"Start With What You Have" Denzel Turner on Building Black Fridays

Hey, friends.

Welcome.

And welcome back to noseyAF conversations about art, activism and social change. I'm your host and friend Stephanie Graham, and I would love to welcome you to August. Welcome to Black Business Month. I am so excited.The day has finally come. And here we go.Throughout this month, you'll hear conversations with black entrepreneurs, creatives, business owners from across the country about what it takes to build something from the ground up. We'll talk about business, community, creativity, and.

Everything that you need to know about.

The wonderful people behind these brands. I am personally so excited to welcome the very first episode of this series.And honestly, there wasn't a better person I could think of to kick things off than today's guest.So today we're talking with Denzell Turner, who is the creator and host of Black Fridays, a podcast that's featured More than 200 conversations with Black entrepreneurs. He's also a marketing professional, a podcast coach, and someone who's deeply committed to helping black businesses grow and thrive.Which, by the way, thanks for doing that, Denzell. This series actually started with the conversation Denzell and I had.He introduced me to Black Business Month, and after seeing the work he's doing through Black Fridays, I knew I wanted to spend August celebrating black business here on Nosy af.

So if you're new here, welcome.

I always start with my beloved theme song and then. And we'll jump right into today's conversation. Welcome to know the af.

Gotta get up, get up tell the whole world you a winner, winner, vision of a star with a mission in the cause what you're doing, how you doing, what you're doing and who you are Flex yourself and press yourself Check yourself, don't work yourself if you know me then you know that I be knowing what's up.

Hey, Stephanie, Graham is nosy as Denzell. Welcome to Nosy af.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm happy to. Happy to be here.

I am super happy and excited to have you here. So I really love the name of your podcast, Black Fridays.I feel like when, as I've been doing this project, explaining, like, where it all came from, I describe your show as Black Fridays is a podcast that interviews black business owners, majority based in Detroit. Is that correct?

Yep, that's right. So been blessed to be able to interview folks across the country, but the show is rooted in Detroit.

Yeah. Did you grow up in Detroit?

Born and raised, yeah.

Yeah, it's a beautiful city.I went, you know, a few weeks ago for this conference called Midway, where it's like artists that come together And I was like, wow, I can see the sky amongst the buildings. Like downtown. We don't get that opportunity.

Right, because you're in Chicago, right?

Yeah.

Yeah. It almost made me mad that my friend had talked me and I'm like, why did they build the building so high? Like, look at you see all these.This beautiful sky amongst these buildings. But, you know, whatever. I love Chicago.

Still. Shout out to the Chi.

Yes.

Thank you.

So you've interviewed more than 200 guests. What have those conversations taught you about black entrepreneurship that most people don't understand?

I think some of the common things that I see throughout a lot of my interviews is just really the being able to. What I call it, what the young folks are calling it, but I'm adopting it.The love of the game, where if you are not making a dollar from it or if you weren't getting attention or whatever the case may be, like the things that.That internal fire and motivation, those are the things that keeps you longstanding in business and being able to do some things that you probably never thought you would be able to accomplish.So just kind of hearing those stories and those common threads of where people get started and how they got started and what's keeping them going, the ones that continue to do their thing for long periods of time, the main thing is kind of like you. You genuinely have a passion for what it is that you're doing, and that's why you're able to endure and achieve so much.And then also unfavorable situations kind of pushing you in the direction of entrepreneurship when you already kind of had an inkling or feeling like you wanted to go in that direction anyway. But then you kind of have those moments in life that nudge or shove you in the right direction, so to speak.And a lot of that's a lot of people stories that I talk to, and just being able to see what they're accomplished when, or what they accomplish when they're backwards against the wall is amazing. So I would probably say those are some of the core things that I get out of a lot of the conversations that I have.

Have you ever spoken to someone and thought while they're speaking, like, why didn't I think to go into this kind.

Of business all the time? All the time. Especially when I talk to different creatives, podcasters, people in media, stuff like that?I'm always kind of like thinking in real time or I'll notice because I do my research on the people, either I know them prior to or getting to know about before I'm coming on the platform. And yeah, I have that thought all the time. Like why I did not think of that. I should probably try to do it that way.And so it's kind of having a podcast is like my cheat code to be able to pick their brain about why they have certain processes and procedures that they do so that I can try to learn and apply to my platform at some point in time.

Yeah, for sure. I really enjoyed the conversation with the funeral director.Oh yeah, I can't think of his name even just like sharing those stories because I'll put the link in the show notes to it because I just thought like, obviously whenever I have to go to a funeral home, I'm devastated who wants to go there. But the fact that he's able to sort of zoom out and see the humor. Yeah, it is just like, you know, it is what it is.But I really enjoyed, enjoyed listening to him. When you started Black Fridays, what was the story about black business that you were hoping to tell that you felt like wasn't being told elsewhere?

Yeah, I really wanted to put a spotlight on all of the dope entrepreneurs, creatives, professionals in there who are doing their thing in their own regard, but obviously wouldn't get the spotlight for a bunch of different reasons because, you know, especially at that time when I came up with the concept, it was 2020. George Floyd had just been murdered and I wanted to be able to find a way to get more civically engaged.And so I thought of doing the podcast to be able to spotlight black businesses because I've been a marketing professional creative.I played around in media and podcasting previously and I just wanted to kind of combine all of my things to be able to give back, to contribute in a positive way. And then so that was kind of the birth of Black Fridays. I also had a issue finding black owned businesses.Now Detroit is like, at that period of time was close to 80%. Well, still is pretty much close to 80% black. So you would expect. There are a ton of black owned businesses in Detroit.All of the businesses are not black owned.However, I had a tough time being able to identify the ones that were black owned, that were quality and had like a community focus, the ones I really wanted to support and get behind.And I'm like, well, let me go out and start searching for some of these folks or spotlighting the people that I know so that we can kind of curate and generate a list of some of these people so folks in the community can go and start to support and find these businesses.Themselves, especially corporate America, not necessarily having our backs and being able to support our communities the way that they say they would. Let's do it ourselves and figure out how to keep that dollar in the community a lot longer.

Yeah, for sure. I feel like we need a stamp, you know, like how.I don't know if you, I don't know if I notice this in Detroit, but in la, like how they have like those letter grades that are just like boom, right in the mid, in the window. Like they're the health grade. Yeah, the health grades. I feel like we need that for like black businesses. Just like boom.Like, oh, okay, great, perfect. You know, I can go in here.

You know what, you just, you just gave me idea. I might have to, I might have to pay you a consultation fee to flush it out.

Yeah, we'll just run a bunch of prints and just like get some scotch tape and go and stick it in people's window.

Yeah, we're gonna bring, we're gonna bring you up to Detroit, we gonna go around and we gonna put them on the businesses here. And then I'm gonna come down to Chicago. We could do the same thing.

I would love that. That would be a lot of fun. You know another really cool thing you do is you have a bus that goes around like a black business tour.Can you tell us about that?

Yeah, this is amazing event that I had started, Black Friday 2025. So the day after Thanksgiving, I knew I wanted to do some type of live event.I was playing around with a few different ideas, but then it kind of dawned on me, like to do a bus tour. And I've had a conversation with my wife and she was like, well, you've been trying to talked about it in the past, so why not give it a try now?And so I had curated a route, identified some black owned businesses that I wanted to go to on the west side of the city in downtown. I reached out to them, I said, hey, would you like to participate? They said, absolute.And then I found a bus, a black owned bus shuttle company and reached out to them and then we, we were off to the races.So we had like 15 people on the first iteration of the tour and we spent $3,000 in one day specifically with black owned businesses, which was amazing. And so to date we spent about $7,000 across the three tours where we have people coming out at that period in time. It's freezing cold outside.We did one in February that was also cold. And then we did one at the end of April where I worked with someone who is from Detroit, a planner with the purpose. So shout out to them.But they're based in Chicago right now and they came up and they did it surrounding the events of the American Planner association conference for Urban Planners. So yeah, that, that's what the tour has been like and it's been amazing. And I'm looking forward to doing one in summer 2026 as well.And then potentially I want to do one like once a quarter or maybe three within a year or something like that. But yeah, looking forward to doing some, some more iterations of it.

Yeah, just like the back end of it. Is it overwhelming to plan like did you like planning a in real life event?

Yes and no.So I would say the biggest thing is just making sure that the dates work out and making sure that the dates work out with the transportation company and making sure that the translation is good. And then also the participating businesses and make.Keeping them in the loop and making sure that they're on board for the process to make it as seamless as possible. And then after that it's pretty straightforward.But you know, I'm at the stage where I'm realizing that I need more support so it'd be better to have more hands on deck for those type of events. But so far it hasn't been too crazy.But in order to scale up because I would like to do some, some things differently then I know that I would need some more support. But I wouldn't say it's been like too crazy to put together. But really the main things in the foundation is where do you want to go? Which would be.Which would be the route and how are you going to get there? The transportation and who's going to participate? The businesses. So coordinating that stuff.Once you get that, then it's just a matter of getting people to get on the bus.

When you find the businesses to participate, do they have to pay anything or do they just have to say yes, we'll be open?

Yeah, they just have to agree to saying that they're open and being willing to speak to the.The participants on the tour because have that connection with the ownership, I think provides a different dynamic to understanding the business and being able to provide that human element to it because people do business with people, not businesses. So yeah, to. In order to make sure that we build that connection, foster that connection.If they're available, we would love to have them connect with the people on tour so they can ask questions and get a better understanding of why they do what they do, which is the essence of the platform. So yeah, they just gotta. They just gotta opt in and say that they ready to go.

Yeah, I could totally see like after, you know, going to like a pizza place, like not only was it like all of a sudden like Denzell's Pizza, but you're like, oh, my friend Denzell has a pizza place.Like you become like real like rooted like in the community of it and like being friends with these owners or at least perceived friends and people who.

People who have lived here all their lives or maybe might live in metro Detroit now, maybe in the subur suburbs and grew up in the city.The biggest thing that I've heard from participants is we would go to things in their neighborhoods or their side of town that they did not know about and had no understanding of. So like being able to expose those folks to those different areas, gyms, nooks and crannies of the city.That's what I get fulfillment out of and want to continue to expand people's horizons. Like, you don't have to run to the suburbs all the time in order to get a quality experience or to get certain things.There are things within our community that are black owned, that are quality that you can support and be able to probably, you know, get. Get better things from as well.

Yeah. Denzell, this whole series, this 31 Days Black Business Came from a conversation with you.And when you put me on to August being Black Business Month, what do you know about Black Business Month? Like, where did it come from? Did you start it?

That's a great question. Absolutely not. I didn't start it and I wish I knew where it came from.I need to do some more research and digging on the origins of Black Business Month, but I think I got privy to it probably within the last five years or so. And there are some activations that happen here around the city, at least since I've been back home.

Oh, cool.

And then came back in 22.And so there's been like different activations, I'd probably say that I've noticed or recognized in the last three years or so that people will do for the month of Black Business Month. But it's something I think that is not talked about enough for sure. Just being able to like even identifying that there is a Black Business Month.And maybe that's something I need to take on as well to join you in terms of your campaign and maybe like a pseudo campaign of just being able to educate people on the history of Black Business Month. Where did it come from? As I'm educating Myself as well and making sure, maybe even doing an episode about it.So yeah, that's my understanding or lack of understanding of the origins of Black Business Month.But now that I'm aware of it, I want to be able to do what I can to drive more energy towards our positive energy towards our black owned businesses and the work that they have going on.

You work with podcasters. I think a lot of the people who I've been speaking to so far, I'm always thinking like, oh, maybe they should have a podcast.What have you learned about being a great podcast host? Cause I really enjoy your show.

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, in terms of being a great podcast host, I think number one, you gotta be willing to listen. I think that that's very important.And I'll give an example. I love TI's music, but when he became a podcaster, I don't know if he's still doing the show or not.Like he would have guests on and he would not let them talk like they would talk, but he was talking more than they was. And that's probably the quickest indicator of not a good podcast host.Because if you just want to yap and get your stuff off, you can do that on your own and you can do a solo show.But if you're going to have a show that's interview based and you're going to be sharing other people's stories and walking them down their path and their journey, you got to come from a place of understanding and you got to listen to be able to understand. So I think that that's number one. Number two, you got to be willing to do your research.So for me, a lot of people that I have, a lot of people that I admire or have followed their journeys, I already have like some pre previous knowledge about the work that they do.So those episodes or conversations are a little bit easier because like, I've already lived in their world, so to speak, versus the ones where I'm not as privy to. I enjoy those because I have to do my research on them as a person or background to like qualify them as a guest.But also I get a chance to let my curiosity lead me in those conversations where it's like I'm, I'm like I'm a fifth grader. I don't know what you're talking about, but I really want to understand and get it to a place of understanding.So I think that being able to do your research and also the other thing I mentioned, letting your curiosity lead you, I think that that's huge overall because sometimes you might just get caught up in the notes and the research that you did and bullet points and questions that feel like you just got to check a box as you're going through the interview.But if you let that curiosity kind of wander, then you, you'll probably find yourself having better discussions and more human conversations with people if you're having a interview based show. So those are probably like the three main things that I think make a good podcast post.And then of course you gotta be confident in whatever it is that you're saying and what you're doing and just knowing that you people have come on your platform for a reason, no matter how big or small, and so that they see value in what it is that you do and what you bring to the T. So just being able to have that confidence. But I say confidence, curiosity, research, and what's the other one? I said oh, and listening, you got to listen.I want to see more business owners podcast and I know that as an entrepreneur it could just seem like that's more on your plate, but I actually think that it's a cheat code to be able to hack the marketing system for your business and being able to create leads, opportunities, sales, et cetera for, for your business overall. Because number one, you get an opportunity to create content at scale.So being able to have long form content that you can cut up in the social media content, then take the audio, have a podcast, then take the video, put it up to YouTube and then you can take stills and make posts and all types of stuff. You can take the transcript and turn that into tweet, tweets and threads.You have so many, you have an endless opportunity to make content from a, let's just say 45 minute to hour long video or even just 30 minutes or less. But the longer form allows you to make short form and then be in so many spaces so that that's an opportunity to lead folks to your business.And then also people trust you more with the long form content. So podcast listeners, I believe it's like 90 or above 90% of podcast listeners will listen to an entire episode.So I might not listen to it all in one take, but at some point in time I'm finished the episode. So that gives me time to sit with you, to listen to your thoughts, your background, how you think.And I'm able to build trust with you at scale from being able to have you on that platform.So for example, if you're a chef, you're on there and you're talking about different color, talking about different culinary skills, cookbooks, things to cook, how to cook them, things like that.I get a chance to build trust with you in terms of your knowledge and then at some point in time I have enough trust where I will want to purchase something from you or visit your restaurant or get your cookbook, whatever the case may be. So you get a chance to build trust and scale, build content at scale.And if you don't, if it, if it feels like too much of a heavy lift to develop your own podcast, because it is work and it definitely takes work, dedication, consistency, all the above, then I would encourage you to make sure that you start to go on more platforms. See if you can get featured on somebody else's podcast once a month, a couple times a year, whatever the case may be.But you need to start doing your circuit of going on to others podcasts.Then you can alleviate me having to start up the show myself and curate it and edit and all those things and figure that out and then now that's on to somebody else. And then maybe you just leverage the content that you're able to get from the platforms and you can use that for your own social.But yeah, start podcasting one way or another, either gonna start your own show, which is more fruitful and long run, or you can start getting on to these other platforms as well.

Yeah, can you speak to cringe like you just shared like all these different ways that like we can with the podcast put ourselves out there. And maybe some business owners, they don't use podcasts, but they still do have to market their business.And sometimes I feel just like the level, maybe I'm speaking about myself sometimes just the level of like how often you have to put yourself out there for folks to remind themselves of you. It can come off as like, oh my gosh, here they go again. That's just maybe like in our heads. But you know, you have to like put things out there.I have a friend who, you know, she's always like dancing in these TikTok videos and all these different things and I think she enjoys it. I think she enjoys it.But it's just like a constant thought of marketing your business and that I think it can like wear on you and then you feel bad, you know, once again coming through with your message. So just like anything you have to say about just like always putting yourself out there.

Yeah, I would say don't be afraid to and leverage the social media platforms that make sense for your business.So if you have a older clientele then Maybe leveraging Facebook, possibly throwing a couple of dollars because you can still get a lot of bang for your buck in a Facebook or meta ads, whatever you want to call them, and then you can get your exact demographic that you're trying to reach. So that's the option if you want to go pay, if you want to go organic.One of the tips that I've got from a couple of my podcast guests is being able to jump into like Facebook groups and different groups on different platforms and being able to just kind of like share your expertise, not like spamming and say, hey, come support, support, support, but really being engaging with those communities and then people start to build rapport with you and then you get a chance to kind of get exposure that way. And then also, yeah, making sure that you leverage the platforms that make the most sense for you and your audience. And then also being authentic.You know, everything doesn't have to be like super curated, perfect photos, perfect video. Like that era of social media, I think it's still here and it's still prevalent with certain platforms like Instagram and things like that.But if you go on TikTok, people are able to get hundreds of thousands, if not millions of views from literally just talking to their phone like their own FaceTime or if they're talking to a friend.So if you just get on there and talk about what it is that you're passionate about, what your expertise is and really just start to flex that muscle, then you know, you gotta always allow yourself time to grow with the platform.People think that going viral and being able to get clips that generates money or income and it doesn't really being consistent, being authentic on these platforms and being able to, being able to continuously show up as your brand or being able to put your brand in front of other people, that's really what helps you in the long run.Unless you're a doing like something, the digital media, digital marketing space, really what people want to know is they, they want you to show up, be consistent. You want to be able to trust what it is that you got going on, hear from a real person, a real voice. And those things will take you a long way.Just in terms of being able to have that touch point and that connection with your, with your audience. So it's always important to the brand strategies and things, looking nice and all that type of stuff that will come.But you got to start somewhere and you could just start with the things that you know and the things about your industry, your business, yourself, and being able to see where that Takes you, it'll take you a long way, especially if you stick with it and you're intentional about it.

Yeah, I think it's easy to compare yourself to other people when like they have, they're like looking like Steven Spielberg and you're just on your phone, you're like. So it's like. Yeah, you have to like keep pushing yourself forward. Yeah.Even myself, I'm like, I don't feel like setting up all these lights and stuff. Let me just use my phone.

Exactly. That's how, that's how I built my platform off the phone.I literally just started using cameras for my podcast at the beginning of this year, like in February, in January.

Oh wow.

And I've been podcasting for almost six years. It'd be six years in September. So start with what you have.That's what a friend had told me, some advice that I got and I was off to the races ever since then.

Yeah, that's actually a good advice because then even like your audience, they sort of get to see you grow as well. They're like, oh, wow, check them out. All pristine. You know, before it was just like pristine also, but more pristine. Er, maybe.

Yeah. Are you familiar with the brand Glamaholics?

No.

So Glamaholics is a Detroit based brand and it's like probably international now, but the founder, Mia Ray, she started literally doing a blog of her building the business and we'll just talk about like the day to day, like you know, the struggles that she dealt with, how she was hustling to get the business done, like where she was in life and that's how she kind of built her social media platform. And people have literally seen her grow to wow and scale a multimillion dollar business.And like she had a core audience that no matter when she drops or what she drops, she's selling out instantly. So like that's, that's what the power of being able to build that connection with your audience. And it's not for everybody. It is tough.I'm somebody that struggles with it myself because I'm not like a big like, let me just turn my camera on and start yapping. That's just not, that's just not who I am. I'm, I'm a, a pretty private person and reserves person I would say.But being able to like the, the power of your story and you sharing your information, you don't know what that could do for other people.And then in turn it could be able to actually help boost your brand and your report that you have with the people that you serve through your business.

Yeah, a hundred percent. You're so right about even starting where you are.One of my favorite YouTube recap creators, they're just sitting in front of their MacBook talking and they've been like that for years and they recently just made like an intro for themselves and it still is just like, hi, it's Ashley. And then she gets right into it. It's like never like anything so formal. And I love that because yeah, it's just so simple.And I always hear she'll check text messages through it and everything and I always just sit there and listen. What gives you hope? When you look at the future of black entrepreneurship, I think what gives me.

Hope is some of the technological platforms that we have. I'm a techie, so I love like diving into new gadgets and digital media technology, all those type of things.I think that being able to have like we're recording on Riverside and I think that this is able to help podcasters develop their shows at scale because when I started I was just doing it on Zoom. Riverside wasn't even a thing until like a couple of years later. And so it has continued to develop and now has AI integrations.And I think that being able to incorporate and leverage those things for business helps you do a lot more at scale with smaller teams because I can't remember the percentage but the majority of black owned businesses in America is like solopreneur business. So it's tip if people not having employees, they're working by themselves.And so being able to do more with a smaller team or a limited amount of capacity, some of these technology tools and innovations I think is what gives me hope to be able to help lessen that divide for black businesses and being able to have more better opportunities to self fund or just fund projects and things that they have going on and also being able to reach the people within their community and beyond. And so those are some of the things that kind of gives me hope is technology.Now the caveat to that is the technology isn't always on our side because it ain't always built by us because we ain't the people that's giving input and building it and so forth. So you always have to take that with a grain of salt.But being able to get more, be more aware of these things that's happening and how to use them or how they work, I think that's going to be helpful for our black businesses in the long run. Like for myself, I'm able to leverage different AI tools that help me scale with my podcast. Because it's a lot that goes into it.I got interns this summer, and I'm realizing that now I have to figure out how to get this stuff that I have in my head onto some type of documentation to be able to help them understand how I do things and how it can be repeated so that things can actually be scaled. So being able to leverage tools and systems has helped me with that.And I think that some of this technology that we've been getting lately and that's on the horizon will be able to help us scale.

Yeah. That's amazing. What's it been like being a manager? Of sorts. And can you also tell us more about your business?Cause I know you will help podcasters, and then you have, obviously, Black Fridays. What. What else is going on? Cause that's something I've learned, is that people have, like, more than one business.

Yes. So, yeah. Especially when it comes to creating content or podcasting.So for the first question, just real quick, in terms of being a manager, I think I'm only like a less than a weekend, so we. We just.

Oh, okay. Brand new. I love it.

Just had our first meeting, but they. They're. They're pretty dope so far and working on their first assignment for the platform, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.But super talented interns Both go to HBCUs, which think is dope and very, like, eager to learn and looking forward to seeing what they can develop. And I'm looking forward to seeing how I can help them develop with their personal goals and what they're looking to do post college.So that's where we are with the internship and just looking forward to build that out. And then the second part was, what is the business around Black Friday? So Black Friday's podcast is the core of what it is that I do.But outside of that, I do a lot of digital media work. So for example, I have worked with local businesses and different organizations in order to help. Well, let me see how I want to do this.So let me stick with the podcast first. So for the actual podcast, I've been able to monetize the platform by brand deals and sponsorships.So I've done different video work and then sponsors. I have a sponsor of the podcast now. And then I had up to two.And so I've had sponsorships of the podcast, meaning, like, it advertised throughout the episodes and my different platforms that I have. And then also outside of that, I do Coaching and consulting for podcasters. So I will teach people about.I've done different in person and virtual podcasting classes. One of them was the one I did for Change Collective last summer, I believe, where I got a chance to meet you.Teaching those podcasting courses and then also consulting with podcasters one on one. That's another avenue that I have.And then I do live event interviews where I capture either content for those engagements and then, or maybe I'm, I'm getting paid to speak at different engagements. So that's kind of the different verticals. I need a better way to articulate that.But, yeah, those are like the different avenues that I have for the platform right now, and that's how I've been able to develop a business around it. But in terms of podcasters, content creators in general, that's typically how you're going to be able to get your money.Because people, people think that through the platforms, like an Instagram, a TikTok, YouTube, that's where you're going to make the most bang for your buck. But it's really being able to have a business on the back end in order to. That's how the podcast is at the highest level.That's how they really make their money. The podcast is an avenue or a gateway to help you understand my capabilities about what it is that I can do.This is why I want more small business owners to podcast or get more podcasts. And it's a gateway for you to understand what I can do. But on the back end, I'm able to service you in a different way. I can help you.Maybe I'm a business coach. I can help you scale up your business this way. Or maybe I'm a wellness coach.Whatever the case may be, whatever you have built on the back end, that's where it's going to get you the most bang for your buck. I just got monetized playing YouTube at the top of this year, and I made a whopping $30.

Hey, come on.

So I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm rich now. Like, you can't tell me nothing but.And also, like on Instagram, I've literally made like pennies on the dollar, maybe like a couple of dollars just from reels and stuff that I posted.So the platform, I say that to say that the platforms pay the least in what you have, in the skills that you have in the business that you have in the back end, that's where you make the most bang for your buck.

Like, listening to you talk, I Guess, like, if I hear a bunch of comedians with podcasts, I guess their business is comedy. Like, they want you to, you know, call them to book them for your venue, for your party, for your TV show. You know, it's like, I'm marketing myself.

That's all it is. Another market, myself.

That's so smart. So are we just, like, listening to a bunch of advertisements out here or what?

Pretty, pretty much. Pretty much. I mean, that's what it's all about. I forgot who said it.I think it was Gary Vaynerchuk, and he talked about how, no matter what, throughout the test of time, advertisers are always gonna find where the attention is so that they can disrupt the attention. So, yeah, I remember if you remember, like, the early days of Snapchat, like, Snapchat was like, super clean.You just on there as a communication tool for you and your friends, and then it turned into like a bunch of average. A bunch of ads. Yeah, stuff. And all this is floating to the top. And so, like, wherever attention is, that's where people are going to go.And now it's in podcasting. So you see a lot of podcasters have the same advertisers. Like, I remember Cash app was super heavy with a lot of the mainstream podcasts.Now the podcasts that I watch is like prize picks and like these gambling apps, like, they're. They're the ones that's really shoving out a lot of money for. To be on these platforms.Cause they know this is what people are listening to, and we want to be able to go where the attention is. So, yeah, that's. That. That should be a clear indicator of how valuable these platforms are nowadays.

If. If there is some, an entrepreneur, somebody who is listening to us, listening to this series, and they feel sort of stuck in what they want to do.Do you have any sort of advice for the black entrepreneur who feels stuck?

Yeah, I would just say take that time to pause. I think that at least in Detroit, I'm pretty sure I got family in Chicago, so I know it's a very similar way or approach to business.A lot of the times, especially in our community, it's like the hustle mentality.And so instead of doing that or just keep, like, running until you burn out, whatever the case may be, I would just encourage them to take that time to take a pause. Like, maybe you need to find a way that you could take a couple days or maybe a day, if that's all you got, depending on what life circumstances are.You just sit down and Do a debrief of what am I trying to do, do that, do that. Self inventory. What am I trying to do? Who am I trying to serve? And what's the, the, what's the. I want to say mvp, but that's a business school term.Minimal viable product. But what's the simplest way that I can be able to do it?That, and, and that will take you so much further than really just trying to keep running, running the hamster reel and the rat race. And that's something I have to do with myself a lot. Just understanding. I have so many different ideas and things that I want to do.But what's important right now? What's priority? Reminding myself, what am I trying to do? Who am I trying to do it for? And then what's the simplest way that I can get it done?So, for example, back in 2020, I was doing Instagram Live when I started Black Fridays, and that was an Instagram Live series. I wanted to turn to a podcast. And so I started doing Zoom interviews with people.Zoom was free and I got 40 minutes or however long it took, but I got, I did the interview via Zoom. I snatched the audio off and then I found a platform to upload my audio on and started distributing the podcast that way.So that was the simplest way for me versus trying to find a studio and book studio time, figure out how to pay for it and find the engineers and all that stuff. Just like, what is the simplest way to do it?And then when I want to do video and do in person interviews, use my cell phone and how can I get better audio? Use some lavalier mics.And just being willing to grow with the process and not feeling like you gotta have it all together and figured out now, one step at a time, and just really doing that inventory every so often, really probably should be doing it like every once a quarter, every three months, but how often you can, at least twice a year, just stopping and saying, what are we doing? Are we moving in the right direction? How can we make it better? And what's the simplest way we could be able to do what we're trying to do?And then you can scale up to what that grander idea is that you have. But yeah, take a pause, slow down, and try to take yourself out of your business, at least for a little bit, so you can look at it from.You can look at it from a different point of view and then insert yourself back in with a fresh perspective.

You know, this series starts, which is basically a little mini 31 black Fridays I'm doing. You do it every day. I'll have you know this section of time. What do you hope people learn from the stories they're about to hear?Like, you know, maybe taking from what you've learned over the years, like just what do you think that, what do you hope that we learn?

I hope that people realize the importance of our black owned businesses in our different respective communities and just really how they're able to help shape our communities and provide opportunities.My very first real job that I ever had was through a co op in my high school, but it was through a black owned business and working for a technology store.And something I'll never forget had it not been for that person having that idea and that drive to start their own platform, to start their own business.You know, who's to say that they, they were able to create something that was sustainable enough to bring somebody like me on and pay me whatever they paid me, however that worked out.But I just think about, you know, just the importance of that and maybe it was small to them where it's like, hey, I just need help and high school student and we can get them in here for a little bit of nothing or whatever they had to pay me. But it meant a lot to me because at that point in time, it was a pivotal time in my life.And so just being able to have access to funds, access to be able to learn different things and, and have that job and learn how to conduct myself like in a work environment and things like that, I think that that was super important. And there's so many different organizations, businesses that's doing that in our communities day by day.It happens a lot in other communities because just by nature you're going to hire people that you are familiar with that look like you may have similar backgrounds, things like that, that's just how the world works and how humans and people work, which there's nothing wrong with that, but just being able to pay more attention.I hope that people can understand those small things that these black businesses are doing that help shape our communities, to be able to support our communities and what they mean. Because like let's say if you own a mom and pop shop in a neighborhood, you may be the only folks that offer the stuff that you do and how.And people may not know what life doesn't look like without you being in that area and just so being able to recognize and understand the importance of that and how they're shaping our community. I hope that people understand that whether they have a brick and Mortar or I was about to say virtual, but everybody not virtual.

Online.

Yeah, online. Anything like. Yeah, the people that are shape our community.

Yeah. Or pop up, I guess like mobile business. Pop up businesses kind of a thing. Yeah, mobile. How can we support you?

Yeah, you all can support me by number one, going to YouTube and subscribing because they pay the best. But no, it's all serious. If you can go to YouTube and subscribe at Black Friday's podcast, you can check me out. Please check out multiple episodes.Drop a. Like a comment, whatever the case may be. Because what I'm, I'm proud of is being able to build a library of.If you are looking to enter into whatever space that it is, I pretty much have an episode for it.So if you want to do community organizing, you want to do nonprofit, you want to build a tech business, you want to build a retail business, a clothing brand, you can go on there and you can check out the many episodes that I have that touch on all of those. Uh, and then also making sure that you subscribe on any of the major streaming platforms. Apple podcasts, Spotify, Black Fridays podcast.You'll see a picture of me on there and that's how you know you got the right show. And also tap into.If you're a podcaster and you're looking to identify ways that you would be able to build a business around your platform and how you can create tools and systems to be able to support you with your podcast.You can go to www.blackfridayspod.com and you can check out my podcast community tab and you will be the first to get more information about that when that community rolls out.And I'm looking to build a community of fellow podcasters who are looking to be able to scale their podcasts into businesses or parlay those in different opportun that I'm grateful for. If you listen, tap in with us on Instagram. That's where I'm at primarily at Black Friday's podcast.

Denzell, I really, really appreciate you for talking to me. My last quick question is what do you say to people who.I remember seeing a meme that's like if your friend won't share this, if your friend won't buy your products, they don't really believe in you. You know, like those types of memes. Any thoughts to that?Cuz even just thinking about the entrepreneur who's like, oh, my friends don't want to buy my product. Just any thoughts around that?

Yeah, honestly two, two thoughts come to mind either. And this is how I approach it. Number one, they don't have to because they're probably not your. They're probably not your target audience.And that's okay. You got to give room for that. Because would you want them to support you out of pity or just because they like you?Or would you want them to support you because your stuff is actually good? And then also maybe your stuff, like, I take it as if my friends don't watch my podcast.Number one, okay, maybe I'm not their target demographic, which perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with that.But then also, I take it as a challenge of how can I make it to where they don't have no choice but to watch me or they're really intrigued by watching me. Maybe I can get a guest of somebody that they really like and I can get them on the show, and then you know that, that.That unlocks them being interested in the platform or people who are like them and think similarly. That's my approach to it, is either your stuff is not good, that's why they're not supporting, which is okay.Take it as talents to get better, or they're not your target audience, which is perfectly fine. Go find the people that will support you, because nine times out of 10, they might be somebody you don't know or never met in the first place.So, yeah, don't rest on family or friends to support you. Go find the people who are looking to support you.

Yeah. Denzell, thanks so much. Thank you so much for making Black Fridays. I personally enjoy it.I think it's a important project to our history, to American history. It's very important, the work that you're doing. So I really appreciate it.

Thank you. Thank you. And likewise, I love your platform, love what you develop ever since I got exposed to it. And yeah, just. Just encourage you to.To keep going. We need more of it. So, yeah, I'm pretty still to be here today. This is great, right?

Yeah.

Thank you. That concludes another episode of nosy AF31 Days of Black Business. I'm your host and friend, Stephanie Graham.I hope you took something away from today's conversation and had a good time hanging with us. Be sure to check out the show notes to learn more about today's guest and consider supporting their work.You know how it goes, whether you're making a purchase, hiring them, or simply spreading the word. Listen, who doesn't love a referral? It truly all makes the difference. Quick thank yous go out to Queen Lex and Freddie. Bam Bam.For the nosy AF theme music. And Emma McGoldrick who hooked me up with the COVID art and branding. Shout out to the partners and supporters for this series.You can check them out in the show notes as well. Super grateful for a partner.

Hello.

That's the show Friends until tomorrow. Stay curious and take care. Bye.