How I Bootstrapped a Luxury Jet Business with Michael Darko S7 Ep. 6 Michael Darko is the founder & CEO of Farringdon Jets, “The World’s Most Security Focused Jet Charter Company”. After becoming familiar with the needs of High- and Ultra-High-Net-Worth-Individuals through his international career in property and offshore wealth management, Michael decided to merge his experience and network with his lifelong passion for aviation to launch Farringdon Jets, a luxury charter jet service that fills the need in the market by prioritizing safety and security for its clients not just in the air ..read more

Be Hungry But Not Thirsty When Pitching VCs with Arlan Hamilton S7 Ep. 5 Seven years ago she was broke and sleeping on the airport floor.  Now she is a successful investor, entrepreneur, and author..  Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital, Runner and author of It’s About Damn Time published well before singer Lizzo’s popular song by the same name.  Backstage Capital is a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started from scratch in 2015, Backstage has now raise ..read more

Scaling Black Beauty with Leslie Roberson S7 Ep. 4 The US beauty industry is worth about $60 billion and spending on beauty is robust among Black Americans, a diverse and growing group of 41 million people with increasing spending power. In 2021, they spent $6.6 billion on beauty. However, Black brands make up only 2.5 percent of revenue in the beauty industry and Black consumers are responsible for 11.1 percent of total beauty spending according to a 2022 McKinsey & Company report titled Black Representation in the Beauty Industry. Leslie is on a mission to fix that by creating opportuni ..read more

Investing in BIPOC Founders and Normalizing Black Wealth with Danielle Shoots S7 Ep. 3 Danielle Shoots is  the Managing Partner and Managing Director of the New Community Transformation Fund a $50 million equity venture capital fund for BIPOC founders in Denver. She is also President and CEO of Wealth Equity Enterprises, her holdings company, which owns several businesses that support the mission of building BIPOC wealth and leadership.  Her passion for people and leadership, distinguished business acumen, and tenacious work ethic have garnered her numerous accolades, including the ..read more

Pull Up and Pitch to Win with Omi Bell S7. Ep. 2 She dabbled in all sorts of ventures such as building a tent in her living room to rent on AirBnB, building furniture, owning a t-shirt company and a print shop before she started Black Girl Ventures. Stick around to hear how this system disruptor moves ideas to profit while empowering people to live more authentically. Shelly Omilâdè Bell ("Omi" Bell) She was named one of the Top 100 Powerful Women in Business by Entrepreneur Mag,Entrepreneur of the Year by Technically DC, and acknowledged as ARising Brand Star by Adweek. She is among the nat ..read more

OMG Milestone Season with Michelle McKenzie S7 Ep.1  Hey WTF? Podcast listeners! If you are new here, welcome. If you have been rocking with me for a while, thank you for being here!  It’s been three years of podcasting and before the end of this season I will hit the 100th episode mark! Stay tuned to see what it will be about and make sure to check out all of the wonderful episodes coming up this season!  Please complete this survey to let me know how I can I can improve the podcast. See you on the other side of the season. Michelle ..read more

5 Fundability Factors for Building Small Business Credit with Jonathan Fodera S6 Ep.11 If you are a small business owner, lean in and keep listening to hear more about how to structure your business to qualify for SBA and commercial bank credit for your business.   My guest is the President of Integrated Business Financing, and the host of the podcast “Create Success Out Of iFailure”. Jonathan Fodera has been in business financing for 14 years and has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get over $500 million in funds. He founded Integrated Business Financing, a small business lending mark ..read more

How to Win Business Grants with the Grant Lady Danita Doleman S6 Ep. 7 My guest is known as the Grant Lady. If you want to learn how to win grants for your business or nonprofit, break out your notebook and pen, tablet, or the notes app on your phone, sit in a quiet place and listen.  Oh, and you can write a review and thank me later!  Danita C. Doleman has over 20 years of business experience and grants consulting. Recognizing the struggle that business owners face when it comes to applying for grants she created Grants4Biz to make that part of life simpler. Let’s face it: running ..read more

6 Characteristics of a Valued Business with Kevin Valley S6 Ep. 6 How do you know if you are building a business that is valued or investible? Keep listening to learn the 6 criteria for building a valuable business from Kevin Valley, host of The Value podcast who is helping entrepreneurs structure and grow successful businesses that can attract investment. Kevin Valley is incredibly passionate about the development of entrepreneurs building valuable businesses. He is a consultant who specializes in helping businesses demonstrate their value and raise capital. Defensibility is everything as K ..read more

5 Ways to Improve Your PR and Business Communication with Phoenix Jackson S6 Ep. 5 Do you need some results-based tips and strategies to help you level up your PR and business communication? Stick around! By the end of this episode, you will learn a few strategies that you can implement right away. My guest is Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix is the Founder of Phoenix Affect, a 17-year-old global public relations, communications, and business development firm. She has worked with many small business owners, non-profits, professional athletes, entertainers, authors, speakers, politicians, NGOs, gover ..read more