- 2 days ago
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00:00You guys look beautiful. How are you?
00:03Hello, Queens. It's so good to be here. It's so good to sit with you guys.
00:07Thank you so much for AT&T for having us. My name is Roxy Diaz.
00:10I am actually from New Orleans. Is there anybody else from the hometown 504 over here?
00:18Shout out to the 504. See, that's what I love about home.
00:21My city is always willing to give you a hug no matter what.
00:24No matter how hot it is outside, we still want to give you a nice sweaty hug.
00:28It doesn't matter. Everybody from out of state that is visiting, welcome.
00:32Welcome to this beautiful city.
00:34We got a great, great, great panel for you in store right now.
00:37I'm here with AT&T. We're ready to talk to two amazing black women entrepreneurs
00:43who have transformed their passions into thriving businesses.
00:47From HBCUs to CEOs right now, please welcome Melissa Butler,
00:53founder and CEO of the Lip Bar, and Amber Anderson,
00:58executive director and founder of the Black is Gold organization,
01:01who is also an AT&T rising future maker.
01:05Let's show some love to these ladies, please.
01:07All right. Here we go.
01:20First of all, you guys having a good time so far? First time at Essence?
01:24Yes, this is my first time. I've been having an amazing time,
01:28and the food has been amazing. So good. So I've been having a blast.
01:33I love that. And this isn't your first time, though.
01:35No, I, maybe this is like my seventh time.
01:39Like, I love Essence Festival, y'all. It just feels like a warm hug.
01:42So I love it. I love it. I love it.
01:44Right? Exactly. All right.
01:45So let's jump right into the panel, ladies.
01:47When you think about black women and entrepreneurship today,
01:51what are the three words or phrases that come to mind?
01:56Because it's definitely a lot different.
01:59We can start with you, Amber.
02:00I would say one of the top words that comes to mind for me is innovative.
02:04I feel like black women are thriving and doing such a great job
02:09at creating innovative spaces and new ideas
02:11in order to advance and enhance our communities
02:16and advance different industries as well, as well as ambition.
02:19I feel like black women are extremely ambitious.
02:21We are always going after our goals. We're go-getters.
02:24And we're always securing the bag and getting to the bag.
02:26So I love that.
02:27I'm happy I went second, so I would think about new words.
02:33So the first one that comes to mind for me is resilient.
02:36At the end of the day, like, to be a founder, to be a CEO,
02:41to be a black woman or any woman of color, you have to be resilient.
02:44You have to be ready and willing to pivot at any time.
02:49You have to be ready and willing to keep fighting for your goals,
02:54for your dreams so that you can dream bigger.
02:56So resilience is number one.
02:58And my second word would probably be curiosity
03:01because how you start is not how you finish.
03:04And what gets you here will not get you there.
03:06So you have to remain curious to say,
03:10how am I going to consistently get better as a leader, as a CEO, as a founder?
03:15How am I going to try to make my business just a little bit bigger?
03:19Because that's where the growth comes in.
03:21So those are my couple words.
03:22I couldn't agree with you more because when it comes to our careers,
03:26we always go into, we probably went into school.
03:28Shout out to everybody that went to an HBCU, by the way.
03:31We got some HBCU alums.
03:34I'm currently a student right now at an HBCU.
03:39I appreciate that.
03:41Can you do this math?
03:43Because it ain't math-ing for me.
03:44This new math is not what I remember.
03:47But I say that to say that in any career choice or any path that you choose,
03:53you're always going to have to pivot, reinvent yourself,
03:57and continue to learn because time is always changing and evolving.
04:03And Melissa, you and I were speaking a little bit in the back.
04:05You told me how you have two different companies of makeup,
04:09one that's actually for the millennials and then one's for the Gen Zers.
04:13I think it's so important for you to know who your audience is
04:16and who you have to curate that to.
04:18But what keeps you most inspired and growing as your brand and entrepreneur
04:22and having that insight to know, I got to switch it up here.
04:26Yeah, I am one of those people who can grab inspiration from anywhere and everywhere.
04:34I can look at a different industry, something that's completely not connected to makeup.
04:39Like I'm from Detroit.
04:40The auto industry could inspire me.
04:43Like Motown Records literally started with the idea of the assembly line.
04:47So I can look at efficiency from automotive.
04:50I can look at an artist, like go into a gallery and say like,
04:55oh my God, look at how those pigments play together.
04:57Because at the end of the day, makeup is just like mixing colors
05:00and making sure that those colors work on black and brown women.
05:04So I really try to make sure that I'm always open as a founder and as a leader
05:09because the minute that you close yourself off,
05:12the minute that you think that you know everything and you can't grow enough,
05:16that's when things start to go downhill.
05:18So like, I'm like, I'm looking for the inspiration.
05:21I'm like, where is that?
05:22Where is that?
05:23I'm always like ready for more.
05:26Amber, tell us a little bit more about Black is Gold organization
05:29and how that works as you as an entrepreneur as well.
05:32So Black is Gold is something I started when I was 15 in high school.
05:37It's really crazy.
05:38It actually was inspired by the song Wale Black is Gold.
05:41So I saw this music video and I was like,
05:44okay, like I want to recreate this with Black girls in Chicago.
05:47So after creating it, it received a lot of positive attention from my peers.
05:52But my mentor, her name is Anta, and she told me like,
05:55I think you can do a little bit more than this.
05:57Like, how are you going to impact your community?
05:58So she pushed me to think further.
06:00And that was the birth of Black is Gold.
06:02So we are a nonprofit organization
06:04and we focus on empowering black women and girls in college and high school,
06:08preparing them for college, their careers,
06:10to be serving leaders in their community,
06:12as well as to become great leaders, most importantly.
06:17So we're based at Hampton, Clark, Atlanta, Emory,
06:20as well as NIU, Northern Illinois University,
06:23and hopefully some other colleges soon.
06:26What I love about your story is coming up out of Chicago,
06:29it's seeing something positive come out of Chicago too.
06:33Was being in the Chicago area and in that environment
06:37something that pushed you forward
06:38and want to do something better for your community
06:40and your peers at the same time.
06:42Yes, definitely.
06:43So I am a proud product of Chicago Public School System.
06:47I went to Kenwood Academy and being at Kenwood,
06:49we had access to so much.
06:51Like we had access to a college lab,
06:53access to college counselors
06:54who were helping us get to college
06:56and secure scholarships.
06:57And other public schools or schools in the city may not have that access
07:02to those resources that I had access to.
07:04And I grew up as a home of two educators,
07:07so I'm really big on education and achieving higher learning.
07:10So I really wanted to level the playing field as much as possible
07:13and make sure other girls who look like me had those resources as well.
07:16And when she was giving a list of where her organization is located,
07:21you did notice that she said Hampton first.
07:24There's a reason for that.
07:25So you're a proud Hampton alum, correct?
07:28Yes, I'm a proud Hampton alum and a proud former Miss Hampton.
07:32Oh, oh, okay.
07:35I said put some respect on her name, okay?
07:37I wear the crown.
07:38Fam you all day.
07:40Fam you all day.
07:41Shout out to the Rattlers.
07:43The difference between going to –
07:46I feel like I understand it because I went to a PWI first
07:49and then right now currently at an HBCU.
07:53And I will tell you the experience is completely, completely different
07:57where I said going to a PWI here in Louisiana
08:02and only feeling like a number, a tuition,
08:07a salary that's helping pay for the school.
08:09Whereas now at Bowie State University,
08:12the professors and the teachers, not because I'm Roxy Diaz,
08:15because they want to see me succeed and they want me to finish.
08:21It's so much more hands-on, so much more loving
08:24and so much more of a better experience to me
08:26than my previous campus that I was at.
08:28For you guys, how important was it to be at an HBCU
08:32and how did that make you be the women that you are today as well?
08:35So I grew up in Detroit.
08:38Detroit is literally the blackest city in America,
08:41not in terms of population but in terms of percentage.
08:44Like it is a city that is 77% black.
08:48And so that means that I grew up with the privilege
08:51of seeing everything from black excellence to black poverty.
08:55And so I was never one of those people to believe
08:59what the media said about blackness.
09:01And I understood that Detroit was sort of like that little bubble
09:05that I got to live in and like, you know, again, dream big.
09:09And so I really wanted to go to an HBCU
09:12because I wanted to just be around my people.
09:15I wanted to have that nurturing.
09:17I knew that I had my entire life to live in a world
09:21where a lot of people didn't look like me.
09:23So I was very intentional about going to an HBCU.
09:27And what it did for me,
09:29and I didn't realize that it was doing for me,
09:31is I truly learned the diversity of blackness.
09:34So like in Detroit,
09:36I didn't really grow up with people from, you know, the Caribbean.
09:39Or I didn't really grow up with a lot of people
09:41from the continent of Africa.
09:43And then I got to FAMU and I was like,
09:45wait, all black people are not the same.
09:47Like that was the thing because a lot of people in Detroit
09:50were very similar to me.
09:53Now the class would change,
09:55but I really understood like they really can't box us in.
09:59And so don't allow someone to box you in.
10:02And it really inspired me to write my own story.
10:05I think for me going to an HBCU was extremely important
10:09because that nurturing aspect and that community aspect.
10:13And like my professors, if like I miss the class,
10:16my professors texting my phone,
10:17like where were you today?
10:19Is everything okay?
10:19What's going on?
10:20So having that nurturing environment,
10:22like that not only helps you thrive in your education,
10:24but also thrive as a leader in your profession
10:27once you graduate is just very important.
10:29And overall makes you a well-rounded person.
10:32I agree with you because my professors be on me.
10:34I saw you on your Instagram, Roxy.
10:37I'm like, oh, okay.
10:39That's just my story.
10:40Okay, three do's and three don'ts for any young woman
10:45that's early in their stage in their career.
10:48And you're a prime example because you started in high school.
10:50So three do's and three don'ts.
10:53I would say the three do's.
10:55Well, I would say first network.
10:57I feel like that's how I've really been able to grow Black is Gold
11:01is I would always like DM women on Instagram that I looked up to,
11:05like, hey, can I get 15 minutes of your time?
11:07Can I connect with you?
11:08I just want to talk to you about my organization,
11:10like, see what you think,
11:11or I want to learn more about what you're doing in your career
11:13and just learning from people.
11:16I would say also, too, not only, like, networking,
11:18but building a sense of community.
11:20I feel like that's also been why Black is Gold has thrived
11:23because I've built a sense of community with these young women
11:26who look just like me
11:27and have the similar goals and ambitions as well.
11:31I would say my don't is don't be afraid to ask
11:33because the way somebody can tell me is no.
11:35And if you tell me no,
11:37then that's just a door that wasn't meant to be open for me.
11:40And there's another yes behind these 80 no's.
11:43So I would just say network, grow community,
11:46and don't be afraid of a no.
11:51Always be a student.
11:53Like, always be willing to learn.
11:57Get a mentor.
11:57Like, the reason why I'm at Essence Festival right now
12:01is because of my mentor, you know?
12:03So you have to make sure that you are putting yourself
12:08in the position to be that student
12:10by aligning and surrounding yourself with people
12:13who know more than you
12:15and being unafraid to say, I need help.
12:18So that's my biggest don't.
12:20Don't be afraid to be vulnerable.
12:21Like, if you're a CEO, you want to be a CEO,
12:25you want to be a leader of any type,
12:26even if you're not a CEO.
12:28Like, oftentimes we are too afraid.
12:31We're so fearful of saying,
12:33I don't know how to do something.
12:35Or like, I did this wrong.
12:37And like, that just puts us in a position
12:39of making the same mistake over and over again.
12:42So like, be unafraid to be vulnerable
12:44and say, I need help.
12:46We don't always have to be those strong black women.
12:48Like, take off the cape and get you some help
12:51if you need it.
12:53What gives you guys,
12:55it's an infamous book.
12:56I don't remember the name of the author right now,
12:58but I encourage every woman to read it.
13:00It's called Lean In.
13:01Because we speak about how women usually are afraid
13:04to lean in and ask for help.
13:07So what gives you that courage to lean in
13:09and ask for help?
13:10Or lean in and make sure that your voice is heard?
13:13I would say that was something I struggled with
13:19in the beginning because I was like 15.
13:20So I'm like, they're probably going to think I'm crazy.
13:23Like, with this idea, like I'm 15.
13:25What do I know about going to college?
13:27I'm still in high school.
13:28Like, what do I know?
13:29But the more that I talk to people
13:31and the more that I receive that support,
13:35the more I learn that it's okay to ask for help
13:36because people do want to help you.
13:39So I think that it's like, just don't be afraid.
13:41Because if you don't ask for help,
13:42then you can't elevate to that next level
13:44because you can't get to that next level of success by yourself.
13:47Like, it's not a self-journey.
13:49It's a journey that requires a network
13:51and a strong community behind you.
13:54For me, leaning in is just deciding, really.
13:58There's this quote that basically just says,
14:02happiness is a choice.
14:03And so every day we get to choose what we do.
14:07We get to choose, like, our mindset.
14:09We get to choose if we're going to be happy,
14:11if we're going to be peaceful,
14:13if we're going to be vulnerable.
14:15So lean into your option.
14:18Lean into your choice.
14:20And then be fearless in going after the path
14:24that you set for yourself.
14:25So leaning in is like leaning into yourself for me.
14:29And last but not least,
14:30what do you hope that your journey,
14:34your impact, your business is,
14:35what do you hope the impact is that it leaves on the community?
14:41I hope that the impact is that black women
14:44are able to accomplish their dreams.
14:46So whether that's going to college,
14:48going to trade school, starting your own business,
14:50whatever success looks like for that particular black woman,
14:54I hope that they achieve it.
14:55So that's what I want my impact to be,
14:57that you can achieve anything you set your mind to
15:00and that I'm able to provide the resources for you to do it.
15:03Mine is probably twofold.
15:05My first goal is, like, the goal that I set out
15:07and the reason why I started The Lip Bar
15:09and now Threat Beauty.
15:11I want us to see ourselves.
15:13Like, I want us to be able to look in that mirror
15:15and know that our reflection is enough.
15:18I want us to know that we are beautiful,
15:20that we do not have to transform
15:22in order to be beautiful.
15:23Like, I run beauty businesses,
15:26like, specifically makeup businesses.
15:28And it's not about, hey, let's change your whole face.
15:31It's about, again, leaning in to say,
15:34I want to show up as my best self.
15:36Whether that best self includes makeup or not
15:39is your choice.
15:40None of us need makeup, you know, at the end of the day.
15:43But we all do need to love and believe ourself,
15:46and I hope that the impact that I'm making
15:47through my organizations, that I'm able to do that.
15:50And then, in terms of entrepreneurship,
15:53I've been doing this for almost 12 years.
15:57And I'm really inspired to know that
16:00I've helped other women along the way
16:04because, like, they saw my public failures.
16:07They saw, like, my transparency
16:09in terms of my entrepreneurial journey.
16:11And so, like, I love that people have
16:13either started their businesses
16:14or stayed in businesses because of me.
16:17And, like, that's all I could ask for
16:19is that I create and help, you know,
16:22usher in a new wave of entrepreneurs.
16:26I love that.
16:26Before we go, where can we keep up with you guys?
16:30What's the social handles?
16:31Where do we find you?
16:32So, my personal social handle is
16:35at AmberAnderson, three underscores,
16:38and then you can find Black is Gold
16:40at Black is Gold Shy.
16:42So, short for Chicago,
16:44C-H-I at that end.
16:46You can find my personal
16:48at Melissa R. Butler
16:49on social platforms,
16:51and then you can find my businesses
16:53at The Lip Bar
16:54and at Threat Beauty,
16:56and you can shop us in Target
16:57and Walmart stores across the country.
17:00I love it.
17:01Please give a round of applause
17:02to these beautiful women
17:03and all their endeavors.
17:05Thank you guys so much for joining us.
17:06We really appreciate you,
17:08and we continue to support
17:09both of you guys' business.
17:10Thanks, ladies.
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