Carlos Partee, a serial entrepreneur, radio personality, and co-founder of the Nashville Black Market, shares his inspiring journey from selling candy in middle school to building a thriving platform for black-owned businesses. Carlos discusses the market's evolution from a small pop-up in 2017 to a citywide movement hosting festivals and supporting black entrepreneurs. He reflects on the challenges of growth, the emotional recognition he received at the Next Awards where NBM took home the 2024 Hospitality and Retail Growth award, and his vision to expand the market's impact through collaboration and persistence.

Warren Sadler and James Edward Murray are the co-founders of Therify, an in-network mental health platform that helps employees access affordable mental healthcare. In this episode, Warren and James share their personal experiences with grief and their difficulty finding the right mental health provider, which inspired them to launch Therify. As co-founders, the two prioritize open communication, addressing conflicts head-on, and modeling healthy relationships for their team, crediting their strong friendship and alignment on values as keys to their successful partnership. They also share the challenges of raising capital and why Therify aims to continue expanding its in-network healthcare platform into other areas of care beyond just mental health.

Rashad Russell, founder of Acme Builder and Beyond Creations, joins us to share his journey as a software engineer and web developer, starting from his entrepreneurial aspirations at a young age after experiencing Hurricane Katrina. Rashad emphasizes the importance of having a strong support system and surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals. He also talks about the mission of Acme Builder to provide a user-friendly website building tool for small business owners. This conversation highlights the common mistakes made by founders when building their own websites and offers advice on creating effective content and a clear call to action. We also discuss the challenges faced by black individuals in the tech industry and the need for early exposure and support for young aspiring entrepreneurs.