Breaking the Chains of Definition: Felecia Hatcher's Journey to Success

Welcome to How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield. In this episode, we dive into the inspiring journey of Felicia Hatcher, CEO of Pharrell Williams Black Ambition Opportunity Fund and co-founder of Black Tech Week conference. Hatcher shares her story of overcoming the challenges of being a C student in high school and how scholarships changed her perspective on education. Her experience led her to author the C Students Guide to Scholarships and start her own educational consulting business, teaching nontraditional students how to navigate the college application process. We discuss the impact of biased guidance from counselors on young individuals and how it affected Hatcher's decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of having someone in your corner with higher expectations and belief in your abilities. We also touch on Hatcher's experiences in experiential marketing and social media in the early 2000s, working with brands such as Nintendo and Sony. Hatcher shares her experience of entering the tech space through marketing and eventually launching Code Fever to teach African American and Caribbean youth how to code. We also discuss Black Tech Week and the Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, which invests in black and Latinx startup founders and provides resources and funding for Black-owned businesses. Don't miss this episode full of valuable insights and inspiring stories. Follow Felicia Hatcher on all social media platforms and check out the Black Ambition Prize for entrepreneurial funding opportunities.

- Interview with Felicia Hatcher, CEO of Black Ambition Opportunity Fund

- Winning scholarships changed her perspective

- Creating opportunities for nontraditional students

- Importance of having supportive mentors

- Encouragement can change life trajectory

- Early exposure to technology and coding

- Launching Code Fever to teach coding to youth

- Origin of Black Tech Week and its purpose

- Journey of starting a frozen dessert business

- Overcoming financial difficulties as an entrepreneur

- Building an entrepreneurship ecosystem in Miami

- Black Ambition Opportunity Fund's mission and programs

- Abundant mindset and not creating limitations

- Quickfire questions and future projects

- Where to follow and subscribe to the speaker

Introduction [00:00:23] Starting a business after college [00:09:30] Creating immersive experiences [00:11:55] Social media boom [00:12:06] Jumping into the tech field [00:12:43] Founding Code Fever [00:14:45] Branding strategy: associating with experiences [00:26:19] Planning during financial difficulties [00:32:22]

Connect with Felecia on....

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feleciahatcher/

Website: https://www.feleciahatcher.com/