Blog Posts
Black Enterprise Tea Time: The Art of Leadership
October 4, 2021Black Enterprise invited me onto Tea Time with Shimite to talk about what it takes to build and excel as an executive of color, and to build wealth along the way. Source: Black Enterprise, October 4, 2021.
World Affairs Council of Atlanta: Building the Black Middle Class
April 7, 2021The World Affairs Council of Atlanta invited me back for a conversation on racial equity and economic development. COVID-19 exposed unequal access to health care, education and fair housing. The way forward is a stronger Black middle class, built on credit scores, homeownership and business ownershi
A Call for Empathy: Valuing Women’s Experiences in the Workplace During the Pandemic
March 26, 2021In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to discuss how women have been impacted by this pandemic and what we can do to help bring a different…
Across the Margin: From Survivor to Thriver to Winner
March 18, 2021Michael Shields of Across the Margin had me on the podcast to talk about Up From Nothing. We went through my family’s story across generations, the Five Pillars of Success, and why believing in yourself is where wealth actually starts. America works best when we invest in each other’s su
Squawk Box: Who Is Responsible for the Financial Literacy Crisis?
February 9, 2021Millions of new retail investors had just poured into the stock market, and CNBC’s Squawk Box asked me whether trading platforms were doing enough to teach their users. Access without education is a setup. Financial literacy is the new civil rights issue, and everybody who profits from new inv
Squawk Box: The Coronavirus Balancing Act
December 7, 2020On CNBC’s Squawk Box with Kevin O’Leary, the question was how to balance public health and financial health heading into the winter. This is a rich man’s virus. You and I can separate in our homes behind our gates and be okay. My friends working at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Best B
Commonwealth Club: American Opportunity Is Still Alive
November 19, 2020The Commonwealth Club of California hosted me for a virtual program on Up From Nothing. My argument was simple. American opportunity is not dead. With the right mindset and the right practices, anyone can still achieve the American Dream, whatever their starting point. I know because of where I star
Roland Martin: Standing Up Black Business With Shopify
October 27, 2020A week after we announced 1 Million Black Businesses, Roland Martin brought me on to explain what the Shopify partnership actually gives an entrepreneur and how to get started. At HOPE Global Forums that month, I also sat down with Harley Finkelstein for a longer conversation about why Shopify made
Up From Nothing: A Conversation With Weaving Influence
Weaving Influence hosted an hour-long conversation on Up From Nothing and the question at its center: how do we change our mindset from survivor to thriver to winner? America is still the land of opportunity. The stories in the book, from my family and from people who built something from nothing, a
CNBC: Operation HOPE and Shopify Team Up for Black Entrepreneurs
October 20, 2020Shopify President Harley Finkelstein and I went on CNBC together to announce our partnership to help create one million Black-owned businesses, with Shopify committing up to $130 million. Protest got the country’s attention in 2020. Ownership is how we turn that attention into something perman