The Black Mannequin Challenge w/ Bryan Walden

[00:00:00] Speaker A: I'm Lila Rhee. [00:00:01] Speaker B: And I'm Nick B. [00:00:02] Speaker A: Listen, we're just two single girls from the city of roses discussing all things love, lust, and perception. [00:00:08] Speaker B: And roses are a symbol of all things beautiful about love. [00:00:11] Speaker A: But as you know, love can get a little dirty. So we're here to talk about it. [00:00:15] Speaker B: Dirty Roses podcast starts now. [00:00:18] Speaker A: Hey, I'm Lila Ree. [00:00:20] Speaker B: And I'm Nick B. [00:00:20] Speaker A: And welcome to Dirty Roses Podcast. Guess what we doin today? We gon do the black mannequin challenge. Pause and go, got it. That's so old. You know, it's okay. We know. [00:00:34] Speaker B: But black man, that was fun to do. [00:00:36] Speaker A: That was. The mannequin challenge was fun. And we got black mannequin himself in the building. Okay, now, here we normally start with a story, but this man needs no story. I mean, I've been popping up with this man at events. Like, he's been everywhere. I literally. My friends and I call you the pop up king because we had our events at Rose City Taps, and. And he was like, yeah, I'm about to pop up. And I'm like, yeah, go ahead, pop up. And I thought you was gonna just come, like, pop up and show up. And I was like, yeah, come support. This man done came up with his car. Popped the trunk. Literally popped the trunk. And then he had the table, he had the mannequins, he had the racks. He had everything. [00:01:13] Speaker B: It was so cool. [00:01:14] Speaker A: It was like a whole little store in the trunk. And I mean, when I tell you, like, hustle mode on 55,000. [00:01:21] Speaker B: He elevated our event, though. [00:01:22] Speaker A: You did hike, though. It was like. [00:01:24] Speaker B: Because I loved having, like, oh, we. [00:01:25] Speaker A: Had a real official summer because we was just gonn be there, and then we were like, oh, we got a store. We got a whole store. But no, you've been doing this for a minute. Barber clothing line. I feel like you was a rapper at one point. Like, just. You just give me rapper vibes, you know what I'm saying? You know, Playboy extraordinaire, you know what I'm saying? The ladies love him. You know what I'm saying? Motivational speaker, youth mentor, all the things. Community advocate on his own. Right? You know what I'm saying? Everything he does, we got. Brian Black Mannequin Walden, welcome to the show. Yes. [00:02:00] Speaker C: Thank you for having me. How are you doing? [00:02:02] Speaker A: Yes. Okay. Well, you are. What we know you for really is, like, your business, your clothing line, all the things that you got. But you yourself got your own story, because we've been talking about it kind of before we started the cameras rolling. So tell us a little bit about yourself and, like, how you got here. [00:02:20] Speaker B: Yeah, how you. [00:02:21] Speaker A: He's like, that's a long ass story. You see his eyes going, right? [00:02:24] Speaker B: He's like, what time we got? [00:02:26] Speaker C: How I got here? What? [00:02:27] Speaker A: Like, just tell us, like. So, Brian Walden, where'd you start out? Like, how'd you get the inspiration to come to be who you are today? [00:02:36] Speaker C: Okay, man, it started a long time ago. [00:02:43] Speaker A: Once upon a time, man. [00:02:45] Speaker C: You know, I started hustling at a young age, and I was hustling illegally for a while, you know what I'm saying? And, yeah, I started hustling probably like 17, 18 years old. And so after years of hustling and stress and drama, everything that comes with hustling illegally, I decided that I wanted to make a change. And I have a son. My son started to get older, you know what I'm saying? So he was understanding what was going on, and I just, I wanted to be a different man for my son, you know what I'm saying? And my daughter as well, when she came later. But you're twin. Yeah, you already know, so. Yeah. So I started Black mannequin in 2017. Started off with some T shirts, sweatshirts, and hats for those that don't know my clothing line, streetwear brand Black Mannequin. And I just kind of started it off, just kind of seeing where it would go. I got, I got the design made, and I really liked it, and I thought I could do something with it. I never sold clothes before, so it was kind of like a trial and error. You know, I was looking for ways that I could hustle, but then, you know, make it out the street and do it legally. [00:04:04] Speaker A: Gotcha. [00:04:05] Speaker C: So Black Mannequin was my route and, you know, took off from, from, from the gate. Got a lot of love. I feel like I've always been respected for my style by my friends and my peers. And so I just, basically, I was like, I'm gonna take my, you know, popularity and turn it into profit. So I started with Black Mannequin. I started my Instagram name, started with the shirts, took off, and then, you know, I just learned on the way. [00:04:34] Speaker B: What was inspiration for the name. Like, how did you land on the name Black Mannequin? [00:04:40] Speaker C: Every nickname I have, I got from my friends. Like B. Wall. They called me that in high school, which is short for Brian Walden. So I can't. I think it was like 2016. No, probably maybe 2015. I was at a day party with my friends and they was at my house. We was all in the basement. Everybody was dressed. And I changed like seven or eight times. [00:05:01] Speaker B: For a basement party? [00:05:02] Speaker C: No, we was going to a day party. Matter of fact, I think we was going to a day party at White Owl, so. So I have like four or five of my partners. They was in the basement watching my big screen, and so they was all dressed. So every time I came out, I'm like, is this outfit cool? I changed, like, from head to toe. Like, hats, socks, shoes, shorts, everything. [00:05:21] Speaker B: I know your bedroom was tore up. [00:05:22] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So every time I came out, my friends are like, oh, yeah, that fit is fire. And I'm like, nah, I'm not feeling it. [00:05:30] Speaker B: Not this one. [00:05:31] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:31] Speaker B: So make sure I got in the bag. [00:05:32] Speaker C: Yeah. So after like, the seventh or eighth time I came out, I can't remember who said it, but one of my friends was like, bro, you like a black mannequin. And so then we all laughed and everybody laughed. And then somebody was like, wait a minute. Black mannequin. And it was like, man, that's a fire ass name. Black Mannequin. [00:05:52] Speaker A: I like that. [00:05:52] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? And so they said, man, you should start calling yourself Black Mannequin. And so I changed my name right there on ig. I was VIP B wall. Oh, my goodness. [00:06:04] Speaker A: Right, right, right. Let the ruby tell it. You know what I'm saying? [00:06:08] Speaker C: So I changed my name that day to Black Mannequin. And then over the next couple years, I'd be out in the streets. You know, people don't know your name, and they'd be like, black Mannequin. So. [00:06:16] Speaker A: Right, right, right. [00:06:17] Speaker C: My friends continuously hearing that from girls and guys, and they're like, bro, you need to brand that. So that's basically how it started. [00:06:23] Speaker A: Okay? [00:06:24] Speaker B: So in my head, I had a completely different explanation for. [00:06:27] Speaker A: Oh, Lord, here we go. She about to make up a story for your brand. [00:06:30] Speaker B: I was like, yeah, black Mannequin. Because it's an example of the strong black man. It's the prototype, the mannequin, the what we want to be and aspire to be. That's what I thought you were gonna say. But if you like yours, whatever. [00:06:48] Speaker C: Some people. Some people be like, black man, I can. Oh, I like that. So, you know, I mean, yeah, you know, whatever. Whatever you wanted to personally mean. Overall, as long as it's good. Overall, I wouldn't even just say it's black excellence. I would just say it's excellence. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Excellence. [00:07:06] Speaker C: I love it. [00:07:07] Speaker B: And it's a strong Logo. [00:07:09] Speaker A: It really is. [00:07:10] Speaker B: I really. I, I like. [00:07:11] Speaker A: So the V part of the logo. [00:07:13] Speaker C: That'S the upside down A. [00:07:16] Speaker A: Cuz I'm basic as hell. And I was like, this means something. [00:07:18] Speaker B: We're over here upside down A. [00:07:20] Speaker A: In the black. [00:07:21] Speaker C: So it's a V. So if you flip, if you flip the V around. [00:07:23] Speaker A: Anything, it's an upside down A. I like. Oh, I understand. [00:07:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:07:28] Speaker A: We are so slow. We are. I love it though. So I've noticed recently that you have been doing a lot more with the black mannequin brand. You've got black mannequin fitness or fit. You've got black mannequin. You've got the, the sea moss gel that you've been pimping and hustling. Now are you making your own sea moss? Killing it. It's like, it's a really pretty color too. It's like a purple color. [00:07:48] Speaker B: You use the purple moss. [00:07:50] Speaker C: I did that because like most people, they sea moss as like the, the tan color. And when I was thinking about branding, I'm like, I'm black mannequin, so I want to stand, I want mine to look different. But then purple is closer to black. [00:08:02] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:08:03] Speaker C: So when they see it, they like black mannequin. Black moss. [00:08:05] Speaker A: Right. [00:08:06] Speaker C: Black mannequin moss. [00:08:07] Speaker A: Bam. That's what's up. [00:08:07] Speaker B: So what flavor yours? [00:08:08] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I do now I do. I have the flavor kind of last two weeks opposed to the regular four weeks. But yeah, I do a strawberry and blueberry flavor. [00:08:17] Speaker B: Okay. [00:08:17] Speaker C: So I don't make as much, but I also always make sure I have a couple jars of the flavor. You know what I'm saying? The women like the flavor. [00:08:23] Speaker B: So you see, I haven't started mixing flavors in mine yet just because I'm like, I don't know how to keep the shelf life longer when I start adding the flavor. So I usually just go with that. [00:08:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm so trash at routines. I tried to get some sea moss gel one time from somebody and it went bad. Cause I didn't do my daily routine. [00:08:39] Speaker B: Don't buy it if you can make it for real. Cause you just never know what's gonna be in it and then it defeats the purpose. [00:08:44] Speaker C: Well, unless you're getting it from me, right? [00:08:45] Speaker A: I'm like, there we go. See, I'll buy it from him and I'll be good. I'm gonna do some flavor ones too. So then I wanna do it. [00:08:49] Speaker C: Yeah, well, no, no, no, but you're right. Cause I see him selling it on IG and stuff. All the time. [00:08:53] Speaker B: And I'm like. [00:08:55] Speaker A: Person I knew, but. [00:08:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm like, I don't know. [00:08:59] Speaker A: So what were your inspirations growing up that led you to kind of want to be an entrepreneur? [00:09:10] Speaker C: When I was younger, I didn't really want to be an entrepreneur. But what I know now, what I didn't know back then is I don't know if y' all know, but my cousin Willie Harris, he owned Sportsman's Barbershop, owned North Williams. He owned House of Sound. He owned the beauty salon. He owned a corner store. Oh, my. [00:09:31] Speaker B: He owned everything. [00:09:33] Speaker C: And he had his barbershop right there on the corner. Sportsman's of Williams, I think. Is that beach okay. Yeah, right there in the corner. And he did that. Matter of fact, William. He died pretty young, but that was my cousin. My family. He used to cut my hair when I was younger, and. And he started off as a barber, and then he ended up. He owned. Like, when he. When he passed, he owned, like, 35 houses, all in the Portland community. And on top of that, he left both of his kids 4.2 million apiece. [00:10:04] Speaker B: Stop. [00:10:05] Speaker A: Yo. [00:10:06] Speaker B: So do you, like, want to adopt anybody into your family at this point? Because I'd like to be a beneficiary of whatever you got going on. No, that's smart. [00:10:16] Speaker C: Yeah. He was definitely my inspiration to. Once I started being a barber, I always looked at him and I thought I could always be more. You know what I'm saying? Because he did more. That was his profession. But he was just a hustler. He just, you know, he was really good with his money and knew what he was doing. So, yeah, that's definitely my number one motivation. Willie Harris, you know what I'm saying? And my cousin Mark Harris. That's his pops, the other one, I would say anybody who knows me, they know, man. Like, I got my hustle from my big homie, man. And I'm gonna just say Magoo. I'm gonna just leave it at that. I ain't gonna say his government name, but big bro, you know? Yeah. I got my hustle from my big brother, Magoo, and he taught me. He taught me the rules to the game. He taught me to be precise, be. To be careful, to be safe, to be. He just basically taught me all the rules to hustling. Hustle hard, but make sure you know the rules, right? And abide by them, right? [00:11:22] Speaker A: And that kind of translates into entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship. Anyways, like, you see a lot of. Oh, geez. And folks that. That go into legitimate transferable skills. It really is. And they're very successful because it's a. It's a people skill. Like, it really is. Like, you have to have a certain je ne sais quoi to your personality to make it work. And I see. I see that work for a lot of people. Barbering. How did you want to be a barber? Or like, what did you want to be? [00:11:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I've been cutting hair since. [00:11:50] Speaker A: Okay. [00:11:51] Speaker C: When I was a senior in high school, my dad came in my room one day and he's like, yeah, I'm not paying. I'm not paying for your haircuts no more. I'm like, figure it out. Yeah, because I, you know, I like to stay fresh. I said, oh, my God. And so. Nah, for real. But. And I'm saying back then I didn't have a job, but my dad, you know what I'm saying, he was paying for my haircuts. I think I was 17 at the time. So I'm like, damn. And then I'm like, he giving me $20 a week, like, for lunch. So I'm like, that's not even enough for a haircut. So I'm like, damn, I gotta figure it out. So I just went to fred Meyers on 102nd Gateway and bought some clippers. And then I started. I just learned how to cut my hair. It probably took me about. I was cutting my hair every three days. [00:12:29] Speaker A: Oh, shit. [00:12:30] Speaker C: Just. Yeah, Just to. You know what I'm saying? Like, it'd grow back. I start cutting it again. [00:12:34] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:12:35] Speaker C: Yeah. It probably took me about to cut my hair good. It probably took me about maybe like 60 to 90 days. [00:12:42] Speaker A: Okay. To figure it out, get a good routine. [00:12:44] Speaker B: Okay, so how many actual businesses are you running right now? [00:12:50] Speaker C: Let's see. Black mannequin clothing, Black mannequin moss, CMOs, jail, mannequin cuts, barber for my barber. And so just, I guess just three. [00:12:58] Speaker B: How do you. How do you find time for your personal life amongst your business? That's a. That's a schedule you. [00:13:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:13:07] Speaker C: Yeah, it is. But, you know, like, I don't work a 9 to 5, so, you know, saying when I wake up, I have a lot of freedom, and that's why I hustle, you know, for the freedom. People always be like, that's just. That's all you do, sell clothes. I'm like, yeah. And then I, you know, I cut hair, too. And then I'd sell sea moss. And they like, okay, well, that's, you know, I'm like, yeah, I'm making money every day from all three of those things. So you know what I'm saying? [00:13:31] Speaker A: That's kind of offensive though. Like high key. Like that's all you do, is sell clothes. [00:13:35] Speaker C: Like, well, no, no, no, no. But it's hard for people to believe. [00:13:38] Speaker A: Yeah, they like, damn. [00:13:39] Speaker C: That's all you do is sell clothes. [00:13:39] Speaker A: And like, you live how you sponge your lifestyle. [00:13:41] Speaker C: Right, okay, But I mean, you know, I sell these clothes just like I sold what I sold illegally, you know what I'm saying? [00:13:49] Speaker A: I mean, obviously. Cause you done popped out the truck and you'd be like, wait a minute, here we go. [00:13:52] Speaker B: See what I got in the back? [00:13:53] Speaker C: Yeah, you know. Yeah, you know, it was hella funny. One time I met this dude and I had never met him before, right? And so he. And he bought some clothes for me. I think I met him. It was like 711 or somewhere, right? [00:14:03] Speaker A: Oh, shit. [00:14:04] Speaker C: So he got. He got in the car and he like. He said, hey, man, I ain't trying to get in your business, but you used to sell drugs before. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Oh my God. [00:14:13] Speaker C: And so look. So look. So you already know. [00:14:15] Speaker B: I'm like, yes, I do. [00:14:16] Speaker C: I'm looking at him, I'm like. I didn't even answer. [00:14:18] Speaker A: I was just like. [00:14:19] Speaker C: I just kind of laughed. And. And he was like, yeah, bro, I can tell. Cause I be watching you. He's like, bro, you'll meet somebody at the Safeway. You'll meet somebody at their grandma house. Like you just don't care, bro. Like you meet somebody behind a. You know what I'm saying? [00:14:34] Speaker A: Behind the building, by the trash can. [00:14:37] Speaker B: Any place is a place to make. [00:14:38] Speaker A: It be over here. You know what I'm saying? [00:14:41] Speaker C: That's like. It just seemed like drug dealer vibes to me. He's like, I ain't trying. I see, I did used to, but yeah, I don't know. [00:14:49] Speaker A: It's all legitimate here. You know what I'm saying? [00:14:52] Speaker B: Right. [00:14:53] Speaker A: So speaking of bouncing, so how do you balance relationships? Because you are quite the bachelor of Portland, you know what I'm saying? Like, I almost said that you're a bachelor because we don't know if you're dating nobody, but perceive, you know, like a lot of the men that are out there and in public view, women want you. So how do you balance that? [00:15:14] Speaker C: I actually. I do have a girl. [00:15:15] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:15:16] Speaker C: I do have a girl. And in the experience, I've learned I like to keep my. I like to keep that private. Cause it turns into disaster. Balance. I feel like, what's that? Yeah, well, here's the thing, you know, my girl, she allows me and understands that, you know, she understands my purpose. And, you know, when we got together, I told her, you know what I'm saying? There's a few things that I'm not doing no more. You know what I mean? And I'm not publicly showing my relationship. You know what I'm saying? I told her, on top of that, a lot of people know me and everywhere I go, and so it's just. They can know about the brand and that type of thing, but I don't really want them knowing about my personal life. In the past, I've showed my personal life, and it turns into disaster every time, you know what I'm saying? And so I feel like when it comes to that, it's just better to keep it private, you know? Like, my girl, she lives with me, you know what I'm saying? And I do. I do what I do, and she allows me to do what I do. And, you know, she understands who I am. And, you know, like, she supports me fully because, you know, she sees me every day, and she sees how I, you know, like, you know, she sees how I rock. Like, I'm up in the morning, I'm eating healthy, I'm drinking water, I'm hitting the gym, I'm cutting hair. Like, you know what I'm saying? And so there's a lot of pros that come with me as a man. I'm just saying that's probably why, you know, the other women feel the way they feel. But I definitely have way more pros than I have cons. But, yeah, I just. I don't really know if I do have a balance. I really gotcha. No, no, that makes sense. You know what I would say is I'm not like, I'm focused on what I'm doing. I would say right now in my life, if you are my girl, you're gonna have to take a back seat to what I got going on, period. Because I'm not where I want to be. And in relationships for a man, if you're not where, like me personally, if I'm not where I want to be, it's gonna be disaster. [00:17:24] Speaker A: Right, right, right. [00:17:25] Speaker C: I need to. If you want us both to be happy, then I need to. You know what I'm saying? I need to reach my goals. [00:17:31] Speaker B: So while I think it is super smart to keep your relationship private, you know, having that piece that's not a part of the public. Cause then you have too many people's opinions and thoughts weighing in on Something that's not none of their business. But is there ever any problems with because you're perceived as single, that you're getting hit on or people sliding in your DMs? And is there ever any kind of like, yo, you need to set that girl straight that comes about because they think you're single and you're really not? [00:18:01] Speaker C: Yeah, my girl, she be tripping every once in a while. But the thing is, is that like, the reality of it is, is I be like. I'm like, you don't want me to tell you everything. You don't want me to tell you, like. Cause you would. You don't want me to be showing you. Like, you be stressed out for real. [00:18:21] Speaker B: You don't need full honesty. [00:18:22] Speaker C: Nah. And she like, no, I don't want to know. I'm like, yeah. [00:18:25] Speaker A: I'm like, so as long as it's being handled. [00:18:27] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm like, you know, I come home every night, I do what I'm supposed to, like, you know what I'm saying? I don't really run into that because I'm just not out here wiling. [00:18:36] Speaker B: Got you. [00:18:36] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm at home every day. And then on top of that, me personally, at the point I am right now, like, if I have any free time, I'm spending it with my kids. Yeah, I'm going to pick up my daughter. If I got an hour on my damn, I'm taking her to the park. Cause that's my favorite girl. You know what I mean? Yeah, I don't. I mean, I love that we've talked. [00:18:56] Speaker B: To other entrepreneurs where it's been a little harder to balance family and their profession. [00:19:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:03] Speaker B: And so what do you prior, like, do you prioritize your career over family or family over career, or are they equal? [00:19:12] Speaker C: I would say family first. For sure. For sure. Because anything that has to do with my daughter or my son, I don't care. I'm dropping black mannequin gotta wait. [00:19:24] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? [00:19:27] Speaker C: You know, I'm there, everything. I'm their father. So you know what I'm saying? I take my role as a father very seriously. So I would say, yeah, family first, then. Then my business, for sure. [00:19:38] Speaker A: Do you prefer that, like, if there were to be a choice, like a partner who has her own aspirations and things that are going on that she's focused and working on while you do you. Or do you prefer somebody who is like, able to kind of support you in what you're doing and help you see your vision through. [00:19:54] Speaker C: Well, I'm gonna keep it real. Like right now, like, my girl works from home, so I got a different situation than I've ever had. And my situation right now, I've never lived with a woman beside my mom ever. [00:20:07] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? [00:20:08] Speaker B: Was that hard at first to adjust to that, man? [00:20:10] Speaker C: Oh, my God. Yeah. I'm still stressed out sometimes. I ain't gonna lie. [00:20:15] Speaker B: Cause see, I. I mean, I've had roommates, of course, that are women, but I've also had a roommate that's a guy. I'd prefer to live with a guy over living with another girl, so. [00:20:22] Speaker A: But it's different when it's platonic. [00:20:23] Speaker B: Right. But still, it's like, would guys. Is it more comfortable rooming with a guy? [00:20:27] Speaker C: It seems I've lived with my homies, and I have. I've never had no problems. We don't fight beef. I know them, they know me. We both d. You know what I'm saying? [00:20:36] Speaker B: It's all good, but everybody's box is all over the place. Just not putting straight away. [00:20:43] Speaker C: Yeah. So wait, what was the question again? [00:20:45] Speaker A: Do you prefer a woman that is doing her own thing and have her own aspirations or working to help to help you towards your goals and visions? [00:20:51] Speaker C: Well, here's the thing with me. Like, I be so focused on doing what I'm doing. Like, sometimes I need a break. Like, I want to miss you. I would appreciate as a woman, if you had your own thing going. [00:21:04] Speaker A: Gotcha. [00:21:04] Speaker C: I would. Because a lot of times I'm so busy and moving so fast, I don't really have time to worry about how you're feeling. Like, not, you know, not. [00:21:14] Speaker B: You don't care. [00:21:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. But then I gotta go. And then, like, sometimes my girl's like, oh, well, I wanted to do. And I'm like, yeah, I'm not doing that. Like, I gotta go get this money. You know what I'm saying? And so. And that's how I'm gonna be forever. [00:21:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:29] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? [00:21:30] Speaker B: You know, is there a retirement plan for you? Is there a point where you're ready to be like, I don't want to. I've met my limit on what I want to earn and I've got my earnings and my savings and I no longer have to have these companies, so I can just retire, or do you plan to work? [00:21:48] Speaker C: If I retire, I'm going to do like my dad. Like, I'm just going to go around helping as Many kids and people that I can, you know what I'm saying? I'm going to spend my time helping whoever. The less fortunate or who. You know what I'm saying? Whoever needs it, like, you know what I'm saying? That would be my retirement plan. Even though not making money, I want to make sure I'm making a difference. [00:22:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:08] Speaker B: And so speaking of that, you mentioned to us off camera how you do speaking engagements for underprivileged youth or kids in trouble incarcerating. How did you get into that? [00:22:19] Speaker C: Shout out. Mikey Vegas, you know what I'm saying? And Chris Lambert, my guys, they put me in the game. Shoot. Mikey, been. I've been to McLaren Youth Facility three times. Two for job fairs, one for cutting hair. And that's just Mikey just reaching out to me. Mikey Vegas is my guy, man. It's real stand up, solid shout out. He done put me in a position to win in so many different ways. And Mikey, younger than me, that's my guy, though. But, yeah, he didn't put me in a position to win. And so, you know, me and Mikey, we got a tight bond. And from anything, he's doing everything right, right now. And so anything that he asked me, him and naughty, I make sure I'm there for, you know what I'm saying? Because I love what they doing and I love to be a part of it. And I feel like it's my duty to pour back into the community that show me love. [00:23:13] Speaker B: So I've been to a few career fairs, but I've only been to them outside of jail. Yeah, outside of jail. What's a career fair like inside? Does it still just vendors and. [00:23:24] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, basically, yeah, like vendors and like, for instance, yesterday we talked to 160 kids, but because they're kids and they gotta bring them in, like, each unit by themselves, they can't be. Because it could really turn into a. [00:23:39] Speaker B: Can't just all walk around. [00:23:40] Speaker C: Yeah. Cause it could turn into a problem. So. Yeah, it's just they bring probably, I'd say like maybe like 12 to 15 kids in at a time. [00:23:49] Speaker B: Okay. [00:23:50] Speaker C: And then. Yeah. And then we set up in the gym area. And then, like, each table had, you know, some tables had, like, we're talking about construction and roofing, and then we were talking about entrepreneurship. And then there was, you know what I'm saying? There was a dude in there, a welder. And so just different things. [00:24:05] Speaker A: And so these are jobs that they can get once they're released and everything. [00:24:09] Speaker B: Are any of the folks that come people that would hire someone even if they have a record. So. Because a lot of times I find that when you come out of jail, the only opportunities you have is like manual labor or becoming an entrepreneur. But I also know that there's companies that have programs where they hire people with a background. There's like a kickback of some sort for hiring someone who's been incarcerated. So do they get the opportunity to speak with those companies too, or is it all kind of the labor industry? [00:24:37] Speaker C: I'm gonna keep it real with you. I don't. I'm not sure 100%, but I know, like, with us, for entrepreneurship, like, it was me, it was Lil E, Lil Edward, and it was my guy who's a Nike lawyer. He was there. And then another guy who's just a. He just. He just helps people build their businesses, whatever it may be. So that's what was at our table. And there was a lot of different groups. I didn't see all of them, but I would assume some for probably half and half. [00:25:03] Speaker B: Yeah, okay, that's good. I love the opportunities. [00:25:05] Speaker A: Yeah, that's dope. So with all the business that you have and all the ventures that you've got going on, I assume that you have people that you work closely with. Do you tend to work kind of in partnership with people that are your friends, or do you have just business associates that you trust? [00:25:25] Speaker C: I say both. Like, I got some day ones like Sam and Kendall. Them is my guys, you know what I'm saying? So we locked in regardless, you know what I'm saying? But I ain't gonna lie. Lately I've been trying to more so venture out, you know what I'm saying? I feel like I've solidified the people who I know and my group. [00:25:43] Speaker A: Right. [00:25:43] Speaker C: So, yeah, I just been trying to venture out and do different things. [00:25:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:46] Speaker C: You know, I was in Klamath Falls last month, you know what I'm saying, doing a pop up for a tattoo shop, and it went well. So, yeah, man, just, I mean, you know, staying in touch with my people who I've been rocking with, but then trying to venture out and just reach out. [00:25:59] Speaker A: What are the pros and cons of, like, working with friends? [00:26:01] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Cause I always heard, don't work with your homies. [00:26:05] Speaker A: Right. [00:26:06] Speaker C: Well, here's the thing. If you're working with a friend and y' all are both taking responsibility for your own thing, then it's never a problem. When you're working with a friend and you might need them to do something for you or you might need them to do something for you, or they might need something, you do something for you, or vice versa. It's like, it's. That's when it gets a little sticky, man. You know what I'm saying? What I've learned is because a lot of people that I work with I consider as my friends too. But what I've learned is I feel like I treat the people that I work with like my customers and I have good customer service. So for instance, like, you know, if, if I, if I hit somebody and I need something, them to do something for me. You know what I'm saying? Instead of just being like, hey, bro, can you do this? I'm gonna be like, good morning, my guy. Like, greetings first. Yeah, yeah, good morning. Hope all is well. You know, I like to test temperature, see how you feeling. Right. And then, and then, you know what I mean? And so I'm just, I'm big on respect and I just try to give it the respect first, you know what I'm saying? And just so. I mean, I run into problems every once in a while, but, you know, like, my business is a well oiled machine. And so if you aren't working properly, if you're not a part of that well oiled machine, I have no problem with letting you go. You know what I'm saying? And it's all good and I can let you go and we can still be friends, you know what I'm saying? Usually when I let people go and I still want to be friends, they don't want to be. [00:27:34] Speaker B: I was gonna ask, have you actually lost any friends over business gone wrong? [00:27:40] Speaker C: You know what, you know what the crazy thing is, is? Yeah. Because here's the thing. For some reason, when I was just b wall the hustler, like, nobody really cared like what I was doing or they didn't really give. They didn't care about my opinions. Now all of a sudden, now that I'm black mannequin, like, people are, they're offended. Like, for real, like, I could say the same thing I would have said before I was black mannequin, and we would have laughed about it. But now that I guess they, I got a status. [00:28:06] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:28:07] Speaker C: So now, like, it's stuff people, people be offended. And sometimes I'm like, how are you offended by that? [00:28:12] Speaker B: Like, they're not growing with you. [00:28:14] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:14] Speaker B: I mean, you've obviously been rebranding yourself. It was a growth. Also, it sounds like they didn't grow with you. They're kind of stuck. Is There. [00:28:22] Speaker A: Oh, damn. I had a question. I totally forgot it now. Have mercy. Oh. Do you find that people try to enter into your circle, into your, Your. Your aura because of what you have to offer or the status that you have? [00:28:37] Speaker B: The takers? [00:28:38] Speaker A: Oh, for sure, yeah. [00:28:39] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:39] Speaker A: How do you navigate that? [00:28:40] Speaker C: I just don't trust nobody. [00:28:45] Speaker B: You gotta trust some. I mean, to do business, there still has to be trust. And so how do you weed out the people that are approaching you? Seeming like business, but it's really more self serving than it is about elevation. [00:28:58] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, I ain't gonna lie, to be completely honest. Like, the bigger the brand gets, the more I stay by myself. You know what I'm saying? Does that get lonely when you level up? You know, it's crazy. Cause when you level up in life, like a lot of times when you get to that next level, you be looking around, you don't see nobody. [00:29:17] Speaker B: It's that pyramid. You're at the top by yourself. [00:29:19] Speaker C: You know what I mean? And so it gets hard to. It gets hard for me to talk to people about my problems. Cause I feel like they don't really understand or they're gonna judge me and be like, oh, he trying to swag on me when I'm really not. I'm just talking, right? [00:29:32] Speaker A: They be like first world problems. But she'd be like, no, this is real shit. This is my life. [00:29:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So, yeah, I be by myself. Like, I ain't gonna lie. Like, I'm in it right now in my life. I'm in a major growth stage. And if you're not growing with me, I don't even wanna talk to you. Yeah, I'm just keeping it real, you know, friends, family, whatever. And so. And that's really how it is because, you know, like, my growth is very important to me. And so it's like I just. Yeah, I've been spending more time with myself and with the people who I really love, which is my kids I love the most. So, you know what I'm saying? More than any woman, whatever. So I can say that I love my kids to death. And so I would just say, man, spending more time with them and just good people who have positive energy. [00:30:14] Speaker B: How old are your kids, by the way? [00:30:15] Speaker C: My son has just turned 18 in November. My daughter's three. [00:30:19] Speaker B: Three, okay. Yeah. [00:30:20] Speaker A: And your son plays ball, right? [00:30:21] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:30:23] Speaker A: I've seen the videos. I'm like, it's like Portland is so small because I swear everybody who's like out and about and doing stuff and Seeing everybody's kids play basketball too. And I be like, oh, I be seeing you. I see your parents out and about and then I see you at the games with my kids. [00:30:37] Speaker B: So knowing that your kind of early start to how you got into your entrepreneurship was in hustling the non legal way we're in. I'm going somewhere with this first question, this first half of it. Were your parents kind of in the hustle? Like, were they doing nine to fives? Were they, were they around? [00:31:03] Speaker C: Not, not at all. Neither one of my parents is hustlers at all. But they're both here. Let's get into my parents. But nah, my, you know, when people meet my parents and they know them, then it all makes sense to them why I'm the person that I am. It all makes sense. But my mom has a master's degree. She works for Freightliner for years. She's always. My mom is super independent. She cuts her grass. I didn't see my mom changing her oil before. I'm like, what the hell? Nah, for real. My mom is like, she's. I don't know no women like her. [00:31:40] Speaker A: Right? [00:31:40] Speaker C: I don't like, she's just one of those type where she like, she'll ask you to do something if she even hear your breath a little bit, she's like, you, I'll do it myself. So my mom is super, super smart, super independent. And then my dad is the exact same. He don't got a master's degree, My dad got a financing degree from psu. They both went to school. And my dad, he owns numerous properties. And so, yeah, you know, when I say, when people say they come from black excellence, I really come from black excellence. For real. So. [00:32:12] Speaker B: So where I was going with the first half of this question was knowing that you had, you know, positive role models raised in you, but yet you still kind of turned a different leaf probably than what they had hoped you would be doing. Now that you're on the other side of that, you're successful, you're an entrepreneur, and you are very involved with your kids. What have you done to make sure that maybe they don't do the mistakes or different things that you did in your past. [00:32:39] Speaker C: I ain't gonna lie, like, I'm just way more active even with my son. Like as he got older, I've just been way more active. Cause him and my baby mom, like, when my son was first born, it was drama for like eight years. [00:32:51] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:32:52] Speaker C: So yeah, and I was mad for eight years. So after he turned nine, I got over it. [00:32:58] Speaker A: Damn. [00:32:59] Speaker C: But. [00:33:00] Speaker A: But that's the magic number right there. [00:33:01] Speaker B: He's your mom for eight whole years. [00:33:03] Speaker C: But, yeah. Nah, just really being present. Like, I didn't want to tell my son too much because I didn't want him to think I was glorifying what I was doing. And so now that he turned 18, we have a lot of conversations. I tell him about what I used to do and also let him know that I'm proud of him, because I'm like, bro, you're way farther than I'm. Like, when I was the age you are, I was your age. This is what I was doing. Yeah. And my son is about to go to Prairie View A&M HBCU starting in fall. [00:33:30] Speaker A: Okay? [00:33:30] Speaker B: The HBCU. [00:33:33] Speaker C: So I'm like, bro, I was selling drugs. You're going to college. You know what I'm saying? And so, like, I make sure that, you know, as a man, I teach my son what he needs to know, but I make sure that he's confident, you know what I'm saying? And I make sure that I'm congratulating everything positive that he's doing. Like, he's active in his church. I tell him, make sure you keep doing that. I just. I am. I would probably say, like, I'm a cheerleader for him, for everything he does. Positive. And I praise him for it, and I salute him, and I make sure that he knows, you know what I'm saying? [00:34:04] Speaker B: It's like positive reinforcement. [00:34:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:06] Speaker C: Yeah. And I make sure to let him know, keep going. Because my dad and my granddaddy, even though I steered off, they still rocked with me, and they made sure that they told me what to do, but they could remain positive influences in my life. And I feel like that's why I shifted back, you know what I mean? So he's gonna go through things. It is what it is. You know what I'm saying? My daughter, more so. She's a girl, so I'm just around her all the time. [00:34:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:26] Speaker C: And she always say, I'm beautiful, Daddy. I say, but it's more important to be smart. I always tell her that. I'm like, you know, you are beautiful, but. But it's more important to be smart. [00:34:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:35] Speaker C: I say, you beautiful, so you smart and beautiful. Make sure you say that first. So, yeah, I'm just. I just, you know, I'm just trying to be everything, you know what I'm saying? Positive for them as I can, and not only tell them, but just like my parents did. Walk. Walk. Be the example. [00:34:50] Speaker B: Be the example. [00:34:51] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you feel like your children may follow in your footsteps as far as entrepreneurship, or do they have, like, their own paths, that they're. [00:34:58] Speaker C: My son. I got to teach him how to hustle here. [00:35:00] Speaker A: Oh, he's not about that. [00:35:01] Speaker C: I mean, you got to think that's. That's dwar. Like, that's black mannequin son. So, you know, he really had to hustle. He pretty much done got whatever he wanted. [00:35:10] Speaker B: Does he know what he wants to go to school for? [00:35:11] Speaker C: Yeah, Civil engineering. Okay. Yeah, he's a. Yeah. He's had a cumulative GPA, like a 3.9. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:35:18] Speaker C: Yeah. He graduates in May from Evergreen High School. Super proud of that guy, man. And he got. He started going to church on his own. He's an usher. [00:35:25] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:26] Speaker C: The stuff that he's doing is just like. I tell him I'm just super proud of him. [00:35:31] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? [00:35:32] Speaker C: And I couldn't even imagine that he'd grow up to be the person that he is. And so I told him the other day, I said. I said, you know, when you go outside and everywhere you go, people like, you, black mannequin son. You know what I'm saying? [00:35:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Because your kids look just like you. [00:35:48] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:35:48] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. [00:35:49] Speaker C: I said. I said, when you go outside and people say, you black mannequin son. And all the praise that they give me, that they tell you, oh, your dad is this, and that. I say, bro, that's exactly how I feel about you. You know what I'm saying? So never forget that. Like, I'm a fan. [00:36:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:04] Speaker C: You know what I mean? [00:36:04] Speaker B: So is he able to play ball when he goes to school, or is he. [00:36:07] Speaker C: Yeah, he got a. My son. He got a bulging disc, so he gotta have surgery. Even have a laser surgery next month. It's nothing. He'd be all right. But it was coming. It was turning into a pinched nerve, so he had to miss, like, the last few games of the season. But when he go to the hbcu, he's talking about walking on down there. So, you know, I mean, he. After he gets the surgery, he'll be back. But his senior year was kind of tough. Cause he was dealing with that. [00:36:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Sucks. [00:36:31] Speaker B: But, yeah, I'm sure he'll be able to walk on. Especially, you know, he got the skills. I walked on when I played softball. [00:36:37] Speaker A: Oh. [00:36:37] Speaker B: I then walked right back off. But I walked on and then decided I wanted to go get a job. So I was like, well, this conflicts with my Making money. So I'mma walk off. [00:36:48] Speaker A: Oh, my God. [00:36:48] Speaker B: I wasn't getting no scholarship as I walk on. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Okay. [00:36:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I had to go make that money. [00:36:52] Speaker A: Yeah. I walked on to class, and that was about it. I wasn't playing no sports. [00:36:58] Speaker C: You know, he wanted to play basketball in college if he could, but he was more so focused on academics. And I told him a long time ago, you know, I told him his sophomore year, I said, look, bro, you can be two dudes. You know what I'm saying? And I'll tell you one that we've seen a thousand times. The dude who had all the skill and talent, but his grades were horrible, so he never went nowhere. You know what I'm saying? I said, I can show you I can name 100 dudes that did that. I said, don't be the next one. Be the one who made it. [00:37:24] Speaker B: Plus, then you got those athletes that never learn how to manage their money, right? And so they acquire a lot, but then they lose it quickly because they don't know how to invest or they trust it with the wrong people. [00:37:35] Speaker A: Then they move back to their hometowns and just don't do nothing, right. Yeah. And I've told my son, what's your backup plan? Like, what's your plan? Like, in case, you know, you don't go to the NBA, or in case you don't go to International, or even if you do, what are you gonna do afterwards? Like, what is the plan? Because you have to have something. And so, you know, he's been inquiring about journalism, and he likes to debate with me, so he wants to look into being a lawy. And I'm like, you know, what? [00:37:57] Speaker B: Do all this stuff. [00:37:58] Speaker A: All the stuff. I love it. I play basketball, too, at that part. Like, how are we gonna get this scholarship? We're gonna get it. But he's academic, all the things, too, so I have appreciation for that. I want to go into something that we did at the pop up event. He's like, oh, God. So we did some little pop up interviews at the pop up event, and you were one of our lucky individuals to get interviewed. And you told us this hilarious story that I would love to revisit because it was. I swear, everybody's mouth dropped, and we're like, what? So we asked you what the craziest thing you had ever done for love was. And you said, what's this story? [00:38:32] Speaker B: I want the whole context of the story. [00:38:34] Speaker A: Yes. [00:38:35] Speaker C: Oh, man. [00:38:38] Speaker A: She's like, I said all this positive stuff. [00:38:40] Speaker C: Here's the thing. I'M not gonna say her name now. I'm not gonna say her name. [00:38:44] Speaker A: Okay? [00:38:44] Speaker C: But, yeah, this was. This is when I lived on Skidmore in Borthwick. You know what I'm saying? On the same block that my grandparents grew up on, I had a girlfriend. And we was arguing one day and one night. And this is back when I was drinking Henny. This is why I stopped drinking Henny. [00:39:02] Speaker A: See, this is why you can't drink. [00:39:04] Speaker C: So I stopped drinking Henny. So we was arguing, and I can't remember exactly, but all I know is we was arguing and I was talking. I. She was with her friend, and I had her car, and her car was in front of my house. I don't even know why I had her car. Cause I had my own car. So I had her car. Excuse me. I had her car, and she was out with her friend, and I'm like. And we was arguing about something, and I just went berserk. And she was like. She said she was on the phone, she was at the club still. [00:39:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:39:34] Speaker C: And I'm like. I'm like, oh, that's how you felt? And so, like, I put the phone on speaker, and then I picked up a cinder block, and I threw the cinder block through. Through her driver's side window. And. And then. And then she was like, what's that? I was like a. A brick going through your window. And then I'm like, oh, you think I'm done? So I just sat the phone down. [00:39:53] Speaker B: I'm not done. But you go hear it all. [00:39:55] Speaker C: Yeah. I reached through the window that was broken with glass. I pulled the cinder block out, threw it through the background. I threw it through every window. [00:40:02] Speaker A: The same one? [00:40:02] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:40:03] Speaker B: Catch a retreat. [00:40:05] Speaker C: I threw the cinder block through every window. And so she had a. She had a four door convertible. And you know what the crazy thing is? I threw the cinder blocks through the window. Right. Her friend, she wouldn't even come. I was super mad, so she wouldn't come to my house that night. She was like, no, I'm staying with my friend. You were wilding. And so make a long story short, I ended up having to pay for all the windows. [00:40:29] Speaker A: Well, yeah, you broke them all. [00:40:30] Speaker C: No, I know, but. [00:40:33] Speaker A: In his mind, he was like, you know, insurance can take care of this, but no, I'll go ahead and. I'll go ahead and do it. How long did y' all stay together after this incident? [00:40:41] Speaker C: Shoot. Me and her was together for like four or five years. [00:40:46] Speaker B: Yo, she was like a level of crazy because I Would have been like, it's a rap. [00:40:50] Speaker C: This is in my 20s, too, so, you know. In your 20s. [00:40:52] Speaker A: Wow. Toxic was cool back then. [00:40:55] Speaker C: No, for real. Yeah. I was in my 20s. [00:40:57] Speaker A: That's how I show you I love you. Just tear down your car and then pay for it. Yeah. [00:41:02] Speaker C: And I. I ain't gonna lie. At that time in my life, I was at my height of. Of hustling. And so, like, I really had no respect for nothing. Like, I was making 20, 15, 20,000amonth. I didn't care about nothing. [00:41:13] Speaker A: Right, Right. [00:41:17] Speaker C: On this one. And that's what I'm saying. I think when I paid for the windows, I just gave her a big nod. I was like, here. [00:41:22] Speaker B: Little punk ass windows. They even have tents. We'll fix that. [00:41:25] Speaker A: Right, right, right. I was helping you out. [00:41:27] Speaker C: I was. Oh, but. But do let me. This is the funniest part. Is story that I didn't tell you. [00:41:31] Speaker A: Oh, good. [00:41:31] Speaker C: So. So. So the next day after that happened, right? I was out on my porch doing something, and my granddaddy was across the street on the porch, right? And so my granny was like, hey, Javon, because that's my middle name. [00:41:43] Speaker A: Oh, shoot. [00:41:44] Speaker C: He said, hey, Javon, come over here, man. I want to talk to you. So I'm like, I'm not even thinking. In my. In my mind, I'm not even thinking because literally, I did that right across the street from my grandparents. But it's like three in the morning. [00:41:53] Speaker A: So I'm like, they sleep, Right? Right, right. So no one hears these crash sounds. [00:41:56] Speaker C: Yeah. So I come over, and my granddaddy is one of the. Him and my dad are two of the most men that I have the most respect for in my life. And so my grandaddy. So I came over and we came in the house, and he's like, man, take a seat. And when he said that, I was like, oh, here we go. So I'm like, my mom like, oh, obviously he know what's up. So he like, take a seat. So I sit down and he like, hey, I'm not even gonna try to get in your business, but I just want to tell you this, you know, he's like, I just want to relay this message because my granddaddy, he's super calm always. Even when he's angry. Like, he's just a calm man. He's like, us Walden men, we don't destroy other people's property. [00:42:33] Speaker A: Say it other words. Don't embarrass us ever again in life. [00:42:37] Speaker C: My granddaddy's so real. Like, he's knowing. He actually knows more about me than anybody, but he's very good at keeping a secret. But, yeah, my granddaddy was like, yeah. And of course, he didn't say nothing to nobody about it. But when I thought about it after I left, I was like, damn. I was thinking, was my granddaddy sitting in the window watching me do this. [00:42:56] Speaker B: Neighborhood watch the whole thing? [00:42:58] Speaker C: Because here's the thing. When you drinking your hand, like, I'm. [00:43:00] Speaker A: Not thinking about it. [00:43:01] Speaker C: Nothing. Throwing a cinder block through a window on a residential block four times. Yeah. [00:43:05] Speaker A: Like, you're retrieving it. You're reaching in and grabbing it. I'm still good. [00:43:10] Speaker C: I'm surprised that nobody called the police. Yo, But I mean, that's the fan. That's the block my grandly, you know, we grew up on. So, I mean, if anybody do you look out the window and see that probably, oh, that's Willie and Colonel's grandson. Just let him be. [00:43:21] Speaker A: Just let him be. [00:43:23] Speaker B: Fill me out. [00:43:24] Speaker A: Were you, like, the wild child that everybody knew was the wild child, or did you show? [00:43:28] Speaker C: I was the black sheep for about 15 years. I came back home, though. Prodigal son. [00:43:35] Speaker B: That is hilarious. [00:43:36] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. If you had some advice for anybody that's, like, kind of coming behind you in entrepreneurship and relationships, parenting, whatever, what would it be? [00:43:48] Speaker C: Advice for coming behind me? Yeah, for entrepreneurship. Believe. You got to believe. And before you take that step, you got to believe in whatever it is 100%. You have to believe in it. You have to be. And the reason I say that is because time's gonna get tough, and then if you don't believe in it, you're gonna be like, man, I'm gonna go do something else. [00:44:05] Speaker A: Right? [00:44:06] Speaker C: So you have to believe. You have to believe, man. You have to believe in your product or service. On top of that, for me, what's grew my brand so, so fast, I'm definitely extrovert. People know I have no problem with talking to people. I can talk for hours. I have no problem with talking to new people. And, you know, I'm very, very confident. So I would just say networking. Networking is super important. [00:44:30] Speaker A: Okay? [00:44:31] Speaker C: Networking is super important. I've been in buildings where I've met people that have. Have. Be in places where I never thought I. You know, I mean, like, yeah, so networking is very important. That comes after believing. And, you know, you got to be. You got to be ready to work hard. You got to be ready to do something every single day. Like, there ain't no Days off. So, yeah, you know, entrepreneurship is not a job, it's a lifestyle. [00:44:56] Speaker A: Yeah. You know what I'm saying? [00:44:58] Speaker C: Period. Like, it's that there's like, I'm such an entrepreneur, I don't take no days off because if I take a day, I don't feel like I wasted a day of my life, you know what I'm saying? Like, I gotta get to it. [00:45:09] Speaker B: What do you tell the people who think, think that being their own boss, running their own business means that they can relax? Because I think that's the common misunderstanding. [00:45:20] Speaker A: I don't want a boss. I want to be my own boss. [00:45:21] Speaker B: I want to be my own boss. I want to get up when I want to get up, I want to work when I feel like working. [00:45:26] Speaker C: But you gonna be broke. [00:45:27] Speaker B: You gonna be broke. [00:45:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:29] Speaker A: That's facts. [00:45:29] Speaker C: Hey, I'm gonna tell you like this, you know what I'm saying? When you have a job and you work somewhere and you have benefits and all that, you only responsible for your job, what you have to do in front of your computer score or whatever it may be, Right. When you are an entrepreneur, you are the janitor, you're the principal, you're the teacher, you're the student, you know what I'm saying? And so you carry all the weight, all the responsibilities on you. If you don't work, then you don't eat. You know what I'm saying? My motto is hustle or starve, you know what I'm saying? That's how I always been, man. Hustler, starve, man. Ain't nobody gonna help you out here, you know what I'm saying? [00:46:02] Speaker A: Yeah, right. [00:46:02] Speaker C: So. So, yeah, so that's how I live. If you're gonna be an entrepreneur, realistically, you're gonna be doing more work than you would. [00:46:11] Speaker B: Way more harder being an entrepreneur than it is working for someone else. [00:46:15] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:15] Speaker C: And then work and then finding people who are actually good workers, that's even harder. [00:46:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:19] Speaker C: Or people who see your vision, you know? [00:46:20] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:21] Speaker B: Do you still do all your own hiring or do you have a team of people that you trust to put into positions that, for example, like if you, if someone was taking care of your schedule for booking cuts. [00:46:35] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:46:35] Speaker B: Would you have someone take care of that for you or would you hire someone for that? [00:46:40] Speaker C: No, yeah, I do. I do all that myself. I'm my own booking agent. I booked my events out of town, I booked my haircuts. I went on an 11 city tour in 2021. I was in a different city every month. Jackson, Mississippi, at Dallas Houston. Yeah, I was everywhere and 11 city tour. I was the booking agent. I booked every event. I booked the hotels. You know what I'm saying? [00:47:00] Speaker B: Are you a one man shop? Like, do you have staff? [00:47:02] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I do. My business partner, Natalia Riley, which is. She is a marketing major. [00:47:06] Speaker A: Okay. [00:47:07] Speaker C: She's graduated from psu, so she's the best at what she does. When people see me hustling in the streets. Yeah, that's how. That's how cold she is in the office. She's an office. [00:47:15] Speaker A: She's. [00:47:16] Speaker C: I'll send her. I'll send her some pictures. They'll be on the website. 30 seconds. [00:47:19] Speaker A: Nice. [00:47:19] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? Everything she does, she does banners, she does business cards. She does, she does. She handles all our credit cards and payments. Times when they come, she's very. Basically, Natalia does everything. So all I gotta do is worry about hustle. [00:47:35] Speaker B: She's an administration. [00:47:36] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:47:37] Speaker C: She does everything in the office. She's answering emails, she's. Okay, but look, you know, you gotta do this. By this time, she's signing my name. She's doing everything. [00:47:44] Speaker A: We don't say that, right? No, that's facts. [00:47:48] Speaker B: Be comfortable with them. Signing off on your behalf. [00:47:50] Speaker A: No, that's. [00:47:51] Speaker C: Well, yeah, but Natalia is my best friend in life too. She's not only my business partner, but she's like my life coach. [00:47:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:56] Speaker C: She's my good angel. She's my good conscience. And she always leads me in the right direction. She's taught me a lot about business. I've taught her a lot about the streets. And now that we've combined Voltron with these powers. [00:48:09] Speaker A: Combined. [00:48:10] Speaker C: Yeah. And so. Yeah, and she works a regular job right now. [00:48:13] Speaker A: Okay, I was gonna ask if it was just. [00:48:15] Speaker C: Yeah, she works a regular job at Documark, which is like. And they do all our. They put all our stickers and everything. [00:48:19] Speaker A: So that's a perfect connection right there. [00:48:21] Speaker C: You know what I mean? It all worked out. And she's just. She works just. She works just as hard as me, if not more. You know what I'm saying? With her job, she makes sure black mannequin stuff is always done. She's an auntie to my daughter and my son. And. Yeah, she just. She does everything she can. So she knows. She's like, you're good at hustling. I'm do everything else. [00:48:43] Speaker B: I love that. [00:48:44] Speaker A: That's a good connection piece. I love it. Where can people find you. [00:48:50] Speaker C: Man? You can find me. Shoot. I'm at District every Week popping the black mannequin.com online always. We do local delivery every day for clothes and CMOs. Jail, Portland, beavers, and Vancouver area. I'm pulling up on your doorstep. And then, like I said, I do, like, 10 to 15 events a month. But besides that, like I said, either you can see me outside in a group setting, or I can pull up to your doorstep and you can shake my hand, however. You know what I'm saying? However you want to do it. But, yeah, that's just. That's how I hustle, man. I like to. I got to get straight to it. [00:49:23] Speaker A: I love it. And what about on social media? [00:49:24] Speaker C: Social media, The. The real black mannequin on IG also, Mannequin cuts my barbershop page once. Once my CMOS boom up, I'm gonna start a page for that too. But I ain't gonna lie. I feel like the social network's been kind of shadow banning when you post that, so I' ma just wait. [00:49:42] Speaker A: Gotcha. Gotcha. [00:49:44] Speaker C: Yeah. And then, of course, you know, like. [00:49:46] Speaker A: I'm cracking up, though, because I. I told him the other day I had been tagging the wrong black mannequin page. Whenever I, like, wear an outfit, I've been tagging it. [00:49:53] Speaker C: I was fit. You was tagging easy McCoy? [00:49:54] Speaker A: Because I thought it was like. I was like, oh, black mannequin fit like your outfit. So I was like, yeah, click. And I was like, I'm tagging the hell out of this, man. And I was like, that's my guy. [00:50:02] Speaker C: That's my guy. Easy. So it's all good. [00:50:04] Speaker A: I was like, bro, he taking all the credit for all these outfits. [00:50:07] Speaker C: Black mannequin fit. Basically on his black mannequin fit page. He's doing exercises on the whole page, but just in black mannequin. Different black mannequin. [00:50:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I was like. I was cracking up because I was tagging that man for, like, a good year. [00:50:19] Speaker B: He didn't say nothing either. [00:50:20] Speaker A: Didn't say nothing. He's like, thanks. Thanks. Appreciate you. Oh, my goodness. Nick B. Tell them about these drinks that are in front of you. [00:50:26] Speaker B: Okay. So we have actually been sipping on these crafted cocktails. [00:50:31] Speaker A: Yes. From Nebula 9. [00:50:34] Speaker B: And they're amazing. They are four times distilled. [00:50:38] Speaker A: Yes. [00:50:38] Speaker B: They are made with agave sugars and all natural fruit flavors, and they also have apple cider vinegar in them. So basically, this vodka here, which also. Two shots in each can. [00:50:49] Speaker A: Each can. Yep. [00:50:50] Speaker B: You know, it's good for your digestive health if you want to rock out on some vodka. But be healthy about it. [00:50:54] Speaker A: You know, throw some seed oil in there. There you go. Listen, you can check them [email protected] and that's the number 9 or Nebula 9 vodka on all social media platforms. They are our sponsor this season, so shout out to them. We thank you because we've been getting lit all season. I love it. And you can check out our recip videos that we've been posting. So make sure you look at those tons of custom curated drinks that we've made. Or we didn't make them, but they we didn't make. [00:51:21] Speaker B: But we have two named after us. [00:51:22] Speaker A: We do the Dirty nine and the the Summer Flings. She's getting flung. But other than that. Nick B. Where can they find you? [00:51:32] Speaker B: So I can be found on all platforms of Dirty Roses podcast. May that be our actual website, our Instagram, our Facebook, our TikTok. But if you want to reach me so specifically, I can be found on Instagram @nickbnickb and that's Nick with a K. Ms. Lilaree, where can we find you? [00:51:47] Speaker A: Yes, you can find me in these streets wearing black mannequin. Okay. No, I actually do have a lot of black mannequin. I, I rocks with him. For real. For real. We got that the, the, the Harlem. The Mannequin Knights. I got the Mannequin dealer, which looks like Michael Jackson Thriller. You got some dope ass shirts. I ain't gonna lie. [00:52:04] Speaker C: Mannequin to society coming next. [00:52:05] Speaker A: Oh, I need that. I need that for real. Couple weeks, that's dope. But you can find me on social media. It's leelarie L E I G H L A R I E and of course, dirtyrosespodcast.com dirtyroses podcast on all social medias, YouTube and on every single streaming platform that you can think of. Make sure y' all tune in and listen and y' all catch us next time. Bye. Bye. [00:52:24] Speaker B: Guess what, rose buddies, we are thrilled to introduce our new sponsorship packages. Be sure to hit us [email protected] to inquire how we can showcase your brand on our platforms.