Twende: Rethinking Entrepreneurship

Carlos Partee, a serial entrepreneur, radio personality, and co-founder of the Nashville Black Market, shares his inspiring journey from selling candy in middle school to building a thriving platform for black-owned businesses. Carlos discusses the market's evolution from a small pop-up in 2017 to a citywide movement hosting festivals and supporting black entrepreneurs. He reflects on the challenges of growth, the emotional recognition he received at the Next Awards where NBM took home the 2024 Hospitality and Retail Growth award, and his vision to expand the market's impact through collaboration and persistence.

Warren Sadler and James Edward Murray are the co-founders of Therify, an in-network mental health platform that helps employees access affordable mental healthcare. In this episode, Warren and James share their personal experiences with grief and their difficulty finding the right mental health provider, which inspired them to launch Therify. As co-founders, the two prioritize open communication, addressing conflicts head-on, and modeling healthy relationships for their team, crediting their strong friendship and alignment on values as keys to their successful partnership. They also share the challenges of raising capital and why Therify aims to continue expanding its in-network healthcare platform into other areas of care beyond just mental health.

Rashad Russell, founder of Acme Builder and Beyond Creations, joins us to share his journey as a software engineer and web developer, starting from his entrepreneurial aspirations at a young age after experiencing Hurricane Katrina. Rashad emphasizes the importance of having a strong support system and surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals. He also talks about the mission of Acme Builder to provide a user-friendly website building tool for small business owners. This conversation highlights the common mistakes made by founders when building their own websites and offers advice on creating effective content and a clear call to action. We also discuss the challenges faced by black individuals in the tech industry and the need for early exposure and support for young aspiring entrepreneurs.

Dujon Smith, CEO and Co-founder of My Block Skin, and global lead for Accenture's Black Founder Development program, joins us to discuss the origins of My Block Skin, a sun care brand that aims to include men of color in the conversation around daily SPF protection. Smith shares the importance of building a strong team and the intentional process he went through to bring on co-founders and contractors who aligned with the brand's vision. This conversation also covers his role at Accenture and the Black Founders Development Program, which focuses on supporting black founders in the B2B enterprise tech space, and discusses the importance of targeted outreach and making referrals to other programs or VCs. Reflecting on his own journey as an entrepreneur and the importance of access and exposure to entrepreneurship for young people, Dujon emphasizes the power of receiving that one "yes" that can change a person's life.

Ashley Brooke James, co-founder of TriLuna Wellness, joins Em Wilder to discuss the importance of building a strong network and the mindset shifts that come with growing a business. Ashley emphasizes the need to stop overthinking wellness and instead focus on simple, achievable steps to prioritize self-care, taking intentional steps towards personal and professional growth. She also shares her excitement for the expansion of TriLuna Wellness and the increasing demand for their services.  

Dr. Isaac Addae, the Small and Minority business liaison with the Metro Government of Davidson County, discusses his own journey and the support he receives from family and community. Dr. Addae also talks about his role with Metro and the diverse responsibilities he has in supporting the business community. He offers advice to young business founders on the importance of moving with intention and allowing the journey to unfold organically. He encourages individuals to lean into their purpose and be unapologetic about pursuing greatness.

Nashville native Netta Dobbins, owner and principal consultant of Netta Dobbins Marketing and Consulting, shares her entrepreneurial journey working in the entertainment industry and her dream that led her to start a diversity consultancy firm called Minorities in Media Connect. Netta discusses the significance of data and analytics in marketing strategies and offers tips on email marketing, including attention-grabbing headlines and personalization. Netta also discusses the importance of finding balance in her busy life and the role of community and faith in her success.

Brittany Cole, former Equity and Inclusion Officer at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and host of season two of this podcast, joins us to discuss the importance of having a strong support system as an entrepreneur and the different categories of people that make up Cole's "starting five." These categories include God, family, mentors, friends, and sponsors/advocates. Cole also shares the journey of building her own business, Career Thrivers, and landing her first corporate clients. She emphasizes the importance of mindset and how it can impact a founder's ability to pursue big opportunities.  

Angie Li, a Product Design Manager at Asurion, shares critical and cost-effective ways to simplify your website for a better user experience. Listen in as Li breaks down usability testing activities that will set you and your audience up for success!

After 20-years of writing his story, Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and Business Made Simple, is thriving during what he calls his second act! Join us as we celebrate the release of Donald's most recent book, How to Grow Your Small Business, and learn about the six components of professionalizing your business and why Donald is betting big on founders of color! 

The Nashville Entrepreneur is proud to have Bank of America as our sponsor of Season 2 of the Twende podcast! Bank of America is advancing racial equity and economic opportunities through investments, grants, and partnerships. On this episode, you'll get to hear from Tyson Moore - President of Bank of American Nashville and Market Executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Middle Tennessee. Tyson shares his story, the work he's leading at Bank of America to improve the financial lives of entrepreneurs and their 30-year commitment to supplier diversity working with businesses like those in our Twende program.

Many entrepreneurs believe they have to wait until they grow to get legal advice. On today's episode with P. Danielle Nellis, you will learn why it's important to legally protect your business from day one. Get expert insights from this experienced attorney on how to safeguard your dreams and keep yourself safe from legal trouble. Don't let the law trip up your success - tune in today!

A publishing corporation, one of the first Black-owned banks in the US, and one of four HBCUs in Nashville, TN all draw their roots from one lineage – The Boyd family. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation has a legacy that expands across five generations. Current CEO, Dr. LaDonna Boyd, discusses innovation, transformational leadership, and strategic decision making skills to scale the business.

Renowned entrepreneur and founder of the Cupcake Collection, Mignon Francois, shares her inspiring story of starting her business with $5 and growing it to over $5million at the Nashville Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship Day.

You are your best investment. As entreprenuers it can be easy to put your health and wellness on the backburner. Learn from celebrity trainer and entreprenuer, Gerell Webb, on how why health is wealth when building your business.

Joshua Mundy and Quawn Clark are growing a 7-figure business in tech, creating community impact in Nashville and beyond. Learn the small pivots they made to go from less than $20,000 in revenue per year to over $1,000,000.

Holly & Rachel are leading the Nashville chapter of Blacks in Tech to create a community of advocacy and inlusion in Nashville's tech community.

As founders, you are the author of your story and the story of your company. In this episode, learn from Associate Editor of The Business Journals, Marq Burnett, on ways to develop your writing skills and storytelling to attract press and customers for your business.

A veteran expert in federal and local government policies for entrepreneurship, LaTanya Channel, joins us to discuss ways that you can grow your business by doing business with government clients. LaTanya is the Director, Economic Growth and Small Business Development for Metro Nashville shares the playbook of growing from RFPs to gaining the coveted 8A certification to land 6-7-figure deals with the federal government.

Check out what you can expect on Season 2 of Twende: Empowering Black and Brown Entrepreneurs to Thrive, powered by Bank of America.

There are more than 105,000 firms owned by Black & Brown founders across Tennessee. However, these businesses tend to start smaller and stay smaller (averaging only $19,800 annually) than their peer non-minority-owned firms. In this episode hear from Black entrepreneurs in the Nashville area on ways to thrive as a founder and leader while growing a thriving business.

Corporations have pledged billions of dollars in annual spend to diverse, small businesses with initiatives to only increase this spending year over year. The largest single purchaser in the world, the U.S. Federal Government, leads the charge in supplier diversity spend. In 2022, the federal government spent an unprecedented $17 billion dollars on products and services provided by black and brown-owned businesses. Thus, herein lies a critical question you must ask yourself...Is your B2B startup well positioned to secure its fair share of these massive revenue opportunities? In this episode, learn insights on how to prepare to grow your business by doing business with BIG business.

On this special episode, join Brynn Plummer as she passes the torch, and quite literally the microphone, to her guest Brittany Cole, who will take over as host of the show going forward. As the Entrepreneur Center's new Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Cole will also be responsible for further enhancing the ECs Twende program, working to amplify the voices of entrepreneurs of color and make it easier to connect them to resources in the state. Join us in welcoming Brittany and saying a fond farewell to Brynn, our show's founding host.

Over the past two years, disparities in healthcare and race in the American system have amplified. Not only are people of color not receiving adequate healthcare services, but founders of color who operate in the healthcare sector struggle to receive necessary funds for their ventures. In today's episode, Kathryne Cooper, Partner at Jumpstart Nova, and Marcus Whitney, Founder and Managing Partner of Jumpstart Nova joins Brynn Plummer to discuss why they started a fund that invests exclusively in black healthcare founders. They'll also share how their company Jumpstart Nova emerged and why they're passionate about investing in healthcare solutions for today and for the future. 

Jason Scott, head of startup developer ecosystems at Google and partner of the ANIM Fund, sits down with Brynn Plummer to discuss his winding path into the world of venture capital, and how he aims to play the role of a superhero sidekick in the careers of founders of color by providing them with the capital, resources, and mentorship they need to be successful no matter their geographical location.

Behind every great entrepreneur is a compelling story, a passion to change the current narrative and turn roadblocks into opportunities. In today's episode, CEO & Founder of Podpal, currently the first black-owned podcasting startup, Aaron P. Woods joins Brynn Plummer to share how his mission to provide for his family led him to develop a startup that seeks to remove the overwhelming steps that come from producing your own podcast. They'll also discuss how he balances family life and his full-time job with building a startup, and why he's passionate about pioneering a path for other founders of color.

“The data exists” to show that investing in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) founders pays off, says Monique Villa, co-founder of Build In SE and early-stage investor at Mucker Capital. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Villa organically found her way to Nashville and into the VC world. Today, she's paying it forward by starting a project called Unprocess that focuses on how paving a path for a career is more organic and less linear. She joins Brynn Plummer in this episode to help explain how venture capital works and how it's changing for the better to support BIPOC.

Henry Beecher Hicks, president and CEO of the National Museum of African American Music, sits down with Brynn Plummer to share about his early professional career and how a decision to buy Gray Line, a premium sight-seeing tour bus and public transportation company, led him to Nashville. He also shares the many lessons he has learned as an African American man navigating the world of entrepreneurship.

Despite the growing diversity around us, less than 3% of all venture capital in the U.S. is given to Black, LatinX or woman-led companies. Founders of color face incredible obstacles starting and growing their businesses including access to financial resources, education and mentorship. Join host Brynn Plummer as she partakes in open and honest conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators of color about their journeys to success while overcoming hurdles and working tirelessly to level the playing field for all.