Building Black Brand

This week it's a special edition of the Fervent Four Show! Hosts Tim Ryan, and Zack Miller sit down with Blair Durham at the Mighty Dream Forum. Blair is the Co-founder and President of Black BRAND, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that stands for Business Research Analytics Networking and Development seeking to transform the local, regional, and national community through unity, education, access, opportunity, and development. This episode is part three of three Fervent Four Show episodes that were recorded at the Mighty Dream Forum. Watch this week's episode to hear Blair talk about her experience building a community, the 757 ecosystem, and much more!   Tim Ryan is an angel investor and the Executive Director of StartWheel, an organization dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs with resources in Hampton Roads, Virginia.    Learn more at: https://www.startwheel.org    Zack Miller is a serial entrepreneur and author of Anomaly, a guide on differentiating yourself and your business from the crowd.   Learn more at: https://www.zackmillersays.com   Enjoy the show? Watch the Fervent Four Show LIVE every Thursday at 11 AM.   Live: https://www.startwheel.org/live/ Watch past episodes: https://www.startwheel.org/fervent-four-show/ Listen to past episodes: https://fathom.fm/podcast/fervent-four    Show notes:   (0:00) Blair Durham Interview Preview    (4:17) The live show   (5:43) What is Black BRAND + starting out    (12:34) Starting accelerator programs   (16:58) Potential for the 757 Ecosystem   (20:52) Is DEI an industry?   (23:08) Black BRAND Funding   (26:22) Black BRAND + Mighty Dream Partnership    Companies Mentioned: Black BRAND: https://blackbrand.biz/ Business Insider Magazine: https://www.businessinsider.com/ Jacob Marshall: https://futureofstorytelling.org/speaker/jacob-marshall ABC: https://abc.com/ Navy: https://www.navy.mil/ DroneUp: https://www.droneup.com/ Mighty Dream Forum: https://mightydream.co/ Air Force: https://www.airforce.com/ Cox: https://www.cox.com/residential/home.html Dominion Energy: https://www.dominionenergy.com/ Ikea Foundation: https://ikeafoundation.org/ Start Peninsula: https://www.startpeninsula.com/ Pharrell Williams: https://pharrellwilliams.com/ Something in the Water: https://somethinginthewater.com/   About Blair Durham & Black BRAND:   Blair Durham is a Hampton Roads Native and a Virginia Tech alum whose undergraduate focus on social justice, psychology, and race disparity culminated in the development of Black BRAND, a regional black chamber of commerce -- now with divisions in Hampton Roads and the Dan River Region. Blair and her team are leading the effort to help a growing number of black business owners contribute to meaningful economic development through entrepreneurship and job creation. Black BRAND is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that stands for Business Research Analytics Networking and Development. Black BRAND's mission is to promote group economics through professional development and community empowerment. The organization seeks to transform the local, regional, and national community through unity, education, access, opportunity, and development. Black BRAND helps build scalable businesses that employ qualified staff and leverage tomorrow's technology; advances partner's missions by building valuable connections; and anchors families and community in strong values while competing on a global level.   Learn more: https://www.theworkforcecouncil.org/black-brand/ & https://blackbrand.biz/   The Fervent Four Show:   Did you know that only 4% of businesses hit $1M in revenue? Tim Ryan and Zack Miller are the creators of The Fervent Four Show, designed to help you get there. Check them out Live every Thursday at 11 AM.   Social Media:   Blair Durham https://blackbrand.biz/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackbrandbiz/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-durham-15528a17a/   Instagram: @blackbrandbiz (https://www.instagram.com/blackbrandbiz/)   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackbrandbiz/   Tim Ryan https://www.startwheel.org   Twitter (personal): @ryantnt (https://twitter.com/ryantnt)   Twitter: @StartWheel (https://twitter.com/StartWheel)   LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantnt/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startwheel-org/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StartWheel   Zack Miller https://www.zackmillersays.com   Twitter: @zackmillersays (https://twitter.com/zackmillersays)   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zackmillersays   Thanks to our Sponsors:   The Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center – http://www.hrsbdc.org/en/   StartWheel – https://www.startwheel.org