- 2 hours ago
The future of work isn’t coming—it’s already here. As AI reshapes industries and traditional career paths become less predictable, many founders and professionals are asking the same question: What does stability look like now?
This panel explores how to move from overwork to ownership by leveraging AI, systems, and strategy. From turning your expertise into income streams to using AI as your “invisible intern,” this conversation is about reclaiming your time, protecting your energy, and building something that works for you.
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to navigate workforce shifts, use AI practically, and design a more sustainable path forward.
This panel explores how to move from overwork to ownership by leveraging AI, systems, and strategy. From turning your expertise into income streams to using AI as your “invisible intern,” this conversation is about reclaiming your time, protecting your energy, and building something that works for you.
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to navigate workforce shifts, use AI practically, and design a more sustainable path forward.
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FunTranscript
00:00Hello, hello, hello. Hello, beautiful people. Thank you all for staying on this beautiful Sunday to join us for panels
00:08and all these great things. Today I have the pleasure of bringing a lot of great people on stage. My
00:14name is Melissa Mitchell of ABL Creations. I'm a self-taught artist and I'm wearing one of my paintings. But
00:20I have the amazing opportunity to talk about today automating the hustle, building what's yours.
00:25And our amazing host for today is going to be Miss Deedee McGuire. And she's going to bring up Angelique,
00:32Anissia, and Taylor. They're going to talk about when you have a business, how do you automate it? How do
00:37you make things happen? How do you keep things going? How do you replicate yourself without burning yourself out? So
00:42I'm going to let Deedee take it away with our amazing panelists. So y'all give it up for the
00:46team.
00:46All right. Hold on a second now. Essence Fest. Y'all need to make some noise over here. Come on.
00:53It's a beautiful Sunday. We here. We having fun. We us. We celebrating our culture. So y'all need to
00:59make some noise. Give it up, everybody. Come on now. Here are our panelists right now. Give it up for
01:05Miss Anissia Williams.
01:09Angelique Hamilton is here. Y'all clapping up for her. And Taylor Davis. All right. Be seated, ladies. Let's sit
01:16down for a second.
01:18All right. We're getting ready to talk about automating the hustle, building what's yours. First, I would like for Anissia,
01:26I need you to tell everybody exactly what you do, your business, and everything so they know who you are.
01:31Introduce yourselves.
01:32Absolutely. So again, Anissia Williams, Managing Partner, External Relations at DreamBlock. We sit at the intersection of policy, capital, health
01:42innovation.
01:45I like that. Come on now.
01:46Yeah. And also, too, my team is over there. So if you have been in office hours as well, that
01:54is something that we also do, too, here. So happy to be here at Essence and representing the block.
01:58I like that. Angelique, tell everybody who you are and what you do.
02:03Hi. My name is Angelique Hamilton, and I'm the founder of the HR Sheet Group. I provide human resources consulting
02:09for startups and small businesses to help create better cultures and better workplaces for everyone.
02:16And part of that is really trying to help all of us get to that next level.
02:20I love that. Now, Taylor, tell everybody what you do.
02:24Hi, everybody. My name is Taylor Davis. I'm the founder of Trudy.
02:28Trudy is an AI-powered platform that helps restaurant owners measure their sales ROI of their marketing.
02:34And we also help diners find personalized recommendations for restaurants as they travel.
02:39We actually made a restaurant guide for Essence Festival, so make sure you definitely check that out.
02:44And I'm excited to be here and talk about how we use AI to automate.
02:48I love that. All right. So this is our panelists. So let's talk about this.
02:51Building what's yours. Right. Let's redefine what stability is.
02:56OK, so let's get honest about it. A lot of people still tie stability to a paycheck.
03:01A lot of people do that. Right. They tie it to a paycheck or a title or a title. Right.
03:06And this new reality. Let's talk about what does stability look like today?
03:11I would tell you stability doesn't look like actually a job. OK, we're in a state of the world right
03:20now that we are having our safety nets pulled from us.
03:24Nearly 300,000 federal workers last year alone lost their jobs and a third of that were from black individuals,
03:34people of color.
03:35So what I would tell you right now is time for all of us is to find out what we
03:40can do in terms of our talent, our skills and the knowledge that you got paid for and use that
03:46and be your own owner.
03:48Stability no longer is that paycheck. It's not a cradle to grave job.
03:53You no longer can rely on a pension. You can no longer rely on your manager or any of your
03:59companies.
04:00The only person you can rely on is you. You are the owner of your destiny.
04:05You are the owner of your life and you have to do what's right for you.
04:10And that's to take that first step to actually monetize your expertise and your knowledge.
04:16OK, Anissi, I see you, girl. You're ready to get on this one.
04:19So we're talking about again, a lot of people tie in stability to that paycheck, though.
04:23But what does it look like if you're building for yourself?
04:25So stability for me, and I think I had this aha moment when we were in COVID, but it has
04:33since been for me, do I love this for me?
04:37In every facet of my life, my personal, my work, do I love this for me?
04:43Am I anchored in what makes me feel good?
04:47Am I anchored in things that don't cause me anxiety?
04:51Am I anchored in the impact that I want to do?
04:55And if those questions or the answers to those questions are I don't know, then it's a no for me.
05:02So stability means that I'm regulating my own nervous system.
05:06I am doing the things that I want to do that brings me joy.
05:11And I'm making the impact that I also want to make across the world as well.
05:15So it's not tied to a paycheck, it's not tied to a client, it's not tied to my family, it's
05:21not tied to any of that.
05:23But it's in my soul what works for me.
05:26And if it's a yes for me, then that's stability for me.
05:30Okay, so let's explore this.
05:32And maybe, Taylor, you can speak on this as well.
05:34But as we're talking about stability and going out on our own and telling us that paychecks are not that
05:38stability or that title,
05:40but at the same time we got AI stepping in, right?
05:43So as we talk about AI, what's one practical way someone can use AI today to take something off their
05:51plate
05:51and buy back their time and utilize it in a way for that freedom that we're talking about?
05:57Absolutely.
05:57So I would say a great way to get started with AI and automation is to think about things that
06:03you do repetitively.
06:04So, for example, right now we're all at a conference and we want to make sure that we remember to
06:09follow up with who we've met this weekend.
06:11So you could take that task, give it to Claude or ChatGPT or Gemini and just say,
06:19hey, here's this workflow that I have.
06:22How can I build an AI agent or an automation to make sure that I do this thing later in
06:28time
06:28or to give me a weekly report every week without you actually having to touch the code yourself?
06:35So, or if you, you know, don't really want to touch the code or touch any scripts or build an
06:40AI agent,
06:41there are tools out there that are pretty specialized that could probably do what you're looking for,
06:46whether that's emails or calendars or follow-ups after a conference.
06:51There's probably a specialized AI tool.
06:53Again, at Trudy, we help to measure sales, so sales trends, sales reports for restaurant owners and then for diners.
07:02As you're traveling, you're enjoying new cities, Trudy can actually help you find restaurants that you will actually like
07:08based on your food and travel persona and restaurants that you like in your own city or that you've been
07:13to before.
07:14So, if you're looking to automate and buy back time, you can either build your own AI agent,
07:20use some specialized AI tools that are already out there, and get that time back for yourself.
07:25Let me ask the panelists, all of you, are you using AI today?
07:31And if so, how and help us, tell us who it and what it is.
07:36I would tell you I utilize AI every day.
07:40It's automated in my calendar.
07:43It's automated on how I handle my clients.
07:46It's automated on how I plan my meals for the week.
07:49And if anybody knows me, I'm a list person.
07:51I actually will have my chat.
07:56She can be a little feisty a little bit, but she will give me what type of schedule I have
08:01for that week and what I need to do.
08:03And it's really helpful.
08:04It's not for us to view it as a negative, but it will actually put out a lot of different
08:11things that will help us.
08:12So, if you're making lists every day, you don't have to.
08:14You can have chat to actually remind you and give you different updates and different notifications.
08:19Anissi, how do you use AI?
08:22So, I use my girl, Jim Nisha.
08:27Me and Jim Nisha, we go together real bad.
08:30But I use her to be able to validate some things, especially when I'm working on strategy documents and things
08:37like that, to make sure that what I'm thinking out of my head actually makes sense.
08:42When I'm building workshops or when I'm doing roundtables with politicians and things of that nature, like, I am able
08:51to data source all the things that I need so I can make sure that I have the right people
08:55talking at the right time that are building ecosystems together and things of that nature.
09:00So, I use it for data.
09:01I use it for research.
09:03I use it for validation.
09:05And I also use it to prep my meals, too.
09:08Oh, I love that.
09:09To prep those meals.
09:10All right.
09:10Listen, let's talk about this, though.
09:12As we're talking about automating the hustle, again, because that's what this is all about, right?
09:16Building what's ours, what's yours.
09:19You're always hearing about multiple streams of income, right?
09:22We hear that a lot.
09:23But what about this?
09:24What if somebody feels stretched, right?
09:26Where do they begin without burning out even more?
09:29Because we're doing so much in our lives, and everybody said, let's build these multiple streams of income.
09:34How do you do it when you're so busy?
09:36Well, the first thing I would tell you, if you're trying to build multiple streams of income, don't quit your
09:41day job.
09:41Please don't.
09:43Please don't in this economy.
09:44I know you may hear families and friends that say, hey, it's too stressful.
09:48You just need to quit your job.
09:50The time it will take you to actually gain employment is six months to a year.
09:55So be wise about whether or not you want to actually relinquish that job.
10:00Take some time about it.
10:02Think about it.
10:02But the first thing I would tell you to do is look at what you are good at doing first.
10:08What is your expertise?
10:09If you're a person that loves to cook on the side and you're always baking for someone, making cookies, that
10:15could be something you can do.
10:17If you're the person that's always organizing for your family, that can also be something you can also monetize.
10:26That can be your first stream.
10:28So it's not necessarily meaning to add to multiple streams.
10:31It's just taking that first stream and launching it.
10:35So I'm in the camp of just because you can doesn't mean you should.
10:41I'm in that camp.
10:43And the reason why is because just because you can, that doesn't mean that that is your zone of genius.
10:48So what I don't want you to be doing is spending all this time doing this, doing this, just because
10:54it creates revenue for you.
10:57But if you are in something that making all the money and trust me, like I got a badge of
11:03honor that I have worn and I had to take that thing off because it was making me sick.
11:08I was making the most money I had ever made in my life, but I was the most miserable in
11:13my life.
11:14And I did it very well, very well.
11:17And so I think it's aligning to what is in your zone of genius and doing that thing.
11:25And when you have perfected that thing, then you move on to the next thing.
11:29So like she was saying, if you've got four talents, don't launch all four at one time.
11:36Wait, wait, wait now.
11:37You've got people who say they know how to multitask.
11:40Listen, listen, listen, again, just because you can does not mean you should because I want you to be able
11:48to perfect that first product and then you add on to that next product and then you add on to
11:54the next.
11:55But having too many hands on two different things, something is going to fall off, right?
11:59So that's where I am in my life, in my career.
12:03I have done the hustle.
12:05I have done the bustle.
12:06And baby, they can have that thing.
12:07I'm not grinding for my life no more.
12:09I'm not doing that.
12:10I'm not doing that at all.
12:12And the bustle.
12:12Honey, hustle and the bustle.
12:13They can have all of that.
12:14I'm in my soft girl era.
12:15I'm in my soft girl life.
12:17You hear me?
12:17And so I am aligned very specifically to the things that Aneesia should be doing and where Aneesia can have
12:25the most impact for other people, but also what brings me joy.
12:28And if it does not bring me joy, then again, like I said, do I love this for me?
12:32And if it's a no, it's a no.
12:34I'd love to add quickly.
12:35Okay, come on, Taylor.
12:35Very quickly, a stream of income does not have to be revenue that's active income.
12:41It can be passive income.
12:42So one of the things as you think about building your own business, whether you're going to leave your day
12:48job or not, first, I would recommend building out your savings.
12:51So that's something that I did very intentionally for a year before I left my job so that I could
12:56bootstrap my own company and support myself for at least a year before I could get grants and investments and
13:03things like that.
13:04And I also invested very intentionally from the time I got my very first job into my retirement account because
13:11if you invest into your retirement account, that's another stream of income, another nest egg that you have that you
13:17can fall back on.
13:20Hopefully when you're ready to retire so you don't have to pay excess taxes on it, but something that could
13:24be growing for you in the background as you are building out something for yourself.
13:29And then third, I'll also say investing.
13:31So your retirement account, but then also if you have a personal IRA account or a separate individual 401k, you
13:41can invest in the market and be an owner and have equity of public companies or be a private investor
13:48through being an angel investor for startups like mine or other startups that you are interested in in terms of
13:55private equity and private capital.
13:56So before becoming a tech founder, I was actually an investment banker.
14:00I have over a billion dollars of experience in venture capital deals and M&A deals.
14:04So very passionate about understanding that income can be passive.
14:09You do not have to start your own business to have multiple streams of income.
14:12Well, dang it now.
14:13Whoa.
14:14Hey, I like what you did.
14:15I'm like, I need to touch you and get good luck or something.
14:18She'd deal with money like that.
14:19But listen, let's talk about this, monetizing your expertise because someone, one of you guys just said that about expertise,
14:25you know, monetizing your expertise.
14:27How does someone know exactly what that is?
14:29How do you identify your valuable monetization or especially something that's going on when other people say it's just my
14:35job?
14:36How do you monetize that?
14:37How do you know what that is?
14:38Well, I would say that even though they will tell you that it's your job, you're actually getting a paycheck.
14:45If you work for someone every day and you're actually using the skills and the talent that God gave you,
14:51you can monetize that.
14:53They are actually paying you.
14:55They're renting out your brain per hour.
14:58So instead of doing that, you can monetize it on a higher level.
15:02So instead of you renting it to another company, that company becomes you.
15:06You allow yourself to set that standard for what the company is currently paying you right now.
15:14So for any of you, if you're working at a job right now and you say that I provide the
15:19best customer service skills to this organization,
15:23you can use that skill set yourself and set up and start your own virtual assistance program or company.
15:30You can start with one business at a time just providing virtual assistance to them.
15:35So you do have the capacity, you have the skills, you have the knowledge and the talent to monetize.
15:41I would definitely say, given what your talent is, sometimes when I look at from a customer acquisition perspective is,
15:51it's not what I want or I think that I'm the best at.
15:55If your customer does not think that it is value to them, then they're not going to buy it.
15:59So again, before you go out, because I know everyone is hyper, let me go get my LLC and let
16:06me go start up.
16:07Everybody is not meant to be a business owner.
16:09That is okay for you to work a job and be the best VP managing director that you can be.
16:15That is okay.
16:16Do not let these Google LLC experts tell you that you got to go and build a business and do
16:24all the things and now you're stressing yourself out.
16:26You don't have to do that.
16:28Again, be in your zone of genius.
16:30And if you are the best and you can do the things that you can do, you got a family,
16:342.5 kids and a dog at home,
16:36and you don't have the capacity to come home and build another business, girl, be the best at your job.
16:41Be the best at your job, right?
16:43But if you are going to do that, do some market research on whatever that service is of if someone
16:51will pay you money.
16:52You've got a lot of people that are starting businesses and they do not have a customer to the first
16:57because they're building for them and not for your customer.
17:00Who is going to buy?
17:02If your friends are not buying from you, if your mama won't buy from you, if your cousin, your auntie
17:07is not buying from you,
17:08then maybe you ought to look at maybe this isn't the right product or service.
17:12Let me see if it's something else.
17:14But do the research first before you go spending all this money.
17:18You got your website, you got all the things, I done bought the ads and all of this, and you're
17:23trying to figure out why is no one purchasing from me
17:25because you did not do any market research before you jumped into a business.
17:30All right, listen, we're running out of time.
17:32Our last question, and I'm going to start with you, Taylor, and we'll come back, you know, Nisi, to you
17:36and go down the line.
17:37Let's talk about taking the first step.
17:39For the person in the audience right now who feels stuck between staying safe and taking a risk,
17:45what's the first move they should make this week to start shifting towards ownership?
17:53What do you say, Taylor?
17:54Yeah.
17:55The first thing I would say is really think about where your expertise is, what you want to build,
18:01and if there's a market for what you want to build.
18:03Second, I would say start looking intentionally.
18:06Again, if you're saving enough money and you have the ability to bootstrap,
18:10and then you have the ability to support yourself in those first six months of if you're going full-time
18:16to build your own business.
18:18Following that, I would say start, you know, using AI.
18:24Use automation to help you to build out your market plan, your business plan,
18:30and to start figuring out who you should talk to if there are people who are in the business that
18:35you are in
18:35or if there's someone that you could build with because you don't have to do everything by yourself.
18:39Start researching that as well.
18:41One of the first things, or one of the things I did now I wish I would have done sooner
18:45was build a team of AI agents.
18:47So I have a CFO, a head of marketing, a chief operating officer that looks at my schedule,
18:52looks at the things that I need to do, and make sure that I'm on task at all times.
18:56So I also help other people build out AI agents.
18:59So the little cards that you have, have my email if you're interested in taking that first step in AI
19:04and building what's yours.
19:05Oh, I like that.
19:06Okay, Aneesia.
19:07First step is pray about it.
19:11Get in alignment as well before you start and move and do anything.
19:17Second thing is build and get your block.
19:21And what I mean is that those are the trusted people that you can validate things against.
19:26Hey, what does this sound like?
19:27Does this make sense?
19:29Maybe I need to tweak here or there.
19:31But get trusted people that will not lie to you and tell you, girl, that is the bomb when it
19:36is actually not.
19:37Get an actual block that will be able to help you figure those things out.
19:42And then the third thing is just start.
19:44Hey, if this doesn't work, reiterate.
19:47Try something else.
19:48Try and try and try again.
19:50A lot of founders that I know have been trying to be in business or building products and things for
19:56a very long time.
19:56And sometimes the first three things didn't work.
19:59And it's okay to fail.
20:01Be okay with failing quickly and fasting and pivoting.
20:06So get in your prayer closet because only you know what God told you to do, not nobody else.
20:11Number two, get into alignment and build your block.
20:15Build your block of trusted folks that can actually validate things for you and actually be able to sponsor you
20:21when you need it and not over-mentor you.
20:23Number two, that's two.
20:24And then three, start.
20:26Start somewhere.
20:27It doesn't have to be perfect.
20:28It doesn't have to look pretty.
20:30Just start somewhere and actually do some things.
20:32All right.
20:32And then finally, Angelique, tell us again, what's the first move someone should make this week to start shifting towards
20:38ownership?
20:39Yeah, I'm going to agree with all of my peers.
20:41First, also pray about it.
20:43Get a plan.
20:44That should be their second thing.
20:46Also, organize it through AI as well as crafting that plan.
20:50And get in a community.
20:51You need a community of like-minded individuals.
20:54And I'm going to do a shameless plug on new voices.
20:57Get in a community similar to new voices that will actually support you, encourage you, mentor you, and motivate you
21:04to get to that next level.
21:05And once you've got a community, believe in yourself.
21:08The only thing that can knock you out of this whole hustle is doubting your abilities and doubting your talent.
21:14You, again, can control everything.
21:17So just believe in yourself.
21:19All right, everybody.
21:20That concludes our panel.
21:21Automating the hustle.
21:23Building what's yours.
21:24Clap it up, of course, for my panelists, Anissia Williams, Angelique Hamilton, and Taylor Davis.
21:30I am your host, Dee Dee McGuire, host of Dee Dee in the Morning.
21:33Heard locally right here on KMEZ 1029 here in New Orleans.
21:37And listening to me in Dallas and other 90 cities around the country.
21:41We appreciate y'all.
21:42Enjoy your weekend.
21:43The rest of it here on this Sunday here at the Essence Fest, y'all.
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