that genuine encouragement, that passion behind that itself. I really feel like my Blackness would have definitely pushed that forward and pushed out that message a lot more. I still have a lot of, I still believe in the potential that that slogan has because it's kind of like a nonchalant way of saying y'all can't keep us down. Y'all can't keep us down. You know? Can I add something, Karen? Yeah, of course. Um, and I thought about this as I was, um, like listening, but I also want to say like in terms of other people, not for me personally, but I do notice that with other business owners who are people of color and black per se, like, I honestly think that there is kind of a hindering towards their business when black people make mistakes in their own business and the way they run their business. Like say, for example, a hairdresser or anybody like that, they make a mistake of like, just something. I just, you tend to hear somebody say, and see that's why we don't shop with black folks because of this. And it's like, yeah, and it's like when it comes to other businesses run by other people, they might see the mistake and be like, we're not as empathetic and compassionate when it comes to our people when they make mistakes with their businesses. And I really hate to see it, honestly, because why can't we have that same desire to share with our own people when they make mistakes with their companies that do the same thing.
0:12:50
Yeah.
0:12:51
Mm-hmm.
0:12:52
You know what? Yeah, I kind of have something to add to that.
0:12:55
Go ahead.
0:12:56
And just, you know, thinking about it. I'm sorry, Karen.
0:12:59
No, go ahead.
0:13:00
This is what it's for.
0:13:01
Here we go.
0:13:03
Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's a trauma reaction, like, when I really think about it. Because we're so critical of the people who look like us in that way and I feel like it comes from a sense of you better do this right, you better get with the program, you know, because this country will train us to think that there's only one way of doing things, only one way of being successful and if we see that our people try to do that for themselves but they not cutting it, it doesn't matter if it takes them one try, two tries, three chances, we're always going to be critical of that, I think, because of the trauma reaction by what we were taught what success was. And we're just like, you know what, that needs to be better. No empathy, no, none of that because we were taught what was right, according to what this country likes. And you feel like you see something and it's not that despite the fact that it's coming from people that look like us, we're gonna be critical. We're gonna be like, no, no, that's not how it should be. That's not how it should be. We don't really factor in, you know, human error because that has nothing to do with the fact that they're black. It has nothing to do with the fact that they're a person of color. It has everything to do with the fact that they're human and they make mistakes just like all these other businesses all these other big corporations No mistakes happen on the time because at the end of the day There's humans at the root of every business Human yeah robots could be you know, even there but I'm just saying like everything, everything can't be perfect. But we're so critical of our people because of what success looks like, what this country has made success look like. Right. I feel like. So y'all feel that we hold black owned businesses to a higher standard than we do white owned?
0:15:06
Yes.
0:15:07
Yeah, definitely. It's unfair because it's like I understand that you know you want us to be great in whatever but why are my mistakes of greater weight than another you know person who would have already either do the same thing or something even worse you know? Right, right. It does remind me of you know, I don't want to bring them up, but Jeffree Star, how many allegations he's had and people still shopped with the brand all the way up to the end. That will always, you know, a little, irk my spirit a little because, you know, he's caught on video being blatantly racist, you know, bashing women, all that, and his business, he still made millions and millions of dollars. So that does, when you guys are speaking about that, that's what comes to mind. I don't think if Jeffree Star was black he would have got that many chances for sure. He would have gotten canceled. That's what it would have been. He would have gotten canceled. And I see that we are very quick to cancel black people, like quicker to do that than with white people because We talked about artists and stuff like that that make mistakes and you know, whatever and they get canceled But then there's Gucci for example, right? Who is still making plenty of money still getting lots of black support and people saying oh I'm not gonna stop shopping with Gucci because of this and it's like exactly but you know, yeah
0:16:45
That does remind me of I keep bringing up different celebrities, but it reminds me of Doja Cat, how people were really quick to write her off, and it all, I mean, apparently it was all fake, but it just reminds me that, you know, she was on top, I mean, she still kind of is on top, and then, you know, one thing can just, you know, it may have been justified or it may have not been, but still, I've seen, you know, white creators go years without being reprimanded for anything. Right, right. And in comparison,
0:17:27
pretty sure a lot of people know of the actor Mark Wahlberg. We know Mark Wahlberg You know, he had his past and I think anybody who looks into it can see what he used to do When he was in his teens or in his in his 20s, I mean he was really Violent like racially violent and it wasn't it wasn't even just racist. It wasn't just like a little geeky, ha-ha, no, black people, no. It was literally like fighting people of color. And I'm pretty sure black people weren't his only target. Like he would literally seek out fights. And he's talked about it in multiple interviews. He's given apologies and what's the like, but, and now he's one of the actors that the black community really look at, you know, like he can come to the cookout. Oh, he cool, he cool. But when, like you said, Karen, when they see Doja Cat, a Black woman, you know what I'm saying? Like, she has some story that's not even clear all the way. Right. And all of a sudden, she's canceled. And you're right, we do hold ourselves to a much higher standard, and it's not fair. It's not fair. In other ways, you know, it can be encouraging to hold ourselves to a higher standard, but in most ways it's damaging to our community.
0:19:01
I do wanna bring it back a little bit to the business aspect, even though that was, you know, great conversation, very much needed. But you guys both mentioned having passion, like your heart was either in the business or not in the business, in certain places in the business. Do you guys think that having a heart for the business is what's needed to be successful or is it a multitude of other factors? Or is that what it boils down to?
0:19:34
I think it has a lot to do with having a passion for the business itself, the brand, that you're trying to push out. But I don't think that's 100%. That's a really good percentage of it. Because if you don't have your heart in something, you know, you could still mindlessly do it. Like you don't have to put your heart in something. I mean, if you put your heart in it, it's gonna, you know, have a greater outcome, rather than if you did it without your heart in it. But I think other aspects include having that business mindset, being able to get through those dry spells and have enough motivation for yourself, excuse me, to keep your business going. Again, that has a lot, I mean, that itself has a lot to do with the heart that you have for half of your business and the passion, but it also comes from the business mindset. You got to have that business mindset. You got to have that hard-working, never give up mindset because businesses don't shoot up through the roof in a day, unless it's coming from a celebrity already. You know, anything that is big, it started out so small, very, very small. I started out as an idea and it had to be pushed to where it is today. So, I think a lot of it has to do with heart and passion, but a good bit of it has a lot to do with the mindset you have. What about you, Jada? I definitely agree with everything that she just In terms of passion, yes, that does have a weight to it, but at the same time, like she said, you have to have the motivation to keep going because there are gonna be times, months, weeks, days, hours, years where you may not make as much money as you went into it thinking that you would. And you can easily become unmotivated running a business when you're not bringing in the money that you either need to support yourself or as your pocket change to go shopping, whatever it is, money definitely plays a great aspect with it as well because like I said, when you're coming up with an idea to start a business, of course it's what you wanna do and how you're gonna do it and stuff and you're passionate and you know all those things are great but at the end of the day you start a business to make money. So having that motivation is definitely important and understanding that you know it's not always going to be butterflies and rainbows and sparkles every single time is very important because you know you don't want to be blindsided with doubt or disappointed because you're not doing as well as you wish you were doing after a couple weeks or months. So the passion is great and you know if you can keep that passion even through the unmotivated times that's even better. But there's just so many other things that you know should be thought of when you know creating those ideas of what you want to do with your
0:22:46
business. So what did the beginning stages of you creating your business look like for you guys?
0:22:55
The first few things that I knew I had to get down were the logo, the website, and social media. Three things that people look at first, especially in this day and age, social media is so, so big. are looking for any advertisement, promotion, TV isn't a big thing anymore. It's social media. You know, if you can get somebody to post you, a celebrity to post you on Instagram or somebody with a big following to sponsor you, sponsor your business on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, I mean that's really huge and it would work wonders for your business consistently. So I definitely knew I had to get an eye-catching social media, a really good feed, you know, pictures, pictures of models with the clothing. But I also knew that the logo had to speak to the audience that I was looking for, you know what I'm saying? And the designs in it, because it was a clothing brand. So different designs that I would start thinking about, I definitely knew that it had to be eye-catching.
0:24:12
It definitely had to be eye-catching.
0:24:13
So that some people can put it on their body and go outside, you know what I'm saying? So definitely the logo, social media, website. The website, I also knew had to be like really good, top tier, whatever you want to call it, because whenever somebody gets interested, once they click that website button, if it looks trashy, you know, they might, you know, think twice about it, especially if it's a clothing line, you know, and I think it all comes from how easy it is for a consumer to navigate through it. What it looks like, does it look exciting to buy from? Because everybody, before they hit that buy button, they are being sold with their eyes, everything that they see. So logo, website, and social media, those were the things that I had in the forefront of my to-do list. Yeah, I had to work on those first.
0:25:26
Okay.
0:25:27
How about you, Jada? I definitely agree with everything she said, but to add on, for me personally, the startup cost was one of the first things because you have to have some type of money to start a business. I understand some people be like, I want to start a business, but I don't really have money. You don't really need a whole lot of money to start a business or at least to get started. But considering those startup costs of inventory and products and just really everything like just consider those things definitely in the beginning so you can get your money together and then roll out those things. Also, a marketing plan and some people may think this is kind of extravagant and real extra, but I promise you, like formulating, even if it's super duper simple, like formulating a marketing plan of how you're going to start your business, what the first three months, six months, 12 months are going to look like for your business and how you're going to get the product out to people so that they can see your business, see your products and buy. I definitely think that's important because you could start an Instagram with zero followers and then what? How are you going to get followers? How are you going to bring people in? So a marketing plan is definitely important. Like you said, logo. I personally didn't start my second business with a website and I still don't have a website. I sell all of my products through Instagram. But a website, if you have the funds to do it and the time and patience to create it, is definitely important. And make sure, like she said, that it looks somewhat decent because I know sometimes I'll be going on websites and maybe looking a little low-cost, low-budget. I don't really be wanting to navigate because it just doesn't look appealing to me and I definitely think those things are important as well.
0:27:20
Right. So where can we find your businesses one more time?
0:27:25
I do think that the social media is still up.
0:27:31
It's UBTBS clothing.
0:27:32
The letters go by UBTBS clothing on Instagram. The website I believe is in the link of the bio. My Instagram for my crystals is the Zenergy Lounge on Instagram. T-A-T-Z-E-N-E-R-G-Y-L-O-U-N-G-E.
0:27:56
And that's the Zenergy Lounge on Instagram. So I just want to thank you both for coming on the show. Really appreciate it. Thank you for sitting here and, you know, talking with me about your businesses and all that. I appreciate it.
0:28:10
Yeah, thanks for having me.
0:28:11
Of course, yeah, good to be here. Thank you, Karen.
0:28:15
No, thank you.
0:28:16
And I just want to thank the audience too for listening to You Go and Listen at 91.5 KUNV. I'm your host, Karen Jean Charles, I'm your host, Karen Jean Charles, and I will see y'all next week.
Transcribed with Cockatoo