Fundraising for non-profit is easier than for a for-profit company? HOW? Dylan Kendall explains
Dylan Kendall - candidate for Los Angeles City Council District in 2022 and a Founder of a for-profit and non-profit in this episode shares her experience of being a founder in Los Angeles. She explains how did it happen that fundraising for a non-profit turned out to be easier than for a for-profit company and how she got into politics.
Learn more about Dylan as a candidate here: https://dylankendall2022.com/
Relevan episode where Claudine Emeott explains how impact funds work: https://www.fundraisingradio.com/Claudine-Emeott/
Some of the questions covered in this episode:
- you said that fundraising for your non-profit turned out to be easier than for a for-profit, how did that happen?
- can you briefly tell us about your experience while raising for your for-profit? If you could go back in time and change that raise, what would you do?
- you are the candidate for Los Angeles City Council District in 2022, how did you get into politics?
- what do you think is the major strength of LA as a tech hub? Are there any particular government programs in LA specifically that can help startup founders at the early stages?
- you've mentioned that one of your frustration with city of LA is that it's government is very slow and falling behind the development curve, how do you plan to fix this?
- do you think there are any particular cities that have done a better job at this? (not necessarily in the US)
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They're releasing to fundraising
video a podcast about
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fundraising for early-stage
startups, the major rule that we
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follow here is no bullshit on
this podcast.
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No music to relax.
You know, advertisements of our
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sponsors.
We only talk about fundraising
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here and nothing else.
So let's jump into the episode
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and today is a guest speaker
have doing Kendall founder of a
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for-profit and a nonprofits in
LA.
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Actually, you know what?
I'll report that part.
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So you were founder of a
for-profit and nonprofit sand
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this episode.
We'll touch on to fundraising
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for both and the differences for
the both.
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And also Dylan is the candidate
for Los Angeles city council
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District in 2022.
And also, today we have Eliza
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our new upcoming co-host who
will be participating in the
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future Interiors as well.
So doing a let's kick it off by
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you giving us some background
on.
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Self.
And on the, let's start with
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your for-profit and nonprofit
and then at the end of the
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episode, we'll move on and talk
about your candidacy for the LA
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City Council District in 2022.
Great, perfect.
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Thank you.
Good to have like be here and
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talk with you both at least good
to meet you.
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I just, I met consoling last
night, good to meet you this
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week.
So yes, I am in a morgue unique
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position in terms of my
entrepreneurial history and that
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I founded, why I I went
backwards.
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Everyone reminded me later.
I probably should have started
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the private company first and
then use those resources to
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start the nonprofit, which is a
more typical people, you know,
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disparage their soul for decades
in the private sector and then
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they decide they want to do
something good for the planet or
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four people and humanity and
then they start their nonprofit.
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I did it backwards which isn't
as if I zvl because you
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definitely have to lift harder
for the nonprofit than you do
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without those resources from the
private sector.
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But yes, In 2005, I founded a
non-profit and it became quite
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successful.
It was self-running self-funding
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when I left it continued which
is always a testimony to the
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entrepreneur because frequently
nonprofits will implode after
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their Founders move on to
different things.
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I founded the only School in the
nation to use what we call
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Progressive on-demand Arts based
learning for transitional age
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homeless, young, adults, which
is 18 to 28.
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That's A category of homeless of
some sort of people within the
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homeless sort of rubric they're
called Tay transitional age
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youth.
They are technically considered
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adults because they are over the
age of 18 but they are
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emotionally much more.
You know, they're they're
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emotionally stunted so we would
give them their own special
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category and they are really
difficult to work with because
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they have all the attributes of
an eighteen-year-old, you know,
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married with all the attributes
of a much younger human being
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and they don't want to go into
the adult.
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System, so they just fall
through the crack.
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So I created that school and
raised a lot of money had a very
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strong board of directors.
And then after five years of
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running it, I became a foster
parent, my foster son at 17.
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He and his girlfriend gave me a
grandson and so it became just a
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little emotionally overwhelming
to be running this school
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working with a lot of
traumatized, young people.
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I mean, I would argue that
everybody on the street has How
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trauma that led them to the
streets or if they just again
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fell through a poverty crack.
Now living on the streets is
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traumatic so I would say that we
have a massive, we have lot of
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crises that are impacting our
social service systems here in
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this country.
But I think one of the biggest
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ones is we have a massive trauma
crisis.
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That doesn't always get attended
well in any case, so there was
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all that spinning around me and
then a baby or into a couple 17
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year olds, so I stepped down.
Needing to find a way to create
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a little more balance in my
life.
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And then I started the private
company and and that was a
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eCommerce brand started in 2010,
and I always say, for your
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listeners, this was before
Shopify.
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This was before Ali.
Baba, this was before, all the
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tools right now, which make DIY
entrepreneurialism, so much more
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accessible and Democratic, I was
working in international
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manufacturing at a time.
When I don't think anybody, I
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knew had more than three letters
in their name, like Tom Mark,
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right?
Like it was a Male dominated
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industry.
There was a lot of space for
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women back there.
Back then, in international
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manufacturing, the Chinese
factories weren't overwhelmed,
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working with women.
Again that's changing a lot.
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We're finding even in China now,
I have more female managers that
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I work with compared to a decade
ago.
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So, yes, I pivoted and left the
nonprofit space to go into the
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private sector selling bulls
with feet.
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If you guys have, you know, the
chance to go to the website,
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you'll still see them.
I'm still making them.
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We launched with 600 that I made
an a small u.s.
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Factory and then we went viral
again much easier to do in 2010.
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When there wasn't as much
content saturating the internet
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and we had like 80 thousand
dollars in purchase orders and
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only a couple of weeks and to
this day I'm that's what I'm
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still doing we now sell
internationally we nice.
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Yeah.
Probably 9k trees on the deck
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and humans all over the world
seemed to enjoy waking 100% good
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time.
So yeah, let's move on and talk.
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Out that for-profit and
fundraising for that for profit
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on overprint recall, you
mentioned something that can
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instruct me quite a bit to,
which is that you found out that
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fundraising for nonprofit,
actually turned out to be much
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easier than fundraising for, for
profit, which is very contrary
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to it.
If so, can you tell us briefly
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about both of those experiences
and how did it turn out?
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That's fundraising for
for-profit company, which
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generates money back to the
investors who, who gave you
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money, turned out to be harder
than January, is that in
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fundraising for nonprofit.
That was such an interesting
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experience for me.
So, I think in general fund,
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raising is hard.
Fundraising requires a lot of
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confidence in yourself, that
requires not being afraid to
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separate money from people from
personality.
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I think, a lot of times, you
know, when you get a no on it,
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you take it very personal,
right?
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And we, I think, in general,
women have not been particularly
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trained to either a, have a
pretty fluent and strong
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relationship with money or
People and asking for money.
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So I think, you know, it sort of
starts at the root where we
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don't necessarily prepare women
to oversee their financial sort
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of portfolios and systems.
I mean, again, this is all she's
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changing and shifting, but let's
look at it within the historical
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context.
And then second, we certainly
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don't, I think women have not
been encouraged.
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Is it silly to ask for money,
you know, it goes really to the
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point that men like to give
money to men, right?
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I mean, there's just, this is
the boys club scenario, man,
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give money to men.
Women tend to give money to
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women, right?
I mean, I Don't think when yeah
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yeah, act towards one side that
women women female entrepreneurs
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to support.
But you know, that's just a
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little bit of this, you know,
unfortunately, the boys club
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culture that this a lot of this
country's been founded on and it
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certainly bleeds into the
Venture space or even the angels
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face, I would, I would posit so,
but where we?
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So, I think number one, if we
can get women to be comfortable
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asking for money, we overcome
that obstacle.
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Right out of the gate where I
had no natural fear of either
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mostly, because I don't fear
much of anything any longer in
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my life and certainly not asking
anybody.
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So when I built my nonprofit it
was my second nonprofit.
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I learned a lot from my first
one which ran for about a year
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but never really grew in scale
or in reach.
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So but I learned from that
nonprofit that might board of
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directors would be critical to
my agency's success.
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So I focused very heavily on
starting with a strong Board of
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Directors for now.
Nonprofit number two, the one
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we're talking about the school
or the educational agency but
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also I never particularly felt.
I think you know again I think
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that the fear around fundraising
is because we self-reflect on
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it, right?
Like oh it must be that I'm a
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bad person or my ideas are no
good.
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And we don't, I think if we can
overcome that we had forward and
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I really believed that what I
was doing with this school or
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educational agency.
Would be a game-changer would be
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solution-oriented.
So, I went forth and fund raised
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with this strong board of
directors, as sort of testimony
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of what I was doing and in just
found money, flow flowed, money
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flowed.
And I think that I then
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translated that experience into
what I would find when I was
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building my private company and
nothing could have been further
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from the truth.
And when I go, it was very
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difficult to raise money for my
private company and even when we
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were in the Heyday of, you know,
we were hundreds of thousands of
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Dollars every year and plus, we
were still strut.
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We had International, you know,
we had so many Distributors on
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board.
We had so many marketplaces like
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Bed Bath and Beyond and yet
still, we were struggling to
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raise investment capital and I
found that so surprising and not
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at all, what I would have ever
expected.
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And in hindsight again, the only
thing I can take it back to is
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that there's a gender bias.
Again attached to fund raising
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money and who likes to give
money to who normally women give
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money to nonprofits, right?
I mean, If you look at like a
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high net-worth couple, the woman
is, you know, frequently tasked
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with like deciding what, you
know, fulfill a ramp so
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philanthropy, the family
involves Somethin.
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So I had a lot of lunches with
women, right less lunches with
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their husbands, or with men or
and there was just this.
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I think, again, a culture around
the idea, that women help
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children, women help, you know,
women help constituencies that
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are in need, write, whatever
they are from the environment to
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an animals.
And so even though there's no at
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all return on that and like
investment or on that
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contribution in the nonprofit
space, with the exception of
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whatever, the individual may be
able to write off on their
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taxes.
There is this idea that okay,
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we're going to help kids so
we're going to give to a woman
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because a woman's a nurturing
soul and she's going to be a
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better you know, a good.
We trust that she'll be able to
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use our money wisely and then we
may get an anecdote back from
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her in like some sort of Neil
overboard or newsletter.
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That says, I'm a happy kid and I
thank, you know, thanks for your
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donation.
I was able to take these number
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of classes and that's it and you
know, we all operate on the
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reality.
This is all true and verifiable
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right where the private sector.
As you know, there are literally
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black and white numbers, right?
This is entirely an objective
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play.
There is no subjectivity and its
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ability to be successful.
And so I thought, you know, you
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give me a dollar, I'm going to
sell.
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A widget that's 20 cents that
cost me 20 cents for 40 cents
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and I'm going to you know, and
I've got a nice little either
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net or gross margin depending on
how do we want to go?
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And from there I'm going to be
able to give you a penny back or
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whatever at some point right?
And that's so mathematical to me
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that why would you not?
But this idea that I was you
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know I was patronized, I was
called basically like little
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girl a couple of times by
investors.
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I was, you know, of course, hit
on every woman knows that it
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doesn't matter if you have a
part for sure, let me let me
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jump in here and ask you a
question.
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Did you were you looking for VC
funding specifically, or do you
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try to go for business loans or
lines of Praise through the
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banking?
Because you were reason for
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e-commerce, based on my
experience of years here?
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No one really invests in
e-commerce because it's not
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really the seed back space.
So I we were looking we would be
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way too young for any Venture
Capital funding.
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So this was really Angel space.
These are people who like to
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invest in startups, who know,
consumer products.
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Well, but yes, to get the
company off the ground.
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We did not, we used probably
three different, alternative
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financing models, to get the
company off the ground.
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So we use factoring, which is
where you can take a purchase
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order from a sea from a
credible.
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You know, a dozen Bradstreet
credited.
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Accredited retailer.
Get a loan from A bank or an
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individual so factoring but he's
so we use factoring for some of
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our bigger purchase orders to
manufacture out of the gate.
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We used microloans.
I think we got three micro loans
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from the SBA so they're very
women in minority initiatives.
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Those are tiny loans are usually
seven to ten thousand.
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Now I actually have a call on
Monday to learn where they've
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increased that budget around the
microloan so it can go as high
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as 50 k now which is what?
Yeah, much more because the you
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get the one you know, You're
like okay but I need 30 and then
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you got to go back and do a
whole Grant application for
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another micro loan.
And so it sort of was a
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time-consuming process.
But so I think we did three
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micro loans and then we did
crowdfunding which in 2011 was a
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pretty new fun funding
opportunity for folks.
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It was Kickstarter was the only
player in the game now.
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You know, because of recent
investment, you know, protocol
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shifts around investment.
You can even do proud raises for
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funding for investors, which you
do not do.
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Thousand Eleven.
But so we did.
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I think five crowdfunding
campaigns 45 crowdfunding
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campaign Kickstarter, Indiegogo.
We did.
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I think those are probably the
three ways we and then we did, I
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don't think we really got any
other startup capital from other
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people.
I'd have to go back.
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It's been 11 years and remind
myself that.
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I think those were our I didn't
bring a lot of my own money to
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the company.
I had been in the nonprofit
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sector and I Add a kid in a baby
and so I sorry, I'm all these
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texts are coming.
I should have turned off, so I
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had to really heavy lift out of
the gate to find money.
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It wasn't something like go to
my husband or go to my, my
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parents and say, hey, can you
write me a fifty thousand dollar
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check?
So I can get this off the
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ground.
It was very much like slowly
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kind of cobbling it together to
make it happen chat.
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So looking back at that,
fundraising for your for profit.
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And going back to reason from
Angel Investors, I've seen
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numerous raises, I've seen
numerous e-commerce businesses
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and I Guessing like one or maybe
two cases where an e-commerce
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actually reached VC funding, or
even an angel funding because
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angels are very much like
smaller versions of BC's, less
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experienced less Capital, but
they're still operating on that.
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VC model where they have to see
some kind of potential massive
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payoff in order to compensate
for all the failures.
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So looking back at that
fundraising, maybe you just
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didn't go for the right cap it.
So what do you think if you want
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to for other investors, or for
other source of capital, maybe
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00:14:57,300 --> 00:14:58,800
it would be be easier for you to
raise.
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00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:02,300
Yeah, I don't know, there are
that many other sources of
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capital, I mean, between the
angel and Venture Capital space,
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you know, it's shifting.
I think that when we were
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raising money, we were raising
money for the brand not
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necessarily for the fact that
was on e-commerce.
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Especially, you know, consider
2010 e-commerce was a really new
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space back then and we were like
on Amazon back then, but you
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know, there wasn't even a Seller
Central.
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It just, you know, things have
really moved that light speed in
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the past decade so the reality
that you're sort of experience.
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Right now is not the reality.
I was raising money.
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And in 2010 we were building a
brand because we were going, we
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were looking for licensing
opportunities.
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So our goal was to create a
brand that we can then.
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Because licensing is obviously
the, you know, much better play
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right than dealing with
inventory and you know, all of
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us on our own.
So we were, we were definitely
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pursuing funding in in the form
of an outside third party
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00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,600
investor.
But it wasn't so much like, hey,
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we got a little e-commerce brand
and can you, you know, at that
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point we were selling
internationally.
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So we showed that we had a lot
of scope we had because we had
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licensable attributes.
We were showing that we could
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easily be attached to anything
else from luggage to, you know,
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I don't know, like a something
else, right?
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Whatever else that would be a
great home kitchen Arc and so I
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think that was really where we
were hoping the long-term play
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would be in licensing and There
was a minute where we definitely
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we were in, you know, contact
with a number of Licensing.
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It was sort of chicken and egg,
right?
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00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,100
Like they wanted us to have more
gravitas in the area, but to get
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00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:38,000
the gravitas, very we had done
the investor.
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So yep?
Yep.
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00:16:38,900 --> 00:16:39,600
Yep.
Yep.
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00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:43,500
Is there a painful?
Chicken-egg problem to watch.
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00:16:43,500 --> 00:16:48,100
That is very much true.
So let's on this, no doubt now
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00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:52,200
that we've covered your both for
profit and nonprofits and
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00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,400
fundraising for those.
Let's talk about your candidacy
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00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,500
for D, LA City Council,
District.
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00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,700
In 2022.
I don't think we've ever had any
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00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:02,600
political figures on this
podcast before.
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00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,099
So this is a very interesting
subject.
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00:17:04,099 --> 00:17:07,800
So let's talk about that.
How did you get into politics in
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the first place?
How did you get there from being
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00:17:09,700 --> 00:17:15,500
a Founder?
So politics actually came first,
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00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,200
I wanted to make the world
better, right?
325
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:22,200
I you know, I wanted to make the
world better and it from my very
326
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,800
naive point of view that would
be through changing systems,
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00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:27,300
which would be done through
politics.
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00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:31,900
Again, this is a very naive
idealistic view in 2004.
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00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:36,300
So again, a while ago, I didn't
have a particularly pedigreed
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upbringing, I didn't go to
college right away.
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I didn't go to college until I
was 30, I definitely went to
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UCLA but that was only because I
wrote one of the most you know
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00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,900
heart-wrenching tear pulling
personal essays about wanting to
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00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:52,500
make the world better.
I didn't get into UCLA because I
335
00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,300
had massive SAT scores or I had
this, you know, right out of
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00:17:55,300 --> 00:17:57,400
college.
Three-pointer 4.0.
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00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:03,200
I was a bartender and I had an
impact in a really high poverty
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neighborhood.
That left a serious impression
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00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:06,400
on me.
I mean, it always been sort of
340
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,500
oriented towards what we now,
call social action, but just
341
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this idea that we have a part to
play in making our world more
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fair for all.
And so I had this like I said,
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this very tree like sort of
shocking experience in high
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poverty neighborhood and I
decided to leave bartending and
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00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,300
like Ceramics and other fun
things I was doing.
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00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:29,400
She met World better.
And so I went to, I wrote that
347
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all in an essay to UCLA and
nobody was more surprised than I
348
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was to get that acceptance
letter because I was too old to
349
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go to college.
And second, you know, never
350
00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:43,300
negate the personal narrative,
right?
351
00:18:43,300 --> 00:18:45,300
I mean if you have strong
convictions about something a
352
00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:48,200
lot of times, that's what makes,
you know, universities take.
353
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,400
So, I wrote that essay.
I was accepted and I and I
354
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,500
started UCLA, and then when I
finished all of my schooling, I
355
00:18:56,500 --> 00:19:04,200
know the Masters At 34, I I did
a leadership training program
356
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:08,300
called Cora, which is not as
relevant, any longer as it was
357
00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:10,600
again.
It's had its Heyday as well, but
358
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,600
it launched like luminaries like
Dianne Feinstein and in
359
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,800
California all Expedia.
And so I, I was invited to
360
00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,400
participate in this nine month
program and I did right after my
361
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,700
mat, or I think at the same time
I was finishing my masters.
362
00:19:22,700 --> 00:19:28,500
And and then when I was
graduated, You know, my I was
363
00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:32,000
sort of on a path to go right
into politics and I was really
364
00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:36,100
excited about that and I was
hired as a contractor to work on
365
00:19:36,100 --> 00:19:41,600
a project with the county and,
you know, unsure why?
366
00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:42,600
Maybe?
Because I didn't have a
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00:19:42,608 --> 00:19:44,100
traditional pedigree to
upbringing.
368
00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:47,100
I had I've never seen the world
Within These constraints.
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Are these constructs that
everybody else does.
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00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,900
And so this project has
contracted on I was hired to
371
00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:56,200
write the Strategic plan and it
was about a new arts program at
372
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,400
the county and new But they
wanted to create and I
373
00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,200
envisioned something very
different than what they were
374
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:04,400
envisioning.
And my vision was supported by
375
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,400
these hundred interviews I had
done in a feasibility study, and
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00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,300
when I brought money, it was not
well received.
377
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,200
So I didn't know.
At the time I was very young and
378
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,400
idealistic that I was, you know,
threatening the, I was
379
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,100
threatening the throne in a way,
right?
380
00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:21,400
Because we've always done it
this way and people climb a
381
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:25,500
ladder are expected outcomes on
that ladder and if something
382
00:20:25,500 --> 00:20:28,800
comes in and attempts to disrupt
the power that Get at each like
383
00:20:28,900 --> 00:20:32,700
rung of your ladder.
It's very unwanted.
384
00:20:32,900 --> 00:20:34,600
I don't know if she was
intimidated or threatened, but
385
00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,600
it certainly unwanted that I can
say without doubt, and she made
386
00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:42,000
her unwanted known to me, and
no, no, with no shortage of
387
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:47,700
words, and so II that point was,
like, so disappointed.
388
00:20:47,700 --> 00:20:50,300
And this, I mean, the idea was
so good and it was, like, I
389
00:20:50,308 --> 00:20:52,700
said, backed up by all these
people, in my feasibility cons
390
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,700
study.
So I, you know, I sort of licked
391
00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:59,100
my wounds right eye.
I retreated and I licked my
392
00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:01,100
wounds and I thought now now how
do I do?
393
00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:04,100
Because I got to see for the
first time that I'm a really
394
00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:06,800
high jumper, and government has
really low ceilings and that
395
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,100
might not be the best place for
me to create the change that I
396
00:21:09,100 --> 00:21:12,400
want, right?
You you smile like I just, you
397
00:21:12,408 --> 00:21:15,200
know, my poor head was getting
these massive headaches, all the
398
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:17,300
time from trying to do things
that were Innovative and
399
00:21:17,300 --> 00:21:21,100
government.
And so, I then picked it and
400
00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:23,900
created that school though, when
we mentioned earlier, right?
401
00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:28,600
And at that time, in 2005, you
know, Allah Allah. 88,000 people
402
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:34,500
according to our homeless Census
count in 2005 living outside and
403
00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:36,700
again, we've done nothing.
I mean now we have more
404
00:21:36,700 --> 00:21:39,000
shockingly and not because of
covid, but there's been a
405
00:21:39,008 --> 00:21:43,400
failure of the political of the
of the political leaders to
406
00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,100
acknowledge and move with
urgency button.
407
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:49,100
So I pivoted and I took on this
problem you know tragic decades
408
00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:51,700
and a half before anybody else
in city council was like, huh,
409
00:21:51,700 --> 00:21:53,500
maybe we should do something
about how the people who are
410
00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:57,400
living outside in our city.
So I got I was lucky in that.
411
00:21:57,500 --> 00:22:00,900
I was, you know, I don't think
of any better example than that.
412
00:22:00,900 --> 00:22:04,200
In terms of how this idea that I
think we do need to disrupt
413
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,100
these systems.
We can't continue to allow it to
414
00:22:06,100 --> 00:22:09,400
go as a status court because it
does nothing.
415
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:15,200
I mean, look where we are.
So I I loved running the school
416
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,500
and then, you know, again, if we
go back to the history of, then
417
00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:21,000
I got, you know, my grandson and
so I there was never any issuer
418
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,000
interest or really for me to go
back into politics and after one
419
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,400
brief, you know, I'm pleasant
experience in.
420
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:31,600
We have this interesting thing
happen in our last elections
421
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,700
where we had in a woman from out
of nowhere, come and challenge
422
00:22:34,700 --> 00:22:39,300
an incumbent and she won.
And I started to think oh maybe
423
00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,900
it's not the same landscape that
it was.
424
00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:45,000
You know, what was that?
17 years ago?
425
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,700
Maybe have changed and I think a
lot of that is technology-driven
426
00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:51,300
and you get to see like a lot of
the young activists coming up
427
00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:54,200
and like we now can hold people
far more accountable than we've
428
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,100
ever had that ability to do so
with government and I think this
429
00:22:57,100 --> 00:23:00,500
is really A exciting and I
credit a lot of these younger
430
00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:04,000
movements like Sunrise movement,
like food and water, watch that
431
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,700
are coming up and really
demanding that we do things
432
00:23:06,700 --> 00:23:07,900
differently than we've done
before.
433
00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:11,500
Like the status quo is not,
anybody want a massive climate
434
00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:18,100
crisis, a humanitarian crisis.
So I thought, okay, well, I've
435
00:23:18,100 --> 00:23:21,300
had a good run with my big
Converse brand with my brand,
436
00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:23,400
right?
I mean, I love what I do because
437
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,900
I sell joy and so that's a
really fun job, right?
438
00:23:26,900 --> 00:23:29,500
Like, You know, emails me that I
have a lot of customer
439
00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:31,300
engagement.
I get a lot of pictures of
440
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,500
troubles with cute dogs.
That, you know, I wake up to in
441
00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:37,500
my mailbox everyday.
So, I have a, I have a really
442
00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:39,200
fun job.
It's very outward facing, and I
443
00:23:39,208 --> 00:23:40,500
make a lot of people happy, it's
great.
444
00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:44,100
I'm not just selling widget, I'm
selling a bit of Joy right to
445
00:23:44,100 --> 00:23:49,300
people, so, but I thought, you
know, I love this city and I
446
00:23:49,300 --> 00:23:51,600
know every candidate says that,
but like, I really do.
447
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,800
I rooted in La.
I think it's an incredible City.
448
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,700
I love its energy.
I love that.
449
00:23:56,700 --> 00:23:59,900
It's like, You know, back when I
was really growing up myself in
450
00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:04,400
the 90s and LOL, it felt like
just a gigantic lab where people
451
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,000
would come with their crazy
ideas and their dreams and
452
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,400
their, and, and it could happen,
right?
453
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:11,300
You know, your waiter was
working on a script.
454
00:24:11,300 --> 00:24:15,500
I loved that about l.a.
I loved that we were sort of an
455
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:19,700
anything-goes City and yet and
then we've lost that, you know,
456
00:24:19,700 --> 00:24:23,100
because now that Talent can't
come here and find housing, you
457
00:24:23,100 --> 00:24:26,100
can't come here as an actor and
try to find your way.
458
00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:29,700
Where are you going to live?
Like where you end up sharing
459
00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:32,200
with three other people in these
overcrowded, you know, small
460
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,200
Studios that are three thousand
dollars or maybe 2,500 and it's
461
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,500
just not, you can't get to work
easily.
462
00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:40,500
Like, you're supposed to be like
this was Hollywood.
463
00:24:40,500 --> 00:24:43,300
You're supposed to be able to
live and, you know, maybe just
464
00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:46,200
drive a few minutes or get on
your bike and go to work, but
465
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,300
not be stuck.
In this incredible traffic
466
00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,300
because my cloud cars to run our
city.
467
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,600
So it's really shifted and
changed and it's unfortunate and
468
00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:58,100
and it's ugly.
Like our city is not You know,
469
00:24:58,100 --> 00:25:00,800
we fail to sort of keep up with
some of the environmental trends
470
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,300
that we needed to do.
Our Greening efforts are behind
471
00:25:03,300 --> 00:25:06,300
what other cities are doing and
you know, you can't ignore all
472
00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:08,100
the tents.
I mean, tourism dollars are
473
00:25:08,100 --> 00:25:10,800
being impacted, it's so
heartbreaking.
474
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,500
You know, people come to LA and
it's showing her lot and they
475
00:25:13,500 --> 00:25:16,500
get here and they're like, oh
yeah.
476
00:25:16,700 --> 00:25:18,500
So after grilling a leaf or a
little bit.
477
00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,700
Let's talk about some of the
good stuff that Lee has to
478
00:25:20,700 --> 00:25:22,500
offer.
And yeah, a lot of Founders
479
00:25:22,500 --> 00:25:25,400
choose to not go to LA because
again they move there is
480
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,100
extraordinarily expensive, not
that mean even Others are there
481
00:25:28,100 --> 00:25:30,600
unless they're already of course
in the entertainment space, in
482
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,300
which case Ali's definitely see
for them.
483
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,300
But yet a lot of Founders choose
not to go to Italy because it's
484
00:25:35,300 --> 00:25:38,500
expensive and doesn't really
offer that many benefits.
485
00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:39,900
So let's talk about those
benefits.
486
00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:42,700
So doing it from your
perspective, from your knowledge
487
00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:45,200
of the government's from the
insides are there.
488
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:49,200
Any specifically good programs,
that'll a CD specifically has to
489
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,000
offer to the incoming Founders,
or to the founders, who are
490
00:25:52,008 --> 00:25:53,900
actually reside in l.a. right
now?
491
00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:59,900
So this is, that's the question
we're Constantine's Army.
492
00:25:59,900 --> 00:26:01,500
The questions that have I took
notes.
493
00:26:01,500 --> 00:26:05,900
And I have some because even I
didn't know, I mean I think
494
00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:09,600
that.
So when mayor Eric Garcetti took
495
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,400
over eight years ago, he really
positioned himself as the tech
496
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,900
friendly mayor as they say.
Girls startup mayor.
497
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,700
I think in some ways this is
played itself out correctly and
498
00:26:20,700 --> 00:26:24,700
in other ways it's been kind of
actually more of the same and We
499
00:26:24,700 --> 00:26:28,100
haven't, we haven't seen massive
diversity in the space either
500
00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:32,700
here in Los Angeles.
I think, you know, there's a I
501
00:26:32,700 --> 00:26:34,500
think we need to do a better job
in Los Angeles.
502
00:26:34,500 --> 00:26:37,500
Oh yeah, I did prepare like a
list of all these different
503
00:26:37,500 --> 00:26:42,400
agencies or at a lot of
different but some there on my
504
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,700
other computer over here
different opportunities, a lot
505
00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:49,300
of them are, you know, coming
out of the SBA obviously at the
506
00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:52,400
federal level, no, coming down
to community block, grants here,
507
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,800
at the local level, we have.
He's owns where if you I think
508
00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,300
Hollywood has actually now an
opportunity Zone which is just
509
00:26:58,300 --> 00:27:00,600
tapping on to legislation.
That's about 2 years old.
510
00:27:00,700 --> 00:27:04,200
That allows investors to start
businesses in specific
511
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,900
neighborhoods and get a lot of
tax breaks for doing that for
512
00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:09,700
they don't, you know, they get a
capital account capital gains
513
00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:14,200
tax break and and there's you
know I think there is I think
514
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,700
one of the big issues is that we
don't have any sort of there's
515
00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:19,300
like, I had to Snoop around
right.
516
00:27:19,300 --> 00:27:21,900
There's no consult, I think one
of the biggest challenges for
517
00:27:21,900 --> 00:27:24,400
Los Angeles is a failure to mark
that all of its programs.
518
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,500
That's really and I think a lot
of us because it's government
519
00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:29,100
and government doesn't think
about marketing.
520
00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:31,600
And you know, it's this idea
that we build it they'll come
521
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,400
but they won't come if they
don't know it's there.
522
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,600
And so I think, you know what
are the initiatives I wanted to
523
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,600
undertake in my office as a beta
for how the whole city could be
524
00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,100
doing is let's see about how we
communicate with our
525
00:27:42,100 --> 00:27:45,300
constituencies better including
you know startup entrepreneurs
526
00:27:45,900 --> 00:27:49,800
and not just the tech space.
But you know I trained I teach a
527
00:27:49,808 --> 00:27:52,700
few nights a week formerly
incarcerated or currently
528
00:27:52,700 --> 00:27:55,800
incarcerated, men and women.
A entrepreneurial skills because
529
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,000
they don't have a lot of job
options when I release.
530
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,200
So how do they get funding,
right?
531
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,500
What kind of funny do we have
for black and brown at what
532
00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:08,100
level?
And so I'm cooking out of that
533
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:10,100
space.
So yeah.
534
00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:12,800
So I did a deep dive it and
again we do have resources in
535
00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,500
Los Angeles but they're not
particularly well organized.
536
00:28:15,700 --> 00:28:18,400
You also have to remember that
in Los Angeles is massive.
537
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:20,700
So the Tech Community right now
that's in l.a. is pretty
538
00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:23,300
centralized near the water
right?
539
00:28:23,300 --> 00:28:26,000
Yeah, I know.
Was a sort of an effort at one
540
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,300
point and this is where, you
know, the district by the way
541
00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:30,100
that I'm running for.
So I'm running for Council
542
00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:33,400
District 13 which includes some
of our most historic
543
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,600
neighborhoods, like Hollywood,
yay.
544
00:28:35,700 --> 00:28:38,700
Nice silver metallic Echo Park.
Large flat out what her Village.
545
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,100
So I think that's always been a
missed opportunity with
546
00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:41,800
Hollywood.
You know.
547
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,500
Periodically.
They the various the chambers
548
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:45,500
of.
It's like there's this sort of
549
00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:48,900
like let's put a tech, you know,
Center in Hollywood, right.
550
00:28:48,900 --> 00:28:50,900
And then I just sort of like
ghosts fellow and it doesn't
551
00:28:50,900 --> 00:28:52,600
happen tonight.
Like I said, I was interested to
552
00:28:52,608 --> 00:28:54,300
see that I think it's an
opportunity Zone.
553
00:28:54,500 --> 00:28:58,200
Right now, which could with some
proper marketing, actually be
554
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,200
really good for that particular
because Hollywood is both a
555
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,300
concept in a neighborhood.
There's a literal neighborhood
556
00:29:02,300 --> 00:29:05,800
of Hollywood right now, which is
just awful, right?
557
00:29:05,900 --> 00:29:08,300
Yeah.
Ugly.
558
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:12,100
I was gonna say, yo.
So I'm thrilled that that is the
559
00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:14,600
area is that I'm running for.
Because I think these are really
560
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:16,600
vital parts of our city right
there.
561
00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,000
And the right now, the Tech
Community tends to be pretty
562
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,500
isolated by the water and they
have their own sort of
563
00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:24,200
ecosystem.
And I'll share, I don't know
564
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,100
much About that ecosystem
because it's Kelly's big, that's
565
00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:29,800
a good 40 minutes for me in my
yeah.
566
00:29:30,300 --> 00:29:33,700
Get there.
So I don't I don't know a lot of
567
00:29:33,708 --> 00:29:37,300
those folks down there and what
they're needing to get but I
568
00:29:37,308 --> 00:29:40,700
think our mayor is pretty active
down there and sort of showing
569
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:45,000
what kind of services that the
city could offer.
570
00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:46,800
There's a real have a tech news
out of that.
571
00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,300
I'm a big fan of called dot la,
which was started.
572
00:29:49,300 --> 00:29:50,500
I can't remember who started.
Yeah.
573
00:29:51,300 --> 00:29:56,300
But so there are graded, sort of
Earning kind of what initiatives
574
00:29:56,300 --> 00:29:58,600
are out there in the public
space and, and so on and so
575
00:29:58,600 --> 00:29:59,900
forth.
And then, we also have which I'm
576
00:29:59,908 --> 00:30:04,500
excited to see, I probably
within the county over 35
577
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,000
accelerators and then another 35
incubators.
578
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,400
So, depending on where you are
in your, in your startup story
579
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,600
and I think those are great and
I know a lot of them right now
580
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:16,800
are really actively recruiting
underserved communities.
581
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,100
Where entrepreneurial ISM
wouldn't have been necessarily a
582
00:30:19,108 --> 00:30:22,200
first thought, like, you know,
poor communities, brown black
583
00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:23,700
right?
Marginalized communities and
584
00:30:23,700 --> 00:30:25,300
divisionist.
Men of color.
585
00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:27,800
So that's exciting to me as well
to see, a lot of these
586
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:35,000
incubators form because they can
really help someone overcome the
587
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,900
hardest parts which are really
like, how do I build it?
588
00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:39,500
Like, I have this great idea.
How do I build it?
589
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,500
And then the final thing is, we
have all sorts.
590
00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:46,200
I'm just sort of thinking of
what I was making notes on the
591
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,500
Department of Water and Power
has an initiative, which Eric
592
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:55,000
our mayor Eric authored La, the
LA cleantech, which is
593
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,300
specifically focusing on
cleantech initiatives, but
594
00:30:57,300 --> 00:31:01,200
that's another great program,
which I love and the founder or
595
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:03,300
the gentleman who runs it is
awesome.
596
00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:06,100
He's really great, super
high-energy, very smart.
597
00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:08,600
So yeah, like I said, we're
doing stuff.
598
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,700
I just think we need to do a
better job of sharing that with
599
00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:15,100
people, so they know that if
they come here, we will will
600
00:31:15,100 --> 00:31:18,600
welcome them.
And I think the other, the
601
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,800
initiative that I wanted to
launch many, many years ago,
602
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:23,900
which was shut down by
government, was this idea of
603
00:31:24,700 --> 00:31:28,600
Cross-sector councils where
people from different categories
604
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:32,300
of professional lives, or coming
together to share ideas, and we
605
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,400
don't have a lot of those in Los
Angeles.
606
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:36,700
We have a couple of conditions
but we don't have like
607
00:31:36,700 --> 00:31:40,000
committees that are really
working to inform because one
608
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:43,000
council person is responsible
for about 300,000 people.
609
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,300
It's not like that in other
major cities, they have more,
610
00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:46,500
you know, more the borough
model.
611
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:50,900
So we have a lot of people that
are all dating stuff from our
612
00:31:50,900 --> 00:31:55,400
Council and there's it's really
an almost impossible task to be
613
00:31:55,700 --> 00:31:57,900
as tempting as we need to be
into all these different
614
00:31:57,900 --> 00:32:00,100
categories of government like
small business, like
615
00:32:00,100 --> 00:32:03,400
beautification like, right like
residents like rent, control
616
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,800
Healthcare.
So, what one thing that I really
617
00:32:07,300 --> 00:32:11,100
wanted to do as a business
owner, myself is actually create
618
00:32:11,100 --> 00:32:13,600
this committee within the
Council Office of small
619
00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:18,900
businesses, which truly Outreach
is and has their finger on the
620
00:32:18,900 --> 00:32:23,500
pulse of and listens to what's
slowing down small business
621
00:32:23,500 --> 00:32:26,400
growth in our city.
I think it's one thing, you
622
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,300
know, to say we're small
business friendly, and then we
623
00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:30,700
go out and hand out these five
thousand dollar pandemic checks,
624
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:36,000
but that actually doesn't really
help a lot of our small
625
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,900
businesses which are like our
anchor businesses, not the
626
00:32:38,900 --> 00:32:40,900
targets or the, you know, I
think targets of one of the
627
00:32:40,900 --> 00:32:43,300
biggest Employers in our city
but like the smaller ones.
628
00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:47,800
I think the covers the small
cafes the Vintage resellers like
629
00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:50,800
it doesn't 5,000 dollars doesn't
really help much when they're
630
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,800
like dealing with broken
sidewalks or they're dealing
631
00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:54,200
with the tent, that's in their
front door.
632
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:56,100
Or where they're dealing with a
market.
633
00:32:56,100 --> 00:32:59,400
Rent that continues to go up.
You know, it's every year
634
00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,500
because a Target does move down
the street which then Jack's the
635
00:33:02,500 --> 00:33:04,700
property values up for
everything around it.
636
00:33:04,700 --> 00:33:07,100
Right?
And so, you know, we have no
637
00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:10,000
commercial rent control in the
State anywhere they tried it
638
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,600
actually once and, and Berkeley,
and they're reviewing it now in
639
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:14,200
New York, but we don't, I don't
know.
640
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:18,400
We have a lot of Protections in
place for, for small businesses,
641
00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:23,000
that have to weather the
realities of, you know, being a
642
00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:26,300
brick and mortar in a city.
So that's something that I think
643
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,400
we don't we don't talk about.
Unless we really have council
644
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:33,900
members who have had that stress
of running a small business who
645
00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:37,100
have had that stress of like,
oh, what happens if you know a
646
00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:43,200
third of my revenue is going to
support a person who's on house,
647
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,000
who's living in front of my
restaurant who will otherwise
648
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,600
not, you know, customers won't
walk past that tent.
649
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:50,600
So if I don't support that
person, right?
650
00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,500
I mean a lot of, I think our
small business owners are
651
00:33:52,700 --> 00:33:55,200
feeling like they're wearing the
mantle of so A worker now as
652
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,900
well and they're seeing that
Revenue drop from their own line
653
00:33:58,900 --> 00:34:01,400
items.
And again we wouldn't know that
654
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,200
I happen to know that because
I'm a small business owner but I
655
00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:05,900
don't think a lot of council
understands the real challenges
656
00:34:05,900 --> 00:34:09,300
that are affecting our anchor
businesses, and Allah, and would
657
00:34:09,300 --> 00:34:11,800
potentially affect a lot of
startup entrepreneurs as well,
658
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,300
huh?
So most of our listeners are
659
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,900
have a capsules because I mean
it's called fundraising radio.
660
00:34:16,900 --> 00:34:20,199
So majority of them would not
support the idea of government
661
00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:23,800
supporting businesses because
it's just not the way capitalism
662
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:24,600
usual work.
X.
663
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,900
So your idea is actually to help
out those small businesses
664
00:34:27,900 --> 00:34:31,199
instead of just watching them
getting trampled by the or
665
00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:35,000
change like Target.
Yeah, pretty much only it again.
666
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,400
So when we look at how we create
a livable city, right?
667
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:41,800
The first thing that everybody
wants, regardless of age,
668
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:45,500
regardless of skin, color,
ethnic Heritage is, we all want
669
00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:48,400
a livable neighborhood.
We all want to be able to walk
670
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:51,300
to a coffee shop.
We all want to be able to have
671
00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:53,900
our, you know, most of our needs
met with them.
672
00:34:53,900 --> 00:34:58,300
We called All the 15-minute City
model is a an idea that's
673
00:34:58,300 --> 00:35:01,200
gaining, a lot of traction in
Europe, and it's just beginning
674
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:02,900
to see, its way here to the
United States.
675
00:35:03,300 --> 00:35:06,400
And in order to do that, in
order to get us out of our cars
676
00:35:06,500 --> 00:35:11,300
in order to have you know to
simultaneously bring down crime
677
00:35:11,300 --> 00:35:12,800
and increase the quality of
life.
678
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,200
For people who live in a
neighborhood we need to have
679
00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:18,100
these little walkable Villages
or you know commercial walkable
680
00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:23,000
commercial corridors, right?
And you know it does so much
681
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,600
more for that the You of the
housing around it.
682
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,700
I mean, at the same time, we
have to put caps in so we don't
683
00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:29,500
displace.
The people who are living around
684
00:35:29,500 --> 00:35:34,100
these, which is a huge possible
threat when we when we provide a
685
00:35:34,107 --> 00:35:37,000
lot of incentives into a zone so
that we can keep small
686
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,100
businesses there, we don't want
it, you know, everything has its
687
00:35:39,100 --> 00:35:42,500
trickle effect like that target
comes in and Rise as the makes
688
00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:44,400
the property of the value of the
land around it.
689
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:48,400
Yeah but but I would say to
people who worry about
690
00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,000
government coming in and doing
things like this, is that again
691
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,900
at the core when we elect to
live in a city we want to live
692
00:35:53,900 --> 00:35:55,700
in a city.
Because of that density, right?
693
00:35:55,700 --> 00:35:58,600
We want to live in a city
because of the diversity because
694
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,500
of the fact that everything is
within a certain distance and
695
00:36:01,500 --> 00:36:05,500
unfortunately in Los Angeles,
otherwise you go you live in the
696
00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:07,400
suburbs, right?
Like if you're not that person,
697
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,000
you don't have an inclination.
That's great.
698
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,200
There's plenty of places for you
to also live, but if you, you
699
00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,200
come to Los Angeles and you say
things like, I love getting
700
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,100
Ethiopian food on Fairfax.
Well then you have to understand
701
00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:20,900
that those people in those
restaurants also need to live in
702
00:36:20,900 --> 00:36:23,500
our city, right?
Like we don't get to just truck
703
00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:26,600
and diversity.
Tea, and then forget the right
704
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:31,500
that for a healthy vibrant City,
ecosystem to thrive, we need to
705
00:36:31,500 --> 00:36:34,200
be able to support all of us and
we need to be able to support
706
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:35,700
those restaurants.
Right.
707
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:38,900
So when there's the open
restaurants are getting and I'm
708
00:36:38,900 --> 00:36:41,300
just not, I don't actually know
the story of any particular
709
00:36:41,300 --> 00:36:45,900
Ethiopian restaurants.
And this is an example, you
710
00:36:45,900 --> 00:36:49,100
know, smaller businesses.
These real mom and pops, right?
711
00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:53,800
Start to have variables that
impact, the amount of Revenue
712
00:36:53,900 --> 00:36:56,800
that they And bring into their
business to both support their
713
00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,300
staff and their, the step their
family, the families of their
714
00:36:59,300 --> 00:37:00,900
staff, as well as our own
families.
715
00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:07,900
We as I think as the public
entity need to help them better
716
00:37:07,900 --> 00:37:09,400
than just handing them a five
thousand dollar check.
717
00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:12,700
And again right now we're not
really doing that.
718
00:37:12,700 --> 00:37:15,500
We have privatized so much of
that market.
719
00:37:15,700 --> 00:37:18,800
That it does really become
susceptible to the
720
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,300
unfortunately, the economic
trends of the time and that's
721
00:37:21,300 --> 00:37:23,400
very stressful.
And again, it's a system in
722
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:26,200
which you can't Tease out one
component and just say Well
723
00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,100
they're fine, let's let them
handle it on their own because
724
00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:31,500
if that Ethiopian restaurant
closes because they can no
725
00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:35,200
longer Thrive or survive or
support the people that they're
726
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,000
responsible for sporting.
Now we have an empty building
727
00:37:38,300 --> 00:37:40,400
and an empty building.
Does no good for anybody again
728
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,900
empty buildings, have a direct
correlation to things like
729
00:37:42,900 --> 00:37:46,200
Prime, right, abandoned building
show neighbors are neglected
730
00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:50,200
crime increases and all the
people around that Ethiopian
731
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:52,800
restaurant who have, you're used
to walking to it because it's in
732
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,200
a little village or commercial.
Or now have to get in their car
733
00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:58,500
and drive to there where they
want to go eat, right?
734
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,600
The long chain of horrible
events is started, but you said
735
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,100
that, you don't think that
giving out five thousand dollar
736
00:38:04,100 --> 00:38:06,100
checks is a good way to help
those businesses.
737
00:38:06,100 --> 00:38:18,600
So, what would you do instead to
support its own?
738
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:23,000
It's not really looking at the
entire problem of port or
739
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,600
multiple problems of what's
Impacting the the strength of
740
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:29,700
small business.
And so I'm beginning to sort of.
741
00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:33,600
As I said, I want to create a
committee of we have a small
742
00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:35,800
Commission on small business in
La which is attached to the
743
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,500
economic and Workforce
Development that again.
744
00:38:38,500 --> 00:38:41,800
I don't think they're, I don't
think what they're doing is
745
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,800
accessed easily Enough by small
businesses or even understood by
746
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,300
small businesses.
So the first goal for me is to
747
00:38:51,100 --> 00:38:53,200
create a committee within the
Council Office of small
748
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:56,100
businesses similar to what they
They have a New York as a
749
00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:57,900
council committee.
I would just do an ad hoc
750
00:38:57,900 --> 00:39:00,300
committee within the council
office so that I can really
751
00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:02,400
understand where are the pain
points and how do we address
752
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:03,600
them?
I mean, I was just talking to a
753
00:39:03,607 --> 00:39:06,600
business owner the other day.
So we want a green Allah, and we
754
00:39:06,607 --> 00:39:09,100
need to Green LA, because our
city is so hot, right?
755
00:39:09,100 --> 00:39:11,400
We have an obligation both to
the planet and to the people who
756
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,400
live in LA, to bring our air
temperatures down and there was
757
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,500
a great right.
And there's no other way really
758
00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:19,700
to one of the strongest ways to
do it.
759
00:39:19,700 --> 00:39:22,000
And it's certainly not an
exclusive way, but because we
760
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:25,300
have to both decarbonise and
not, Reese as much Greenhouse
761
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,700
right.
Got to be kind of work together
762
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,300
but one of our best tools to
decarbonize our obviously
763
00:39:30,300 --> 00:39:32,500
plants, right trees and plants,
right?
764
00:39:32,500 --> 00:39:35,300
So la has amazing growing
mother, right?
765
00:39:35,300 --> 00:39:41,500
Because we have Sun year-round,
we can do some strategic plays
766
00:39:41,500 --> 00:39:44,500
around water conservation.
That would not impact the amount
767
00:39:44,500 --> 00:39:48,300
of green we grow, but those
trees have Roots, right?
768
00:39:48,300 --> 00:39:51,000
And those roots, I was just
talking to someone the other day
769
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:56,300
who was showing me a an invoice
for The amount of money he had
770
00:39:56,300 --> 00:40:00,700
to put into hiring a plumber to
pull all the roots out from his
771
00:40:00,900 --> 00:40:03,700
sewer system in his restaurant.
Thanks.
772
00:40:03,900 --> 00:40:08,300
All right, right.
So that part that's a burden but
773
00:40:08,300 --> 00:40:11,800
it's and it's the issue of
right?
774
00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:13,800
We've got lots of things at all.
Need to be happening
775
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,800
simultaneously.
So, but so it when I was hearing
776
00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:20,500
the story, my first thought was
like, gosh, I feel like you got
777
00:40:20,500 --> 00:40:23,900
forgotten in that move, right?
Like we want the trees and their
778
00:40:23,900 --> 00:40:24,800
City.
Trees.
779
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:25,900
Right by the way, let me
clarify.
780
00:40:25,900 --> 00:40:27,700
This was not a personal truth,
you plan.
781
00:40:27,700 --> 00:40:31,700
It was a city Tree on a sidewalk
that had was massive and
782
00:40:31,700 --> 00:40:33,900
gorgeous and everybody loved it
and he loved it as well because
783
00:40:33,900 --> 00:40:37,600
it provides shade, right?
It has value to the community.
784
00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:42,200
But again it also comes with
sidewalk disrupt, like it breaks
785
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,600
sidewalks open, which then he's
got to figure out how to write
786
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,800
and then in and I never even
heard of the going into
787
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:48,900
treatment, of course it makes
sense.
788
00:40:48,900 --> 00:40:50,300
I mean they go into our home,
right?
789
00:40:50,300 --> 00:40:52,600
It can obviously impact sewage
in a home.
790
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:54,100
Why wouldn't impact you at
dinner?
791
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:55,300
The restaurants from.
Yeah.
792
00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:58,500
You know it's things like that
that I wouldn't have even
793
00:40:58,500 --> 00:41:02,400
thought of where I had not
really you know taking the time
794
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:05,800
to sort of like let's go deep
and see what why are you not
795
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,100
hitting your bottom line every
month?
796
00:41:07,100 --> 00:41:08,200
Right?
What are the reasons?
797
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,700
Put it aside because covid-19,
exceptional event.
798
00:41:10,700 --> 00:41:13,700
But how do we how do we look at
that?
799
00:41:13,700 --> 00:41:17,700
Like and again, you know, a lot
council is only one of 15.
800
00:41:17,700 --> 00:41:20,700
So there there are some
discretionary dollars within the
801
00:41:20,700 --> 00:41:23,900
council office that, of course,
can be given out without having
802
00:41:23,900 --> 00:41:25,300
to go through.
Through full Council review but
803
00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:26,300
legislation and things like
that.
804
00:41:26,300 --> 00:41:29,800
Require consensus among 15 or
14, other electives.
805
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,500
But, you know, I would like to
think that again, we all know
806
00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:37,400
that to revitalize Los Angeles,
we had got to really support
807
00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,300
these businesses and in a way
that I don't know that we've
808
00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,000
entirely done yet.
I mean, I could continue on the
809
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,300
number of businesses that are
moving out of Hollywood right
810
00:41:46,300 --> 00:41:50,800
now because they're spending so
much of their time managing the
811
00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:54,100
tents, you know, right.
I got distracted by your cat.
812
00:41:54,300 --> 00:41:57,000
If you're in the background but
on this no hook.
813
00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,000
Yeah, like three times and just
bump downstairs.
814
00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:03,300
Lovely sight.
All right.
815
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,500
On this note on this very
optimistic note.
816
00:42:05,500 --> 00:42:06,800
Moving on to the question
before.
817
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:11,000
Last Lisa, had a question about
something that we've touched on
818
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,900
to earlier.
Yes, my question would require
819
00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:18,900
us taking a few steps back to
the point of the difference
820
00:42:18,900 --> 00:42:20,700
between men and women in
business.
821
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,900
That question consenting would
never ask, but I'm just take
822
00:42:24,900 --> 00:42:30,200
advantage of me being here.
So you mention that men tend to
823
00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:32,300
give money to men and women to
women.
824
00:42:32,900 --> 00:42:35,400
But is there any difference in
the approach?
825
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,600
You need to maintain with men or
women in order to succeed when
826
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:41,500
they are like a potential
investors.
827
00:42:43,700 --> 00:42:48,400
What is a great question.
So from the point of view of the
828
00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:51,200
entrepreneur, do we is there an
approach that we should take
829
00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:53,700
differently between men and
women as an entrepreneur?
830
00:42:53,700 --> 00:42:56,500
And as a woman, I would say no
way.
831
00:42:56,600 --> 00:43:00,300
He'll know, we should not have
to adapt how we do things.
832
00:43:00,300 --> 00:43:02,600
We shouldn't have to pay
attention to what we wear.
833
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:05,100
We shouldn't have to pay
attention to, you know, hair.
834
00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:06,700
We shouldn't have to pay
attention to any of that.
835
00:43:06,700 --> 00:43:11,500
We should be able to go forth
and simply have a good idea.
836
00:43:11,900 --> 00:43:15,000
As I did with my nonprofit and
as we did with our private
837
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:18,900
sector, you know, our product
and allowed the narrative that
838
00:43:18,900 --> 00:43:23,600
idea to be, what's examined?
Of course, we know that's not
839
00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:25,500
true.
We know though that people give
840
00:43:25,500 --> 00:43:28,300
money to people, right?
I mean, it is crazy.
841
00:43:28,300 --> 00:43:30,400
How much money as I have?
Been a student of
842
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,200
entrepreneurial financing for
over a decade.
843
00:43:33,500 --> 00:43:36,600
How many mind-blowing lie?
Dumb things?
844
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:40,100
I see get money and to your
point earlier constant about
845
00:43:40,100 --> 00:43:41,800
e-commerce.
So there is a shift now, I
846
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,000
think, Any Commerce were more.
I'm seeing actually a lot of you
847
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:48,100
see Firm support product, maybe
it's simply because I'm
848
00:43:48,100 --> 00:43:52,500
primarily looking within the
women, LED movements or like
849
00:43:52,500 --> 00:43:56,000
Bumble and there's a couple,
hello Alice that are funding
850
00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,400
women-led an ish.
I'm tracking those more and they
851
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:01,600
are actually funding a lot of
product.
852
00:44:02,100 --> 00:44:04,800
But I do your question Lisa.
Like I am seeing some of the
853
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:08,100
most absurd things, get funded
right?
854
00:44:08,100 --> 00:44:11,800
Like absurd, like really?
And so again it comes down to
855
00:44:11,900 --> 00:44:14,700
Two.
Where we would love this, all to
856
00:44:14,700 --> 00:44:18,000
be very objective, right?
Like again, which it sells for
857
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,700
20 - for 10 cents, sells for 20
zones, something like that.
858
00:44:21,900 --> 00:44:24,200
A lot of times it comes down to
personality, right?
859
00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:28,300
Like, do you like the founder?
Do you have confidence in them?
860
00:44:28,300 --> 00:44:31,300
They will be able to weather the
storms of own entrepreneurial
861
00:44:31,300 --> 00:44:35,400
path and not give up and and so
on and so forth.
862
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,700
So in terms of with women I find
that thankfully a lot of that
863
00:44:39,700 --> 00:44:44,200
can be, you know, put behind But
I do find.
864
00:44:45,100 --> 00:44:50,200
So I'll say two things, I found
the number one when I secured my
865
00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:55,600
first significant amount of
Angel capital, I was so
866
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:57,100
grateful.
I had been many, many, many
867
00:44:57,100 --> 00:45:02,900
years in the coming that I I I
lost a little bit of my
868
00:45:02,900 --> 00:45:05,800
backbone.
In terms of saying more of what
869
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:09,000
I thought was the correct path
to follow with the funding and
870
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,900
that was a man who'd given us
the capital and I sort of I got
871
00:45:12,900 --> 00:45:15,800
a little weak around that
because I was just so grateful
872
00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:19,400
that we finally had this
infusion of cash and I don't
873
00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:20,900
know if that's every woman.
Does that or not?
874
00:45:20,900 --> 00:45:23,900
Or maybe that was just because I
had such a store like a long
875
00:45:23,900 --> 00:45:25,800
history to finally, get that
kind of cash we would need to
876
00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:32,400
grow but I think in terms of a
general approach you know, look
877
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:34,700
I wish there really was a book
that someone just said, if
878
00:45:34,700 --> 00:45:36,700
you're a woman you're going to
go raise money for you know a
879
00:45:36,707 --> 00:45:41,700
man wear your hair up wear
turtleneck like the woman being
880
00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:43,900
sued right now.
They nose or whatever, right?
881
00:45:43,900 --> 00:45:47,200
Like desexualize yourself as
much as possible, Right?
882
00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:49,300
Like make yourself into a man,
right.
883
00:45:49,300 --> 00:45:52,600
Look as masculine as you can,
basically, I guess in short.
884
00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:54,600
I don't know.
Like I said, I don't know if
885
00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:58,500
that is really the right answer
or not.
886
00:45:58,500 --> 00:46:03,000
I mean, you know, again, the
value two women raising from
887
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:05,300
women is that they're no one
cares about any of that.
888
00:46:05,300 --> 00:46:07,600
You can be a mom, right?
Because, I mean, again, that's
889
00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,400
something also to talk about.
We haven't really talked about
890
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:11,100
this days for moms trying to
raise money.
891
00:46:11,100 --> 00:46:13,800
I mean, the, you know, a A lot
of times that's a big issue
892
00:46:13,800 --> 00:46:16,000
because found you know investors
think oh you're not gonna have
893
00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:18,600
the time to devote your company
because you're going to be
894
00:46:18,607 --> 00:46:22,800
raising children or you know
right you're pregnant so you're
895
00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:26,000
not going to be able to.
So there are just you know, it's
896
00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:28,900
a there isn't just a
hard-and-fast.
897
00:46:28,900 --> 00:46:31,300
I mean I think a lot of the onus
is really on the investor to
898
00:46:31,300 --> 00:46:35,100
stop like yes.
We want to like the people we
899
00:46:35,100 --> 00:46:37,900
work with, I get that right.
You're not going to maybe give
900
00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:41,800
money to some entrepreneur.
Who gives you their idea and
901
00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:44,000
they're just me.
An angry all the time, right?
902
00:46:44,100 --> 00:46:47,100
But in general, I think there
should be a better, you know, we
903
00:46:47,107 --> 00:46:49,800
need to sort of remove all those
filters and just say, look this
904
00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:54,600
is a good idea and it doesn't
matter what gender of the
905
00:46:54,800 --> 00:47:00,000
person, pitching the idea to you
is, that's not a hard and fast
906
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,800
and again, I'm I don't know what
younger female entrepreneurs
907
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:05,100
would tell you because I haven't
really had to raise money in a
908
00:47:05,100 --> 00:47:07,200
couple of years.
So and it has begun again.
909
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:10,300
It's shifting pretty quickly now
with us really holding people
910
00:47:10,300 --> 00:47:13,800
accountable publicly for bad.
Behavior when it comes to giving
911
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,100
money to women.
So I think even men now are
912
00:47:16,100 --> 00:47:17,600
being more thoughtful than they
were even.
913
00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:18,900
Probably three or four years
ago.
914
00:47:19,900 --> 00:47:24,100
All right, the climate in the
startup world is changing
915
00:47:24,100 --> 00:47:26,300
rapidly.
And there are tons and tons of
916
00:47:26,300 --> 00:47:29,100
successful female Founders who
turned into investors.
917
00:47:29,100 --> 00:47:32,200
And there are many Founders who
have dropped out of their
918
00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:36,800
Prestige jobs and starting their
own companies, and I'll be sure
919
00:47:36,800 --> 00:47:39,600
to include a few episodes with
those female investors in the
920
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:41,700
description of this episode.
So, if someone's curious to hear
921
00:47:41,700 --> 00:47:43,700
about that, Definitely check it
out.
922
00:47:44,700 --> 00:47:46,900
On this note, we're going to the
very last question of today's
923
00:47:46,900 --> 00:47:49,800
episode.
So Dylan, what is your call to
924
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:51,100
action?
What do you want the listener to
925
00:47:51,100 --> 00:47:52,900
do?
As soon as this episode is over?
926
00:47:54,900 --> 00:47:59,600
Gotta just filling Kendall
2022.com and buy a t-shirt or
927
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:03,200
well yeah, by dear contributing
for a t-shirt or contribute to
928
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:09,000
the campaign costumes wearing
one of our t-shirts, I wish
929
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:10,600
there.
You know, money weren't involved
930
00:48:10,600 --> 00:48:12,700
in politics, I wish we had a
system more.
931
00:48:12,700 --> 00:48:15,300
I can do like they do in Europe
or you know, in France where
932
00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:18,400
candidates are publicly funded
because it would really
933
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,700
democratize who gets to play in
this space.
934
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:24,000
Unfortunately, that is not the
way American politics of Have
935
00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:27,800
been established.
And so what regretfully that
936
00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,900
leads us to our candidates who
are either wealthy themselves so
937
00:48:30,900 --> 00:48:34,200
they have a wealthy network of
people who can write
938
00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:37,700
significantly larger checks.
So in l.a. our cap is 800 for a
939
00:48:37,700 --> 00:48:40,100
City Council election, 1304
mayor.
940
00:48:40,300 --> 00:48:42,600
But still, I mean, to have a lot
of people who can write a ten
941
00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:46,200
dollar checks, you're probably
in a different economic class.
942
00:48:46,500 --> 00:48:51,300
Then, you know, someone younger,
maybe or someone not married, or
943
00:48:51,300 --> 00:48:53,600
you have to, you know, try to do
the Howard.
944
00:48:53,700 --> 00:48:57,200
D model, and get a whole bunch
of people to give you ten or
945
00:48:57,207 --> 00:49:00,000
twenty five dollars.
Howard Dean was.
946
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:02,800
This is moveon.org model from
like what?
947
00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:04,900
Maybe 15-20 out of over 50 years
ago.
948
00:49:05,100 --> 00:49:07,900
Anyway.
So it's exhausting because then
949
00:49:07,900 --> 00:49:10,000
if you have to go through the
low model where you just are
950
00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,700
trying to get a bunch people to
give 25, you have spent a lot of
951
00:49:12,700 --> 00:49:16,600
time asking for that $25, right.
It's so much easier than 800
952
00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:17,700
dollar contribution.
Right?
953
00:49:17,700 --> 00:49:19,000
It's much quicker.
Yeah.
954
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:22,400
Unfortunately, because we don't
have Public Funding for city
955
00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,900
council for elections in this.
Entry candidates will spend a
956
00:49:25,900 --> 00:49:29,200
ridiculous amount of time
fundraising instead of doing
957
00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:31,400
what would make them better
candidates like listening to
958
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:35,700
people meeting people, right?
So, I'm no different from them.
959
00:49:35,700 --> 00:49:39,800
I mean, I'm not, I'm not a
particularly wealthy human
960
00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:43,200
being, I'm okay, but I'm not up
to him, not like up there with
961
00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:46,200
the private school class.
And so I'm, you know, having a
962
00:49:52,100 --> 00:49:57,800
fundraising and It it's
exhausting and it's plus you
963
00:49:57,800 --> 00:49:59,900
know candidates are usually also
doing their job.
964
00:49:59,900 --> 00:50:03,900
So at the same time I'm not you
know, again I'm not I'm not a
965
00:50:03,900 --> 00:50:07,400
candidate who was able to quit
work to run a campaign.
966
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:12,500
So fundraising remorsefully
keeps a lot of people out of
967
00:50:12,500 --> 00:50:16,200
politics and a lot of really
good people who don't have the
968
00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:20,700
situation, both financial aid, a
lifestyle to be able to run a
969
00:50:20,700 --> 00:50:24,100
campaign.
And and so yes that's Call to
970
00:50:24,100 --> 00:50:27,300
action that if you like this
idea of an entrepreneur, someone
971
00:50:27,300 --> 00:50:29,500
from the business sector moving
into the political space.
972
00:50:29,500 --> 00:50:33,100
Because we think again
differently we think without the
973
00:50:33,100 --> 00:50:35,200
parameters that are
traditionally applied, then
974
00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:38,500
status quo establishment, then I
would, you know, love your
975
00:50:38,500 --> 00:50:40,300
support.
And what I always say to people
976
00:50:40,300 --> 00:50:43,100
is I know it City Council
election, seems like it doesn't
977
00:50:43,100 --> 00:50:47,800
have any impact on you, but
especially with your Angeles, it
978
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:50,200
will.
Because and even if you're not
979
00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:52,600
because of the fact that my
particular District includes
980
00:50:52,600 --> 00:50:54,400
Hollywood, which is arguably
Only the most famous
981
00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:56,300
neighborhood in the entire
world.
982
00:50:56,300 --> 00:50:58,500
Yeah, you should care.
This should have been a
983
00:50:58,500 --> 00:51:00,500
historical landmark.
In my man should have been in my
984
00:51:00,500 --> 00:51:02,800
opinion a world heritage site
after World War Two.
985
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:04,900
We should have locked that but
we did not.
986
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,500
So everybody should care about
Hollywood because this is this
987
00:51:08,500 --> 00:51:12,200
is you know are one of the
things that makes our country
988
00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:14,600
attractive to people to come and
check it out.
989
00:51:14,900 --> 00:51:18,500
And so, maybe that would be
motivating enough for people who
990
00:51:18,500 --> 00:51:21,000
are outside of Los Angeles or
people who were you maybe also
991
00:51:22,100 --> 00:51:24,700
chunk of our listeners are
Finally, because that's where
992
00:51:24,700 --> 00:51:27,900
this podcast was started.
So hopefully, our lay residents,
993
00:51:27,900 --> 00:51:32,100
and specifically, Hollywood
residents will check out the
994
00:51:32,100 --> 00:51:35,900
website that you mentioned and
I'll be sure to make to include
995
00:51:35,900 --> 00:51:37,100
it in the description this
episode.
996
00:51:37,100 --> 00:51:40,500
So people with short-term
memory, like, mine can still
997
00:51:40,500 --> 00:51:42,200
find it after the episode is
over.
998
00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:43,800
And yeah, that's gonna be my
call to action.
999
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:46,800
My call to action is, as always,
check out the description of
1000
00:51:46,808 --> 00:51:49,600
this episode, we will include a
ton of information there.
1001
00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,400
Specifically more about the
programs in l.a. that can
1002
00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:54,900
support startup.
Hers or people who are just
1003
00:51:54,900 --> 00:51:57,000
moving to Italy to start their
businesses here.
1004
00:51:57,400 --> 00:52:01,800
And of course, there's any
website to dealings campaign
1005
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:05,900
where you can learn more about
her plans and about buying
1006
00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:09,500
t-shirts.
Like, but this, all right, that
1007
00:52:09,500 --> 00:52:14,400
was $25 to use 3D printing for
tiny homes, where we're turning
1008
00:52:14,400 --> 00:52:17,800
our merchandise into Political
statements. 100%.
1009
00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:21,900
And this note, we're going to
rip it up and as usually have a
1010
00:52:21,908 --> 00:52:22,300
good day.