- 1 day ago
Panel Convo: Three amazing entrepreneurs who have built
empires and created generational wealth discuss all things
Black culture and cultivating cash flow.
empires and created generational wealth discuss all things
Black culture and cultivating cash flow.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello, everyone. I am Dr. Summer Allen, so excited to be here with each and every one
00:08of you. I am honored to be able to moderate this very special panel with these esteemed
00:14guests. Today, we're going to be talking about building black wealth, brick by brick. All
00:21right, before we get into the topic and talk to our guests, one of the things we want to
00:24talk about are some statistics when it comes to black wealth and black entrepreneurship.
00:30In 2020, think about what was going on in 2020, but in 2020, 25 percent of new businesses
00:38were by black Americans. That's phenomenal. Now, of that 25 percent, 73 percent of those
00:48were by black women. Preach. Right. Black women. Exactly. The black excellence is all in here.
00:56And so what we're going to do is we're going to talk about how do we build businesses from
01:00the ground up. And so we have our moderators that are here today that are going to talk
01:04about their experiences and share their story along this journey. All right. So let's show
01:09some love for our panel. The first person we want to talk about is the CEO and co-founder
01:14of Honeypot. I know all of us have those products. And we have Ms. Beatrice Dixon. That is who that
01:24is. All right. We also have the CEO and co-founder of McBride Sisters Wine Company. And that is
01:32Andrea McBride John. I told her backstage, thank you for some rough times with that wine.
01:39And we also have entertainer and CEO of Heartbeat, Kevin Hart. All right. So let's go ahead and get
01:51started. The first question that I want to ask is for you, Andrea. You have an amazing story. You
01:57and your sister Robin actually met in 1999. And as a result of that, you all decided to establish
02:04your wine company in 2005. Now with that, you have McBride Sisters Wine Company that we have today
02:10that is now the largest black owned wine company in the world. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you.
02:18So tell us about your unique union and how you discovered your mutual love for wine.
02:24We do have a little bit of a crazy story. And that is my oldest sister, Robin, who's just over there in the
02:32world. Hi, Robin. We grew up thinking that we were only children. I grew up on the other side of the
02:42world in the Southern Hemisphere in this little country called New Zealand. She was growing up in
02:47the Northern Hemisphere in this little town in the central coast of California called Monterey. And we
02:55met for the first time and we were united in 1999. And it's a very, very long, complicated story.
03:02But the shortest version of that is we share the same father. We have different mothers. Our daddy was a
03:12rolling stone. And unfortunately, he had a terminal illness and he's passed away. But his last wish
03:22was to connect us. And his family was able to connect us. And the thing that Robert and I had in
03:28common was, we were these two little black girls growing up in these rural wine growing regions and
03:35independent of each other. We wanted to be winemakers. We wanted to be owners. We wanted to be
03:39vintners. And we made that happen. Love that. Thank you for that. Thank you. All right. Beatrice.
03:46All right. So the Honeypot Company, again, it is known as the first complete feminine care system
03:53powered by herbs. Yes. Hey, thank you for that. Thank you for that cooling feeling. I just wanted
03:58to say that. So tell us about your personal experience with herbs. Like, how did you get
04:04started? And how did you realize how important it was to include them in building your business?
04:10Well, the way that I got started is I had a vaginal infection that I could not get rid of.
04:15I mean, it's real. It's real. That's real. Don't get quiet now. Don't get quiet now.
04:22Vagina infections happen. And it's fine. Somebody got one right now. Honestly.
04:26Look at his face. Look. Look. Look. No, but seriously. No, you know. But you know what?
04:34It's really important that we talk about these things and make these things normal.
04:38Normalize this. Because there is nothing abnormal about a stinky vagina of an infection,
04:44an itch, sweating. These things happen. And so, it's true.
04:55Let me see these men walking around all day. What do you smell like at the end of the day?
05:00I'm just saying. I'm just saying. So, you know, everybody just calm down.
05:08Gather yourselves.
05:09I had. I'm going to say it. I had bacterial vaginosis for almost a year.
05:14It would go away and come back. I would go to the doctor. Nothing worked.
05:19And I know that's the plight of a lot of humans with vaginas in this room.
05:22Absolutely.
05:23And in my one morning, my grandmother came to me in a dream. And she gave me a list of ingredients.
05:30And a lot of those ingredients, I shouldn't say a lot, but several of those ingredients were herbs.
05:36Okay.
05:36You know. And to make a long story short, she told me what to do to get rid of it.
05:42The thing that's important to know is I've never met my grandmother in this life.
05:45Because she transitioned when my mother was very young.
05:49And so she told me what to do. She gave me a list of ingredients.
05:53When I woke up, I wrote them down.
05:55Within a couple of days, I made myself a formula.
05:58And it worked.
05:59And so for me, because that was at the literal genesis of what my grandmother gave me,
06:07it only felt right that that should be at the root of what Honey Pot is.
06:12Love that story.
06:13Thank you for that, Beatrice.
06:16All right. Kevin.
06:18Kevin.
06:19Something to go after.
06:21Right.
06:21You got it.
06:22I already started.
06:23All right.
06:24So, Kevin, throughout your career, you have been known for a very strong work ethic.
06:31Well, you know, everybody knows that you clock about 15 hours a day just working.
06:36And then you still maintain the discipline to even work out every day.
06:40So, tell us why it's so important to maintain that level of rigor in your life.
06:45When to the outside world, it looks like you already have it together.
06:48So, why still do that?
06:52First of all, it's very tough to follow.
06:53I was looking around for other men to just look at to see with their faces.
07:01I realized I was one of few in the room.
07:04I think for me, it's the understanding of knowing that there is no ceiling.
07:14You know, some people grasp this concept.
07:16Some people don't.
07:17But there really is no ceiling as to what you can do if you have the will and want to do a lot.
07:23I'm a person that wants to do as much as I can during my time on this earth.
07:29And during that, I'm building, right?
07:32And when you look at buildings, some buildings are a lot bigger than others.
07:36And it's because there's a lot of time, energy, and effort into that particular idea.
07:40And some people believed it.
07:42Some people didn't.
07:43And it's not until the finished project that some people go, oh, shit.
07:47I'm building a, oh, shit.
07:48So at the end of my time, the level of, oh, shit, I can only hope will be massive and that there will be a high level of family wealth attached to it.
08:01So when you think about our culture, when you think about our people, there's not a lot of family wealth conversation attached to us.
08:14There's moments and there's highlights.
08:18But the real definition of wealth and family and tradition that can go on, sometimes it falls between the cracks.
08:25So I'm trying to change that narrative to the best of my ability while I'm here.
08:29So my work, blood, sweat, and tears is going into hopefully what will live on after me underneath the last name heart.
08:36That's the best definition.
08:38Love that.
08:40Thank you for that.
08:41All right.
08:41So one of the things we're talking about, like you said, is the generational wealth and the mass wealth.
08:46And so each of you has done a phenomenal job in your respective lanes, creating a massive success.
08:53And so how does it feel being the first in your family to carve out this level of success?
09:00I'd start with you guys.
09:02Go.
09:02I like the fact that you are here.
09:04I'll follow.
09:05I always follow.
09:06Robin and I feel blessed.
09:09Okay.
09:10I love that.
09:10And I think that, you know, with purpose, with passion, we didn't take what we built lightly from day one.
09:24You know, we were putting women, people of color at the center of our business.
09:31And we think about the environment.
09:34We think about social impact.
09:36That's who we have been the last 17 years.
09:39So we feel really blessed to be able to be in that position.
09:42And when it comes to generational wealth, you know, we think about our family.
09:47But we also think, too, about, like, all of the knowledge and the skills that we've been able to acquire in this time,
09:54especially around financial literacy and being able to be in a position to be able to share that widely, pay it forward.
10:03So we feel really blessed.
10:07We feel really grateful.
10:10Me and my brother, we're co-founders.
10:13And really, I feel like me and my team are co-founders.
10:16Like, it's not just us.
10:19You know, we're all in it together.
10:20But I feel extremely grateful because the wealth that Honeypot generates isn't just financial.
10:31You know, for me, I feel a responsibility to the humans that use our products because there's wealth in you being able to use something.
10:40That's the real wealth.
10:42Wealth isn't just about money.
10:44It's, you know, it's about knowing that love and kindness and thought and, you know, good ingredients and sustain.
10:59Like, you know, these types of things are really important.
11:02How you care about your vagina is important.
11:06Right?
11:07And having wealth in that, the wealth that lives inside of that is literally so that humans with vaginas feel comfortable with the products they're using, feel comfortable going to the cash register.
11:24You know, mommies can talk to their daughters or, you know, or whatever gender they go by because that's a freedom too, right?
11:32They can talk to their family about what it means to take care of yourself and why you should do that, right?
11:39And so for me, being the first in our family to be able to do this is powerful.
11:46I'm extremely grateful for it.
11:48And being the first to do this as a brand to be able to serve humanity is equally, if not more important because that's why we do what we do.
11:59Nice.
12:00Nice.
12:00I'm going to be honest with you.
12:04I'm here to give information.
12:07And I think what was given to me was information.
12:10So when you say, how do I feel, I think it's a dope feeling to know that you took jewels that were giving and that you applied them, right?
12:19Information is free, but sometimes it's hard to get.
12:21And in this space for entrepreneurs, for people that have visions, for people that have dreams, the best way to execute is just to understand and to know.
12:30And some of the stuff that you need to know is hidden.
12:33I had access to hidden information early on.
12:36I got to see behind a curtain that a lot of people don't get to look behind.
12:41And when I got to see behind that curtain, I said, oh, my God, this stuff isn't as hard as I once thought it was.
12:46I can shape, form, mold this business, this company into something else.
12:52I can shoot for the stars because the stars aren't that far away, but I didn't realize that until I got the information.
13:00That's the most important thing about your future, about your world, about your enterprise.
13:09It's how you apply the information that you have access to.
13:12Some people take advantage of it.
13:14Some people don't.
13:15This moment here is a moment for us to inform you, not just of our success.
13:20It ain't about our success.
13:21Fuck that.
13:22Our success is our success.
13:24It's about us giving you the information of how we got here so that you can apply it to what you're doing so you can find your success.
13:30So my true motivation, my true happy comes from me understanding that I got help from people that told me things that I did not know.
13:41We're here to hopefully tell you things that you do not know so that you can take it and apply it to you.
13:47That's where my world of happy and understanding comes from.
13:49Love that.
13:50Love that.
13:51Thank you for all of you.
13:53Well, let's get into that.
13:54Let's get into a few of the things that we do not know, right?
13:57And so when we think about entrepreneurship, sometimes all we get to see is the outside, right?
14:02The great parts of the business.
14:05What sacrifices have you all made in order to be where you are?
14:11Jesus.
14:12Yeah.
14:13You don't want my list to all.
14:14Go ahead.
14:17Made and make.
14:18This work is very hard to do, you guys.
14:24It can be done, but you have to be willing to just stick to it and keep your eye on the ball.
14:33I mean, there's so many sacrifices.
14:36It's hard to even list them off.
14:38You sacrifice a lot of your time, a lot of your energy, your health, because stress and adrenal glands and fertility and, you know, taking care of yourself, sleeping, thinking all the time, having to constantly be on,
15:05and having to be the person that does the thinking and thinks big, and also being able to take responsibility, like Kevin was saying, with understanding that you have to be willing to apply the information and do the work and take it all the way, right?
15:23Why pick it up if it's not going to be massive?
15:27Why grow a brand if you're not going to be able to take the punches, right?
15:33Like, Honeypot has had multiple viral moments.
15:37The last one that we had was extremely toxic and extremely hard, but at the end of the day, we're grateful for it because it makes us better.
15:46You know, and you just have to be willing to just do whatever it takes, even when people don't necessarily understand, and even when it's not necessarily your fault, and even when you're human and you make mistakes or you don't make mistakes, right, but the sacrifice is ridiculous, you know?
16:08Yeah, and I think to add to that, you know, when you have passion and you have purpose, it truly comes down to a lot of the time that victory only belongs to the most tenacious, and we're both makers, you know, we, you know, took an idea out of our head, created a physical product,
16:30and I think within our categories, within our industries, a million dollars is a really big milestone, and who you were at zero dollars, and who you become at a million dollars, like, the sacrifices you have to make, the emotional, the physical, the speed in which you have to learn new skills, the speed in which you have to convince other people to come join your crazy ride that's unproven,
16:56You just go through this monumental shift, but when you get to that million-dollar mark, which is proof of your concept, proof that consumers like it, they want to buy it, from there on in, 2 million, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 beyond, that skill set you now have for your own company that you can share with other entrepreneurs is so powerful.
17:20So, anybody that's interested in becoming an entrepreneur and wants to get into that space, if there's a number that I could just imply in your mind, when you're going through the tough times, it's that million-dollar mark.
17:33And once you get over that hump, the speed of which things will start to happen will happen at a way faster clip.
17:41Can I say one more thing?
17:42Sure.
17:42Another thing is being able to sacrifice, because I remember in the beginning, me and Cy were the lowest paid in the company.
17:51Yes.
17:52And being able to sacrifice that.
17:55And then also, when your company does scale from a million to 10 to 50 to potentially 100, being able to sacrifice that you may not be the person that needs to take that to that larger number.
18:09Next level.
18:09I'll tell you this flat out.
18:14I simplify things, right?
18:16I'm very good at going down to the base layer and simplifying it.
18:21When you talk about the biggest sacrifice, your sacrifice comes within your time, energy, and effort to the point that you made.
18:28And we all have an idea.
18:30We all have a concept.
18:32We all have a thought.
18:33But we all don't want to do the real work.
18:35We all think about it, but we all don't want to really do the real work.
18:41That's the biggest thing.
18:42Let's just go to the base layer.
18:44How many people really want to do the work?
18:47And when you look at it, and when you look at the level and number behind successful companies and successful entrepreneurs, that number isn't that big.
18:55It's slim.
18:56And the reason why it's slim is because people get halfway and they go, fuck this.
19:00Yeah.
19:00I'm not going to do it because it takes a hell of a mind to say that they're going to do it, to take the highs and the lows.
19:08I think my biggest sacrifice comes with an understanding that you can't do it by yourself.
19:14You need other people to grasp your concept and vision.
19:17The thing that you have to sacrifice the most is the control of your idea.
19:22You got to be comfortable with giving other people access into your world of creative.
19:28Because ultimately, when people grasp your vision, they can help you in executing it.
19:33How do you get other people to believe in your shit enough to say I'm going to ride with you and help you and goddammit be there when the numbers go crazy or when the numbers get low?
19:45How do you get the team that goes, this can be our thing?
19:50The sacrifice is understanding that it can't just be you.
19:53And within our culture, within our people, we're ego-driven.
19:58We're ego-driven.
19:59We want things to be ours.
20:00We want to stand on a mountain and say it's me, me, me.
20:04The sacrifice is understanding that it can't be you, you, you.
20:07It's got to be a we, we, we.
20:09And if you don't understand that, I promise you you'll fail faster than you can stand.
20:13Get a job.
20:14I promise you you'll fail.
20:17It's an understanding the concept of we.
20:19So for me, I have a hell of a team.
20:22And you can't talk to me about my company.
20:24You can't talk to me about my success if you come to me with a, Kevin, how did you do it?
20:29It's how did we do it?
20:30I got a hell of a group of people that have helped me execute over the years.
20:34But it took a lot of learning for me to understand to embrace that idea of we, to embrace the idea of us, to embrace the idea of I can't do it alone.
20:44And that, to me, is what changed my business and what got us to crazy levels of success.
20:52It was a sacrifice in saying, Kevin, you can't be the star of it all.
20:56Everything.
20:57You can't.
20:58And my real stars are the people that are helping me and execute these visions.
21:02And that's the truth.
21:03Hands on the back.
21:04I love it.
21:05I love it.
21:06Thank you all so much.
21:08I know there's much more that this audience would love to hear from you all.
21:11Unfortunately, we have to wrap it up.
21:13So just thank you all for the nuggets that you all have shared with us today.
21:17But before we wrap up, Kevin, there's something special that you'd like to do for us?
21:22Yeah, man.
21:23You know, we're here.
21:25And this is the beauty.
21:25First of all, let me just say what the beauty of Essence and the festival is, right?
21:29And I love what Essence has done over the years for black women.
21:34It's been a true staple of uplifting, amplifying opportunities within our culture.
21:41But to give women a place to go and receive, right?
21:44Like you come here and these gems that are given are so motivating because it's from us.
21:50And it's from women that have built things and that are sharing those things.
21:54I really do hope that y'all take these moments as serious as you should.
21:58And that you use this festival as the networking block that it was built to be.
22:02Fun, you will have.
22:04That's great.
22:05Help shows, concerts.
22:07It's a lot of shit to do.
22:09But please do not miss the opportunity to meet your counterparts and build a goddamn connection
22:14in a real fucking atmosphere that can help you in your future.
22:19Like, take advantage of that.
22:20That's what this is here for.
22:22With that being said, I'm going to take advantage of it and I'm going to show you how.
22:27I got a goddamn tequila and I'm going to fucking give you guys an opportunity to taste it.
22:32I wanted to see if I could just do it like a little shot before I leave.
22:36And I think, do they have it to where they can put it around?
22:39Yeah, I think so.
22:40Can we get our servers out here, please?
22:41Do they do?
22:42Can we get our servers?
22:43All right.
22:44Oops.
22:44So, I want to tell you why.
22:46Do we have it?
22:46Do they have it to where it's going to be around?
22:47I know I have it.
22:48Yes.
22:49Okay.
22:50I didn't know.
22:50I'm like, is this it?
22:51No.
22:52Yeah, I can't go out there and pass people.
22:54It'll take me forever.
22:55That's what I said.
22:55I didn't know.
22:56I don't know.
22:56I think we can do it.
22:57I told you, don't leave me out here willy-nilly.
22:59I told y'all that.
23:00Didn't I tell you to give me clear information?
23:04Either way, let me tell you why I did it.
23:06So, I'm going to tell you why I did this tequila, and you're going to laugh.
23:08So, for the longest time, I've traveled and I've constantly went to these places.
23:14I'm a tequila lover for real.
23:16And I would search for, like, the highest levels of tequila, the highest premium.
23:19And I found that it was stuff that nobody knew about.
23:22It was tequila that nobody would ever know about.
23:24And I found out about this brand or former tequila.
23:28It's called a Cristalino.
23:29And a Cristalino is a crazy high-shelf version of tequila that's at a crazy price point.
23:35And I was like, well, within my culture, within my people, we don't even know what Cristalino is.
23:38It's never been presented to us.
23:39So, for, like, three and a half years, I tried my best on creating what I felt was a version of a Cristalino
23:46that I could bring to us, our culture, our people, but at a price point that we all could afford.
23:51It basically is a clear reposado.
23:53Cristalino is a reposado without color.
23:56And I went and I took the best people.
24:00I had access, once again, because of the information, to the best tequila makers, a guy named Juan Domingo.
24:05He's responsible for any tequila that you've touched.
24:08It's come through his portal.
24:09And I told him I wanted a partner, but I didn't want him to do the money.
24:12I said, I can be my own money.
24:14I want your information.
24:15I want your funnel.
24:15I want your opportunities of connection.
24:18And he said, Kevin, nobody's came to me like that.
24:21And he decided to partner with me in a full-fledged brand and idea.
24:25And I promise you, you'll never taste a more smoother, better version of a tequila.
24:30When I say no trace, no face, it's truth here.
24:34That's the only reason why I wanted to do it.
24:35I was tired of drinking tequila and doing this after I was done.
24:38So, the Cristalino is something that I feel is premium and also is a testament of hard work.
24:46I feel hard work tastes different.
24:48And you should celebrate your journey in any hard work.
24:50This is a definition of hard work.
24:52This is a definition of mine.
24:54So, cheers to you ladies.
24:56And to no more vaginal problems, right?
24:59Yeah, I think we nailed that today, too.
25:03And cheers to Black Girl Magic.
25:04Please.
25:05Taste it.
25:05Please, take it.
25:08Taste it.
25:08Taste it.
25:09You should taste it.
25:10You should taste it.
25:11I'm going to tell you if it's good or not.
25:13Please taste it.
25:13Let me see.
25:15A toast to you ladies.
25:17A toast to your future success and your now success.
25:20We're all building.
25:22All right?
25:22Hard work tastes different.
25:23Thank you guys so much.
25:28I don't lie.
25:30I don't lie.
25:31I don't lie.
25:33It's gorgeous.
25:34Do I lie?
25:35Smooth as fuck, ain't it?
25:36It is.
25:36I told you.
25:38It's excellent.
25:39It's delicious.
25:40Grand Coramino.
25:42We're distributing.
25:42We're out there.
25:43We're available.
25:45But not about me.
25:46About you.
25:47Please, use this for what it's supposed to be.
25:49Congrats to you both.
25:50I love it.
25:51And I do know your real success.
25:52I know where your businesses are.
25:54I'm a guy that loves to invest.
25:56And I love to see.
25:56And I love to see us win.
25:58Take advantage of your now.
26:00Network.
26:01Network.
26:01Shake hands.
26:02Get information, you guys.
26:03This was dope as hell.
26:05I love y'all.
26:06Thank you, everyone.
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