In this episode of the 11eleven Podcast, we welcome back our dear friend and visionary Joy Fennell! Joy is the creative powerhouse behind The Future in Black™, where she's redefining the beauty industry with stunning graphics and groundbreaking technology. Join us as we delve into Joy's journey from a renowned makeup artist and creative director to a pioneering force in AI, AR, and 3D design. With over two decades of experience, Joy has consistently pushed the boundaries of fashion and beauty, and now she's at the forefront of merging these worlds with cutting-edge tech. We explore how Joy's innovative approach is creating immersive experiences and providing new opportunities for the Black creative community. From her impressive editorial makeup career to founding the All Black Everything Summit, Joy's work is a testament to her dedication to creativity, innovation, and advocacy.

In an age when going viral, building a significant social media following and getting brand sponsorships are goals for many, how do you stay balanced and evaluate when saying no to new opportunities (and sometimes money) is the best path for you to take? Having an unshakable belief in yourself - and your worth - is sometimes easier said than done. Especially in the "influencer" world of content creation where you can become a star, a brand and your own company overnight. In the Season 2 premiere and Episode 12 of The 11Eleven Podcast the team sits down to connect with visionary content creator, CAROLYN GRAY, to learn more about why she pivoted from a traditional corporate path to charter her own path, how she built a vibrant community of her COOKIES by being unapologetically her, and how pouring into the dreams of others helps her to continually receive her own blessings.

When you're working to build a business from scratch it's easy to be so laser focused on what's ahead of you that you don't realize how far you've come. But on what is definitely a winding and ever evolving journey, no matter how far you are from your "finish line" there are times when you will need to stop and smell the roses - literally - and recognize the progress you've made thus far. In the Season 1 finale - and our first LIVE episode - the team sits down with a key figure in the beginning of our entrepreneurial journey - Gina Ramcharan of The Idea Manufacturer. We learn of her journey of rising through the ranks in one of the most competitive corporate fields to ultimately branching out on her own and never looking back. We also discuss the origins of how we initially connected with Gina years ago, the art of identifying mutually beneficial partnership and the importance of being a sponge and receptive to feedback. We ALL deserve our flowers for continuing to push forward despite whatever challenges may come our way - and visionary partners like Gina definitively deserves theirs for pulling others up as they climb.

Being a business owner means you have to pay close attention to the small details, identifying opportunities at every step to make ongoing improvements. We all want to believe that every decision we’ve made along the way is the right one, but the reality is that we don’t always get it right every single time. Staying honest with ourselves and assessing what changes need to be made are critical to us actually improving and growing. In this episode we discuss as a team how we approach making decisions, indicators we use to determine what needs to change, and assessing things we want to make changes to moving forward. As we prepare for another season of the podcast and another year of our business, we share things we’ve learned about how to be able to maximize our returns moving forward that all business owners can relate to as well.

It’s no secret that you fill several roles and wear multiple hats as an entrepreneur. Sometimes as chief operating officer you have to double as chief motivating officer, set the plays and run them flawlessly as well. This balancing act is even more of a reality when starting out, so navigating the murky waters of scaling your business can easily wear you thin. In a field like real estate, that’s even more of a reality than exception to find success. In this episode of The 11Eleven Podcast we sit down with NYC Broker, Carlos Gaviria, Founder and Owner of InstaHomes Realty. We learn about how his long career in the business began, how he manages playing so many key roles for his business, and the importance of knowing when to lean on others to help you get to the next level.

In both business and life, everything operates in seasons. Some seasons are ones of growth, while others feel like nothing is going right with no end in sight. But what principles (and people) do you lean on to help you push through the times you just don’t feel like it or don’t know what your next move should be? In this episode of the 11Eleven Podcast the team discusses how they hold themselves accountable, how they get themselves out of moments of mental or professional fatigue and how they are getting themselves ready for the remainder of the year based on what they’ve experienced in the first half.

We’ve all heard that “your network is your net worth”, so as entrepreneurs it’s even more critical that we network like our life depends on it - because in many ways our company’s success truly does. When starting out, one of the key difference makers is how you approach putting yourself - and your business - in the right rooms and in front of the right people who can drop gems and help you get to the next level. While it can at times feel intimidating to network with strangers, the potential upside can literally be the difference between success and failure. In Episode 7 of The 11Eleven Podcast, the team checks in with Christopher Wellington from the Wellington Law Group to discuss the importance of having a lawyer to lean on as a business owner, when is the best time to hire one, and how treating networking like it’s a full-time job can open new doors and possibilities for you. —— - 04:11 - Origins - 05:00 - Breaking into Entertainment law AND real Estate Law - 06:37 - The Pivot from talent side to business side - 08:40 - Identifying transferable skills - 10:50 - The need for lawyers when starting a new path - 13:10 - When and why lawyers get brought into the equation - 14:30 - Lessons learned from corporate law to starting on own - 17:20 - The launch of the law firm - 20:00 - The willingness to work for free to make it - 21:45 - The importance of networking and treating it like a hustle - 23:44 - Choosing mentors - **25:00 - “Mama I Made It” moment - 27:05 - What’s next - 28:50 - Culture Questions