- 2 days ago
Category
š„
SportsTranscript
00:00You're here in the lab. I got my girl Charity. Go ahead, baby. Introduce yourself. Tell them all about you.
00:05What up, though, Detroit? Charity Dean, President and CEO of the Michigan Black Business Alliance.
00:09I'm happy to be here. Happy Tuesday.
00:11And you brought a very special guest up in here.
00:14I did. Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself, sir?
00:16Man, Detroit, it's so good to see you, or I guess hear from you, or talk to you.
00:20Armand Rashad Javs from Eastern Market. It's been a blessing.
00:23It's so good to see you, Angie Starr. It's been a minute.
00:25Ladies, he looks as good as he sounds.
00:28Ladies, he got that voice.
00:32I've been knowing him for a minute.
00:33And you just said from the Eastern Market, but tell them exactly what you do.
00:39Yeah, so I guess I've been blessed enough to be the face of health and fitness for some years.
00:44Oh, yeah, blessed.
00:45We did run this town back when I was 22, was when I met Angie Starr and we first.
00:48Yeah.
00:49I think I was first on your radio show then.
00:50And in 2016, I purchased Javs from Eastern Market right in Hartford, downtown Detroit.
00:57And so we're just super excited to be here with Charity and just, you know, be a great black business
01:02in the city.
01:02Yes, very great black business.
01:04And you've been around.
01:05You've got longevity going for you.
01:09Where's my girl, Gail Perry Mason?
01:11Oh, yeah.
01:12Yeah, that's my girl.
01:14And I'm always seeing you guys on Facebook.
01:17She's like a little fitness.
01:18When I first met her, she was on a run.
01:20Let me just let you know.
01:22She's always been in the fitness.
01:23But now she's taking it up a step and she works a lot with you guys.
01:28We're talking about Gail Perry Mason, who is like a financial guru, like stock market genius.
01:34But balancing her life with work, she's figured out that, you know, keeping fit through boxing is a great thing
01:43to do.
01:44Talk to me about why I'm seeing a lot of women getting into what Gail is doing.
01:49Learn how to box and keeping them arms tight and fit.
01:51Well, I think that, I think particularly with the black community, we understand that, like, you know, being healthy is,
01:57there's no option, right?
01:58You have to be healthy, right?
01:59I think before, you know, we were, sometimes it's my grandma.
02:02I said, grandma, she said, you know, we got greens and we got this and we got that.
02:05I said, grandma, make my portions a little smaller because we understand.
02:08Like, I got into this business, Angie, because my grandfather suffered from diabetes almost my entire life, right?
02:14And we understand that's not always, that's not always necessary.
02:18You don't have to have health issues.
02:20And so we're just trying to get more active and do it in a fun, exciting, engaging way.
02:23All right.
02:24So I like what you say because I think anything that's fun, exciting, and engaging will be a very, very,
02:31very successful business.
02:33Why do you feel you're so successful?
02:35Well, one, first, by the grace of God, right?
02:38Say that, amen.
02:39And, you know, and charity has seen the ups and downs.
02:42I mean, our building fell down in 2023.
02:44I remember.
02:44I mean, so many things have happened.
02:45COVID happened when the governor's shutting down gyms.
02:48And so I think that when you have passion, unbelievable passion and dedication to the reason why you're doing things,
02:56even you can make it through the ebbs and flows, right?
02:58And then you have a network, and this is where I think charity and her organization comes in at, a
03:04network of folks who are advocating for, in this chocolate city, more black businesses to be around.
03:09She understands the importance of a jabs gym being there going on its 11th year, right?
03:15We celebrate one-year anniversary.
03:16We celebrate two-year anniversaries, right?
03:18But we don't celebrate, you know, you see a lot of five- and ten-year anniversaries.
03:21And so we're trying to change that narrative.
03:23And charity is an advocate, and she's spearheading that for black business staying around for years and generations to come.
03:30And so we're excited to be here.
03:32Next, we get Angie Starr in the building.
03:34She's going to be at Jabs Gym, guys.
03:35I know, that's right.
03:36We're going to have her host the class.
03:37It's going to be fantastic.
03:38I might just be able to tap, not jab.
03:40But I'm going to do my thing.
03:42How did you meet charity?
03:44Charity and I met, I think, years ago.
03:47I think I was doing Run This Town.
03:50Probably, yep.
03:51And charity had this cute little friend group she used to hang out with.
03:54I'm screaming.
03:54That is an inappropriate.
03:55They was all petite cuties, you know what I mean?
03:59She was talking about the Black Business Alliance of mine.
04:02I love it.
04:03Go ahead.
04:03I first met charity before I realized that she, you know, before I realized she was a business genius,
04:08I first met her because she was 5'5 with brown eyes.
04:11Oh, my God.
04:11And now I just check out.
04:13No, charity's fantastic.
04:14He's doing the red.
04:14That's the red.
04:16But I'm not 5'5, so.
04:19I was trying to give you some interest.
04:21Okay.
04:21No, charity and I were in business, I think, adjacent to each other years ago, right?
04:25Before she had the Michigan Black Business Association.
04:28And so, I think it was quite naturally when I saw her continue to build through the city
04:32and then create this organization, I think it was natural that I said, charity, we got
04:36to connect.
04:37Whatever I can do can support her.
04:39Armand's been a member probably since we started.
04:42Wow.
04:42This organization, yeah.
04:43He's been around for a minute.
04:45A VIP member, by the way.
04:47We do not have, all of our members are VIP.
04:49That's right.
04:50That's right.
04:50So, again, since you've been with the organization from the beginning, how have you seen it impact
04:56other black businesses in Detroit?
04:58Well, I've seen it impact many black businesses and give folks opportunity who wouldn't even
05:02have opportunity, right?
05:03Kind of setting that framework to give them an opportunity, a shot at bat, if you would,
05:09to get in business.
05:10But particularly with us, we were in our eighth year in 2023, I believe.
05:14And when our building collapsed at Eastern Market, myself, my fraternity brother, Tommy
05:20Walker from Detrovers of Everybody, Beyond Juice was there.
05:24And charity was the first one to pick up the phone and say, hey guys, you know, we got to
05:27get you guys some money to help with this whole thing.
05:30And I think that so many times in business, Angie Star, folks say, oh, you know, thoughts
05:35and prayers.
05:36Right.
05:36Thoughts and prayers.
05:36But my business actually doesn't just affect me.
05:39I got other folks who pay their bills off of the business we do every day.
05:43And I think charity understands that a lot of times in our community.
05:46I think we forget that this is an actual living, breathing business.
05:49That's not a hobby.
05:51Right.
05:51And so charity raised money for us to kind of make it through that point because it costs
05:56us, you know, tens of thousands of dollars just to close down.
05:58We were closed for 14 months and then we had to reopen.
06:01And so she definitely played a pivotal role in just being there and support in bringing
06:07a lot of energy and attention to that issue when a lot of our lawmakers and folks around
06:13were just like, oh, we hope everything works out.
06:15You said thoughts and prayers.
06:16Thoughts and prayers.
06:17It was very wild.
06:18I think the interesting thing about that time, Angie, is that one of the things that we do,
06:23yes, we have our programs and yes, we connect our members to resources.
06:26But one of the most powerful things we do is we advocate.
06:29And so when their building first collapsed, they were talking about demolishing the building.
06:33I don't know if you remember that.
06:34I remember the whole story.
06:35Go ahead.
06:35I was out of town at a conference.
06:36I'm like, not on my watch.
06:37Right.
06:38And so we gathered those two of the small businesses in that building were our members,
06:43but we gathered our four of them and started asking them what they wanted.
06:46And we spent time talking to the mayor's office, making sure they did not demolish the building.
06:51That was like step number one.
06:52And then step number two was how can we get them some emergency resources?
06:56And so we did.
06:57We fundraised.
06:58Shout out to Invest Detroit that helped us raise money.
07:01Gilbert Family Foundation and Black Leaders Detroit.
07:04We got to put a fund together for those four businesses back in 2023.
07:08So if you own a business, a black business out there right now, I know you feel what I'm feeling.
07:15You feel like you got something that got you.
07:18All right.
07:19And if you're not a part of this organization, you need to be a part of it.
07:24Charity, tell them how they can get in contact with you.
07:27What is necessary?
07:29Just break that whole thing down.
07:30So we are in the office every day.
07:32So we have an office downtown Detroit, 28 West Adams.
07:36We are in suite 800.
07:37So you can always just pop up.
07:39Our members have access to that space.
07:41They can do co-working, conference rooms.
07:43But we're online, so www.blackbizalliance.com.
07:47And if you go at Black Biz Alliance on Instagram, on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, you can find us as well.
07:55But we're outside.
07:57We're outside.
07:57We're working.
07:58We're doing the work of our members.
07:59And we want to help as many black businesses as we can.
08:02I just saw on Facebook some kind of seminar you guys were doing for black businesses.
08:08And I always see things that you're doing to educate.
08:12Right.
08:12You know, a lot of people sometimes think you know it all.
08:15Like, I'm a creator.
08:16I'm a creative energy on this earth.
08:19But as far as, like, numbers and all that kind of stuff, that's not me.
08:24And I know my lane.
08:25And I need support with my ideas.
08:28And sometimes you don't know it all.
08:30And you need somebody to support you, help you, teach you.
08:33Again, when you stop learning, you're dead.
08:35That's what they said.
08:36Now, I just heard that.
08:37And you don't know what you don't know.
08:38There you go.
08:39Right?
08:39And so being in a community of folks that are also entrepreneurs or also need help, I think that makes
08:44the world a difference.
08:45So give me some closing thoughts from you, what you need people to know, what you got coming up.
08:50Yeah, so we're going to be in Grand Rapids, actually, on Saturday, on your birthday, doing a solutions lab with
08:56Black Tech Saturday as their partners.
08:59And then, you know, in August, we have a couple of events coming up at the hub.
09:03But you can see them all on our website and on our social media.
09:06But I would just say join the alliance.
09:08We have a community membership that's free and then the premium membership costs.
09:12But we are really just trying to help all of our people.
09:17And so I would just say continue to speak up.
09:19Oh, I know what I want to say.
09:20Go ahead.
09:20It's an election year.
09:22And so one of the things that we are focused on at the Black Business Alliance is making sure everybody
09:26that's running for every position, from school board to governor, are thinking about Black businesses and how to build Black
09:32wealth.
09:33We're not talking about it enough.
09:34And so I would say make sure you guys are voting.
09:36Make sure you register to vote.
09:37And make sure that if you're talking to candidates, you're asking them how they're trying to get you some paper.
09:42I love that, girl.
09:43Oh, I feel your force.
09:45You a warrior.
09:46Period.
09:47I love.
09:48What are your closing thoughts to Detroit?
09:49I guess I would echo that.
09:51I think two things.
09:52One is, you know, as Black businesses, you deserve a shot, right?
09:56So not only do we have great organizations like charities just kind of spearheading this thing, but also, too, don't
10:03hold our gifts.
10:04Sometimes we hold our gifts too tight.
10:05Yeah.
10:06And we say, what are you trying to do?
10:07And they say, well, you know, I want to tell you because you might steal my idea.
10:10And I'll just say, talk about it.
10:12The more you talk about it, the more you can work your way through the process.
10:14And then now people would know, oh, this person's trying to do X.
10:17And let me connect you with some different resources.
10:19So we've got to be aggressive.
10:20And time is now.
10:21So, all right.
10:22Break down the name of your businesses right now.
10:25No, go ahead.
10:26Yeah.
10:27Oh, man, my business.
10:27Yeah, go ahead.
10:28Jabs.
10:28J-A-B-S.
10:29So Jabs Gym, Easter Market, which is boxing, right?
10:33So we also have weightlifting.
10:34We have booty boot camp.
10:35Nineties are in booty.
10:36Booty boots.
10:36Let me tell you this, Angie.
10:38I went to the booty boot camp.
10:39Talk to me with the booty boot.
10:41What is that?
10:42Baby, they going to work your glutes, your abs, your legs.
10:46Don't think you're going in to dance because you're going to hurt.
10:50But it's worth it.
10:52I love that.
10:53We need to get coming for Angie.
10:54When you come, Angie.
10:55Yeah, I want to do the booty boots.
10:56Me and the booty.
10:57I'm going to go back with you.
10:58We need to do the booty boots together.
11:00I like it.
11:01Let's do it.
11:01Give them your phone number and our website again.
11:04They can call us at 313-344-1272.
11:08And then go to jabsgym.net and find us.
11:10Okay.
11:11And then, Charity, give all your information again.
11:13And real quick before you do.
11:14What if somebody, I just have the idea for a business.
11:18Oh, yeah.
11:18We got you.
11:19So, we have programs for everybody.
11:21You know, it's really a community.
11:23We really are a community.
11:24And so, we got a program called Black Print that helps you develop your business model.
11:28And so, we have members that just have ideas and folks that have been in business for 50 years.
11:32So, you can find us at www.blackbizalliance.com.
11:36We are on all social media.
11:37And we're at 28 West Adams, Monday through Friday.
11:40Thank you, Charity, baby.
11:42You got the perfect name.
11:43I love you.
11:44Love you, too, Angie.
11:45Happy birthday, girl.
11:47Happy birthday, Leah's season.
11:48Period.
11:49Period.
11:51Period.
Comments