Desmond Wiggan is the founder of BatteryXChange, a Charlotte tech startup that has quickly expanded its reach across the state. Raised in North Carolina with strong ties to his Jamaican roots, he's had some incredible life and work experiences that have helped him become a strong salesman with a strong vision. From Pepsi to China to Charlotte, his journey is the reason why he's the founder successfully raising a series C round of funding. While it's unlikely that you'll be able to directly replicate this whirlwind of experiences, you will learn how sales, creativity, and confidence when pitching can allow you to grow and scale a successful venture. Tech is anything but boring or monotonous in this episode.

Find out more about what Desmond is building with BatteryXChange at: https://www.batteryxchange.co/

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Kasem Rodriguez Mohsen is one of the co-founders of Equilibrium Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Winston-Salem, NC. Venture capital isn't typically a space where minority founders are successful, and not all funders have been entrepreneurs themselves. I was super interested in Kasem's perspective on business funding, as he's been a serial entrepreneur who's had 3 exits (aka sold his businesses). This intimate conversation on our relationships with money, innovation, ourselves, each other, and the future of raising capital is one that left me with contentment and admiration for his journey. I wanted to honor his lived experience, successes, and failures. I know you'll receive notes of motivation and encouragement while hearing him share his wisdom.

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Shannon Healy is the founder and owner of Alley Twenty Six, a staple cocktail bar in downtown Durham. This James Beard Award nominee and restaurant owner shared his journey to creating and sustaining this bar from day 1 to now. We talked about how the bar got its name, the evolution of the food and alcohol scene in downtown Durham, and his North Star – investing in educating his customers and employees while selfishly creating something cool that everyone can feel a part of. If you're a food entrepreneur looking to get creative with crafting the ultimate customer experience, this episode is for you. So pour yourself a drink (non-alcoholic and mocktail options are also valid!) and enjoy the laughs and expertise in this interview.

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In this special financial roundtable episode of Honey & Hustle, I am joined by Andrea Inoken and Corey Barbour to discuss grant funding and securing commercial loans. While offering free money to businesses, grants can be highly competitive. Entrepreneurs should align their business with organizations that match their industry or geographical location to enhance their chances of securing grants successfully. Grants also often come with post-award reporting obligations. Entrepreneurs must understand the reporting expectations and be ready to demonstrate how the grant funds were utilized and the impact they had on the business.

Corey emphasized the importance of evaluating their capacity to repay the loan and the character of the borrower. Understanding your cash flow and financial position is essential before taking on debt. This aligns with the idea of being prepared to answer questions about how the loan will be repaid and demonstrating a track record of responsible financial behavior.

Want to learn more? Find Cadence Cash and Barbour Companies online at https://cadencecash.com/ and https://www.barbourcompanies.com/.

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In this episode with Henry Woodbridge, founder of the Mapt app, we discuss nontraditional paths to education for high school seniors. We dive into the challenges of college decision-making and the importance of informed choices. This ed-tech founder is creating software solutions to empower students navigating the college admissions and scholarship application processes. By offering tools for self-reflection, campus exploration, and fundamental education about college applications, the app guides students toward making informed decisions aligned with their academic and personal goals. There are a lot of different pathways to education that aren't necessarily four-year degrees.

In addition to his app, we talked about angel investors, how we met his co-founders, and being a sober entrepreneur.

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In this episode of Honey and Hustle, I speak with Deshawn Brown, co-founder of Coworks, an app that powers coworking spaces. We discuss how coworking spaces can facilitate business growth and the importance of in-person collaboration. Deshawn shares his own experiences as a coworking space member and highlights the pain points that led to the creation of Coworks. Tune in to learn more about the benefits of coworking and how it can help take your business to the next level!

Find out more about Coworks at: https://www.coworks.com/

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In this episode of Honey & Hustle, I interview Taylor Adams, the founder of Scrapped Productions. We discuss the importance of maintaining creative integrity while pivoting your niche or purpose. Taylor shares his journey from working in the athletic department at North Carolina State University to starting his own production company. The conversation also touches on the term "content creator" and its implications. We argue that not all creative work should be labeled as "content," as it diminishes the value and uniqueness of different artistic mediums.

Find Taylor's work at: https://www.scraptproductions.com/

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Changing things up a bit today with a solo episode! I'm sharing 12 ways you can grow your creative business this year. These are strategies, habits, and tactics that I use in my own business and that can prove helpful across different creative and entrepreneurial disciplines.

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