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

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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Transcript

Kenny 0:33

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 1:36

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

Kenny 1:40

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

Angel 1:42

I can't hear you.

Kenny 1:44

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

Angel 1:48

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

Kenny 1:52

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 2:20

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 3:07

And just being

Angel 3:08

be creative and allow people an opportunity to. Kind of

Kenny 3:13

kind of

Angel 3:13

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

Kenny 3:17

at what

Angel 3:18

that that

Kenny 3:19

that.

Angel 3:19

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 3:39

I.

Angel 3:39

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

Kenny 3:47

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 4:41

Yeah.

Kenny 4:42

Yeah. so I think that's a

Angel 4:43

question

Kenny 4:44

question because

Angel 4:45

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

Kenny 4:50

And for me,

Angel 4:51

in

Kenny 4:52

in media

Angel 4:53

and entertainment, like really understanding what was

Kenny 4:57

what was

Angel 4:58

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

Kenny 5:02

10 years,

Angel 5:03

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

Kenny 5:09

For the most part. There it's still a

Angel 5:10

sector for black as well as creatives,

Kenny 5:15

especi

Angel 5:17

So

Kenny 5:19

one, seeing that there

Angel 5:20

one place where people were just like,

Kenny 5:22

was,

Angel 5:22

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

Kenny 5:29

but then there was

Angel 5:30

the understanding that. Black

Kenny 5:34

Black content

Angel 5:35

by major platforms. And so

Kenny 5:38

And so for me to experience Dr. Turner

Angel 5:41

after

Kenny 5:42

after

Angel 5:42

content for

Kenny 5:44

for white

Angel 5:44

and white

Kenny 5:45

white creators for so long,

Angel 5:47

and never having

Kenny 5:48

having to show cancer. I mean, I had

Angel 5:49

weren't

Kenny 5:50

that weren't that that

Angel 5:52

was

Kenny 5:52

was

Angel 5:53

of,

Kenny 5:53

of

Angel 5:53

production and things like that, that I was

Kenny 5:56

I was just like, okay,

Angel 5:57

But.

Kenny 5:57

you know? But.

Angel 5:58

you are

Kenny 5:58

When you work for another company and that

Angel 6:00

what they're,

Kenny 6:01

they're,

Angel 6:02

tied

Kenny 6:03

tied to

Angel 6:03

of their

Kenny 6:04

part of their mission,

Angel 6:05

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

Kenny 6:09

And so

Angel 6:10

when I

Kenny 6:11

when I saw,

Angel 6:12

How it

Kenny 6:13

How it impacted

Angel 6:15

when black

Kenny 6:16

when the last show, first

Angel 6:17

especially the

Kenny 6:18

especially

Angel 6:19

was a part

Kenny 6:19

I was a part of,

Angel 6:20

I wanted

Kenny 6:21

I wanted to change trajectory of

Angel 6:22

of what that

Kenny 6:23

what that looked

Angel 6:24

community. And

Kenny 6:25

me. And so

Angel 6:26

was

Kenny 6:26

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

Angel 6:29

And

Kenny 6:30

and it got canceled.

Angel 6:32

And a writer, a

Kenny 6:33

A writer

Angel 6:33

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

Kenny 6:37

it was my therapy

Angel 6:38

I can't

Kenny 6:39

I can't afford

Angel 6:40

And

Kenny 6:40

it, And now that it's

Angel 6:41

away,

Kenny 6:41

gone away, what am I

Angel 6:43

And so

Kenny 6:43

so

Angel 6:44

you hear

Kenny 6:45

hear

Angel 6:45

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 7:37

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 9:10

Yeah, so I would say.

Kenny 9:12

I would say.

Angel 9:14

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

Kenny 9:17

but I, I would definitely

Angel 9:19

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 10:52

You hit this up one day

Angel 10:53

I

Kenny 10:54

say, Hey, I wanna do

Angel 10:55

and think that

Kenny 10:55

and think that it works,

Angel 10:57

you're

Kenny 10:57

and you're just gonna

Angel 10:58

off

Kenny 10:59

off and blow everybody away on episodes Without

Angel 11:03

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

Kenny 11:08

There are certain

Angel 11:09

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

Kenny 11:16

your content.

Angel 11:16

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

Kenny 11:21

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 12:15

Yep.

Kenny 12:17

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 13:05

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

Kenny 13:10

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 13:38

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 13:47

I want are, are you asking that they wanna focus

Angel 13:50

their artistry that they most care about?

Kenny 13:54

Correct.

Angel 13:55

design, that's what

Kenny 13:56

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

Angel 14:04

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 14:22

Let's say I'm a writer

Angel 14:23

and I really

Kenny 14:25

don't

Angel 14:25

I don't

Kenny 14:26

I

Angel 14:26

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

Kenny 14:29

and I want

Angel 14:30

to like read my stories and I'm

Kenny 14:33

and

Angel 14:33

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

Kenny 14:39

but I don't wanna be

Angel 14:40

I don't

Kenny 14:40

I don't

Angel 14:41

my voice. And I'm

Kenny 14:42

And I'm relying on AI to

Angel 14:44

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

Kenny 14:48

to

Angel 14:49

public,

Kenny 14:50

I get it right.

Angel 14:51

And I, my

Kenny 14:53

my only question

Angel 14:55

like, is it

Kenny 14:56

is it

Angel 14:56

people to your writing? Um. Or

Kenny 15:01

Or are you just like,

Angel 15:03

on technology to really connect with your audience base? I

Kenny 15:08

I.

Angel 15:09

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 15:21

I don't think,

Angel 15:22

AI

Kenny 15:22

ai,

Angel 15:23

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

Kenny 15:29

what?

Angel 15:29

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 15:42

part of that

Angel 15:43

part that I think is art. from the

Kenny 15:46

from the podcasting perspective.

Angel 15:49

You know,

Kenny 15:49

you know, a lot of the media

Angel 15:51

We built our own technology for

Kenny 15:53

for

Angel 15:53

our

Kenny 15:53

our app

Angel 15:54

our,

Kenny 15:55

our, our backend host

Angel 15:56

And so

Kenny 15:57

so

Angel 15:57

all of

Kenny 15:58

all of those different things

Angel 15:59

think.

Kenny 15:59

think.

Angel 16:00

Were

Kenny 16:00

were important

Angel 16:01

because I

Kenny 16:02

I wanted

Angel 16:03

we have ownership and

Kenny 16:05

and not just the collaborative relationship

Angel 16:08

with other

Kenny 16:09

other tools.

Angel 16:09

platforms and things like that. And

Kenny 16:12

And so

Angel 16:14

the

Kenny 16:14

the thing that gets tricky

Angel 16:16

with protecting your

Kenny 16:18

your artistry as well as,

Angel 16:22

using technology to

Kenny 16:24

to push

Angel 16:27

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

Kenny 16:35

what I

Angel 16:36

it becomes kind of like public domain

Kenny 16:38

Yeah.

Angel 16:39

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

Kenny 16:44

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 17:42

Oh yeah, a

Kenny 17:42

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

Angel 17:45

hundred

Kenny 17:45

Right.

Angel 17:46

And I

Kenny 17:46

and

Angel 17:46

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 18:07

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. so.

Angel 18:10

Now

Kenny 18:10

now your artist,

Angel 18:11

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

Kenny 18:15

so

Angel 18:15

is

Kenny 18:16

like,

Angel 18:16

what

Kenny 18:16

that really what you

Angel 18:18

And for me, that's a whole no.

Kenny 18:20

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 19:38

yeah.

Kenny 19:38

Right. For those different topics. but I also

Angel 19:40

feel

Kenny 19:40

feel like

Angel 19:41

it

Kenny 19:41

it's

Angel 19:43

if

Kenny 19:44

something

Angel 19:44

happen those platforms went down.

Kenny 19:48

mm-hmm.

Angel 19:51

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

Kenny 19:56

Mm-hmm.

Angel 19:57

everyone else that has tapped in later,

Kenny 20:01

Yeah.

Angel 20:02

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 20:11

Mm-hmm.

Angel 20:13

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 20:27

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 21:11

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 21:40

And so

Angel 21:41

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

Kenny 21:49

person.

Angel 21:50

Like I'm a

Kenny 21:51

I'm a people

Angel 21:52

Like I love people. I

Kenny 21:55

I love

Angel 21:55

about people, but I

Kenny 21:57

but I also

Angel 21:58

people and helping people.

Kenny 22:00

love,

Angel 22:01

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 22:17

where

Angel 22:18

it

Kenny 22:18

it doesn't always

Angel 22:19

that

Kenny 22:20

that way,

Angel 22:20

but

Kenny 22:21

but in most

Angel 22:22

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 22:39

Right.

Angel 22:40

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 23:02

Mm.

Angel 23:03

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

Kenny 23:08

I am probably

Angel 23:09

most humble people because

Kenny 23:12

like,

Angel 23:13

I

Kenny 23:13

and I tell

Angel 23:14

this, like, it doesn't

Kenny 23:15

my matter what I did just

Angel 23:16

It doesn't

Kenny 23:17

doesn't matter what

Angel 23:18

won hour

Kenny 23:19

hour ago.

Angel 23:20

What am I

Kenny 23:21

What am I gonna do

Angel 23:22

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

Kenny 23:26

with my,

Angel 23:27

every

Kenny 23:28

time I we

Angel 23:29

and my

Kenny 23:30

my knee to

Angel 23:32

yesterday? Doesn't matter.

Kenny 23:36

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 24:30

So when I

Kenny 24:31

when I first started

Angel 24:31

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

Kenny 24:36

I was just gonna

Angel 24:37

the podcast

Kenny 24:38

podcast.

Angel 24:39

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

Kenny 24:46

So

Angel 24:47

investment dollars and all that. And that's

Kenny 24:49

that's not a world

Angel 24:50

from. Like

Kenny 24:50

like

Angel 24:51

media girl. I knew

Kenny 24:52

I, nothing

Angel 24:54

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 25:04

okay, you know,

Angel 25:06

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

Kenny 25:11

and so,

Angel 25:13

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 25:32

and then from there

Angel 25:33

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 25:53

because that helped

Angel 25:53

the tech.

Kenny 25:55

build.

Angel 25:55

but. Now I'm in a

Kenny 25:57

I'm in a

Angel 25:58

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

Kenny 26:04

that I think

Angel 26:05

and I may be completely wrong,

Kenny 26:06

wrong. so

Angel 26:07

if you

Kenny 26:07

if you are on the fence around getting

Angel 26:10

cause there's a lot of

Kenny 26:10

a lot of people in,

Angel 26:12

they get a

Kenny 26:13

get a lot of money from

Angel 26:14

and that

Kenny 26:15

that is how they

Angel 26:16

their company. And I don't

Kenny 26:17

I don't

Angel 26:18

wrong with it,

Kenny 26:19

keep it,

Angel 26:19

but I

Kenny 26:19

but I think

Angel 26:20

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

Kenny 26:24

we're in trouble

Angel 26:25

as a startup founder, I think

Kenny 26:28

I think that is

Angel 26:29

time to learn. And if

Kenny 26:32

if you should

Angel 26:33

hop

Kenny 26:34

hop on stage,

Angel 26:34

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

Kenny 26:40

you're wasting,

Angel 26:41

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

Kenny 26:45

I got into

Angel 26:47

my pickle of a moment, I,

Kenny 26:50

I I decided in that

Angel 26:52

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

Kenny 26:58

It's my job

Angel 26:59

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

Kenny 27:01

I don't wanna d

Angel 27:03

so much that

Kenny 27:04

that my,

Angel 27:05

my,

Kenny 27:05

my initial

Angel 27:06

are getting less money. Like, how

Kenny 27:09

how can

Angel 27:09

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

Kenny 27:15

all grown

Angel 27:16

together. And

Kenny 27:17

And so I literally

Angel 27:19

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

Kenny 27:22

Working numbers backwards. Like

Angel 27:24

do we

Kenny 27:24

what do we need

Angel 27:24

How do

Kenny 27:25

to How do we meet?

Angel 27:26

How do we

Kenny 27:26

How do we meet?

Angel 27:27

Where do

Kenny 27:28

Where do we need to publish ourselves?

Angel 27:30

do

Kenny 27:30

Where do we need to pilot it?

Angel 27:32

And

Kenny 27:33

And from that

Angel 27:34

being

Kenny 27:34

we

Angel 27:34

to. Draw

Kenny 27:37

brought some major

Angel 27:38

that

Kenny 27:38

that are not just

Angel 27:39

a hundred

Kenny 27:40

hundred

Angel 27:40

reliant on investment

Kenny 27:42

percent

Angel 27:43

Investors are great. I

Kenny 27:45

I

Angel 27:46

for every

Kenny 27:47

every investor that has

Angel 27:48

in the vision of

Kenny 27:49

of

Angel 27:50

and

Kenny 27:50

lives.

Angel 27:51

Truly appreciate them, but

Kenny 27:53

now I

Angel 27:54

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 28:11

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 28:52

No,

Kenny 28:52

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

Angel 28:55

but

Kenny 28:55

so.

Angel 28:55

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 29:12

I, I'm a very

Angel 29:13

direct and, and, transparent

Kenny 29:17

individual,

Angel 29:18

so I

Kenny 29:19

I would never

Angel 29:20

out

Kenny 29:21

out and tell people

Angel 29:22

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 29:28

like

Angel 29:30

being a

Kenny 29:30

startup sound

Angel 29:32

being a

Kenny 29:32

that isn't

Angel 29:33

there are

Kenny 29:34

over there as well.

Angel 29:36

how

Kenny 29:37

you.

Angel 29:38

Operate

Kenny 29:39

in those moments where you're in the doubt

Angel 29:42

That

Kenny 29:43

That is imperative, in my opinion,

Angel 29:45

of the company.

Kenny 29:46

Mm-hmm.

Angel 29:48

I can

Kenny 29:48

I can jump out there and I win

Angel 29:50

competitions.

Kenny 29:51

Angel decided that's what she

Angel 29:53

do. And I,

Kenny 29:55

I,

Angel 29:56

my,

Kenny 29:56

my, one of my last semester meetings with one

Angel 29:59

uh, existing

Kenny 30:00

of investors,

Angel 30:01

you

Kenny 30:01

you know, I was kind of telling him.

Angel 30:03

What

Kenny 30:04

What I doing.

Angel 30:05

well, how much

Kenny 30:06

how much

Angel 30:06

do you have? And this and the other. And

Kenny 30:09

I think it freak

Angel 30:10

out

Kenny 30:11

understandably. Mm-hmm.

Angel 30:13

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

Kenny 30:17

problem

Angel 30:18

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

Kenny 30:26

And,

Angel 30:26

and, and I

Kenny 30:27

I.

Angel 30:28

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

Kenny 30:32

Show me

Angel 30:32

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

Kenny 30:36

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

Angel 30:38

make

Kenny 30:39

make sure that

Angel 30:40

But just being like,

Kenny 30:41

they're like, oh, you

Angel 30:42

gimme

Kenny 30:43

Gimme some more money.

Angel 30:44

everything is like

Kenny 30:45

is like a trial and error.

Angel 30:47

I'm gonna tell

Kenny 30:47

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

Angel 30:49

things. When I

Kenny 30:52

When I first started,

Angel 30:53

again, I'm not a techie, you

Kenny 30:55

you know, I

Angel 30:56

I, ain't

Kenny 30:57

I ain't never built no hat,

Angel 30:59

however. The first

Kenny 31:02

person

Angel 31:02

that I

Kenny 31:03

that I worked with,

Angel 31:04

to be my

Kenny 31:06

be my developer,

Angel 31:08

he

Kenny 31:09

He ended up not grilling

Angel 31:10

it.

Kenny 31:10

in eCom,

Angel 31:11

in another

Kenny 31:12

another country

Angel 31:13

whatever. But what

Kenny 31:15

But what I've learned

Angel 31:16

very

Kenny 31:17

early

Angel 31:18

when I

Kenny 31:18

when I was like asking,

Angel 31:20

you

Kenny 31:20

you know, people

Angel 31:21

apps and all

Kenny 31:22

all that,

Angel 31:23

every

Kenny 31:24

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

Angel 31:26

I can

Kenny 31:27

I can figure it out. Like I can.

Angel 31:28

I

Kenny 31:29

I can

Angel 31:29

it

Kenny 31:30

what It's that you

Angel 31:31

but what

Kenny 31:31

but what I have to learn,

Angel 31:33

the translation of that was long

Kenny 31:36

long as you're paying me

Angel 31:37

it

Kenny 31:38

for it out, I'll eventually

Angel 31:40

get you What? I don't

Kenny 31:43

I don't wanna be that

Angel 31:44

owner. I don't

Kenny 31:46

I don't wanna keep taking your investment

Angel 31:48

trying

Kenny 31:48

trying to

Angel 31:49

it

Kenny 31:49

figure it out.

Angel 31:50

Let me figure

Kenny 31:51

figure it out. And then

Angel 31:53

like, boom, we

Kenny 31:54

we good

Angel 31:55

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

Kenny 31:59

I will

Angel 32:00

going

Kenny 32:00

going back

Angel 32:01

investors and

Kenny 32:02

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

Angel 32:05

the game plan.

Kenny 32:06

But just to keep throwing money away.

Angel 32:09

Yeah, no, that

Kenny 32:10

that for me,

Angel 32:11

that doesn't work for me.

Kenny 32:12

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 32:43

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

Kenny 32:50

wow.

Angel 32:51

how much money I wasted.

Kenny 32:52

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 33:47

Equate to success.

Kenny 33:48

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 34:04

Beautiful. Mm-hmm.

Kenny 34:06

Okay. So

Angel 34:07

So my,

Kenny 34:09

my, my go to,

Angel 34:10

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

Kenny 34:13

Um.

Angel 34:14

And my

Kenny 34:15

my kids are

Angel 34:15

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 34:24

That's okay.

Angel 34:26

but

Kenny 34:27

but when they

Angel 34:28

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 34:37

mm-hmm.

Angel 34:38

But

Kenny 34:38

But with that,

Angel 34:39

a

Kenny 34:39

be a good

Angel 34:41

over your services. Because things

Kenny 34:46

are

Angel 34:47

easy. Be intentional, Like, don't

Kenny 34:52

Don't just tell me you want

Angel 34:53

today,

Kenny 34:54

day and then your friend comes and tell you there

Angel 34:56

something else. And

Kenny 34:57

no

Angel 34:57

wanna jump

Kenny 34:58

shit. Mm-hmm.

Angel 35:00

be

Kenny 35:00

be intentional,

Angel 35:01

right?

Kenny 35:01

Right.

Angel 35:02

And when I

Kenny 35:02

And when I think

Angel 35:03

steward of your services, like research. Like I have

Kenny 35:08

I have friends

Angel 35:09

their kids

Kenny 35:10

kids have come to PowerPoint presentation,

Angel 35:13

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

Kenny 35:16

Show me that.

Angel 35:17

Show

Kenny 35:17

Show me what you playing

Angel 35:18

like.

Kenny 35:19

like yes.

Angel 35:19

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

Kenny 35:24

Not believing.

Angel 35:25

However, I

Kenny 35:26

I want

Angel 35:27

make sure

Kenny 35:27

hear that

Angel 35:28

are a good steward of one, what your

Kenny 35:31

what your creative process is wondering How are you

Angel 35:34

get through? And

Kenny 35:36

and do all

Angel 35:37

steps.

Kenny 35:38

How are you distributing your content?

Angel 35:41

I mean,

Kenny 35:41

I mean, or your product?

Angel 35:42

You know,

Kenny 35:43

you know? so if you have a website, what

Angel 35:45

like? Are you doing

Kenny 35:46

dropship.

Angel 35:46

Are you gonna have all

Kenny 35:48

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

Angel 35:51

you really thought about every

Kenny 35:54

AB

Angel 35:55

in

Kenny 35:55

in doing your pricing?

Angel 35:57

And I

Kenny 35:57

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

Angel 36:01

to step

Kenny 36:01

all that,

Angel 36:01

a guide. But

Kenny 36:03

but I think more

Angel 36:05

like support them because the

Kenny 36:08

younger they start, the quicker

Angel 36:09

fail, the

Kenny 36:10

The quicker they learn, the quicker they

Angel 36:13

But in that

Kenny 36:14

In that,

Angel 36:14

of course, we want them to succeed. Right?

Kenny 36:16

Mm-hmm.

Angel 36:17

even lessons in the

Kenny 36:18

success because they can become

Angel 36:20

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

Kenny 36:25

outta high school. facts.

Angel 36:27

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

Kenny 36:29

Mm-hmm.

Angel 36:30

that when

Kenny 36:31

they do it again, they're

Angel 36:33

the same things that they did before.

Kenny 36:35

And so

Angel 36:36

that

Kenny 36:36

that goes back to

Angel 36:37

good steward. That goes back to being intentional, but

Kenny 36:40

but sometimes

Angel 36:40

to teach them

Kenny 36:43

really what that means. Because, because it's

Angel 36:47

now and

Kenny 36:48

and

Angel 36:49

they see all of

Kenny 36:49

all these

Angel 36:50

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

Kenny 36:52

can do

Angel 36:53

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

Kenny 36:56

However,

Angel 36:57

I wanna

Kenny 36:57

I wanna make sure

Angel 36:58

right. I wanna make sure you

Kenny 37:01

aren't

Angel 37:01

equipped with the vision, but the

Kenny 37:04

tools

Angel 37:04

execute that vision with excellence.

Kenny 37:08

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 38:37

Yes.

Kenny 38:39

Well before I dive into

Angel 38:41

media and the website. There is a

Kenny 38:44

is a book

Angel 38:45

called the 30 Day Visionary Archangel, which is a

Kenny 38:48

outside.

Angel 38:49

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 39:21

live.

Angel 39:21

not work. yeah.

Kenny 39:25

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 40:02

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 40:54

so I would just say

Angel 40:55

stop playing small and get out there and win.

Kenny 41:00

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.