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00:00All right, it's 105.1 The Bounce.
00:03I'm Leigh Chibi with The Morning Rollout,
00:05and I'm so excited to have this interviewee in the building.
00:09She goes by Bex, but I've loved her since, what, like 2018, 2017?
00:15And now that I'm living in Detroit, I'm so excited to be around her so much more.
00:19But the reason why you may or may not know her is because
00:22she is the founder of Black Owned with Bex.
00:25She travels around Metro Detroit area
00:27and also plenty of other U.S. locations as well
00:30to showcase and highlight different Black-owned businesses.
00:33So welcome, Rebecca.
00:36I'm so excited to be here today.
00:38Literally, as soon as I knew that this was happening,
00:41I had to bring you here.
00:43So I just wanted to share the fact that, one, love you so much,
00:47and the fact that you have cultivated an amazing platform
00:50within the past three years has been such an amazing journey
00:53to watch you do all this.
00:55I was at the first Broadcom.
00:57So it's like watching your success has been amazing.
01:00So I think that we need to start from the beginning.
01:02What is Black Owned with Bex?
01:04Because I know I described it a little bit, but what is it from your words?
01:07Okay, so Black Owned with Bex is, I would say it's a movement
01:11and it's a community.
01:13So I started Black Owned with Bex, and let me know if I'm overstepping
01:16or if you have any other questions.
01:18But Black Owned with Bex really started out as just a passion project.
01:23I just wanted to see more and more people shop Black Owned businesses.
01:27Well, really myself.
01:29I wanted to shop more Black Owned businesses.
01:31I was seeing how we were being treated in a lot of these stores
01:35and a lot of these places.
01:37It was like we were unwelcome, and I just didn't feel like,
01:40how do you feel when you feel like you have to give your money
01:44to people who you know don't care about you?
01:47And so I was like, I just started researching.
01:50I started looking for Black Owned businesses that I could use
01:55within my own life, and I started to learn that there was so much more
01:58than just, you know, I think a lot of people when they think
02:02Black Owned businesses, sometimes they think just clothing
02:05or they think one specific area or restaurant,
02:08but it's so much more than that.
02:10And I realized that in sharing it on my personal page
02:13that I wanted to start sharing it with people,
02:15and that's essentially how Black Owned with Bex was born.
02:18And so really Black Owned with Bex at the end of the day
02:21is a community, it's a movement,
02:23and it's about allowing people to live that journey
02:27and also live the lifestyle of buying Black and making it
02:30so that it's something you do in your everyday life.
02:33I think a lot of times we lose that.
02:37Let me step back.
02:39When it comes to shopping Black Owned businesses,
02:42I think a lot of people are like, well, how do I make this switch,
02:45or how do I navigate this?
02:48A lot of times people are like, I'll buy all the products,
02:51and then something doesn't work for them and they kind of give up.
02:54And it's about showing people that this is a journey.
02:57You're learning about what you do and don't like in this.
03:01You're almost like relearning, right?
03:03Just like when people decide what laundry detergent they like
03:07versus the other.
03:09It's the same thing with shopping Black Owned businesses.
03:11And so this is really just a way to build a community
03:14of people who want to start living that lifestyle
03:17of shopping primarily Black Owned
03:19and keeping Black Owned businesses alive and thriving.
03:23And I love that.
03:24I love that you specified the fact that this is a lifestyle change
03:27and the fact that you used the analogy of it's like picking
03:30and dissecting or differentiating from different laundry detergent brands.
03:35So instead of going for a Tide,
03:38you would go for a Black Owned business laundry detergent.
03:41So maybe or maybe not you remember,
03:43what was the first businesses that you highlighted
03:46when you were starting this journey?
03:48Wow, okay.
03:49So I actually, this is going to sound so crazy,
03:51but I actually was doing,
03:53like I scrolled to like the bottom of my page the other day
03:56just to see, right?
03:58Because I realized that the anniversary was coming up
04:00and, you know, I got a little nostalgic.
04:02And the ones that I remember.
04:05So there's one, they're now called Buttered.
04:09But before, they were Noya Butters, right?
04:13And they started at A&T.
04:15So that was one of the first ones I talked about.
04:17I also talked about Vicky Cakes.
04:21What do you call it?
04:22Brandon Blackwood.
04:23Yes, the person.
04:25These are the shades from Brandon Blackwood, actually.
04:28Love these.
04:29So love these down.
04:30I also have like a pink pair of these.
04:33But yeah, so that was, yeah, I said Buttered, Vicky Cakes.
04:38There's also a bookstore.
04:41It's called Good Books Atlanta.
04:44Well, Good Books ATL on Instagram.
04:47And they actually curate book lists for people, right?
04:51And so you can tell them what you're looking for,
04:53how much you want to spend.
04:54And they will literally put together a nice curated set of books for you
05:00and they'll ship it to your house.
05:01I love, love, love using their service.
05:03I'm telling you, a lot of people don't know about it.
05:06I didn't, but now I'm locked in.
05:08Yes, like a custom curation.
05:10And so like if you want to explore, you're like,
05:13I don't really know what I want to.
05:14Like I don't have a specific title that I want to read necessarily,
05:17but I know I like a specific genre I want to explore.
05:20It's amazing for that.
05:21It's one of my, you know, favorite ways to just buy books.
05:24And I got to start, like once all these wedding expenses are out the way,
05:28I plan on buying some more books, so yeah.
05:31Yes.
05:32Wait, no, I definitely need to remember what that name is.
05:35What was the name of?
05:36Good Books.
05:37Good Books, because they will be hearing from me for sure as a book reader.
05:40It's called Good Books Atlanta and their Instagram is goodbooksatl.
05:44I love that.
05:45So with the fact that not only do you highlight Black-owned businesses,
05:49you are a Black-owned business in your own right.
05:51Yes.
05:52So how are you able to maintain the growth of your platform with like,
05:58essentially starting, no, not essentially,
06:01starting from ground zero and not having many maybe influencers around you.
06:06You can correct me if I'm wrong, but how did you, you know,
06:08cultivate and like continue to be consistent?
06:12Because I feel like having a platform like that when everyone's expecting,
06:15you know, more from you, it's probably a lot to maintain on your own.
06:19So like how are you doing that?
06:21Okay.
06:22So one thing I've learned through this is that I will never, you know,
06:28a lot of people think like, you know, when they see all the finished products,
06:31they see all of the things, they're like, wow, she really has it together.
06:34She really knows what she's doing.
06:36And I'm here to tell you that running a business and transitioning from a
06:40passion project into a business,
06:42you literally sometimes don't know what you're doing.
06:44Like you're winging it and I don't mean winging it as in like, okay,
06:47I'm going to just see what sticks.
06:49It's more so like, hey, we're just going to hope and pray that this is,
06:52you know, that this calculated move I'm making is going to stick.
06:57Right.
06:58Or like, you know, let's see what works for people and start to carry and,
07:01you know, work in that way.
07:03So like one of the things I always talk about is like I struggled for a really
07:10long time with transitioning into a business because I felt like I was going
07:17to lose my morals.
07:19Oh, okay.
07:20So how so?
07:21Because when you start, so I start, like I said,
07:23I started this as a passion project.
07:25I was doing these things for free, you know,
07:27like it was really just like I was using the money that I had to buy these
07:31products and do these things.
07:32And I still do that primarily.
07:34Like most of the things on my page are, you know,
07:37things that I've purchased myself, you know, or in some sort of manner.
07:41Right.
07:42Right.
07:43But one thing people don't realize is that when you have to start asking the
07:47same businesses that you're promoting, right, for money, it can be hard.
07:51Like I really struggled with that.
07:53Like how do I do that without feeling like I'm taking away from them?
07:57You know what I mean?
07:58Because my whole goal is to promote and support black-owned businesses.
08:01Correct.
08:02Right.
08:03But then I realized that this is a service that they also need.
08:07Right.
08:08And so, and I don't necessarily have to follow the grain of like here's my
08:12prices and this is how things work.
08:14And that's kind of how I've built my, like my business structure from there,
08:18whether it's content curation,
08:20whether it's event planning or event curation for your business.
08:23I'm literally working with the business on a one-on-one,
08:27like almost like on a custom basis.
08:30Right.
08:31Yes, I have a starting price,
08:32but everything that I do is to work with a business.
08:36So like, for example, there are some businesses,
08:38they're just starting out.
08:39Right.
08:40Like I can't necessarily,
08:41I don't feel comfortable charging them the same amount that I may be
08:43charging a more established.
08:45Right.
08:46Exactly.
08:47Or, you know, working out ways.
08:48Okay.
08:49I don't necessarily have all the funds, right, to meet my minimum,
08:52but how can we meet halfway so that you can still get something out of this
08:56because I want to, you know, help you promote your business.
08:59Right.
09:00And so that's really how I've, you know, navigated that sort of feeling.
09:04But I think we kind of veered from your original question was how am I
09:10balancing it?
09:11You know, I'm an engineer by trade.
09:13That's what I do for my full-time job.
09:16And I've just learned how to set boundaries.
09:19It was very hard.
09:21I'm not going to lie.
09:22It's not something that was easy.
09:24I burnt myself out a couple of times trying to learn how to balance it,
09:29but I think I've gotten to a place now where I've learned how to set those
09:33boundaries and set myself up for success without stressing myself out.
09:37Right.
09:38You know what I mean?
09:39Because I know that this is my passion.
09:41I know that this is what I want to do.
09:43So I'm just learning how, once again, like I said,
09:45I'm still learning how to navigate all of that.
09:48But one of the things I also learned is the importance of organization,
09:52the importance of also I have, there's a planner.
09:56It's called the Top 3 Planner.
09:58It has changed my life.
09:59It is also from a black-owned brand called Simplement.
10:03And this planner is literally,
10:06it has literally helped me just change my mindset when it comes to the
10:09things I have to do.
10:10I'm one of those people who, like,
10:11I have a running list of things going on in my head all the time, right?
10:14Right.
10:15And sometimes that can get overwhelming.
10:16So how do you, you know, sort of start to structure that?
10:18Like I said, with having a full-time job, with also, you know,
10:21right now for the last two years I've been also planning my wedding.
10:24Right.
10:25So that's like a whole other aspect of things.
10:27It feels like almost like a whole other job in itself, right, doing that.
10:30I can imagine.
10:31But how do you, like, balance those things, right?
10:33And so literally having this planner has allowed me to set my goals on a,
10:38you know, on a yearly, weekly, quarterly, monthly basis.
10:43And then it also allows you to set your goals for the day.
10:47So you can have three goals for the day, your top three goals,
10:50and you can check those off.
10:51And that shows you what you've accomplished for the day, right?
10:54Right.
10:55Take your top three, finish those, and then worry about the rest.
10:58And that has helped change my mindset completely.
11:01So what I usually do is I set a top three.
11:03So one for my wedding, one for work,
11:06and then one for Black and White Vex.
11:08And that's literally how I structure my day is, like,
11:11if I finish these three things today for all three of those things,
11:15I've accomplished something across the board.
11:17And like I said,
11:18that has literally helped change my mindset when it comes to balancing
11:22Black and White Vex and everything else I have going on in my personal life.
11:25So, yeah.
11:26I feel like you just put me on game.
11:28Yeah.
11:29Because when you just explained all that,
11:31my mind also has, like, several things,
11:33several checklist items that I have to get done.
11:35But focusing on three would make me feel so accomplished at the end of the
11:39day.
11:40Because at least I did those three things.
11:41That's what I'm saying.
11:42If I didn't get anything else done.
11:43Exactly.
11:44And it gives you the space to still write down the rest of your,
11:46you know, the rest of your goals.
11:48Right.
11:49But I love the fact that it really highlights those top three.
11:52Like, hey, like, this is what you need to do.
11:54If you did this today,
11:55everything else can be moved to tomorrow,
11:57and you would have done something.
11:59I love that.
12:00It has really helped change my mindset completely,
12:02completely, completely.
12:04I love that you have a Black-owned business for, like,
12:06pretty much every aspect of your life.
12:08I'm telling you, Edit, look, it took about five years to build this.
12:12You know, one thing I always say,
12:14so we are celebrating our three-year anniversary.
12:17Yes, congratulations.
12:19But one thing that I always, you know,
12:22tell people is that I actually started this page in 2020.
12:25It was a very quiet, like, this was literally just for friends.
12:30To, like, you know, see what I'm sharing about.
12:32Because I was sharing it on my stories, you know,
12:34in the middle of the pandemic.
12:36And they're like, make a page for it.
12:38And I'm like, yeah, I think I will.
12:40And so I started just sharing things there.
12:42And in sharing things there, you know, I was in grad school.
12:45I was working full-time.
12:47And I was like, I just had to, like, kind of put it to the side.
12:51And so, like, in those two years of me putting it to the side,
12:55because I picked it back up and was at 2022.
12:58So I stopped it in early 2021 and then picked it up in 2022.
13:04And in that time frame,
13:07I was learning how to shop black-owned for my lifestyle.
13:12I took that time, even though I wasn't necessarily sharing those things,
13:16I was still buying things.
13:18I was still, you know, finding ways to go to black-owned establishments.
13:22You know, I was still, you know, building that lifestyle for myself.
13:25And, you know, there was a time where I was discouraged because I was like,
13:28dang, I should not have taken that time off.
13:30But I think it has really helped me structure the way that I've built
13:33Black-Owned With Becks to what it is now.
13:35That year and a half, I've really been able to just continue to build on that
13:40and, you know, kind of find my focus, find the ways that it was going to work
13:43and build from there.
13:44And it's really been working.
13:46So, yeah.
13:47I love that you highlighted the fact that, like, a time of doubt
13:50or a time of downtime, it was not really downtime for you.
13:54Like, you used that to cultivate your craft.
13:57And now, clearly it's worked because your craft has, what,
14:01thousands of followers now?
14:03Like, we're at almost 12K followers.
14:06It's so crazy to me.
14:07Sometimes I think back to, like—
14:08And you just elevated 10K, like, not that long ago.
14:10Yeah.
14:11It's crazy.
14:12I blinked, and I was like, well, 10K is gone.
14:15Like, what am I going to do?
14:17But, yeah, one of the things that I also like to talk about when I talk about,
14:20like, just that down period was the fact that I didn't know when I was coming back.
14:24I didn't even know if I was going to come back.
14:26Right.
14:27But somebody reached out to me, and shout out to him, Mr. By Black Detroit.
14:31He's another really great content creator and just social media page
14:37that shares a lot of Black-owned businesses within Detroit,
14:41and reached out to me on my personal page.
14:44Because this was, like I said, I had, like, maybe 170 followers
14:48when I came back to Black-Owned Bags.
14:50And so I literally still had, like, my personal page and my bio and all that.
14:54Right, right.
14:55And he reached out to me on my personal page, and he said,
14:59Hey, you were doing this before, and it's really something that's needed.
15:03You need to come back and continue to do this.
15:05Wow.
15:06And, like, it's so crazy because, like, I sit here and think about, like,
15:10if he had not—and at the time, I was thinking about coming back,
15:13but I didn't know if I was going to.
15:15Right.
15:16You needed that push.
15:17Yeah.
15:18When somebody random reaches out to you—
15:20like, you're thinking, Oh, nobody's noticed that the page is gone.
15:23None of that, right?
15:24You're not thinking about any of that.
15:26For somebody who you don't even know to reach out to you,
15:30to find a way to get to you and say, Hey, this is needed,
15:33it really spoke to me.
15:34And so that's one of those moments there.
15:36I always shout him out whenever I'm, like, talking to people
15:39about how I started because if it was not for him, you know,
15:43like, giving me that last push, I don't think I would have come back.
15:46I don't know when I would have come back, I should say.
15:48So, yeah.
15:49Yeah.
15:50Well, shout out to him.
15:51Go ahead and shout him out one more time.
15:53Bye, Black Detroit.
15:54Mr. Bye, Black Detroit.
15:55Mm-hmm.
15:56Yeah, 10 out of 10 to him.
15:57Yeah, absolutely.
15:58Because we needed Black On With Banks, okay?
16:00Especially now that I'm here.
16:01Yes.
16:02I literally have been using your page as a godsend
16:05because I didn't realize how many things that I needed to, like, find again.
16:10And not just the average thing, like doctors and stuff like that.
16:13I need to figure out who my loctitians are.
16:15I need to figure out where the grocery stores are.
16:18Like, the fun stuff are at.
16:20I got you.
16:21So, can you just share maybe, like, three to five places
16:24or platforms that people who are new to the Metro Detroit area
16:27should look at and, you know?
16:29Yes.
16:30Okay.
16:31So, I'm going to name – I'll name a couple of really great influencers
16:36to follow, Black influencers to follow.
16:39And then I will also name some places that I go.
16:43Yes.
16:44I'll try to be diverse in what I share simply because –
16:50yeah, I'll try to be diverse in what I share.
16:52I probably will – I'll share some food,
16:54and I'll share some just, like, local businesses.
16:57Okay.
16:58So, I should have thought about this because this is hard
17:01because I have so many running through my head right now.
17:03But the first one that comes to mind –
17:05and I'll shout them out first because they are right here on my neck
17:10from Harper Ray.
17:11This necklace is from Harper Ray.
17:12They are a Black-owned, women-owned jewelry store,
17:15and they're now in Ferndale?
17:19Yes, I believe they're now in Ferndale.
17:21We love a good Ferndale moment.
17:22No, Royal Oak.
17:23They're in Royal Oak.
17:24That's still right down the street.
17:25Mm-hmm.
17:26It's right down the street.
17:27And they recently moved a couple of months ago.
17:30Their new store is beautiful, beautiful.
17:32Like, it's definitely a place to check out.
17:34But it's one of those things where I don't think people talk enough
17:37sometimes about being able to find a place to get some nice jewelry from.
17:43Right.
17:44And so, Harper Ray is a place that –
17:46it's probably one of the first other Black-owned businesses
17:48that I started going to.
17:50I've taken my sister there.
17:51We love going there and just getting pieces.
17:54A lot of the jewelry that I have now,
17:57especially when it comes to shopping in stores, is from Harper Ray.
18:00Harper Ray.
18:01So, definitely one of those places that you should check out.
18:03They have something for everybody.
18:06I'm a gold girlie, and I feel like sometimes a lot of businesses
18:09don't necessarily focus on gold pieces.
18:12Right.
18:13And I love that they have a range.
18:14So, they have gold, they have silver,
18:16and they like to make sure that they have both pieces so that people can enjoy.
18:22They even, a lot of times, have rose gold.
18:25Like I said, they also have some real gold jewelry as well, custom.
18:29So, definitely a place to check out.
18:32Definitely one of my top five.
18:34I'll shout out a food place next, and that is Ima.
18:39Some people call it Ima, some people call it Ima.
18:42I-M-A.
18:43They are a Black-owned ramen place.
18:48There's a Black-owned ramen spot?
18:50Yes, and they have three locations.
18:53Wow.
18:54So, they have one in Madison Heights, Troy,
18:57like right on 14 Mile and John R.
19:00I literally live right down the block from there.
19:02I used to go there all the time.
19:04And then there's also two in Detroit.
19:08I believe there's one in Midtown, and I don't remember where the other one is.
19:12But there's a total of three of them.
19:14Love going there.
19:16They have some amazing appetizers.
19:18They don't just have ramen.
19:20They have other noodles as well and other dishes, but so, so good.
19:26Love bringing people there.
19:27I love ramen.
19:28You just made me so excited.
19:31So, let's think of another place.
19:35Oh, this is so hard.
19:37Oh, I'm going to shout out the Lobster Food Truck.
19:40So, if you're into seafood.
19:41There's a Lobster Food Truck?
19:43There's so many just random food trucks.
19:45Yes, the Lobster Food Truck and the Pit Stop.
19:47I could go on and on about food trucks because there's a couple I'm going to shout out to.
19:50And I could go on all day, so I might do more than three to five,
19:53but you can cut however you want.
19:55But the Lobster Food Truck and Lobster Pit Stop,
20:00I believe is their other Lobster Food Truck Pit Stop.
20:02So, they have a location in Dearborn, like a physical location that stays.
20:07It's not a truck.
20:08It's like a storefront.
20:09Right, brick and mortar.
20:10Yeah, yeah.
20:11A brick and mortar.
20:13And they have that and then they have their food truck that also is around a lot of places.
20:17They do all sorts of events.
20:19You can hire them.
20:20But then, like I said, you can find them just about anywhere.
20:23They also share a really great schedule.
20:25Love the Lobster Food Truck.
20:27It was one of the businesses that we were going to in the pandemic.
20:30We always laugh.
20:31Chef Nick, shout out to him.
20:33So, when we were in the pandemic, he was in Dearborn, right?
20:38And so, used to live in Dearborn with my now fiance.
20:42And it was COVID, so you had to drive up.
20:46Like, you could not walk up to the window.
20:48You had to drive up to the window.
20:50And, like, we just started talking.
20:53And his now fiance, I believe, or his partner, went to A&T.
20:59And so, you know.
21:00What?
21:01Yes, yes.
21:02Turns out he used to, like, live down there in Greensboro and everything.
21:05And his, like, yeah, his now partner went to A&T.
21:09And, like, we always just laugh because, like, Aggie Pride is literally worldwide.
21:13Everywhere.
21:14Because after that, like, us and Chef Nick, we've been like that.
21:18So, shout out to the Lobster Food Truck.
21:21It's my fiance's favorite, probably.
21:23Not even probably.
21:24It's his favorite black-owned business.
21:26I'm, like, almost 100%.
21:28Outside of mine.
21:29But, you know.
21:30Obviously.
21:31But, yeah, no.
21:32Literally, Lobster Food Truck.
21:34Love it down.
21:35And then, to name a few other food trucks that I like, the Egg Roll Diva.
21:39Some amazing egg rolls.
21:41There's also Junk Food and Friends.
21:44They have, like, literally, like, when you're ready to pig out, you go to Junk Food and Friends.
21:49So good.
21:50Noted.
21:51And there's also, who else should I name?
21:57You got a Rolodex.
21:58I'll leave it at those for right now.
22:00I'll leave it at those food trucks for right now.
22:02And I'll keep pushing.
22:03But in terms of other places to eat, I also want to shout out The Kitchen by Cooking With Q.
22:10Specifically because, one, love going there.
22:14I've been going there since before the pandemic.
22:16I actually celebrated my 21st birthday there.
22:18Wow.
22:19But they do this thing called the Wine Down Fridays, right?
22:23And so, essentially, you go there.
22:25Well, I don't think you can bring your own drink anymore.
22:28But because they started serving drinks there.
22:31I'm really happy for her with that, too.
22:33But they do the Wine Down Fridays.
22:35And you go there.
22:36You have a great time.
22:37They have a live DJ.
22:38But just the vibe there is immaculate all the time.
22:42I love going there.
22:43I love just popping in there.
22:44Q is such a genuine spirit.
22:47And the food is amazing.
22:48And it's also vegan.
22:50They're primarily vegan.
22:52They do serve chicken, if you ask for it, and stuff like that.
22:57But they're a vegan shop.
23:00So, yeah.
23:01Very, very amazing.
23:02I love some vegan food.
23:04And if you're saying it's good, I'm definitely going to have to stop by The Kitchen.
23:07The Kitchen.
23:08Mm-hmm.
23:09And maybe one more.
23:10We got time for one more.
23:11Okay.
23:12One more business that I'm going to shout out.
23:16Hmm.
23:18Give me a category.
23:19And maybe that will help me.
23:20Because right now.
23:21Something that you can do with your girls.
23:23Like a girl's date.
23:25So, there is Bath Savvy.
23:28Mm-hmm.
23:29And then I'll shout out one other business right after this.
23:32Yeah.
23:33But there's Bath Savvy.
23:34Bath Savvy is a black-owned, essentially, beauty store, I would say.
23:40Or, like, body product store.
23:42But they actually allow you to come in and make your own products.
23:45So, you can make your own scented body oil, your own scented scrub.
23:51And I think there is one other that you can make.
23:54But those two, for sure.
23:56Or, and your own, like, shea butter.
23:58And when I tell you.
24:00We need shea butter.
24:01Let me tell you.
24:02Let me tell you.
24:03I did a little thing there last year.
24:05We had such an amazing, amazing time.
24:09I definitely suggest that if you're trying to do a little girl's thing,
24:12that's definitely a business that you want to check out.
24:15And then two honorary mentions would be Hallie & Co.
24:18They are a black-owned ring-making place.
24:21Love Hallie & Co.
24:22They will be seeing me soon.
24:23Because I walked in and perused.
24:25And realized, no, I need to spend my money.
24:27Mm-hmm.
24:28And then I'll also shout out two black-owned candle-making places.
24:34And that's Brooks Candles.
24:36They're a little further out west, I believe.
24:39Mm-hmm.
24:40And then there's also, I'm blanking on the name.
24:45But there's also one in the Oakland Mall in Troy.
24:48Mm-hmm.
24:49Okay.
24:50We love the black gems.
24:51Come on now.
24:52But they need to follow you for the rest of them.
24:54Oh, yeah.
24:55Clearly.
24:56Yeah, clearly.
24:57I have so many that you can do.
24:58Oh, and then Lily's & Elise, which is a tea shop.
25:00But I'm done.
25:01I'm done.
25:02Come on, tea shop.
25:03I'm done.
25:04You're so passionate that there's more popping into your brain.
25:07Really?
25:08I'm like, dang, I should have written all these down.
25:10And then I could have shared.
25:11But no.
25:12But it's okay.
25:13That's what your platform's for.
25:14And we want them to obviously go there.
25:16And speaking of the platform, obviously, three years that you've been able to create this.
25:21What is the next three years going to look like for Black Owned with Becks?
25:26What can we expect?
25:27What can you tease?
25:29Because I know there's got to be things you're working on.
25:31Oh, my goodness.
25:33I know people say I'm wild.
25:36My fiance says I'm crazy all the time.
25:40Obviously in a good way.
25:41Right.
25:42But I don't know how I do it.
25:45I just thank God that I can do it.
25:47That's all I'm going to say before I say these things.
25:49All I know is that in the next three years, Black Owned with Becks is going to really
25:54just transform.
25:55And when I say that, I mean that we're going to be stepping into spaces and really trying
26:00to bring not only Black-owned businesses together.
26:02We're trying to uplift Black-owned business owners.
26:05We're trying to uplift the community.
26:07And we're just trying to find ways to do that.
26:09And so as we move forward, you will see a lot more events from us, bigger events.
26:15You will see us partnering with organizations to bring things to the community.
26:20We're going to continue our meetups.
26:24While I love our meetups how they are now, they're usually less than 15 people.
26:30We like to try to keep it at that.
26:32I want to keep that structure, but then also build in larger meetups as well.
26:36And so Black Owned with Becks is really stepping into their event bag, I would say.
26:41And we're really trying to work and be able to showcase businesses in a different way.
26:45I love the content creation.
26:48I'm never going to step away from that in that sense.
26:51I know that Black Owned with Becks is bigger than just me talking to a camera.
26:56It's bigger than me just going to that business.
26:59I want others to go to those businesses.
27:02That's my whole thing.
27:05This is not just about me.
27:07This is about uplifting those businesses.
27:10As much as I love to say that sometimes I feel like I'm putting my money everywhere that I can,
27:16I know that it will never be enough.
27:18You know what I mean?
27:19And so if we don't get people to actually go out and do those things as well along with you,
27:23then what am I doing?
27:25How am I really influencing people to actually go do?
27:28You teach people.
27:31People see what you do, and they learn from that.
27:34And it's about holding out your hand to bring people along with you.
27:38And so that's really what I want Black Owned with Becks to continue to be.
27:42And we have a lot of ideas and things that we'll be working on
27:47that might hit our 5- and 10-year plan,
27:49but right now we're really just focusing on how do we start to bring the community out?
27:54How do we start to sustain these businesses?
27:56Because you don't want to just, you know, a lot of times you see a lot of businesses get hype.
28:02They have a viral video.
28:04People start going there, and then people stop showing up.
28:07How do we stop that from happening?
28:10So that's really where we're going in the next three years.
28:15In terms of this year, I'll talk about a few events.
28:18Yes.
28:20So Black Owned with Becks, like I said, we've been in our event bag.
28:25We've been loving doing our own events, but we've been partnering with people this year.
28:29Black Owned with Becks is doing two events in July,
28:32which is crazy because I'm literally getting married in June.
28:35That's what I'm like.
28:36You are really going to be, like, jet-setting.
28:39I'm telling you, it's going to be wild.
28:41But we're going to be going to Essence Fest, y'all.
28:46We are doing an activation at Essence Fest.
28:51It's such a surreal experience,
28:54and, like, it really has taught me that when God closes a door, he is okay.
29:00The plans that God has for you, you will never fathom.
29:05Never.
29:06At all.
29:07Because, like, I'm going to share this story really quickly.
29:12I don't know if you can share it yet, but I'm going to share it now,
29:15and you can edit it out if you need to.
29:18Yeah, if we can't share it.
29:20But do you want to know how I landed at Essence Fest?
29:23Yes, absolutely.
29:24We landed at Essence Fest, right?
29:26So I'm partnering with Buttered Body Care and Clean Beauty for Black Girls,
29:32and essentially I was doing an event in D.C.
29:36Fun fact, I did my first event in D.C. last year.
29:39It was a founders event.
29:41It allowed black-owned founders to just come together and sit
29:44and just decompress, right, not about networking,
29:46just about getting to know each other on a more personal level, right?
29:51And I knew I wanted to do it in D.C.
29:53because there were so many black founders that I've just grown to love down there,
29:57and I just knew that I wanted to bring us all together.
29:59It was a small group,
30:01but I realized that I wanted to continue to do more things down there.
30:04And so we were setting up to do an event.
30:07I reached out to Buttered, who I did the event with originally the first time,
30:10and I said, hey, I love what we're doing.
30:12People are asking about it.
30:13Let's do this again, right?
30:14Let's do something else.
30:15It doesn't have to be a restaurant.
30:16Let's do something else.
30:18We planned it all out, and we reached out to New Voices Family,
30:22which is Essence's venture capital area initiative, essentially,
30:30and they help a lot of small business and small black-owned business founders
30:33really just get their footing.
30:35It's a really great organization,
30:37and they've done so much for so many black-owned businesses
30:40that we see out there today that have just grown and really just bloomed, right?
30:45And Buttered is a part of that,
30:47so they're a part of the New Voices Foundation.
30:49And we reached out to them to ask for help, to help us put on this event.
30:56And they were like, we love the idea.
30:59We'll see what our team has to say, and we'll get back to you.
31:05Right.
31:06Then our good old president came into the picture.
31:11Lovely.
31:12And then Target did the business that they did,
31:16and a lot of things had to change.
31:19And so they could not help us anymore.
31:22They could not financially support us anymore to do it.
31:25But they were like, you know what?
31:27We love your idea so much that we want to bring this to EssenceFest.
31:33And that is how we landed at EssenceFest,
31:36because they were like, we can't financially support you with this, this one.
31:40We can't do it anymore because of all the other things happening.
31:43Right.
31:44But we can get you here.
31:45We can help you get here.
31:47A much bigger platform than you could have ever imagined.
31:50Could have ever imagined.
31:51Do you know, I've never been to EssenceFest.
31:53My hope was one day, maybe in the next few years,
31:56I'll be able to go for myself and see what it was like.
31:58Right.
31:59But to know that I now get to go and do what I love,
32:02like with Black Women, it's just a completely different experience.
32:07And, you know, I'm just realizing that God has really, you know,
32:12this is what I've been put on this earth to do,
32:16is what I truly feel like.
32:18You know, I truly feel like God put this on my heart to do,
32:21because the fact that he's just opening these types of doors
32:24is just outstanding.
32:27I'm so excited for you.
32:29That's going to be so incredible.
32:30Essence, it's such a great time.
32:32I mean, the lineup alone this year is incredible.
32:34But I'm just excited to see and, like, hear what happens at your activation.
32:39I'm so excited.
32:40So excited.
32:41So, yes, I will definitely be sharing more about that, you know,
32:44in the next coming weeks and months.
32:47So, yeah, I'm very, very excited.
32:49And then we're also doing, and this is for people here in Detroit,
32:52people here in Southeast Michigan, wherever you are.
32:55If you are close enough to Detroit, okay, we need you to pull up in July,
33:00July 12th, Autism in the Deed.
33:03They are a Black-owned nonprofit organization that is working to build
33:07Detroit's first autism gym, autism-friendly gym.
33:11Incredible.
33:12And I'm so, so excited to just continue to see the things that they're doing
33:16just in Detroit alone.
33:17And I just knew that I always wanted to work with Tierra.
33:20She's an amazing, amazing individual.
33:22And so we're doing a carnival.
33:26We're doing a carnival fundraiser.
33:28It's a family-friendly event.
33:30It's going to be at the Durfee Innovation Center.
33:32We're going to have carnival games.
33:35We're going to have food trucks.
33:37We're going to just have fellowship.
33:38It's going to be an amazing time.
33:40And you can actually go on autisminthedeed.com
33:43and you can actually find more information there.
33:46It's going to be an amazing, amazing time.
33:48We're still also, you know, for those out there, we're looking for food trucks.
33:52We're looking for vendors still.
33:55If you have carnival games, we're looking for all of that.
33:58So if you have something and you're interested,
34:01please look on Autism in the Deed and check out what we're looking for.
34:05And we'd love to have a conversation with you.
34:08But July 12th, I'm so excited about that because this is an event that I
34:12actually get to do for the community.
34:14And I've really been wanting to do something like that.
34:16And to be able to do it with an organization that is trying to, you know,
34:22who's a change maker, right?
34:24Like we're looking at an organization that is focusing on making change
34:27and making big changes.
34:28And so I'm really happy to be aligned with such a brand and such an organization.
34:33So, yeah, definitely those are the two things to be looking forward to this July.
34:38I won't go into all the rest of the details because things are still being worked out.
34:42Exactly, exactly.
34:43But, yeah, I'm very, very excited for those things.
34:46So catch me in July out and about.
34:48Out and about.
34:50But bottom line, three-year plan, you're going to see,
34:53y'all are going to see Black on my Back just continue to grow.
34:56And I'm very, very excited to see how that goes.
34:59I love that.
35:00One, I love that you are partnering with an autism organization.
35:04Like that is something that is near and dear to my heart.
35:07I have family members who are on the spectrum.
35:09So anytime that I hear people supporting them and bringing new things
35:13and innovation to an area because an autistic gym is something
35:19that I have never heard of from any part of the country.
35:22Right, especially for kids.
35:23Exactly.
35:24Like kids who need sensory play.
35:26Exactly.
35:27It's just the things that she's already doing, like even still,
35:31like just her autism walks.
35:34I just always am shouting her out for just the things that she's doing
35:37for the community and how she continues to bring awareness
35:39and bring people together with her nonprofit.
35:42I'm just amazed, amazed, amazed, amazed.
35:45So, yeah.
35:46And same, like, you know, I have a lot of family who is on the spectrum.
35:50And so I always like, you know, I love aligning myself with organizations
35:55that are not only Black-owned but also, you know,
35:57do speak to a cause that is personal to me too, right?
36:00Because this is also my journey, right?
36:02And sometimes people think I have all the answers and it's like,
36:05I wish I did.
36:06But this is also still my journey.
36:08Yes, I may seem further ahead than you, right?
36:11But it's not really about that, right?
36:14Because the goal is to make it work for you.
36:16And so I'm learning how to also make it work for me
36:18and help others in that too.
36:20Exactly.
36:21I just love how pure your spirit is.
36:23Like you can see it in the way that you have talked about these businesses,
36:26the way that you have shared your own platform with these businesses,
36:29and the fact that not only have you shared your platform
36:31but now you're channeling a whole new sector of your business
36:34and tailoring curation of whatever they need.
36:37Yes.
36:38Like I love what you are doing.
36:40I am so excited to see what the next 3, 10, 20, 50 years look like
36:45for your business because, come on, we're thinking longevity.
36:48We're thinking bigger than Metro Detroit.
36:51We're thinking worldwide.
36:53Okay.
36:54We're thinking good things.
36:55Absolutely.
36:56But for everyone who absolutely needs to be in touch
36:59with what you are doing, support you in whatever ways,
37:01shout out your social media in any way that they can get in contact with you.
37:04Yes.
37:05Okay.
37:06So you can find Black on WebEx on Instagram.
37:08We're primarily on Instagram and in person.
37:11I like to say that now.
37:12Like, okay, we're not just on Instagram, okay?
37:15We like to go out and do things.
37:16Exactly.
37:17So if you like to go out and do things, join us, okay?
37:19And like stay tuned because we will be in a city near you.
37:21Okay.
37:22We go places, okay?
37:23Like I said, we'll be in D.C., we'll be in New York.
37:25We'll be doing events.
37:26Okay.
37:27So stay tuned.
37:28Regardless of said fact, you can find us at Instagram,
37:32primarily at blackownedw.becks, B-E-C-K-S.
37:38You can also, you know, you'll be able to find all of our social medias there.
37:41We're on Facebook.
37:42We are on TikTok.
37:44Kind of, you know, you can reach out to me there.
37:46I will respond.
37:47I just don't post on TikTok as much.
37:49TikTok is a different breed.
37:50It's a different breed.
37:52And with what I'm doing, it's very, it can be hard to be on TikTok
37:57because I find it hard to build a community there.
37:59Yep.
38:00You know, and it feels very impersonal.
38:02And so I had to take a step back from TikTok to really figure out what I
38:05wanted to look like.
38:06Makes sense.
38:07Over there.
38:08But, yeah, so you can still find me on there, reach out, and, you know,
38:11I'll respond.
38:12I will respond.
38:14And then you can always email us.
38:16And then we also have a group chat, text chat, that you can text our number,
38:23and we will keep you up to date on our events.
38:26We'll keep you up to date on, you know, just things that are happening.
38:29So you can also sign up for that as well.
38:31And you can email us too.
38:33So feel free to reach out to us any way, any of those ways.
38:37Like I said, we are, you know, we're on most social, what,
38:42that's Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
38:45We're not on, what is it, X?
38:49We don't talk about her.
38:51Perfect.
38:52We don't talk about her.
38:53Because we're not on there.
38:54And we're also on Threads too.
38:55We love Threads.
38:56If you're on Threads, I'm on Threads.
38:58So, yeah, so you can find us there and in person.
39:01So stay tuned for, like I said, more events.
39:04But we're going to have a great time.
39:06I'm really excited just to be here.
39:09So thank you.
39:10Before I pass it back to you, I just want to say thank you for just having me
39:14here today because I'm usually the interviewer, right?
39:20And so it was really nice to just be able to come and talk about what Black
39:24and what VEX is for me.
39:25So thank you.
39:26No problem, girl.
39:27You're always welcome here.