Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County’s Post

"You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog." Harry S. Truman Well, Harry was talking about politics - and no doubt many in the field of politics can relate to his statement. We were at a different field - Nationals Park - for our monthly Inner Circle experience this week. My takeaways from the evening are: 1. The Nationals and the Orioles have built very good organizations. The quality and proximity of the two teams should continue to foster a great local rivalry. Thanks to Ryan Bringger VP Ticket Sales and Membership Washington Nationals for the private tour and discussion of the business of baseball. 2. Washington DC is recovering. Many factors, including covid, crime, taxes and remote working have played into the challenges that DC is facing. The good news is that through the hard work of many, like Jack McDougle, President and CEO of Greater Washington Board of Trade and DC Mayor DC Mayor Muriel Bowser it feels like we are making real progress. Metro ridership is up to 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Thanks to anti-crime initiatives it feels safer downtown as well. Washington, DC is a special place. Its existence came from a private dinner in June, 1790. The dinner included Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. At the dinner they agreed to move the nation's capitol from NY to DC in exchange for the federal government to take on the states' debts. From this modest beginning came the most successful nation ever formed. Momentum is a very important part of sports. It is also a very important part of business and economic growth. People want to be part of a winning team. It seems like the Nationals, Orioles and now Washington, DC are on that winning path. Sorry Harry, it seems like I have more friends than just my dogs - they include... Pictured top: Amit Puri - CEO Kurtek, Angela Wilson - CEO and Owner SeKON Enterprise, Inc. Henry Stoever - Principal Brentwood Advisory, Dean D'Angelo - Founding Partners Stellus Capital Management, LLC, Kristina Bouweiri - President and CEO Reston Limousine, Sean Lam - CTO/VP International Programs I. M. Systems Group Inc. (IMSG), Mark Haas - CEO Association for Enterprise Growth, Eric L. Schmidt - Co-Founder and CEO Glue Up , Satya Akula - Managing Partner, New Angel Capital, Tien Wong - Founder The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Community, John Yetman - Co-Founder AEG, Paul Martorana, Exited Owner, Real Estate, Alice P Frazier - President and CEO Potomac Bank VA, Bank Of Charlestown, Jay Greenstein - Founder and CEO Kaizenovate, Susan Lacz - President and CEO Ridgewells Catering, Keith Coe - multiple exits, Principal at Coe., Corby Lawrence, CEO Western Transportation Group Bottom L: Me, Tom McMillen, former University of Maryland basketball phenom (Go Terps!!), NBA, Congressman, President and CEO LEAD1 Association, Paul Martorana, Satya Akula Bottom R: Ryan Bringger #Nats #Orioles #WashingtonDC #BusinessOwners #Momentum #AEG #InnerCircle

Black founders carry a markedly higher burden when it comes to educating investors on the value and viability of their business ideas — but there is an art and science behind knowing when your brand is ready and what kind of investors will be the best fit. Black founders in the US raised 0.48 percent of all venture dollars allocated last year, according to the latest data from Crunchbase — marking the third straight year of declines. The only significant bump in recent history came in 2020 when a record-breaking amount of capital went to Black businesses as investors promised to help level the playing field for minorities in the wake of the murder of George Floyd (but even that was less than 1 percent). There are many reasons driving the dearth of funding going to Black business — but chief among them, experts say, is that Black founders carry a markedly higher burden when it comes to educating investors on the value and viability of their business ideas. This challenge is particularly pronounced in industries like beauty, where predominantly white male investors may have limited awareness of the value proposition for products targeting Black or multicultural consumers. What’s more, due to historic exclusion, Black founders often lack experience and the tools to navigate the complex fundraising environment. It doesn’t help that bootstrapping founders tend to only seek funding when they urgently need it, which often puts them at a disadvantage early on. When it comes to raising money, there is an art and science behind knowing when your brand is ready and what kind of investors will be the best fit. Read the the final story in a three-part series, by BoF's Sheena Butler-Young.

If you are looking to push your business forward but are unsure of the steps to take, I highly recommend James Ross. Business is a learning curve but with the right guidance, I truly believe that anything is achievable!

James Ross our business coach from The Alternative Board (UK) has helped us transform BLUEBLOOD in recent years. Pivoting away from our retail space to focus on delivering great quality personalised clothing and kit to businesses, schools, universities, teams and clubs has been challenging and rewarding in equal measure, but James’s council has proved invaluable in guiding us through it all. If you haven’t tried a business coach before then you’re missing out. Having a trusted adviser at the end of the phone makes all the difference when you’re running a business. I can’t recommend James highly enough, he’s been instrumental in helping us shape the business we have today. #businesscoach #TAB #TheAlternativeBoard #Leadership #Mindset #Growth

It popped up in my diary that it's nearly 3 years since I joined the Kings Of Neon team and I started thinking about how wild, big, fast and fun the last 3 years have been! 😍 We have done SO much in that 3 years, from working with some of the biggest brands and businesses in the world, travelling overseas to install signs and build relationships. We have expanded and moved into new countries and establish our teams across the globe. 😎 We have won awards, been nominated and celebrated others in industry and fellow hustlers and entrepreneurs. 🙏 But if I am really honest, that is all the shiny stuff that we celebrate as the big wins for the business and the brand. It's super fun and awesome to have all of that but thats not what has made up the most of the time we have all been working in the business. Most days it's the boring stuff. The 'doing' and the stuff that gets no reward, no wins and no shiny accolades. What makes those days the real winners is the people you share them with. 🙌 Being in business for me isn't about the money or the status. Yes I / we want that as the reward, freedom and opportunity it creates for all of our lives but it isn't the main focus or where the impact is felt. We have always been in it for the people. The learning, the growing and the relationships to share in the long game. When you are building a path, business and life in real time, there is no blueprint or certainty which is exciting, scary and full of opportunity. We get to choose what it all looks like and that is awesome. So, as a little time stamp in the moment of another year ticking over... Here's to all the awesome people we get to do all the daily reps with. Here is to the big chats, small moments, ever learning and always growing partnerships in business and in life. ❤️ Shout out to these two guys Stephen Pastor and Mark Eglinton who brought me on and have had my back since day one. And all of the Kings team that have shared the tough days, epic days, laughs, learnings and everything in between. What an absolute bunch of legends I get to call my work crew, even on the other side of the world. I am so proud of the business, the people and what we are building together. 👊 The past 3 years have been some of the biggest years of my career simply because of our team and people. There is no award for that but the impact is far greater and will be with me forever. 🤗 Can't wait to see what the next 3 years brings for Kings Of Neon and the absolute power house team that is continually building!! 🤙 Let's Go! Yewwwww 👑 👊

For those that missed my post yesterday about Founder Mode... I'm launching a community for Founders to network, learn and grow together. My opinion is that traditional networking is broken, online communities for Founders seem to be backed by hidden agendas and let's be honest, as a Founder, it can feel isolated and there are certain topics you wouldn't want to broadcast to Linkedin. So, yesterday, to celebrate the launch, I opened up the community with 100 'free-for-life' memberships to Founders. I was blown away by how many Founders joined the community in the first 24 hours, after all accounts have been registered, we'll have 62 members. There will be a remaining 38 places available with the 'free-for-life' membership which will be £29 monthly after the initial 100 have signed. So, if you're interested in being part of a community of founders, comment "in" and like this post and i'll send you a direct sign-up link 🖖 #foundermode #founders #founder

There’s nothing more powerful than a group of people who believe in you, who push you to be better, and who celebrate your wins like they’re their own. That’s what we’re building here at Quad Collective—community over competition. When you find your tribe, you find the fuel to keep going, even when the road gets tough. We’re in this together, every step of the way. If you’re ready to surround yourself with people who inspire you to level up, you know where to find us. #QuadCollective #FindYourTribe #CommunityOverCompetition #EntrepreneurSupport #WeRiseTogether

I've always been a huge advocate for expanding and upgrading your network. In fact, I've framed most of my businesses around the power of 'network' and 'community'. Recently, we gathered together the Bolt Angels investor network at Royal Ascot - something we do every year to bring people together, make and develop connections and, of course, have fun. As Roger Black says: 'The network is everything...' How much emphasis do you put on networking? Have you expanded and upgraded your network and seen the difference that can make? I'd love to hear your thoughts... #networkingbusiness #community #networkingpower

Today my daughter said to me "So like, did you and Eric Sheinkop like, start The Desire Company from scratch?" (If I charge her $1 every time she says "like" I'll be a very rich woman. But I digress.) "Yes we did" "Its just impressive that you like created a whole company that allows people to have money and it just came from nothing" She's like, not wrong. As I sit here today celebrating the incredible milestone of achieving our Series B fundraise, I ponder on that thought. I'm proud of what we've built. I'm proud that we're bringing real innovation to retail media. I'm proud that we've created an amazing community of experts to share trusted product recommendations with shoppers. I'm proud of the incredible brands and retailers we count as partners. I'm proud of the immensely talented board and advisors we have guiding and supporting us. But what I'm most proud of is building a company of smart, talented, passionate people who love a good karaoke night and who bring their A game to work every, single, day. Thank you Desire Co. fam, I appreciate you all. Kelsey Cline Brian Crucitti Monique Filardi Matt Thacker Kyle Trobman Lauren DeSalvo Bekah Risch Madeline Estelle Metzger Megan Peason Karl Steltenpohl Nakeya Boyles, M.A. Lisa Terkel Appleby Carleton Koldyke Taylor Koldyke Caroline Tolbert Jesenia R. Kathryn Walter Todd Walton Kendra Carruthers Michelle Wozny Katelyn Henslin Taylor Grubb Alissa Swatkowski Justin L. Samuel Moskowitz Andrew Paparone Brittany Gasparaitis Mike Shingler, CPA, MBA Jill Irvin Burriss #SeriesB #RetailInnovation #RetailMedia #TheDesireCompany Check out the link to the full announcement in the comments.