People walk in [to our events] and we don't ask them to walk in with their title. We ask them to walk in as them.
Transcript:
This podcast was transcribed through a third-party application. Please disregard any misrepresentations.
Brad Caruso:
<silence> Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the front lines of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors. Hey, warriors. Welcome to today's episode of Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. I'm your host, Brad Caruso, leader of Withum's not-for-profit practice. Today's guest is Aaron Francois, CEO, and founder and Shaq Lawson, COO of Black Visionaries, a 5 0 1 C3 not-for-profit organization. The organization is committed to empowering black professionals by providing opportunities for networking, resource distribution, and professional development with a mission to uplift and equip black visionaries to inspire and lead positive change in the world. Aaron and Shaq bring a vision and passion to the organization and 20 other volunteers to help drive change and provide opportunities for black professionals.
Brad Caruso:
And a special shout out to my, uh, contact Kenny Sang, who connected me to Shaq and allowed us to have this great conversation today and really allowed us to connect the, uh, the three of us. And, you know, really appreciate that, that, uh, you gentlemen are gonna share your vision, share, uh, the work you've been doing, and really talk about, um, how black visionaries is changing the world and is starting to, um, just increase a lot of volume and increase a lot of, uh, participation, uh, in the community. So we really appreciate your time. And with that said, Aaron and Shaq, uh, welcome to the show.
Aaron Francois :
Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
Brad Caruso:
So I always like starting out with just, um, hearing a little background from, from you both. And, uh, Aaron, I'll turn it over to you first, but maybe share a little background, uh, a little about yourself, a little how you, how you, uh, got to this point where we are today.
Aaron Francois :
Yeah, yeah. Um, I am, I, I feel like I always have too many titles, so it's weird to like put, put it in a box, but I'll try to spark notes in my life. Um, I, I, uh, I ended up just kind of falling into marketing in college. I had an idea that, uh, I wanted to like have my own business like everybody else does, right? But I, I, if you would've asked me before, it was never gonna be a nonprofit. It was more like, I want to be like the next insert billionaire, right? Um, and I eventually landed in like, marketing as a professional career. So beyond that, I also am like a strategy director. Um, I help brands like build out their strategic presence in multiple mediums. And I, I, I'd always like get involved with a employee resource group at the organization.
Aaron Francois :
So groups that specifically help people in, in, uh, different affinities build community. So in my case, excuse me, I'd always like find my way to like the black employee resource groups and always build with those groups. Uh, eventually I realized I think the infrastructure and the challenges were the same because it was restricted by corporate environment, right? Like, you have to go for layers of approval and selling people into ideas. And it, it was really trying to convince somebody who may not identify as the same or in these same experiences or similar experiences to myself that certain resources are needed for our community. Um, so I got tired of it, <laugh>, and I eventually had an opportunity. I got an award. I came with like a financial stipend. I hosted like a smaller, more intimate event, and that turned into like people like really enjoying it and asking me like, when's the next one?
Aaron Francois :
I had no plan for a next one because like, I'm like, I just got here. Um, but we'll figure it out, <laugh>. So I ended up doing what I knew how to do, which is say, well, maybe we just market the, the community or the experience and see like how people receive it. Uh, we ended up doing that like mainly on like social media as a lot of brands tend to get their start nowadays. And it turned, it went from like social experience to actively like people just reaching out and wanting to partner. And after that, turning into, before you knew it, we were at a full year in our second event, and I was like, well, I have to officiate this <laugh> in some capacity. So, uh, it then turned into a nonprofit and we started bringing in like partners and sponsors. And now we are two years in, I mean, no, three years in. Oh my God. Wow. So like, we're like three years into the fold. Uh, next year be year four. Um, I'm, I'm excited and terrified in the same vein, but, uh, yeah, that, that's kind of like the, the easiest version of the story. Obviously a lot of trial and error, adding new things, building as you go,
Brad Caruso:
Always. Yeah, no, it's a difficult question to, uh, ask someone for their own personal Wikipedia page on, uh, you know, how they, how they got to where they are and what they do. But that, that's a great summary. And, and I think it's the intent of why we do this podcast, which is, you know, folks like yourself that want to change, that, you know, have a vision that, you know, are willing to put in the work and the trial and error, which is the hard part that most people don't talk about. And you're making it happen. And so, you know, it's, it's a, it's a great effort and we appreciate that. And, and you turned it into a, you know, not-for-profit organization and now you're, now you're thriving, now you're, you know, building it, growing it, making it happen. So, you know, I think that's awesome. And a, and a good segue into what we're gonna talk about today. Um, you know, if someone asked me like, how, you know, how, what, what is my life story? It would be arrive, raise, hell leave, you know, the old stone called Steve Austin, uh, logic <laugh>
Shaq Lawson :
<laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
But, uh, yeah, Shaq, over to you. Maybe, uh, share a little bit about yourself.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah, so I'm Shaq Lawson, um, wow. I'm really an operations facilities expert. So for me, uh, Black Visionaries, like I a hundred percent wanted to support Aaron, but I remember us having a conversation where I was like, I want to be a part of this. I don't know what I gotta do, or I don't know what I can do, but whenever there's an opportunity, like tell me and like, I want to be a part of this. And truthfully, um, being in the organization since I would say probably, yeah, I was at that first brunch that we had and I was like, yeah, we gotta do this again. But again, I really wasn't part of the team. I was just a guest at that point. But as we did the second annual one and I was a part of that and the build out and everything we did at, um, BMCC for that one, that's when I really took the reins of just like, no, I know how to plan this out.
Shaq Lawson :
'cause this is my world when it comes to operations and making sure the space is good and how do we like logistically put things together. So like, I kinda discovered my space in the organization rather than just coming in with everything that I knew because it's like, yeah, I got all these skills, I got this huge background in operations, I've worked across media, e-commerce, retail, but it's like, what does that have to do with what Black Visionaries is doing? You know? So especially being a startup at the time and just trying to figure out where we stand or where we fit in the community and how much this impact is actually needed. I didn't want to come in and just like stockpile on these resources, but not be able to like, you know, give them out or show 'em to folks or even show everyone on the outside like, okay, a lot of the people on the team are strategists or from the advertising team, I have no background in that.
Shaq Lawson :
So how do I fit in this? So for me, I did have like an identity crisis at first when I first joined, just because it was like, I knew my passion was there, I just didn't know what the purpose was for me, not so much the organization. I understood what the organization was and I was like, oh, this has the- the ability to be something beautiful. But in being a part of this, it made me challenge myself and say like, okay, this would be the first time you're in something like this. You want to help, how are you gonna do it? And after that second one, I was just like, yeah, I'm in this forever. Like, we're, we're gonna make this happen. Whether the wheels fall off or I gotta go down and change the brakes, like whatever it is, I'm here. Like, you're not doing this alone.
Shaq Lawson :
And, um, we've honestly had a lot of successes since then. Um, this year has taught us a lot in strategy of just, you know, unexpected situations that can occur and that can scale us back a little bit. But all in all, yeah, this has been an amazing ride all the way through and it's an amazing organization. And every day that I'm at work, I'm always talking about Black Visionaries to the point where like, I've got people where I'm just like, Hey, I have something happening, please show up. Or at least just view it or something just to show like, there's an importance here. Something will stick out for you.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And that, and that passion translates through and I bet, I bet it does increase the successfulness of it with the passion that you have, that you bring to the table, that you bring to the organization itself. So, you know, I think that yeah, that's what it takes.
Shaq Lawson :
A hundred percent. And you know what it is too, like I said, with the identity piece, like coming from a facilities operations, property management standpoint, they don't really like look at these kind of things unless it's like beneficial to what they have going on. So it's like, I've been at a lot of dinners really like, yeah, we're sponsoring this, we're sponsoring that. And I'm like, how do you guys decide? But then I picked up on it where I'm like, oh, okay. So it has to be tied somewhat to the business or it's helping them amplify in a way. So me being someone who's credible with them and fan favorite, I'm like, Hey, I'm into this. Take a look. And that's honestly how I've made it like a somewhat of a bridge where it's just like, if I'm in their world and I'm doing this, it's just like, oh, maybe I'll take a look over there, see what's going on. Because if he can do do it, then there must be something over there worth looking at. So that's honestly what I try to be, just to be as relatable as possible to anyone viewing from the outside.
Aaron Francois :
Yeah. I'd also, I'd add to that real quick too. I think Shaq kind of touched on something that's, that was important. We, like when, when honestly, I thought about Black Visionaries coming into fruition because like I work in marketing, marketing has the luxury of like a multitude of like developmental resources and programs and conferences and like all these things, right? Because if you think about media, media has an environment for everything in some capacity, but there are so many other professional disciplines that don't have like, communal activities, right? Like they don't have, uh, workshops set that, that tell you how to navigate upskilling. They don't, uh, teach you how to build your side hustle. 'cause nobody wants you to have a side hustle, really. They kinda want you to work for them, right? So how do you juggle the two? And, and, and that's to me like what made it so important for Black Visionaries to not just ex-exist, but to be intentional in how we show up for our community and, and not further separate people.
Aaron Francois :
Because when we hear, even when we hear the word professionals, you think office job, you think desk job, you don't think exactly teacher, you don't think artists, you don't think, uh, the person who owns the local coffee shop, right? Like professionalism is competency based. It's not based on like the specific job you do. And I think that was a big thing that we wanted to, to dismantle. And, and that started with getting everybody in the same room. 'cause that's how you emotionally or mentally level the playing field, right? Like, you get them into the same environment so they have shared conversation and you start to not even realize like 30 minutes go by, you've been talking to this person, you're like, wait, what do you do? And they're like, oh, like I work at –. And you're like, oh, well I'm a VP of marketing at this company, career and the careers are now aside.
Aaron Francois :
It's how do we build together? Uh, and like you, you, you may both do these things, but y'all may have a love for coffee, right? And you wanna open a coffee shop. And now you who understands the idea of like product and the the story itself, you may have found a connection where someone can help you actually build a brand. Because a lot of brands don't know that. So I think it would be really interesting to consistently see that play out where people get exposed to your new environment, insert alternative pathway that you may not have done. That person teaches you a whole new thing, essentially about life that you, you haven't opened yourself up to as of yet. Uh, and now y'all work together in some capacity. I'd see that happen, uh, pretty often.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah. And I think the biggest thing for us too, that really sets us apart from a lot of different organizations is that people walk in and we don't ask them to walk in with their title. We ask them to walk in as them. So whatever the conversation spans out to be after they're meeting the next person, it's just like, wow, we connected off of like the love of anime or the love of vintage cars or the love of foods. And it's just like, oh, by the way, where do you work? And then you come to find out you may even have a mutual colleague or, oh, I used to work for that organization. I knew this. So it's like the fact that when you go into some of these networking spaces, there's a discomfort, there's an anxiety that kicks in. I'm just like, okay, how do I break the ice?
Shaq Lawson :
Or how do I do this? Like we found a way to comfortably have people in the space where just having good music playing or just, Hey, I'm here 'cause I know someone I know I haven't seen in years is gonna be here. And that's my motivation enough to just be in this room that has helped us to really break the chains where folks are coming in and just standing in the corner on their phone. Like, we try to literally do things where we have our team members engage. We're like, Hey, if you seen someone in the group standing too long, break that up. Have them move around, force them to chat with other folks. Because honestly, it's so beneficial in the end. You have people who are coming in as VPs, you have people who are coming in as interns. You have people fresh outta college where they're just like, I'm trying to figure it out. But your next opportunity can be in one of our spaces. It's just about saying, Hey, I care enough to make the change and I gotta do it. 'cause I don't wanna wait for someone and just hand it to me when they feel like it's my time.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, you gentlemen found an innovative way to connect, connect people and, and you know, learn and grow together. And, you know, around here in in my accounting, you know, small world, it, it's, you know, on, on the job training is very big. But, but what does that really mean? You know, how do you, and and stripping away titles I think is a very important thing. 'cause it, it gets people to connect on, on the authenticity of themselves as opposed to thinking they have to, you know, meet a hierarchy or you know, oh, you have a higher title than me, so I should, you know, respect you more or less or whatever it might be. And I think, you know, the fact that you've found a way to connect people, um, you know, find common ground, find common interest, and, and then you talk about business. But, but you know, the first part of the first part of that was just finding a way to make people comfortable to, um, you know, do this unusual thing called networking, you know, which is, you know, it's not something anybody really teaches in the world. And I know, you know, me growing up, I don't think I've ever taught. It's like, Hey, just go to this event and figure it out. It's like how <laugh> mm-hmm. I don't know how to go talk to random strangers I've never met before. I mean, I know how to, but like, no one's ever showed me the right way and I've never felt comfortable doing it. And, you know, yeah. You guys are finding that way to find that. Yeah.
Shaq Lawson :
And the biggest thing too is just like, to that same exact statement how you said it, where it's like, I don't know the right way. And I think what we've realized is that there is no true right way, right? The, the right way is literally I want to do it and hopefully there's seven other people in the room who feel exactly like me and we can somehow speak this unspoken language of comfort and figure out, oh, so we're all a first timer here. Oh, we're all trying to figure this out. And then from there, that comfort develops and like the energy just spans throughout the space. So trust me, I've been there. I still go through it. I, and I love networking, but there's spaces that I go to where I'm like, okay, this is, this is a big boy space. I don't know. This is, this is, this is all CEOs, this is this.
Shaq Lawson :
Like, and I gotta stop and like psych myself outta that. 'cause it's like, you've done this before, you've led these things. Like what are you nervous about? So I think we're all human, so we're gonna go through it. But I think what we've definitely found a way to do is just make sure you're comfortable in our space. Like, you're never gonna come in and say like, I'm never going back to another, like, we have so many repeat guests or people who just DM or contact us directly. Like, Hey, one of you guys doing something again, I got an idea. And it's sometimes the people who are the most shy, like they come back to us with it, this is great. I wanna do this in my job. And it's just like, alright, yeah, let's, let's talk <laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, no, that authenticity is an important, important thing in the world. And, and sometimes that you lose sight of that, um, thinking you have to be more or less or whatever to, to the scenario. But that authenticity is an important thing when whenever you show up and, and, and having that confidence, like you just said of I've done this before, this is, you know, ignoring everything I know, I need to get my brain out of it and put myself into this and just, I'm gonna go be there. And you're right, some, some things you're gonna go to are gonna be great and some things you're gonna go to might not connect at all. And it's like that, that's the reality of it. The reality is exactly. Um, it's, it's not always perfect. Um, yeah, the, the one, so, so we've, we've kind of, um, dipped our toe in the water a little bit, but, but, um, maybe you guys can tell us a little bit more about, um, one of your events that you hold. Um, you know, what does it look like? What does, you know, what, what does the atmosphere, you know, how do you make it successful? Maybe take us through, uh, an example of an event and, and how it runs.
Aaron Francois :
Yeah, I can, I can do, I'm probably gonna cheat and give you two events, but
Brad Caruso:
As many as you want. I think, you know, I love it. Let's, yeah. Specific examples
Shaq Lawson :
Are great. Let's be fair. Yeah. Wait, wait, let's be fair. Aaron, you can do the brunch and I'll do Founders Day.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. One, one on one, one on one. <laugh>
Shaq Lawson :
<laugh>.
Aaron Francois :
I'll start with Black Visionaries Brunch. So when I talked about the event that we started with, it was Black Visionaries brunch story behind that. Um, I'm from Brooklyn. I, I, I don't shy away from telling people that I take a lot of pride in being one of the actual people who lives in New York that was born there, <laugh>. But, uh, as many people know, um, Jay-Z is like a big figure in Brooklyn. He hosted his own thing, uh, called the Roc Nation brunch. I I, between that and another, there was another show I would watch, uh, called Sweet Life, where one of the main characters she would host like what she called like her legacy dinner or something of the sort. And it would like invite people to talk about their career and life ambitions, but in a more intimate, like, dining setting. Um, similar to like Roc Nation brunch, it was a, a display of black excellence within a specific industry.
Aaron Francois :
And I'd always say to myself like, I don't have that type of money yet to be invited to that room yet. Always say yet. 'cause you never know. But I wanted to create my own because I, I'm a big proponent of like, don't ask for people to make things or do things for you. You create your own right. And that was at the time what I ended up doing. I I just invited literally 30 people that I knew that I was like, please show up 'cause I really need you to show up <laugh>. It's kinda like just that. Um, and honestly all 30, maybe 29, but then there, all 30 of them showed up, which to me it was already a testament to like the power of community and like the fact that your people will show up when you need them, uh, if you just, you know, let them know how important it is that I, and I've leaned on my community ever since the, the, the transition of that.
Aaron Francois :
That was like the first brunch. I did that fully out of pocket trying to figure it out. The next year, I got to a point where I was like, I want to scale this experience. The only way I know of doing that is potentially getting more financial resource and support. Um, so the first year I called in a lot of favors because it was my first time doing it. The second time I was like, well, you can't ask those hit or twice, right? Like, you have to start figuring out what does resourcing look like. Uh, we started bringing in more sponsors, uh, for financial support. So a lot of brands and companies that I may have worked with, I'd reach out and say, Hey, I'm trying to do this brunch. Here's how I went last year. I'm trying to scale it. Um, the long story short of it all is we ended up scaling it to 80 people, um, in the following year.
Aaron Francois :
And that was like interesting 'cause we hosted it at BMCC. We, uh, had a really good, we, we had a, a speaker come in, which was the first year was like activity based. We were just testing the environment. The second year was like, let's bring in speakers, right? And like, let's kind of have a dedicated activity. And, and the way it is set up is people are assigned seats intentionally with people that they don't know. So if you were to book like three tickets to brunch or whatever the case, when it is a private event, that's the other part. It's like they're, you are individually invited, but if you confirm your RSVP, usually it's like led by a person who knows the bulk of the community to do seating arrangements. So in that way you can like separate people because you have to sit with people you don't know for the sake of building new connections and relationships.
Aaron Francois :
You should walk out with new relationships. It comes to a point where the community becomes in intensively familiar with each other. So it's harder to separate, but you start throwing people in between, right? And trying to set it up like that, um, to ensure that that's the case. Fast forward to the latest brunch we had done. Uh, we had ended up scaling to about 170 plus people. Um, so like from the initial to where we ended up most recently, it was like more than five times <laugh> the amount of people, honestly. And like, that's probably the first time I even said that, but I, I didn't, you don't realize how much that shifts everything. Like sponsor, present, um, partner, like we had partnerships and, and at scale now we are like, people are coming in capturing content. We're running a headshot booth, like things that are resources and services that we know like our community could benefit from in addition to bringing in like entertainment, like performers and keynote speakers, like things like that, that really shaped that experience.
Aaron Francois :
And there were folks who they were essentially like, oh, snap. Like this is from the first brunch I've been to to now this is crazy. To be like, I mean, for me it's crazy, right? I'm like, I'm, I've obviously been at all of them <laugh>. So it's to see it, how it has scaled. Uh, I think for me that was a definitely a, a major mark in, in our growth as a business. And it just showed that there's a want for that. I think the most interesting thing about it, even like as we're looking ahead, like currently in this current, like in our current political climate, uh, a lot of things have shifted, right? Like, especially from a a sponsorship standpoint. I think a lot of brands they hear, they hear like descriptor, like black, uh, uh, Latin or any insert any background. They assume DEI.
Aaron Francois :
And I think that the two are different in that diversity, equity and inclusion work is work dedicated to creating an inclusive space for people of all backgrounds, right? And it's not just race or ethnicity based, it is based on disability, based on sexual orientation ETC. Whereas like Black Visionaries is a professional development organization. This is focused on, focused on skill building and resource development, in this case within like the black professional community. But our core offering is like career development and skill building, right? So I think that was to me, the thing that I started to realize. And that's where even like as we were developing the brunch, uh, further, it was like, it needs to be more overt. Like this is the thing we are offering to people so that we don't get caught up in the, the, uh, the bubble of like mislabeling in this current environment.
Aaron Francois :
Because people are saying, no, not because they don't believe in your mission, but because they're, they're fearful. They don't know what to do or how to navigate it. So, uh, I I think that was, that's always been the, the biggest or newest thing <laugh> that we're navigating. Uh, but like the brunch itself has, has really been a cornerstone. Like it's a thing that everybody looks forward to every year. Like people are always like, yo, I can't wait for the next brunch. So also forth. But, uh, it, it's been, it's, it's special. It was the first, it's the reason black visionaries existed. Like it was called the Black Visionaries Brunch. Uh, and like that was the, the, the, the key, you know, or the tempo moment that that really made it all start. So yeah,
Brad Caruso:
And that's incredible, just growing it, uh, in such a short period of time. And, and like you said, I mean that, that's how you can really see if people value it or or not value it. You'll, you'll see an increase in, um, attendance. You'll see people reaching out to you, you'll see, see all of those things. And, and now, like you said, now people are probably more often than not reaching out to you saying, how do I get involved? Because I really, you know, want and, you know, hopefully using a platform like this, more people get involved and, and at the end of the day it's, it's uh, kind of growing that mission that you, that, that you both started. So it's really cool that you're doing that.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah, and I think, um,
Shaq Lawson :
The last piece that Aaron left out that I always like to say about the brunches, it's like our version of the Met Gala. Like everyone comes out in their best in all forms, whether it is not
even always about appearance, but just in energy and mindset. Like we all come together and it's a beautiful thing. Like if you ever check out our website and you see the photos, or even if you check out our socials and see it, it's a beautiful space. Just seeing these people genuinely happy when they come in and connecting and they always leave with something. I think that's the most intentional piece about everything we do. We never want you to just come in and sit down and, all right, where I'm going next. It's like, you came in, you left with something and you're following up with it, if not the next day, within the next week.
Shaq Lawson :
So that's always a big thing with the brunch. Um, Founder's Day happens to be one of my favorites, honestly, because I feel like although it's not as grand as the brunch, it's equal in impact and this one is more so for everyone. And it gives us a chance to really like advertise the brand, advertise the group, advertise the purpose. Like anyone can come to this as long as they're here for the right reasons, meaning this is a networking mixer, but we found a way to curate spaces and activate them in a way that it's comfortable and you don't even feel like you're networking, but you are. So I think the first one we had, uh, we did it at Blue Midtown, uh, which actually isn't around anymore. It was in Times Square and it was a gamble for us because we always did the brunch.
Shaq Lawson :
Like that was our thing. But to Aaron's point, when scaling, you know, you're gonna have to take risks, you're gonna have to do new things. And this was that new thing where we are like, Hey, we talk about giving back to the community. We talk about being community first. How are we actually highlighting people and how do we get them on a space and a stage where they're visible and they don't feel like we said earlier. They're professional, isn't the recognized professional. I want that doctor to get highlighted the same way. I want that guy at the bodega to get highlighted the same way everyone knows that babysitter that's taking care of generations of families. Like we want them to be noticed as well and appreciated. And that's what Founders Day is. Yes, it's an entrepreneurial space, but it's truly a thank you to the community.
Shaq Lawson :
And it's also a, hey, that person that lives next to you, that you've been looking at every day for the last three years and never spoke to happens to own three of the stores that you go to, but you'd never know. And this is the time to get conversation with them and say, Hey, how did this even start? Or like, where do I even begin? That's the whole purpose of Founder's Day. We come in there and same thing, it's our little fundraiser at the same time, it's donation based, but we make sure that you get what you pay for. So whether that's being in a space where we comp a drink or hey, you do like a certain level of donation and you even get raffle gifts and stuff like that. Like we really make it fun because what happens is you go see these networking events and you feel like, all right, I'm gonna go in here, I'm gonna try to meet somebody.
Shaq Lawson :
You've been there for two hours and you haven't said a word, but you know, everything that's on display for food and drink, that's a problem. So what we're trying to do is come into this space, feel comfortable. Your favorite song may be playing or an artist that you like may be around or just someone that you've heard about in a meeting earlier, or their company is in this space and you want to have a conversation with them. Off the record, Founders' Day is the space to do it. So I know when folks see this, and a lot of things that we do, they're thinking, oh yeah, these guys throw a lot of events and it's just like we throw events, but we have a lot of workshops that we offer. We have a lot of like coaching that we can do teaching. Like there's a lot of things that we offer.
Shaq Lawson :
It's just we figured out the things that gravitate people the most and have said, you know what? Let's make this a cornerstone of the business and continue to scale it up and up. And truthfully, we found other micro events that were like, okay, we don't gotta go so grand as the brunch. We don't gotta really hit as much as the Founder's Day, but we can find little things in between that show that still show consistency to everything that we're doing. And also still pushing the agenda because as Aaron said, we're in a tough climate right now, especially for everything DEI related or just black related when it comes to the companies. So we need to let our community know like, Hey, although this is happening, we got us, we're still showing up for us, and as long as you can help us put it together, we will make sure we deliver for you. So that's Founder's Day in a nutshell. It's a space where it's comfortable. You guys can come through, you can meet people. And even if you've been in your career five, seven years and you know, you know what? I need a change because I'm not happy as I once was, or this industry is just taking a pivot that I'm not comfortable with. Come to Founder's Day. I promise you you'll meet someone that can either answer what you're looking for or at least give you the tip to your next steps on your journey.
Aaron Francois :
And I'll do the reverse of attitude. To what Shaq said too, I felt like what Founder's Day started as is the word Founders day is for the, the purpose of like being a founder, right? Like it kind of started with the idea that, uh, like founders and black entrepreneurship, like black business ownership is, is a big conversation in our community. And it was an invitation to like black founders to connect with each other and also celebrate themselves. So typically in like any, for anyone who's familiar with like for, for fraternity and sorority culture, Founder's Day is a celebration of what your organization was founded, right? Like it's usually a, a big monumental, this is the day we were created. Um, we did the opposite. We chose a, we choose a day every year to celebrate people's accomplishments at scale, which is like, because you are a black business owner, you're probably not taking time to look in the mirror and say, yeah, you know what, I really did that.
Aaron Francois :
Or like I did mm-hmm <affirmative>. Because you're so focused on the grind, like, what's next? Or am I gonna make, you know, a revenue muscle profit by the end of the year? Like things like that. So we had to, to form a day dedicated to championing people who are, are doing that, but also even encouraging people who may have an idea that they have it brought to life, uh, by way of just communal familiarity. Like just being around people and seeing when you see doers you want to do right, and you start to learn and you realize like, oh, snap. Like this person started this business and they've been doing it for three, four years and I'm over here nervous about doing, or even speaking about the fact that I want to do, like, you, you'd be surprised, most people don't wanna say their business idea out loud because they're fearful that it'll be embarrassing to talk about.
Aaron Francois :
Right? And that was a lot of what also started it too, is like the push to, to get these entrepreneurs in a room to connect with other entrepreneurs, but also people who are to Shaq's point the everyday professional who's climbing the ladder, who has an, an entrepreneurial approach to their career. 'cause even that, like I think especially as a black professional, you have to approach your career as an entrepreneurial endeavor. 'cause nobody's gonna build it for you. So you have to learn how to do that. And you also learn that that expertise from listening or seeing other entrepreneurs that have, right? So that was a big part of, uh, what sparked that as well.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And that's probably a big reason why, why, um, you're being so successful. I mean, energy is contagious and the more that you see the success and, and, um, I love it. I wish the world did more of this, of highlighting the positives in people as opposed to highlighting the negatives in people. But you know, as you said, the the current climate of the world right now is let's just, you know, put every headline on blast of every problem that ever existed, which, which is part of the reason why a lot of us are frustrated with the world. But you know, what you, what what you know you guys are doing, which is in a very positive light, is let's promote the things that people do that are successful. Let's highlight people that are successful. And we're not defining success. We're not saying that success is how much money you have in the bank. We're defining success as you went towards your vision and you accomplished it, or you're, you're working towards that vision or you're, you know, you're grinding away doing the best you can. You know that success, success is, you know, waking up every day and keep doing what you love. Like that's
Shaq Lawson :
Exactly.
Brad Caruso:
That's a hard thing. Yeah.
Shaq Lawson :
To that same point, like, I'm very big on the incremental Ws as I call them. So like, waking up, if you woke up eight o'clock today and yesterday you woke up eight 15, that's a w you woke up earlier. You gotta give yourself these little pieces of credit because they accumulate to such a momentum that you need to do bigger forces in your life. And I think that sometimes we're always on autopilot, not even just in careers, but just in life. Like, we get up and we just do routines, and it's just like, you don't even know that it's so much easier for you to do this now than when you first started. And that's anything in life, you don't know the complexity until you begin. You'll have an idea and you'll think like, oh, this is gonna take me years. And then it ends up taking you months.
Shaq Lawson :
It's up taking you weeks because you don't even know how much of experience you have versus what you thought you needed. So for us, and just me personally, every little w that I can find, I'm gonna take it. And it's just because there's so many disadvantages that's already out there against you, no matter who you are. It's important that you remember like, I'm still a winner. Like I'm the best of me that there's ever gonna be on the planet because I'm the only one of me that there's gonna be on the planet. So as long as I continue with that mindset and everything that I do, there's nothing that can get in my way unless I choose to let it get in my way.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I, I preach that a lot around, around, uh, you know, I, I've, I sent an email out once a week to about 270 people in my small ecosystem of world. And like that, I'm gonna use that as, as another one because I, I constantly preach that, you know, sometimes you need small wins to get momentum to then get bigger wins and you have to just mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, uh, but it's a grind. It's, it's not, you know, you, you, you're getting those small wins. It's not easy. But, but at the end of the day, you have to take a moment to yourself and say, no, I, I did accomplish that. I did do that. I am capable of doing the next thing. And sometimes, you know, we're all, we have to convince ourselves of that. And sometimes that means talking to ourself. I do it all the time.
Brad Caruso:
I'm, I have conversations with myself left and right about like, hey, like, it's fine. Like, you know, you don't need the world to recognize everything and tell you how great it is. Like, you tell yourself how great it is. 'cause you, you were the one that did it. You were the one that woke up 15 minutes earlier, you're the one that got up at 4:00 AM and you know, wrote the paper. You had to write or, you know, did the thing you had to do. You're the one that did go to one of your events to try to be a better professional. You know, like the, those are little things that add up in the bigger picture. And we can't lose sight of that with all the, the negative energy that sometimes comes our way in the world. And, uh, I appreciate that that's the message that you're preaching and the message that you are, uh, promoting because it's the right message.
Brad Caruso:
The right message is uplift others around you, help others around you keep striving to be better, you know? Exactly. Stop trying to tear down everybody. Start, start picking people up and then teach them how to pick themselves up because no one's gonna do it for you. And I think that's, you know, I, I really appreciate that message. Um, so I mean, on that light, um, you know, you guys have any, any success stories, any individuals that, you know, kind of came to one of your events, came to multiple events, kind of have been working with you guys for years and then, and then you see, you know, them shining, you see some of the successes they've had. Um, any any specific stories or examples that you'd wanna share?
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah, I think, um, I'll do an event. I'll talk about the, uh, the NASDAQ bell when we open that. I'll talk about that one. And I think, Aaron, you may probably have like individuals that, you know, even up until recent occurrences that we could talk about. Yeah. So for us with, um, the NASDAQ Bell when we opened that, uh, last August, it's uh, 2024 and um, I think it was for small business month if I'm not mistaken. But, um, we, we got the opportunity, and it's funny because we, we were trying to figure out a date because we have such complex <laugh> schedules, and it was just like, all right, I'm in the city. I can, I can make this when Aaron's just like, I got meetings and I'm remote and I can't be free for like the next two days. And we're like, all right, cool.
Shaq Lawson :
So we send over our availability and they're like, oh, we're gonna have to let you know day of. And I'm like, okay, this is gonna be a challenge because we gotta just adjust on the fly. We're gonna make this happen, but we need to figure out exactly how. And that opportunity, truthfully, like we didn't really know, and Aaron, you can tell me if I'm wrong, but we didn't really know the magnitude at first that this was going to, yeah. Like again, like I've worked for the CFO at my company, all that kind of stuff. I've seen it like in passing on some of the TVs in the office. So I'm like, oh, the bell, like, I'm just used to hearing the bell. I'm like, okay, something with the stock market. I never in a million years thought that we would be there and opening this up.
Shaq Lawson :
And then just the attention that we were getting when we did it, seeing all these live cameras and Aaron giving the speech that he gave us outside in front of the tower and folks trying to figure out who we are. And I'm like, we're not even 10 years in <laugh>. We're not even, we haven't even hit some of the goals that we want to, but we've already got here. And it's just like, okay, this also aligns with everything that we've been saying that we are as a brand, that we are impactful, we're gonna make do, and we're gonna get into spaces that many haven't seen us or thought we belonged in to begin with. And this was a major step for us. And when we did it, we were like, all right, it's, we wanted to get way more people, but it was short notice. And then we're thinking, all right, we gotta be there at this time.
Shaq Lawson :
We got there and me and Aaron still had like another hour and change before we went up there, and we were like, Aw, man, we should have called a few more people. We probably could have finagled something, we could have got a few more folks. So where we've seen people go up there, and this is like your whole organization or your board, and it's like 20 people, and then you have us and, uh, amazing supporter and friend of ours, Brittany, she's there and I'm like, Hey, we got three pillars in the community. We're gonna make this happen and we're going to be great at it. And it was a beautiful experience. And um, every time we tell folks about it, they're just like, you guys opened the NASDAQ bell. Like, I remember going to work and like seeing screenshots of people are like, Shaq, you are there.
Shaq Lawson :
How did this happen? This is huge. I was like, in the company newsletter, and I'm like, all right, so now that you've seen me do this Black Visionaries, please follow us. We've been talking about it for a while now. I'm hoping that this conveys that we are serious. So it, it taught me a lot. It opened up a lot of doors for us in a sense of like, people knew we were here to stay, and regardless of whatever changes in the climate of the world right now, like that moment showed folks like, oh, they're a force to be reckoned with. And even if they're quiet, they're bubbling up on something. And honestly, that's, that's us. So there's times where me and Aaron having meetings and we're like, yo, we need to do something for the community. Like we've literally had hours of conversation of just like, okay, funding is tight, but what can we do?
Shaq Lawson :
Like, I can't tell you the amount of times that we've dipped in our own pockets and put these things on for the community. And not because like, it was a, it was a gloat, but it really was just like, we care this much. And this has made that much of a difference for us, that it's like, I gotta do this for my community. I gotta do this for people. And also I have to do this because I don't know who from the next generation is looking and wants to do something like this, but just doesn't have the courage. So if we can be those folks to stand out and say, all right, we're gonna take this chance, we're gonna go out on a limb and do it. We don't know who we're motivating indirectly at the same time. But I think opening the NASDAQ Bell for sure was one of our biggest successes because it was unexpected. Like we didn't really plan for it, but it was like that award that you were given that you didn't know you were like a contender for to begin with. So that's honestly what it felt like.
Aaron Francois :
Yeah, I mean, even to your point, right? Like I think it, the, the, the reason the NASDAQ Bell I think was, I guess not as I, the, the height of the moment was not as clear in the beginning of the process was a couple things. Like, I think the organizational aspect of it, like us trying to sort out calendars for us, it was really our like, oh, how do we do this? And then it became a little taxing, right? Because like, calendars are not fun, they're just not. And that's, there's no answer but about it, I personally hate my calendar. Um, we, I do have a vendetta against it because I know it does not love me back. So <laugh> as I as we're like talking about things like that, excuse me, you're like trying to figure out how do we make this work? This moment comes about, you're getting up super early, you're, you're excited, but you also, like, like for me, I didn't work in a industry where we're consistently stopping and looking at the Nasdaq opening bell for the day or things like that.
Aaron Francois :
Like those are things that unless you take time to expose yourself consistently, uh, you wouldn't fully understand. I've had multiple people around me do it, and I know it's a big deal, but I, I guess I had not understood the, the communal magnitude of that particular moment, right? And what that does for, it's, it's a couple different things. Like it creates a sense of like faith from people like, oh, like I can do this too. It's an, it's a sense of encouragement. It is a, a feeling that like, yo, this business itself is something that I want to continue to be a part of because they are doing things and they're not afraid to talk about us in public, because that's the other thing, right? A lot of organizations get a platform and the way they articulate their ambition may shift based on who's watching.
Aaron Francois :
And I think for us it is, it has really stayed true to like, regardless of the platform, like, like visionaries is exactly what we've always said it is. And to who it is for. Um, and, and I'll kind of pivot a little bit to when you say like, people who the organization may have positively impacted, I think it's a mix of folks, because I've seen just like a perfect example of someone in our community. Uh, she was a, she's a producer, like for a marketing, so like production or like think TV ads, things like that. But she's also a personal stylist on the side, right? And her styling business had grown exponentially after attending one of our events because so many of her clients were people in different industries who have like a gala to go to, or they have birthdays coming up and they wanna look good or things like that.
Aaron Francois :
I ended up turning into like her being almost like at a point, like the community go-to stylist, right? For people continuously looking to her for that particular service, which I found to be like, super interesting. I think another was, uh, a very close friend of mine who had really just like came in, she wanted to be, she was on board by trying to help volunteer and, and help us get things off the road. Uh, and then eventually she got a spark from black visionaries to like start her own type of business. And typically, right, you, you almost feel betrayed, right? And I think that is, that is early founders quarrels where you, everyone that leads you feel like they broke up with you and you take it personally and it's not that deep, but it was instead to sit back and say, this organization inspired them to create their own business that they've created a successful lane for.
Aaron Francois :
Uh, and like to me, those are the winning stories. Like when someone goes to a black visionaries event and it inspires you enough to get your business off the ground and build your own model and do your own thing and have your own impact, um, that to me was, was super important and great to see, right? Like multiple people doing that. And for our, uh, our actual team, so we have a team of about 20 volunteers across different types of functions. And even watching them, like I've watched them get like freelance opportunities right off of the affiliation. I watched them get different industry accolades off of just learning how to present themselves professionally or talking about like their community work with confidence. A lot of people come in kind of unsure of like where they are on their professional journey, who they are in the world and in their professional journey.
Aaron Francois :
I think I, I make a very big case on like speaking life into people because you are exactly where you're supposed to be and there's no if ands or buts about it, and you should speak to things that you are familiar with, with a sense of like a assurance. Uh, and once you instill that into people consistently, and you give them the energy, you give 'em the floor. I think that's the other part because like, while I am like founder, CEO, I don't treat it as a consistent, I'm the only person with the last call, I'll, I'll change my opinion if someone else's perspective sounds like it can work. And I I'm also being on experimenting, right? Unless it is a, a thing that is tried and true that needs to happen this specific way, because I've seen it happen already, and I know it needs to be that way.
Aaron Francois :
I will often, and like Shaq knows it too, like, I'll often be like, let's try it. Even if in my heart of hearts I'm like, I don't fully know, I will try it once because I want you to feel like someone believed in your vision and if it did not work, we'll discuss, we'll discuss what we could have changed. But I'm not gonna point it at you and say this is your fault. Right? I think that even has been a, a big part of just like teaching people how to own a space and how to bring their ideas to life. Like, I always tell people, if you're gonna bring me an idea, bring me a plan, right? Because it's easy. Like, you know how much ideas don't come to life because you just said we should do this because then three weeks later you're gonna come to me and say, we should do this, and two more weeks later, you're gonna do the same thing.
Aaron Francois :
So you can bring me that idea, but like, let's talk about how it comes to life. So then that way you can have that, that uh, pride-filled moment where you're like, hell yeah. Like, this is the thing I thought about. We came back and did it, and this is what it looks like when it came to life. I love to do that because I love to have people, the other people to have the feeling of their dreams coming true, right? Because I, I don't want that to be, I know what it feels like when you're building someone else's dream every day, and that's not the best feeling. So how do I make this dream of mine something that empowers other people's dreams as well?
Brad Caruso:
That's a strong leadership quality that a lot of people don't grasp that always, but that's a very strong leadership quality you have. And I think that's very important that, uh, you lead with that because it, that that's, that is how you, that is how you bring people up. That is how you help people. And that is how, but, but to your point, it's not, it's not easy. You know, I, I need you to be very poignant. You, I, you need to have a plan. You need to come at, you know, you can't just throw every idea at me and see what sticks and then, oh, you had this great idea. Now that's not, that's not how it works. But yeah, I like that. I like that strategy. Someone around here, uh, used to tell me, um, uh, fail fast and, and so to that philosophy as well, trial and error is great, but if you are gonna fail, okay, pivot <laugh>, what are you gonna do next? You can't just fail and be like, oh, let's just let it fail and keep fail. No, no, no, you gotta fail. And then quickly figure out how to get it back on track. So yeah, those are two very good things.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah. But I think the other part too, like in that same tone, sometimes you have to let the situation prove itself. Like we had an event called the Recharge, and it was the first time we did it and it literally was just, Hey, let's throw together like a little black business popup. Like literally just, we never did it before. Something completely different, but still aligned with us celebrating our folks and highlighting folks in the community. And we had a little dance performance there. We had someone who did candles, juices, bar. And the great thing that we did is we made sure that everyone who participated was from our community. So it still felt like, Hey, we're circulating the black dollars within this space. And hey, by the way, you got folks in your community that do things that you didn't even know they do, and you're probably buying this from somewhere else and you can be getting it here so much better.
Shaq Lawson :
So it was cool, but every event that we've thrown besides like the brunch, for the most part, it's been like fundraiser driven in a way. So like we had to make sense of this situation. And Aaron and I always have conversations where we're like, Hey, before we do this, what's our realistic goal? Is this to raise money or is this for the community? A lot of people sometimes don't have those conversations because we can say, all right, we broke even Cool, we didn't really gain financially, but we gained an exposure, we gained a commitment from our community, we gained support. That's priceless. Then there's situations where we're like, we're not gonna make anything on this, but because we are this far ahead in it and it makes the most sense and it's a desire in our space, let's get it done. And then we can restrategize how to make it more beneficial for us on the financial side down the line.
Shaq Lawson :
Because truthfully, although we are a business and you know, the point of a business is to make money, we are a nonprofit and our success lies on community. We are more focused on how many more butts in seats can we make happen versus the last event. If the last event had 50 people, how do we get it to a hundred? The last one had a hundred, can we get to 200 and still not lose the principle and the effect of what the event is supposed to be? Because that can happen as well. You plan for a certain group and then now you get three times that and it's like, it was a great plan, but it's not as effective, it's not as impactful. So like, how do we restructure this? And these are things that we've spent hours discussing, and it can be random in a day where we just get a thought and send a text message like, Hey, I think I figured something out, just to just get it down.
Shaq Lawson :
Because again, our calendar is always moving, our priorities are always shifting, so it's good to just grab those thoughts and have 'em somewhere. So when we finally sit down and formally meet, we can discuss these things and say like, all right, this is how we're gonna do this. And there's been a lot of learning things for us where there's been events where we're like, I don't want to think about setting this up again, not because like it was a bad event, but it's just like the time and the meticulous effort that we're put in to make sure that this is executed properly and making sure that it doesn't go against the brand. And being careful of who we partner with and checking the climate and knowing like, Hey, does it make sense to do it this day? Because usually people go out this day or would you want to go out on a day like this at this time?
Shaq Lawson :
Would you want to pay this for that? Like we literally put ourselves in every single seat before we bring the published product to the masses of just like, Hey, so we got a thing, check it out. And that's honestly why I wanna say comfortably about 95% of our events have been a success, and the only five I'm leaving out is just for, again, the strategizing part where some things we didn't account for that were like, oh, we need to think about that next time we do it. So that's how real we are about our successes.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, you're defining impact and I think that's great. I think, you know, your impact is is you know, how are you providing this world-class product, if you will, to the most people you can at scale and, and keep it as effective as it has been. And you know, I I would tell you that 95% is better than 0%. So, you know, not, not no one's a hundred percent effective enough. They are, they're probably lying to you. So <laugh>, I
Shaq Lawson :
Fully agree with that. <laugh>,
Brad Caruso:
You know, you're having an impact and I think that's the most important, um, most important thing. Um, you know, where do you guys go from here? So, you know, obviously you've been, um, you know, f focused on on several events. You're, you're in the, you know, New York area. Um, you know, where do you guys go from here? What's, what's on the horizon in the, in the next coming years? Where are you guys looking to go? How are you looking to scale?
Aaron Francois :
Oh man, great questions. Um, funny, we just finished 2026 planning, so it's just very time perfect timing. <laugh>. Um, we are a couple different priorities throughout that next, not just year, but I would say let's, let's call it next three to five years, right? I think the, one of the biggest things is regional scaling, like thinking about like a lot of our in-person events being currently in New York, how do we take that same experience and bring them to just like other major markets? We, we, we have like virtual presence, which like, there's an accessibility obviously necessary to, to be uh, you know, included for virtual uh, events. But I think the, the in-person is, is really where people are navigating back towards. We've, we kinda seen this pendulum swing from after COVID. Everybody wants to do everything virtual, and I think we've gotten to like relative like virtual fatigue.
Aaron Francois :
And if you're not doing a virtual event with like very specific purpose and resource output at the end of it, people don't wanna do it. So how do you build something that is a in-person engaging actively, you know, built upon model, uh, and doing that in new markets looks like partnering with people who have equity in those markets, right? Versus like just showing up and trying to do this random thing. I think that's the thing. Like people assume, like, and, and I use this logic at work, like in my day job as a marketer, like we assume people care as like, and you, and that's, it's the truth. It's not to be disrespectful, but it is, people are not thinking about you as intensively as you may believe they are. So you need to approach everything as if you're starting brand new, right? Like when you do something for the first time, it needs to be done as someone doing it for the first time.
Aaron Francois :
So we, right now we have a pretty strong foothold in New York City, but I would love to be able to do a Black Visionaries event in Atlanta, in LA, in Chicago, like these just key key markets. So I would say those are definitely like initial plans. I'd also say like we want to, I think this year we've been pushed to be a lot more nimble in how we show up from a experience standpoint, just doing more like micro events, um, in addition to like our major, like we talked about the bridgehead founders day, like those who are like, say those are 10 poles, but we need more moments surrounding those where we can show up on a more recurring basis. And I think we saw a lot of success with doing that this year, uh, and finding ways to continue to do that. Uh, and in doing so in partnership with other businesses, so like really like expanding our list of partners, whether it be like corporate sponsors or comparable black businesses that just compliment our mission to, to accomplish some of the goals that we're trying to do for our community, I think is a, is a big piece of that.
Aaron Francois :
And lastly, um, I would say just college and university partnerships. Like we do that already. Um, but we, we want to continue to, to scale what we offer to other universities because we have access to just all these professionals right across different disciplines and colleges are often under-resourced, especially in this current climate where we know educational resources are solid to become even more limited and students are getting access to, uh, that professional exposure. So if we can be that type of a resource, um, just partnering with colleges, we, we've done some, we've done a lot of work with, uh, borough Manhattan Community College in New York City. Uh, we did a, a partnership model where like every semester we'd run about two to three workshops with them and we'd do different things. So like resume building, um, how to do intentional, like what does lateral networking look like?
Aaron Francois :
Because in college you, you focus so much on the guest speakers, you forget to network with your peers, right? So teaching students the, the art of like what that looks like, um, how to launch your own business because college isn't necessarily always about going and learning how to be an employee. Sometimes you come out of college of founders. So like how, what is the model like to building a business, building a personal brand, developing a LinkedIn profile, like all these things that, uh, college students they hear they should do, but they don't really see it from like the seasoned professional. Because oftentimes what happens is you go to a career center in school, they're telling you to do this thing, but they're giving you the same tip respectfully that like <laugh>, every resume needs to look this certain way. Uh, and then you go, one of us goes to a college career fair, you get a stack of resume's, they're all black and white with the same font time from the Roman and maybe 12th point, and you can't distinguish which student you wanna read, right? I'm gonna go to the one that actually caught my eye and I've done that multiple times as an exercise. So like we do re like our workshops like that where we're kind of teaching you like how you distinguish yourself in a, a pile of black and white resumes, right? So,
Shaq Lawson :
And the good thing is too is like to that same point, especially about like the demographic when it comes to like college students, I can, I can't tell you how many times I've spoken to folks and they're like, yeah, they have a keynote speaker and yeah, they have this panel and they're just uninterested. They're just going because they were told ago or it sounded like something of interest. But then they go and they see the panel and it's like, no one up there looks like them or no one up there can relate to them. So it's like you have these VPs and these founders and these partners and treasurers and all this stuff, and it's just like, this is like 20, 30 years of experience in front of them and we come in front of them now and it's just like, oh, well about four years in I've had X amount of success, or Oh, I'm 12 years in and I've done this, that and a third.
Shaq Lawson :
But I started where you started and I know exactly what you were thinking. You were probably having an issue trying to figure out do I go with what I'm feeling or do I follow what my parents tell me I should do? Or everyone in my family is an accountant. I hate numbers. I actually just like being a biologist of some sort. Like there's so many different routes and I think specifically when you're early in your career, there's, there's two roads where it's like, do I take the risk or do I just appease? And for those who appease, it's like you come out so unhappy because you never got to experience that road that said, what if. And now you're seeing a bunch of people who took the same risk and they're thriving and it's just like, oh my God, I knew I could have did it.
Shaq Lawson :
Like this is that and a third. And then now you try to pivot over to it and you're playing catch up because now the industry has kind of changed. So for us, it's all about being authentic and who we place in front of you. We're not gonna get someone for a crowd of like 18 to 27 and they're like 60. It just doesn't make sense. However, if we have folks that are attendance that are of older age or more seasoned their career, we're like, all right, the folks that we're gonna bring in front of you, the resources we're gonna bring in front of you is going to be tailored more so you can A, understand where you once were, B, understand the transitions that have happened since you've been in the field, and c show you what's really effective right now. Like, we never want to take an hour from you and you don't learn anything. You're sitting there like, I could have Googled this. That's the one thing we never want you to do. We don't want you to come to an event and say, I'm not going back. I could have just googled all of this, that that's not a Black Visionary's experience.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, to your point, uh, you know, go in with knowing we're gonna give a takeaway, uh, at this, and that takeaway is the biggest thing. You're not just sitting here gathering knowledge, but what are you gonna do with it? How are you gonna take that and take it to the next thing? Yeah, I really appreciate that. So we, you know, we spent, spent some time talking a lot about the great work, you know, your organization and you guys are doing specifically. Um, we talked about a lot of how you're kind of bringing, um, this powerful message, powerful product to the market, to your community. Um, so asking it the other way, um, how can the public help you? How can people get involved? How do you know, how do people help you continue to support the great work you're doing? Um, you know, what is your to the public?
Aaron Francois :
Um, a couple different things, right? I think
Aaron Francois :
The, the, the easy thing
Aaron Francois :
I would say is always like, if you are able to, because I think we are in a world where everyone's life looks different right now. Donations always help, especially as a nonprofit. Like we're immensely funded by crowdsourced, uh, participation. Participation, excuse me. And, uh, sponsorship. Like we knew we, we looked for a lot of potential like court sponsorship or just like repeat donors, like things like that. So that's obviously the first step, but I think there's, there's also volunteering of time of resources. Like if you have a skillset you want to be able to offer to the community, even if it's photography, videography, like things like that I think are always super helpful. Um, e even uh, a venue support, like things like that are always extremely beneficial and, and help us bring a lot of our vision to life. And, and I'd say, uh, volun just volunteering to support events we can always use like bodies on the ground to help, um, execute, right?
Aaron Francois :
And, and, and make those moments special. The last thing I'd say is amplification of black visionaries. I think people, people fall on the into this ideology that like, if I can't personally contribute, I don't, I stop it stops there. Like it doesn't, they don't do anything further beyond that. And like our reshare is often good enough, our reshare with like words, not like reshare boom, but like, what do you think about the business? Do you actually believe in this business? If you do, uh, would greatly appreciate you sharing that because that's what builds confidence. Uh, we have multiple social channels, so I'm gonna do the plug of course, but uh, like on LinkedIn you look up black visionaries, there's a golden V that is us, um, on Instagram at TikTok, if you look up black visionaries, lead as in like lead in leadership, but like lead, uh, you'll find us on both of those platforms as well. Same thing, golden V and the uh, profile icon and even that like amplifying our contact, going to our pages, engaging, like those things help with the visibility and you never know where it lands. So I think there are multiple ways, right? Like even if you can't physically donate your time or you don't have financial resources, I think or reshare how many times we reshare a funny video with our, with our folks or our feed. I think something as simple as that even helps us like further the mission.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah, and I think to that same point, like, I'm just gonna go back to like the partnership side of it. You don't, it doesn't always have to be monetary. It can literally be just, Hey, we have a space that you can do this or put us in front of your ERG leaders, put us in front of your culture people put us in front of your folks that are workplace managers and you're trying to curate an event, something for black history months and for black business months, something just says, Hey, we just wanna get our people together because like the, the climate is kind of thick right now in our company. Or we just made a huge transition. We had layoffs, CTC, get on the phone with us, get an email with us, let's put something together with you. It doesn't always have to be something that's fully like, you know, oh, it has to be just like one of our events.
Shaq Lawson :
No, we can literally curate something custom that works for you and your community, but just having the conversation and getting in front of those folks makes it the easiest start point for us. But yeah, the call to action definitely is just like, Hey, if you have a space, if you're struggling with your team right now, if you're just trying to get folks more engaged, if you want to even meet us 'cause you've heard of us or heard of the org, please reach out. Black visionaries, lead on socials, black visionaries on LinkedIn. You have Aaron, you have myself. Like, we're always open to these conversations and no matter what coast you're on, we are willing to chat and bring this dream alive and just continue this journey because at the end of the day, we're doing it for our people and we want this to live on past us. So you'd be a part of that as well.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I really appreciate that message. I appreciate, um, you know, this conversation. I think we, we definitely covered a lot. Um, there's still probably a lot more that you guys do and you know, we didn't even talk that much about how you have day jobs and you run this on the side, <laugh>, <laugh>, there's, there's so much to it that, uh, you know, I I uh,
Aaron Francois:
You'd almost be tricked to believe that this is what we do full
Brad Caruso:
Time. Yeah. And, and the amount of passion and effort you put towards it, you know, I think it's, you have, you have put your life towards it and you know, even though you, you know, have, have a have another job, I mean it's, it's, you know, that's what it takes sometimes to, uh, run a charitable organization. That's what it takes to take a vision and take it to fruition. And that's what it takes to be successful. And, you know, you certainly are both doing that. And, um, you know, I, I really appreciate you sharing this message. I, I love sharing positive messages. I love sharing, uh, success and, you know, I think you guys are gonna be very successful going in the future and, and we'll continue to do that. And, you know, just want to thank you both for, uh, dedicating the time to be on the show today and just sharing, sharing that wisdom. I think it was very important that you shared it.
Shaq Lawson :
Yeah, thank you so much for the opportunity and special shout out to Kenny for connecting us. For sure. I make sure I'm gonna highlight my guy, but um, yeah, this has been amazing and um, it's one of the first ones that we've actually done for the brand. Like we've done things individually, but this is the first one and I think it's the perfect way to close out the year too. So yeah. Thank you again.
Aaron Francois:
Yeah, thanks for having us, man. Appreciate it. Genuinely.
Brad Caruso:
No doubt. No, this was awesome. And uh, I'll certainly share the message and, and, uh, looking forward to do that. And you know, warriors out there, thank you for listening and we hope that you can subscribe and meet us right back here for another episode of Warriors. Bye everybody.
