February 15, 2025 • 19 mins
Discover how Jamel Stephens, the visionary CEO of AfroPop, is transforming Oklahoma's craft soda landscape by celebrating BIPOC artistry and cultural diversity. Through this engaging conversation, Jamel shares his journey from a rural Oklahoma native to an influential entrepreneur using his all-natural soda brand as a platform for cultural expression and empowerment. Learn about the unique flavors like 'Black of the Berry', "Grandma's House', 'Summer Nights,' and how each bottle tells a story through artful packaging designed by emerging artists. By connecting deeply with the Black community, Jamel highlights the powerful role of cultural expression in business.
Prepare to gain valuable insights as we explore the foundational elements that drive Jamel's success at AfroPop. From building authentic relationships that secure vital support during peak times to understanding market trends and consumer demands, Jamel offers a wealth of knowledge for entrepreneurs. He emphasizes the importance of holistic business acumen, from mission clarity to financial literacy, underscoring his experience in a Founders Accelerator program as a pivotal moment in mastering value propositions. Whether you're an aspiring business owner or a supporter of the arts, join us in uncovering strategies for creating impactful and culturally resonant enterprises.
Thank you for listening! YouTube - @3KeysforYourJourney -Tune in for a new episode every Sunday. Connect with us at www.ocfo.info
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Greg Jones (00:04):
Jamel Stevens is a proud rural Oklahoma native
artist and advocate for change.
He serves as a board member ofthe Oklahoma City Black Chamber
of Commerce, CEO and founder ofAfropop, he's dedicated to
amplifying BIPOP artistry andcelebrating the rich diversity
of Oklahoma's craft soda scene.
(00:25):
Join me as we explore storiesof inspiration, innovation and
impact designed to empower anduplift our communities.
Get ready to be inspiredtogether.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Are you ready to unlock your potential?
Tune in to Three Keys for yourJourney podcast, where business
owners share invaluable insightsand empowering strategies to
guide you toward success.
Based in Oklahoma City, ourhost, greg T Jones, will inspire
and motivate you every week.
Get ready to join ourconversation as we build
(01:11):
community together.
Greg Jones (01:15):
All right.
Hello, mr Stevens.
How are you today?
I'm doing well.
How are you, greg?
I am in the orbit of Afropopman.
I'm feeling excited today.
I have had the opportunity overthe last year to try your craft
(01:35):
sodas.
Jamel Stephens (01:40):
And I'm telling you, man, you're on to something
.
Thank you so much and thank youfor having me on your show.
I really do appreciate it.
Um, this is a really goodopportunity and, uh, let's just
tell people about what we'redoing man, I tell you what it is
.
Greg Jones (01:54):
Uh, it's my pleasure .
Uh, so for our listeningaudience, some might not know
who you are.
Tell us who you are, introduceyourself, Um, and and then tell
us about, about your companyAfropop.
Jamel Stephens (02:09):
Absolutely.
Um.
Um, my name is Jamel Stevens.
Um, you know, I grew up inrural Oklahoma and I, you know,
I found myself, um, in myartistry.
So I I spent a lot of timefinding my cultural identity
through doing my work and what Ido, and I think that translates
(02:29):
to adulthood and just like whatI do now.
You know, serving my communityas a board member and also the
mission behind Afro Pop.
You know, afro Pop is an allnatural soda company, but we are
more than a soda company.
We're a celebration of Blackpeople.
We do partner with emergingBIPOC artists who design our
(02:51):
packaging, and this allows us tobe able to explore the unique
Black diaspora.
What we do is we connect ourproducts to, you know, the Black
community and the Black culture, and so, you know, my goal is
just to amplify that Blackvoices.
Greg Jones (03:09):
Man, thank you.
And what I think is interestingas well, when you talk about
artists, talk a little bit aboutyou know, you've got this craft
soda and you've got artiststhat actually design the labels.
Is that right?
Jamel Stephens (03:22):
Yes, so what we do is, you know, we research and
recruit artists to design thepackaging for our products.
We come up with a product andwe kind of come up with a story
and a narrative that we'retrying to tell through that
product, and then we give theopportunity to the artist to
actually design that and youknow, and then to be able to
(03:43):
express themselves creatively.
Greg Jones (03:46):
Well, I think that's wonderful.
It's okay, Briefly, becausesomebody out there is like man,
this guy's got, he's making soda.
What are the flavors that youhave right now?
Jamel Stephens (03:56):
Oh, absolutely.
So we have three flavors.
We have black of the berries,that's a blackberry vanilla soda
.
Greg Jones (04:09):
We have summer nights, which is a blueberry
lemonade soda, and then we havegrandma of the berries, that's a
blackberry vanilla soda, um, wehave summer nights, which is a
blueberry lemonade soda, andthen we have grandma's house,
which is a butterscotch creamsoda, um, yeah, well, I, I have
to say this, jamil, I have triedall three.
The last one, my favorite,happens to be summer nights, but
but the last one was, was thebutterscotch man, grandma's
house, I, I didn't, I, I, Iwasn't, I've never been a cream
soda guy.
But man, that butterscotch, oh,that's good, man, it's good, and
(04:34):
I just didn't, I, you know sodo I yeah, man, it's, it's good
anyway okay, you got me thinkingabout so all right, right now
you are expanding your business.
Growing your business.
How are you distributing yourproducts?
What are some of the waysyou're distributing your soda
(04:55):
products right now?
Jamel Stephens (05:04):
is through a partnership with Midwest
Distribution, based out ofNorman.
They focus on small localbusiness startups to distribute
our products.
You know, I focus mainly onlocal restaurant scenes, small
markets, things like that to be.
(05:26):
You know where we sell ourproducts.
You know, I think that's whereyou know where our people are at
and people are interested intrying Afropop.
Greg Jones (05:35):
I think it's wonderful and I have seen you
also out on weekends and variouscommunity events.
I've seen you some farmersmarkets, so you really are out
there trying to make sure thatpeople know about Afropop.
Jamel Stephens (05:55):
Absolutely.
You know I've definitely done alot within the community, like
I said, through events andthrough the farmer's market and
stuff, to you know, just to tryand get the name out there of
what we're doing and you knowgetting.
Greg Jones (06:09):
You know, getting people to be able to just try
our products and hear our storyno-transcript, and it always the
(06:38):
keys aren't always positivethings, but they are keys and
I'm glad that we have you ontoday because I'm looking
forward.
What are some things that youhave learned along your journey?
Jamel Stephens (06:49):
Absolutely so.
The big things that I'velearned, you know, is
relationship is really important.
You know, is relationship isreally important.
You know, and that's one of thereally big things is
relationships.
The second key that I'velearned is to understand the
industry that you're going into.
(07:10):
You know it's so important toknow your industry.
You know what is your marketcap.
You know what is your marketcap.
You know all these things.
It's very, very important, um.
And I think the third thing isto know to know your business
right.
Um, what are you know?
(07:31):
What does your business looklike?
Um, who are you trying to sellto?
Those are, those are probablythe three most important um
things to to me as a founder,and it is something that I would
like to share it to you know,to the world.
Greg Jones (07:47):
Well, thank you for that.
Let's let's start with thefirst one.
You talked about relationships.
When you think about, uh,building relationships, um, why
is that your number one key andwhat are some nuggets around,
why relationships are soimportant.
Jamel Stephens (08:05):
Well, you know, a lot of people always say that
your net, you know, your network, is your network.
Right, we hear that all thetime.
But I think you know, yourrelationship, you know, takes
that a little bit step further.
Right, we can, you know, we canadd people on social media all
day.
But really, you know, if we'renot, you know, nurturing that
(08:27):
relationship with people, thenyou know, you know, we're not
going to see a lot of movementwithin our, you know, within our
business.
You know, a quick example ofthat is that we recently scaled
up to producing 12 pallets ofsoda and we needed a logistics
company to help pick up thatproduct.
(08:48):
Well, you know, aroundChristmas time, that was really
hard to do, but there was arelationship that I was
nurturing, and so I was able tojust pick up the phone and call
a friend and say, hey, you know,do you have a truck to come and
pick up our products?
And so, you know, he said yes,and and it was a great
opportunity for me to supporthis business while also him
(09:09):
supporting us.
And so that's really what Imean by that is, you know, is
there someone that you can pickup the phone call that can help
you in your journey and whatyou're doing, and you can also
help them.
It's supposed to be a mutualbenefit there.
Greg Jones (09:26):
Man, I appreciate that and I think you are
absolutely right Building keyrelationships, authentic
relationships and relationshipsthat can build trust over time
and I love your example that canbuild trust over time, and I
love your example.
So when you get into asituation, you can now go to
that list of relationships thatyou have.
And then I love what you saidas well.
(09:47):
In our community, being able tosupport another business also
means a lot as well.
Most times when we think aboutour community like, man, can you
give me a discount, can yougive me a hookup?
It's not about that.
It's about buildingrelationships and it's about
doing whatever is fair to makesure that you actually support
the business.
And so, man, I reallyappreciate that.
(10:10):
Your second one you talkedabout was really understanding
your industry.
What do you mean by that?
Jamel Stephens (10:17):
Absolutely industry.
What do you mean by that?
Absolutely?
You know.
So for me, I, you know, Ibelieve that you know.
Anything that you know that youdo has to be done with quality,
and so you know that you know.
For the beverage industry, youknow.
That's understanding what youknow.
What are our critical points?
You know what's going.
You know how can we make thebest product that we possibly
(10:38):
can right.
Also, to you know what's going,you know how can we make the
best product that we possiblycan right.
But also to you know, to add tothat is to understand the
market.
What are the trends within themarket right now?
So you know, in soda, we'reseeing a lot of health-conscious
sodas.
So you know that tells me.
You know I need to make surethat my product is meeting what
the you know what the marketwants, as well as just
(11:00):
understanding what your marketcap is.
If I came here and said I wantto be a trillion-dollar soda
company but the market cap is$450 billion, that doesn't
really make sense.
And so I think, understandingyour industry in and out,
understanding how can you makethe best products, how can you
sell that product and what isthe market cap for how much you
(11:21):
can make.
That is understanding yourindustry.
Greg Jones (11:26):
I think that's great and you know I want to point
out to our listening audienceswherever you're at, wherever
state you're in, wherever you'relistening from, you know that's
doing research and there aretons of tools now that are
online that can help you, butmost times your local chamber of
commerce is that have researchdevelopment departments.
(11:47):
We now are in this AI world.
You still have to trust andverify what you learn on AI, but
there are tools out there tohelp you understand and research
your products and I know foryou, jamel, part of your
learning last year is you wereable to participate in a
Founders Accelerator program.
Did that program help you kindof in this area about making
(12:10):
sure that you understand yourmarket and industry?
Absolutely.
Jamel Stephens (12:14):
Absolutely.
I was a part of the NortheastOklahoma City Renaissance
Oklahoma Minority FoundersAccelerator and I learned so
much through that organization,as well as being able to expand
my network, and I learned a lotabout value proposition what are
(12:38):
we actually bringing to themarket?
I think it's probably one ofthe biggest things I learned,
you know, really was able tokind of do some self-reflection
of like who we are as a companyand I really enjoyed, you know
enjoyed that opportunity.
Greg Jones (12:56):
And then, lastly, one of your last keys that you
mentioned was making sure thatyou know your business.
Tell us what you mean by that.
Jamel Stephens (13:05):
Absolutely, you know.
I think you know we kind ofhave to you know, to do that, we
have to know the fundamentalsof business, right?
You know what is our mission,right, what are we doing?
Um, what are we selling?
I think you know, a lot of timespeople are like, well, I sell
merch, I sell.
You know, I sell this and Isell that and I'm selling myself
(13:28):
.
And it's like, yeah, but whenyou, you know, when you get down
to the core of what you knowyour business is what are you
selling?
You know, uh, is it the service, is it a product?
You know like, that's that'sreally important, right, and
once you have that, you know,you need to know.
You know your finances, knowwhat are your avenues to secure
(13:50):
funding?
Is it going to be throughnon-delivered funding, such as
like loans and differentopportunities like that, or is
it going to be through you knowwhatever you know as well as you
know, and then, knowing youknow who are you trying to sell
to your ideal consumer?
(14:11):
There are so many differentaspects of your business and so
I think, knowing every singleaspect of your business,
understanding the fundamentalsof business like you said
earlier, ai is such a great tool.
I use it all the time you knowas well as just kind of going
back to, like you know, it isimportant to fact check what
(14:35):
you're, what you're learning,but I think it's a great basis,
a great foundation forunderstanding what it is you're
doing.
Greg Jones (14:42):
Well, thank you for that.
I absolutely agree with youthat you know knowing your
business steps keys, having aplan, having a strategy.
You mentioned beforerelationships.
I know that you know you.
Recently you have an advisoryteam that really steps in to
help you along with business,finding organizations and people
(15:06):
that you can trust, that youcan talk to.
You can explore the highs andthe lows.
I'm going to ask you thisquestion, and I know most
entrepreneurs.
You know they sleep and theybreathe and they drink their
business.
What do you do for fun.
Jamel Stephens (15:28):
Oh, that's a great question.
I, you know, I think that one Ido love, I love movies.
I love film In my free time.
Like I said, I am an artist.
I like to make music.
I don't publish anything, but Ido like thinking music it's
(15:50):
something that I'm verypassionate about, and then I
just love life, cooking and thecraft of that.
So I think I'm just an artist.
I think that's really what I doat the end of the day.
I just, you know, I likeanything that's stretching my
creative muscles.
Greg Jones (16:10):
Well, I appreciate that.
I mean most of us.
You know people sometimes thinkabout.
You know personality types.
You know, or your A type orthis type.
I just love having theopportunity to talk to you as so
much of a creative that hastaken kind of what you're
passionate about and having tobe able to incorporate that, but
(16:33):
also using that as leverage tohelp other artists to be able to
express themselves as well, andso I continue to wish you
success with Afropop, you know.
Is there anything else that youwant to share with our
listening audience before webegin to wrap up?
Jamel Stephens (16:53):
Oh, absolutely no.
I just I want to say to all ofyou you know all of your
listeners and you know, and keepthem in our orbit.
You can follow us on socialmedia at Afropop CEO.
Our website is AfropopCEOcom.
And so you know, if you want tojust like try our products, if
(17:14):
you want to know more about us,or if you want to get in touch
with me, that I think that's thebest way to, um, you know, to
to find us and um, I just youknow, like I said, I want to
just stay in touch I love it andI know that right now you're
based in oklahoma.
Greg Jones (17:29):
You've got uh dreams and aspirations, uh, to take
what you have in afropopnationwide, um, and so I think
it's awesome.
But you know, if you're, ifyou're locally here in the state
of Oklahoma, I believe you'vegot what?
Several locations where peoplecan find you in Oklahoma City
and Tulsa.
Jamel Stephens (17:47):
Oh yes, right now we have about 70 locations
that we currently sell with andgrowing right.
You know, our goal is like yousaid.
You know, to get it goingnationwide, but also to get into
grocery stores here in the cityand in Oklahoma, and then
nationally, and then the nextstep would be internationally.
Greg Jones (18:12):
Jamel, this has been a great conversation with you.
As he said, social channels,he's there.
Conversation with you, as hesaid, social channels, he's
there, matter of fact, if you goto his website and you can
actually subscribe and keep upto date.
I keep hearing that there aresome other flavors in the works
and so, man, I hope that youwill come back to the show.
(18:34):
The next time we have you back,you'll be like Greg.
Greg, when we first did theshow, we were in 70 locations.
Now we're in 150 locations andwe're in multiple states and,
man, I just I wish you continuedgrowth and also, if you are a
business owner listening hereand you're like man, I think I
might be able to contributesomething to help Jamil.
Or I have a skillset, orthere's something that I do
(18:56):
where I have a connection that Iwant man reach out to him as
well.
I know Jamil would be very opento that as well.
So, man, again, thank you forbeing on Three Keys for your
Journey.
We really appreciate you, man.
Jamel Stephens (19:13):
Thank you, greg, I really do appreciate it.
Greg Jones (19:15):
All right, tune in next time.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey.
Tune in next time for anotherepisode.
Jamel Stevens is a proud rural Oklahoma native
artist and advocate for change.
He serves as a board member ofthe Oklahoma City Black Chamber
of Commerce, CEO and founder ofAfropop, he's dedicated to
amplifying BIPOP artistry andcelebrating the rich diversity
of Oklahoma's craft soda scene.
(00:25):
Join me as we explore storiesof inspiration, innovation and
impact designed to empower anduplift our communities.
Get ready to be inspiredtogether.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Are you ready to unlock your potential?
Tune in to Three Keys for yourJourney podcast, where business
owners share invaluable insightsand empowering strategies to
guide you toward success.
Based in Oklahoma City, ourhost, greg T Jones, will inspire
and motivate you every week.
Get ready to join ourconversation as we build
(01:11):
community together.
Greg Jones (01:15):
All right.
Hello, mr Stevens.
How are you today?
I'm doing well.
How are you, greg?
I am in the orbit of Afropopman.
I'm feeling excited today.
I have had the opportunity overthe last year to try your craft
(01:35):
sodas.
Jamel Stephens (01:40):
And I'm telling you, man, you're on to something
.
Thank you so much and thank youfor having me on your show.
I really do appreciate it.
Um, this is a really goodopportunity and, uh, let's just
tell people about what we'redoing man, I tell you what it is
.
Greg Jones (01:54):
Uh, it's my pleasure .
Uh, so for our listeningaudience, some might not know
who you are.
Tell us who you are, introduceyourself, Um, and and then tell
us about, about your companyAfropop.
Jamel Stephens (02:09):
Absolutely.
Um.
Um, my name is Jamel Stevens.
Um, you know, I grew up inrural Oklahoma and I, you know,
I found myself, um, in myartistry.
So I I spent a lot of timefinding my cultural identity
through doing my work and what Ido, and I think that translates
(02:29):
to adulthood and just like whatI do now.
You know, serving my communityas a board member and also the
mission behind Afro Pop.
You know, afro Pop is an allnatural soda company, but we are
more than a soda company.
We're a celebration of Blackpeople.
We do partner with emergingBIPOC artists who design our
(02:51):
packaging, and this allows us tobe able to explore the unique
Black diaspora.
What we do is we connect ourproducts to, you know, the Black
community and the Black culture, and so, you know, my goal is
just to amplify that Blackvoices.
Greg Jones (03:09):
Man, thank you.
And what I think is interestingas well, when you talk about
artists, talk a little bit aboutyou know, you've got this craft
soda and you've got artiststhat actually design the labels.
Is that right?
Jamel Stephens (03:22):
Yes, so what we do is, you know, we research and
recruit artists to design thepackaging for our products.
We come up with a product andwe kind of come up with a story
and a narrative that we'retrying to tell through that
product, and then we give theopportunity to the artist to
actually design that and youknow, and then to be able to
(03:43):
express themselves creatively.
Greg Jones (03:46):
Well, I think that's wonderful.
It's okay, Briefly, becausesomebody out there is like man,
this guy's got, he's making soda.
What are the flavors that youhave right now?
Jamel Stephens (03:56):
Oh, absolutely.
So we have three flavors.
We have black of the berries,that's a blackberry vanilla soda
.
Greg Jones (04:09):
We have summer nights, which is a blueberry
lemonade soda, and then we havegrandma of the berries, that's a
blackberry vanilla soda, um, wehave summer nights, which is a
blueberry lemonade soda, andthen we have grandma's house,
which is a butterscotch creamsoda, um, yeah, well, I, I have
to say this, jamil, I have triedall three.
The last one, my favorite,happens to be summer nights, but
but the last one was, was thebutterscotch man, grandma's
house, I, I didn't, I, I, Iwasn't, I've never been a cream
soda guy.
But man, that butterscotch, oh,that's good, man, it's good, and
(04:34):
I just didn't, I, you know sodo I yeah, man, it's, it's good
anyway okay, you got me thinkingabout so all right, right now
you are expanding your business.
Growing your business.
How are you distributing yourproducts?
What are some of the waysyou're distributing your soda
(04:55):
products right now?
Jamel Stephens (05:04):
is through a partnership with Midwest
Distribution, based out ofNorman.
They focus on small localbusiness startups to distribute
our products.
You know, I focus mainly onlocal restaurant scenes, small
markets, things like that to be.
(05:26):
You know where we sell ourproducts.
You know, I think that's whereyou know where our people are at
and people are interested intrying Afropop.
Greg Jones (05:35):
I think it's wonderful and I have seen you
also out on weekends and variouscommunity events.
I've seen you some farmersmarkets, so you really are out
there trying to make sure thatpeople know about Afropop.
Jamel Stephens (05:55):
Absolutely.
You know I've definitely done alot within the community, like
I said, through events andthrough the farmer's market and
stuff, to you know, just to tryand get the name out there of
what we're doing and you knowgetting.
Greg Jones (06:09):
You know, getting people to be able to just try
our products and hear our storyno-transcript, and it always the
(06:38):
keys aren't always positivethings, but they are keys and
I'm glad that we have you ontoday because I'm looking
forward.
What are some things that youhave learned along your journey?
Jamel Stephens (06:49):
Absolutely so.
The big things that I'velearned, you know, is
relationship is really important.
You know, is relationship isreally important.
You know, and that's one of thereally big things is
relationships.
The second key that I'velearned is to understand the
industry that you're going into.
(07:10):
You know it's so important toknow your industry.
You know what is your marketcap.
You know what is your marketcap.
You know all these things.
It's very, very important, um.
And I think the third thing isto know to know your business
right.
Um, what are you know?
(07:31):
What does your business looklike?
Um, who are you trying to sellto?
Those are, those are probablythe three most important um
things to to me as a founder,and it is something that I would
like to share it to you know,to the world.
Greg Jones (07:47):
Well, thank you for that.
Let's let's start with thefirst one.
You talked about relationships.
When you think about, uh,building relationships, um, why
is that your number one key andwhat are some nuggets around,
why relationships are soimportant.
Jamel Stephens (08:05):
Well, you know, a lot of people always say that
your net, you know, your network, is your network.
Right, we hear that all thetime.
But I think you know, yourrelationship, you know, takes
that a little bit step further.
Right, we can, you know, we canadd people on social media all
day.
But really, you know, if we'renot, you know, nurturing that
(08:27):
relationship with people, thenyou know, you know, we're not
going to see a lot of movementwithin our, you know, within our
business.
You know, a quick example ofthat is that we recently scaled
up to producing 12 pallets ofsoda and we needed a logistics
company to help pick up thatproduct.
(08:48):
Well, you know, aroundChristmas time, that was really
hard to do, but there was arelationship that I was
nurturing, and so I was able tojust pick up the phone and call
a friend and say, hey, you know,do you have a truck to come and
pick up our products?
And so, you know, he said yes,and and it was a great
opportunity for me to supporthis business while also him
(09:09):
supporting us.
And so that's really what Imean by that is, you know, is
there someone that you can pickup the phone call that can help
you in your journey and whatyou're doing, and you can also
help them.
It's supposed to be a mutualbenefit there.
Greg Jones (09:26):
Man, I appreciate that and I think you are
absolutely right Building keyrelationships, authentic
relationships and relationshipsthat can build trust over time
and I love your example that canbuild trust over time, and I
love your example.
So when you get into asituation, you can now go to
that list of relationships thatyou have.
And then I love what you saidas well.
(09:47):
In our community, being able tosupport another business also
means a lot as well.
Most times when we think aboutour community like, man, can you
give me a discount, can yougive me a hookup?
It's not about that.
It's about buildingrelationships and it's about
doing whatever is fair to makesure that you actually support
the business.
And so, man, I reallyappreciate that.
(10:10):
Your second one you talkedabout was really understanding
your industry.
What do you mean by that?
Jamel Stephens (10:17):
Absolutely industry.
What do you mean by that?
Absolutely?
You know.
So for me, I, you know, Ibelieve that you know.
Anything that you know that youdo has to be done with quality,
and so you know that you know.
For the beverage industry, youknow.
That's understanding what youknow.
What are our critical points?
You know what's going.
You know how can we make thebest product that we possibly
(10:38):
can right.
Also, to you know what's going,you know how can we make the
best product that we possiblycan right.
But also to you know, to add tothat is to understand the
market.
What are the trends within themarket right now?
So you know, in soda, we'reseeing a lot of health-conscious
sodas.
So you know that tells me.
You know I need to make surethat my product is meeting what
the you know what the marketwants, as well as just
(11:00):
understanding what your marketcap is.
If I came here and said I wantto be a trillion-dollar soda
company but the market cap is$450 billion, that doesn't
really make sense.
And so I think, understandingyour industry in and out,
understanding how can you makethe best products, how can you
sell that product and what isthe market cap for how much you
(11:21):
can make.
That is understanding yourindustry.
Greg Jones (11:26):
I think that's great and you know I want to point
out to our listening audienceswherever you're at, wherever
state you're in, wherever you'relistening from, you know that's
doing research and there aretons of tools now that are
online that can help you, butmost times your local chamber of
commerce is that have researchdevelopment departments.
(11:47):
We now are in this AI world.
You still have to trust andverify what you learn on AI, but
there are tools out there tohelp you understand and research
your products and I know foryou, jamel, part of your
learning last year is you wereable to participate in a
Founders Accelerator program.
Did that program help you kindof in this area about making
(12:10):
sure that you understand yourmarket and industry?
Absolutely.
Jamel Stephens (12:14):
Absolutely.
I was a part of the NortheastOklahoma City Renaissance
Oklahoma Minority FoundersAccelerator and I learned so
much through that organization,as well as being able to expand
my network, and I learned a lotabout value proposition what are
(12:38):
we actually bringing to themarket?
I think it's probably one ofthe biggest things I learned,
you know, really was able tokind of do some self-reflection
of like who we are as a companyand I really enjoyed, you know
enjoyed that opportunity.
Greg Jones (12:56):
And then, lastly, one of your last keys that you
mentioned was making sure thatyou know your business.
Tell us what you mean by that.
Jamel Stephens (13:05):
Absolutely, you know.
I think you know we kind ofhave to you know, to do that, we
have to know the fundamentalsof business, right?
You know what is our mission,right, what are we doing?
Um, what are we selling?
I think you know, a lot of timespeople are like, well, I sell
merch, I sell.
You know, I sell this and Isell that and I'm selling myself
(13:28):
.
And it's like, yeah, but whenyou, you know, when you get down
to the core of what you knowyour business is what are you
selling?
You know, uh, is it the service, is it a product?
You know like, that's that'sreally important, right, and
once you have that, you know,you need to know.
You know your finances, knowwhat are your avenues to secure
(13:50):
funding?
Is it going to be throughnon-delivered funding, such as
like loans and differentopportunities like that, or is
it going to be through you knowwhatever you know as well as you
know, and then, knowing youknow who are you trying to sell
to your ideal consumer?
(14:11):
There are so many differentaspects of your business and so
I think, knowing every singleaspect of your business,
understanding the fundamentalsof business like you said
earlier, ai is such a great tool.
I use it all the time you knowas well as just kind of going
back to, like you know, it isimportant to fact check what
(14:35):
you're, what you're learning,but I think it's a great basis,
a great foundation forunderstanding what it is you're
doing.
Greg Jones (14:42):
Well, thank you for that.
I absolutely agree with youthat you know knowing your
business steps keys, having aplan, having a strategy.
You mentioned beforerelationships.
I know that you know you.
Recently you have an advisoryteam that really steps in to
help you along with business,finding organizations and people
(15:06):
that you can trust, that youcan talk to.
You can explore the highs andthe lows.
I'm going to ask you thisquestion, and I know most
entrepreneurs.
You know they sleep and theybreathe and they drink their
business.
What do you do for fun.
Jamel Stephens (15:28):
Oh, that's a great question.
I, you know, I think that one Ido love, I love movies.
I love film In my free time.
Like I said, I am an artist.
I like to make music.
I don't publish anything, but Ido like thinking music it's
(15:50):
something that I'm verypassionate about, and then I
just love life, cooking and thecraft of that.
So I think I'm just an artist.
I think that's really what I doat the end of the day.
I just, you know, I likeanything that's stretching my
creative muscles.
Greg Jones (16:10):
Well, I appreciate that.
I mean most of us.
You know people sometimes thinkabout.
You know personality types.
You know, or your A type orthis type.
I just love having theopportunity to talk to you as so
much of a creative that hastaken kind of what you're
passionate about and having tobe able to incorporate that, but
(16:33):
also using that as leverage tohelp other artists to be able to
express themselves as well, andso I continue to wish you
success with Afropop, you know.
Is there anything else that youwant to share with our
listening audience before webegin to wrap up?
Jamel Stephens (16:53):
Oh, absolutely no.
I just I want to say to all ofyou you know all of your
listeners and you know, and keepthem in our orbit.
You can follow us on socialmedia at Afropop CEO.
Our website is AfropopCEOcom.
And so you know, if you want tojust like try our products, if
(17:14):
you want to know more about us,or if you want to get in touch
with me, that I think that's thebest way to, um, you know, to
to find us and um, I just youknow, like I said, I want to
just stay in touch I love it andI know that right now you're
based in oklahoma.
Greg Jones (17:29):
You've got uh dreams and aspirations, uh, to take
what you have in afropopnationwide, um, and so I think
it's awesome.
But you know, if you're, ifyou're locally here in the state
of Oklahoma, I believe you'vegot what?
Several locations where peoplecan find you in Oklahoma City
and Tulsa.
Jamel Stephens (17:47):
Oh yes, right now we have about 70 locations
that we currently sell with andgrowing right.
You know, our goal is like yousaid.
You know, to get it goingnationwide, but also to get into
grocery stores here in the cityand in Oklahoma, and then
nationally, and then the nextstep would be internationally.
Greg Jones (18:12):
Jamel, this has been a great conversation with you.
As he said, social channels,he's there.
Conversation with you, as hesaid, social channels, he's
there, matter of fact, if you goto his website and you can
actually subscribe and keep upto date.
I keep hearing that there aresome other flavors in the works
and so, man, I hope that youwill come back to the show.
(18:34):
The next time we have you back,you'll be like Greg.
Greg, when we first did theshow, we were in 70 locations.
Now we're in 150 locations andwe're in multiple states and,
man, I just I wish you continuedgrowth and also, if you are a
business owner listening hereand you're like man, I think I
might be able to contributesomething to help Jamil.
Or I have a skillset, orthere's something that I do
(18:56):
where I have a connection that Iwant man reach out to him as
well.
I know Jamil would be very opento that as well.
So, man, again, thank you forbeing on Three Keys for your
Journey.
We really appreciate you, man.
Jamel Stephens (19:13):
Thank you, greg, I really do appreciate it.
Greg Jones (19:15):
All right, tune in next time.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey.
Tune in next time for anotherepisode.
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