Beyond Normal

Empowering Black Creatives: Angel Nicole's Journey with the Alive Podcast Network

• Beyond Normal • Season 7 • Episode 12

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In this episode of the Beyond Normal Podcast, we sit down with Angel Nicole, founder and CEO of the ALIVE Podcast Network, to explore how she’s building a platform designed to empower Black voices in the podcasting world. With over two decades of experience in media, including producing for icons like Larry King and Jane Pauley, Angel brings a unique mix of creative insight and tech innovation to the table.


Tune in as we unpack her journey from legacy media to launching a full-scale podcast network, the challenges of raising capital as a Black woman founder, and the importance of building tech that protects creator ownership in the age of AI. Whether you’re a podcaster, creative, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode offers a transparent look at what it means to lead with vision and build for community impact.


Thanks for tuning into the Beyond Normal Podcast!


Don’t forget to like and subscribe to stay updated on all our future episodes from Beyond Normal Media. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below—we love hearing from you!


🔗 Learn more about Angel’s work at: https://www.alivepodcastnetwork.com

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Kenny:

Welcome, welcome everybody to another great episode of The Beyond Normal Podcast. I'm your host, Kenny Groom. As you know, every founder story is a journey worth telling. On our platform today, we have a, uh, we have a guest who is, uh, focusing on, uh, doing some great. Things in regards to a space that is near and dear to me, which is podcasting, obviously. Uh, but our next guest, uh, angel Nicole. She is the, the founder of the Alive Podcast Network. Uh, they're stimulating black creative, uh, black creatives in the economy by, uh, putting. The content in the palm of the hands of the people who listen just like you all who are listening right now. Uh, really cool app. Uh, we connected last year, and I just had to have Angel on the platform because she's again, doing amazing things a little bit selfishly for a platform and, and a space that I care about, uh, near and dear to my heart. So without further ado, let's bring Angel to the stage. How's it going, angel?

Angel:

It is going well. Thank you. Oh shoot. Can you hear me?

Kenny:

Yeah, I hear you. Okay. I thought you went

Angel:

I can't hear you.

Kenny:

like, nah, nah. No, no. I'm good. I'm good.

Angel:

Thank you so much, for inviting me. I'm excited to speak with.

Kenny:

Yes, for sure. Uh, you, you're taking a gamble on yourself. Being a founder in this time, uh, it's, it's definitely a, uh, an amazing time to be. Creating something on your own. So, without further ado, I wanna hop into your background. Let us know a little bit like about Angel before starting a live podcast network. Like, what were you doing? What was your focus in life, uh, before, uh, taking this gamble on yourself?

Angel:

Yeah, so I would say it was very similar. I've worked in media, tv, radio, film, podcasting for the last 25 years. so, jumping out there, betting on myself, was definitely an author. was definitely something that was a necessity that I saw. after working in industry for so long, I've, I. Created contents for so many amazing individuals. So for those who remember Larry King, God Rest his Soul. like I started his show when he had left CNNI did a show with Jane Pauley in collaboration with the Today Show. It was a audio compliment after her, her live television segment. and

Kenny:

And just being

Angel:

be creative and allow people an opportunity to. Kind of

Kenny:

kind of

Angel:

their gifts with the world, and monetize through that content.

Kenny:

at what

Angel:

that that

Kenny:

that.

Angel:

wasn't always possible for black creatives where they were monetizing at the same rate. They were having their voices amplified at the same rate, but also who owned the content. And so when I really started to. Work with more black celebrities and more black content creators. I,

Kenny:

I.

Angel:

I really understood how much of a disparity there is. and that's why Live was created.

Kenny:

I love it. there's a, it seems like there's a really cool common, uh, thread as you were giving your background about just like creative creativity. Like you want to be around it, you want to make sure you're enhancing it. And so it's really cool to see you, uh, focusing on a space, uh, that I am familiar with those pain points in terms of needing more, uh, needing better ways. For myself as a black creative to monetize and really own my content. And so, uh, I appreciate you, uh, giving us that breakdown there. I'm curious, you know, as you, as you started to think through some of the genesis thoughts for the Alive Podcast Network, like what, what was that core pain point that you feel like you were trying to, to solve?

Angel:

Yeah.

Kenny:

Yeah. so I think that's a

Angel:

question

Kenny:

question because

Angel:

it's imperative that you understand what the pain point or what is the problem that you are solving. And

Kenny:

And for me,

Angel:

in

Kenny:

in media

Angel:

and entertainment, like really understanding what was

Kenny:

what was

Angel:

the marketplace, if you think about it. over the last 10

Kenny:

10 years,

Angel:

really hasn't been a dominant location where you went to listen to podcasts. For the most

Kenny:

For the most part. There it's still a

Angel:

sector for black as well as creatives,

Kenny:

especi

Angel:

So

Kenny:

one, seeing that there

Angel:

one place where people were just like,

Kenny:

was,

Angel:

this is where we wanna listen to podcasts by black hosted, you know, creatives. But

Kenny:

but then there was

Angel:

the understanding that. Black

Kenny:

Black content

Angel:

by major platforms. And so

Kenny:

And so for me to experience Dr. Turner

Angel:

after

Kenny:

after

Angel:

content for

Kenny:

for white

Angel:

and white

Kenny:

white creators for so long,

Angel:

and never having

Kenny:

having to show cancer. I mean, I had

Angel:

weren't

Kenny:

that weren't that that

Angel:

was

Kenny:

was

Angel:

of,

Kenny:

of

Angel:

production and things like that, that I was

Kenny:

I was just like, okay,

Angel:

But.

Kenny:

you know? But.

Angel:

you are

Kenny:

When you work for another company and that

Angel:

what they're,

Kenny:

they're,

Angel:

tied

Kenny:

tied to

Angel:

of their

Kenny:

part of their mission,

Angel:

you just rock with rock. right? Never Never once get canceled, and

Kenny:

And so

Angel:

when I

Kenny:

when I saw,

Angel:

How it

Kenny:

How it impacted

Angel:

when black

Kenny:

when the last show, first

Angel:

especially the

Kenny:

especially

Angel:

was a part

Kenny:

I was a part of,

Angel:

I wanted

Kenny:

I wanted to change trajectory of

Angel:

of what that

Kenny:

what that looked

Angel:

community. And

Kenny:

me. And so

Angel:

was

Kenny:

there was a, a mental health show that I was a part of.

Angel:

And

Kenny:

and it got canceled.

Angel:

And a writer, a

Kenny:

A writer

Angel:

wrote in and said, Hey, like this show, it was

Kenny:

it was my therapy

Angel:

I can't

Kenny:

I can't afford

Angel:

And

Kenny:

it, And now that it's

Angel:

away,

Kenny:

gone away, what am I

Angel:

And so

Kenny:

so

Angel:

you hear

Kenny:

hear

Angel:

moments like that, and you have and you have skill that two impart change. You're an and you're activated for anyway. activated and you do you do something so so that's like really, that I to wanted to solve was making sure that there was a home no matter how many listeners a show had, had, no not, no matter, what that person's background was, I wanted it to be. An opportunity to really enhance the skillset of black content creators, as well as making sure that that there were no limitations to, to, being a being a part of a network group you had 50,000 listeners or 50,000 downloads and all of that, which I think sometimes for content creators can be, intimidating.

Kenny:

For sure. especially it, it's in, it's, it's interesting because there's so many people every day creating, you know, content, creating new podcasts. there's like millions of. Podcast. Right, right at this moment in time. Right. And so like your your point, you hit, you hit something like the nail on the head in terms of we look at, you know, where we want to go in terms of being a creator. And then it's like, oh Yeah. we're the north star. A lot of times by default. Ends up being we're, we're, we're pigeonholed into saying, oh, we need to be like, uh, any of the, the, the major shows that has hundreds of millions of viewers. And it's like, no, not necessarily that, that may not be the lane for you. And that's okay. I. There's a way you can monetize way before you get to that point, and that doesn't necessarily have to be your North Star. So I appreciate you, uh, talking a little bit about that. And that leads me to my next question because with your experience, you have, you have spent some time, you spent a lot of time, right? in the old, the, the old form of media, now you're leading what is going to be the new media wave. And so I'm curious. You know, what's one similarity, like, what's one thing that's carried over from that old way of how media thinks? And then what's a, what's a new way that is just completely against, you know, anarchy against the, that old method, comparing the new method,

Angel:

Yeah, so I would say.

Kenny:

I would say.

Angel:

I mean, I have a lot for the first one, but

Kenny:

but I, I would definitely

Angel:

knowing your target audience, right? I think sometimes with these podcasts, some people, they have their passions that they just wanna talk about, and while yes. is because it's digital, it's a lot easier to just create that content. And actually I'm gonna give these two, but this one I feel like could be the answer to, like, you can still do it. Like there's no limitations. Like, you know, there's no barrier to entry. if you have that passion topic that you wanna talk about, however, if you wanna solve a problem, if you want to be relatable and connect with a real audience, you gotta know who your target audience is. You gotta know who you're planning to talk to. Now, on the contrary to the second part of that question. Like what's totally different? You ain't had that opportunity before. Like before, like there were there. barriers, like where you had to pitch your show, you had to be selected. It was so much more work that went into you being able to share your Voice with the world. Today with with podcasting, that's no barrier to entry. Anybody anybody, right? but but on the, side, the thing that I think that's really important if you wanna be successful is, is, and this goes back to was before, you gotta be consistent. You can't

Kenny:

You hit this up one day

Angel:

I

Kenny:

say, Hey, I wanna do

Angel:

and think that

Kenny:

and think that it works,

Angel:

you're

Kenny:

and you're just gonna

Angel:

off

Kenny:

off and blow everybody away on episodes Without

Angel:

without people really being able to know who you are. There

Kenny:

There are certain

Angel:

that go into that process, and like I said, it's consistency and it's like being able to promote your

Kenny:

your content.

Angel:

Those things are definitely carry over from the old way to the new way.

Kenny:

Hmm. I appreciate that. And as you were talking, you got me to, uh, thinking about how our first episodes looked and sounded, uh, that it was not the best at all. and it's kind of cringey to go back and listen to some of those first episodes'cause we're like approaching a hundred. But I think the cool thing for me is that. I use those, I use me starting before it was this polished product as like, a way to say like, look. To tell the growth story of the platform. I think that's the, I think that's relatable to the founder journey, right. Uh, of, of being a creative Right. And that's the cool part where, like you said, it's not from day one. Most of the time you're not gonna just wow people. And you gotta be, you gotta be okay with that and really fight through, uh, some of that pain and discomfort you may, experience early on.

Angel:

Yep.

Kenny:

So, uh, next up I want to talk about the topic of technology. What, for you, uh, You with your experience, being in media, what, where are we at with the, with the technology in terms of. I don't wanna make, this sounds like a doomsday scenario, but are we at the point where the, the technology can do everything that the creative does not want to focus on? If that makes sense. So if they want to just do their creative muse, do you feel like now or at a point where people can let the technology do all the other stuff?

Angel:

You mean like through automation? You mean ai, like what type of tech?

Kenny:

Interesting. All right, so, all right. Let's say the, what's the, let's go to the extreme. The extreme is the ai, right? Like what's. From an AI perspective, is it okay for somebody who's a creative to just say, Hey, I wanna focus on my art and I want the, I want the AI to do everything else. Like what do you think, how do you feel about somebody saying that's their utopia point? Like that's where they want to be at. What are your thoughts around that?

Angel:

So I think it depends, and I wanna make sure I'm understanding the question properly, so that I can address it correctly. I want

Kenny:

I want are, are you asking that they wanna focus

Angel:

their artistry that they most care about?

Kenny:

Correct.

Angel:

design, that's what

Kenny:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Taking it a level up past just the podcasting. Right. And thinking from a creative perspective.

Angel:

Yes. So think, I don't know, that's hard because I feel like you're, you're, not really being creative at that point. If, if you are just. Let's say

Kenny:

Let's say I'm a writer

Angel:

and I really

Kenny:

don't

Angel:

I don't

Kenny:

I

Angel:

it's hard because if I'm a writer and

Kenny:

and I want

Angel:

to like read my stories and I'm

Kenny:

and

Angel:

them out on social media as a means of attracting people to who I am,

Kenny:

but I don't wanna be

Angel:

I don't

Kenny:

I don't

Angel:

my voice. And I'm

Kenny:

And I'm relying on AI to

Angel:

do those things to make me more, um. Aware to the

Kenny:

to

Angel:

public,

Kenny:

I get it right.

Angel:

And I, my

Kenny:

my only question

Angel:

like, is it

Kenny:

is it

Angel:

people to your writing? Um. Or

Kenny:

Or are you just like,

Angel:

on technology to really connect with your audience base? I

Kenny:

I.

Angel:

that humanistic form of being able to read your writing, or especially if you're a poet, like perform your poetry in front of people where they feel expression. I don't

Kenny:

I don't think,

Angel:

AI

Kenny:

ai,

Angel:

to the point where it makes you feel it can, it can. Say what

Kenny:

what?

Angel:

to say, but really invoking that emotion and that connection. I haven't seen it. Not to say that it won't eventually get there, but I think that you would lose a part of

Kenny:

part of that

Angel:

part that I think is art. from the

Kenny:

from the podcasting perspective.

Angel:

You know,

Kenny:

you know, a lot of the media

Angel:

We built our own technology for

Kenny:

for

Angel:

our

Kenny:

our app

Angel:

our,

Kenny:

our, our backend host

Angel:

And so

Kenny:

so

Angel:

all of

Kenny:

all of those different things

Angel:

think.

Kenny:

think.

Angel:

Were

Kenny:

were important

Angel:

because I

Kenny:

I wanted

Angel:

we have ownership and

Kenny:

and not just the collaborative relationship

Angel:

with other

Kenny:

other tools.

Angel:

platforms and things like that. And

Kenny:

And so

Angel:

the

Kenny:

the thing that gets tricky

Angel:

with protecting your

Kenny:

your artistry as well as,

Angel:

using technology to

Kenny:

to push

Angel:

it gets like, who owns it? Because with AI, and once it's out, like from

Kenny:

what I

Angel:

it becomes kind of like public domain

Kenny:

Yeah.

Angel:

pulls it and it shares it from that regard. And is that really what you want for

Kenny:

what it's, that you're Mm-hmm. There at this point, I don't know if there's like a right or wrong answer, and so I appreciate your perspective on that. It, it's something where I think the, the conversation's gonna get louder and louder because to your point, right, it's. It's becoming more and more apparent that. The, the major platforms, see, they see the value in from an efficiency perspective, right? That's what everybody goes to from day one, right? But then it's like, how do you maintain your artistic kind of integrity through leveraging this tool if you keep to feeding this tool more and more of you, right? And then in essence, it just kind of copies. You know, essentially just coffee's, just you, which is, I think that's where we're at now, where it's a really good copycat.

Angel:

Oh yeah, a

Kenny:

Oh yeah. I think it's a really good copycat.

Angel:

hundred

Kenny:

Right.

Angel:

And I

Kenny:

and

Angel:

I think that is, there's value there, right? And like you said, efficiency and you being able to focus on other things. But at what point someone else not say, Hey, I want you to talk like Angel. I want, you know, X, Y, Z, and other people are able to copycat you as well. We're

Kenny:

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. so.

Angel:

Now

Kenny:

now your artist,

Angel:

no longer protected, which goes back to what I was saying before. So

Kenny:

so

Angel:

is

Kenny:

like,

Angel:

what

Kenny:

that really what you

Angel:

And for me, that's a whole no.

Kenny:

Yeah, for sure. For, for me, as of right now, it is a no. but I'm having more and more conversations with folks as well, and I feel like people are teetering on the fence. And I, I, I'll say this moment is like, for podcasting, for me it feels a lot like, like when I started podcasting in 2000. 2020. for me it was really cool to go to a platform like Buzzsprout, right? Or one of the, one of those platforms, right? And just click the, click a button and then upload my episode. And then I will talk to some like OG podcasters. And they were like, man, I started, I started recording and like. 2008 and I had to go to these different platforms and you'll never know what it's like to, to, to have to like do your own RSS feeds and all that stuff. And I, that got me to thinking like their perspective is, is, is definitely different. And they, they learn through some things that I didn't necessarily have to experience. And so in those learnings, I'm pretty sure there's some creativity that they were able to unlock.'cause they had to do every single aspect of it and you still, you had to know it. Versus now, you know, the, the technology is allowing people to not necessarily have to be, as, you know, dive as deep in the pool

Angel:

yeah.

Kenny:

Right. For those different topics. but I also

Angel:

feel

Kenny:

feel like

Angel:

it

Kenny:

it's

Angel:

if

Kenny:

something

Angel:

happen those platforms went down.

Kenny:

mm-hmm.

Angel:

That person that's been doing this since 2008, they know what to do. Their show will go on.

Kenny:

Mm-hmm.

Angel:

everyone else that has tapped in later,

Kenny:

Yeah.

Angel:

they're, they're, reliant on. And so, but that's kind of like the difference between like old school, like you had to tape the film and

Kenny:

Mm-hmm.

Angel:

Like, there's some skills, but there's also value in not having to go through those things anymore. but it's also like, you know, but you know what to do in the event that stuff shuts down.

Kenny:

Got it. So, all right, let's, let's pivot a little bit, because you're, you're definitely giving me a glimpse into how you think, right. tell me, so you've won, you mentioned the shows that you've been a part of, in terms of your career. you've, you've got some major awards. You've worked with, some really cool brands. You've built brands as well, like you mentioned. And so I'm curious, like you, you touched on like that. That, that humanity, like early on in the, the conversation, like how do you, how do you stay grounded in that humanity when you're getting, you know, you know, when you're connecting with these different brands and, and, and, and some of this stuff seems larger than life. Like how do you go about keeping your humanity through all of this?

Angel:

Relationships. Are the most powerful and most, they, they're everything. Relationships are more valuable, in my opinion, than monetary transactions. There are rooms that you will end up in because of a relationship that you have with somebody money may never, ever be able to pay for. And

Kenny:

And so

Angel:

for me, like the, the humanity and, really being connected to people, that's first

Kenny:

person.

Angel:

Like I'm a

Kenny:

I'm a people

Angel:

Like I love people. I

Kenny:

I love

Angel:

about people, but I

Kenny:

but I also

Angel:

people and helping people.

Kenny:

love,

Angel:

and so for me, that's, that's ground zero. Like. In my opinion, a lot of times people who do wrong by others. Now we have some situations where

Kenny:

where

Angel:

it

Kenny:

it doesn't always

Angel:

that

Kenny:

that way,

Angel:

but

Kenny:

but in most

Angel:

I feel like the people who do right by people, the people who are always looking out for others, people want to help you. on the flip of the coin, if you have money and you are not great at relationships. money helps. Right.

Kenny:

Right.

Angel:

And without me getting into like, full blown, I think y'all can read between the lines. but I think in most cases it's very much like a relationship business, especially podcasting. You're talking to people, people don't wanna be on your show if they think that you're gonna come on and just like drag them like what they

Kenny:

Mm.

Angel:

You know what I mean? Like, so it's, it's definitely. I, I

Kenny:

I am probably

Angel:

most humble people because

Kenny:

like,

Angel:

I

Kenny:

and I tell

Angel:

this, like, it doesn't

Kenny:

my matter what I did just

Angel:

It doesn't

Kenny:

doesn't matter what

Angel:

won hour

Kenny:

hour ago.

Angel:

What am I

Kenny:

What am I gonna do

Angel:

What am I gonna do tomorrow to make sure that I'm challenging myself and I can show up as my

Kenny:

with my,

Angel:

every

Kenny:

time I we

Angel:

and my

Kenny:

my knee to

Angel:

yesterday? Doesn't matter.

Kenny:

I love that. That's super powerful. I'm taking a moment to folks, if you're, if you're listening in, I'm taking a moment to soak all this game and this is like really good stuff and this is the topic that's near and dear to me. I really appreciate Angel for taking this, uh, taking this leap of faith on herself, on herself and starting a platform such as alive. So I'm curious. In terms of like, in terms of growing the platform and investments from others, like where do you, the, is that a, has that always been a top priority getting investments from others to scale up the platform? Like for you specifically, like, talk to me a little bit about, just your mindset around investments in general in your platform. Yeah,

Angel:

So when I

Kenny:

when I first started

Angel:

started alive, like, so I have another media company and initially I was

Kenny:

I was just gonna

Angel:

the podcast

Kenny:

podcast.

Angel:

of. The other company and someone was like, no, don't do that. Make this a Delaware C Corp so

Kenny:

So

Angel:

investment dollars and all that. And that's

Kenny:

that's not a world

Angel:

from. Like

Kenny:

like

Angel:

media girl. I knew

Kenny:

I, nothing

Angel:

like building tech and all of that. Like I'm good at using technology, but the building side not so much. And so, but I listened and I said, okay,

Kenny:

okay, you know,

Angel:

Step out on faith. If we're gonna do it, we're gonna, we going dive all the way in. And so,

Kenny:

and so,

Angel:

in the first three months of launching alive, um, we had received about$250,000 in investment. I was blessed, like my first a hundred. came from my, my parents. and

Kenny:

and then from there

Angel:

into Techstars, as a portfolio company. Like we were about five months old when we got accepted into Techstars. so we got investment there. We also got mentors, which again, that those people and those relationships really help propel us and get the momentum going. The money helps because that

Kenny:

because that helped

Angel:

the tech.

Kenny:

build.

Angel:

but. Now I'm in a

Kenny:

I'm in a

Angel:

where I'm not really interested in to acquire investment dollars. The way that I

Kenny:

that I think

Angel:

and I may be completely wrong,

Kenny:

wrong. so

Angel:

if you

Kenny:

if you are on the fence around getting

Angel:

cause there's a lot of

Kenny:

a lot of people in,

Angel:

they get a

Kenny:

get a lot of money from

Angel:

and that

Kenny:

that is how they

Angel:

their company. And I don't

Kenny:

I don't

Angel:

wrong with it,

Kenny:

keep it,

Angel:

but I

Kenny:

but I think

Angel:

me, I want something different. When you're in

Kenny:

we're in trouble

Angel:

as a startup founder, I think

Kenny:

I think that is

Angel:

time to learn. And if

Kenny:

if you should

Angel:

hop

Kenny:

hop on stage,

Angel:

pitch competition, win some more money, and you keep doing the same thing, you're not learning, you're

Kenny:

you're wasting,

Angel:

you're wasting time, and you're wasting money. And when I

Kenny:

I got into

Angel:

my pickle of a moment, I,

Kenny:

I I decided in that

Angel:

that. If this is really for me and if this is what I'm really supposed to be, it's

Kenny:

It's my job

Angel:

figure out how to make it work. I don't

Kenny:

I don't wanna d

Angel:

so much that

Kenny:

that my,

Angel:

my,

Kenny:

my initial

Angel:

are getting less money. Like, how

Kenny:

how can

Angel:

thing pop so that the people who really believed in me from ground zero. all

Kenny:

all grown

Angel:

together. And

Kenny:

And so I literally

Angel:

the drawing board and was like, okay, boom. Like working

Kenny:

Working numbers backwards. Like

Angel:

do we

Kenny:

what do we need

Angel:

How do

Kenny:

to How do we meet?

Angel:

How do we

Kenny:

How do we meet?

Angel:

Where do

Kenny:

Where do we need to publish ourselves?

Angel:

do

Kenny:

Where do we need to pilot it?

Angel:

And

Kenny:

And from that

Angel:

being

Kenny:

we

Angel:

to. Draw

Kenny:

brought some major

Angel:

that

Kenny:

that are not just

Angel:

a hundred

Kenny:

hundred

Angel:

reliant on investment

Kenny:

percent

Angel:

Investors are great. I

Kenny:

I

Angel:

for every

Kenny:

every investor that has

Angel:

in the vision of

Kenny:

of

Angel:

and

Kenny:

lives.

Angel:

Truly appreciate them, but

Kenny:

now I

Angel:

It's my turn to kick in and really make those dollars work and make sure that it, it is a profitable business, not just one that's reliant on investment dollars every, every year or two.

Kenny:

That is something that we do not hear a lot, angel as, as you, as you alluded to it, right? A lot of it is, we need more, we need more money, right? We gotta burn some money. We gotta keep burning money essentially to grow at the scale that we want, right? And that's not always the case. And it's okay for a business to say like, we're gonna focus on being profitable with the money we have in the bank. Like, that's perfectly okay. and I don't think we hear that enough. Specifically when it comes to businesses that are, you know, businesses that get some sort of capital from other investors that doesn't, that doesn't bubble up and resonate towards the top of what we hear. The algorithms do not push that. and I

Angel:

No,

Kenny:

know you're familiar with the algorithms and what they push, uh,

Angel:

but

Kenny:

so.

Angel:

don't know if many founders won. From that same vein and two openly speak about it. So we can't blame algorithms if the conversations aren't being. So I,

Kenny:

I, I'm a very

Angel:

direct and, and, transparent

Kenny:

individual,

Angel:

so I

Kenny:

I would never

Angel:

out

Kenny:

out and tell people

Angel:

yes, it's been hunky dory for the last three years and we've done this and this and this, and I'm just continuing The, so

Kenny:

like

Angel:

being a

Kenny:

startup sound

Angel:

being a

Kenny:

that isn't

Angel:

there are

Kenny:

over there as well.

Angel:

how

Kenny:

you.

Angel:

Operate

Kenny:

in those moments where you're in the doubt

Angel:

That

Kenny:

That is imperative, in my opinion,

Angel:

of the company.

Kenny:

Mm-hmm.

Angel:

I can

Kenny:

I can jump out there and I win

Angel:

competitions.

Kenny:

Angel decided that's what she

Angel:

do. And I,

Kenny:

I,

Angel:

my,

Kenny:

my, one of my last semester meetings with one

Angel:

uh, existing

Kenny:

of investors,

Angel:

you

Kenny:

you know, I was kind of telling him.

Angel:

What

Kenny:

What I doing.

Angel:

well, how much

Kenny:

how much

Angel:

do you have? And this and the other. And

Kenny:

I think it freak

Angel:

out

Kenny:

understandably. Mm-hmm.

Angel:

however, for me, I'm like, don't you want me to solve the

Kenny:

problem

Angel:

so I'm not just keep coming to you? Like I need more money. So I'm a problem solver, you know? And,

Kenny:

And,

Angel:

and, and I

Kenny:

I.

Angel:

believe God gave me this vision for launching alive. Then he's

Kenny:

Show me

Angel:

show me like, okay, yep, mm-hmm. Don't do that again. Do this. And I

Kenny:

And I will be divided and the right people will cross my

Angel:

make

Kenny:

make sure that

Angel:

But just being like,

Kenny:

they're like, oh, you

Angel:

gimme

Kenny:

Gimme some more money.

Angel:

everything is like

Kenny:

is like a trial and error.

Angel:

I'm gonna tell

Kenny:

I'm gonna tell you a quick story about like the tech

Angel:

things. When I

Kenny:

When I first started,

Angel:

again, I'm not a techie, you

Kenny:

you know, I

Angel:

I, ain't

Kenny:

I ain't never built no hat,

Angel:

however. The first

Kenny:

person

Angel:

that I

Kenny:

that I worked with,

Angel:

to be my

Kenny:

be my developer,

Angel:

he

Kenny:

He ended up not grilling

Angel:

it.

Kenny:

in eCom,

Angel:

in another

Kenny:

another country

Angel:

whatever. But what

Kenny:

But what I've learned

Angel:

very

Kenny:

early

Angel:

when I

Kenny:

when I was like asking,

Angel:

you

Kenny:

you know, people

Angel:

apps and all

Kenny:

all that,

Angel:

every

Kenny:

every one of them said, oh yeah, I can do it.

Angel:

I can

Kenny:

I can figure it out. Like I can.

Angel:

I

Kenny:

I can

Angel:

it

Kenny:

what It's that you

Angel:

but what

Kenny:

but what I have to learn,

Angel:

the translation of that was long

Kenny:

long as you're paying me

Angel:

it

Kenny:

for it out, I'll eventually

Angel:

get you What? I don't

Kenny:

I don't wanna be that

Angel:

owner. I don't

Kenny:

I don't wanna keep taking your investment

Angel:

trying

Kenny:

trying to

Angel:

it

Kenny:

figure it out.

Angel:

Let me figure

Kenny:

figure it out. And then

Angel:

like, boom, we

Kenny:

we good

Angel:

I need money to do this, this, this, to push it, then I

Kenny:

I will

Angel:

going

Kenny:

going back

Angel:

investors and

Kenny:

to saying, this is working. Here's the strategies,

Angel:

the game plan.

Kenny:

But just to keep throwing money away.

Angel:

Yeah, no, that

Kenny:

that for me,

Angel:

that doesn't work for me.

Kenny:

Mm, nah. You spent Game Angel, you spent game as you were, as you were explaining that scenario, it sounded like it could be like a horror scenario. I'm not even gonna front with like somebody I can imagine, like somebody telling, telling you from a tech perspective. Yeah, of course I can build this. And then we all have seen that, like that. We see all the memes, we see all the posts where people are just like, Yeah, I told them I could build it. and, then I went to Google and just started Googling stuff. And it is like, no, no, no, no. That's, that's,

Angel:

and I, I went through it. I literally went through about four developers in a year, so

Kenny:

wow.

Angel:

how much money I wasted.

Kenny:

Yay. That's crazy. So, all right, so this is, uh, I think this is gonna, this is gonna be a good segue and wrap up question. So. Because you, you touched on something in terms of maybe the conversations are not necessarily happening. Right? And so we can't always blame the algorithm, right? So like, I'll use myself as an example. I have a, I have a nephew, he's like mid, mid teens, right? And now he wants to start like a clothing brand, right? And that's his thing, right? So what are we supposed to tell? This next generation of business owner, because they have at their fingertips all the tools, they have resources, right? Like he comes to me and asks me for money. Okay. whatever. I give it to you, right? Like he have the resources, they have the tools, but I'm not sure that having those resources and tools is gonna

Angel:

Equate to success.

Kenny:

to success or even increase their chances of success anymore. So like what are you telling the next up and coming, you know, founder, business owner, because they are starting younger and younger it seems like, which is a good thing, I think.

Angel:

Beautiful. Mm-hmm.

Kenny:

Okay. So

Angel:

So my,

Kenny:

my, my go to,

Angel:

is start from where you are, where you are. Right.

Kenny:

Um.

Angel:

And my

Kenny:

my kids are

Angel:

eight and 11 and they have a podcast and oh shoot, they're not eight and 11 child. They would kill me right now they're 10 and 12 now.

Kenny:

That's okay.

Angel:

but

Kenny:

but when they

Angel:

eight and 11, that is like really when I started and encouraging them to start your business. What is it that you wanna do? You wanna write a book? Boom, let's do it.

Kenny:

mm-hmm.

Angel:

But

Kenny:

But with that,

Angel:

a

Kenny:

be a good

Angel:

over your services. Because things

Kenny:

are

Angel:

easy. Be intentional, Like, don't

Kenny:

Don't just tell me you want

Angel:

today,

Kenny:

day and then your friend comes and tell you there

Angel:

something else. And

Kenny:

no

Angel:

wanna jump

Kenny:

shit. Mm-hmm.

Angel:

be

Kenny:

be intentional,

Angel:

right?

Kenny:

Right.

Angel:

And when I

Kenny:

And when I think

Angel:

steward of your services, like research. Like I have

Kenny:

I have friends

Angel:

their kids

Kenny:

kids have come to PowerPoint presentation,

Angel:

and they're like, this is really what I wanna do. Show

Kenny:

Show me that.

Angel:

Show

Kenny:

Show me what you playing

Angel:

like.

Kenny:

like yes.

Angel:

you can go to YouTube University and you can do all of these different things, and I

Kenny:

Not believing.

Angel:

However, I

Kenny:

I want

Angel:

make sure

Kenny:

hear that

Angel:

are a good steward of one, what your

Kenny:

what your creative process is wondering How are you

Angel:

get through? And

Kenny:

and do all

Angel:

steps.

Kenny:

How are you distributing your content?

Angel:

I mean,

Kenny:

I mean, or your product?

Angel:

You know,

Kenny:

you know? so if you have a website, what

Angel:

like? Are you doing

Kenny:

dropship.

Angel:

Are you gonna have all

Kenny:

Have all this stuff here and you're gonna mail it out? How much is that gonna cost

Angel:

you really thought about every

Kenny:

AB

Angel:

in

Kenny:

in doing your pricing?

Angel:

And I

Kenny:

And I think that gives. Parents and loved ones, and

Angel:

to step

Kenny:

all that,

Angel:

a guide. But

Kenny:

but I think more

Angel:

like support them because the

Kenny:

younger they start, the quicker

Angel:

fail, the

Kenny:

The quicker they learn, the quicker they

Angel:

But in that

Kenny:

In that,

Angel:

of course, we want them to succeed. Right?

Kenny:

Mm-hmm.

Angel:

even lessons in the

Kenny:

success because they can become

Angel:

successful millionaires and blow through the money and have nothing by the time they're outta high

Kenny:

outta high school. facts.

Angel:

But that's a, that's a lesson learned

Kenny:

Mm-hmm.

Angel:

that when

Kenny:

they do it again, they're

Angel:

the same things that they did before.

Kenny:

And so

Angel:

that

Kenny:

that goes back to

Angel:

good steward. That goes back to being intentional, but

Kenny:

but sometimes

Angel:

to teach them

Kenny:

really what that means. Because, because it's

Angel:

now and

Kenny:

and

Angel:

they see all of

Kenny:

all these

Angel:

people doing it and they're like, huh, I can

Kenny:

can do

Angel:

yes, baby boy, you can't. Yes baby girl, you can't.

Kenny:

However,

Angel:

I wanna

Kenny:

I wanna make sure

Angel:

right. I wanna make sure you

Kenny:

aren't

Angel:

equipped with the vision, but the

Kenny:

tools

Angel:

execute that vision with excellence.

Kenny:

dope. I hope, uh, I'm gonna send this, uh, episode to my nephew for sure, because, we got some conversations to have based off of what you're telling me, angel. Uh, Yeah. So, uh, he needs to get ready. but yeah, I, I love the, I love the energy, I love that talk. Like you said, like setting them up for success. That, that word of being a steward. Oh my gosh. Like, um. They probably don't use that word in their vernacular nowadays, and they need to, uh, but that is like a powerful word like that that goes back to, you know, uh, the things that. I think, I don't wanna say they're soft skills, but they're, they're, they're the things that set businesses up for success, customer service, things like that. Like these are things people are overlooking now and then, you know, on the back end, those are, those will end up being the factors and the reasons why the business wasn't successful. So I appreciate you, throwing that out there. I appreciate all the knowledge you dropped on this episode, angel. Like it is been amazing just picking your brain again. Uh, you're building a platform for somebody like me who's actually gonna leverage it as a podcaster, but then from an audience perspective, like the audience, I want to make sure that they know how they can tap in. Like, what's the easiest way for them to, to tap in with a lot of the podcast network to get it on all their devices? Like tell, tell us a little bit about the easiest path for people to connect with. The live podcast network.

Angel:

Yes.

Kenny:

Well before I dive into

Angel:

media and the website. There is a

Kenny:

is a book

Angel:

called the 30 Day Visionary Archangel, which is a

Kenny:

outside.

Angel:

people who have the vision but need kind of like a blueprint to make sure that they're doing the work and doing the work the right way. it looks like that I. Uh, and it's available on the website, angel Nicole, us. to learn more about the live podcast network, you can go to a live podcast network.com. You can also find us in your app store in iOS, or Android or Android app, or Google Play. It's, uh, just a live

Kenny:

live.

Angel:

not work. yeah.

Kenny:

Thank you so much for that Angel. I'll definitely make sure I put the book and the, the links in the, in the description for this episode. Uh, love Loving You plugging that as well, uh, that book as well. I, I've become, uh, I've transitioned from audio books to physical books again, and so I'm excited to get a copy of that. Lastly, the thing that I always wanna make sure that our guests have the last thought in terms of like, what do you want our listeners today? A lot of them are business owners or people that may be on the fence in terms of starting their business. Like what do you want people to take away from this conversation? That lasting thought

Angel:

Yeah, so that. the last thought for the listeners is just, you are more powerful than you know. And sometimes we try to hide behind that power because we don't want to offend other people or we don't want to outshine people that we grew up with or our family. And, I just want I just want you to know that like not not so job. That's not your job. Your Your job to be your absolute greatest self and God planted a seed in you and. It's been watering and it's it probably something nagging at you, but you've been holding back because you that we don't want to offend somebody. That's not your job. Your Your job is to show up bet a hundred percent on you and the vision that is within you, and then that's where your success is. And

Kenny:

so I would just say

Angel:

stop playing small and get out there and win.

Kenny:

thank you Mic drop moment for those that are listening with us right now. Thank you for tuning into another great episode of The Beyond Normal podcast. Peace.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Kenny Groom

Host
Head Shot

Angel N. Livas

Guest

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