All Episodes

April 27, 2022 • 16 mins

Suzan returns to talk about her business Seed at the Table, a mission-driven equity crowdfunding platform committed to bridging the funding gap for Black and brown entrepreneurs.

Host IG:@itstanyatime

Guest IG: @suzen_baraka

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Money Movers, Welcome back to Money Moves, the daily
podcast determined to give you the keys to the Kingdom
of financial stability, wealth and abundance. On today's Deep Dive,
we are joined by lawyer turned actor and activist and

(00:22):
entrepreneur Susan Baraka, and today's Deep Dive is brought to
you by MasterCard bridging the well Gap together with Greenwood
Money Movers. If you missed our previous episode, Susan told
us about her journey from law to being a poet
and now has transitioned out to another diverse stream of
income where she is now providing capital and access to

(00:44):
capital to Black, Latin and BIPOC entrepreneurs through her business
Seed at the Table. Welcome back to the podcast, Susan.
It's a pleasure to have you here again. Thank you
for having me. I'm so glad to be here. Well,
I'm so excited to dive in and talk more about
your business. I think that this is really going to
resonate with our audience because so many of them are entrepreneurs,

(01:04):
and so many of them have been faced with the
struggle of raising capital, getting access to capital, grow and
scale their businesses across multiple industries. So, can you walk
us through your business that you started Seed at the
Table Yes. So see at the Table as an equity
craft funding platform that is geared towards bridging the funding

(01:26):
gap for black and brown entrepreneurs UM. And I think
that when I say bridging the funding gap, it's important
to mention that for a lot of founders of color,
it is actually really difficult to get financing the traditional way.
So when we think about UM, when we think about

(01:48):
how most of our friends and families start their own businesses,
a lot of them either stay at their nine of
five's and use their paychecks to cover the expenses of
following their dreams or starting their businesses UM a lot.
So that means they're working not just one but multiple jobs. UM.
We're also thinking about people who are using their own

(02:09):
savings to finance their own businesses and therefore and specifically
what we call bootstrapping, and it's sort of become the norm,
like if you were going to start a business, if
you're a black entrepreneur, if you're an early stage entrepreneur,
so many of us have to bootstrop use our day
job to fund our dreams of the passions that we
want to build at night and it's hard, but you know,

(02:30):
I think what you're doing is really interesting and so
needed because there are alternate streams of income that people
can use to really grow and scale their business. And crowdfunding,
I think is just revolutionary and has really opened up
so much more access to entrepreneurs. If we back out
a little bit, can you talk about to our audience
what this notion of crowdfunding is. So I like to

(02:55):
use this example because I think it it resonates for
a lot of people who who understand crowdfunding as like
kickstarter right, where someone has a great idea, you watch
a little video on it, you get to know a
little bit about the entrepreneurs through their page, and then
you donate I don't know, a thousand dollars and maybe
you get a T shirt back right. Equity crowdfunding is

(03:16):
different and then in that you're not getting a T shirt,
but you're actually getting up ownership equity in the company,
which could then result in a potential you know, financial
gain later down the road. It may or may not.
Obviously investing at any level is risky, but um, but

(03:37):
it's definitely What makes this great is that we are
now because of the Jobs Act, um able to allow
non accredited investors. So that's you know, people who generally
make less than two d thousand dollars a year, we're
allowing them to invest for very small minimums. So you
can invest in a company and gain ownership in that

(03:59):
company for as little as a hundred dollars. And this
is really a big deal because when you talk about historically,
why you know, people of color have been have experienced
redline where they can't buy in a specific neighborhood. I
think I like in this turn of events sort of
with the dawbacks and with non accredited investors being able
to invest in other business as such a huge opportunity

(04:20):
for black people and people of color because once upon
a time, the laws were such that you had to
be an accredited investor, and what that meant was you
had to make over two dollars, you had to have
all these other things that kept people out of being
able to invest and sort of have a seat at
the table in making these alternate streams of income. So

(04:42):
this is why crowdfunding is really important, especially in our community,
because seat at the table now gives people the ability
to invest in a local business help that local business
grow in scale and have capital. And you know, it's
it's a way bigger deal than getting a T shirt.
You actually have an equity stake in this company. Yeah,

(05:02):
you have an equity stake in this company. And and
I think for issuers it's great too, because you have
a sort of a way to monetize your customer base.
So not only are you able to reach out to
the customers that you currently have, but you can also
reach out to people and bring them on. And once
they have invested stake in the in the in the
wellness of your company, they're more likely to be consumers

(05:24):
of that company as well. And then on the flip side,
for investors, I think, you know, I think a lot
about the word threshold because so often people have been
barred from investing, and not only have they been borrowed
from a from a numbers perspective, right like I don't
make enough or um, I don't have enough money, but
now it's like they've also been barred in a in

(05:47):
a financial literacy sort of way. So like what makes
seat at the table great and in my opinion, in
my opinion, better than some of our competitors, And and granted,
like some of our competitors are much bigger UM and
have and have a little bit more history because again
we only started in July. UM. What makes see that
the table so great is that we were able to

(06:10):
help provide a little bit more hand holding, not only
to our investors, but also to our issuers who may
not stand Yeah, who may not understand like what is required,
Like a lot of our a lot of our customers
get freaked out when they're signing on and they have
to give you know, their social Security number or the
credit card number. This is new to me and like um,

(06:32):
and so I think it's great that you know, we
have a little bit more patients with our customer base.
Whereas I think there's an education piece and this is
why I like even at Greenwood, like we have the
money news podcasts, we're very focused on financial literacy and
education because these are stories and information that probably has
not been disseminated as much in our communities. And so

(06:52):
by being able to be cognizant of that and creating
a platform that has that education and I mean I
love it, hold my hand, hold my hand, as we
are able to build others and sort of like reach
down and lift each other up. Like that is how
we grow exactly and like I, you know, I it's
so funny because my partner, Pierre, his background is that

(07:14):
gold He has a tenure vet at Goldman Sachs and UM,
I like to say he likes to provide the same
less sort of white glove service that he provided there,
but for our community. And I think that that's key,
that's so important. UM. In addition, we have a team
that we call the Seed Family, but they're really just
a team of subject matter experts in various industries UM

(07:37):
who are available to us and available to our issuers
to you know, sort of got provide guidance and mentorship.
In the last session, we talked a lot about mentorship
and how important that is. And the truth is is
that a lot of times UM people in other communities
have that mentorship and and therefore benefit from from that

(07:58):
UM sort of historical knowledge wisdom. But we don't necessarily
have that. I don't I don't always have someone I
can call to ask their advice or get their guidance.
But see, that's what we're building. What we're really focused
on building is a network in a community of expert
professionals in various industries who you can call on and
get their advice, UM as you're building your business. Incredible,

(08:20):
So let's talk about some of the great stories and
businesses that you funded UM at seed. Can you share
with us some of your favorites, maybe not favorites, because
I'm sure all of them are well also, UM, you know,
remember I'm an attorney, so I'm very risk averse when
it comes to the things that I say. And part
of the regulatory part, well, in the regulations, we are

(08:41):
actually prohibited from sort of um highlighting one issuer over another.
But we did just finish, uh, we just we did
just finish an offering for real house publishing. UM. They
raised I believe, I believe they raised over a million
dollars total, and I believe about seven hundred thousand approximately

(09:04):
was through our platform. And you know, and it's amazing
because what they're doing, they're actually they're they're disruptors in
a number of ways, but what they're doing is very
much revolutionary, revolutionizing the way we think about publishing. Oh
my gosh, I'm so fascinated. Such a dinosaur industry UM

(09:24):
that like is run by like five big old dinosaurs,
so tell us more so the founder of Rebecca Baruki Hope,
I pronounce that correctly. Rebecca, don't kill me if I didn't.
You know, she's a woman in publishing and her Real
House Publishing, based out of Harlem, is very much focused
on highlighting the voices of of marginalized people, specifically in

(09:48):
the areas of wellness, um, self care, um, and just
highlighting our stories, you know, generally. But you know, I
love what they're doing. I love what they're admitted to do.
And they're also they're also very much committed to like
putting the money in the writer's pockets in a way
that the publishing industry is that doesn't. So I'm really

(10:10):
you know, I'm super fans of Real House Publishing. And
what makes Rebecca so amazing is that she definitely understood
the assignment like she understood that. You know. Unfortunately, a
lot of people come to these crowdfunding sites and they
think that the sites are supposed to do all of
the work right and that the money will just appear
if you sign up on this, and it's really I mean,
you need to get eyeballs on your project. You need

(10:32):
to get eyeballs on your business. So I love that
you're saying this. It's not just and I think oftentimes
people think this about investment, finding investments across the board.
You just the money will come to you. It's a job.
Funding is a full time job, and it's not just
about the pitch. It's about, you know, making connections that
are valuable, and especially with crowdfunding, it's about making sure

(10:55):
people who would be interested in your business get excited
enough that they want to put money into it. Yeah,
I mean, I think it's definitely twofold Number one. You
have to know your story. A lot of founders struggle
with being able to communicate their story, um, and so
that's that's huge for us. I mean, in the in
the vetting process, we definitely we look at we look

(11:18):
at the entrepreneurs, We look at their credentials, we look
at their businesses, we look at their balance sheets, we
look at a number of things. But if you can't
communicate your story, it's it's gonna be hard to it's
gonna be hard to take you on because we're we're
also protecting our company right reject at the table. So
we we very much look at founders who are able
to communicate their story and their mission, you know, because

(11:40):
again you know I liken this to this, well, this
is this is impact investing, that it's fineness. So I
think on the one hand, it's definitely being able to
communicate your story and because of course they're in the
publishing industry, story is what they do best. Uh So
we're very luckily lucky to have that. But then it's
also having the courage to talk to people. Yeah, to

(12:03):
make the ask and tell your story again and ask, yes,
absolutely ask, and to make the ask over and over
and over again, and to make the ask of people
who don't know you, and to like reach out and
be willing to connect with as many people as possible
because you can't do crowdfunding without the crowd. Do you
know what I mean? Can't do crowdfunding without the crowd. Okay, Susan.

(12:25):
As we wrap up this segment, thank you so much
for being here. But can you tell us what does
the future hold for you? Uh? Well, for me personally,
I think I am very much focused on my acting career.
I'm auditioning constantly. Um I just finished callback auditions for
Broadway and a show I will not mention just in
case I get it with respect to seat at the table,

(12:49):
I think we really want to focus on getting at
least twenty new issuers on board for this year UM,
so we were actively looking for issuers that are strong
competitor is in the market, and so if you're interested,
please reach out to us UM. In addition to looking
for new issuers for this year, we're of course just
trying to make sure that we expand our customer base

(13:12):
and we you know, talk to as many people as
possible about what it is we're trying to achieve. Because
of the sixty three crowdfunding platforms that are approved by
the SEC in Finnerale, we are one of the only
ones that is truly a black owned and operated and
fully mission driven and committed to UM catering to our community.

(13:33):
I love that. That's huge. That's huge. Of the sixty
three year the only one that's fully black owned and operated.
So thank you so much, UM, Susan, You're incredible, Thank you,
thank you so much. I really appreciate your time, and
I want to make sure because there's two sorts of
crowds that you're going after, you're looking for people who
are really excited to invest and make impactful investments into companies,

(13:55):
and you're also looking for companies who are maybe looking
to promote and you know, really tell their stories. So
can you tell everyone where they can find you, because
I think there's two audiences that need to really understand
where to find Seat at the Table um and get
involved in what you're building. So you can of course
find us on our platform which is www dot seed,

(14:16):
s E d at the Table dot com. Um. You
can also find us on all our social channels. We
are at Seat at the Table across all of our channels,
and if you'd like to email us, you can email
us at info I n FO at State at the
Table dot com. Thank you so much, Thank you so
much for what you're doing in our community. Thank you
so much for helping both sides at the table. Both

(14:39):
seats at the Table um have you know, access to
capital as well as the potential to build generational wealth
within our families. And like you said, you know we
are all thinking about ways where we can diversify our
assets and make our money move for us. So thank
you so much, Susan. It was such a pleasure to
have you on our podcast today. Please come back again

(15:00):
and and make sure you check out Susan and follow
Seed at the Table on all their social media followings.
And maybe we'll be talking to one of the one
of the companies again that you invest in, and so
I hope that connections are made out of this podcast. Absolutely,
that would be great. That'd be fantastic. Thank you so much.
Thank you all right, Money Movers. That's all the time

(15:20):
we have for today, But make sure to follow Susan
on all of our social media handles, and if we
helped you make your money move, please make sure to
let us know by sending us a like, sharing the knowledge,
and or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Make
sure to tune in Monday through Friday and subscribe to
the Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood, so that you
two can have the keys to financial freedom you so

(15:42):
rightly deserve. Thank you so much for tuning in Money
Moves audience. If you want more or a recap of
this episode, please go to the bank Greenwood dot com
and check out the Money Moves podcast blog. Money Moves
is an I heart Radio podcast as powered by Greenwood
Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc. For more podcasts on

(16:05):
i heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Therapy Gecko

Therapy Gecko

An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.