July 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Ep. 223 Jordyn Weaver is the founder of Forefront, an Atlanta-based start-up, that’s on a mission to bring Black brands to the Forefront by connecting them with influencers who promote their products to millions on social media. She’s also a 2024 Black Ambition HBCU Grand Prize winner.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Black Tech, Green Money. Will Lucas here so excited to
be back.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
And I have a special guest today, Joan Weaver's founder,
n CEO Forefront and Atlanta based startup that's on a
mission to bring black brands to the forefront literally by
connecting them with influencers who promote their products to millions
on social media. Which is also a twenty twenty four
Black Ambrush and HBCU Grand Prize winner fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Welcome Jordan, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I'm excited to be.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here, absolutely absolutely So I want to start this off
and I want to provide in this interview like a
lot of value for both black owned brands and black
creatives if you can help me out with that. And
so let's start with creatives. So, how can emerge in
creatives people who don't have a million followers yet, but
they're you know, they're talented perhaps or they think they're talented.
(00:49):
How can they start earning money from their content? Like,
what are the best ways to start doing this? Even
if you just have a small follower.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I think the best way to begin to monetize your
content your audience as a smaller creator is through UGC collapse.
So that's user generated content, and that's essentially when a
brand is paying you to have access to content that
you create. So it's not something they're paying you to
get access to your audience or to post in front
of your audience. They're just saying, hey, you create quality videos.
(01:19):
We want you to create some videos of you using
our product. We're going to take full license of that
content and share that with our audience, share that through
our marketing ads and things of that nature. I think
that's a great way for creators to start because it
kind of helps you to booch your rapport, booster your portfolio,
but it also allows you to really get that practice
(01:39):
in without having to lean so heavily on your audience.
So as you're still working to build your audience, you
still have the ability to monetize, let's say, even if
you only have a couple hundred followers. So user generated
content is definitely something that I want to see a
lot more creators leverage as they're working to build their audience.
So that's one of the main ways. But also just
(02:00):
getting started with gifted campaigns. I know a lot of
times people hear the word gifted free, nobody really wants
to work for free, but especially if you're a creator,
you know, just trying to get your foot in the door.
Give the campaigns are a great way for you to
boost that rapport, boost you rapport with that brand so
that they're comfortable to begin paying you. So they can
kind of see what your work looks like, how good
(02:22):
you guys work together, and then maybe the next collaboration
they see just the value you were able to bring
to that brand and that campaign, and now they want
to pay you. So I would say UGC but also
not being afraid to run from those gifted campaigns in
the beginning.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
And you get free shatter, Yeah, have a free product.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
And so with a brand is looking for somebody to
that doesn't have a huge follow when yet, but they're
looking for somebody to you know, take that content and read,
you know, collabor on that content, or take that content
and publish it directly on their platforms.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What are they typically looking for?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So because this person as does have like a million
followers yet, so what is it that they're looking for
in these smaller creators that says that's the person who
you know, I like what they do.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
So it's actually crazy that nowadays, a lot more brands,
whether they're larger brands or smaller brands, they're actually looking
for more micro creators. And that's because they have a
lot more engagement. They have a higher engagement rate versus
somebody who has millions of followers. They may have the
follower account, but they might not have the ability to
convert or have high conversion rates. So I think that's
(03:27):
one of the biggest things that brands are looking for
is Okay, if I invest in you as an influencer
to promote and create content from my brand, what is
the ROI going to be? Because ultimately that's what the
brands are looking for. Even if it takes a longer
time to see that ROI, brands want to see that
that investment that creator was worth it. So outside of
just follower account, it really does have to do with engagement.
(03:48):
But also a lot of brands are wanting to really
work with creators that align with their brands. They're no
longer just here to throw money at content creators just
because they're cute and have a lot of followers. Like, no,
I want to make sure that you align with my brand.
How do you connect with the creator the consumers that
we're trying to reach, and so brands are really making
they want to make sure that there's alignment because ultimately,
(04:11):
when I go back to the ROI, they wanting to
see how long can we work with this creator, how
long can we you know, establish this partnership, So it's
not just a one and done type of partnership. And
so I think again with these micro creators, they have
the ability to really connect with these brands, especially if
especially if you're an emerging, up and coming creator for example,
who creating content about locks, right, you have a large
(04:32):
community that you're beginning to grow that also you know,
come to you for style tips or you know, ways
to really take care of your locks. You're building a
community within your audience that brands really value and they
want to pay you for because obviously the audience is
really who they're looking at target as well. So ultimately,
outside of follower count, I think it's all about engagement
(04:54):
product alignment again, because it's a partnership, it can't just
be a one off type of thing. Brands really want
to see who they can begin a partnership with for.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
The long run, defying UGC for me, So.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
UGC is user generated content, and so a lot of
times people merge influencer partnerships with UGC. They're similar, but
they're different. So you can be an influencer with a
whole bunch of followers that a brand is bringing you
in on for UGC campaign. So again, what a UGC
campaign is really when a brand is paying you to
(05:27):
get access and right to your content. So let's say,
for example, I'm a large creator, I have millions of followers,
but a brand may not be able to afford my
rate to get in front of my followers. They could
possibly play my UGC rate where I can create some
content about their products, whether my face is in it or.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Not, and get access to that content.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
So it's really a way for brands to get quality
content about their products or with their products without having
to go and create that because obviously, being a merging brand,
being a team of one or two creating content is
the last that you want to do unless you just
enjoy it. So UGC is a way for a brand
to hire a content creator who understands what it takes
(06:08):
to create quality, just convertible content and be able to
invest in that as a way to use that on
their social media pages, to use that as a running ad,
to use that on their Amazon storefront to kind of
show how the product works. You know, what are the
benefits of the product. So UGC is not just a
way to kind of demonstrate the product, but also allow
(06:29):
your audience to learn about your product, to learn about
your brand and why they should be buying it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So if I'm developing content just because I love to
develop content, and that brand see something in my feet
that they say I want that, I'm assuming that's it
versus and you can clarify if I have this wrong.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Versus them sending me a script, it's saying we want
you to do this.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah, it could still be a little bit of bird
both excuse me.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Where the brand has a criteria of what they're looking for,
but a lot of times there may be a content
creator that they see that they that aligns in their
industry or what have you, and they want to pay
that creator. So sometimes the the brand can get that
creator full access to create on their own terms, which
creators really love as well as kind of give them,
(07:16):
you know, limitations just kind of what we're looking for.
So the brand still has some type of free range,
but it really comes down to, Okay, we're going to
get full right to this content so we own it
and we can use it as needed. Versus, Hey, we're
going to pay you to post a video on behalf
of our brand about our product to your audience, and
you leave it up for about six months or two
(07:37):
weeks however long you guys negotiate and it's off their page.
So essentially UGC just allows that brand to get that
right to that content and use it as needed.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So we have a good landscape that you've set for
the opportunity for creators in for brands. Talk about where
forefront sits in this whole ecosystem.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Yeah, so I saw a Forefront just because I saw
a huge gap in the market for black owned brands
and content creators. So I saw at Forefront just really
for my love for black owned businesses and supporting and
championing those businesses and just really seeing that there was
a huge opportunity within the influence and marketplace for bipop
creators to use their platforms and their influence to support
(08:20):
and uplift black owned brands. And so that's really how
Forefront was birthed, just really looking at the by black
landscape as well as the creator economy and seeing a
huge gap in the market where a lot of influencer
marketplaces were not catering to these small and minority owned businesses.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
So when you go onto a.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Lot of our competitors platforms, you don't see creators that
identify or look like the consumers that they're looking for
or the consumers that they're already targeting. So what Forefront
does is makes it easy for these bipod and these
emerging brands to be able to connect and find content
creators that look like them, that connect with their audience,
but also really can create content that's authentic to who
(08:59):
the brand is versus them getting on these platforms finding
a content creator who just does not look like them
does not align with their brand, their brand's mission, just
their culture. And so that's really what Forefront is here
to do, make it easier for emerging brands to be
able to play in this field of influencer marketing, which
is approaching a half a trillion dollars in the next
(09:21):
few years, and giving them an opportunity to earn, thrive
and shine in this market as well, but also on
the creator side, just on that same token there's a
lack of representation. So when they get onto these marketplaces,
they're not seeing a lot of brands or products that
align with them. Right, So what forefront is here to
do it just connect these creators who are looking for
(09:41):
opportunities to monetize their audience, but also connect with brands
that care about them, that value them, that look like them.
And also for the brands, making sure that they're able
to find creators that can help them to boost their
visibility and their sales online all within one.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And so for those brands that you know have the
revenue to do paid but they just want to do
gifted And I'm a creator, how should I think about
those opportunities.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
From a creator standpoint.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Or from a creative standpoint?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Okay, I would say, would have.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Seen me all this stuff, but I know you can
run me your check.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah, well, I would say take some of those products,
show them what you're capable of, even if you don't
want to post it. Send them a message like, hey,
this is what I was able to create. If you
want access or rights to this content, this is my rates.
And if not, I appreciate the I appreciate the gifts,
but I think that's a great way to start, and
even if they don't want to, you know, accept the
(10:40):
right then and there continue to show them what you're
capable of.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
But like I said, I would not shy away.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Depending on where you are on your creator journey, I
wouldn't shy away from those gifted opportunities because you just
never know where that could lead. I get a lot
of brands who reach out to me personally who say,
this is no strings attached. You know, we're just going
to get your feedback on the product, whether you post
it or not. And so that's a great opportunity for
myself as an emergent creator to say, hey, I actually
really enjoyed this product, I would love to create some content.
(11:08):
What is your budget like? So it's really just an
opportunity for brands to you know, explore opportunities with creators
as well. It's not just that they're looking for free content,
but they're also looking for relationships and partnerships. So it's
really a matter of how you want to maneuver through that.
But I would definitely say take advantage of that opportunity,
(11:29):
you know, create some content if that's something that you
feel would be useful, If it's a brand that you
would desire to work with in the future and use
it as an opportunity as a stepping stone to get
to a paid partnership.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So Jordan, as a founder CEO, you're getting ready for
your day, You're getting ready to lead a house, the apartment.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
What is in your EBC, your everyday carry?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
What are those things that you have to have on
you close by, within arms reach as you go throughout
your days.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Well, on my.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Laptop, I don't go anywhere without my lab top. I
think my entire life is on this laptop. I think
I have a MacBook Air. Yeah, I might need a
new one soon. I've had this for a few years,
but we're going steady. I'm still a little bit older
school when it comes to like my note takers. Like
I have two journals to have a personal journal for
(12:20):
just like you know, when I'm watching sermons.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Or just my every day just journaling.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
But also I have a notebook for just my to
does and my task and my notes for throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
So any kind of journals or like mole Skins or
it doesn't matter what kind of brand it.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Is, anykind really, but yeah, I have too. That's just
you know, regular notebooks. I just I just like to
write my stuff down and cross it off. So those
are my every day I don't know if this helps,
but my topical little gloss that's my every day. I
need that to get through the day. If I leave
(12:56):
it at home, I'm like just not okay. Mentally, my
lists a little chat. But those are a couple of
things that are like constantly with me.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Say talk about you know, I talked to a few
creators recently. You know, DeMarcus Sean has been on recently,
Marshay robbers Hitt's only recently, and they talked a lot
about like their daily routines and how they treat this
like a job. Can you talk about those those routines
or habits or lifestyle choices that successful creators have that
(13:31):
you found unsuccessful ones and ones that are struggling don't have.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah. I think one just really getting in the mindset
of creating content as a career. So when you think
of Lebron James or any professional athlete, what they do
on each and everyday basis is go out and practice,
go out, you know, shoot some threes, whatever the case is.
I think treating your craft as a content creator just
the same where you're getting up and practicing your craft
(13:59):
and proving craft, whether you have a brand deal or not.
If you're going out and let's say you're going to
support and trying out some new beauty products, create some content.
Don't wait for a brand to come to you with
a brand deal or with a check to say you're
gonna create some content.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
I think that repetition is key.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
That's how you're going to improve your craft because it's
definitely a craft, right there's you know, art in the
science to creating content. I think the more you're out
creating content, getting feedback from brands, getting feedback from your
audience is when when you're gonna really learn what sticks
and what's gonna work. So, whether you're a larger creator
or a smaller creator, I think just getting out creating
content as much as possible, not just for the sake
(14:41):
of us, but to really learn your craft, to really
learn what your audience likes and cares for. But I
think that just really allows you to get as much insight,
so when brands do come to you, you have the
insight they know exactly what you're good at, what you're
valuable with and you know, going from there. So I
think just having that repetition and just getting in the
mindset each and every day going to create some content,
(15:03):
or you're learning from other content creators, so you're not
just in the business of scrolling on Instagram to you know,
you know, for entertainment, but you're looking, you're learning new
tips and tricks and things of that nature. So I
think those are what separates, you know, the best emerging
content creators versus the ones who are not really doing
so well, they haven't really made that switch of this
(15:25):
is my career, this is something I really want to
truly pursue full time.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
You talked a lot about how creators can you know,
especially are they getting gifted you know, campaigns, How they
can communicate value? Can you talk about like some tactical ways,
especially if you have limited metrics, your numbers aren't super
huge yet, how can you communicate your value to a brand?
Speaker 4 (15:49):
I think, ultimately, and this is something that we are
being very intentional with on forefront, is really just talking
about how you are to use that product or how
that product or that brand fits into your every day life.
Because again I'm sure a lot of these brands, especially
your favorite brands. They're getting a lot of creators pitching them,
they're getting a lot of agencies pitching them.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
But if you can be very unique.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
As to one, I use this product, I love this product,
and this is why, and then you can showcase and
demonstrate how you can incorporate that into your content, that's
going to be very valuable for brands. One of my
favorite content creators I can't even think of her name.
I think it's Chrissy, but she creates all the funny
content with her husband, and she's just goofy, like just
silly and so like she does a lot of content
(16:32):
creation or brand partnership to like these imitation cakes and
things of that nature, and I just love it because
it fits so well with her content.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
She's goofy, she's silly, she's.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Just like never serious, and so a lot of these
unorthodox brands can come to her and they see themselves
in her content in her and there's alignment. So I
think from a creator's standpoint, just really being able to
not try to pitch every single brand, not trying to
go after every single partnership, but being very strategic on
who are you as a person, what interest do you have,
(17:05):
what is your influence? What are you using your influence for?
And how can that brand fall into place with that?
So it's never just about Okay, I have a follower account,
let me just pitch every single brand I you know,
have locks. Let me go and work with ten different
locked brands to you know, people still want to have
that trust, so they want to see, Okay, which.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Lock brand do you believe?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah, like, which one.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Do you really invest your money in? Things of that nature.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
So I think just being very strategic on who you
pitch and why and knowing exactly why you want to
work with that brand and why that product aligns with
who you are as a person, who you are as
a creator and your audience.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So I think ultimately just having that alignment.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, I'm founding this quote from you.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I don't know how old it was, but maybe there's
a change in how the app works now. But you
said we're different from other marketplaces for black businesses because
we're not a marketplace. We're a social shopping app that
lets you follow your friends and top brands and state
updated on your favorite products. You talk more about this
and how it fits into the landscape of what you're
doing today.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Yeah, so that probably was a little bit older. We're
not so much of a social commerce like. That's kind
of how we started in like the social commerce place.
It was really back in the pandemic when I think,
really before TikTok really became what it is now. But
we just wanted to see again just seeing more people's
shop and support black owned businesses. How can we get
them at the Forefront, And so I had this idea
(18:28):
of Forefront being the social shopping platform where as you're
shopping and discovering black on brands, you can bring your
friends along that journey. And even though we've kind of
pivoted from that, we still have a similar sentiment on
that is just like how can we as consumers, whether
you're a content creator or not, how can we use
(18:48):
our influence to continue to uplift and champion black owned businesses.
And so at the core of what Forefront is, that's
what we're all about. Our vision, our mission is to
bring black businesses to the fore on other world. And
what that means to us is our black owned business
is becoming the next generation of household names, So how
can we do that? And looking at the current landscape
(19:09):
of social media and content creation and how content creators
really play a huge role in that. A lot of
the brands that we discovered today, before we go and
make a purchase, before we decide to purchase a product,
we're looking at what other people are saying about this,
And so my thought process of what Forefront is today
is like, these influencers, they have huge influence and we
(19:31):
want to help We want to help them to be
able to use that for the betterment of our community,
for black owned businesses, etc. So that's really kind of
the starting point of what Forefront is. But ultimately we
learn a lot from starting there, and we just realized
a lot of brands just wanted to connect with creators
and vice versa, and so that's how we pivot it
into being the first influencer and UGC marketplace for emerging
(19:54):
BIPOP brands and creators.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I mean, it's no secret that we're having a big
national conversation about you know, these.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Big retailers like Target.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Who was you know under protest, you know, economic protests,
who from median our community at this point, and my
only you know, concern about that is like where do
we go next? We're not so while we have energy
against what is the energy for? And I hear more
energy about the against we don't want to shop here
(20:24):
versus energy four. Here's where we're going to shop. So
I would love to hear your take on this whole landscape.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Hmmm.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
I love that you said that, because you really speaking
my language. When all this stuff was happening earlier this year,
I was kind of a little bit frustrated because as
someone who always has been about this life of supporting
black owned businesses before it's trendy or before something happened
within you know, Target, or you know a black man
(20:53):
or a woman gets murdered. Like I've always been about
this life, I still am, you know, especially living in Atlanta,
it's pretty easy. I can just get up go to
a coffee shop black owned because of that nature. So
it's a lot easier for me, and I understand that
not everyone has that mindset to shot black first. So
when that entire thing happened, I was a little frustrated
because I'm like, why are we only talking about this
(21:15):
one stuff like this happens. We should always be supporting
black owned businesses. But to your point, like, why are
we talking so much more about boycott and Target and
not just supporting black owned businesses like that should be
in my mind, that should be just the top of
the conversation, and I would love for it to be
you know.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
More normal, right.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
But ultimately my initial thought process, I wasn't really I
wasn't against the boycott, but I was not completely for
it because my mind, I'm thinking about the black owned
businesses that I always go to Target to support and
how they were going to be affected by this boycott.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So that was my initial thide. I'm like, Okay, why
are we boycotted?
Speaker 4 (21:52):
Like I get while we are, but also like can
we be a little strategic with it and still find
a way to support and champion the black owned businesses
who are going to be most effected by this boycott.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And understanding just the land of just.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Retail partnerships and things of that nature, why them being
on these shelves is so impactful for these brands. But
also I had to realize from the grand scheme of things,
and then seeing some of these brands, you know, get
on board and say like hey, continue to boycott Target,
like we'll figure this out.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
We're gonna survive.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
And I think ultimately we do have to think bigger
as a community where we're talking about boycotting or supporting
black owned businesses and really having to sit down and
think about how are we as a community going to
benefit the most. So to your point, I think besides
just saying boycott's target, boycott Amazon, we should be highlighting
(22:42):
where are we shopping, how we're going to shop. And
a lot of people were taking that stance of like,
let's just support them on their websites. But again, if
we're only going to do that for the first couple
of weeks while it's trendy, it does no good for anybody.
So I think even with forefront and our goal is
to continue the conversation, to continue to keep these brands
at the forefront of consumers of our timeline, So regardless
(23:05):
of if something is trendy or not, somebody is being
boydcotted or not, we're still in the mindset of supporting
these black owned businesses.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Three sixty five twenty four to seven.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Yeah, and kind of along that line, Like you know,
I think a lot about ownership and we're always or
we're too often in my view, reliant on somebody else's
thing to make our stuff go and so that that
leads me into this question of because we talked a
lot about creators here and how can we use our
platforms are you know, thousand and ten twenty thousand followers
(23:40):
million followers to launch our own.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Products and services.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
So instead of just relying on you know, these brands
to give us deals, how do you encourage creators? You know,
you should be thinking about your own stuff too.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Yeah, I think that's so important.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Like you're seeing a lot more creators nowadays leverage their infots, like, hey,
I sold millions of products, millions of dollars in products.
Now I want to create my own. I love to
see Jackie and and she she did something very similar.
She launched a candle line and a perfume line. And
you know, I think that's it is needed, right because
brand deals aren't going to always be there, especially even
for some of the larger creators who you know, they're
(24:18):
saying a lot of these brands are going towards some
of these smaller creators because they're cheaper and they're a
little bit more valuable in.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Terms of engagement.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
And so I think it's so important because again, if
you can sell somebody else's product, you can sell your own,
especially if it's your product that aligns with who you
are and why your audience supports you. I think it's
kind of a no brainer, and that's a way for
you to continue to leverage your influence for your own good.
You don't have to rely on brand partnerships coming in
or out. You know, regardless, you're going to be good
(24:48):
because you have this one product that already resonates with
you and your audience, and they trust you because of
your influence already. So I think I would love to
see more creators leveraging that, and I don't think you
have to be a larger creator to do that. You
don't have to have, you know, millions of followers, and
it doesn't have to be you know, to the extreme,
doesn't have to be a CpG product. It could be
(25:10):
an ebook, just starting from there and continuing to leverage
your platform, how it aligns with your audience. So it
could be educational, it could be a plethora of things.
I think, just finding what aligns with you, what you're
good at, learning, what your audience comes to you for,
Why do they go and view your content, why do
they follow you? A lot of those things will tell
(25:31):
you the type of products that you can launch to
continue to have that revenue coming in as a content creator,
despite you know, rand.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Deals or not.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You know, I was paying attention to this streaming university
that Kay Shann had going on that recently. Yeah, And
I think about this idea of collectives and cooperatives and
you know, many of us, many of us have also
not heard of these influencer house to where you know,
you go or you live there and you create content
(26:03):
with each other. And like, what are some of the
benefits can you speak to of creating these collectives and
cooperatives enhance you know, both you know, awareness and earning potential.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yeah, first I want to speak on the streamer university,
Like that was just so legendary.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I love Kasana.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
I'm not even like big into the streaming world, but
anything that he's doing, I'm paying attention because he's so
iconic to this generation what the creator economy is.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
But also love that he knows his value, just the fact.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
That he turned down so many you know, streaming deals
just because he knew his value. He knew he could
do you know, millions of streams. And I think I
can't remember what they said, like three I can't even
I'm not even going to call it. He just did
his thing with the streamer University in terms of just
viewership and engagement. He didn't need a Netflix, he didn't
(26:54):
need an Amazon Prime, and he did it on his own.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
But I think that just speaks to.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
The value of the volume of community and why that's
so important.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
He has learned outside of just.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Viewership, the importance of a community and finding people who
can in some way aspires. They want to aspires to
be similar to you. They want to get to a
level of a Cai Sanace. So anything that he drops
they're paying attention to, they're learning from. But if there's
an opportunity to be a part of this larger collective,
a streamer university where I can I don't even know
(27:26):
if they were really learning. I know they have professors,
I know it was like on a college campus, but regardless,
it seemed like it was more so even an association
thing where people's follower account just grew just simply being
in attendance, and I think that's beautiful. But also just
seeing how intentional Kai was with selecting smaller creators who
(27:46):
might not be the most watched on Twitch. What have you,
but they're eager, they're hustling, they're ready to learn and grow.
I think that's so important. So some of the things
that we're considering as we're thinking about growing our own
creator community is just education. How can we continue to
uplift these creators, give them access to the education that
(28:07):
they need to be successful creators, to be, you know,
at the levels that they want to be, whether they
want to be on the.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Costs that level, Jackie, ain't a level, whoever.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
It is, whatever level you want to be on, how
can we help prepare you to get to that point
and allow you to do it amongst other people who
are like minded, who are also trying to grow. And
so that's something that we're being very intentional about. How
can we create these different experiences and these different opportunities
for these creators to come together and not have to
feel like they have to build in silos. And I
(28:37):
think that's one of the biggest things that we've learned
a lot of creators they're just trying to figure things
out on their own when there's so many other ways
to go about it amongst the community, amongst other people
that you can learn from. And so I think that's
the biggest thing, is just being able to provide value,
whether that's education, just opportunities for them to.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Continue to grow.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
But yeah, I think what ka I did was very
much legendary and that's something that we're definitely, you know,
watching and learning from as we're continuing to build our
own community for creators.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
I find this other quote from you. You said, it's
been a long journey getting to market. I had a
huge vision for Forefront that involved tech, but I had
no tech experience. And ca you talk a little bit
about being a non technical founder and how you've navigated,
you know, building a technology without being able to do
it you know yourself.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
I think it's all about finding the right people, regardless
if it's a tech company or not being a solo founder.
Just being a founder or CEO, you realize, Okay, I
have to play into my own strengths and find people
who can operate in some of those things that I
consider weaknesses. And so the first person that we brought
(29:49):
onto the team was Alison, who's our head of product
and that was game changing for me and for Forefront
in general, because it allowed me to be able to
focus on what I do best, which has been the visionary,
which is kind of helping to bring this company about
where we can bring out and on who has expertise
(30:10):
of building product and technology and helping us to bring
that forward. And you know, he and I we can
collaborate on brainstorm different ideas and he can go out
and execute that. So that's been game changing, just realizing
all right, kind of getting out of the mindset of
just I want to be an entrepreneur to I want
to be a founder and CEO and making sure that
(30:31):
I can bring this vision to life with the right people.
And so that's something that I've been learning along this journey,
is like we have to bring on the right people.
So on top of that, we also just hired our
new partnerships coordinator who's going to be helping us to
just really facilitate better partnerships.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Within the marketplace.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
So I think overall, is being able to be a
good leader in general is just being able to take
a step back of like, Okay, what does your company
need to be successful? Can I provide that? And if
I cannot, can I bring the right person on to
do the job. And so that's how we've been able
to you know, step into this landscape of technology without
my personal expertise of being a coder.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yeah, before a creator, I should say what are the
steps to join Forefront if it's that kind of process.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Yeah, So for creators and brands, you're able to create
your own account. Obviously for brands and creators will be different.
But if your creator that's interested in you know, securing
brand deals and want to use your influences, your influence
to uplive black on brands and other minority brands, you
can just create your account. You let us know your interests,
your hobbies and the top of brands that you're looking
(31:40):
to work with, and then from there we'll be able
to match you with the right brands to begin those partnerships.
And so you can do that a Forefront atl Backslash
creators and sign up there.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Black Tech Green Money is a production to Blavity Afro
Tech on the Black Effect podcast Networking Night Hire Media,
and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas,
with the additional production support by Kate McDonald, Sayah Ergan,
and Jaden McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis in
Love Beach. Learn more about my guests and other tech
distructors an innovators at afrotech dot com. The video version
(32:11):
of this episode will drop to Black Tech Green Money
on YouTube, so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech Green money,
Share us to somebody go get your money.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Peace in love,
Black Tech, Green Money. Will Lucas here so excited to
be back.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
And I have a special guest today, Joan Weaver's founder,
n CEO Forefront and Atlanta based startup that's on a
mission to bring black brands to the forefront literally by
connecting them with influencers who promote their products to millions
on social media. Which is also a twenty twenty four
Black Ambrush and HBCU Grand Prize winner fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Welcome Jordan, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I'm excited to be.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here, absolutely absolutely So I want to start this off
and I want to provide in this interview like a
lot of value for both black owned brands and black
creatives if you can help me out with that. And
so let's start with creatives. So, how can emerge in
creatives people who don't have a million followers yet, but
they're you know, they're talented perhaps or they think they're talented.
(00:49):
How can they start earning money from their content? Like,
what are the best ways to start doing this? Even
if you just have a small follower.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I think the best way to begin to monetize your
content your audience as a smaller creator is through UGC collapse.
So that's user generated content, and that's essentially when a
brand is paying you to have access to content that
you create. So it's not something they're paying you to
get access to your audience or to post in front
of your audience. They're just saying, hey, you create quality videos.
(01:19):
We want you to create some videos of you using
our product. We're going to take full license of that
content and share that with our audience, share that through
our marketing ads and things of that nature. I think
that's a great way for creators to start because it
kind of helps you to booch your rapport, booster your portfolio,
but it also allows you to really get that practice
(01:39):
in without having to lean so heavily on your audience.
So as you're still working to build your audience, you
still have the ability to monetize, let's say, even if
you only have a couple hundred followers. So user generated
content is definitely something that I want to see a
lot more creators leverage as they're working to build their audience.
So that's one of the main ways. But also just
(02:00):
getting started with gifted campaigns. I know a lot of
times people hear the word gifted free, nobody really wants
to work for free, but especially if you're a creator,
you know, just trying to get your foot in the door.
Give the campaigns are a great way for you to
boost that rapport, boost you rapport with that brand so
that they're comfortable to begin paying you. So they can
kind of see what your work looks like, how good
(02:22):
you guys work together, and then maybe the next collaboration
they see just the value you were able to bring
to that brand and that campaign, and now they want
to pay you. So I would say UGC but also
not being afraid to run from those gifted campaigns in
the beginning.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
And you get free shatter, Yeah, have a free product.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
And so with a brand is looking for somebody to
that doesn't have a huge follow when yet, but they're
looking for somebody to you know, take that content and read,
you know, collabor on that content, or take that content
and publish it directly on their platforms.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What are they typically looking for?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So because this person as does have like a million
followers yet, so what is it that they're looking for
in these smaller creators that says that's the person who
you know, I like what they do.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
So it's actually crazy that nowadays, a lot more brands,
whether they're larger brands or smaller brands, they're actually looking
for more micro creators. And that's because they have a
lot more engagement. They have a higher engagement rate versus
somebody who has millions of followers. They may have the
follower account, but they might not have the ability to
convert or have high conversion rates. So I think that's
(03:27):
one of the biggest things that brands are looking for
is Okay, if I invest in you as an influencer
to promote and create content from my brand, what is
the ROI going to be? Because ultimately that's what the
brands are looking for. Even if it takes a longer
time to see that ROI, brands want to see that
that investment that creator was worth it. So outside of
just follower account, it really does have to do with engagement.
(03:48):
But also a lot of brands are wanting to really
work with creators that align with their brands. They're no
longer just here to throw money at content creators just
because they're cute and have a lot of followers. Like, no,
I want to make sure that you align with my brand.
How do you connect with the creator the consumers that
we're trying to reach, and so brands are really making
they want to make sure that there's alignment because ultimately,
(04:11):
when I go back to the ROI, they wanting to
see how long can we work with this creator, how
long can we you know, establish this partnership, So it's
not just a one and done type of partnership. And
so I think again with these micro creators, they have
the ability to really connect with these brands, especially if
especially if you're an emerging, up and coming creator for example,
who creating content about locks, right, you have a large
(04:32):
community that you're beginning to grow that also you know,
come to you for style tips or you know, ways
to really take care of your locks. You're building a
community within your audience that brands really value and they
want to pay you for because obviously the audience is
really who they're looking at target as well. So ultimately,
outside of follower count, I think it's all about engagement
(04:54):
product alignment again, because it's a partnership, it can't just
be a one off type of thing. Brands really want
to see who they can begin a partnership with for.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
The long run, defying UGC for me, So.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
UGC is user generated content, and so a lot of
times people merge influencer partnerships with UGC. They're similar, but
they're different. So you can be an influencer with a
whole bunch of followers that a brand is bringing you
in on for UGC campaign. So again, what a UGC
campaign is really when a brand is paying you to
(05:27):
get access and right to your content. So let's say,
for example, I'm a large creator, I have millions of followers,
but a brand may not be able to afford my
rate to get in front of my followers. They could
possibly play my UGC rate where I can create some
content about their products, whether my face is in it or.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Not, and get access to that content.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
So it's really a way for brands to get quality
content about their products or with their products without having
to go and create that because obviously, being a merging brand,
being a team of one or two creating content is
the last that you want to do unless you just
enjoy it. So UGC is a way for a brand
to hire a content creator who understands what it takes
(06:08):
to create quality, just convertible content and be able to
invest in that as a way to use that on
their social media pages, to use that as a running ad,
to use that on their Amazon storefront to kind of
show how the product works. You know, what are the
benefits of the product. So UGC is not just a
way to kind of demonstrate the product, but also allow
(06:29):
your audience to learn about your product, to learn about
your brand and why they should be buying it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So if I'm developing content just because I love to
develop content, and that brand see something in my feet
that they say I want that, I'm assuming that's it
versus and you can clarify if I have this wrong.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Versus them sending me a script, it's saying we want
you to do this.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah, it could still be a little bit of bird
both excuse me.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Where the brand has a criteria of what they're looking for,
but a lot of times there may be a content
creator that they see that they that aligns in their
industry or what have you, and they want to pay
that creator. So sometimes the the brand can get that
creator full access to create on their own terms, which
creators really love as well as kind of give them,
(07:16):
you know, limitations just kind of what we're looking for.
So the brand still has some type of free range,
but it really comes down to, Okay, we're going to
get full right to this content so we own it
and we can use it as needed. Versus, Hey, we're
going to pay you to post a video on behalf
of our brand about our product to your audience, and
you leave it up for about six months or two
(07:37):
weeks however long you guys negotiate and it's off their page.
So essentially UGC just allows that brand to get that
right to that content and use it as needed.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So we have a good landscape that you've set for
the opportunity for creators in for brands. Talk about where
forefront sits in this whole ecosystem.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Yeah, so I saw a Forefront just because I saw
a huge gap in the market for black owned brands
and content creators. So I saw at Forefront just really
for my love for black owned businesses and supporting and
championing those businesses and just really seeing that there was
a huge opportunity within the influence and marketplace for bipop
creators to use their platforms and their influence to support
(08:20):
and uplift black owned brands. And so that's really how
Forefront was birthed, just really looking at the by black
landscape as well as the creator economy and seeing a
huge gap in the market where a lot of influencer
marketplaces were not catering to these small and minority owned businesses.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
So when you go onto a.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Lot of our competitors platforms, you don't see creators that
identify or look like the consumers that they're looking for
or the consumers that they're already targeting. So what Forefront
does is makes it easy for these bipod and these
emerging brands to be able to connect and find content
creators that look like them, that connect with their audience,
but also really can create content that's authentic to who
(08:59):
the brand is versus them getting on these platforms finding
a content creator who just does not look like them
does not align with their brand, their brand's mission, just
their culture. And so that's really what Forefront is here
to do, make it easier for emerging brands to be
able to play in this field of influencer marketing, which
is approaching a half a trillion dollars in the next
(09:21):
few years, and giving them an opportunity to earn, thrive
and shine in this market as well, but also on
the creator side, just on that same token there's a
lack of representation. So when they get onto these marketplaces,
they're not seeing a lot of brands or products that
align with them. Right, So what forefront is here to
do it just connect these creators who are looking for
(09:41):
opportunities to monetize their audience, but also connect with brands
that care about them, that value them, that look like them.
And also for the brands, making sure that they're able
to find creators that can help them to boost their
visibility and their sales online all within one.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
And so for those brands that you know have the
revenue to do paid but they just want to do
gifted And I'm a creator, how should I think about
those opportunities.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
From a creator standpoint.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Or from a creative standpoint?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Okay, I would say, would have.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Seen me all this stuff, but I know you can
run me your check.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah, well, I would say take some of those products,
show them what you're capable of, even if you don't
want to post it. Send them a message like, hey,
this is what I was able to create. If you
want access or rights to this content, this is my rates.
And if not, I appreciate the I appreciate the gifts,
but I think that's a great way to start, and
even if they don't want to, you know, accept the
(10:40):
right then and there continue to show them what you're
capable of.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
But like I said, I would not shy away.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Depending on where you are on your creator journey, I
wouldn't shy away from those gifted opportunities because you just
never know where that could lead. I get a lot
of brands who reach out to me personally who say,
this is no strings attached. You know, we're just going
to get your feedback on the product, whether you post
it or not. And so that's a great opportunity for
myself as an emergent creator to say, hey, I actually
really enjoyed this product, I would love to create some content.
(11:08):
What is your budget like? So it's really just an
opportunity for brands to you know, explore opportunities with creators
as well. It's not just that they're looking for free content,
but they're also looking for relationships and partnerships. So it's
really a matter of how you want to maneuver through that.
But I would definitely say take advantage of that opportunity,
(11:29):
you know, create some content if that's something that you
feel would be useful, If it's a brand that you
would desire to work with in the future and use
it as an opportunity as a stepping stone to get
to a paid partnership.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So Jordan, as a founder CEO, you're getting ready for
your day, You're getting ready to lead a house, the apartment.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
What is in your EBC, your everyday carry?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
What are those things that you have to have on
you close by, within arms reach as you go throughout
your days.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Well, on my.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Laptop, I don't go anywhere without my lab top. I
think my entire life is on this laptop. I think
I have a MacBook Air. Yeah, I might need a
new one soon. I've had this for a few years,
but we're going steady. I'm still a little bit older
school when it comes to like my note takers. Like
I have two journals to have a personal journal for
(12:20):
just like you know, when I'm watching sermons.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Or just my every day just journaling.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
But also I have a notebook for just my to
does and my task and my notes for throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
So any kind of journals or like mole Skins or
it doesn't matter what kind of brand it.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Is, anykind really, but yeah, I have too. That's just
you know, regular notebooks. I just I just like to
write my stuff down and cross it off. So those
are my every day I don't know if this helps,
but my topical little gloss that's my every day. I
need that to get through the day. If I leave
(12:56):
it at home, I'm like just not okay. Mentally, my
lists a little chat. But those are a couple of
things that are like constantly with me.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Say talk about you know, I talked to a few
creators recently. You know, DeMarcus Sean has been on recently,
Marshay robbers Hitt's only recently, and they talked a lot
about like their daily routines and how they treat this
like a job. Can you talk about those those routines
or habits or lifestyle choices that successful creators have that
(13:31):
you found unsuccessful ones and ones that are struggling don't have.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah. I think one just really getting in the mindset
of creating content as a career. So when you think
of Lebron James or any professional athlete, what they do
on each and everyday basis is go out and practice,
go out, you know, shoot some threes, whatever the case is.
I think treating your craft as a content creator just
the same where you're getting up and practicing your craft
(13:59):
and proving craft, whether you have a brand deal or not.
If you're going out and let's say you're going to
support and trying out some new beauty products, create some content.
Don't wait for a brand to come to you with
a brand deal or with a check to say you're
gonna create some content.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
I think that repetition is key.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
That's how you're going to improve your craft because it's
definitely a craft, right there's you know, art in the
science to creating content. I think the more you're out
creating content, getting feedback from brands, getting feedback from your
audience is when when you're gonna really learn what sticks
and what's gonna work. So, whether you're a larger creator
or a smaller creator, I think just getting out creating
content as much as possible, not just for the sake
(14:41):
of us, but to really learn your craft, to really
learn what your audience likes and cares for. But I
think that just really allows you to get as much insight,
so when brands do come to you, you have the
insight they know exactly what you're good at, what you're
valuable with and you know, going from there. So I
think just having that repetition and just getting in the
mindset each and every day going to create some content,
(15:03):
or you're learning from other content creators, so you're not
just in the business of scrolling on Instagram to you know,
you know, for entertainment, but you're looking, you're learning new
tips and tricks and things of that nature. So I
think those are what separates, you know, the best emerging
content creators versus the ones who are not really doing
so well, they haven't really made that switch of this
(15:25):
is my career, this is something I really want to
truly pursue full time.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
You talked a lot about how creators can you know,
especially are they getting gifted you know, campaigns, How they
can communicate value? Can you talk about like some tactical ways,
especially if you have limited metrics, your numbers aren't super
huge yet, how can you communicate your value to a brand?
Speaker 4 (15:49):
I think, ultimately, and this is something that we are
being very intentional with on forefront, is really just talking
about how you are to use that product or how
that product or that brand fits into your every day life.
Because again I'm sure a lot of these brands, especially
your favorite brands. They're getting a lot of creators pitching them,
they're getting a lot of agencies pitching them.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
But if you can be very unique.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
As to one, I use this product, I love this product,
and this is why, and then you can showcase and
demonstrate how you can incorporate that into your content, that's
going to be very valuable for brands. One of my
favorite content creators I can't even think of her name.
I think it's Chrissy, but she creates all the funny
content with her husband, and she's just goofy, like just
silly and so like she does a lot of content
(16:32):
creation or brand partnership to like these imitation cakes and
things of that nature, and I just love it because
it fits so well with her content.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
She's goofy, she's silly, she's.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Just like never serious, and so a lot of these
unorthodox brands can come to her and they see themselves
in her content in her and there's alignment. So I
think from a creator's standpoint, just really being able to
not try to pitch every single brand, not trying to
go after every single partnership, but being very strategic on
who are you as a person, what interest do you have,
(17:05):
what is your influence? What are you using your influence for?
And how can that brand fall into place with that?
So it's never just about Okay, I have a follower account,
let me just pitch every single brand I you know,
have locks. Let me go and work with ten different
locked brands to you know, people still want to have
that trust, so they want to see, Okay, which.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Lock brand do you believe?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah, like, which one.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Do you really invest your money in? Things of that nature.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
So I think just being very strategic on who you
pitch and why and knowing exactly why you want to
work with that brand and why that product aligns with
who you are as a person, who you are as
a creator and your audience.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So I think ultimately just having that alignment.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, I'm founding this quote from you.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I don't know how old it was, but maybe there's
a change in how the app works now. But you
said we're different from other marketplaces for black businesses because
we're not a marketplace. We're a social shopping app that
lets you follow your friends and top brands and state
updated on your favorite products. You talk more about this
and how it fits into the landscape of what you're
doing today.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Yeah, so that probably was a little bit older. We're
not so much of a social commerce like. That's kind
of how we started in like the social commerce place.
It was really back in the pandemic when I think,
really before TikTok really became what it is now. But
we just wanted to see again just seeing more people's
shop and support black owned businesses. How can we get
them at the Forefront, And so I had this idea
(18:28):
of Forefront being the social shopping platform where as you're
shopping and discovering black on brands, you can bring your
friends along that journey. And even though we've kind of
pivoted from that, we still have a similar sentiment on
that is just like how can we as consumers, whether
you're a content creator or not, how can we use
(18:48):
our influence to continue to uplift and champion black owned businesses.
And so at the core of what Forefront is, that's
what we're all about. Our vision, our mission is to
bring black businesses to the fore on other world. And
what that means to us is our black owned business
is becoming the next generation of household names, So how
can we do that? And looking at the current landscape
(19:09):
of social media and content creation and how content creators
really play a huge role in that. A lot of
the brands that we discovered today, before we go and
make a purchase, before we decide to purchase a product,
we're looking at what other people are saying about this,
And so my thought process of what Forefront is today
is like, these influencers, they have huge influence and we
(19:31):
want to help We want to help them to be
able to use that for the betterment of our community,
for black owned businesses, etc. So that's really kind of
the starting point of what Forefront is. But ultimately we
learn a lot from starting there, and we just realized
a lot of brands just wanted to connect with creators
and vice versa, and so that's how we pivot it
into being the first influencer and UGC marketplace for emerging
(19:54):
BIPOP brands and creators.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I mean, it's no secret that we're having a big
national conversation about you know, these.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Big retailers like Target.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Who was you know under protest, you know, economic protests,
who from median our community at this point, and my
only you know, concern about that is like where do
we go next? We're not so while we have energy
against what is the energy for? And I hear more
energy about the against we don't want to shop here
(20:24):
versus energy four. Here's where we're going to shop. So
I would love to hear your take on this whole landscape.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Hmmm.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
I love that you said that, because you really speaking
my language. When all this stuff was happening earlier this year,
I was kind of a little bit frustrated because as
someone who always has been about this life of supporting
black owned businesses before it's trendy or before something happened
within you know, Target, or you know a black man
(20:53):
or a woman gets murdered. Like I've always been about
this life, I still am, you know, especially living in Atlanta,
it's pretty easy. I can just get up go to
a coffee shop black owned because of that nature. So
it's a lot easier for me, and I understand that
not everyone has that mindset to shot black first. So
when that entire thing happened, I was a little frustrated
because I'm like, why are we only talking about this
(21:15):
one stuff like this happens. We should always be supporting
black owned businesses. But to your point, like, why are
we talking so much more about boycott and Target and
not just supporting black owned businesses like that should be
in my mind, that should be just the top of
the conversation, and I would love for it to be
you know.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
More normal, right.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
But ultimately my initial thought process, I wasn't really I
wasn't against the boycott, but I was not completely for
it because my mind, I'm thinking about the black owned
businesses that I always go to Target to support and
how they were going to be affected by this boycott.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So that was my initial thide. I'm like, Okay, why
are we boycotted?
Speaker 4 (21:52):
Like I get while we are, but also like can
we be a little strategic with it and still find
a way to support and champion the black owned businesses
who are going to be most effected by this boycott.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And understanding just the land of just.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Retail partnerships and things of that nature, why them being
on these shelves is so impactful for these brands. But
also I had to realize from the grand scheme of things,
and then seeing some of these brands, you know, get
on board and say like hey, continue to boycott Target,
like we'll figure this out.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
We're gonna survive.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
And I think ultimately we do have to think bigger
as a community where we're talking about boycotting or supporting
black owned businesses and really having to sit down and
think about how are we as a community going to
benefit the most. So to your point, I think besides
just saying boycott's target, boycott Amazon, we should be highlighting
(22:42):
where are we shopping, how we're going to shop. And
a lot of people were taking that stance of like,
let's just support them on their websites. But again, if
we're only going to do that for the first couple
of weeks while it's trendy, it does no good for anybody.
So I think even with forefront and our goal is
to continue the conversation, to continue to keep these brands
at the forefront of consumers of our timeline, So regardless
(23:05):
of if something is trendy or not, somebody is being
boydcotted or not, we're still in the mindset of supporting
these black owned businesses.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Three sixty five twenty four to seven.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Yeah, and kind of along that line, Like you know,
I think a lot about ownership and we're always or
we're too often in my view, reliant on somebody else's
thing to make our stuff go and so that that
leads me into this question of because we talked a
lot about creators here and how can we use our
platforms are you know, thousand and ten twenty thousand followers
(23:40):
million followers to launch our own.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Products and services.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
So instead of just relying on you know, these brands
to give us deals, how do you encourage creators? You know,
you should be thinking about your own stuff too.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Yeah, I think that's so important.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Like you're seeing a lot more creators nowadays leverage their infots, like, hey,
I sold millions of products, millions of dollars in products.
Now I want to create my own. I love to
see Jackie and and she she did something very similar.
She launched a candle line and a perfume line. And
you know, I think that's it is needed, right because
brand deals aren't going to always be there, especially even
for some of the larger creators who you know, they're
(24:18):
saying a lot of these brands are going towards some
of these smaller creators because they're cheaper and they're a
little bit more valuable in.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Terms of engagement.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
And so I think it's so important because again, if
you can sell somebody else's product, you can sell your own,
especially if it's your product that aligns with who you
are and why your audience supports you. I think it's
kind of a no brainer, and that's a way for
you to continue to leverage your influence for your own good.
You don't have to rely on brand partnerships coming in
or out. You know, regardless, you're going to be good
(24:48):
because you have this one product that already resonates with
you and your audience, and they trust you because of
your influence already. So I think I would love to
see more creators leveraging that, and I don't think you
have to be a larger creator to do that. You
don't have to have, you know, millions of followers, and
it doesn't have to be you know, to the extreme,
doesn't have to be a CpG product. It could be
(25:10):
an ebook, just starting from there and continuing to leverage
your platform, how it aligns with your audience. So it
could be educational, it could be a plethora of things.
I think, just finding what aligns with you, what you're
good at, learning, what your audience comes to you for,
Why do they go and view your content, why do
they follow you? A lot of those things will tell
(25:31):
you the type of products that you can launch to
continue to have that revenue coming in as a content creator,
despite you know, rand.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Deals or not.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You know, I was paying attention to this streaming university
that Kay Shann had going on that recently. Yeah, And
I think about this idea of collectives and cooperatives and
you know, many of us, many of us have also
not heard of these influencer house to where you know,
you go or you live there and you create content
(26:03):
with each other. And like, what are some of the
benefits can you speak to of creating these collectives and
cooperatives enhance you know, both you know, awareness and earning potential.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Yeah, first I want to speak on the streamer university,
Like that was just so legendary.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I love Kasana.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
I'm not even like big into the streaming world, but
anything that he's doing, I'm paying attention because he's so
iconic to this generation what the creator economy is.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
But also love that he knows his value, just the fact.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
That he turned down so many you know, streaming deals
just because he knew his value. He knew he could
do you know, millions of streams. And I think I
can't remember what they said, like three I can't even
I'm not even going to call it. He just did
his thing with the streamer University in terms of just
viewership and engagement. He didn't need a Netflix, he didn't
(26:54):
need an Amazon Prime, and he did it on his own.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
But I think that just speaks to.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
The value of the volume of community and why that's
so important.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
He has learned outside of just.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Viewership, the importance of a community and finding people who
can in some way aspires. They want to aspires to
be similar to you. They want to get to a
level of a Cai Sanace. So anything that he drops
they're paying attention to, they're learning from. But if there's
an opportunity to be a part of this larger collective,
a streamer university where I can I don't even know
(27:26):
if they were really learning. I know they have professors,
I know it was like on a college campus, but regardless,
it seemed like it was more so even an association
thing where people's follower account just grew just simply being
in attendance, and I think that's beautiful. But also just
seeing how intentional Kai was with selecting smaller creators who
(27:46):
might not be the most watched on Twitch. What have you,
but they're eager, they're hustling, they're ready to learn and grow.
I think that's so important. So some of the things
that we're considering as we're thinking about growing our own
creator community is just education. How can we continue to
uplift these creators, give them access to the education that
(28:07):
they need to be successful creators, to be, you know,
at the levels that they want to be, whether they
want to be on the.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Costs that level, Jackie, ain't a level, whoever.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
It is, whatever level you want to be on, how
can we help prepare you to get to that point
and allow you to do it amongst other people who
are like minded, who are also trying to grow. And
so that's something that we're being very intentional about. How
can we create these different experiences and these different opportunities
for these creators to come together and not have to
feel like they have to build in silos. And I
(28:37):
think that's one of the biggest things that we've learned
a lot of creators they're just trying to figure things
out on their own when there's so many other ways
to go about it amongst the community, amongst other people
that you can learn from. And so I think that's
the biggest thing, is just being able to provide value,
whether that's education, just opportunities for them to.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Continue to grow.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
But yeah, I think what ka I did was very
much legendary and that's something that we're definitely, you know,
watching and learning from as we're continuing to build our
own community for creators.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
I find this other quote from you. You said, it's
been a long journey getting to market. I had a
huge vision for Forefront that involved tech, but I had
no tech experience. And ca you talk a little bit
about being a non technical founder and how you've navigated,
you know, building a technology without being able to do
it you know yourself.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
I think it's all about finding the right people, regardless
if it's a tech company or not being a solo founder.
Just being a founder or CEO, you realize, Okay, I
have to play into my own strengths and find people
who can operate in some of those things that I
consider weaknesses. And so the first person that we brought
(29:49):
onto the team was Alison, who's our head of product
and that was game changing for me and for Forefront
in general, because it allowed me to be able to
focus on what I do best, which has been the visionary,
which is kind of helping to bring this company about
where we can bring out and on who has expertise
(30:10):
of building product and technology and helping us to bring
that forward. And you know, he and I we can
collaborate on brainstorm different ideas and he can go out
and execute that. So that's been game changing, just realizing
all right, kind of getting out of the mindset of
just I want to be an entrepreneur to I want
to be a founder and CEO and making sure that
(30:31):
I can bring this vision to life with the right people.
And so that's something that I've been learning along this journey,
is like we have to bring on the right people.
So on top of that, we also just hired our
new partnerships coordinator who's going to be helping us to
just really facilitate better partnerships.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Within the marketplace.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
So I think overall, is being able to be a
good leader in general is just being able to take
a step back of like, Okay, what does your company
need to be successful? Can I provide that? And if
I cannot, can I bring the right person on to
do the job. And so that's how we've been able
to you know, step into this landscape of technology without
my personal expertise of being a coder.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yeah, before a creator, I should say what are the
steps to join Forefront if it's that kind of process.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Yeah, So for creators and brands, you're able to create
your own account. Obviously for brands and creators will be different.
But if your creator that's interested in you know, securing
brand deals and want to use your influences, your influence
to uplive black on brands and other minority brands, you
can just create your account. You let us know your interests,
your hobbies and the top of brands that you're looking
(31:40):
to work with, and then from there we'll be able
to match you with the right brands to begin those partnerships.
And so you can do that a Forefront atl Backslash
creators and sign up there.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Black Tech Green Money is a production to Blavity Afro
Tech on the Black Effect podcast Networking Night Hire Media,
and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas,
with the additional production support by Kate McDonald, Sayah Ergan,
and Jaden McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis in
Love Beach. Learn more about my guests and other tech
distructors an innovators at afrotech dot com. The video version
(32:11):
of this episode will drop to Black Tech Green Money
on YouTube, so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech Green money,
Share us to somebody go get your money.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Peace in love,
Host
Will Lucas
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