#32 - How your business can navigate these times of social unrest and take a stand
06/15/20 • 27 min
In this episode of the Shontavia Show, I talk about my own experience during this period of social unrest after America's most recent instances of police violence. It's been hard, and I'm exhausted.
This episode provides some suggestions for how businesses and entrepreneurs can balance doing business with publicly committing to social justice and allyship. No, it's not easy, but y'all need to do better, and this episode offers some tangible things you can do to take an authentic stand.
One thing I'll be doing moving forward is talking to entrepreneurs who commit to social justice and anti-racism--and use their business platforms to support causes, candidates, and change.
// Show Summary
01:29 How the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others have impacted me and my family
03:30 Racism is alive and well...even in my diverse neighborhood
05:53 Why we can't just continue with business as usual
08:05 How the Shontavia Show will shift in response to the current social unrest
09:59 The history of Black American entrepreneurs (like Thomas Jennings) supporting social causes
12:57 How businesses can navigate during this time
19:50 One thing black entrepreneurs should be doing right now
23:59 How Madam CJ Walker, one of America's most successful entrepreneurs, connected her business to social justice in the late 1800s and early 1900s
// Show Notes
Black Folks Had Patents in the 1800s: https://youtu.be/fnyTEU-pWT0?t=10
The CEO of Black influencer marketing agency Shade shares tips for how companies can be better allies — and avoid getting ridiculed on social media: https://www.businessinsider.com/shade-ceo-tips-for-how-brands-can-support-black-americans-2020-6
5 steps to navigate brand messaging in a time of civil unrest so you don't lose customer trust: https://www.businessinsider.com/5-steps-brands-take-social-media-acknowledge-race-injustice-2020-6
// Internet + Social Media
Website: https://shontavia.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shontaviajesq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shontaviajesq/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shontaviajesq/
Tumblr: http://shontaviajesq.tumblr.com/
YouTube: https://www.shontavia.tv
In this episode of the Shontavia Show, I talk about my own experience during this period of social unrest after America's most recent instances of police violence. It's been hard, and I'm exhausted.
This episode provides some suggestions for how businesses and entrepreneurs can balance doing business with publicly committing to social justice and allyship. No, it's not easy, but y'all need to do better, and this episode offers some tangible things you can do to take an authentic stand.
One thing I'll be doing moving forward is talking to entrepreneurs who commit to social justice and anti-racism--and use their business platforms to support causes, candidates, and change.
// Show Summary
01:29 How the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others have impacted me and my family
03:30 Racism is alive and well...even in my diverse neighborhood
05:53 Why we can't just continue with business as usual
08:05 How the Shontavia Show will shift in response to the current social unrest
09:59 The history of Black American entrepreneurs (like Thomas Jennings) supporting social causes
12:57 How businesses can navigate during this time
19:50 One thing black entrepreneurs should be doing right now
23:59 How Madam CJ Walker, one of America's most successful entrepreneurs, connected her business to social justice in the late 1800s and early 1900s
// Show Notes
Black Folks Had Patents in the 1800s: https://youtu.be/fnyTEU-pWT0?t=10
The CEO of Black influencer marketing agency Shade shares tips for how companies can be better allies — and avoid getting ridiculed on social media: https://www.businessinsider.com/shade-ceo-tips-for-how-brands-can-support-black-americans-2020-6
5 steps to navigate brand messaging in a time of civil unrest so you don't lose customer trust: https://www.businessinsider.com/5-steps-brands-take-social-media-acknowledge-race-injustice-2020-6
// Internet + Social Media
Website: https://shontavia.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shontaviajesq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shontaviajesq/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shontaviajesq/
Tumblr: http://shontaviajesq.tumblr.com/
YouTube: https://www.shontavia.tv
Previous Episode
#31 - From Solopreneur to Hiring a Team, with startup founder Harold Hughes
Harold Hughes, the CEO of startup Bangwagon Fanclub Inc., speaks about going from doing everything on his own to growing the Bandwagon team to now 6 people. He provides some insightful keys on how to successfully choose the right people at the right time. Harold's interview style and questions have been highlighted in Fast Company magazine, and it is clear why! From using creative compensation strategies to hire quality employees when the business had no money, to dealing with new hires who quit before they even start, to investing heavily in employees that may one day leave, Harold lays it all on this line in this episode.
// Show Summary
04:20 When Harold knew he needed to hire people, and who he started with
06:52 How Harold hired a software developer with no money using deferred compensation
09:12 How to convince other people to work with you for free
11:33 How to choose the right candidates without a formal interview process
15:36 How to choose the right candidates when there is a formal interview process
17:33 Would you rather be King or be rich? One of Harold's favorite interview questions
20:22 How to handle rejection after a candidate takes, and then declines, a job offer
27:16 How to ensure that your employees become your company's biggest evangelists
32:06 Why the transformative power of transparent storytelling is important for black founders
// Show Notes
Raising Startup Capital with Bandwagon Founder and CEO Harold Hughes: https://shontavia.buzzsprout.com/795392/2884930-15-raising-startup-capital-with-bandwagon-founder-and-ceo-harold-hughes
The Bandwagon Fanclub Team: https://bandwagonfanclub.com/team/
9 CEOs share their favorite interview questions: https://www.fastcompany.com/90378682/9-ceos-share-their-favorite-interview-questions
Harold's Twitter thread about hiring: https://twitter.com/OneBandwagonFan/status/1201498739258646528?s=20
// Internet + Social Media
Website: https://shontavia.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shontaviajesq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shontaviajesq/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shontaviajesq/
Tumblr: http://shontaviajesq.tumblr.com/
YouTube: https://www.shontavia.tv
Next Episode
#33 - Madam C.J. Walker, entrepreneurship, and connecting your business to social justice, with A'Lelia Bundles
This summer, my show will focus on entrepreneurs and business owners who connect their work and/or life to social justice. I can think of none more perfect to start with than Madam C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in America. Madam Walker, who was born two years after slavery officially ended in the U.S., used her business to train women entrepreneurs, fund college scholarships, and support social justice causes.
In this episode, I speak with Mrs. A'Lelia Bundles, the author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, the 2001 New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother that was the inspiration for Self Made, the 2020 Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer.
// Show Summary
03:27 How Madam C.J. Walker connected her business success to social justice
05:10 How Madam Walker's close ties to American slavery, and other black entrepreneurs, shaped her views
06:19 How Madam Walker helped create financial independence for her employees
08:38 Current black entrepreneurs taking a public stand in favor of social justice
09:56 How Madam Walker's time in St. Louis shaped her social views
14:19 How Madam Walker helped her sales agents build generational wealth
16:36 How black people can research early family history
20:01 Why A'Lelia Walker, Madam Walker's daughter, deserves her own book
22:45 Why A'Lelia Bundles hoped for "Hidden Figures" from Netflix but got "Real Housewives of Atlanta" with Self Made
31:19 Why A'Lelia Bundles thinks it is so important for black stories to be told
31:59 Why intellectual property ownership is so important
// Show Notes
Websites of A'Lelia Bundles: https://aleliabundles.com/ and http://madamcjwalker.com/
Netflix’s ‘Self Made’ suffers from self-inflicted wounds: https://theundefeated.com/features/netflixs-self-made-suffers-from-self-inflicted-wounds/
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker (Lisa Drew Books (Paperback)): https://amzn.to/2V28hab
All about Madam C. J. Walker: https://amzn.to/37KO8dO
// Internet + Social Media
Website: https://shontavia.com/
Work with me: http://brandandbusinessacademy.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shontaviajesq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shontaviajesq/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shontaviajesq/
Tumblr: http://shontaviajesq.tumblr.com/
YouTube: https://www.shontavia.tv
The Shontavia Show - #32 - How your business can navigate these times of social unrest and take a stand
Transcript
What's up, y'all. Welcome to The Shontavia Show, where my goal is to help you start a business based on your life's vision. This ain't gonna be your daddy's business advice. I'm laser focused on entrepreneurship in the 21st century, vision and breaking the traditional mold. If you can get with that, you can get with me, be sure to visit shontavia.com for more episodes, blog posts, and other content. Thank you for listening. The show start
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-shontavia-show-240728/32-how-your-business-can-navigate-these-times-of-social-unrest-and-tak-26798371"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to #32 - how your business can navigate these times of social unrest and take a stand on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy