- 5 hours ago
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00:00Hello, hello everyone. How are you guys feeling today?
00:13It's a light room, so we're going to need more energy from you people. How are we feeling?
00:18There are a lot of beautiful black people walking these Essence streets, so we should feel good getting that creative energy.
00:26So today I am here to talk about the business of reality and the reality of business.
00:34And I have with me today two wonderful, successful, entrepreneurial women.
00:40There is, of course, Yandy Smith, who everyone should be familiar with.
00:45Too many brands, we'll get into that shortly. And Crystal Kimbrough, welcome.
00:52And not sure if you guys have had a chance to catch Crystal's new show on OWN called Ladies Who List.
00:59Has anyone seen that yet? Yeah.
01:02And, of course, we all know Yandy from Love & Hip Hop fame. Yes.
01:07All right, so we're going to talk about a lot of things because what we have seen is that being on television is an amazing platform.
01:16It's an amazing driver for business. But we're going to start a little bit by talking about your lives on television.
01:22Sure.
01:23All right, so why don't we start with Crystal. Crystal, tell us a little bit of what you did and your rise to fame before getting on television.
01:33So...
01:34Is her mic on?
01:36I don't think this mic is on.
01:37Can you guys hear us clearly?
01:38No.
01:39No?
01:40Okay.
01:41I'll just speak loudly.
01:42So I am an attorney.
01:45That's my bread and butter.
01:47And more specifically, residential and commercial clothing.
01:50And we're out of Georgia and Florida.
01:53And I started a law firm called Kimbrough Law and we are nine years old.
01:57Yes.
01:59You've heard?
02:00Yeah.
02:01Hello?
02:02Okay, perfect.
02:03There we go.
02:04I started a law firm, Kimbrough Law, nine years ago.
02:07And that is my bread and butter.
02:09That is where I make my main source of income.
02:12Therefore, anything that feeds into the law firm, I am about.
02:16Anything that does not, I am not about.
02:19Mm-hmm.
02:20We have a full staff of 14 W-2 employees and they all look like me and you.
02:27And that is not by accident.
02:29I enjoy giving people the opportunity to come into the legal world that would have never
02:34had the opportunity before.
02:35Mm-hmm.
02:36So fast forward nine years later, a show comes knocking asking to be a part of a reality.
02:43Well, hold that thought there because we don't want to go too far ahead.
02:46I'm not going to give you that.
02:47Yeah.
02:48But that was pre-show and still currently.
02:50Yeah.
02:51And the reason I wanted to go back a little bit is because what we're talking about is
02:55taking the business that you're already in and finding ways to promote it, expand on
03:02it, expose it to a larger audience.
03:04And, you know, reality TV has provided that.
03:07It is an incredible, you know, a platform for exposure.
03:12It certainly gives you an opportunity to reach a fan base and reach an audience and
03:18consumer base.
03:19So I wanted to start by talking about what you did before reality.
03:23And Yandy's story is very, very different.
03:26And although I know it, I'll let you tell a little bit about it before the show.
03:30Sure.
03:31So I graduated from Howard University.
03:33Shout out to HBCUs and Howard.
03:36Okay.
03:37Bison's in the building.
03:38I see hands going up.
03:39I love that.
03:40And coming out of college, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do at the time.
03:46I was interning at The Gap and I knew that I loved fashion, but I didn't feel like this
03:51is what I wanted to do.
03:52I don't know how many of you have been in this situation where you work for a long time.
03:55I worked for The Gap for eight years from high school to college.
03:58I even got a scholarship to Howard from The Gap.
04:00So fashion was what I was supposed to do.
04:02That's what I knew.
04:03But when I graduated, I was like, I don't want to do fashion.
04:06So I came to New York and I felt like I just wanted to go to law school.
04:09I took the pre-law school test.
04:11I did really, really well.
04:12And I said, I want to get into entertainment law because I want to have a little pizzazz with my law.
04:17So I went looking for an internship.
04:20And I went looking for an internship and I landed at Mona's office.
04:26After begging for an internship, finally I got hired and I worked as an intern and then Mona's assistant for some time.
04:37And then I was like a junior manager and I was able to travel the world with artists.
04:42I was able to be a part of the producing side of events.
04:45I was able to be a part of the creation of an album.
04:48And I was a part of every facet that went into seeing a Missy Elliott go on the stage or a Busta Rhymes get on the stage or a Tweet make her album.
04:57And I realized that management really encompassed every aspect of what I learned.
05:03So it was marketing.
05:04It was management.
05:05It was sometimes we had to read over contracts.
05:07Mona can negotiate a whole contract without a lawyer.
05:10There was so many, even accounting.
05:13There was even accounting because we had to really figure out budgets when we were touring.
05:17So I loved that aspect of management.
05:20Eventually I left Violator and I started my own management company while also working at Atlantic Records.
05:27And I started working with other artists.
05:29And then I got a taste of TV actually from Mona.
05:32We had a show we were doing called The Road to Stardom.
05:34And I was on the road with that with Missy for a little while.
05:38And I was like, oh, this is cool.
05:40And then somehow we worked out this situation that is now love and hip hop today.
05:47And that is my pre love and hip hop story.
05:50There you go.
05:51I love it.
05:52So what I wanted to highlight was the differences in their trajectories.
05:56Right here we have Crystal, law school, has her set career.
06:01And then you have Yandy, entrepreneurial spirit, trying to find her way in life, has an incredible broad skill set underneath her.
06:10But both of them found their way to television and understood the value of the platform.
06:17And there's always this, as a producer myself, everybody kind of knows my story.
06:22I don't want to go back to that.
06:23But it's always important for me when I'm talking to talent coming into the show that I say to them,
06:29know what you want out of this.
06:31Right?
06:32Because it's an exchange.
06:33You're going to have to give the audience something that is going to stick for them.
06:38Something they're going to connect with.
06:40Something that's going to make them tune in week in, week out.
06:43They're going to take out a piece of you that you may otherwise reserve and not share with the world.
06:49And in exchange, they will connect with you.
06:52They will want to root for you.
06:54They will want to see you win.
06:56And at that point, they will support you in whatever your endeavor is.
07:00Right?
07:01And so there's the good and the bad, we all know, of doing reality television.
07:05But I do believe wholeheartedly that if you are clear in what you want out of it,
07:11and you are clear about what you are willing to exchange with the audience for that ability to connect with them,
07:21there is no platform like reality television for building your brand, for exposure to an audience,
07:28for connection with an audience.
07:31Right?
07:32And I'd love for you because you're just getting into it, Crystal.
07:35I know that.
07:36It's a rollercoaster ride.
07:37Talk a little bit about what your experience has been.
07:40So I just have to clarify that I certainly was not looking for anything in the entertainment industry.
07:46Entertainment industry is sexy to some degree.
07:50Oh, and you're not sexy.
07:51And you're not sexy.
07:52What?
07:53And you're not sexy.
07:54And you're not sexy.
07:55Not sexy at all.
07:56No, I'm just kidding.
07:57But reality TV found me.
08:00Yeah.
08:01And when you focus on yourself and you feed and nurture yourself, your light will shine.
08:07Yeah.
08:08And I think that's what happened for me and my castmates.
08:11I don't think maybe a couple of them were looking for reality television.
08:15But you're absolutely right, Mona.
08:17I mean, it's been a rollercoaster.
08:19Trying to navigate being a professional while still being entertaining is a difficult thing
08:24to do.
08:25Matter of fact, the whole season I was calling myself Meryl Streep.
08:28What?
08:29It's reality, but, you know.
08:32Was it Debra Wears Prada, Meryl, or no?
08:36Okay.
08:37Just checking.
08:38I pulled from a few of her different characters.
08:40Okay.
08:41Personally.
08:42But, so, I did.
08:45I walked into it knowing that this needed to feed into my business.
08:49Because my dream is not to become an actress.
08:54My dream is to still be the top real estate attorney employing people who look like me
08:59and you.
09:00So, I had to be careful about what I portrayed and what I didn't.
09:03I didn't really realize that I wasn't doing it right until three times into filming.
09:09When you say you weren't doing it right, explain that.
09:11Well, because nobody knows your story like you.
09:15So, whatever you want people to know about you, you have to encourage production to show.
09:20Mm-hmm.
09:21You have several different things going on naturally, but they don't know about it unless
09:26you say something.
09:27Yes.
09:28I think that's kind of a takeaway from here.
09:29It's like you have to be your number one cheerleader.
09:31Yeah.
09:32It doesn't matter if you're on reality television.
09:34It doesn't matter if you're just in real life in corporate position.
09:37Mm-hmm.
09:38You have to be your biggest cheerleader and navigate how you want your supervisor to see
09:43you, how you want producers to see you, how you want the whole world to see you, etc.
09:47It's all about understanding what your brand is, who your audience is, how you want to reach
09:53that audience, and staying true to that.
09:55And, Yandy, for you it was a very different trajectory because you kind of found your footing,
10:00right?
10:01Yes.
10:02Prior to that you were trying all these different things, had the ability to do, but it wasn't
10:07until you had the opportunity to get on television, have that platform, recognize that there is
10:14an audience here that is a consumer base.
10:17Yes.
10:18So I was very clear.
10:19Coming into Love & Hip Hop, much like you, I think I was found, this one is like, I think
10:25you'd be great.
10:26And I'm like, no, I won't.
10:27I don't do my hair.
10:28I don't dress nice, hardly.
10:29I don't wear makeup.
10:30You shower every day, you're going to be good.
10:32I'm like, no, I'm not made for TV.
10:33And she's like, yes.
10:34And I think the goal at that point was for us to show a woman that got her stripes on
10:39her own, not because she's connected to a man, not because her man did this, or because
10:43she's a part of a group led by men.
10:45And, you know, I really felt like this was a way for me, I thought that this was a way
10:49for me to show young women and young girls out there that you can be successful in the
10:54space of hip hop and music without who you're sleeping with.
10:57So I took that as, okay, let me get out there and see what I can do.
11:00I'll make sure I wash and I'll try to do my hair.
11:04But what I did prior to coming on the show was look, I understand business.
11:09I was a business major and I grew up in the project.
11:11So I always wanted to get a little bit money.
11:13I didn't want to go back to the project.
11:15So what I thought was coming on this show, this is a commercial.
11:18So whatever it is that I have to sell besides who I am and the brand that I'm going to create,
11:24I need a product.
11:25Week one, I was like, y'all want to shoot me?
11:28I have a, I have a jewelry line.
11:30Mona, like you got a jewelry line?
11:31Yeah.
11:32My very first scene was me showing my jewelry line.
11:35Yes.
11:36I'm on a show.
11:37I have a jewelry.
11:38Yes, I have a jewelry line.
11:39And that's the thing.
11:40I was very clear.
11:41Like, okay, if I'm going to come on this show, it's not because I want to be a famous star.
11:44I, my trajectory in the beginning was I want to make money.
11:48I want to use this to catapult my career and make money.
11:51Um, so I came on EGL jewelry line was the accessories line or something like that.
11:57It did amazing.
11:58It was great.
11:59It was wonderful.
12:00But, but on the show, my character became very advisatory.
12:04Like I was always giving advice to Olivia or someone else.
12:06So people would be in my DMs, my manager's DMs, ask Yandy about this.
12:10So we want to know this.
12:11So what did I do?
12:12I started a blog.
12:13I started a blog and a magazine.
12:14And then from there, we were able to curate these amazing women events.
12:18And we would have hundreds of women come out and we would have panels like this.
12:22And we have health and wellness panels, hustlepreneur panels, mommy and work panels.
12:27And, um, we just created this brand that women grew attached to.
12:32And I saw that as this is much bigger than money now.
12:36This is about people needing something from me.
12:39And I have to figure out what my purpose is in this space.
12:42So then it became a purpose-filled, driven, um, thing with this show.
12:47So I, in, on the show, I was very clear like there's but so much that I could do because
12:52I'm in this space because this is, this is for a purpose.
12:55This is because I'm supposed to reach out to someone to help someone or to provide guidance
13:00or influence.
13:01This is for influence.
13:02So I have to be mindful.
13:03Many times I wanted to jump across tables.
13:05I'm not going to lie.
13:06Many times I wanted to throw, I wanted to do many things that you want to keep a secret
13:11that you want no one to ever know, especially a mom like mine.
13:14But I felt like it was important for me to remember who my end person was.
13:20And it was that little girl that's in the audience that's just like, I want to be like Yandy.
13:25Or that single mom that's like, I want to be like Yandy.
13:28Or that woman whose husband is gone and like, I want to get through this like Yandy.
13:32It was always a back thought of there's someone watching me and I got to protect that person
13:38and how they're going to want to be like this.
13:42I think it's important also to, whether you have a television platform as an opportunity,
13:48whether it's social media, because social media is another way to reach the masses, right?
13:54It connects us.
13:55It creates a direct, you know, route to your consumer.
13:59I think it's important that you are aware of opportunities when they come along.
14:04That you are prepared to take advantage of those opportunities.
14:08Like I said before, right?
14:09There is so much that comes with giving of yourself to be on television that I say all the time.
14:16And there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a star, but I'm sure even that comes with the desire
14:22to support your family, build, you know, your wealth and your brand.
14:27So I always say it's really about having a plan in place, knowing exactly who your audience is,
14:34knowing what your product is that you're selling to the audience, being clear about how you're going to reach that audience.
14:41And this is universal, what we're talking about.
14:43Nothing to do with just being on television.
14:45Television just happens to be a tremendous platform.
14:49Because I will say this, and Yandy knows, incredibly smart, has her degree, you know, entrepreneurial spirit,
14:58but I do not think you can take away what the platform of television, having those millions of people,
15:05tuning in week in, week out, how that accelerated whatever plan you may have had in mind to begin with.
15:11But you got to come with a plan.
15:13There's so many people in reality TV that get on these shows because they want to be famous, which is great,
15:19but they have no plan.
15:21So they become whoever they think is the most popular.
15:24They become this person or they act like this person.
15:27They try to befriend this person.
15:28No, they don't really like them.
15:29People, you guys are very smart.
15:31You see through all of that and you never really attach to someone that is not being, you know, unique to who they are,
15:38because you guys can tell.
15:40And I think so many times people get on reality TV for the goal of, you know, I just need whatever.
15:45I need a check or I just want to be famous.
15:47But they don't have a clear plan.
15:49First of all, who are you in this space for?
15:53Is it for you?
15:54Is it for the audience?
15:55Is there a person out there you want to inspire?
15:57Is there a job you want to get?
15:59What is the end goal of this?
16:01Do you want to be a manager?
16:02Do you want to be a lawyer?
16:03Do you want to be the top real estate agent?
16:05What do you want?
16:06If you go into reality TV without a clear goal of what you need and what you want out of it,
16:12you will be lost and you will not last.
16:15This has got to be, Mona always used to say, this has got to be your stepping stone to the next place.
16:19I always say this is not an end destination.
16:22This is a meme.
16:23It's been a 12 year step.
16:24It's a long staircase.
16:26It's a very long staircase.
16:28But there's been so much success from this.
16:31I have started a skincare line that is super supported online.
16:35We have a store in Atlanta.
16:36I have a restaurant that is always, you know, popping.
16:39It's fun.
16:40I have a booth at Essence.
16:41And I can't lie.
16:43It's not only because of reality TV, but it's absolutely helped the awareness and the visibility of the brand.
16:50Because I make sure every time I shoot, oh, you want me to shoot with that person?
16:53It got to be at the opening of this Yale store.
16:55Oh, you want this person to meet with me?
16:57Oh, then it got to be at the opening of the restaurant.
17:00And I make sure those high scenes that I know that the network wants.
17:04I'm going to have the backdrop of business that I'm starting.
17:07Why?
17:08Because I have a clear plan of my goal as to why I'm on this show.
17:11So that's the only thing I think that people forget that you have a purpose, whether it's to make money, whether it's to, you know, inspire, whatever it is.
17:20Know that.
17:21Know what you think your end goal is going to be.
17:23Never thought my end goal would be a skin care line or anything like that.
17:28But I knew there were certain things that I wanted and who I wanted to reach.
17:33Wonderful.
17:34Did you take a breath throughout that whole thing?
17:37Yeah.
17:38And I was going to ask you, Crystal, did you see a difference for you, even if, I mean, you don't have a business where you're selling products, right?
17:46But in terms of visibility, profile, outreach, were you able to see a difference in your business from being on the show?
17:53Yeah.
17:54And if I'm being honest, I'd need to look at the numbers for six more months or so to see what it does for my firm.
18:00Because my firm, we close real estate transactions, commercial and residential.
18:04So I can't quantify the progress, but historically we, you know, we grow anyways without the show.
18:12So it's difficult for me to determine that now.
18:15But I wanted to piggyback off of something that you said, Mona.
18:19And a part of, for me, when I first started of being a successful business owner is being resourceful and figuring it out.
18:28Yeah.
18:29So social media is a no brainer platform for any business owner, right?
18:33But before they were social media and I had my law firm, I needed to reach out to real estate agents and developers.
18:40That's who we get our business from.
18:42So I would go to Trulia and Zillow and literally message agents.
18:47And I told them that I was a closing attorney interested in their business.
18:50Out of 50 coffees, maybe two of them gave me business.
18:54And it dominoed from there.
18:57Our very first year, we closed maybe 12 transactions in the entire year.
19:04And we're at roughly 60 a month now.
19:07That's amazing.
19:10So a part of the success, no matter what you do in industry, is being resourceful and figuring it out.
19:16Never present yourself, your boss, your supervisor with the problem unless you have the solution.
19:23Absolutely.
19:24No.
19:25And I think also an important thing for people who are thinking about television as a potential platform to help them build their business is to really understand that audience.
19:36Who is it I'm selling my product to?
19:38Is this person watching this show that I'm doing?
19:42If not, and if you don't have a product or a business, shape one.
19:46The other way around, I'll tell you a quick story.
19:48Can you guys hear me?
19:49Because it feels like it's going in and out.
19:50So when we first started Love & Hip Hop the franchise, right, there was also something happening in the wine business.
19:56Where as consumers, right, African Americans, we didn't really consume wine in the traditional way.
20:03We're not sifting, sniffing.
20:05Our palates are sweet.
20:06We like bubbly.
20:07We were raised on sodas and stuff.
20:10And so there was this uptick of this wine varietal called Moscato, right?
20:15We were seeing Moscato being sold more within urban communities.
20:19So I saw that opportunity.
20:21I was like, listen, there's going to be all of these scenes with our ladies.
20:24They're always going to be sitting at a restaurant drinking wine.
20:27Most likely they're going to be asking for a Moscato because that is what our palates like.
20:33We need to just do a Moscato.
20:36And it's the, you know, that intersection of finding an opportunity, then acting on it, and then using it as a backdrop.
20:44So it wasn't like we were like, hello, drink mixed Moscato.
20:48But I think people noticed there was this little blue bottle that started popping up in scenes.
20:53And the end result is it became a very successful wine brand.
20:57We're still here.
20:58We, you know, have all kinds of sangrias and other flavors.
21:03But I'd never thought about being in the wine business.
21:07It was an opportunity that presented itself because I understood who the audience was.
21:12Millions of people tuning in every week.
21:14And the potential for there to be a product tie-in, right?
21:18So, Yandy, going back to you with social media.
21:23Because you, you know, launched your businesses at a time that the TV show was a major driver for you.
21:30But then you also have a very active social media presence.
21:34Talk about how social media helped you build your business as well.
21:39That was equally as important as the reality show for me.
21:42And kind of I followed the same formula.
21:44I knew that there was a particular audience that I reached from the show.
21:49And I wanted to cater my page to that.
21:51So when you think of Yandy as a brand, you know that she's a mom.
21:55You know that she's a wife.
21:56You know that she's a businesswoman.
21:58You know that she gives back to the community.
22:01So my page reflects that, right?
22:04Do I go out and drink at the club and get turned up with my girl?
22:08Absolutely.
22:09I do all of that.
22:10But I'm very, very conscious of what I post and the frequency that I post certain things.
22:17So you're going to see me turn up.
22:19Like if you look at my page last night, I was at the Nicki Minaj concert.
22:21Like I had my thigh out.
22:23I was bugging.
22:24I was having a gay time.
22:25My next post is going to be me at Essence at my booth.
22:28You see my big son working.
22:30You see my husband working.
22:31You see, I make sure when I post, I'm catering to the people that I know follow me.
22:37And also, I'm giving who I want to be a shine, right?
22:42So I get booked to speak on panels about motherhood and business and, you know, just a bunch of different things.
22:50And those things are reflective in my page.
22:52I take an assessment of who follows me.
22:55I look at the trends.
22:56I look at all of the analytics.
22:58And I gauge my posting towards that.
23:02If I sit and I do a week of bathing suit posts, you're going to see me with 15 likes, 32 likes.
23:09My people do not want to see me posted up in no thong bathing suit.
23:13Like, hey, I'm here.
23:15They don't want to see that.
23:17Versus another person can post that and get 1,700,000 likes.
23:21I'm not going to get that.
23:23That is not what my audience wants to see.
23:25So if I'm out and I think I look cute, I'm going to post it anyway.
23:28But you're not going to see a week of me in bathing suits and all.
23:32Because that is not, that's not one who I am.
23:34I'm not going to get any potential bookings from that.
23:37And I know the people that follow me are not interested in that at all.
23:42So I'm very clear also on my goal and who I'm reaching when I post.
23:47And that's something if you guys want to make a business out of social media, make sure you understand who your followers are.
23:53Make posts that cater to your followers.
23:56Try different things in the beginning.
23:58If you're starting a business page, see what your people like.
24:01Post this and then post something completely different.
24:04Post that.
24:05See what the feeling is.
24:06What they respond to.
24:07And what they respond to.
24:08Exactly.
24:09All right.
24:10So then Crystal, knowing now what you know about the business of reality television, being on it, if you had to think back, what would you do?
24:20What would you have done differently?
24:22Well, we're only one season in.
24:24So I feel like I need a little more time to answer that question.
24:27No.
24:28But from the first day that someone approached you and said, hey, you want to do this, to the last day that you shot.
24:35Something that I wish I would have understood is so simple, but so critical is you need to have the looks ready.
24:44Oh, yeah.
24:45Oh, yeah.
24:46That translates to any.
24:47Okay.
24:48Does everyone know what I mean when I say looks?
24:50Okay.
24:51That translates to any industry, by the way, because you never know what's going to come up and you never know when you're going to have to reach into that closet and get a suit that you're not used to wearing or a pretty little sundress because you have a professional brunch or whatever.
25:04So honestly, I wish I would have thought more about the suits.
25:08About the wardrobe.
25:09And the looks.
25:10Got it.
25:11Well.
25:12All right.
25:13So listen, we'd like to take this opportunity to open up the floor because it's always important when we do these that you guys have an opportunity to ask the questions that matter to you.
25:24We want to hear from you guys anything at all.
25:27I don't know if we've got a microphone out in the audience.
25:31How's this?
25:32Yeah.
25:33You know what, ladies?
25:34Why don't we give the Instagram handles so they know where to find you?
25:37You can find me at closing attorney, underscore Chris, C-R-I-S, and my law firm, Kimbrough Law LLC, all on every social media platform.
25:50Perfect.
25:51Closing attorney, underscore Chris.
25:54And I'm Yandy Smith on everything.
25:58I keep it pretty simple.
25:59Just plain old Yandy Smith.
26:01Yandy with a Y.
26:02Y-A-N-D-Y.
26:03That's it.
26:04Yep.
26:05What are you?
26:06Mona Scott Young.
26:07Mona Scott Young with the young.
26:09With the young.
26:10With the young.
26:11I forget the young.
26:12Yes.
26:13Do we have any questions?
26:14How are we doing this?
26:15We have a microphone that we can use to field questions.
26:17So, yeah, let's take that one and see if we can get it to work.
26:20Yeah, because it's important that you guys get to ask your questions and we're here to answer whatever it is you'd like.
26:27Hey, Queens.
26:28Y'all are looking absolutely beautiful, by the way.
26:32But my name is Gabby.
26:33Myself and my business partner, Trina.
26:35We own a travel company, Besties That Travel.
26:38And my question is how do you market yourself to be on reality TV?
26:45How do you put yourself in that avenue to where you get picked up or, you know, get noticed?
26:51The interesting thing is, you know, it's always about pulling a curtain back on a world, right?
26:56Whether that world is law, the music industry, you know, the travel industry, whatever you do.
27:01But then second to that is big personalities because there are so many people out there doing stuff.
27:07So you try to find personalities that stand out, right?
27:12Because that's what the fans are tuning in for.
27:14And also the way that you guys run your business.
27:18Is there anything unusual about that, right?
27:21Fish out of water is a phrase that is key.
27:23It's always about, like, how are they doing this thing that we've seen done before in a different way that's going to be
27:30compelling to watch?
27:32So utilizing social media, whether it's, you know, putting up events that you're doing, funny moments that happen in the audience.
27:41You know, little clips that show the personality of the folks that you have.
27:45I've had people tag me all the time, like, oh, you should check out this caterer.
27:50You should check out this, you know, because they're finding you guys.
27:53They're seeing what you're doing.
27:55And you'll see they'll tag me and Oprah and Tyler and just anybody who can do anything in television.
28:01So continue to utilize social media as a means of reaching because I can't say enough what an incredible medium it is for bridging the gap and connecting you to people you might not otherwise have access to.
28:15The tagging will begin.
28:16There you go.
28:17Tag away.
28:18And sometimes I get flooded to the extent that I'm like, let me go check this out because Lord knows I might be missing the next big thing.
28:25Right.
28:26You know.
28:27Hi.
28:28Hello.
28:29You all look beautiful.
28:30Just wanted to say that.
28:32My question is how do you know when to deprecate a business?
28:35So you've had several.
28:36You've done several things.
28:37You've let some go.
28:38You've kept some.
28:39So I'm just curious as to how you know when to deprecate a business.
28:42I'll give that to Yandy since you've had multiple.
28:44Yeah.
28:45You know, for me, there's a couple things that matter.
28:48First, what's my goal?
28:50What's my purpose?
28:51Some things are to generate income.
28:53And if it's about generating income, is this profitable?
28:56What are my losses?
28:57Am I having more profit than I'm having lost?
28:59So that's a big thing.
29:01The other thing is some of my businesses are soul and purpose driven.
29:05I got to make sure it's feeding my soul.
29:07That's important to me.
29:08With most businesses I'm in, you got to feed my soul.
29:11The people I encounter have to feed my soul or I won't do it.
29:14So the first thing is really finding out what is your primary goal?
29:18What is your primary purpose?
29:20I talked about that so much.
29:21And then from there, once you figure that out, you'll be able to assess what it's doing for your business.
29:28Is it generating income?
29:29Is it feeding your soul?
29:30Is it feeding your children?
29:32Is this, you know, are you creating visibility for such and such cause?
29:36Like what is it that you want to do and what is the end goal?
29:39What is the purpose?
29:40And that will kind of lead you and should lead you if that is a business for you, if it makes sense.
29:45The other thing I talk about a lot is doing what you have to do in pursuit of being able to do what you want to do, right?
29:52Making sure that there's a dual plan where you're not jumping off a ledge without a clear plan, but you're also not sacrificing the time that you should be building towards something that's not going to get you to what you want.
30:05It's got to be a healthy balance.
30:07And sometimes certain things are loss leaders, right?
30:09You're doing them now for this time, but there is a plan.
30:13I talk a lot about things being a means to an end, right?
30:17Sometimes I just got to do this for now, but I know what my goal is.
30:21I'm staying focused on that end goal, but taking these steps as a means to getting there.
30:26So I think it's important you just lay out everything that you've got going on because there are also things that I do that are clear loss leaders.
30:33Like this is only because I'll give you an example.
30:36I still manage recording artists, right?
30:38It's not something that I do as my main job because now my main job is producing, but every once in a while I've got to make an investment in being in the right arenas,
30:48with the right people so that I can stay relevant in this space so that it benefits the client that I work with.
30:55So you've got to lay out everything that you've got going on, make the decisions, apportion your time in a way that makes sense, but you can't put all the eggs in one basket.
31:06I mean, that's a whole nother conversation for people that are like, I'm going for broke.
31:10I'm like, you got to have a plan.
31:12Okay.
31:13You got to have a plan.
31:14Hello.
31:15My name is Dr. Keisha Harvey Mansfield.
31:17I am an obesity medicine expert and family medicine physician.
31:20I'm here with one of my good friends.
31:22She's a nephrologist and serial entrepreneur.
31:25Love that.
31:26So a lot of us will never be on TV and a lot of us are not going to get famous on Instagram.
31:33How do we still market ourselves and keep people locked into what we're doing locally and in our communities?
31:40I'm going to, you know, turn this one over to Crystal, but I will say this.
31:45Being on television, being famous is not the end goal.
31:48I'll say that time and time again.
31:50Means to an end.
31:51So I think there is a place for every single person to do what they do so that they can
31:57build their business in whatever arena that is.
32:00But why don't you tell us?
32:01I would just say maintain visibility.
32:04If you service statewide, then do what you can to also have rainmakers, right?
32:12So if you're the only rainmaker, then you have to work hard enough to the point that you can hire someone else to be an additional rainmaker.
32:20And that way there's two of you.
32:22And that way you can be at this event and then be at this event.
32:25So maintaining visibility, staying true to your brand, something that Yandy touched on.
32:31A big part of Kimbrough law is education.
32:35Because I know and I'm passionate that if you're educated as a real estate agent, then you're going to become more powerful.
32:41So if you know, for instance, that's one of the cornerstones of your business, then you have to maintain that and don't focus on what other people are doing.
32:52Don't follow in their footsteps.
32:54The TikTok may go viral, but if the TikTok doesn't service your business and your brand, then don't do the TikTok and post it.
33:01Right.
33:02Yep.
33:03What kind of doctor are you?
33:05Obesity medicine.
33:08Got it.
33:09Okay.
33:10So with stuff like that, right, you can align yourself and make partnerships.
33:16You might want to make a partnership with a gym.
33:18Where are your clients?
33:19Where are the people that you want to service?
33:21Where do they live?
33:22What do they do?
33:23What are their activities?
33:24Are they at the ice cream store?
33:25Are they at Burger King?
33:26Are they at McDonald's?
33:27Are they at the gym?
33:28Where are they?
33:29You might want to put your pamphlets there.
33:31You might want to hold informational sessions right in front.
33:35You might want to say, hey, listen, this is what we're doing.
33:37This is what we're trying to help in the community.
33:39You might even want to invite the community to come into your space for free.
33:42Look around.
33:43Tell them about your services.
33:44Offer, I don't know, healthy snacks and chips for the community.
33:48Whatever it is that you can get people to come into your doors.
33:51Have a day where you're just touring the facility and you can invite people in.
33:55You might get, this may cost you a few hundred dollars, but you're able to build relationships
34:01in the community that you want to serve that will eventually lead to you making thousands
34:06of dollars.
34:07Yeah.
34:08The other thing I'll say to think about is how do you align yourself with those celebrities
34:12that are influencers, right?
34:14It doesn't necessarily need to be that you are the influencer, but a lot of these guys
34:19are looking for services in kind, right?
34:22Whether it's clothing or shoes or hair, you know, getting their hair done or getting their
34:28bodies done.
34:29They're looking for that exchange because they understand that there's value in their social
34:34media following.
34:35Yes.
34:36And they know how to leverage that.
34:38Yes.
34:39So even if, for instance, for your services, and again, you know, there are people out there
34:44who probably would love to engage.
34:47Maybe they're, you know, not in a position.
34:49They don't know how to go about it.
34:51Go into their DMs.
34:52Hey, this is what I do.
34:54Would you be interested in a partnership?
34:56Because what then happens is you're piggybacking on their social media following, right?
35:02And so you'll see that all the time.
35:04That bougie hippie, I don't know what the hell it is, but you post a million times a day.
35:08But anyway, there are all these brands that can partner with influencers, right?
35:14So another, again, I'm going to keep dropping a little nugget.
35:17Don't always think about walking through the front door.
35:20There's a back door.
35:21There's a window.
35:22There's a crevice.
35:23There's an attic.
35:24Any which way you can get into, you know, the door in whatever you want to do,
35:29there's got to be a way.
35:30There's always a way.
35:31You've just got to give it some thought and figure out how to do it.
35:35You don't need to be on television yourself.
35:37Just align yourself with someone who is.
35:40And everyone loves something that's free 99.
35:42Yes.
35:43So you can offer your services to someone like, look, hey, I'm going to give you this service for free.
35:47I'm going to help you through this.
35:48I'm going to give you this service, this whatever.
35:50All I need you to do is to post this.
35:52Yes.
35:53I need you to post this.
35:54I need you to talk about this on your show.
35:55I need you to do this.
35:56You'll have a bunch of people that want that service.
35:58Exactly.
35:59For sure.
36:00Absolutely.
36:01Hi, thank you.
36:02Hi, my name is Mallory and I'm so glad that you ladies are here today.
36:07I have a quick question and it's more so of how to get in the industry or how do a young
36:14lady like myself who is very inspired by you guys get an internship?
36:19How do we go about, you know, just learning from you ladies as far as like getting internships
36:25and getting our foot in the door that way because we're not all business owners.
36:29I currently have my degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing.
36:34And you guys are so inspirational and that would be my step to learn from you guys as an internship.
36:43I think I'll give this one to the ultimate intern turned entrepreneurial mogul.
36:50So crazy because I was the same exact major as you.
36:54And when I graduated, my parents were like, you going to do what?
36:57An internship.
36:58You got college bills.
37:00You got, you know, I went back to live with my mom.
37:03And again, like I just said, people come to me all the time and ask for a mentor.
37:08Like, can you be my mentor?
37:09Those things take time.
37:11And right now with having several businesses, having children, having husbands, those things
37:15take my time as well.
37:16So what I tell people, instead of asking for a mentor, offer a service.
37:22Come into a space.
37:23When I started working with Mona, Mona probably doesn't even remember this, but I was literally
37:27cleaning her office and organizing her office.
37:29Oh, I remember.
37:30I was picking up her phone.
37:31I had a college degree.
37:33I graduated Howard with honors.
37:35And I never went to college.
37:37And I was cleaning her office.
37:39Not necessarily because she thought she needed that, but her office was a mess.
37:42It was.
37:43Her desk was a mess.
37:44It was.
37:45I was organizing CDs, putting labels on CDs.
37:48And this was my way in.
37:50And I literally, she doesn't, I don't even know if you know this, but I had came several
37:54times before I met Mona.
37:56I was talking to the receptionist, this girl named Tiffany.
37:59And I went up there.
38:00One of my friends had a meeting.
38:01They were booking Buster or something for a club.
38:03And I went up there and I'm like, oh my gosh, you guys looking for interns?
38:06She was like, no.
38:07I was like, okay.
38:09I wound up talking to her.
38:10She was reading this book.
38:11I got her number.
38:12We built somewhat of a rapport.
38:14And I would hit her up all the time.
38:16You started looking yet?
38:17Y'all looking for an assistant?
38:18Anybody need an assistant?
38:19One day I was like, let me take you out to lunch.
38:21And I went up there.
38:22The day that I went up to take her lunch, Mona was coming in that day.
38:25And I was like, that's the one that's in the corner office.
38:28That's her office.
38:29And Mona was like, what are you here for?
38:31Tiffany's looking up like, don't you say you're here for me.
38:33And I was like, I'm actually here for an internship.
38:36I tried to put in my resume.
38:38Don't know if anyone ever saw my resume.
38:40But I'm like, I can do anything.
38:42I was like, I graduated from Howard.
38:43I want to go to law school.
38:44And I was like, but I really can do anything.
38:46Your office is a mess.
38:47I can clean your office.
38:48I probably didn't say it like that.
38:50But for me, it was whatever.
38:52Well, let me just say this story, just in terms of doing anything.
38:54Because it is important to go back to what Yandy said, right?
38:57You've got to be able to offer up a service to someone.
39:00She was relentless.
39:02She was in it.
39:03She didn't let me say no.
39:05As a matter of fact, Missy Elliott tells the story all the time.
39:08We were on an island.
39:10And we were walking on the beach.
39:12And Yandy was pulling my suitcase on the beach.
39:15Well, her suitcase wasn't closed.
39:17There was files.
39:18There was her call log.
39:20But it was just the idea that whatever it took.
39:23And I'll also tell the story of there was something that she screwed up royally.
39:28And of course, you know, there's lots of pressure.
39:31And I went bananas on her.
39:33She went bananas.
39:34Let me tell you what the screw up was.
39:35And then we're going to go because I have a booth and I'm missing so much.
39:37This is a whole different thing.
39:38So, no.
39:39Let me tell you what she did.
39:40She might be talking about something different.
39:41But I'm going to tell you this one.
39:43So, one day we were checking in.
39:45She had like so much going on.
39:47She's on phones.
39:48She got five different phones.
39:49I'm holding the baby.
39:50I got the suitcase.
39:51She got a pocketbook, a big one, a small one, and a bunch of other stuff happening.
39:55She had a computer laptop bag, right?
39:58I left it at the check-in outside.
40:00Mind you, we were running late because she wants to wait until the last minute.
40:03So, we had to run to get on this plane.
40:05And I left the laptop bag at the front desk.
40:08The guy that checked us in outside.
40:10We got to the front.
40:11She's like, okay, open up my laptop.
40:12I need to da-da-da-da-da.
40:13And I'm like, okay, take the baby.
40:14Let me open up the laptop.
40:15Let me pull out your call off.
40:16And then I looked.
40:17I ain't got the laptop.
40:19And she was like, if I can't trust you with the small things, you will never do the big things.
40:24You will never, ever, ever do.
40:26You left.
40:27So, she went.
40:28I believe you left me.
40:29I think you got on the flight.
40:30I probably did.
40:31And was like, you go get my bag.
40:33I don't care.
40:34Come back until you find my bag.
40:36And if you don't find my bag, just don't ever come back to New York.
40:39Okay?
40:40And I was like, girl, I hate you.
40:42And I left.
40:43And I was crying.
40:45But I found the bag.
40:46Okay?
40:47But it was in that moment that I said, I'm not going to quit.
40:50Even if I don't get home today, I'm going to sleep in this airport.
40:53But I'm not going to quit.
40:54With tears in my eyes, I was like, I'm going to just be better.
40:57And I never forgot about it.
40:59You see, I was on the beach with the damn laptop.
41:02I was like, I'm never going to forget this bag again in my whole life.
41:05And not even leaving in the hotel.
41:07So, those are the kind of things that can break you or they can make you better.
41:12But you got to be willing to go through those moments.
41:14Some people quit at the first note.
41:16Exactly.
41:17Or they quit when they get screamed at one time.
41:18And that was the moment.
41:19And I'll wrap it up with this.
41:20When she stood there and she said, I'm not going anywhere.
41:23I'm here to learn from you.
41:25And I'm going to learn if it kills me.
41:27That was the moment that I said, oh, yeah, she's got it.
41:29She's going to be all right.
41:30And years later, here we go.
41:32All right.
41:33Well, listen, guys.
41:34There was one more question.
41:35I'm sorry.
41:36I don't want to cut you off.
41:38Please go ahead.
41:39All right.
41:40My name is Tonya.
41:41First of all, thank you, ladies, for sharing your stories with us.
41:44I consider myself a serial entrepreneur.
41:46I had seven salons in Atlanta.
41:49And now I have a salon in D.C. and just started my own product.
41:52Nice.
41:53Let's give her a round.
41:54Yes.
41:55But the advice that I guess I'm searching for is someone like me at 55 who's still constantly
42:02out there pushing her brands.
42:04I peaked very early where I've been featured in Essence, Vogue, Elle, Allure.
42:10I'm struggling with this whole social media thing.
42:13It's all, and I can take this one being a woman of your age.
42:16It is all about reinvention, right?
42:19You don't peak until you're dead.
42:21Peak means you've hit the ceiling and there's nowhere else for you to go, right?
42:25Every day that you get up, it's about how are you reinventing yourself?
42:29How are you evolving?
42:31How are you growing and shaping?
42:33I mean, the very definition of growing and building is that you are alive and able to do so.
42:40So I say until you take your last breath, it ain't over.
42:43You ain't peaked.
42:44You don't know what is ahead of you.
42:46You better keep pushing, but it's up to you to take a look at the landscape.
42:51What is changing in hair?
42:53What is the next evolution?
42:54How do I get ahead of that curve?
42:56How do I provide a service that isn't currently available?
42:59It is your job to constantly reinvent yourself, right?
43:04And with that, guys, we have to wrap it up, but I just want to say thank you so much for
43:09listening to us.
43:10Hope our anecdotes, our stories, our crazy tales were instructive, informative.
43:16Thank you so much for supporting Essence.
43:18Thank you to the entire Essence team for having us here at the eSuites.
43:22It is our absolute pleasure to share information with you guys.
43:27And we hope to see you guys out here in these NOLA streets.
43:36Bye.
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