- 8 hours ago
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hi, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Thank you all so much for joining us. It's a
00:07pleasure to have you here. We are so excited to tell you and discuss
00:12Champion Black Businesses this afternoon. My name is Rachel Brown. I am with ABC7
00:18Los Angeles and I am so excited to introduce you to our fantastic panel
00:23over here, our Cookie Society panel. I would like to introduce you to co-founders
00:28of Cookies Society, Jeff and Marissa Allen, as well as ESPN Director of
00:34Diversity and Inclusion, Wokey Daba. Let's give them a round of applause.
00:40Yes, I think. How are you guys feeling today? Good? Good. All right, we're going to get into it
00:50because this 30 minutes will go pretty fast and I want to start with you, Wokey, because we just
00:55saw that clip there. For people who aren't familiar with Champion Black
00:59Businesses, can you just tell us what it means and the work you all are doing?
01:04Yeah, we're really proud of this initiative, which came from what was happening in 2020.
01:09ESPN has a long-standing history of really being committed to diversity, equity, and
01:13inclusion, not just from an employee perspective, but from, you know, when we think about our fans
01:19and our audiences. And so recognizing in 2020, we're navigating the pandemic, navigating the racial
01:26reckoning that the country was going through due to the death of George Floyd, we started having
01:32conversations internally around, you know, can we do something? And that quickly pivoted into we need
01:38to do something. And the backdrop of that was 40% of Black-owned businesses were shutting down,
01:43right? And so we recognized that we have a massive platform. We had Black audiences and fans that we
01:51needed to support. So from that, our marketing leaders recognized that, okay, there's something
01:56we can do here, really spotlighting and profiling Black businesses. And so that's how Champion Black
02:01Businesses came to be.
02:03Okay. And what are the businesses that you guys profile and how do you go about selecting?
02:08Yeah. So we work with a Black-owned agency, advertising agencies that's really done a great job of helping
02:13us scale this program out, helping us identify incredible organizations like Cookie Society
02:18to be able to really get after, you know, their consumer base to really amplify, elevate, and really
02:25be a win in their sale, really highlighting and showcasing Black excellence, Black entrepreneurship,
02:31and really organizations that we feel we could really lift, right, in this moment and beyond.
02:35And so we launched this in 2020 and have still been committed to it thus far. We've supported 14
02:41different business owners or businesses across nine different cities. So again, continues to grow.
02:47Really proud of it and happy to just meet these folks in person. And really, if you have not
02:53visited the site and ordered their cookies, you need to do that ASAP. But again, really proud of the
02:58folks that we're supporting.
02:59Absolutely. And so now we are going to move to Jeff and Marissa Allen and talk about Cookie Society.
03:04This is one of the businesses that was spotlighted in 2021 by Champion Black Businesses. And we actually have
03:10a short clip we want to show you guys.
03:14Here at the Cookie Society, we make large, amazing, handmade cookies. And they're made with the best
03:19ingredients that I can find.
03:21The past year has been all about adjustments and adapting.
03:25I think it's really unique being a Black-owned business. We feel this responsibility of putting
03:29our best foot forward and, you know, that's what we strive for.
03:32A lot of our flavors are reflective of our culture and it was important to represent us.
03:38Champion Black businesses like Cookie Society as we share the NBA Finals stage together.
03:45Love it, love it. And so this discussion is particularly special to me because
03:50Jeff, Marissa, and I went to college together, University of Illinois, at the same time.
03:55Wow.
03:56And so it has been such a joy, truly, and an inspiration to see you guys grow in the success
04:02that you've had, that you've worked really hard for.
04:04So can you just talk about your story and how this all got started?
04:09Absolutely. How far back? Are we going back to Illinois?
04:13We met in college and Jeff actually got drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs and went to play a
04:19nine-year career in the NFL. And in between all of that, we've had some kids. And he has
04:26been an incredible encourager of me and pursuing my passions. And so we took a trip to New York
04:31and we tried Levain Bakery and they have, y'all, some of the most incredible cookies.
04:36And we were so impressed. And he was jokingly told me, I bet you can't make a cookie like that.
04:41And I'm very competitive. I played soccer at the University of Illinois. And I went home to try
04:46to make that cookie. And I ended up abandoning, trying to recreate theirs and started coming up
04:51with something of my own. And through a ton of tests and trials, sending hundreds of cookies up to
04:56the locker room with Jeff, we found something special. And I started making flavors that represent
05:02the culture and represent the things that I grew up eating. And we started a business with his
05:08encouragement.
05:09Did you ever think you guys were going to become this massively successful business that you are?
05:18Well, I always knew that my life was special. So I knew whatever she put her mind to it,
05:22she was going to do it. And it was going to be something big. So I'm just happy to see it come
05:26to fruition. And she's living out her dream.
05:28So how did it feel to be spotlighted as one of the champion black businesses? And what did that do?
05:34What was the impact?
05:35Oh my goodness. It was huge. We had just come off of the high of Oprah's favorite things. We were
05:41class of 2020, which was incredible. And then we get this call, like you said, from an incredible
05:46black advertising agency. And they're like, hey, we have this program. And it was only in the second
05:53year. And it was just so impactful to our business from the resources they provided, from the different
05:59conversations we got to have about business. And we were just so lucky because our business was still
06:04in an early stage. And so we were able to apply so much of the knowledge that we learned from that
06:10program. And then getting to be in front of millions of households was, you just can't even
06:15fathom the impact that that had on us. And it really helped legitimize the business that we
06:19were building. And when you talk about the resources, Marissa, what specifically were some
06:25of the things? So this program was so in-depth. And I think when we first signed on, we didn't realize
06:30as in-depth as it would be. We actually were, we worked really closely with a team of
06:37business MBA students. And they brought so many resources to the table. They had some incredible
06:44backgrounds. And they talked with us through marketing, through forecasting, operations,
06:51finding even financial resources, which is just not readily available to our community.
06:57And so it was just an incredible program that they started.
07:00Yeah, I'll add to it. I think one of the biggest parts of being a small business owner, specifically
07:05a black business owner, is financing. Less than 1% of black-owned businesses get outside financing
07:12in the first year. There would be bank, private investor. And Disney stepped in and they gave
07:17us a $10,000 grant. You know, that was huge. And not only that, not just putting your money
07:22in it, it's giving the resources. Howard University with the MBA program, you know, the finance aspect
07:28of it, the operational, the marketing, all of those things. And get an opportunity to talk
07:33to Disney and ESPN execs.
07:35Yeah.
07:35Sit down with Mark Cuban, who's right up the road from us, who was kind enough to give
07:39us his email and answer any and every question. He actually answered them. That's actually
07:44doing the work. That's not just doing it for press. That's actually doing it for the right
07:47reasons. So we appreciate that.
07:49And Jeff, I'm so glad you mentioned Mark Cuban, because that's exactly what I was going to get
07:53into next. You guys received a 30-minute Shark Tank session with Mark Cuban. That is huge.
07:59Talk about the experience. I know he had to share some words of wisdom.
08:03Yeah. One of the biggest things that we learned was we're running our own race. A lot of the
08:07times, especially us both being former athletes, we're really competitive. And sometimes you
08:12can look at your competitors and you want to get to where they are. But in reality, it's
08:16a marathon. Go at your own pace, do what you need to do, do it the right way, and it will
08:22happen instead of trying to rush the process.
08:24Yeah. And we actually have a clip we'd like to share, too.
08:27There's always a reason to give cookies, right?
08:29Yeah.
08:29Cookies cure everything.
08:31Yeah.
08:33You guys are the real deal.
08:39We really appreciate that.
08:40There's lines when the store is open and there's people waiting. You are doing them a favor
08:44by letting them buy your cookies. Always remember that.
08:48You know what? I would love your cookies. I will come visit you, though, because now I'm
08:52curious.
08:52That's wonderful. And you already did just share some advice, but do you have any advice
09:01for black entrepreneurs?
09:03Absolutely. He talked about running your own race. And something that we talked about actually
09:08in our panel earlier today was taking care of the people that help you get there. And that's
09:12been huge. We have a very small but mighty team. My sister-in-law once said that we are a big business in a small
09:18building. And we're trying to grow. And just bringing those people with us and really understanding
09:24the impact that they've had on our journey, I think, has been huge and helped us keep pushing
09:28forward, you know?
09:29Mm-hmm. And we were talking a little bit in the green room about being featured as one of Oprah's
09:34favorite things. That's just fantastic. But you said you have to be ready when that opportunity
09:39comes.
09:41Yeah, that's an understatement. You have to be ready. There was a lot to get to the point of being
09:48featured on the list. And it's such a short window. So it's really around the holiday season.
09:54And so you have from the week before Thanksgiving to the week after Christmas to really capitalize
09:59on the opportunity. And so we were getting hundreds of orders an hour. And we had that
10:05small and mighty team. We had the same small building. And we were just working around the
10:08clock to get it done. And we actually learned so much about processes and just doing things
10:14the right way through that experience.
10:17And Wokey, I want to go back to you. I know the work doesn't stop. But you have to be, I'm
10:22sure, especially proud of the work Disney, ESPN are doing when it comes to the resources
10:27they're able to provide black businesses. What's next?
10:30Yeah, that's a great question. I think continuing to elevate and profile this program and really
10:35expanding the reach, really expanding the impact and making sure that, you know, even
10:39for the folks that, you know, were part of that first group, how do we stay connected to
10:43them and make sure that we're able to help them sustain their businesses and really continue
10:47to engage and be a champion and sponsor of them. And again, continue to be the one in the
10:51sale. You know, this is part of, you know, from a D&I perspective, often we think about
10:55the work in terms of employees. But when you can see the impact of the communities that
11:00we serve, our audiences, our fans that are broad reaching, like this is what this, this
11:04feels good to me, right, to see the impact. And it came from conversations in 2020, right?
11:08And just again, I think organizations have a role to go beyond their audiences and fans
11:13and the bottom line that we always often think about, which is, you know, sometimes we're
11:18over anchored around. And this is, you know, this is the kind of work that's really important.
11:21Forty percent folks of black businesses shut down in 2020. And so there's a role here that
11:27we have to play to make sure that we're able to stabilize the economy for our people moving
11:31forward.
11:32And I apologize if I'm being redundant, but can businesses apply for this?
11:37They can, correct.
11:38Okay. And how do they go about that process?
11:41So there's a link online. And then obviously, we partner with the agency that we work with to
11:46help us source and identify and think about kind of what that profile of business looks
11:50like that makes the most sense for us. But again, I think, you know, my, my feedback going
11:55back will be, we need to expand this program and think about more businesses, getting them
11:59in the fold. So right now we're at 14, nine cities, and I'm hoping that we can continue
12:03to grow that over the next couple of years.
12:05And are there certain businesses you're looking for? I know Cookie Society, obviously they're
12:10baking. What, what other kinds of businesses?
12:12I think consumer facing, consumer packaged goods, you know, anything that's sometimes
12:18outside of the box, right? I think we need way more black bakers, folks that are in this
12:22industry. And so thinking about spaces and places where you don't always find us and,
12:26you know, our ability to really elevate that. And there's the athlete component to that folks
12:29that have had been on the athletic journey, I think are also folks that we want to support
12:33in this entity as well.
12:35Great, great. And so Jeff and Marissa, I know you guys are based in Dallas, Texas, correct?
12:39Correct. Do you have any more locations and what's next for you all?
12:45We do. So we've been, we've been taking over Dallas. We have a store opening actually next
12:49month that we're very excited about. We just got a really cute food truck that we are hitting
12:55the road with. So we hope to bring the truck to the cities and really find out where our
12:59customer is and bring cookies to them because like Mark Cuban said, everyone deserves a cookie.
13:04So awesome. Thank you guys so much. We really appreciated talking to you.
13:08Thank you all. Let's give them a round of applause.
13:13And if you would like to learn more about other businesses that are spotlighted, please go to
13:18championblackbusinesses.com. Finally, cookies do cure everything. So you have to check out the
13:25cookie society cookies here. Thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you.
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