Black Business Month: Learn. Build. Lead.

Eating While Broke: PINKY COLE - A Sandwich, a Setback, and a Second Empire

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Eating While Broke, host Coline Witt sits down with entrepreneur Pinky Cole—founder of Slutty Vegan—for an honest conversation about money, mindset, and rebuilding after major setbacks. Over a homemade **Tofurky sandwich**, Pinky breaks down vegan label-reading, food costs, and why she stopped eating meat in 2007.

Pinky shares her upbringing in a Jamaican family, her father’s 22-year imprisonment, and how early exposure to her mother’s music career shaped her ambition. She recounts hustling as a teen party promoter, working in TV production (including Maury), and opening a Harlem Jamaican restaurant that later burned down without fire insurance. She explains how that loss—and other setbacks—ultimately led to new opportunities, including launching **Slutty Vegan** in Atlanta.

She also discusses Slutty Vegan’s rapid rise, later restructuring, personal bankruptcy, $20M in debt, and the lessons she learned about transactional relationships, team alignment, and ego.

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Money & Wealth: The Ownership Generation

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:37:20 +0000

John Hope Bryant brings you a special, solo episode titled: “The Ownership Generation,” warning that while the economy is essentially strong, outside forces may create short-term instability over the next six to eight months, which means listeners must make mature financial decisions.

John argues that a generation is being misled by social media and cultural narratives that romanticize renting, and stresses that “you don’t build a life by renting one,” using homeownership as a key wealth-building example.

While structural barriers like redlining exist, John urges people to “game” a rigged system through financial literacy, credit, investing, and an ownership mindset. He also warns that one trait—beauty, intelligence, degrees, or talent—is not enough without work, grit, wisdom, relationships, and legacy-building.

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Black Tech Green Money: How to not be a Black American in deep debt

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:10:57 +0000

Carter Cofield and George Acheampong are financial experts behind Melanin Money, dedicated to helping Black entrepreneurs and professionals build lasting wealth. Together, they're building the #1 Financial Education Community Designed to serve aspiring Melanin Millionaires.

Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas

Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast

Learn more at AfroTech.com
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DM Me with Doug Melville: Your Reputation Enters the Room Before You Do - Managing Personal Brand with Allison Kluger

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Doug interviews Allison Kluger, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor who teaches courses on reputation management, strategic communication, personal branding, and strategic pivoting. Kluger shares her AIM framework (audience, intent, message), discusses how Google and LinkedIn shape first impressions, and distinguishes visibility from credibility by emphasizing trust and front facing acts of service. She highlights the outsized impact of first impressions and outlines the “trust radar” for crisis recovery, using Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars incident as an example. Allison and Doug also discuss career pivots through transferable skills, the risks of AI-amplified misinformation, and using personal "feedback surveys" to identify the traits people most associate with you.

DM Doug:

@DougMelville

www.DougMelville.com

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Earn Your Leisure: HOW TO BUILD A MILLION-DOLLAR SALON SUITE BUSINESS

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Earn Your Leisure, Sway The Pro breaks down the business behind the beauty industry and how salon suites have become one of the most profitable models for beauty professionals and entrepreneurs.

She shares how she got started, the stress of securing her first building, the pros and cons of buying vs. leasing, how to find the right real estate, why doctor’s offices can be perfect conversion spaces, and the average cost to build out a salon suite.

We also discuss client retention, revenue streams, management systems, ROI timelines, celebrity clientele, professionalism, punctuality, and the biggest mistakes beauty professionals make when trying to scale.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Lease Day Disaster
01:17 Meet Sway The Pro
03:05 From Hoops To Suites
06:09 Buildout Horror Stories
08:11 Salon Suites Explained
09:17 Design Tiers And Pricing
13:32 Lease Vs Own Expenses
17:58 Scaling And Franchising
20:06 Start Steps And TI Money
23:33 Retention Systems And Managers
27:41 Buildout Costs And Funding
29:25 Picking The Right Area
29:46 Picking The Right Location
30:30 Run The Numbers First
32:00 Wealth Mistakes And Service
33:50 Scaling With Systems
34:27 Franchise Costs And Support
35:25 Tenants Becoming Owners
37:27 ROI And Lease Negotiation
38:18 Selling And Diversifying
41:45 Salon Suite Vs Home
43:05 Pricing And Profitability
46:04 Stand Out With Punctuality
47:34 Apps Deposits And No Shows
48:38 Celebrity Clients Boundaries
50:20 Balance And Scheduling
51:03 Mentorship Program Breakdown
53:21 Invest Fest And Pivoting
57:06 Multiple Income Streams
58:29 Where To Follow Sway

#EarnYourLeisure #SwayThePro #BeautyBusiness #SalonSuites #Entrepreneurship #BusinessModel #RealEstateInvesting #BeautyIndustry #SmallBusiness #WealthBuilding #EYL

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Invest Fest | August 7-9, 2026
Grab early bird tickets now: https://www.investfest.com

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Earn Your Leisure: SHE TURNED $67 INTO AN 8-FIGURE BUSINESS 🤯

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Rashad Bilal:
How do you turn a $67 investment into an 8-figure business? In this episode of Earn Your Leisure, we sit down with Jhalesa Seymour, founder and CEO of Salt.XO, to discuss how she built one of the fastest-growing feminine hygiene brands by solving a real problem, listening to customers, and creating a powerful community around her products.

Jhalesa shares the strategies that helped Salt.XO scale—from leveraging TikTok Shop and mastering logistics to pricing products correctly, expanding into retail, building partnerships, and managing rapid growth. She also opens up about turning a side hustle into a full-time business, taking control of her own warehouse, and balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood.

Beyond business, we have an important conversation about women’s health, pH balance, BV, and why these topics deserve more attention. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, e-commerce founder, or someone looking to build a brand from the ground up, this episode is packed with valuable lessons you won’t want to miss.

#EarnYourLeisure #SaltXO #JhalesaSeymour #Entrepreneurship #Ecommerce #TikTokShop #Business #SmallBusiness #Startup #WomenInBusiness #BrandBuilding #Marketing #BusinessGrowth #FounderStory #FinancialLiteracy
Call to action word - salt

Michael MacDonald:
Yes Warren buffet video

Subscribe and watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@EarnYourLeisure

Join the EYL community for deeper training and a more detailed approach:
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Invest Fest | August 7-9, 2026
Grab early bird tickets now: https://www.investfest.com

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Money & Wealth: The Walmart Blueprint: Leadership, Wealth & The Power of Starting Small

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:17:37 +0000

On this episode of Money & Wealth, John Hope Bryant sits down with Kieran Shanahan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Walmart U.S., for a powerful conversation on leadership, humility, opportunity, and building something that lasts.

Kieran shares his journey from starting at Walmart as a teenager in the UK to leading operations for one of the world’s largest companies, the lessons he learned from Sam Walton’s legacy, and why financial literacy is a key part of empowering employees and communities.

From AI and the future of work to creating pathways for people to grow, this episode explores what it really takes to lead at scale while staying connected to the people you serve.

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DM Me with Doug Melville: From eBay Side Hustle to $500,000,000 in Sales - A Sit Down With Fashionphile’s CEO and Co-Founder Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Doug Melville hosts Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger, founder and co-founder of Fashionphile, now CEO and COO of the largest ultra-luxury handbag and accessory retailer in the U.S. They trace their roots from selling on eBay in 1999 and bootstrapping the business, including a strategic early base in Beverly Hills to build trust and credibility through authentication guides and strong feedback. They discuss partnering after an earlier startup, leaving stable career paths, and finding product-market fit in luxury resale. Fashionphile has grown to hundreds of millions in revenue, 400+ employees, 14 locations and major flagships in San Diego, LA, and New York, plus London and Tokyo offices. They cover supply-vs-demand dynamics, the “pay her fast and fair” seller strategy, brand relationships, pricing trends, and evolving authentication tools and anti-fraud efforts, and close with advice to start quickly and obsess over customers.

Fashionphile.com

Fashionphile on Instagram

DM Doug:

@DougMelville

www.DougMelville.com

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Black Tech Green Money: Stop Looking for Startup Ideas. Start Looking for Problems.

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Most aspiring entrepreneurs think their biggest challenge is finding the perfect startup idea. In this solo episode of Black Tech Green Money, Will Lucas argues that the real challenge isn’t generating ideas, it’s learning how to recognize problems worth solving. Drawing from his experiences building CommPartHS and ICON, Will explores how successful businesses often emerge from observing inefficiencies, unmet needs, and overlooked opportunities hiding in plain sight. He breaks down why AI is a powerful tool but not a substitute for insight, how your current job or industry may be revealing business opportunities every day, and why entrepreneurs who develop the skill of observation will have a lasting advantage in the AI era.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

ICON – https://ICONapp.co
CommPartHS – https://Commparths.com

Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas

Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast

Learn more at AfroTech.com

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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Eating While Broke: LAKEISHA LANDRUM PIERRE - From Raisins to Returns

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Host Coline Witt welcomes Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, founder and managing partner of Emily Line Venture Capital, for a conversation about venture capital’s influence, the industry’s barriers for women and people of color, and why representation among check-writers matters. Lakeisha cooks a low-cost Colombian coconut rice with raisins inspired by her broke grad school days at Harvard, and shares her background growing up in Los Angeles with deep entrepreneurial family roots in real estate, including the impact of the 2008 crash on Black wealth.

She discusses choosing finance and business after briefly studying theology, the role of education and relationships in her career, and taking on major leadership roles early—such as becoming COO of a $10M ARR e-commerce startup at 20.

Lakeisha outlines how Emily Line Ventures invests in women-led and mixed-gender founding teams, typically at early stages (often around $500K–$1M+ revenue in the current market), and focuses heavily on women’s health areas like maternal health, endometriosis diagnostics and treatments, fertility, menstrual health, and menopause/perimenopause.

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Eating While Broke: ALEXX MEDIA - Honey Nut Cheerios Remix

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Dive into the world of creative hustle in this episode of Eating While Broke! Host Coline Witt sits down with renowned filmmaker and producer Alexx Media, the visionary behind viral comedy specials and co-owner of WTF Studios.

Alexx opens up about his rise from humble beginnings to directing Andrew Schulz’s Netflix special, “Schulz Saves America,” and building a powerhouse production company. He shares the real stories behind his unique struggle meals—including a wild Honey Nut Cheerios remix—and reveals how resilience, collaboration, and business savvy shaped his career.

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Money & Wealth: Worker to Owner: Why Ownership Is the Real Key to Wealth

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:41:12 +0000

In this powerful episode of Money & Wealth, John Hope Bryant breaks down one of the biggest truths about capitalism: the real divide isn’t effort—it’s ownership.

As anticipation builds for his upcoming book Capitalism for All: Inclusive Economics and the Future Proofing of America, Bryant explains how people can move from simply working for wages to building assets, cash flow, and generational wealth.

Drawing from personal stories, including lessons from his mother’s journey from hourly worker to millionaire, Bryant outlines practical pathways anyone can take to become an owner.
In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why ownership—not income—is the foundation of wealth

•The difference between cash flow vs. clout • Four practical paths to becoming a business owner

• Why “boring businesses” often create the most wealth • How city contracts and local economies create hidden opportunities

• The mindset shift from making a living to building a legacy
Bryant also explores how most millionaires quietly build wealth through discipline, reinvestment, and long-term ownership—echoing the lessons popularized in The Millionaire Next Door.

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Money & Wealth: Turning No Into a Lease

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:54:03 +0000

In this bonus episode of Money and Wealth with John O’Bryant, John shares a powerful real-life story from early in his career — a moment when a promising business deal suddenly fell apart at the negotiating table.

Ready to sign a major office lease in Los Angeles, John was unexpectedly met with hesitation, delays, and a quiet wall of resistance. Instead of walking away defeated, he chose a different strategy: reframe the setback, rethink the approach, and find a creative path forward.

What follows is a lesson in navigating bias, perception, and credibility in high-stakes business spaces. John explains how he built an unexpected partnership, secured the deal anyway, and turned a closed door into a long-term launchpad for both his company and the early work of Operation HOPE.

This episode isn’t just about real estate — it’s about resilience, emotional discipline, and removing the “but” that can block opportunity. John breaks down how to move from frustration to focus, from rejection to leverage, and why sometimes success means finding another way into the room.

A masterclass in negotiation mindset, relationship capital, and turning obstacles into strategy.

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Earn Your Leisure: Overcoming Funding Hurdles For Entrepreneurs

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another eye-opening edition of EYL, join hosts Rashad Bilal, Troy Millings, and special guest Aisha Bowe as they delve into the often unseen struggles and unique strategies employed by minority and women founders in the entrepreneurial landscape.

Aisha, a former NASA engineer turned entrepreneur, shares her journey of securing funding against the odds and her passion for enhancing STEM education through her company. Discover how she bypassed traditional venture capitalists by targeting family offices, de-risking her initial funding round, and mobilizing traditional capital in an ingenious founder-led seed round.

She also outlines her ongoing mission to raise an additional million dollars. Dive into the conversation about the importance of 'friendly patient capital', and how cultivating strategic investors has not only fueled her business growth but allowed her to make significant social impact, particularly in education.

Listen to Aisha recount her company's success in partnering with major corporations like Siemens and Microsoft, and how these partnerships are changing the game for STEM education. Discover the custom content being developed, from climate satellite kits to moon rover buggies, and understand why this innovative approach to education is crucial for shaping a brighter future.

Learn about the challenges she faces in reaching school districts and the extensive marketing efforts required to bring her vision to fruition. Through her determination and creativity, Aisha is keen on showcasing how STEM education, coupled with entrepreneurship, can equip the younger generation with the tools for success, irrespective of their academic backgrounds.

With a clear and ambitious vision, Aisha envisions her company as a global provider of immersive STEM experiences that incorporate cutting-edge technology like augmented reality. She emphasizes the power of nurturing entrepreneurship skills from a young age, advocating for early business experiences to build confidence and capability in tomorrow's leaders.

Join us in this compelling discussion that merges the worlds of entrepreneurship, education, and technology, and be inspired by Aisha Bowe's dedication to paving the way for more inclusive and impactful practices in the business world.

If you're a school district, an investor, or simply keen on supporting a transformative approach to STEM education, watch this episode to learn how you can be a part of this exciting journey.

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