September 19, 2023 • 20 mins
Have you ever faced a huge setback that you had to step back and start from scratch? I, Diamond Young, host of the BLK Directory Podcast, know that feeling too well. Kicking off our third season, bear it all – the trials, the tribulations, and the triumphs. When I lost my job at Twitter and our app crashed, I found myself in a whirlwind of uncertainty. Yet, instead of losing hope, it was a journey of reinvention, a dive into entrepreneurship, and a testament to my resilience. So, join me, as I narrate my rollercoaster journey of self-recovery and the pursuit of success in this fresh season.
This season is set to be unlike any other, with guest features that are both unique and insightful. We'll navigate through the aftermath of my job loss, the crash of our app, and the road to re-establishing the mission of the BLK Directory. The importance of allowing yourself to mourn lost dreams and the courage to start back at square one while acknowledging the progress made will be delved into. The Melanated Yoga Tour and the behind-the-scenes tale of how sponsorships came into play will also feature in our conversations. So, gear up for an emotional, educational, and enlightening journey, as we traverse through highs and lows, and turn trials into triumphs, together.
Thank you so much for checking out our latest episode!
If you've enjoyed this podcast, then please leave us a 5-star rating & review. This will tremendously help me reach more people and create an impact.
If you would like to keep up with us outside of the podcast, check out the links below:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Diamond Young (00:01):
You're listening to the BLK Directory podcast,
where we focus on bringing blackentrepreneur experiences to the
forefront.
Each week, we will discuss thehighs, the lows, and everything
in between.
I'm your host, Diamond Young.
Let's dive in.
Hello everyone, it's your host,diamond Young, and we are back
(00:26):
with not even another episodeand another season of the BLK
Directory podcast.
That's right.
We are back with season threeand I am so excited.
Honestly, this feels like newterritory all over again.
I feel like I haven't been herein so long.
Really, I've been creatingepisodes all this year, just
(00:50):
preparing for season three, butthis is my first solo episode
and it feels a little weird.
I'm not going to lie, but I amjust excited to be back.
There is so much to catch up on,so much to talk about.
When I tell you this season isgoing to be so good, I'm so
(01:12):
serious.
Yeah, it's like, if you havebeen listening to the Black
Directory podcast all along, youalready know we always put our
best foot forward with theguests that we have on the
quality of the show.
But this season is going to bedifferent because we really took
our time with finding gueststhat we thought like, okay, they
(01:35):
would bring something reallyspecial to the show, very unique
.
We want them to leave gyms.
We want them to teach you guyshow to get to the bag or really
just give you even more of aninsight into their industry.
In case that's something thatyou want to do, I'm super
excited about it.
This time we're actually doinga true season.
(01:57):
Before we were just doing itweekly and filling it out, but
this time we're actually goingto do a set amount of episodes,
really give it our all and justto create a show that is more
streamlined, more structured,more relevant, more fun.
I'm just happy about that.
Again, if you were listeningbefore, thank you for sticking
(02:19):
with us and for supporting us.
If you're new, welcome.
Welcome to the Black.
Oh, see, this thing's happened.
We keep all it real over hereat the Black Directory podcast.
But if you're new, thank you.
Thank you for tuning in andjust trying to learn more about
what we have going on here onthe Black Directory podcast show
(02:42):
.
So first order of business.
In FYI, there will be no guestson this episode.
I thought it was only right todo a solo episode this time,
just to catch you all up on whathappened.
Where did we go?
I feel like we were off thegrid.
We were off the grid, we werehitting our episodes and then it
(03:03):
just went it was crickets.
Okay, it was crickets, andguess what?
Your girl got laid off.
Yes, your girl got laid off andI could have just started this
season just acting like nothinghappened, going straight into
the episode with the guests.
(03:24):
But in reality, there arethings to talk about and I
really wanted to use this firstepisode to be transparent.
There may be some of you who mayrelate to being laid off in
just that journey of having tostart over, especially as an
entrepreneur.
I was one of those people whereI had my corporate job, my tech
(03:48):
job, and it funded my business.
It funded everything and I hadthat safety net.
I knew I got paid every twoweeks and it just really created
a comfortability, I would say.
And when I tell you last, likeOctober, we're going into going
(04:09):
into November, everythingchanged I am not joking Like,
not only do we lose our app,which some of you may have
downloaded, our app If you'renew.
We, black Directory, used tohave an app where you could find
Black home businesses locallyand rate and review them, check
them out, learn more about whatthey have going on, use maps,
(04:31):
and drive to the locations.
It was so cool.
I get sad thinking about it.
It was so cool.
I worked so hard and spentmoney.
I'm sure someone could relatewhen you just pour so much of
yourself into a project.
I gave that app my everything.
I gave it my everything.
(04:52):
I was working with people thatI didn't know.
I don't code, so it was justsuch a journey.
It was such a journey.
It was new territory.
It was something that I wasproud of and, to be honest, I
thought it was something thatmade Black Directory Black
Directory so lost the app bugcrashes and things that I
(05:14):
couldn't fix and help myself.
I didn't trust anyone.
I couldn't find a developerthat I felt like OK could help
us, and I don't know.
It was just such a weird time.
So I had that going on and then, simultaneously, I got laid off
from my job.
For those of you who don't know,I was working at Twitter for
(05:35):
three years.
I was working as a learning anddevelopment specialist, so that
was my day job after gradschool and that was important
too, in the sense of that wasfamiliar and your coworkers
become your friends and family,and when I started Black
(05:57):
Directory.
I was living in Oakland at thetime, so Twitter has such a
special place in my heart.
But we did face layoffs lastfall, so I lost two things at
the same time and I just had tostep away.
I had to step away.
I was overwhelmed.
(06:18):
I'm like, okay, I'm living inHouston, I have this apartment,
how am I going to pay my bills?
What's going to happen?
It was just so much uncertaintyaround me and I was just in a
really lost place.
I just couldn't see past forone.
The app being down, I just feltlike it's over, it's a wrap.
(06:40):
Who are we without this app?
I just couldn't really process.
It was hard to get up.
I couldn't even talk about itwithout crying.
I couldn't process whathappened.
I just knew, whoa, everythinghas changed at one time at the
(07:03):
same time.
So, anyways, that happened.
I started getting into freelancework, contract work, and this
was my true likeentrepreneurship, like something
that I always wanted, and youdon't know really what you're
asking for until you get it,which is like whoa.
This is a high level ofuncomfortability and uncertainty
(07:25):
and it's scary, and I just knewI didn't want to go back home,
I didn't want to move back toNorth Carolina.
I just wanted to figure it out,but I ended up getting into
freelance and contract or workwith marketing, because I've
always been good at marketing.
It was always in my heart, Iloved it and I'm not going to
hold you all.
(07:45):
Everything started comingtogether.
It's crazy how sometimes thingshave to fall apart to come
together.
Things have to literally likethe rug has to get pulled.
The rug sometimes has to getpulled in order for you to know,
I still have my feet on theground.
It may feel a little bitdifferent because that same rug
(08:06):
isn't there, but I'm good, Ihave what I need in order to
crawl, walk again, run again,whatever, you know, I have what
I need.
So, month after month, I justfigured it out, but what it did
is it made room for me to focuson Black Directory full time,
(08:27):
which was something that Ialways wanted to do, but that,
just that wasn't the dynamic youknow.
So I had the right idea.
Something else to catch you upon is well, actually, I'm going
to save that.
I'm going to save that.
But back to the layoffs.
I was laid off on unemploymenttrying to figure it out, didn't
(08:49):
want to go home trying to see ifI can be a contractor,
freelance or trying to figureout how to really, you know,
market myself.
But it was hard becausesometimes you can market for
others.
But it's very different whenyou are in that vulnerable space
because you never want to actout in a sense of desperation,
because you're just frantic,you're panicking, you're just
(09:12):
mentally all over the place andI still just hadn't come to
terms with everything thathappened to the app and shout
out to mom.
Mom came to Texas, she came toHouston and we just had a long
conversation and she basicallytold me, like hey, black
(09:33):
Directory is still BlackDirectory, with or without the
app.
That's never what made it whatit was, because as long as the
mission is still true, you'restill helping people, whether
it's through the podcast orsocial media, in person, then
it's being fulfilled.
It's just not in the way thatyou thought and she had to
really break it down that thisisn't a failure.
(09:55):
You accomplish something thatyou wanted to do, is something
that other people may be tryingto do If they're on a similar
path, and she just explainedthat it doesn't mean you'll
never have an app again.
It's just a not right now, andI really had to take that time.
This was January.
At this point, I had to takethat time to mourn the app.
(10:16):
I had to really mourn it andmake peace with it.
And it sounds cheesy, but I hadto dream again.
I had to really think aboutOkay, if I have to, my eyes are
closed because that's what washappening, but I've had to think
to myself Okay, if you had toimagine your business without
the app, without the thing thatyou think makes it it right,
(10:40):
what does that look like?
And I had to sit with that fora few days of like, okay, maybe
we should be a nonprofit, maybewe should do this, maybe we
should do that.
And, honestly, that was thebest thing I could have ever
done, because I feel, I felt andfeel so you know, my mind is
clear, I can think I'm doingmore than I ever would have
(11:03):
because, really, the app made mefeel Comfortable, because I
feel like we made it.
I feel like, well, that that wasthe thing that made us stand
out and I had to really go backto square one.
And if you're listening and youresonate with this at all,
something that I want you totake away is that it's okay to
pivot, it's okay to go back tosquare one, but square one
(11:24):
doesn't mean, like I know, wesaid ground zero, but you, the
progress that you may isn'terased.
You're just saying, okay,what's the different route you
know to the same destination?
Okay, maybe it's not a going toswim, going that way, long as
you get there.
That's something to be proud ofand it really is so important
for us to Embrace the progressthat we've made, and a lot of
(11:50):
times we're our biggest credit.
You know we're the ones thatare putting ourselves down more
than others sometimes, so I hadto really Figure all that out.
But I want to fast forward tojust where we are today.
Since then, I'm still doingcontract or work for HR,
Learning and Developent space,things like that.
You know I gotta pay the billsuntil we got, you know,
(12:12):
monetizing grow.
But we are a nonprofit now andthat was something that I
thought about.
But again, having all thisspare time, I was able to make
those changes of like you knowwhat?
Yeah, let's, let's try that,let's, let's.
Maybe we should be a nonprofitbecause we are more for the
community and just the thingsthat I e nvisioned us doing,
(12:34):
which is having a scholarshipfund for HBCU students that
we're working on and havinginterns and giving back and
helping the community and givinggrants and Wanting to raise
funds is it just makes sensethat we were in a different
Business legal structure.
So that was a change that wemade.
(12:54):
Another change that we made thatsome of you may already know if
you've been following us is wecreated a yoga tour.
We already did the melanatedyoga here and there in Houston,
but I really wanted to Focus onthat a little more this year.
So we did a four-city melanatedyoga tour.
(13:16):
So Raleigh, Austin, Atlanta,and we're going to have two
stops in Houston and I'm just soproud, just talking about it
out loud.
I'm just so happy that I didn'tget too stuck on the app thing,
because what we've been able todo this year like we got our
(13:37):
first sponsor that actually gaveus money for the tour, but we
also had many sponsors that gaveus products for the giveaway
bags and just how everythingcame together it was such a
Beautiful experience that Idon't know if I would have
Experienced it if I didn't getout of my own way and out of my
(13:59):
own head and I didn't say it hasto be like this, we have to go
down this path.
That's detrimental, and I'mjust so Happy that I let myself
reimagine and rethink andrepurpose, you know, refocus,
all all the re's.
We had to re, re and get backtogether.
That's so corny, but we had toget get back on track and it's
(14:23):
just been so rewarding.
So we've been able to takeBlack Directory on the road and
meet people that we wouldn'thave really met any any other
way, you know.
And we're getting back into ourhappy hours now.
We've hosted a few in Houstonand just creating those social
mixers in a way to connect withthe more people.
And I'm telling you all it'sbeen.
(14:44):
It's been rewarding.
So we have went deeper intoevents, but it's really helped
us grow a lot.
We always kept the social mediagoing as far as where we're on
pretty much everything, butTikTok is really just showed up
and showed out.
We're now at 18K, but and it'snot about numbers, but it's just
(15:08):
more so if you've beenfollowing us, you know when we
were like not there, we weretrying to find our voice online
and find people that resonatedwith us and could connect to our
mission, and it's just reallybeautiful to see, just in a year
, all that's changed and allthat's happened and I'm just
(15:28):
super proud.
I'm super proud of where we'reheaded.
I'm super proud of what we'veaccomplished so far.
And we're just getting started.
When I tell you HBCUscholarships are coming, that's
coming.
Internships and volunteeropportunities are coming Super
excited about that.
We're hosting our monthlycommunity mixers here in Houston
(15:49):
and we're just getting preparedto create membership because we
want to have impact everywhere,not just Houston.
I get that question the most isis this just a Houston thing?
We're based out of Houston.
Because I live in Houston, it'seasier for me to do things here
.
But best believe, we want toreach everywhere, you know,
(16:10):
anywhere where people want togrow and celebrate black owned
businesses, especially if you'rean entrepreneur.
We definitely have some amazingthings coming down the pipeline
.
We will be creating workshops.
We really want to focus ongiving tools and resources and
(16:31):
helping the development sidewhen it comes to black
businesses.
Everyone's not an entrepreneur.
Some people they have abusiness but they're still
trying to figure out how to growand how to scale.
And we want to positionourselves to be a resource, not
just hey, we're promoting you onTikTok.
It's like, okay, we're not justa promo page, I'm just excited.
(16:53):
And again, I'm super excitedabout this podcast and the
stories that you're going tohear, the gems that you're going
to receive, all the nuggets,all the cool things, and we're
just getting started.
I think that's the best part.
This year we turned three, but Ifeel like we're just getting
(17:13):
started and I feel just thatexciting feeling that I felt
when I first started BlackDirectory.
And this is back and I feelgood, and it feels good even to
be talking to you all recordingthis episode, because it's been
a journey since October,November last year.
It's been a journey.
I'm telling you just for moreinsight.
(17:36):
I didn't even want to get backon the microphone Like it just
felt like not an identity crisis, but I was just lost within the
business and real life and whatthey say life be lifeing.
You know, if you know, you know, but I'm just excited.
I feel more like myself, I feelmore fulfilled.
(17:56):
I'm just ready to pour, youknow, pour into others.
I want to connect with others.
I want people to feel like weare a resource and we're making
a difference.
But that's enough of what'shappened.
I just wanted to update you all.
This episode isn't too long,but I thought it would be so
weird to start this seasonwithout bringing you all on that
(18:20):
journey of what's going on.
They dropped all these episodes.
They disappeared.
We are back, rest assured.
We're back Better than ever.
I'm just super excited for youall to see what's in store, and,
of course, we always include alot of good information in the
show notes.
But if you're new to thispodcast or maybe you just
(18:44):
haven't listened in a long timebe sure to follow us.
Check out our website, which isblkdirectory.
com.
Check out our TikTok.
We're on other social media aswell as Instagram, and TikTok,
and we're a Directory acrossthe board.
But definitely check out ourTikTok, because we have so many
cool things going on there, justgiving you all updates on
(19:05):
what's going on in the Blackcommunity and just things that
we should be celebrating moreoften.
Those are the things that wepromote and that we create.
And something else that's newis we have a Discord channel.
So if you are someone whereyou're looking to build
community and meet like-mindedindividuals and celebrate Black
businesses and get together,join our Discord group.
(19:28):
It is amazing.
It's a great way to connect.
I'll be sure to give you thosedetails as well and be sure to
subscribe.
Tell your friends, and yourfamily, tell everyone about this
podcast.
It's so amazing and I'm notjust saying that because I'm
hosting it but you really get tohear from Black people telling
(19:49):
their stories and it doesn't getany better than that, in my
humble opinion.
So catch up on some episodes.
If this is your first time, ormaybe you missed some, it will
be worth it, trust me, trust me.
Trust me, but that is it forthis episode.
You all.
I can't wait to talk to you allagain.
(20:11):
I can't wait to see what youthink about the rest of the
episodes this season.
Let us know your thoughts too.
If there's you would like to bea guest on the show, or if you
know someone that would be agreat guest, I'll include
information as well on that andthe show notes.
And, yeah, if you just want tosupport, this is a great way to
support.
If you're trying to figure outhow to get involved, share the
(20:33):
podcast with someone this week.
And, yeah, I can't wait for youall to tune into the next one.
Bye, thank you for spendingsome time with us Enjoying the
show.
Be sure to subscribe and leaveus a rating and review Until
next time.
You're listening to the BLK Directory podcast,
where we focus on bringing blackentrepreneur experiences to the
forefront.
Each week, we will discuss thehighs, the lows, and everything
in between.
I'm your host, Diamond Young.
Let's dive in.
Hello everyone, it's your host,diamond Young, and we are back
(00:26):
with not even another episodeand another season of the BLK
Directory podcast.
That's right.
We are back with season threeand I am so excited.
Honestly, this feels like newterritory all over again.
I feel like I haven't been herein so long.
Really, I've been creatingepisodes all this year, just
(00:50):
preparing for season three, butthis is my first solo episode
and it feels a little weird.
I'm not going to lie, but I amjust excited to be back.
There is so much to catch up on,so much to talk about.
When I tell you this season isgoing to be so good, I'm so
(01:12):
serious.
Yeah, it's like, if you havebeen listening to the Black
Directory podcast all along, youalready know we always put our
best foot forward with theguests that we have on the
quality of the show.
But this season is going to bedifferent because we really took
our time with finding gueststhat we thought like, okay, they
(01:35):
would bring something reallyspecial to the show, very unique
.
We want them to leave gyms.
We want them to teach you guyshow to get to the bag or really
just give you even more of aninsight into their industry.
In case that's something thatyou want to do, I'm super
excited about it.
This time we're actually doinga true season.
(01:57):
Before we were just doing itweekly and filling it out, but
this time we're actually goingto do a set amount of episodes,
really give it our all and justto create a show that is more
streamlined, more structured,more relevant, more fun.
I'm just happy about that.
Again, if you were listeningbefore, thank you for sticking
(02:19):
with us and for supporting us.
If you're new, welcome.
Welcome to the Black.
Oh, see, this thing's happened.
We keep all it real over hereat the Black Directory podcast.
But if you're new, thank you.
Thank you for tuning in andjust trying to learn more about
what we have going on here onthe Black Directory podcast show
(02:42):
.
So first order of business.
In FYI, there will be no guestson this episode.
I thought it was only right todo a solo episode this time,
just to catch you all up on whathappened.
Where did we go?
I feel like we were off thegrid.
We were off the grid, we werehitting our episodes and then it
(03:03):
just went it was crickets.
Okay, it was crickets, andguess what?
Your girl got laid off.
Yes, your girl got laid off andI could have just started this
season just acting like nothinghappened, going straight into
the episode with the guests.
(03:24):
But in reality, there arethings to talk about and I
really wanted to use this firstepisode to be transparent.
There may be some of you who mayrelate to being laid off in
just that journey of having tostart over, especially as an
entrepreneur.
I was one of those people whereI had my corporate job, my tech
(03:48):
job, and it funded my business.
It funded everything and I hadthat safety net.
I knew I got paid every twoweeks and it just really created
a comfortability, I would say.
And when I tell you last, likeOctober, we're going into going
(04:09):
into November, everythingchanged I am not joking Like,
not only do we lose our app,which some of you may have
downloaded, our app If you'renew.
We, black Directory, used tohave an app where you could find
Black home businesses locallyand rate and review them, check
them out, learn more about whatthey have going on, use maps,
(04:31):
and drive to the locations.
It was so cool.
I get sad thinking about it.
It was so cool.
I worked so hard and spentmoney.
I'm sure someone could relatewhen you just pour so much of
yourself into a project.
I gave that app my everything.
I gave it my everything.
(04:52):
I was working with people thatI didn't know.
I don't code, so it was justsuch a journey.
It was such a journey.
It was new territory.
It was something that I wasproud of and, to be honest, I
thought it was something thatmade Black Directory Black
Directory so lost the app bugcrashes and things that I
(05:14):
couldn't fix and help myself.
I didn't trust anyone.
I couldn't find a developerthat I felt like OK could help
us, and I don't know.
It was just such a weird time.
So I had that going on and then, simultaneously, I got laid off
from my job.
For those of you who don't know,I was working at Twitter for
(05:35):
three years.
I was working as a learning anddevelopment specialist, so that
was my day job after gradschool and that was important
too, in the sense of that wasfamiliar and your coworkers
become your friends and family,and when I started Black
(05:57):
Directory.
I was living in Oakland at thetime, so Twitter has such a
special place in my heart.
But we did face layoffs lastfall, so I lost two things at
the same time and I just had tostep away.
I had to step away.
I was overwhelmed.
(06:18):
I'm like, okay, I'm living inHouston, I have this apartment,
how am I going to pay my bills?
What's going to happen?
It was just so much uncertaintyaround me and I was just in a
really lost place.
I just couldn't see past forone.
The app being down, I just feltlike it's over, it's a wrap.
(06:40):
Who are we without this app?
I just couldn't really process.
It was hard to get up.
I couldn't even talk about itwithout crying.
I couldn't process whathappened.
I just knew, whoa, everythinghas changed at one time at the
(07:03):
same time.
So, anyways, that happened.
I started getting into freelancework, contract work, and this
was my true likeentrepreneurship, like something
that I always wanted, and youdon't know really what you're
asking for until you get it,which is like whoa.
This is a high level ofuncomfortability and uncertainty
(07:25):
and it's scary, and I just knewI didn't want to go back home,
I didn't want to move back toNorth Carolina.
I just wanted to figure it out,but I ended up getting into
freelance and contract or workwith marketing, because I've
always been good at marketing.
It was always in my heart, Iloved it and I'm not going to
hold you all.
(07:45):
Everything started comingtogether.
It's crazy how sometimes thingshave to fall apart to come
together.
Things have to literally likethe rug has to get pulled.
The rug sometimes has to getpulled in order for you to know,
I still have my feet on theground.
It may feel a little bitdifferent because that same rug
(08:06):
isn't there, but I'm good, Ihave what I need in order to
crawl, walk again, run again,whatever, you know, I have what
I need.
So, month after month, I justfigured it out, but what it did
is it made room for me to focuson Black Directory full time,
(08:27):
which was something that Ialways wanted to do, but that,
just that wasn't the dynamic youknow.
So I had the right idea.
Something else to catch you upon is well, actually, I'm going
to save that.
I'm going to save that.
But back to the layoffs.
I was laid off on unemploymenttrying to figure it out, didn't
(08:49):
want to go home trying to see ifI can be a contractor,
freelance or trying to figureout how to really, you know,
market myself.
But it was hard becausesometimes you can market for
others.
But it's very different whenyou are in that vulnerable space
because you never want to actout in a sense of desperation,
because you're just frantic,you're panicking, you're just
(09:12):
mentally all over the place andI still just hadn't come to
terms with everything thathappened to the app and shout
out to mom.
Mom came to Texas, she came toHouston and we just had a long
conversation and she basicallytold me, like hey, black
(09:33):
Directory is still BlackDirectory, with or without the
app.
That's never what made it whatit was, because as long as the
mission is still true, you'restill helping people, whether
it's through the podcast orsocial media, in person, then
it's being fulfilled.
It's just not in the way thatyou thought and she had to
really break it down that thisisn't a failure.
(09:55):
You accomplish something thatyou wanted to do, is something
that other people may be tryingto do If they're on a similar
path, and she just explainedthat it doesn't mean you'll
never have an app again.
It's just a not right now, andI really had to take that time.
This was January.
At this point, I had to takethat time to mourn the app.
(10:16):
I had to really mourn it andmake peace with it.
And it sounds cheesy, but I hadto dream again.
I had to really think aboutOkay, if I have to, my eyes are
closed because that's what washappening, but I've had to think
to myself Okay, if you had toimagine your business without
the app, without the thing thatyou think makes it it right,
(10:40):
what does that look like?
And I had to sit with that fora few days of like, okay, maybe
we should be a nonprofit, maybewe should do this, maybe we
should do that.
And, honestly, that was thebest thing I could have ever
done, because I feel, I felt andfeel so you know, my mind is
clear, I can think I'm doingmore than I ever would have
(11:03):
because, really, the app made mefeel Comfortable, because I
feel like we made it.
I feel like, well, that that wasthe thing that made us stand
out and I had to really go backto square one.
And if you're listening and youresonate with this at all,
something that I want you totake away is that it's okay to
pivot, it's okay to go back tosquare one, but square one
(11:24):
doesn't mean, like I know, wesaid ground zero, but you, the
progress that you may isn'terased.
You're just saying, okay,what's the different route you
know to the same destination?
Okay, maybe it's not a going toswim, going that way, long as
you get there.
That's something to be proud ofand it really is so important
for us to Embrace the progressthat we've made, and a lot of
(11:50):
times we're our biggest credit.
You know we're the ones thatare putting ourselves down more
than others sometimes, so I hadto really Figure all that out.
But I want to fast forward tojust where we are today.
Since then, I'm still doingcontract or work for HR,
Learning and Developent space,things like that.
You know I gotta pay the billsuntil we got, you know,
(12:12):
monetizing grow.
But we are a nonprofit now andthat was something that I
thought about.
But again, having all thisspare time, I was able to make
those changes of like you knowwhat?
Yeah, let's, let's try that,let's, let's.
Maybe we should be a nonprofitbecause we are more for the
community and just the thingsthat I e nvisioned us doing,
(12:34):
which is having a scholarshipfund for HBCU students that
we're working on and havinginterns and giving back and
helping the community and givinggrants and Wanting to raise
funds is it just makes sensethat we were in a different
Business legal structure.
So that was a change that wemade.
(12:54):
Another change that we made thatsome of you may already know if
you've been following us is wecreated a yoga tour.
We already did the melanatedyoga here and there in Houston,
but I really wanted to Focus onthat a little more this year.
So we did a four-city melanatedyoga tour.
(13:16):
So Raleigh, Austin, Atlanta,and we're going to have two
stops in Houston and I'm just soproud, just talking about it
out loud.
I'm just so happy that I didn'tget too stuck on the app thing,
because what we've been able todo this year like we got our
(13:37):
first sponsor that actually gaveus money for the tour, but we
also had many sponsors that gaveus products for the giveaway
bags and just how everythingcame together it was such a
Beautiful experience that Idon't know if I would have
Experienced it if I didn't getout of my own way and out of my
(13:59):
own head and I didn't say it hasto be like this, we have to go
down this path.
That's detrimental, and I'mjust so Happy that I let myself
reimagine and rethink andrepurpose, you know, refocus,
all all the re's.
We had to re, re and get backtogether.
That's so corny, but we had toget get back on track and it's
(14:23):
just been so rewarding.
So we've been able to takeBlack Directory on the road and
meet people that we wouldn'thave really met any any other
way, you know.
And we're getting back into ourhappy hours now.
We've hosted a few in Houstonand just creating those social
mixers in a way to connect withthe more people.
And I'm telling you all it'sbeen.
(14:44):
It's been rewarding.
So we have went deeper intoevents, but it's really helped
us grow a lot.
We always kept the social mediagoing as far as where we're on
pretty much everything, butTikTok is really just showed up
and showed out.
We're now at 18K, but and it'snot about numbers, but it's just
(15:08):
more so if you've beenfollowing us, you know when we
were like not there, we weretrying to find our voice online
and find people that resonatedwith us and could connect to our
mission, and it's just reallybeautiful to see, just in a year
, all that's changed and allthat's happened and I'm just
(15:28):
super proud.
I'm super proud of where we'reheaded.
I'm super proud of what we'veaccomplished so far.
And we're just getting started.
When I tell you HBCUscholarships are coming, that's
coming.
Internships and volunteeropportunities are coming Super
excited about that.
We're hosting our monthlycommunity mixers here in Houston
(15:49):
and we're just getting preparedto create membership because we
want to have impact everywhere,not just Houston.
I get that question the most isis this just a Houston thing?
We're based out of Houston.
Because I live in Houston, it'seasier for me to do things here
.
But best believe, we want toreach everywhere, you know,
(16:10):
anywhere where people want togrow and celebrate black owned
businesses, especially if you'rean entrepreneur.
We definitely have some amazingthings coming down the pipeline
.
We will be creating workshops.
We really want to focus ongiving tools and resources and
(16:31):
helping the development sidewhen it comes to black
businesses.
Everyone's not an entrepreneur.
Some people they have abusiness but they're still
trying to figure out how to growand how to scale.
And we want to positionourselves to be a resource, not
just hey, we're promoting you onTikTok.
It's like, okay, we're not justa promo page, I'm just excited.
(16:53):
And again, I'm super excitedabout this podcast and the
stories that you're going tohear, the gems that you're going
to receive, all the nuggets,all the cool things, and we're
just getting started.
I think that's the best part.
This year we turned three, but Ifeel like we're just getting
(17:13):
started and I feel just thatexciting feeling that I felt
when I first started BlackDirectory.
And this is back and I feelgood, and it feels good even to
be talking to you all recordingthis episode, because it's been
a journey since October,November last year.
It's been a journey.
I'm telling you just for moreinsight.
(17:36):
I didn't even want to get backon the microphone Like it just
felt like not an identity crisis, but I was just lost within the
business and real life and whatthey say life be lifeing.
You know, if you know, you know, but I'm just excited.
I feel more like myself, I feelmore fulfilled.
(17:56):
I'm just ready to pour, youknow, pour into others.
I want to connect with others.
I want people to feel like weare a resource and we're making
a difference.
But that's enough of what'shappened.
I just wanted to update you all.
This episode isn't too long,but I thought it would be so
weird to start this seasonwithout bringing you all on that
(18:20):
journey of what's going on.
They dropped all these episodes.
They disappeared.
We are back, rest assured.
We're back Better than ever.
I'm just super excited for youall to see what's in store, and,
of course, we always include alot of good information in the
show notes.
But if you're new to thispodcast or maybe you just
(18:44):
haven't listened in a long timebe sure to follow us.
Check out our website, which isblkdirectory.
com.
Check out our TikTok.
We're on other social media aswell as Instagram, and TikTok,
and we're a Directory acrossthe board.
But definitely check out ourTikTok, because we have so many
cool things going on there, justgiving you all updates on
(19:05):
what's going on in the Blackcommunity and just things that
we should be celebrating moreoften.
Those are the things that wepromote and that we create.
And something else that's newis we have a Discord channel.
So if you are someone whereyou're looking to build
community and meet like-mindedindividuals and celebrate Black
businesses and get together,join our Discord group.
(19:28):
It is amazing.
It's a great way to connect.
I'll be sure to give you thosedetails as well and be sure to
subscribe.
Tell your friends, and yourfamily, tell everyone about this
podcast.
It's so amazing and I'm notjust saying that because I'm
hosting it but you really get tohear from Black people telling
(19:49):
their stories and it doesn't getany better than that, in my
humble opinion.
So catch up on some episodes.
If this is your first time, ormaybe you missed some, it will
be worth it, trust me, trust me.
Trust me, but that is it forthis episode.
You all.
I can't wait to talk to you allagain.
(20:11):
I can't wait to see what youthink about the rest of the
episodes this season.
Let us know your thoughts too.
If there's you would like to bea guest on the show, or if you
know someone that would be agreat guest, I'll include
information as well on that andthe show notes.
And, yeah, if you just want tosupport, this is a great way to
support.
If you're trying to figure outhow to get involved, share the
(20:33):
podcast with someone this week.
And, yeah, I can't wait for youall to tune into the next one.
Bye, thank you for spendingsome time with us Enjoying the
show.
Be sure to subscribe and leaveus a rating and review Until
next time.
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