Shownotes
We're exploring Mateo Askaripour's novel "Black Buck"! a captivating story that brings readers into the world of a Black 'twenty-something' who went from taking orders at Starbucks to being a global leader in sales. But this is more than just a sales book review. It's a story of love, loss, triumph, betrayal, and Working While Black.
Our guest, Nya Peoples joins us for this review of Askaripour's novel and her own sales experience and how this book transformed her view of sales from grimy to grand. This episode speaks to overcoming toxic work environments and finding your true potential.
If you're an avid reader or want to support a non-profit dedicated to literary advocacy and empowerment, text "donate" to our official SMS chat for instructions on supporting AAMBC Inc, which I am now a board member of.
Plus, learn about our sponsors, MagicMind, the energy shot that keeps us sharp and focused - they're sponsoring today's episode, and we're thrilled about it! www.magicmind.com/boss
Join The Growth Club from Boss Locks Media for Patreon exclusives, first access to new content and ad-free episodes. Plus, unlock access to exclusive events and content for our podcast community
Learn more at: patreon.com/thegrowthclub
CHAPTERS:
(04:02) - First Sales Experience Insights
(13:06) - Community in Sales Workplaces
(18:18) - Discussing Magic Mind Product
(21:04) - The Founding 50
(24:10) - Nya Analyzes 'Black Buck' Novel
(29:53) - Life-Changing Sales Moments
(31:48) - Tactics for Overcoming Sales Objections
(33:45) - The Emotional Side of Sales
(36:59) - Embracing Rejection in Sales
(39:01) - Addressing Spoilers in 'Black Buck'
(41:33) - Exploring Nepotism in Sales Careers
(43:54) - Balancing Responsibility and Accountability
(49:05) - Origin of 'Buck's' Name in 'Black Buck'
(53:24) - Career Growth Cheat Codes Discussion
(55:24) - Networking with Guest Nya
Transcripts
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Whatever we want. We're back. We're back. Another episode of Bass
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Locks. This one's actually kind of special in a way that not like. Especially. It is my favorite. Have a special in the sense that this is part of the whole reactivation campaign
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of the podcast. But this is also a teaser for a new show about a lounge called Working While Black.
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It's a special series to me is really a evolution of this podcast. I shouldn't say evolution, like this thing's a dinosaur. It's not a spinoff either. Like, don't care about ether, but it's really just like a special show that
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kind of focuses in on the professionalism aspect of things. Career growth, exploring entrepreneurship, whether you're trying
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to build an empire, just a little side hustle to get some additional income.
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A lot of great stories, a lot of Chico's, how to use tools like LinkedIn
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or social media to build your brand up and all that stuff, but really focus on the pursuit of wealth through
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employment in entrepreneurship as well. So I'm excited to launch is is going to be a lot of activity around this. This podcast here is definitely staying here.
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It's here forever. This is kind of like
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almost look, it is like art or really just those conversations that are important about community growth
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and still providing resources as well. And one of those resources actually this book called Black Book, I was speaking with guests
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today about it, and she was just talking about her experience in the sales lines.
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And you got to read this book and
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Jesse went and read it like within a week. I was like, what the what the how? She said, I finish. I say, How What does that mean? What's wrong? And I say that because it's not good, because I take a long time to read. So we're going to get into all that today.
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I'm going to talk to you about this other resources tool I've been using called Magic Mind. They're sponsoring today's episode. Is this energy shot.
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I'm excited about it. And yeah, let's get into Whitney. How you doing? How you feeling? Welcome to the show.
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Good morning. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I am so excited to talk about this book.
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It was so funny when you told me about the book. Just because I was, like, expressing some of the things I was going through. Your life is the perfect book. I think you're right. That's why I like being listened to. It was really good.
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Yeah, man. Yeah. This this book is Black Book, and we'll get more into it a little bit by a few questions for now first.
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But basically about this
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business 20 year old. Well, actually, no unambitious 20 year old unambitious has a had ambition. It was last working at Starbucks
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not to talk shit about Starbucks worker but was working at Starbucks, been there longer than a lot of his peers felt he should have, probably because of that. Unambitious is a black man and
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one day he was serving us with coffee and stuff to change.
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He had a special customer that this interaction happened
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and it just kind of changed everything. He just ended up from barista to leading this whole sales company, getting
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in trouble with the law a little bit. It's a lot of a lot of racial tension and it's a
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really amazing book. It's a lot to this story. I was reading this now and I was like, like I try not to look at anything about the book or about the author.
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I did not know whether or not this was an autobiography or a story. Yeah, no, I agree. I agree.
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Yeah. Amazing book. I feel like this should be required reading for real because this changed my perspective on sales as
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well. Because most of my life I've been like anti sales are not going to do it. I'm not going to do it.
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I don't like it. I don't like it. So crime is disgusting.
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All this stuff. Yeah, is wild. But this change my perspective on what it actually is and helped me to realize that I
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just been a toxic work environment. So just sort of things off and I'm kind of curious because you're working in sales now, but you've
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had experience in this world, you've been selling so and so.
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Can you tell us about your first experience in the role of sales?
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I mean, if you want to get really corny with it, I would say my first experience with sales was Girl Scout.
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Okay, that's
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real. That's real. You know, and interesting enough, when I when I started in the Girl Scouts, some of the things they tell you was not to go door to door and stuff like that.
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Right? I didn't follow them, right. Because I wasn't I wasn't making the legitimate lives that I was supposed to go. Don't want to go door to door. And I'm assuming if you went door to door with your parents, neither of those things happened. Okay, neither. So That's right. I'm would say my first thing is, you know, being a Girl Scout, going door to door selling cookies, you know what I mean?
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Like your body. You know that. That I'm an ambassador
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for Girl Scout specialties. I'm for trying to make sure the girl's asking didn't get abducted.
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I want to go. My brother, my younger brother,
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younger brother,
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for one. I'm going to go
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well, go together. But we used to go go on the road and was going door to door.
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Hey, I have cookies. Would you like to buy them? Do you like them? I'm smiling. I'm cute, right by my cookie and my every kid, I would say feel good. I didn't realize that that was true, right? I was just thinking about my next pet. You know, I was thinking about what I could do with the money at 7-Eleven, with my brother getting all this snack bag.
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And my gum was kind of our way back when gum was like only $0.25. And you can buy a dollar and bless you. Yeah, Yeah.
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We're not that much older. Give us $0.25 back there.
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that's
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real quick. Go to happen fast. But yes, I do. Thinking about that even feels kind of continued after I got out the Girl Scouts.
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My brother and I would do like throwing contests and then go door to door to sell them and stop in front of my house. So like being so filled with always around, but didn't realize that was what I was doing. And then, of course, as an adult, I would say I became really selling when I started my business.
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Okay. Okay. So man, that's, that's why I didn't know,
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you
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know, breaking the Girl Scout rules, like, I'm not doing it,
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but I was at Arby's, so I'm so excited about the larger drink.
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And what do you think is like one of your most memorable experiences in sales? Well, it's like Girl Scout cookies or, you know, Atlanta,
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the Me and Arby's.
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What's their slogan? We got the meats and you know, from your business and what you're doing now, is there anything
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memorable moment where you like, I could I could do this. I'm feeling this or more so like, man, they set the scene for me, like,
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memorable moments.
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Okay. This thing for me moment was when, you know, when I.
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I used to sell cable in Walmart
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when
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I was in grad school, and I remember going up for different people to a Walmart, you know, of course, everybody's going in. Some people go in to get out, you know, they're coming in for dummies or they just trying to not get sold through. And Walmart, you know, and I'll never forget this guy was we were about a frozen aisle and it would be aisle of frozen goods.
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And our table was set up and I was kind of being framed. So they're like, hey, you know, got each person invited. I walked right here, speak to them and let them know we're selling cake. All right. So I went up and that Excuse me, sir, And like, you kind of turn depends on what you just. You hear me here?
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You've been serving the crowd. I was like,
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enjoy it. Answer.
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Enjoy your day at Wal-Mart. no.
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So
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that was you know, I was like, this, this thing for me. And and I quickly thought to myself, What? I'm going to find another job sale generally is a commission type job where they'll give you your base and then commission my basement very low.
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And I remember telling myself like, nobody wants to buy cable at Walmart, like, I don't want to buy cable or Internet or upsize my my support package. And Walmart is this and, you know, we were outside sales so we would go to different Walmart to set up our set of shopping. And so and you know people I, I really don't understand how my coworkers were doing it like for so long how are you paying your bills.
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And I think there is a little bit of like we knew, you know, that that was added to you know, what I what I did, I know at Walmart, you know, they would tell us stuff like you you have to even if they don't need it, push it like those type of conversations. And it never sat well with me.
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But that would be like the freshest memory in my mind going to different Walmart and trying to sell internet and cable that they still out there to. They still out there. Yeah, they got the the cable the Verizon AT&T. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Unfortunately
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that's funny. I almost I almost did that actually as well when I first got out of college.
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These companies are really
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good at like at the really good at sales I guess in a way or selling people to try this out really. because it was
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like position, I was like a marketing specialist role type of thing, helping brands get in touch with their ideal audience. All this stuff representing
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and these global brands. It sounds amazing for a college student.
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That's why you're doing this in grad school.
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You know, marketing activations for these large brands.
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I remember getting an email about it once. no, no, I did get an email about it once while I was in college, but someone else did and they actually signed on. So we're all like, my gosh, you got a
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job before she graduated.
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She's good when she gets out. But yeah, now it's just like that. That's funny. my experience was moving to Atlanta,
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moved down to Atlanta without a job because I had been interviewing while I was in Charlotte trying to find jobs in Atlanta. I was getting interviews and stuff. I was like, Man, this travel girl has moved it from there because I could tell when people were like, Where are you?
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I was like, yeah,
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moving to Atlanta. Even though I said, I'm moving, it just didn't hit the same. Someone's already here. So move down
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there. Okay, How do we find jobs? I'm really this will always be memorable to me for a lot of reasons, but I had passed up like a final
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interview spot with Caitlin Lee because I was at the same time as this exam
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thing I was doing for this sales position that I didn't wasn't presented as a sales position, as presented as like a benefits coordinator, like a specialist in insurance, helping people who want these services, who signed up for them to
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get them.
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That house presented to me and basically ended up knocking on doors at 8 p.m., calling
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people nonstop. I'll never forget I was calling so on. And like this this guy's wife was answer the phone and stuff and it's like, he's not here. All this stuff. And she's online. Like, I was like, okay, I guess
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they do want it.
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And then finally one day I called in was the guy is like, my God, y'all, they calling nonstop? Get off
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me. Yeah, all this stuff. So it's like a super weird like they had us, like at night pulling up to people's houses, Like they're trying to get a shot of, like, we're in the south, and he has a super, super grimy, super grimy.
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Don't.
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Yeah. Think
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that was my
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the same for me moment. The same for me. So for you. So one thing about this book of
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coming back to this, there's a lot of elements in it. I don't believe in spoilers, but there are going to be a few spoilers in this episode. But another element from this book
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like just changed my perspective on sales, was also just the idea of community and what it means to really create that at your workplace.
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So I know now you've been in several different work
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environments and community can look different from being the only black person and the only women. The only one of something is kind of crazy.
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So but it doesn't always have to be based on your identity either. So just kind of curious in your perspective, what does community at a workplace look like to you?
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But, I don't know. I think it depends, like you mentioned, the different environments with your name. I know when it came to working in cable and internet at Walmart, it looked like people that I was just in the trenches with me, other students just trying to get out there at Mom's house or trying to figure out how to pay for school.
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So we are not related in that in that sense. Right. And so everybody kind of looked out for each other and there was a level of like, all right, even though this might be a better speller than me,
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I'm going to let her go up to that because I know that she has a bill coming up and I'm going to let her get that bill paid.
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Collaborative, collaborative. And and I would find I would say that that is mapping the case in every field environment that I've been in. It's been very cutthroat. I've heard people say stuff like, you know, shark kind of like a shark tank. And easy to kill. And so I've been in sometimes the environment, so communities have looked like that is also I come in spaces where there weren't that many black people, women of color, and it looked like, hey, we kind of like the head out across the room, all of bipoc black and people of color kind of linking up and sharing the knowledge that they've learned along the way in order to, you know, essentially
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the things they need
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their head, not from across the room is real. So there's almost like like, y'all know, we're there, but it's almost like at the same time, not really seen together in a way,
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Well, I think communities, they is input. You've heard of employee resource groups
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like NRG,
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so it's something that a lot of corporate not a lot I would say, but I've seen it in in the corporate spaces.
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And there was this one smaller business we tried to implement it
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in and then layoffs happen and everyone who was in that group was most of them were laid off except for me and two other people.
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Crazy, right? So that's the crazy thing about, you know, inclusion and diversity and stuff like that. When it comes to layoffs, it's like, maybe percentage
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wise it was fair.
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But when you actually look at who was left is like, we just really wiped a whole group of, you know, black, brown,
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just just people just just by themselves is out here like, man, there goes our support group. But yet
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remember, I think about it, every one of the agencies out there, ad agency we had like a coupon ad means very similar group support group.
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Yeah Yeah. Usually for those listing employee resource groups, if you're a corporation, if you know you're interviewing for a job or something like that,
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that's something to ask about or I mean implement when you're in there because it is a common thing in corporations. They have pockets
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of communities just to kind of support each other, kind of be there.
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Cause we all know about the nuances of being a black person and all white space was not just that. It could be
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based on gender, it could be kind of where you're from, it could be a lot of different things, was basically this group we kind of come together to discuss is almost like
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like a like a student organization at a college where like the college, they know about it.
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There might be like a teachers, staff and faculty liaison person to not say
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that they have to be there, but it's like something that's known. But usually we create them in secret in a group chat and stuff. But these groups are kind of. Colby It's supposed to become
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part of a journey towards inclusive environment. So you kind of report back and represent this group of people as well.
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So it was a great thing to implement
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if they don't have that to ask about. If you feel comfortable asking about it, they're not trying to do it. That says a lot. That says a lot because it's not, you
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know, I mean, there's no money
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necessarily that has to go into it. It's just something that should be done.
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But yeah, communities, they
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they take, they take a lot. They take a lot. It's, it's not just something you should be like, yeah, we have a community that kind of dies down, has a lot of intention and focus. And
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as we talk about intention and focus and things like that, I want to talk about this other
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resources tool I've been using to kind of stay sharp and focused. It's this energy show I call Magic Mind. They're sponsoring this episode and I'm glad they are because
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I'm actually like literally using them as a replacement to coffee because I personally do not like drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee daily just to make up for the drop in energy.
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I feel after that first cup wore off. So this drink on magic mine is really tiny, like small drink like it's like smaller than my phone just shot
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you just shake it open. I like to I like to, like, you know, like some fun. While I do that a little bit before I take my shot. But it's something you take
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either as a substitute or with coffee or like caffeinated tea or something like that.
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It's all natural and greedy and matter of fact, I looked it up. I think there's like 13. It's this matcha, matcha based drink. It has things like turmeric. It has
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some lion's mane, mushroom. This is I don't know if it's 100% plant based, but it's kind of cool because is a plant based product. And when I drink, it actually feel
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a sense of focus.
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So it's really helpful in the mornings because the morning for me, it takes a long time for me to get started. That's why I drink coffee. They kind of get activated real quick, but coffee just too strong is just too much, is too much. And I had that crash afterwards. So I've been using this drink to kind of help with just energy
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and kind of keeping me calm as I get ramped up.
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And I feel it throughout the day. So like I say, they're sponsoring this episode. So if you're like me, don't necessarily
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want to be dependent on coffee, you get addicted. I recommend you try it. You go to Magic mind com slash boss bones as boss, you could get 50%, 56% off your subscription as
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That's like it's which is kind of cool. You get like a 30 day pack. Yeah, 30 day pack, which is really cool. Or here's 20% off a one time purchase with that code words if you're already subscriber as well. So they're already on to it. I'm new to this thing we've already on to it is still a junior subscription payment check it out I
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highly recommend it magic mind com slash boss.
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All right And let's get into
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some ads and then when we come back, we're going to talk about some favorite moments from this book. Black Book is a book that I'm adding on to a list that I'm thinking about creating
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called the Band Book List, because this is a book that they wouldn't want you to read in Florida or anything like that.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Are we back here? Is
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time to get into this book. Black Book, A novel by Mateo. I don't know how to pronounce his last name. Oscar. Oscar. A rapper, but
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incredible book. I'm actually going to look up how this spell it because all the names deserve respect. And he definitely
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reserves the respect for putting this book together.
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I was looking up some reviews about it and it's kind of interesting. So this book,
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when people are talking about, they're
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like, it's like a mix of like, sorry to bother you. And The Wolf of Wall Street is this satirical
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novel, but a young black man gets a shot as the star, the lone black salesman, as a mysterious, cultlike and wildly successful startup
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where nothing seems right.
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It is okay. Not yet. You got the cover up. You
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and that's
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cool. That's cool. So it so you did you get the book and the audiobook or you just went and got the audiobook
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and the audiobook. My life. I get you. But that's why I was so shocked because you were like, I read it, you know, like less than a week
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since I told you about it.
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And so now, you had me up, you said you loved it, and I was like, Let's do
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a podcast episode about it. So this is giving you this is the first time we've spoken about this. Give me your thoughts. What are you feeling? What are you thinking? How do you feel about this book?
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There's so many take away from this book.
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And honestly, you know, as you mention, I'm working in a sales position now. And so I literally just kind of overview, right. Listening to this book at work, they had me irritable, had me excited, and I was crying. I cried like that, like, wow. But, you know, like, here's a little snot dripping. Yeah, you feel like little snot dripping.
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You know, have happens when you really feeling this this didn't bring this not out of you. That's pathetic working here. I really never
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felt too hear.
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All right. That's how we're going to do a book. Like instead of like on. What's that? Was that thing Rotten Tomatoes? They're like the five
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tomatoes are going to be like, did give you their mercy to you.
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They give you the little snot bubble. The how much did. It's
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like, yeah, yeah. And to your point earlier, I couldn't tell if this book was like his experience, but he just kind of remixed or if this new where all of a fiction novel was meant for me. my God. The book was really well-written. I like how you started off by saying that he was in his penthouse in the beginning of the book when he's like, Yeah, I'm writing this book on the penthouse.
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And I'm like, Okay, again, I'm at work. You guys were like, Okay, this is where I could be like, Okay, all right. This is a success story, you know? And then as the book goes, are you like, no, no. Throwing some of my takeaways. This is the beginning of the book was the fact that he came out of high school as a valedictorian.
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And, you know, so many people had in his neighborhood had such big hopes for him. And he found himself. He was living with his mom and they owned it. And very much New York fashion. They owned a duplex and, you know, he and his mom lived together and had some tenants that had been with him since he was before he was born, essentially.
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So everybody had high hopes. That's what I kept hearing throughout the book, like everybody had such positive and, well, positive positivity and well-wishes for this young man. And he ended up after high school. The like you said, Starbucks or and you call the self that they had they had one of the eight and
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I see it's in there
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and you grow over time and you know I of course got a kick out of that like okay you know every environment that exists right.
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Right. You still
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have pride within you know, within the job that he was doing, which I appreciated still selling, you know, And you knew you were coffee. Well, I hate to tell people, Burke, what kind of like where it came from. And to me, the takeaway from that was like, even though he wasn't where he necessarily wanted to be or thought he could be, took pride in what he did and
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it it didn't matter that when he was selling off like
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it was, it was still
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like, okay, I know what you mean.
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I think that says a lot because essentially it doesn't matter where you are. You can sell yourself. You can have, whether you're an entrepreneur or working for someone else, it's all about just having the the the weight and the grind to do so. And that was like my first away. The other thing was
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I stopped there real quick because that is such a pro tip.
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And you know, throughout this book like this, this is a sales novel like How to Sell, but it's actually a story.
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And what he does is like different moment. He'll they put a little like asterisk annotation thing where he's like, yo, this right here sells less and do this, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I
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don't think that was in the book.
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I don't think that was like, that was in like the I don't know how it sounded in the audio book, but in hardcover or soccer or whatever, there would be like little moments where it's like in bold text in kind of is, yeah. So I
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don't know if that was one of the two takeaways he noted or not.
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I might have missed it, but that's such a good and valuable lesson. I really like the import. Most important thing
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in this book is like the that pride, that kind of mastery of knowledge and selling yourself, even if you don't even like where you are,
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like taking Starbucks out the example to see where Wendy's even like you just it could be the same type of thing, like just having this mastery over the menu, the customer service and the
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sales part of it too, and just being yourself because like this book, it wasn't that he became a
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sales man.
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Once he got into this other organization, he was already doing it. Like he said, he just didn't know it.
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And what is your is your next takeaway? Does it come after you already started working at the place?
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No, actually,
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it's okay. All right.
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Okay. Yeah, I will. Let me let me tell you, though, because I have it here, then I want to hear what you had to say. So I'm a read. This part of this book is this. Yeah. I thought you might have
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this as one of your notes, too, because. So this is the moment where he his life really changed for him.
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There was a
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regular customer that came in. He knew his order always order the same thing. But Roebuck did something different. All right. So the guy comes in into Starbucks, you know, he walks in, he's like, hey,
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he puts his order in, says, Hey, vanilla, sweet cream, cold brew, like always. You remember right
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by now, the last in the morning, customers had grabbed their drinks and it was just us at the counter.
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And Buck says, I don't think you want that today.
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I didn't know why. My heart was fiercely beating against my ribs. But looking back on, I realize my body must have known
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that this was a pivotal moment in my life, that these super, super turns of fate are rare and is one of the whole like the author puts in a little note like, yo, check this out.
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He says, What you're about to see is what
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happens when intuition overrides logic, which is the mark of any salesperson worth their salt.
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People buy based on emotion and justify with reason. Watch. And then he goes, I want to give the rest away. Because even this moment, like such a good like, you have to read it and I want to take
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away from it.
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But this moment where he basically was like, You don't want this, here's what you want, I was
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like, Yeah, really get all right, go ahead. And I know Superfly the way. One quick thing, y'all. That was my pitch to audition for any voice acting. Put me on, hire me, put me in the booth. I got this. I got the mics.
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I'm ready.
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All right. It's
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so I love it. So go. That was the part that, like, hit you. Honestly, You turned because there's been so many times, especially over at newer, where you're not sure like how to push needle. You're almost like, no, the artist said no. So or there there they're already there are really not interesting essentially and what you'll learn in sales in that how to navigate through objections the first no doesn't necessarily mean no right it could mean that they have something on their mind.
::Unknown
It can mean that. No, it could be a multitude of things. Right. Maybe the person that generally makes decisions is it with them. So there's different ways that you're taught to get through objections. And I think in this specific part, my take away was
::Unknown
he was fearful. He was scared. You were scared like you were. I don't even know who's coming on me right now, but I'm going to push this so that he can get this other group right.
::Unknown
And I think about the times where I've been on a phone call or I've tried to sell someone on podcast production, sales, whatever, and I had that that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, like retreat. Retreat. Like, what do
::Unknown
you do in my mind
::Unknown
tells me, know, keep going, you know, or like, lean in a little bit.
::Unknown
Listen to what they're saying
::Unknown
in
::Unknown
sales. I think that's important because none of it necessarily feels good, you know?
::Unknown
So it's like learning
::Unknown
when to push through the objections. If you if I could be better off on the other side.
::Unknown
Okay. That's an interesting kind of observation or acknowledgment that sales doesn't usually feel good or
::Unknown
it doesn't always feel good.
::Unknown
I think that could really depend on the type of environment you're in. And if you actually are, you know, like what you're selling as well. But
::Unknown
can you talk a little bit more about that? Because I think a lot for a lot of people, myself included, is that feels good. Like I don't like how this feels and I sometimes avoid it because it's like,
::Unknown
this feels kind of grimy or maybe it's going and I feel confident doing this now for any terrible, traumatic reason.
::Unknown
It's just like, I don't want to
::Unknown
push something that this person might not want to buy. But you tell them the top right now there's going
::Unknown
well, I've always been told that in marketing that most people don't know what they want. And so speaking about my iPhone and Apple products, you people, years ago, they would have told me that why do I need my phone to do that?
::Unknown
Many things like I don't want to be attached to my phone. And you know, Steve Jobs, of course, but otherwise. Right. I what you need And then eventually you'll realize your life is so much better with this product and or service. And so there's a level of I think you're pushing especially something, you know in this this person was at a startup.
::Unknown
So essentially you're introducing something new to a market that otherwise wouldn't have known this need or wouldn't have known that they needed this product. And so that feeling, I think, for me is like you're calling your cold, calling someone or you're cold emailing someone. You're thinking to yourself, If this was me on the other end, I would be annoyed or This is me on the other end.
::Unknown
Why? I'm asking myself, Why are you calling me so many times? You know, and you realize, like, all those notes that you're getting is like one step closer to your. Yes. Like sales is all about numbers. It's a numbers game. And so that feeling that I get when it's like, another no or they sounded annoyed or even though they reached out to me and I'm calling them back and they're sounding annoyed on the phone like you ask me like,
::Unknown
you know, I
::Unknown
just I've had that happen recently and I was just following up like, I was like, I'm busy right now.
::Unknown
Okay. Whatever
::Unknown
my phone is.
::Unknown
So let me ask you about that. So because I've heard that before, like every. No, least way. Yes. And it makes sense. But it's also like but it's also a no.
::Unknown
But but I guess it's about, like you said, reputation and a numbers thing. Is it just like there's a percentage like a percentage thing, Like with this many no's, you
::Unknown
should get this many yeses.
::Unknown
Like is this like a check list? Like you're not going to get your yes until you hit like 30 no's or something like that were like, What is this? Every no brings you closer to a yes thing. Yeah. So
::Unknown
essentially
::Unknown
every sales person has their their ratio, right? So if I reach out to ten people, three people are generally going to say yes to me.
::Unknown
And that's that's all a matter of you like making note of the things that you're doing everything right. So like if you're, if you're walking in purpose, you know that you're doing everything with intention. And so then that's even in the sales world, right? Like, all right, I have this job, this is this is where I'm at right now.
::Unknown
I'm going to be very intentional with my time here. And so you'll notice after a while, if you're keeping track of the number of emails and sending out or the number of calls that, hey, I did 50 calls, five of those people say yes. So then you can start saying, okay, once I get to my friend thing, I know one.
::Unknown
Would you at least have gotten 3 to 5 people to tell me? Yes. So it becomes like a game for yourself as you're making those calls. Then when you're new from friends, really hard to get that rhythm. So it takes a while. But once you get into the rhythm, you'll you'll start noticing some patterns so that when you focus on your.
::Unknown
Yes, yes, this is just math ratios and, you know,
::Unknown
mass numbers
::Unknown
game everything.
::Unknown
You know, we tell people like, half of this math you learn he won't need when you are in the world world. But this math keeps popping up.
::Unknown
Yes. Even if some of the important but if you think about I know when I was in school, I would stand outside of the mall and I try to highlight every girl I walk by once again.
::Unknown
It's a numbers game, right? You're going to make that good if it really you remember,
::Unknown
right? well, that's what That's hilarious. Yeah. You know what? That's okay. That's such a perfect
::Unknown
example, because also transitions to another moment of this book is kind of a spoiler. You So you definitely want to read this book. You don't want to spoil it.
::Unknown
I won't give too
::Unknown
much away, but just stop right now or actually finish this episode. But meal and go find this book. So
::Unknown
I love when he got to this position where he's, you know, top dog and now I you know, I kind of want to push some other people line and he this is a black person so he's like I want to put my people on.
::Unknown
I want to help them because they're not getting the same advantages he saw there when
::Unknown
he got into the sales role that a lot of people, they came in already with tons of relationships with top
::Unknown
people because, you know, so nepotism like my dad does go with this person's uncle type of thing. And a lot of black people, you know, one I don't know, a lot of black people who
::Unknown
play golf, they're out there.
::Unknown
They out here in this growing, you know, whole community, their shout out to the black golfers. But the dads and the
::Unknown
uncles and the friends, the cousins, none of them are like leading some large corporation as of right now. So the the starting point is not the same. So he went out of his way to secretly start a coaching other people
::Unknown
in the way he did.
::Unknown
It wasn't just like this is the sales principle. He put them out on the street doing the most wildest craziest some
::Unknown
stuff you get. You looked like dining and ditching and stuff like that reminded me of the story you were just hearing about people trying to pick up a girl to the mall or something like that is basically that
::Unknown
button's: ::Unknown
Yeah. yeah, I love that because it was taking like some real world
::Unknown
scenarios and kind of highlighting that this is sales in a sense. Even if you don't look at it, you just have to keep it trying. You might fail. You probably are going to fail a bunch, but you might. It's just all that, I guess. A muscle.
::Unknown
You kind of get stronger
::Unknown
each time you do it. So I guess every no is almost like you at the gym. You like lifting like you are shaken right now with some spaghetti noodle stuff when the next time you go up,
::Unknown
you do a little better. A little better until the point that you're at a bodybuilding competition, buttered in oil and stuff like that
::Unknown
and not take over your
::Unknown
bare bones, you'll get burned for sure.
::Unknown
Yeah, sure. I like that analogy. That's plenty. Thank you.
::Unknown
Thank you. Yeah.
::Unknown
You mentioned something that most figure out to be one nepotism. Right now. The company that I'm working at currently, you're someone that whose parent works at the company and they're higher up and so they have access to things that other people don't have access to because of their parents.
::Unknown
You also get, you know, a lot more love on the on the field for because
::Unknown
of their despair.
::Unknown
And, you know, most times we will be upset about that. Right. I mean, like, you know, especially because a lot of my higher ups, they praise this person like, you guys want to be more like criticize, bringing in, you know, $500,000 contracts and whatnot.
::Unknown
And it just it's funny because another thing, you're also a of color told me now you can not compare yourself to this person like their parents, literally like they're getting coach and giving resources. That's incredible. You know, So, you know, at first you want to bitter about it, like, you know, it's not fair, blah, blah. But essentially, like in the book, if you even the playing field by being that leg up with so many people of color in this field and, you know, in the film industry and
::Unknown
I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
::Unknown
From your point earlier about community, you just need to be able to tap in to what your to your community, to get that leg up. And hopefully there is a community that exists because in some cases you have to create yourself. But finding those other people that are going to give you some resources, give you some tips I think is important.
::Unknown
And that's the first thing is my dad works at a company. I wouldn't want him to give me some extra resources to.
::Unknown
You know, I want to hear a second thing, too. But you mean you just inspire something as well? See, you remember your second thing?
::Unknown
Yes, I got to. Okay,
::Unknown
so that first thing was really, really cool, because I've been just learning about, you know, history is an interesting thing, right?
::Unknown
Because you learn about your
::Unknown
history, see what how everything like why today is what it is today. And, you know, every black person listening, watching you already know what
::Unknown
it's like being black with a lot of people are just learning about what it's like being in black in America, in a system where there a community built for specific people to be a part of that community.
::Unknown
And I mean, seeing a lot of people
::Unknown
having discussions about like government and stuff and policies and who's responsible,
::Unknown
who should be doing what, is this whole conversation at large? Like when the whole like everyone was talking about white privilege, A lot of people, they were privilege. I don't know what you're talking about.
::Unknown
I'm struggling to and there's reality to that as well.
::Unknown
It's not all blanketed and there's been a lot of conversation Now. Some
::Unknown
people are like these policies for black people are actually hurting us. Get out of our way. Stop helping us. And I don't particularly agree with that. I think it's like a multiple approach type of thing. But there's more conversations about
::Unknown
us being responsible for getting ourselves out of this situation because we shouldn't
::Unknown
depend on it, not because there isn't an accountability aspect there or, you know, responsibility because of the harm that it caused, but more so because
::Unknown
we shouldn't wait and rely on it.
::Unknown
Like, yeah, let's keep that going, but let's also
::Unknown
do this as well. And so when you're talking about, you know, you in your own experience seeing someone who is coming in with a lot more privilege, I mean, you're someone who doesn't have access to the same resources.
::Unknown
How can you tap into your own community to make sure that you are able to kind of continue to
::Unknown
grow the way you should be growing?
::Unknown
Leveraging a community is usually left out of the opportunity.
::Unknown
No, honestly. So I know this is not for everyone. Like so in the book, but being going to college. Right. But I found that, you know, I went to an HBCU with a family
::Unknown
south of FAMU,
::Unknown
and what I've known is enough that I feel like I've started taking advantage of it more in my my later years than when I first got out of school.
::Unknown
But tapping into your alma mater is has been like super helpful for me even while being at this this company now reaching out on LinkedIn and being like, look and just telling them the real way I'm connecting with you because everyone loves a mission. Everyone loves somebody that has a missing uncle because they want to. It's something that they can relate to and and kind of she likes the movement.
::Unknown
So the conversations I've been having behind closed doors have been, look, I'm I was hired at this company and there's not that many people that look like me. I know that I am likely a a diversity hire and I know the people aren't expecting much from me in this environment, even though I've excelled in other environment. This is this is what I want to do.
::Unknown
I want to bring black and brown entrepreneurs into this space, let people know, one, that we make money, you know, we can spend it on our own. Businesses can bring that. All right. So that's the first conversation I'm having with without knowing the other piece or the other pieces and having the conversation that like, look, I need to show that that I can make things happen on this floor being a person of color.
::Unknown
So what does that look like with you supporting me? You can't be If you can't buy something, can you send me to someone that that will or maybe my services. And I think a lot of times we're afraid to be that bold. Let people know like, look, it's, you know, because you think like, I don't want you to care about blah, blah, blah, blah.
::Unknown
But that is the playing Feel like if you understand the game that is the playing field, is this about who you know? So for me it's been let me tap into the community that I'm already in. Like how do I tap in? Let them know what my experience is, let them know what my mission is and see if they can help.
::Unknown
So that I think and I hope I didn't go too far off.
::Unknown
But that's beautiful.
::Unknown
It's it's important to kind of like put your pride to try and just let people know what's going on. That's that's been my thing. But the second point, you were you said for me not to forget that I wanted to bring up was how Buck got his name back.
::Unknown
yeah. Yeah.
::Unknown
And without being giving too much of a spoiler, he was named after, Of course, if you guys are familiar with, like, for food, he was named after a horse, essentially. And when you break a horse, right, Like, usually a buck, they'll keep, like, kicking back, right. To fight. When there's a time in which you can break a horse where they become trained and they'll follow in the in the way that you need them to go.
::Unknown
And so there's a point in the book where it's appearing as though they're, you know, like when these books were down and start crying. Right. And the guy looks at him like in defeat and thank God for that. And then we will brainwash. And family is like, what is going on with me? But there is a level of that.
::Unknown
I think in every environment as a person of color, you know, as as we like working while black, we report on our our rebel self to go into work. That's them getting us in line. I don't know, like in sales, in sales environment, I find that is so true. And breaking down from throw all types of things towards you and to see if you can make it or take it with me environment.
::Unknown
And so I know there's there's something I've gone through where more than anything it's a mental game in the environment. I think that's where my overall take away from this is mental. How mentally strong can you in this environment and going regardless You know you're not getting a lack of support feeling defeated within yourself and not recognizing yourself because you're changing.
::Unknown
So yeah, I just that that really I think around that time that maybe for us that was
::Unknown
when you
::Unknown
finally broke you because I felt like that in the office, like the place where, you know, broke me man. But yeah yeah that,
::Unknown
that was a those are two really good takeaway. Yeah, it is. But, you know, when I was reading that the first
::Unknown
part earlier when we talked about the and Starbucks when change the order up, I was like I almost wanted to keep reading.
::Unknown
And when you mentioned that right there was like, I got to go back to that
::Unknown
part and read again so
::Unknown
I could see this as a book that I reread. Actually, this man, this story is unbelievable. Like, I,
::Unknown
I think part of like in my adult life, I haven't read as much as I did when I was younger.
::Unknown
There were times when I was younger, like I would like,
::Unknown
avoid calls my friend because I was like, not want to read this book, right? That I did hang out with people. But, you know, when you got a good book, you got a good book and this book kind of brought me
::Unknown
back to that were like, I just wanted to sit down and read this.
::Unknown
I finished it. I, I noticed I read more when I'm like on a vacation or
::Unknown
like a long break or something like that, Now read. And this this book kind of brought me back to that. So I am. I am. I had to go back and reread this
::Unknown
because that story there that mom, I forgot about that and that was my fire
::Unknown
man.
::Unknown
Okay, so this, this has been really dull when like, I feel like we keep going because there's a lot to this. I highly recommend everyone read this book. I think I might have like a live event to talk
::Unknown
some more about sales and what it really means. Change your perspective on it. Because I think like even if
::Unknown
you're not in a sales position, this book, there was just a lot to it.
::Unknown
I was like, Yo, this actually could benefit me in other areas. So appreciate you for hopping on to do
::Unknown
this. Now before we go, though, kind of curious, just one other question for you. This is
::Unknown
a new kind of theme in the working while Black Things as Ya is the teaser for what's going to come in the series.
::Unknown
But do you have any cheat codes for career growth for people working while black goes on community?
::Unknown
That's going to be really, really important finding and people that rock with you. And the other piece I would say is be mentally strong, never take anything personal regardless if it was meant to cause you move that in the sense that
::Unknown
it's something I always think of when I know I'm in that environment.
::Unknown
I'm black. So and I know that they said that to be rude or whatever. That says more about them than it says about me and not it's not what they call you. Would you respond to? And so sometimes when they're very it seems like they're laughing at you. I, I be doing it knowing that they sound right. You know, a lot of times you people don't know who you are, where you come from or any of those means.
::Unknown
And so when you're in those environments, whereas I'm really trying to remember who you are, just remember who you are. Don't allow other people to define you. And I was in my team, but, you
::Unknown
know, so yeah, I like that. I like that. I love a good like remember who you are because I always keep coming back to Black
::Unknown
Panther and Moms.
::Unknown
They show that who you are. That's like, it's just going to live in my head forever. Renfree I was
::Unknown
going to think about that. I
::Unknown
still, I like that. I like that thinking how can everyone follow you, supports you on your journey and like what
::Unknown
all of you have going on. Like we, we didn't really talk about the world of you as much, but now that we kind of get a sense to know who you, who you are and everything from, you know,
::Unknown
breaking the rule, that Girl Scout Inc to, you know, finding that community, leveraging
::Unknown
your relationship.
::Unknown
We're not even leveraging we're just building relationships with your alma mater, HBCU community. But yeah, what, what do you have going on? What should we look out for and how can we be a support system for you? Man of you? You weigh one, you guys, that sounds always so corny, but the best way to get in contact with me is on social media.
::Unknown
So on Instagram or on LinkedIn. So on LinkedIn, it's my people. Send me a message, connect. Let me know things that you're going through within sales or just in your workforce altogether. I love a great I would love to connect with you. And then on Instagram, you can follow me at Nya. Bianca does that. And as a community, why a Bianca be a and a underscore and just connect with me just let me know what you got going on right now.
::Unknown
I think that's my biggest thing is build a community. And so that's that's how you can connect with me. I'm trying to build movie currently within the podcast space, but also with entrepreneurs and and business owners. So yeah, in that way,
::Unknown
you know, I got my code and it's inspired by Nia is be corny, be
::Unknown
corny whether you're telling people to, you know, find on social media or you're on a red carpet and you know you.
::Unknown
Michael B Jordan you saying
::Unknown
yo used to call me corny, right? You'll be corny. It works now. But like, that's that's really I think it's
::Unknown
important because I think sometimes I'm resistant to do something like that. Like I don't know, it kind of seems corny, but listening to Warlow, he has a series called Where's Waldo Rose for $1,000,000 with the game.
::Unknown
I think that's an important series for everyone to follow, whether you like it or not. I just kind of watch what they're doing.
::Unknown
But he has a subject called Where's Waldo, and he was on with Gary Vee, and they were both talking about doing the things that were kind of lame or corny. He was talking about when he
::Unknown
got out of jail, came home, people would call.
::Unknown
It's funny because would be like, Yo, I seen you running around doing videos
::Unknown
like literally running and doing videos and it looks corny. It really is probably the definition of the corny. Elaine But man, the results, the output, it worked. Gary B the same thing he would like said it going to a party, you would get excited about going to
::Unknown
a mall to sell baseball cards or something like that as a kid.
::Unknown
Man Corny work, sometimes corny
::Unknown
words just don't, just, just don't. I don't know about as they don't be late. But even that is all perspective. So yeah, be
::Unknown
corny, be lame. You might lose friends, but if it works, it works for you.
::Unknown
All right. Thank you for joining. Naya appreciates you. Check her out. She also has
::Unknown
a lot of different live stuff and series puts on for the community, especially podcasters.
::Unknown
But she's a good resource. A good resource. So,
::Unknown
Sally, have you want you will be back. There's another book that she read that's what she finished before me. So we're going to talk about it. It's called ten X is great and then
::Unknown
two weeks, but we'll get into that later. Black Book. I'm putting this on the band book list for the band book
::Unknown
club that we're starting, I guess.
::Unknown
But yeah, take care. Follow Preacher. Thank
:: ::
