* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Liftoff Houston: 2022 Winners Panel] [00:00:16] SO, AS YOU KNOW, OUR TEAM, UM, MYSELF, JESSICA DEL GRECO, THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AND THEN WE HAVE NELLY PENA, WHO IS, UM, NOT HERE TODAY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE HER THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM. BELINDA COX, UM, WITH HPL AS A PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AND THEN KENNETH THOMAS, OUR WONDERFUL IT SUPPORT. SO THIS IS OUR CHECK-IN TODAY. UM, THIS IS NOT A REQUIRED WORKSHOP. WE JUST SIMPLY DO THIS TO TRACK WHO'S HERE AND WHO'S NOT HERE. UM, SO SINCE IT'S NOT REQUIRED, UM, YOU'RE NOT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THE CHECK-IN. WE JUST ASK THAT YOU DO FOR TRACKING REASONS, AND KENNETH IS ALSO SENDING, UM, THAT LINK IN THE CHAT. SO WE'RE JUST GONNA THANK, UM, A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS. SO WE HAVE HPL, UM, THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND CAPITAL ONE. WE ARE THE MAIN THREE PARTNERS, UM, FOR THIS, UM, PROGRAM. AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, LIKE HBDI, H-C-C-S-B-A, DUMPLING DUDES PEOPLE FUND SCORE, THE RA COMPANY BOARD, SIMPSON THACHER, AND BARTLETT AND LIFT FUND. SO WE GOT OUR, UH, WONDERFUL VARIETY OF PARTNERS THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM. SO WE'RE GONNA DO SOME INTRODUCTIONS, UM, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA DO SOME BASIC INTRODUCTIONS TO THE FINALISTS THAT ARE HERE TODAY, AND I'LL LET THEM, UM, TAKE IT FURTHER AND THEY CAN INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. I WON'T GO TOO MUCH INTO IT. WE HAVE KYLIE SUMMERS IS OUR 2016 WINNER, UM, COMPANY SPEND IT, DR. NATASHA ROBERTS JOHNSON, UM, THE, ONE OF THE 2022 WINNERS OF THE SERVICE CATEGORY WITH ACTIVATE DRIP SPA, AND THEN HANNAH LEE WITH RESTATEMENT OUR 2022 PRODUCT WINNER. SO WE'LL GO BACK TO KYLIE. KYLIE, IF YOU JUST WANNA TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS, INTRODUCE YOURSELF, ABSOLUTELY. ONE, I IT ALWAYS FEEL GOOD TO COME BACK AND, AND JUST SHARE. SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. AGAIN, MY NAME IS KYLIE SUMMERS, THE FOUNDER OF SPENDED. UH, AND LOOK, WE ARE A FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, UH, IF I CAN SAY IT THIS WAY. WE ARE AN APP THAT HELPS PEOPLE PAY OFF DEBT EVERY TIME THEY SWIPE THEIR DEBIT CARD OR HAVE A BANKING TRANSACTION. UM, AND SO, UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE, WE HELP COMPANIES RECOVER ACCOUNT RECEIVABLES, UM, USING OUR ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT METHOD. UM, AND I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE BECAUSE IT WAS, IT WAS LIFTOFF THAT GAVE US, UH, OUR FIRST START. AND SO, UH, YOU ARE ALL IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ENGAGING, UM, THIS EVENING. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, KYLIE. WE'LL GO TO, UH, DR. ROBERTS. HELLO EVERYONE. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? MY NAME IS DR. SASHA ROBERTS JOHNSON. I'M THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF ACTIVATE DRIFTS SPA. HOUSTON'S NUMBER ONE, IB HEALTH, WELLNESS AND AESTHETIC CENTER. UM, SO YEAH, LIFTOFF HAS GI GIVEN ME SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES. I AM SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL. UM, AND IF I WAS YOU, I WOULD CONTINUE WITH THE PROGRAM. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IN, ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS, THAT'S THE BEST OPPORTUNITY, AND, UM, ASK QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. AND THEN HANNAH LEE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? HI EVERYONE, I'M HANNAH LEE AND I'M THE FOUNDER OF RESTATEMENT. YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA HEAR ME AGREEING A LOT WITH, UH, TASHA AND KYLIE TONIGHT, BUT WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS ALL TRUE. UM, SO RESTATEMENT IS THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE THAT'S TAKING USED UNWANTED CLOTHES, AND WE'RE UPCYCLING THEM INTO BOLD, ONE OF A KIND PIECES OF WEARABLE ART. UM, AFTER WINNING LIFTOFF LAST YEAR IN THE PRODUCT CATEGORY, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, WOW, IF I HAVE THE CITY OF HOUSTON BEHIND ME, THE LEAST I CAN DO IS LAUNCH IN DECEMBER, JUST IN TIME FOR PEOPLE TO GET GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE JUST BEEN RISING UP AND I JUST CAN'T, UH, LIKE WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT IT, JUST, THAT'S REALLY HOW I STARTED MY COMPANY AND I REALLY PUT A LOT OF GRATITUDE INTO LIFTOFF FOR THAT. IT'S AMAZING. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE JUST GONNA GO, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT I'M GONNA ASK ALL OF YOU. UM, IF ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING SPECIFIC IN THE CHAT, UM, FEEL FREE TO PUT IT IN THERE. UM, AND WE CAN, WE CAN GO OVER IT. SO I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ANY SPECIFIC WAY ALL OF YOU WANNA ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. WE'LL JUST LET YOU LET YOU POP [00:05:01] IN IF YOU WANNA RESPOND. IF NOT, I'M JUST CALLING YOU . SO THE FIRST ONE, UM, IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM, UM, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF? I WOULD TAKE A LOT OF NOTES. UM, WHEN, WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, AND GOING THROUGH THE CLASSES TO ME, I FELT LIKE I WASN'T IN TUNE AS MUCH. AND NOW WHEN I'M, I'M GOING THROUGH IT AGAIN, I'M LIKE, OH, THEY DID SAY THAT. YOU KNOW? SO TAKE A LOT OF NOTES, ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS. NO QUESTION IS A WRONG QUESTION TO ASK. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO OVER IT, IS IT IS GOING TO TAKE ME A SOME TIME TO PROCESS. IT IS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THE PROGRAM. BUT, UM, LOOK, WHAT, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE, OF THE RESOURCES, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THAT THE PEOPLE AND THE NETWORK THAT YOU WILL BE IN FRONT OF. SO ALL OF THE, UM, WORKSHOPS, GET TO KNOW THE PERSON WHO IS PRESENTING, UH, WHETHER IT IS THE CAPITAL ONE BANKER, WHETHER IT'S YOUR ADVISOR SCORE. UH, I PROMISE YOU, I PROMISE YOU, YOU WILL SEE THESE FOLKS AGAIN, YOU WILL SEE THESE COMPANIES AGAIN, THESE ORGANIZATIONS AGAIN, AND IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THEM, BUT IT'S BETTER IF THEY KNOW YOU. IT IS GOOD IF YOU KNOW THEM. IT'S BETTER IF THEY KNOW YOU. YOU NEVER KNOW HOW YOU WILL BENEFIT FROM THAT RELATIONSHIP. AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT VERY, VERY SERIOUS AROUND, UH, FIGURING OUT A WAY TO BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP. RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE, UH, WE ALL HAVE AN ASK. WE ALL WANT THINGS FROM PEOPLE, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP, IT DOESN'T EVEN FEEL LIKE AN ASK. UM, AND, UH, I WOULD TELL YOU, OR TELL MY YOUNGER SELF, IF I WAS STARTING THIS PROGRAM ALL OVER, UH, TO REALLY GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT I'M GOING TO BE IN NETWORK WITH, THE PRESENTERS, THE OTHER FOUNDERS, THE OTHER COMPANIES, BECAUSE IT'S RELATIONSHIP. THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP WORLD. IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT NOW, UH, THIS IS THE CHEAT CODE. I'M GIVING IT TO YOU RIGHT NOW. IT IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PEOPLE THAT'S IN THIS PROGRAM WITH YOU. I LOVE THAT. BUT, UM, ADDING ONTO THAT, UM, I THINK WHAT I, HMM, WHAT I WOULD TELL MYSELF IS JUST TO START EARLIER, RIGHT? LIKE, DO A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME INSTEAD OF WAITING A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE EVERYTHING'S DUE TO GET IT DONE. UM, EVERYONE WILL ALWAYS TELL YOU YOUR BUSINESS PLAN CAN ALWAYS BE IMPROVED. YOUR PITCH, YOUR PRESENTATION ITSELF CAN ALWAYS BE IMPROVED. AND SO THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. AND IF YOU JUST GET STARTED WRITING OUT, LIKE THE SLOPPIEST VERSION OF A BUSINESS PLAN, YOU CAN IMAGINE YOU'LL HAVE NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP, FIRST OF ALL. BUT THEN YOU'LL ALSO LOOK BACK AND SAY LIKE, I ALREADY PUT, YOU KNOW, I ALREADY DID THE HARDEST PARTS, WHICH WAS GETTING STARTED. AND SO IT REALLY MOTIVATES YOU TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE PROCESS. SO EVEN AFTER THIS CALL TODAY, IF IT JUST MEANS, YOU KNOW, WRITING OUT HOW YOUR BUSINESS PLAN WILL LAY OUT OUT OF IT, LIKE WHAT YOU WANNA DO WITH IT, WHAT YOUR HYPOTHESES ARE, JUST DO SOME SORT OF LITTLE TEENY TINY THING, UM, JUST TO GET THE BALL MOVING. WELL, THOSE WERE GREAT. I LOVED THOSE. UM, SO WE ARE GETTING A COUPLE QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT. SO I GUESS WE'LL JUST GO IN THE ORDER, UH, KYLIE, NATASHA, HANNAH, WE'LL GO BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED. UM, SO A QUESTION IN THE CHAT IS WHAT INSPIRED YOUR IDEA? OH, YOU DID SAY MY NAME FIRST THIS TIME. UH, LOOK, IT IS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AROUND, UH, WATCHING MY MOTHER DEAL WITH MONEY, RIGHT? AND I WATCHED HER ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL TO MAKE ENDS MEET, RAISING THREE, UH, THREE BOYS. UH, AND SO THAT WAS MY KIND OF MY INDIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH, WITH MONEY. AND THEN IT WAS MY PROFESSIONAL OR MY EXPERIENCE WITH MONEY AS A PROFESSIONAL, UH, AS A YOUNG ADULT. UM, AND, AND HAVING OVER 140 PLUS THOUSAND DOLLARS OF CONSUMER DEBT. UM, AT THAT MOMENT, I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT MY MOM DID AND SACRIFICE FOR ME TO BE IN A POSITION TO HAVE A DEGREE TO, TO START LIFE IN A BETTER SITUATION IF I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT MY DAD'S SITUATION. AND I WAS GOING TO RELIVE MY MOM GENERATION. AND SO, UH, W WITH JUST WITH THAT IN MIND, AND WE BEGIN TO KIND OF DIG OURSELVES, BOTH MY WIFE AND I, WE BEGAN TO DIG OURSELVES OUT OF, UH, THE CONSUMER DEBT HOLE. WE BECAME DEBT FREE, TOOK SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS, BUT, UH, WE BECAME DEBT FREE AND WE REALIZED IT WAS OTHER FOLKS THAT WERE CLOSE TO US, FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND PEOPLE IN JUST IN OUR CIRCLE. AND WE WANTED TO HELP THEM. UH, THEY WERE STILL SHOPPING, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT TO EAT, TRAVELING, ALL THE THINGS, RIGHT? UM, BUT THEY WERE STRUGGLING WITH THE CONSUMER DEBT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, GOD PLANTED THIS IDEA IN MY HEAD TO HELP PEOPLE SPEND MONEY AND PAY OFF [00:10:01] DEBT. THAT WAS, UM, ESSENTIALLY HOW WE GOT STARTED DOING WHAT WE DO, OR THAT, WHAT, THAT'S WHAT INSPIRED ME, UH, TO, TO, UH, MOVE ON THE IDEA, UH, OF SPEND IT. SO, GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU, DR. ROBERTS. WHAT INSPIRED YOUR IDEA? SO MY SON WAS MY INSPIRATION. UM, HE WAS BORN WITH A RARE GENETIC DISORDER CALLED GLYCOGEN STORAGE DISEASE TYPE 10. SO WITH THAT, HE WOULD NEED IV HYDRATION TO PREVENT HIM FROM, FROM GOING INTO RHABDO WHERE HIS MUSCLES BREAK DOWN. SO I, I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH AND I, I WAS LIKE, OH, THIS COULD BE A BUSINESS. AND SO I PUT IT TOGETHER, I DID THE BUSINESS PLAN, AND WE, THAT'S WHERE I GOT IT FROM. IT WAS MORE OF MAKING SURE MY SON HAD ACCESS TO CARE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. SO IT WAS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. SO THAT'S WHAT PUSHED ME TO GO FORWARD AND DO THIS BUSINESS. I LOVE THESE STORIES. UM, I, I ALWAYS THINK OF MY MOM WHENEVER I WORK ON RESTATEMENT EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO, UM, GROWING UP, MY MOM HAS BEEN DOING SEWING, ALTERATIONS ALL MY LIFE, RIGHT? AND THE CONCEPT OF UPCYCLING, SHE WOULD JUST TAKE ANY USED PIECE OF FABRIC OR EXTRA THAT SHE WOULD CUT OFF FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S CLOTHES, AND SHE WOULD TURN THEM INTO AWESOME THINGS. FOR INSTANCE, SHE MADE OVER A THOUSAND FACE MASKS DURING THE PANDEMIC. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS VERY, VERY YOUNG, WE WEREN'T DOING IT BECAUSE IT WAS THE SEXY, SUSTAINABLE THING TO DO, RIGHT? WE WERE DOING IT BECAUSE OUR FAMILY, QUITE FRANKLY, WE WERE POOR. LIKE, WE DID NOT HAVE MUCH GOING ON. WE WERE JUST DOING, MAKING THE MOST OUT OF WHAT WE HAD JUST BECAUSE, UH, IT WAS A SMART THING TO DO. AND SO, FLASH FORWARD IN 2022, WHEN I TOLD MYSELF LIKE, I WANNA START A COMPANY. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY ENTREPRENEURIAL. LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT THERE. UM, I WAS JUST EXHAUSTING MYSELF ONE DAY COMING UP WITH ALL THESE BUSINESS IDEAS. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK, GO ONLINE SHOPPING FOR A LITTLE BIT, AND THAT'S WHEN IT ALL CLICKED. I WASN'T FINDING WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. AND THEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHAT MY FAVORITE THINGS IN THE CLOSET WERE. AND THESE WERE THESE UNIQUE, ONE OF A KIND PIECES THAT A SMALL BUSINESS HAD MADE, OR A, UH, INDEPENDENT DESIGNER HAD MADE. AND THEN YOU FIND THAT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DESIGNERS HAVE AN UPCYCLING FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. AND SO NOW WE'RE PUTTING THEM FRONT AND CENTER IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY LOOKING FOR UNIQUE, SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS. I LOVE HEARING, I LOVE THE QUESTION WHEN WE ASK, LIKE, PARTICIPANTS IN PREVIOUS WINNERS, LIKE, WHAT INSPIRED YOU? 'CAUSE IT'S ALWAYS SO PERSONAL, AND WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WANNA DO THE PROGRAM. IS THAT, LIKE, WHEN IT'S SO PERSONAL, YOUR DRIVE IS THAT MUCH HIGHER WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT LIKE YOU REALLY RELATE TO OR YOU FIND USEFUL, UM, IT JUST DRIVES YOU SO MUCH MORE. SO THE NEXT QUESTION IS, UM, WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION LIKE FROM FOUNDER SLASH CREATOR TO CO ? I, LOOK, I THINK IT'S A E IT IS A, IT IS A, IT IS AN EVOLUTION. IT'S ALWAYS FOUNDER FIRST. UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, CEO SECOND, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S JUST THE ORIGIN OF HOW THINGS HAPPEN. UM, IF, IF, IF I'M HONEST, I'M STILL MAKING THAT TRANSITION. IT'S, IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A EVER EVOLVING THING. UM, UM, AND I, AND I, AND I, AND I THINK WHY IS BECAUSE YOU GET SO CAUGHT UP IN MAKING SURE THAT THE PRODUCT AND THE SERVICE IS WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE. YOU WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S SUSTAINABLE OVER TIME. UH, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW AND WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUR TEAM, UH, MAYBE I'LL CONTINUE TO, TO GET AWAY FROM THAT FOUNDER. BUT FOR NOW, IT'S, IT'S MUCH STILL, YOU KNOW, IN THAT, UM, UH, I DON'T KNOW, INCUBATION, UH, UH, IN MY HEAD, AT LEAST PHASE, UH, WHERE YOU JUST, YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PRODUCT AND THAT SERVICE IS, UH, AVAILABLE. AND IT'S RIGHT. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY THAT WE WANNA BE THE CHICK-FIL-A OF FINANCIAL SERVICES, UH, AND, AND, AND IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE CORE SERVICE IS, UM, IT'S ROCK SOLID ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY AROUND, UH, IN HOW WE DO BUSINESS. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, IT'S HARD FOR, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO MOVE FROM THAT FOUNDING STAGE BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S, YOU KNOW, ROCK SOLID JUST QUITE YET. MM-HMM . COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ME BEING OBSESSED WITH THE IDEA AND, AND WANTING TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN THE WAY AND WANTED THE PRODUCT TO BE SO, UH, SO PERFECT FOR THEM. SO, UM, IT'S AN EVOLVING THING FOR KYLIE AND SPEND IT. SAME HERE WITH ACTIVATE. UM, AS THE FOUNDER, I'M STILL, I THINK THE ROLE IS INTERCHANGEABLE BECAUSE I AM, I'M THE ONE THAT INITIATED IT, RIGHT? AND I'M STILL RUNNING THE COMPANY. SO THERE'S NOT REALLY A TRANSITION. I THINK I'M, IT'S STILL, UH, [00:15:01] I, I HAVE BOTH ROLES STILL AT THE SAME TIME. THIS IS AN INTERESTING QUESTION FOR ME, 'CAUSE I, I REALLY HAD TO THINK ABOUT IT. UM, I JUST REMEMBER THE FIRST ANY SORT OF BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION OR ANY SORT OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY I APPLIED FOR, WHENEVER IT ASKED ME WHAT POSITION I AM AT RESTATEMENT ALWAYS WROTE DOWN FOUNDER AND CEO. UH, I'M THE ONLY ONE RUNNING THE COMPANY RIGHT NOW, SO I DON'T THINK THERE ARE MANY OTHER OPTIONS FOR ME. RIGHT. UM, BUT TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT TASHA AND KYLIE SAID, UH, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE THE FOUNDER, RIGHT? LIKE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE AWAY FROM YOU. YOU STARTED THIS COMPANY, YOU WERE THERE FROM DAY ONE. YOU HAD THE VISION IN MIND. UM, THE CEO IS JUST, I THINK, A MORE TECHNICAL POSITION FOR WHEN YOU BRING ON A TEAM. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT MENTORS HAVE TOLD ME, WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT TECHNICALLY THE CEO UNTIL YOU HAVE A CFO OR COO, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS JUST EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN TASTES WITH THAT. BUT THE CEO IS A POSITION THAT CAN CHANGE ALL THE TIME. YOU CAN GO FROM CEO TO CPO OR CMO, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS THINKS ISS APPROPRIATE. BUT WHILE YOU'RE STILL IN CONTROL, BE WHATEVER YOU WANNA BE. UM, YOU ALWAYS BE THE FOUNDER. I LIKE THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE THE FOUNDER. , FOR ALL THE PANELISTS. UM, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OR TOPIC DURING THE PROCESS, AND WHAT CHALLENGED YOU THE MOST? AH, NOT GIVING ME MUCH TIME TO THINK. UH, LOOK, I THINK ALL OF THE PIECES WORK TOGETHER, RIGHT? UM, BUT THE, THE ONE THING THAT, THAT I HOLD ON TO IS, UH, THE FINANCIALS BECAUSE, UM, THAT WAS JUST AN AREA THAT I, I REALLY WANTED TO UNDERSTAND AND MASTER, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT I HAD A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL, UM, AND CAPITAL ONE, UH, WHICH IS, UH, STILL ONE OF THE, UH, TITLE SPONSORS OF THIS, UH, COMPETITION. UM, YOU KNOW, KYLE, UH, UH, IS AND WAS, HE WAS MY ADVISOR. UH, AND STILL IN SOME CASES, HE'S MY, HE'S MY BANKER. AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THE FINANCES ALONG WITH SOME OF THE SCORE MENTORS. UH, THAT WAS MY PART OF THE, UH, UH, MY FAVORITE PART OF THE KIND OF THE PROCESS BECAUSE, UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT MY FINANCIALS WERE WERE RIGHT, UM, AND WE'RE ON POINT, UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT COULD BE THE, THE DIFFERENCE IN MAKING A BREAK IN A COMPANY, ESPECIALLY IN THE VERY BEGINNING. CAN YOU HEAR ME ALL RIGHT? YES. FINANCIALS WAS HORRIBLE. IT'S STILL HORRIBLE FOR ME. YOU KNOW, I AM, I'M ALWAYS LEARNING, I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO WORK ON MY BUSINESS PLAN AND LOOK AT THE FINANCIALS AND THE PROJECTIONS. RIGHT NOW WE'RE EXPANDING. AND SO I'M, I'M STILL HAVING TO REDO MY PERFORMA AND MAKE SURE, OKAY, THESE NUMBERS MAKE ARE MAKING SENSE. MAY MAYBE, OKAY, THIS LOCATION DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. THE RENT IS TOO HIGH, YOU KNOW, SO MAKING SURE YOU KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. AND BECAUSE I, I ALSO HAVE STAFF AS WELL, SO I ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP ON LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS. AND, BUT I THINK THAT WAS THE MOST HELPFUL CLASS THAT I TAKE IN. AND I CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH IT. BUT IT'S A PART OF BUSINESS, YOU KNOW. SO AS I, I'LL PIGGYBACK ON YOU. THE FINANCIALS WAS HARD. UM, PUTTING MY BUSINESS PLAN TOGETHER, UH, THE WORDING WAS PRETTY GOOD, BUT, UM, THE FINANCIAL MARKETING ASPECT ON IT WAS MY ISSUE. SO, NOT TO COPY EVERYONE HERE, I MEAN, THE FINANCIALS SUCK, RIGHT? BUT I THINK OVERALL, UM, THE HARDEST PART OF THE BUSINESS AND COMPETITION WAS JUST ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT WERE JUST HARD TO ANSWER. LIKE, A LOT OF THINGS ARE UNKNOWN. UM, THEY'RE NOT EXPECTING YOU TO KNOW THINGS, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE ASKING YOU TO WRITE DOWN AND DO YOUR RESEARCH, YOU ARE KIND OF GETTING, UH, THE HARD PART OUT OF THE WAY FIRST. WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, THE DAY COMES WHERE YOU GET, YOU KNOW, YOUR MONEY TOGETHER, YOU'RE TALKING TO AN INVESTOR, OR THEY'RE ASKING YOU WHY YOU ASSUME X, Y, AND Z, YOU'LL HAVE THE ANSWERS TO THAT. BUT JUST GETTING OVER THAT HUMP OF LIKE, OKAY, NOW I REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. UM, THAT'S PROBABLY THE HARDEST PART FOR ME. BUT IN TERMS OF THE BEST PART, UM, THE SCORE MENTORS ARE AMAZING. UH, I LOVED, UH, I LOVED WORKING WITH DAR AND RAJ. I STILL TRY TO MEET UP WITH THEM AS OFTEN AS I CAN, AND IT'S JUST VERY MUCH LIKE A LITTLE, A LITTLE POWOW EACH AND EVERY SINGLE TIME. 'CAUSE WE'RE JUST DOING A LOT OF BRAINSTORMING, A LOT OF MARKETING PLAY, UM, BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM AND ALL THINGS STILL LIVED OFF. SO I KIND OF ALREADY KNEW THE ANSWER TO THAT BEFORE [00:20:01] I READ IT. CONSISTENTLY. WHAT WE ALWAYS HEAR IS THE FINANCES ARE SO HARD, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE A PROJECTION ON THEIR BUSINESS IF THEIR BUSINESS DOESN'T EXIST YET. UM, SO THIS IS, THIS QUESTION'S KIND OF PIGGYBACKING OFF, UM, THE MOST CHALLENGING PART. SO IT SAYS, WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR BUSINESS PLAN CONSTRUCTION? UM, BUT THEN HOW DID YOU TRANSPIRE OVER THAT OBSTACLE? UH, FINANCIAL FI NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, IT, IT, IT'S REALLY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE UNIT ECONOMICS. UH, AND SO ONE, BENCHMARKING WHAT'S IN THE MARKETPLACE OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING AND, UH, TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT YOU'RE OFFERING. AND SO, FOR ME, WE DID A LOT OF BENCHMARKING AND TRIED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WANTED TO BE POSITIONED IN THE MARKETPLACE, AND THEN STARTED TO BUILD THE RESOURCES WE NEEDED IN ORDER TO, UH, BAKE THE CAKE, SO TO SPEAK. RIGHT? HOW MUCH IS THE, YOU KNOW, THE STICK OF BUTTER, HOW MUCH IS THE, THE, THE EGGS, RIGHT? AND, AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THESE INGREDIENTS, UH, OR THE COST OF THESE INGREDIENTS GAVE US THE RIGHT MARGINS, UM, FOR THE BUSINESS. THAT, THAT'S HOW I OVERCAME IT. HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BANKER, UH, AND, AND, AND BENCHMARK IT. THOSE WERE THE THINGS THAT I, I LEVERAGED TO, TO TRY TO OVERCOME, UM, SOME OF THE, THE CHALLENGES WHEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE FINANCIALS. UH, AND YEAH, THAT'S IT. I, I, I, I DON'T KNOW NO OTHER WAY TO DO IT. IT IS, YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH IT IN ORDER TO GET TO IT. I HARASSED, UM, A LOT OF THE PAST WINNERS SUCH AS KYLIE, I'VE, I HARASSED, UM, MY SCORE MENTORS. I'M LIKE, PLEASE HELP ME, HELP ME ASK EVERYBODY FOR THE ASSISTANCE. THAT WAS THE, PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY WAY, LIKE, I WAS ABLE TO GET THROUGH IT. I WATCHED YOUTUBE. I, YOU KNOW, AND I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH TOO, TO SEE LIKE, OKAY, THIS SPA, ACCORDING TO THIS LOCATION THEY'RE MAKING ABOUT THIS MUCH MONEY. SO, YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK I COULD DO THIS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, LET ME LOWER IT SO I WON'T OVERINFLATE MY PROJECTIONS TOO. SO YOU GOT, YOU GOTTA DO YOUR MARKET RESEARCH. YOU, UM, THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS SO MUCH DEMOGRAPHICS. YOU CAN GO THERE, GET THE FREE RESOURCES, UM, THEY WILL HELP YOU DO THE RESEARCH AS WELL. AND, UM, FIND OUT AS MUCH INFORMATION ON WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, AND, UM, DO IT. YOU TWO ARE SO SMART. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. LIKE, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO PUT EVERYONE IN THE SAME ROOM WAY MORE OFTEN. UM, BUT IN TERMS OF THE OBSTACLES FOR ME, UM, YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAR, HEAR ME SAY THIS QUITE A BIT DURING THIS MEETING, BUT DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION, RIGHT? LIKE, THE JUDGES DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION. YOUR COMPANY MIGHT NOT EVEN EXIST JUST YET, RIGHT? SO THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR FINANCIALS DOWN TO A HUNDRED PERCENT PERFECT, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING ALL YOUR ASSUMPTIONS, RIGHT? BUT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED WITH IS JUST, YOU KNOW, DOING YOUR RESEARCH TO BACK UP THE ASSUMPTIONS YOU HAVE. SO IF PEOPLE ASK YOU LIKE, OH, WHY DO YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, SUSTAINABLE FASHION INDUSTRY IS GOING TO GROW X PERCENT BY 2025? BE PREPARED TO LIKE, ANSWER THAT. BUT ALSO FEEL FREE TO ASK YOURSELF THOSE QUESTIONS TOO, BECAUSE YOU'LL GAIN MORE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL SEE THE PROGRESS THAT YOU'VE MADE SO FAR TO REALLY CONTINUE GOING. AWESOME. AND THEN NEXT WE HAVE, HAVE, UM, WHAT WERE THE FEARS YOU OVERCAME OR STRUGGLES YOU OVERCAME, UM, TO NOW HAVING YOUR BUSINESS? LET'S, LET'S, THIS, THIS IS A REAL QUESTION. UH, UH, AND I WANNA GIVE A REAL RESPONSE. I THINK THEY'VE ALL BEEN REAL QUESTIONS. UM, BUT, BUT SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IN THE BEGINNING, BECAUSE I WAS JUST GOING THROUGH, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TIME TO LOOK BACK AND REFLECT IT, IT WAS TIMES AND, AND, AND, AND IT WAS TIMES WHERE I HAD IMPOSTER SYNDROME. WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN? UH, MEANING AM I, CAN I DO THIS? AM I WORTHY ENOUGH TO DO THIS? UH, AM I SMART ENOUGH TO DO THIS RIGHT? I'M, I'M BUILDING SOMETHING THAT I DON'T HAVE THE COMPETENCIES FOR. I, I DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL FOR THIS. I, I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CODE. UH, I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THIS, I DON'T KNOW THIS. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS, THEY GREW UP INSIDE OF YOU AND, AND THEY BEGIN TO PLAGUE ON YOUR, YOUR MENTAL CAPACITY. UM, AND SO, UM, GOING THROUGH, IT'S LIKE, I CAN DO IT, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THAT FIRST BARRIER OR THAT FIRST, UH, OPPORTUNITY OR ISSUES, LIKE, [00:25:01] WHAT, WHAT SHOULD I DO? AND THEN THOSE, YOU KNOW, THOSE THOUGHTS BEGIN TO SET IT. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO SCARE ANYBODY AGAIN. THIS IS MY JOURNEY, THIS IS MY PROCESS, BUT IT WAS A REAL THING. UM, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE, WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AS A, AS A, AS A REAL THING TODAY, RIGHT? THAT, THAT'S THE REAL THING. UM, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE TO POUR INTO YOURSELF BY LISTENING TO SOME POSITIVITY. YOU HAVE TO FILL YOUR CUP UP. UM, AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW, OR YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU'RE GOOD AT AND WHAT YOU'RE NOT GOOD AT. AND THEN BEING ABLE TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT CAN FEEL THOSE GAPS. AND IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T KNOW, UH, THE BEAUTY OF IT, IT TAKES A TEAM TO, TO DO MOST THINGS OR TO BUILD A BUSINESS, TO BUILD A COMPANY. UH, AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE THIS COMPETITION, BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THE WONDER FOLK, UH, FOLKS THERE THAT, THAT CAN HELP YOU GET TO THE RESOURCE THAT YOU NEED. YOU HAVE CAPITAL ONE WHO HAVE THE BANKERS. IF YOU HAVING TROUBLE WITH THOSE FINANCES LIKE I DID, OR, UM, YOU, YOU HAVE THE SCORE MENTORS TO HELP YOU WALK THROUGH THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE BUSINESS PLAN. YOU HAVE A, UH, UH, A, A TEAM THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE UNTIL YOU KNOW YOU NEED IT. UH, AND SO FOR ME, IT WAS THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND NOT KNOWING, UH, IF I WAS GOOD ENOUGH, UH, UNTIL I STARTED TO DEPEND AND RELY ON THE RESOURCES THAT WERE READILY AVAILABLE FOR ME FOR FREE, I SHOULD SAY, BY THE WAY. UH, SO, UM, THAT'S JUST MY STORY. AND THAT, THAT'S, UH, HOW, UM, I, I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. OKAY. MY FEARS, UH, SPEAKING IN PUBLIC, SPEAKING TO YOU GUYS, HAVING Y'ALL JUDGE ME, I AM SO SHY, BUT I'M SO PERSONABLE, YOU KNOW? SO JUST KNOWING THAT SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME AND LOOKING AT ME AND KNOWING, HEY, SHE MIGHT MESS UP. LET'S, LET'S RECORD HER ON CAMERA SO WE CAN PUT IT ON YOUTUBE. THAT WAS MY MAJOR FEAR, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST BEING JUDGED IN FRONT OF A CROWD. UM, SO I PRACTICE AND PRACTICE. I DID NOT SLEEP BEFORE I PRACTICED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER. SO KNOWING, UM, THAT, OKAY, I HAVE TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF THESE PEOPLE, EVERYBODY'S LIKE, OH, IMAGINE THEY'RE NAKED. I DON'T WANNA WATCH THEM MAKE IT. YOU KNOW, LIKE, I DON'T WANT THAT, THAT DOES NOT WORK FOR ME. I DON'T WANNA SEE THESE NAKED PEOPLE. YEAH. SO JUST GETTING OVER THAT, HUH? THAT WAS MY, MY MAJOR STRUGGLE. YEAH. YEAH. IN TERMS OF FEARS, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING I MIGHT ACTUALLY NEED WEEKS TO PROCESS AND GET A GOOD ANSWER FOR YOU. BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK I WAS SCARED OF ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR, PER SE, BECAUSE JOINING LIFTOFF WAS JUST ANOTHER ADD-ON INTO STARTING, LIKE MY COMPANY, LIKE, WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD'VE JOINED LIFTOFF OR EVEN WANT IT, I STILL WOULD'VE HAD MY COMPANY GOING. AND SO I REALLY FELT LIKE I HAD NOTHING TO LOSE, AND I DIDN'T HAVE LIKE TOO MANY EXPECTATIONS FOR IT EITHER. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS WALKING MYSELF INTO. AND SO I GUESS THAT ITSELF COULD BE KIND OF OVERWHELMING, BUT FOR ME, I WAS, I WAS LIKE, NO, LIFTOFF HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS AND YEARS NOW. THEY ARE HERE TO SUPPORT ALL THESE BUSINESSES. THEY HAVE DONE SO IN THE PAST. AND IF THEY WANNA SUPPORT ME, THAT'S AWESOME, AND IF NOT, I'LL SUPPORT MYSELF, AND THAT'S TOTALLY FINE. UM, BUT YEAH, I DON'T THINK THERE IS VERY MUCH FOR ME TO FEAR PERSONALLY. AND I FEEL LIKE WHAT DR. ROBERTS AND HANNAH JUST SAID, LIKE, I SAW THAT IN BOTH OF YOU LAST YEAR. I'M SORRY, KYLIE, I WASN'T AROUND IN 2016 TO TO SEE YOU. BUT I REMEMBER, UM, NATASHA KEPT SAYING TO ME THAT YOU WERE, SHE WAS SO NERVOUS. AND LIKE, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE I'M LIKE, YOU'RE TALKING TO ME FINE. LIKE, YOU DON'T SEEM SHY, BUT YOU KEPT SAYING YOU WERE SO NERVOUS. SO THEN I WAS NERVOUS FOR YOU WHEN YOU WENT UP TO PITCH. I WAS LIKE, OH, GEEZ. SHE KEEPS TELLING ME HOW NERVOUS SHE IS. LIKE NOW SHE'S MAKING ME NERVOUS. AND SHE DID GREAT. LIKE, YOU COULD NOT TELL SHE WAS NERVOUS. EVERYTHING. IT WAS NATASHA SPOKE SO, SO WELL THAT LIKE, IF SHE DIDN'T TELL ME SHE WAS NERVOUS, I WOULD'VE HAD NO IDEA. LEMME TELL YOU, I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO BE HONEST, AND I'M VERY BLUNT AND OPEN. I HAD TO LEAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM RIGHT DURING THE SPEECH OF THE PERSON RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. LIKE, IT WAS SO BAD. AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHERE ARE YOU? COME ON, COME ON. I WAS NERVOUS. I HAD BUBBLE GUT, BY THE WAY, . SO YEAH, IT WAS HARD . BUT, SO I SAW THAT SIDE OF NATASHA, BUT THEN, LIKE, HANNAH FROM THE VERY BEGINNING CAME IN AND SHE WAS JUST LIKE, COOL, CALM, AND COLLECTED. LIKE, YOU CAN TELL HANNAH WAS LIKE, WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS. SO I FEEL LIKE BOTH, BOTH OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID, LIKE I SAW THE WHOLE THING, BUT YOU BOTH DID GREAT. [00:30:01] UM, AND I THINK WHEN WE SPEAK BACK TO LIKE, PREVIOUS WINNERS AND, UM, THE WINNERS FROM LAST YEAR, LIKE, THERE'S SO MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ALL OF YOU AND YOU'RE ALL JUST VERY PERSONABLE PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT REALLY HELPS WHEN YOU'RE ONE, PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. AND THEN TWO, YOU CONNECT REALLY, REALLY WELL WITH PEOPLE. UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN HERE. SO, UM, HOW DO YOU AVOID BEING OVERWHELMED BY THE LEGALITIES OF RUNNING A BUSINESS? I DON'T THINK THAT EVER GOES AWAY. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN EVER, FOR ME ANYWAY, UH, GETTING OVER THAT, I, I THINK I'LL ALWAYS HAVE THAT AS A, SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF. UM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH MONEY, WE'RE DEALING WITH TRANSACTION. IT'S A, IT IS A REAL THING. FRAUD IS HAPPENING EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. UH, PEOPLE ARE SCAMMING, RIGHT? AND SO WE KNOW WHAT TYPE OF ANXIETY THAT BRINGS PEOPLE WHEN, WHEN WE JUST THINK ABOUT MONEY IN GENERAL. UH, AND IT'S ABOUT A LOT OF LAWS, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT ARE, IT IS IN OUR INDUSTRY AND IN OUR SPACE. UM, BUT I THINK TO DEAL WITH IT IS JUST MAKE SURE YOU, UH, MAKE SURE WE STAY ABREAST ON WHAT'S HAPPENING, UH, YOU KNOW, TODAY, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE NEWS, AND BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO OUR CUSTOMERS OR OUR PARTNERS, UM, REGARDING THOSE THINGS. AND, AND TRYING TO PUT SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE, UM, UH, THAT, THAT HELPS PROTECT THE CONSUMER, UM, AND HELP PROTECT US AS A BUSINESS. UM, AND, AND YOU GOTTA STAY LAWYERED. UH, I CAN'T SAY THAT ENOUGH. YOU GOTTA, YOU GOTTA HAVE YOUR, YOUR LEGAL TEAM IN PLACE BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE JUST GOING TO MISS AS A, AS A, AS THE LEADERS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR OF YOUR BUSINESS. UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHY YOU HIRE A, A LEGAL TEAM OR A LAWYER TO HELP YOU KIND OF NAVIGATE THAT SPACE. AGAIN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING, BUT, UM, YOU DO HAVE TO KNOW WHO TO BRING ON AND WHEN TO BRING THEM ON. UM, AND, UH, ANOTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, JUST THIS PAST MONTH I WENT TO A INDUSTRY SPECIFIC, UH, CONFERENCE, UH, THAT, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BREAK INTO THAT IS ANOTHER WAY, UH, TO, TO HELP, YOU KNOW, OVERCOME SOME OF THOSE, THOSE PARTICULAR CHALLENGES AS WELL. SO WITH, UM, LEGALITIES, UM, WE, I'M IN HEALTHCARE, SO I WORK WITH A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS WHERE WE HAVE TO MAKE, I HAVE TO MAKE SURE MY STAFF IS COMPLIANT AND THEIR LICENSES ARE EFFECTIVE, AND THEY'RE DOING THINGS SAFE BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE'S HEALTH. SO I'M ALWAYS STRESSED AND I'M LIKE, OKAY, HOW IS THIS CLIENTS TODAY? HOW ARE WE DOING? YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS IN A PANIC MODE TO MAKE SURE, LIKE EVERYTHING IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN. AND MAKING SURE, LIKE IF WE HAVE ANY CONTRACTS OR, UM, CONSENT FORMS, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PRE-SCREENED BY MY LEGAL TEAM AS WELL. LIKE, BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE LIABILITY IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE, WE DON'T WANNA BE IN THE OTHER END WHERE WE'RE BEING SUED OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO IT'S ALWAYS, IT'S ALWAYS STRESSFUL, BUT YOU ALWAYS WANNA BE CAREFUL TOO. SO I MIGHT BE THE WRONG PERSON TO ASK THIS QUESTION TOO, BECAUSE I'M DOING SOMETHING RELATIVELY SIMPLE, RIGHT? IT'S JUST FASHION. WE'RE REALLY NOT TRYING TO KILL THE PLANET HERE. OUR INTENTIONS ARE SOLID. I DON'T THINK WE'RE DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, I REALLY DID PUT OFF REGISTERING MY COMPANY AS AN LLC FOR AS LONG AS I COULD. BUT WHEN I DID, I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF, WHY, WHY DIDN'T I JUST DO THIS EARLIER? SO MUCH WOULD'VE JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE WAY SO MUCH EARLIER. UM, IF YOU WANT A GOOD LAWYER RECOMMENDATION, I CAN SEND A BUNCH YOUR WAY. UM, THESE ARE PEOPLE I CAN TALK TO PROBABLY LIKE, ABOUT ANYTHING I'M THINKING ABOUT DOING FOR MY COMPANY, AND THEY GUIDE ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR IT. UM, STILL MOSTLY PRO BONO, UNLESS I GET ANYTHING REGISTERED WITH THE GOVERNMENT AT THIS POINT, TOO. SO HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU GUYS, UH, WITH A GOOD LAWYER. BUT, UM, YEAH, IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN LEGAL, SOME SORT OF LEGAL FRIEND, UM, THAT SHOULD REALLY HELP GET THAT WORRY OUT OF THE WAY. UM, THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT STRATEGIES DID YOU GUYS USE THAT YOU FELT SET YOU APART FROM THE OTHERS IN THE COMPETITION? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT, IT WAS ANY STRATEGIES THAT, THAT NECESSARILY SET ME APART. I THINK IT WAS JUST, JUST BEING PRESENT, UH, AT EVERY, UH, REQUIRED, UH, TRAINING AND REQUIRED WORKSHOP. UM, AND JUST BEING PREPARED. UM, IF YOU WANNA CALL THAT A STRATEGY, OKAY, THAT'S FINE. UM, BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY IN THE COMPETITION HAS, THEY HAVE TO DO. UM, BUT I WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST, I WAS PREPARED FOR EVERY SESSION, DEVELOP QUESTIONS, UM, MAKING SURE THAT I HAD FACE TIME WITH, UM, THE, THE PRESENTERS. UM, [00:35:01] UH, AGAIN, IT'S NOT ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT WHO KNOWS YOU. THAT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME. AGAIN, THAT MAY NOT BE YOUR THING, BUT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME. UH, AND, AND THIS REALLY SPENT TIME MAKING SURE THAT I UNDERSTOOD, UM, WHAT WAS BEING TAUGHT AND DIGESTING THAT AND APPLYING IT. UM, YOU KNOW, JUST REALLY BEING A STUDENT. UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE LATE GREAT KOBE BRYANT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS A STUDENT OF THE GAME. HE LOOKED AT EVERY LITTLE, UH, DETAIL. AND IT'S, AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I WOULD SUGGEST TO ALL OF YOU BE DON'T, DON'T SKIP STEPS. UM, AND I THINK WE HEARD HANNAH, I THINK IT WAS HANNAH SAID EARLIER, UH, JUST GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR THAT RUNWAY TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY WANT TO CHANGE, UM, BUT GET STARTED AND GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY AND JUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME IN, IN EACH SESSION. I HAVE A STRATEGY. SO I SIGNED UP FOR MY SCORE MENTOR BEFORE THE PROGRAM. WORKING WITH THEM, THEY WERE ABLE TO LIKE, GET YOU STARTED EARLIER. THEY'RE, THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS. SO IT'S ONGOING COACHING. AND INSTEAD OF, LIKE, I WAS MEETING WITH THEM WEEKLY, I HAD, I, THEY'RE LIKE, OH, WE CAN MEET, MEET ONCE A MONTH. I SAID, NO, WE CAN MEET NEXT WEEK . YOU KNOW, SO BE MORE PERSISTENT WITH YOUR SCORE MENTOR. GET A GO ONLINE HOUSTON SCORE. SIGN UP FOR THEM AND THEY WILL HELP YOU. THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS. THEY'RE RETIRED PEOPLE HAVE HAD BUSINESSES AND EVERYTHING OR WHATEVER, BUT THEY'RE ABLE TO GIVE YOU SO MUCH ADVICE. THEY CAN'T DO THE WORK FOR YOU. YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF. BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN, I THINK. UM, THOSE ARE ALL REALLY GOOD STRATEGIES. UM, AND I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT I DID DURING LIFTOFF FOR ME, BUT I THINK IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO JUST BEING CONFIDENT IN YOUR OWN COMPANY AND CONVINCING OTHERS TO BE CONFIDENT WITH YOU, RIGHT? YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING IF YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE IN IT. SO NOW LET'S PROVE THAT YOU CAN PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS. LIKE, LITERALLY. AND SO FOR ME, IT WAS ABOUT GETTING NUMBERS DOWN, WHEREAS I, I THINK BY THE TIME I ROLLED AROUND TO THE PITCH COMPETITION, UH, PART OF LIFTOFF, I WAS ABLE TO SAY LIKE, WE HAVE A THOUSAND, OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE SIGNED UP ON OUR WAIT LIST. THESE PEOPLE, LIKE 60% OF THEM TELL US THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING WHILE THEY'RE STILL SHOPPING FAST FASHION. SO YOU HAVE THESE NUMBERS THERE WHERE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE WHO WOULD BACK YOU REGARDLESS OF YOU WINNING LIFTOFF OR NOT. AND SO, UM, THAT WAS A REALLY BIG PART OF IT. BUT ALSO FLIPPING IT BACK ON LIFTOFF AND TELLING THEM, I REMEMBER DOING THIS VERY CONSCIOUSLY, BUT FLIPPING IT BACK AND SAYING LIKE, IF YOU BELIEVE IN ME AND INVEST IN ME, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO. NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO FOR HOUSTON AS A COMMUNITY, AS A CITY, UM, AS A WHOLE. LIKE, THIS IS WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER ON IT. AND SO REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT IS. UM, FOR ME WAS MAKING SURE FASHION DOESN'T GO TO WASTE, RIGHT? BUT FOR YOU, IT CAN BE SOMETHING, UM, THAT HOUSTON WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF AND CREATE A HUGE IMPACT FOR. THANK YOU. UM, SO NEXT WE HAVE, HAS ANYONE WENT ON TO WIN OTHER COMPETITIONS AFTER LIFTOFF? YES. UH, UM, I HAVE. AND, UM, LOOK, ONCE YOU DO ONE COMPETITION AND YOU HOLD UP THAT BIG CHECK IT, YOU GONNA BE LIKE, MAN, I COULD, I, I'M FEELING EMPOWERED. I WANNA GO DO THIS AGAIN. UH, UM, AND, AND YOU WILL, AND YOU SHOULD. UH, AND SO, UH, IN, IN THE HOUSTON ECOSYSTEM, UM, I THINK AFTER I LEFT LIFTOFF, I WENT TO GO DO HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, UH, BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. UM, IT, WHATEVER COMPETITION THAT HAPPENED IN HOUSTON, I I DID IT. I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER SOME OF THEM, BUT IT WAS A HANDFUL OF 'EM. I THINK THE URBAN LEAGUE HAD ONE. UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF 'EM NOW, UH, NOW MORE THAN, THAN WHEN I, WHEN I FIRST GOT STARTED BACK IN, IN 2016. UM, BUT YES, I WENT ON TO WIN, UH, LOCAL COMPETITIONS, BUT WE ALSO TOOK THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, UH, TO, TO WIN, UH, REGIONALLY AND THEN NATIONALLY. SO, UH, I WOULD SUGGEST ALL OF YOU TO DO THAT, PARTICULARLY IF IT'S GOING TO BE A, UH, A EQUITY FREE, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GAIN CAPITAL, UH, TO INJECT INTO THE, TO YOUR BUSINESS. THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE WAY TO DO IT. AND IF YOU HAVE A, A BUSINESS THAT COULD, COULD LEND SOME MARKETING IN INTO THE MARKETPLACE, UH, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT IS A NEW WAY TO GET CUSTOMERS, A NEW WAY TO GET PARTNERS POTENTIAL TO, YOU KNOW, TALENT TO GO HELP YOU TAKE A VISION TO THE WORLD. UH, THERE'S A LOT OF BENEFITS OTHER THAN THE CAPITAL. UM, BUT THE CAPITAL IS DEFINITELY A MOTIVATOR, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ALL OF YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE PITCH COMPETITIONS, UH, OUTSIDE OF LIFTOFF, IF AND WHEN THAT TIME COMES, UH, FOR [00:40:01] YOU. I DID NOT JOIN THE HCC, UM, BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. I HAD SURGERY, AND, UH, IT WAS JUST SO MUCH GOING ON AND I WAS LIKE, MAN, I SHOULD'VE JOINED. I WISH I DID, BUT I KNOW HANNAH WELL, LET ME LET HER SPEAK. BUT, SO, YEAH. OH, YEAH. SO AFTER I HAD WON LIFTOFF, I REMEMBER ONE OF MY FRIENDS WHO HAD WON THE YEAR BEFORE ALINA CRAB GO, UM, SHE PULLED ME TO THE SIDE AND WAS LIKE, HEY, UH, YOU SHOULD APPLY TO THE HCC BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. AND AT THE TIME, I WAS, I WAS ALREADY LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I HAVE NO IDEA. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO ME RIGHT NOW? AND SHE WAS, SHE TOLD ME, SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER, KEEP IT ON YOUR CALENDAR. BUT YOU ALREADY DID THE HARD WORK OF LEARNING THE BUSINESS PLAN, I GUESS, CORE CLASSES. SO NOW YOU'RE QUALIFIED TO DO THE HCC BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. AND SO DID THE WHOLE THING KIND OF OVER AGAIN. BUT LIFT OFF REALLY DID GIVE ME A HEADSTART ON IT, BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD A BUSINESS PLAN THERE, AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF MOVING THINGS AROUND AND MAKING SURE I WAS STILL ALL UP TO DATE. AND OF COURSE, IMPROVING IT, THERE'S ALWAYS SO MUCH IMPROVING DUE. AND, UM, YEAH. SO THEN I THINK THE PITCH DATE WAS, WHEN WAS IT KYLIE? IT WAS LIKE IN JUNE. IT, IT FEEL LIKE IT, IT TIME FLIES. YEAH. BUT, UM, THEN AFTER THE WINNERS WERE ANNOUNCED, UH, ACTUALLY BUMPED INTO KYLIE THERE AND JESSICA, LIKE, IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE BOTH OF YOU. YOU, UM, AND SO I END UP, UH, WINNING SECOND PLACE AT THAT HCC BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. YES. AND SO HANNAH MENTIONED ALINA KRACHENKO. SO ALINA WON, UM, IN 2021, AND THEN ALINA WENT BACK AFTER LIFTOFF AND ALSO WON HCC. SO THAT IS TWO WINNERS IN A ROW FOR EACH YEAR THAT HAVE WENT AND PLACED AT HCC. SO WHEN WE, WE ALWAYS TELL YOU ALL, LIKE, EVEN THOSE WE'RE IN THE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY, LIKE YOU STILL MEET THE PREREQUISITE FOR HCC, SO, AND SO THAT'S A, WE ARE IN CLOSE CONNECTION WITH HCC, SO WE ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE AFTER LIFTOFF, GO TO HCC. UM, WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT LIFTOFF CONTINUES TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS? UM, I MEAN, IT, IT'S SO MANY GOALS, BUT I THINK THE, THE, THE RB HAGGLE, OUR BIG HAIR AUDACIOUS GOAL IS TO STAND, SPEND UP, SPEND THAT UP AS A, A STANDARD PAYMENT, ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT METHOD, RIGHT? FOR PEOPLE TO PAY, UM, THEIR BILLS, THE DEBT, UM, OR ANY ACCOUNT BALANCE THAT THEY HAVE, UM, UH, IN THE REARS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE STARTED WITHOUT LIFTOFF. AND I THINK JUST CONTINUING TO PUT OURSELVES, UH, IN THESE TYPE OF CONVERSATIONS, CONTINUING TO LEARN, CONTINUING TO NETWORK, UH, IS, IS VERY HELPFUL. AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT NOT ONLY WHO YOU KNOW, BUT PEOPLE, UH, THAT KNOW YOU. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN MAKING INTRODUCTIONS. UH, WHEN WE'VE REACHED OUT, UH, EVEN, UH, MAYOR TURNER HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL. YOU KNOW, HE, HE ALWAYS WOULD TELL ME, LOOK, YOU KNOW, CALL ME IF YOU NEED ME. CALL ME. AND SO THAT'S IMPORTANT, AND THAT, THAT, THAT IS, UH, AN AMAZING THING WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR MAYOR SUPPORTING YOU TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT YOU HAVE FOR YOUR BUSINESS. UM, SO, UM, I'M SURE THAT HE'S PROBABLY DID IT FOR, FOR ALL OF OF THE FOLKS THAT'S IN THE COMPETITION, NOT JUST FOR ME. IT'S JUST THE TYPE OF PERSON HE IS. UM, AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT SUPPORT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE A LOFTY GOAL OR ANY GOAL FOR THAT MATTER. AND SO, UM, YEAH, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY. SO MY FUTURE GOALS IS EXPANSION, EXPANSION, EXPANSION. I PLAN TO HAVE ACTIVATE MIDTOWN, ACTIVATE KATY, ACTIVATE WOODLANDS, ACTIVATE PEER LAND. I WANNA EXPAND EVERYWHERE. AND, UM, WITH LIFTOFF, THEY'VE GIVEN ME SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FROM SPEAKING AGAIN TO MAKE ME SHY FROM, UM, WHAT ELSE? UH, BEING ABLE TO NETWORK WITH OTHER PEOPLE. THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES. I'VE BEEN ABLE TO REACH OUT AND SPEAK TO VARIOUS CROWDS AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE. SO YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOALS FOR ACTIVATE TRIPP SPA. SO RESTATEMENT, UM, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY GOAL ORIENTED WITH ANYTHING I DO, RIGHT? BUT WITH RESTATEMENT, ULTIMATELY WE WANNA BE THE FIRST WEBSITE YOU THINK ABOUT AND LOG INTO WHENEVER YOU'RE ONLINE SHOPPING, IF YOU'RE, ANYTIME YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT LOOKING FOR CLOTHES ONLINE, YOU GO TO [00:45:01] RESTATEMENT SHOP RESTATEMENT.COM, RE STATEMENT, LOOK UP EITHER ONE, YOU'LL GO TO IT. UM, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL FIND ON THERE. AND YOU'RE BUYING CLOTHES NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PLANET FOR ONCE. AND SO THAT IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. AND LIFTOFF HAS BEEN CONTINUOUSLY SO HELPFUL. HONESTLY, LIKE JESSICA, SOMETIMES I'M TELLING MYSELF LIKE, OKAY, LIFT OFF, LIKE, YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH. BUT THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT LIFTOFF COMES OUT OF MY MOUTH, WHENEVER I'M TALKING TO, YOU KNOW, ANYONE IN PRESS MEDIA, LIKE THAT'S HOW WE GET MOST OF OUR CUSTOMERS, RIGHT? THEY HEAR ABOUT US IN SOME SORT OF NEWS PUBLICATION, BUT THEY GO BACK, THEY DO THEIR RESEARCH ON MY COMPANY, AND THEY'LL ASK LIKE, WHAT DID I DO IN NOVEMBER? WHAT, HOW IS THE COMPETITION? HOW DID YOU GET THE CITY OF HOUSTON BACKED BEHIND YOU? LIKE, THOSE SORTS OF QUESTIONS. SO CONTINUOUSLY JUST BEING ABLE TO SAY LIKE, LIFTOFF SUPPORTED ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. UM, THAT ALREADY ITSELF IS TREMENDOUS. AND AT THIS POINT, I WANNA GIVE TO LIFTOFF. LIKE I WANNA GIVE EVERYTHING I CAN. SO, UM, YEAH, HONESTLY, I TELL JESSICA, LIKE, ANYTHING YOU NEED, IF I'M AROUND THAT TIME OR DAY, JUST YOU NAME IT, I'M THERE. I REMEMBER I SAW HANNAH BACK IN FEBRUARY MAYBE, AND I THINK ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT HANNAH SAID, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH LIFTOFF? LIKE, WHEN ARE YOU STARTING? LIKE, PLEASE, ANYTHING YOU NEED, LET ME HELP. LIKE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE ALL, LIKE, OUR PREVIOUS WINNERS ARE ALWAYS LIKE, MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP US OUT. AND WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE WE LOVE GETTING TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS, UM, WITH THE PARTICIPANTS EVERY YEAR AND LIKE, BRING EVERYONE BACK. AND I JUST LOVE HOW PASSIONATE, YOU KNOW, ALL YOU PREVIOUS WINNERS REALLY ARE ABOUT THE PROGRAM, AND IT SHOWS LIKE THE MEANING AND THE DEPTH OF WHAT WE OFFER. AND I THINK GOING INTO THE 11TH YEAR ALSO SHOWS THE DEPTH OF THE PROGRAM. I MEAN, THIS IS AN 11 YEAR NOW PROGRAM, SO I THINK IT'S REALLY AMAZING. UM, WE HAD SOMEBODY TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT THEY WOULD'VE ASKED, WHAT YOU WOULD'VE DONE DIFFERENTLY, BUT I THINK WE KIND OF COVERED THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER. UM, I'M STRUGGLING SO MUCH WITH DOING IT ALL RIGHT NOW. PLANNING THE MARKETING, CREATING THE ASSETS, UM, EXECUTING THEM ON SOCIAL, DIGITAL PRINT. UM, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE TO STARTUP ENTREPRENEURS AS FAR AS MANAGING, DOING IT ALL? DID SCORE HELP YOU WITH AT ALL WITH THIS, MAKING A TEAM TEAM, , THAT'S IT. MM-HMM . LIKE, BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU'RE GOOD AT AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO PARTNER WITH OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT. UM, AND IT'S A HARD THING, BUT YOU, YOU GOT, YOU GOTTA DO IT. UM, IF YOU WANNA GO FAST, GO BY YOURSELF, YOU WANNA GO HARD, GO WITH OTHERS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE PRETTY MUCH STILL A, A, A SMALL SHOP, A SMALL TEAM, UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONTRACT FOR THE, SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO DO. SO IN SOME CASES IT TAKES CAPITAL OPPORTUNITY IS, AND BEING ABLE TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH OTHERS, BUT BUILD THAT TEAM IS DR. TASHA, DR. ROBERTSON. SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK ON MY LIST OF NEEDS RIGHT NOW IS TO HAVE A TEAM, RIGHT? I'M STILL A SOLO FOUNDER. UM, I STILL DO MOST OF THE DAY TO DAY BY MYSELF, BUT I DEFINITELY CAN'T TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR IT. I THINK BUILDING A TEAM IS A GRADUAL PROCESS IN RESTATEMENTS WORLD. AND SO WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, JUGGLING A COUPLE OF CONTRACT ENGINEERS, UM, TRYING TO BUILD LIKE A TEAM OF MARKETING INTERNS AS WE SPEAK, BUT, UM, I KNOW GOOD TALENT COSTS MONEY AND NOT ALL OF US ARE THERE TO BE ABLE OR TO REALLY PUT AN INVESTMENT INTO THAT YET. SO IN TERMS OF DOING IT ALL BY YOURSELF, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU, BUT JUST KEEP A LIST OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO. AND I LOVE CHECKING BOXES ON MY LIST OF THINGS TO DO. AND JUST DOING THEM ONE BY ONE, YOU CAN REMEMBER YOU'RE YOUR OWN BOSS, SO YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE THE THINGS THAT YOU WANNA DO THAT DAY, DEPENDING ON HOW, UM, SOON YOU NEED THEM DONE. UM, YOU ARE, YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING. SO FIGURING OUT WHEN YOU NEED TO DO X, Y, AND Z, UM, AND JUST REALLY BALANCING THE THINGS THAT YOU REALLY LOVE DOING VERSUS THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE LIKE, EH, LIKE I, OKAY, LET'S, LET'S PUT MY BIG BIG GIRL PANTS ON AND ACTUALLY DO THIS TODAY. SO REALLY BALANCING IT ALL. UM, YOU CAN DO IT, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S YOUR EARLY DAYS. UM, EVENTUALLY YOU WILL WANT TO DELEGATE, YOU'LL WANT TO LEARN A LOT FROM A LOT OF LIKE, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IF YOU HAVE ANY IN YOUR LIFE. BUT JUST REALLY ASKING YOURSELF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR YOUR COMPANY TO THRIVE. UM, START THERE AND THEN YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT BUILDING A TEAM [00:50:01] WHENEVER THAT DAY COMES. HEY, CAN I, CAN I JUST ADD ON, ON TO SOMETHING? UM, DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAP INTO YOUR NETWORK. SO I GET, YEAH, WE SAY BUILD A TEAM AND IT TAKES TIME TO DO THAT, BUT TAP INTO YOUR NETWORK. PEOPLE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE. IT SOUNDS LIKE REALLY PEOPLE, YES, SAY PEOPLE WANT TO HELP. AND SO YOU'LL BE SURPRISED, UH, WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE, UM, FOR THE THING THAT YOU NEED, HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR YOU, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF GETTING IN FRONT OF THEM, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING. PEOPLE WANNA HELP. BUT IF THEY CAN'T HELP YOU, IF YOU, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, YOU KNOW, STRAIGHTFORWARD, IF YOU HAVEN'T TOLD 'EM WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON, YOU GOTTA TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON. AND SO JUST HAVE THE NAS AND TAP INTO YOUR NETWORK AND SEE WHO SHOW UP FOR YOU. AND I GUARANTEE YOU, YOU'LL HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SHOW UP. THANK YOU. AND I, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO LEAVE, UM, EARLY, HANNAH, SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO SAY TO EVERYBODY BEFORE YOU HAD TO HOP OFF. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME ON TODAY, JESSICA. UM, AS I ALWAYS TELL YOU, I'M GONNA TELL EVERYONE ON THIS CALL THE SAME THING. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME PERSONALLY, UM, SEND ME A MESSAGE. I'M GONNA LEAVE A LINK TO MY LINKEDIN IN THE CHAT. UM, SO MY INBOX WILL ALWAYS BE OPEN, SO JUST SEND ME A MESSAGE, TELL ME THAT YOU, UH, AND I MET AT A LIFTOFF CALL. AND, UM, TASHA, I GOT YOUR EMAIL LIKE A LITTLE WHILE AGO, AND I'M GOING TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. BUT, UM, YES, LIKE ANYTHING YOU NEED AT ALL, THERE'S ANY, I'M PRETTY MUCH AN OPEN BOOK, SO JUST SEND ME A MESSAGE IF THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP. AND IF YOU WANT ME TO DRESS YOU UP, UM, AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE ON ME STATEMENT, YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD LOOK GOOD IN. YOU CAN SCHEDULE TIME WITH ME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA WEAR WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO PITCH AT THE LIFTOFF BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, GUYS. THANK YOU, HANNAH, THANK YOU FOR COMING. TALK TO YOU SOON. BYE. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO FOR KYLIE, UM, AND NATASHA, WE HAD, SO THIS IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION, ACTUALLY, THEY'RE ALL GOOD QUESTIONS, BUT THIS ONE'S A REALLY GOOD ONE. UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WERE ASKED ON PITCH DAY? SO IF YOU GO OVER, LIKE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU REMEMBER, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT LIKE REALLY STOOD OUT TO YOU THAT WAS CHALLENGING, IF YOU CAN REMEMBER, KYLIE, IF I CAN REMEMBER, I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER. , I, I, I KNOW ONE BECAUSE, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS EVERY, EVERY, EVERYBODY GETS ASKED THIS QUESTION, UH, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ACQUIRE CUSTOMERS, RIGHT? AND, AND, AND IT IS ALWAYS THE CLICHE ANSWER, WELL, I'M GONNA DO SOCIAL MEDIA ADS, I'M GOING TO PARTNER. BUT THAT IS A, THAT'S A VERY, THAT'S A GOOD ANSWER. BUT FOR YOU NOW KNOWING TO ANSWER IT IN THAT WAY, I'M GOING TO CHALLENGE EVERYBODY ON THIS CALL. IF AND WHEN YOU GET THAT QUESTION TO GO DEEPER, THINK ABOUT EXACTLY HOW YOU GOING TO GET THE, UH, HOW YOU GOING TO ACQUIRE CUSTOMERS, BECAUSE IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO, TO PUT OR RUN THOSE ADS ON, ON FACEBOOK, ON INSTAGRAM, ON TIKTOK COSTS A LOT OF MONEY. AND SO IF YOU SAY, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA USE $5,000 TO RUN THOSE ADS, WELL, $5,000 COULD BE SPENT IN A WEEK, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND DOLLARS A DAY. AND SO IT'S GOTTA BE MORE SUSTAINABLE THAN THAT BECAUSE AT SOME POINT YOU WILL RUN OUTTA CAPITAL. UM, AND SO WHAT IS THAT SUSTAINABLE PROCESS TO GO ACQUIRE THAT CUSTOMER? IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A REFERRAL PROCESS AND WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVE $10 TO EVERY CUSTOMER THAT COMES IN AFTER A MONTH THAT THEY'VE BEEN ON A PLATFORM. I-D-I-I-I, I BRING THIS QUESTION UP BECAUSE IT NOW GIVES YOU TIME TO PREPARE THAT MARKETING STRATEGY WHEN YOU GET TO THAT POINT OF, OF THE, OF THE BUSINESS PLAN, UH, COMPETITION OR JUST BUILDING THE BUSINESS PLAN. UM, BUT THE MORE YOU CAN BE GRANULAR IN THAT ANSWER, THE MORE THE JUDGES ARE GOING TO LIKE YOU. BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS FOR US. UM, I WAS THE ONE THAT GAVE THAT CLICHE ANSWER, BUT LOOKING BACK, I WISH I WOULD'VE DUG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND GOT MORE INTO THE WEEDS OF HOW TO ACQUIRE CUSTOMS, BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES MATTER, AND IT REALLY WILL, REALLY WILL IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS. THEY ASKED ME A QUESTION ABOUT MY FINANCIALS, I THINK, UM, HOW DID I GET TO MY NUMBERS? YOU KNOW? AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I LOOKED AT THE MARKET ON HOW MUCH THIS SPA WAS MAKING, AND I LOWERED MY AMOUNT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK AS A BRAND NEW PLACE, I WILL BE MAKING THE SAME AMOUNT AS A, AS A COMPANY THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR FIVE, 10 YEARS. SO THAT WAS A QUESTION I THINK THAT WAS ASKED. [00:55:03] AND THE NEXT QUESTION, Y'ALL CAN'T ANSWER THIS, IT SAYS, WHAT IS THE FUN PART OF WORKING FOR THE CITY? THIS IS A CONVERSATION FOR A DIFFERENT TIME, BUT I THINK STUFF LIKE THIS IS THE FUN PART OF WORKING FOR THE CITY. I THINK BEING ABLE TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND SERVE HOUSTONIANS, UM, THAT WANNA START A BUSINESS IS REALLY REWARDING. UM, AND I GET TO MEET A LOT OF REALLY FUN PEOPLE. I'M NOT GONNA SAY EVERY JOB WORKING FOR THE CITY IS AS FUN AS MINE IS. I HAVE PEOPLE IN MY OWN DEPARTMENT WHO SAY ALL THE TIME, LIKE, JESSE, GET TO DO REALLY FUN STUFF. BUT STUFF LIKE LIFTOFF IS WHAT MAKES ME REALLY ENJOY MY JOB. SO ENOUGH ABOUT ME ENDORSING, UH, WORKING FOR THE CITY. WE'LL GET BACK TO , THE PROGRAMMING . UM, I HAVE A LOT OF COMMENTS ON HERE. OKAY. OH, OKAY. UM, I'M RETIRING EARLY DUE TO A STROKE LAST NOVEMBER. SO EVERYTHING WITH MY BUSINESS IS DOING LEGACY STUFF. SO WHO DOES WHAT AFTER I RETIRE? AND HOW DOES THE ORGANIZATION, HOW WILL THE ORGANIZATION FUNCTION AFTER? SO I'M NOT SURE IF EITHER OF YOU HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO TAKES OVER YOUR BUSINESS OR WHO'S YOUR, WHO DOES YOUR LEGACY GO TO, TO, I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AT ALL. YEAH. LIKE, UH, TECHNOLOGY CHANGES AND, AND I, I KNOW THAT, AND I'M AWARE OF THAT, RIGHT? THERE'S A, THERE'S A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO, UM, WE HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. AND SO A PART OF THAT IS THINKING ABOUT EXIT STRATEGY. SO WHETHER IT IS, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR IT'S FOR RETIREMENT, UM, AND, AND RETIREMENT, IT LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, RIGHT? UM, AND SO, UM, WE THINK, I DO THINK ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF SOMEONE TAKING OVER OR SELLING THE BUSINESS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, DECIDING JUST, HEY, WE, WE, WE RAN IT, WE RAN A MONTH, AND IT'S TIME TO, TO JUST, YOU KNOW, GO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, UM, AT THIS, AT THIS JUNCTURE, UM, BUT I THINK MY CO-FOUNDER, MY WIFE WOULD, WOULD ACTUALLY TAKE OVER, UH, IF, IF, IF ANYTHING WAS TO HAPPEN TO ME. AND SO, UH, RIGHT NOW THAT IS THE QUOTE, UNQUOTE, THE NEXT MAN UP, UH, FOR, FOR ME, IF IN FACT SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, THAT'S A GOOD PLAN THAT I HAVE TO WORK ON. YEAH. UM, HOW DO YOU APPROACH BUILDING AND MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEAM MEMBERS, CLIENTS, INVESTORS? I THINK THIS COULD EVEN BE LIKE OTHER PARTICIPANTS, OTHER FINALISTS, UM, PROBABLY HOW DO YOU BUILD AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS, I GUESS, WITH ANYONE YOU MEET IN THIS BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO DO THAT. UM, BUT, BUT ONE THAT I, WHAT I LIKE TO DO IS I LIKE TO JUST, I LIKE TO GIVE TO PEOPLE. UM, IT'S JUST, I LIKE TO, TO, YOU KNOW, SHARE WHAT I KNOW AND SHARE WHAT I THINK IS BENEFICIAL TO THEM. UM, SHARE INFORMATION OR INTRO INTRODUCING 'EM TO PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, I WANTED TO MEET THAT PERSON, OR I WANTED TO KNOW THAT THING. I TRIED TO BE PROACTIVE IN DOING THAT FOR, UM, MY NETWORK. UM, IT THAT, THAT'S JUST ONE WAY, UM, THAT, THAT I, THAT I USE IN ORDER TO STAY ABREAST WITH THEM AND ENGAGE THEM. AND WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I DO SHARE. SO THAT'S ONE TACTIC I NETWORK THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE FOLLOW EACH OTHER. I FOLLOW HANNAH AND SO ON, AND, YOU KNOW, TALK TO HIM. SEND DIFFERENT EMAILS, ALWAYS NETWORKING, AND ANY OPPORTUNITY THAT'S AVAILABLE, JUMP ON IT SO Y'ALL COULD, UM, MEET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE BECAUSE ENTREPRENEURS WANNA BE AROUND OTHER ENTREPRENEURS. SO WE CAN NETWORK AND SHARE LIKE, OH YEAH, YOU KNOW WHAT? I FOUND THIS PERSON THAT HAS GOOD HEALTH INSURANCE SINCE WE'RE ENTREPRENEURS, AND IT'S AT THE, AT THE, AT A LOW COST. OR, YOU KNOW, JUST TALKING TO THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND SOMETHING THAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU. EVEN THOUGH I'M IN HEALTHCARE AND HE'S IN TECHNOLOGY, WE, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALWAYS MESH AND COME TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT. AWESOME. AND THEN THIS ONE'S FOR, UM, NATASHA, I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE FOR YOU, KYLIE. I BELIEVE YOU HAVE CHILDREN, BUT I DON'T WANT TO ASSUME, BUT FOR SOME REASON I THOUGHT YOU DID. OKAY. . OKAY. I SEE THE FAMILY PICTURE. YES. AND I THOUGHT I HAD SEEN FAMILY PICTURES, BUT, OKAY, SO THIS COULD BE FOR BOTH OF YOU. UM, NATASHA, YOU SPOKE OF YOUR SON. ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS, ESPECIALLY NEW AS I HAVE A FIVE MONTH OLD UNBALANCING [01:00:01] YOUR BUSINESS AND PARENTHOOD. YOU CAN DO IT. YOU CAN DO IT. IF YOU CAN MAKE A BABY, YOU CAN DO IT. MY SON, UM, LIKE HE WAS, I'VE BEEN TAKING HIM TO LIKE THREE AND FOUR APPOINTMENTS IN A WEEK WHEN I WAS GOING, DOING THE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION. AND SO YOU HAVE A FIVE MONTH OLD, YOU GOT THIS, YOU GOT THIS. UM, SO YEAH, JUST BALANCE IT OUT. USE GOOGLE CALENDAR. I HAVE A SAMSUNG PHONE. GET RID OF THE IPHONE. SAMSUNG WILL BE MORE EFFICIENT AND HELP YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS, AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO BALANCE, YOU SEE, GET RID OF THAT OLD PHONE, UH, IPHONE TEAM. UH, I APPLE ALL THE WAY. UM, THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OR A COMMERCIAL. UH, NO, I LOVE THIS QUESTION. I REALLY DO LOVE THIS QUESTION. AND DR. TAJA, SHE'S FUNNY, Y'ALL, BUT SHE'S ON POINT. YOU CAN DO IT AND YOU GOTTA HAVE THAT CAN-DO ATTITUDE. HAVING KIDS SHOULD NOT BE AN EXCUSE. HAVING KIDS SHOULD NOT STOP YOU. AND I, I THINK IT SHOULD MOTIVATE YOU. IT SHOULD INSPIRE YOU. UM, UH, FROM THE DAY ONE OF BUILDING OUR BUSINESS, UM, I HAD MY OLDER, WE HAD OUR OLDER DAUGHTER. LL WAS WITH ME ON A LOT OF, PROBABLY 70% OF ALL THE MEETINGS I HAD. SHE WAS THERE. UH, SHE'S BEEN IN ALMOST EVERY BANK, UH, IN THE GALLERIA AREA WITH, WITH ME. UM, SHE'S BEEN TO SOME, YOU KNOW, AFTER HOUR, UH, YOU KNOW, EVENTS THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH. UM, I WOULD SAY FIND A WAY TO TAKE YOUR KIDS WITH YOU. AND I, AND I, AND I TELL YOU THIS, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO JUST BRAG ON MY MY BABY GIRL, BUT I THINK SHE HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO SO MUCH. SHE'S, SHE'S BE, SHE'S WELL, UH, ADVANCED FOR HER AGE. SHE'S SEVEN NOW. SHE SKIPPED KINDERGARTEN, BUT I THINK IT'S BECAUSE VERY EARLY ON SHE WAS HEARING WORDS, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY BABIES DON'T HEAR. AND SO, UH, IT'S A REAL THING. EXPOSURE EXPANDS EXPECTATION. FIVE MONTHS YOU MAY THINK, OH, THE BABY IS, IS NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION. I BEG TO DIFFER. I THINK THEY DO PAY ATTENTION, AND I THINK IF YOU CAN INCORPORATE JUST TALKING TO THEM AND TELLING THEM WHAT YOU'RE DOING, UM, IT MAY, IT GOES A LONG WAY. UH, CASE IN POINT. AND LAST THING I'LL SAY ON THIS TOPIC WAS, UM, WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, UH, EL GOT OF AGE, I USED TO ALWAYS SAY, HEY, DADDY HAS A MEETING. UH, I NEED YOU TO BE ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR. UM, WE ARE GOING TO CAPITAL ONE. WE ARE GONNA GO MEET OUR BUSINESS ADVISOR. UM, AND AND I, I USED TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE KNEW WHERE WE WERE GOING AND UNDERSTOOD THAT. AND I ALWAYS HAD HER IPAD, APPLE DEVICE, UH, AND THEN ALSO HAD HER SNACK. UM, UM, BUT, BUT THAT WAS THE EXPECTATION. UH, AND IT WORKED. THAT WORKED FOR ME. BUT I THINK IF YOU CAN INCORPORATE THEM IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU BRING THEM ALONG WITH YOU, I THINK YOU'LL HAVE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT TAKING THEM WITH YOU AND, AND NOT LETTING IT BE A ROADBLOCK OR AN EXCUSE FOR YOU, UH, TO NOT GET STARTED OR NOT KEEP GOING. ALSO, USE YOUR RESOURCES, YOUR FAMILY, YOU KNOW, EVERY, LIKE ANY, ANYBODY THAT CAN HELP YOU. HEY, DO YOU MIND WATCHING MY SON FOR LIKE TWO HOURS? I REALLY NEED TO WORK ON THIS BUSINESS PLAN THAT I'M IN A COMPETITION FOR. YOU KNOW, LIKE IT'S TO BETTER MY COMPANY. YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO WHOEVER THAT'S CLOSE TO YOU THAT YOU TRUST THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOMEBODY HELP WITH YOU, WITH YOUR BABE. YEAH. AND I THINK FOR ME, UM, AND I THINK IN THE ORIENTATION, SOME OF YOU HEARD ME TOUCH ON THIS A LITTLE BIT. I HAD SOMEBODY ASK, I GREW UP WITH TWO PARENTS WHO OWNED A BUSINESS, WERE ENTREPRENEURS. AND I THINK FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF A CHILD THAT WAS RAISED BY TWO ENTREPRENEURS, I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO OWN A BUSINESS. I THINK WHEN YOU'VE NEVER REALLY SEEN THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO OWN A BUSINESS, YOU HAVE A REALLY WARPED IDEA OF IT. UM, I SAW HOW HARD IT WAS. I SAW MY PARENTS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS EITHER THEIR BUSINESS WORKS OUT OR WE CAN'T PAY THE BILLS. SO IT WAS A LOT OF RESILIENCY. UM, MY PARENTS OWNED A PAINTING BUSINESS, SO I WOULD BE SITTING IN THESE BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT DONE LIKE JUST WITH MY SCHOOLWORK AND COLORING WHILE THEY'RE WORKING ALL DAY. SO I, I, AS A CHILD, YOU REALLY LEARN TO, UM, RESPECT BUSINESS OWNERS AND SEE HOW DIFFICULT IT TRULY IS. MY PARENTS COULD HAVE GONE AND WORKED FOR SOMEBODY ELSE AND IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT EASIER THAN THEM OWNING THEIR BUSINESS, BUT IT'S WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO AND IT'S WHAT THEY WERE GOOD AT. SO YOUR CHILD WILL SEE AND ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE HARD WORK YOU PUT IN. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I SAW IN MY PARENTS. YOU SEE A LOT OF THE HARD WORK AND IT'S NOT EASY. UM, I'M A BIT MORE MATURE. HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE SOMEBODY WHO [01:05:01] HAS ABSOLUTELY NO SOCIAL PLATFORM SKILL OR EXPOSURE? IT CAN ALMOST BE YOUR SUPERPOWER, TO BE HONEST. UH, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GIFT AND A CURSE. UH, LE LEVERAGE YOUR NETWORK, YOU KNOW, UM, TO, TO CONTINUE TO, TO GROW AND EXPAND, RIGHT? BUT I I, I DO THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF ON RAMP TO GET YOU ONBOARDED AND HAVE SOME PRESENCE, UH, ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, RIGHT? AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S A PARTNERSHIP YOU CAN CREATE, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATION OR PARTNER WITH THE COMPANY THAT CAN DO THAT FOR YOU, BUT FIND A WAY TO KIND OF BRIDGE THAT GAP. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SERVICE OR PRODUCT IS THAT YOU'RE SELLING. UM, BUT, BUT THE FIRST THING THAT PEOPLE DO IN, IN THIS DAY AND AGE IS THEY GO TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY, THEY WANNA SEE WHO YOU ARE. THEY WANNA SEE WHAT YOU DO. UH, THEY WANNA SEE HOW YOU ARE CONNECTED. UH, UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A LOT OF COMPANIES AND BUSINESS THAT ARE NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT ARE DOING QUITE WELL. UM, AND SO YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE THE RIGHT, UH, PLATFORM FOR YOU. UM, BUT IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A, UH, IT'S, IT'S NOT OVER JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, I STILL THINK YOU CAN THRIVE IF YOU, IF YOU REMAIN OFF OF IT. SO YOU'RE FASHIONABLY AGED, RIGHT? UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THE SOCIAL MEDIA, GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT, FIND A NIECE OR A NEPHEW, YOU KNOW, I HARDLY DO SOCIAL MEDIA. I DO IT JUST TO PASS, YOU KNOW, I DO THE BARE MINIMUM. AND I HAVE MY HUSBAND, HE'S MY SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, HE'S A PART OF MY TEAM, YOU KNOW, SO HE MAKES ALL THE VIDEOS AND NOW I'VE JUST RECENTLY HIRED A VIDEO GUY AND SO NOW HE'S GIVEN US HIGH QUALITY FOOTAGE FOR OUR BUSINESS. AND SO, YEAH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S VERY TRUE. I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT MOST BUSINESSES, UM, MOST BUSINESSES PAY PEOPLE TO RUN THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA. I MEAN, EVEN THE CITY, WE, IN OUR DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY HIRED TO DO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK EVERYBODY CAN DO SOCIAL MEDIA, FIGURE OUT HOW TO, BUT IT DOES TAKE A CERTAIN PERSON TO BE ABLE TO REALLY DO IT EFFECTIVELY, ESPECIALLY WITH HOW, YOU KNOW, WE VIEW, WE VIEW ADS AND WE VIEW MEDIA. UM, IT'S NOT SUPER EASY. I THINK EVEN ME HAVING GROWN UP WITH TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA MAJORITY OF MY LIFE, IT'S NOT SOMETHING I'M PARTICULARLY GOOD AT. UM, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT RIGHT NOW. SO WE ARE GONNA CUT OFF QUESTIONS AT 7 25. SO IF ANYBODY WANTS TO RAISE THEIR HAND, UM, AND ASK QUESTIONS, WE'RE GONNA GO IN ORDER OF HOW PEOPLE RAISE THEIR HANDS. AND WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE SHARING. UM, LINKEDINS, IT'S A REALLY GREAT IDEA IF ANYBODY WANTS TO EVEN PARTICIPANTS, IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE SHARING YOUR LINKEDIN, CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER. UM, SO WE SEE A HAND UP. UM, DORIAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO UNMUTE YOUR MIC? HELLO? CAN YOU ALL HEAR, HEAR YOU JUST FINE? YEAH, WE HEAR YOU JUST FINE. MY NAME IS DORIAN VEY. I AM THE PROUD OWNER AND FOUNDER OF STAMPED VINTAGE LLC. I AM ALSO IN THE TECHNOLOGY FIELD AS YOU ARE KYLIE, AND I WANTED TO KNOW, UM, YOU BRIEFLY TOUCHED ON SAYING FOCUS ON THE, WHAT YOU CAN DO AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU CANNOT DO. AND SO I AM A COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR, SO I DO KNOW HOW TO CODE SOMEWHAT, BUT THERE'S ALSO A CORE LINING THEME TO WHERE I, THERE'S NO WAY I COULD FEASIBLY DO EVERYTHING WITHIN MY COMPANY. AND I HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TRUST AS FAR AS WANTING OTHER PEOPLE TO JOIN MY TEAM BECAUSE I HAVE SUCH A PARTICULAR VISION THAT I'VE BEEN DEVELOPING SINCE I WAS 17 THAT I'M ALMOST OUTLANDISHLY RASH AT WANTING TO NETWORK. AND I COMPLETELY AGREE THAT IT'S NOT WHO I KNOW, IT'S WHO KNOWS ME. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PROMINENT REASONS THAT I ACTUALLY AM IN LIFTOFF. AND I WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE COULD CONNECT MORE, BECAUSE FINTECH IS NOT ONLY SOMETHING I WANTED TO GET INTO. UM, MY DAD IS ACTUALLY LAUNCHING A FINTECH COMPANY HIMSELF, AND I JUST WANNA BOUNCE SOME IDEAS OFF OF YOU. HOWEVER I FOCUS ON AUGMENTED REALITY, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO CONNECT WITH YOU. UH, HEY, CONNECT WITH ME ON LINKEDIN. IT'S KYLIE SUMMERS. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY CAN SEE MY NAME. I DON'T SEE MY NAME ON ON THE BOTTOM, BUT KYLIE SUMMERS, UH, ON, ON LINKEDIN, UH, AND I'LL PUT IT IN THIS CHAT. IS THIS CHAT, UH, SEEN BY THE GUEST? I'M TYPING IT IN NOW. YEAH. YEAH. CONNECT, CONNECT WITH ME. I WOULD LOVE TO, TO SPEAK WITH YOU AND I I JUST WANNA ADDRESS SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID AND I CAN GO GET MY LINKEDIN, UM, UH, AS WELL. UH, WE ALL HAVE, AND WE ALL WILL DEVELOP THINGS THAT WE PROBABLY DON'T WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THOSE IDEAS, RIGHT? [01:10:01] UM, A PART OF THIS PROCESS OF BEING A PART OF LIFTOFF BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION, YOU GONNA LEARN HOW TO ARTICULATE YOUR BUSINESS. YOU ARE GONNA LEARN HOW TO ARTICULATE IT IN A WAY THAT A SIXTH GRADER COULD UNDERSTAND OR A 6-YEAR-OLD CAN UNDERSTAND. UM, AND, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS SO CLOSE TO YOUR VEST OR SO CLOSE TO YOUR HEART, UM, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN IT IN A WAY THAT IT DOESN'T GIVE AWAY THOSE SECRETS OR DOESN'T GIVE AWAY YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THINK ABOUT THIS AND, AND I'LL, AND I'LL GET OFF THE MIC. COCA-COLA HAS BEEN HAVING THIS TRADE SECRET FOR I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DECADES, AND THEY STILL ARE AT THE TOP, UH, AND NOBODY HAS FIGURED IT OUT. UH, AND, AND THEY'RE DOING QUITE WELL, SO THEY CAN TURN OVER SO MANY DIFFERENT, UH, DECADES AND GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE AND STILL KEEP THAT, THAT, UH, THAT RECIPE. UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO THEM, I THINK YOU COULD DO IT TO NSAS FOR EVERYBODY. AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU OFFLINE TO, TO, TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SUPPORT YOU AND, AND, AND PROVIDE ADVICE AS YOU MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU, MR. SUMMERS. I JUST WENT AHEAD AND, UM, SENT YOU A REQUEST AND IT SAYS YOU HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL RANK ON LINKEDIN. SO I WANNA TELL YOU MY NAME IS DORIAN, DOVA. I DOVE, IF YOU DON'T MIND, UM, GRABBING THAT REAL QUICK AND I'LL BE ABLE TO CORRESPOND WITH YOU LATER. AND ALSO, DR. ROBERTS, I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING, UM, YOUR PASSION BECAUSE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR SON INSPIRING YOU. LIKE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I CAN FOR MY YOUNGER BROTHER AND SISTER TO BUILD GENERATIONAL WEALTH. AND SO I UNDERSTAND HOW CHILDREN CAN GIVE YOU A SEPARATE INSIGHT ON HOW YOU WANT TO BE BETTER FOR THEM. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DORIAN. YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED NIGHT. YOU AS WELL. ANY MORE QUESTIONS? YOU PROBABLY HAVE TIME FOR LIKE ONE OR TWO MORE. EMPIRE JACKSON, LLC. I SEE YOU ON MIC 'CAUSE I'M MUTED, BUT WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. OKAY. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, WE CAN. OKAY, SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT? UM, SO I WAS WONDERING, I FEEL LIKE MY BIGGEST ISSUE NOT ONLY HAS BEEN LIKE FINANCIALS, BUT LIKE ACCOUNTING. WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH ARE WE DOING? LIKE DOES THE LIBRARY HAVE ANY LIKE, RESOURCES? I KNOW LIKE, USUALLY EVERYBODY'S LIKE, PAY AN ACCOUNTANT DO QUICKBOOKS, BUT IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU'RE IN THE FIRST STAGES, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE DEPENDING ON THIS MONEY, IT'S LIKE, I DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR AN ACCOUNTANT. AND SO I'VE BEEN DOING, LIKE, I DID MY FIRST QUARTER OF BUSINESS TAXES BY HAND AND IT TOOK ME LIKE FOUR DAYS, LIKE TO BREAK UP BECAUSE OF LIKE MIXING IT WITH MY PERSONAL AND THEN MAKING SURE I HAD ALL MY RECEIPTS AND LIKE TRACKING MY MILEAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT RESOURCES CAN I HAVE FOR ACCOUNTING? LIKE IS IF ANY, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I'M, I'M GONNA SAY THIS, THEY SAID IT IS, I THINK IT'S THREE THINGS THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE AS A BUSINESS OWNER, AS A, AS A LAWYER, AN ACCOUNTANT. UH, AND, AND, UH, WAS IS SOMETHING THAT'S, I CAN'T, I CAN'T THINK OF, BUT POINT OF ME SAYING THIS IS DON'T SKIP THAT STEP. IT'S OKAY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THAT BOOKKEEPER, UH, THAT ACCOUNTANT TO KIND OF HELP YOU MANAGE, UH, TO MANAGE THAT. IF YOU CAN MANAGE IT ON YOUR OWN, THEN, THEN GO FOR IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING A GOOD JOB. PLAN IT OUT IN TERMS OF, UM, LIKE THE TIME THAT YOU PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR TO NAVIGATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING. TRY NOT TO TRY TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE. 'CAUSE IT, IT IS OVERWHELMING TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF THAT. BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THIS TOO, EVEN IF YOU DO HIRE SOMEBODY, YOU STILL GOTTA TRANSFER YOUR, YOUR KNOWLEDGE, YOUR EXPERIENCE, THE THINGS THAT YOU, UM, HAVE ACCUMULATED TO THEM, RIGHT? SO YOU STILL HAVE TO BE SOMEWHAT ORGANIZED. QUICKBOOKS IS AS GOOD AS, UM, YOU PUT INFORMATION INTO IT. SO IN TERMS OF ALL YOUR BANKING TRANSACTIONS, SO IT CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT STUFF. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT THIS IS HOW WE, I'VE, I'VE APPROACHED IT. UM, I USE QUICKBOOKS AND THEN FROM MY QUICKBOOKS, UM, FOR ME MANAGING, I THEN TAKE IT AND GIVE IT TO AN ACCOUNTANT AND THEY, THEY CLEAN IT UP FOR ME AND THEY MAKE IT, UH, HELP ME GET PREPARED FOR TAXES. AND I KNOW FOR, UM, SPECIFIC RESOURCES WITH THE LIBRARY, UH, BELINDA WOULD [01:15:01] PROBABLY HAVE A BETTER ANSWER. UM, I'M NOT SURE OF ANY WITH THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE, UM, WE DO HAVE VARIOUS FINANCIAL, UM, RESOURCES THAT COME AND SPEAK. SO THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE A GOOD QUESTION FOR, UM, SOME OF THE FINANCIAL, IN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT COME IN. THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME RESOURCES FOR STARTUP BUSINESS OWNERS WHEN IT COMES TO AN ACCOUNTANT. SO THE LIBRARY WOULD NOT HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PERSONNEL THAT WOULD HELP YOU DIRECTLY WITH THE COUNTY. WE'D HAVE SOME BOOKS AND MAYBE YOU CAN FIND A WORKSHOP HERE OR THERE, BUT NOTHING VERY SPECIFIC. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO I'M NOT SEEING ANY MORE QUESTIONS. UM, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND UM, END IT HERE SO WE DON'T RUN OVER ON OUR TIME. IF ANYBODY HAS ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, UM, FEEL FREE TO SEND US AN EMAIL. UM, YOU MAY BE SEEING KYLIE AND TASHA HERE AGAIN IN A FEW MONTHS, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, BOTH OF YOUR TIME AND YOU COMING HERE AND SHARING A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH EVERYBODY. WE'RE SUPER EXCITED FOR THIS YEAR, YEAR 11 OF LIFT OFF HOUSTON. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.