Season two of the Black Tech Green Money podcast is brought to you by Lexus and the December to Remember sales event. From graduation parades to birthday parties. This year Driveways hosted some new traditions. Here's to celebrating them all.
Experience Amazing at your Lexus, Dealing Afro Tech World, Gilly the King and social media influencer and disrupt Your willow To six seven are the host of The Million Dollars Worth The Gang Show, a weekly podcast which is the perfect blend of discussing music, real life issues, personal experiences, honest advice in comedy, and our interview at Afro Tech.
I ask Gilly histor. Also, how we as black people in business can stand confident about our value, our perspective, our sauce when it's being challenged or not respected at a premium. Number One, you gotta believe in what you're doing. You know what I'm saying. That's number one. So if you if you being innovative and you being creative, and you you know in your mind that this is what I feel is gonna be the next ship, you gotta roll with that. I would never devalue myself for but
for nothing you feel what I'm saying. I know what I'm worth, even even back when I was doing um record deals. Yeah, I flew down the swave house. You know Tony Draper, you know the really CEO that I ever met in my life. Shout out to Tony Draper. But he tried to do the ceo wine and Din Rapper shipped to me. We got down there. We well up to the gate. I never seen no house like this in my life. Gates opened up. He got rained fver a viper with the zipper windows and bad leaves,
all kinds of ship. You know what I mean. I go in the drive. We we I'm talking no business. I'm down there two old days just I'm meeting superstars. I'm playing two and two against Jagget Edge. You I'm gonnaiga straight from old Phil Like, yeah, why I like this? The artist pulling up, his artist pulling up. That's already going eight more pull up here in the big body, five hundred fans mt T pull up here in the
old school. I'm like, God, damn, these niggas doing it next day, Yes, they ball pull up here and something different. I'm like, damn, when it was time to talk that business don't want new the value ain't going on. This is what I wanted, he said, I ain't never gave a deal out that big in my life. I said, well, it was nice meeting your drink, but I'm going back to silly and he said, uh, you know what. I like that. I like that you got that. So it
was just me believing in myself. You feel what I'm saying and believing it because sometimes you get around these companies and the motherfuck have been and played longer than you, and they had you doubting yourself. Mh No, I don't think it's supposed to go like that, because uh, did you doing the same ship since eight one? I'm Will Lucas and this is Black Tech, Green Money. I'm gonna introduce you to some of the biggest names, some of
the brightest minds and brilliant ideas. If you're black and building or simply using tech to secure your bank, this podcast is for you. Ryan Glover is co founder and chairman at Greenwood Bank, the new digital bank he's building with Michael render A, Ka Rapper Killer Mike Ambassador, Andrew Young, and serial tech entrepreneur Paul Judge. Greenwood's mission is to help blacks and Latinos take control of the financial destiny
and build generational wealth. Previous to Greenwood Bank, Ryan was in the music business as co founder of Noontime, the music publishing and management company, which represented people like Jazz Faye, Sierra Grammy, and war When, He producer Brian Michael Cox and others. He's also founder of bound TV, the national cable network, and the rest of Run in Atlanta Agency. Ryan got his career jop starting at Howard alongside Puff Daddy and Cassine Read, who would go on to be
the Mayor of Atlanta. As a student, Cassine Read compelled Ryan to produce a hip hop concert for homecoming weekend. Of all the people who could have produced that concert would set off his stellar career. I wonder why Ryan was recruited, what made him so special all those years ago. So I've always been well, I've always been excited about the entertainment industry, right, but I can't rap, sing, dance my way out of a paperbag, right. So I've always
been excited about entertainment, but from a business perspective. Um So, so back then on the on campus, you know, I saw the energy that was being created not just on our campus, but the musical energy that existed clearly in New York, clearly in California where I was from, where I'm from, and Atlanta, and I thought it would be an amazing idea will to bring that energy to Washington, d C. And to on to Howard's campus, right amidst the wonderful culture of the of the go go experience
that existed in in d C. So it's almost like gumbo that was being created right there on on Howard's campus. And I tell you this, you know, being all at
Howard during those times was an incredible education, right. You know, not only was I learning, will you know, scholastically, but I was also learning um other cultures really Michael, within my own culture, from individuals from different parts of the country, right, and built relationships um with those individuals from Chicago, from New York, from d C, from Texas, And those relationships, as I tell my children today, are the relationships that
have helped me become successful um in life across multiple industries. Right. So, as you know, I went to Howard University, graduated from Howard, relocated to Atlanta, started a music and publishing company called noontime. We made records at noontime from everybody from Mary J. Blige to Aaliyah. We made records for puff Uh, we
signed um Jeezy neon Tempt, we signed Sierra UM. But those relationships that we used to build that my first business, our first business I garnered on Howard's campus, right, So, so it was the relationships that I built, and it was also the ability to do business right from with the individuals that I that I met at Howard And that's really my foundation of of business and how I
move UM into the future of of of Greenwood. There's so many young people who listen to this podcast and have dreams about being that front and center performer or the athlete or whatever. UM, and you said this, you know, I can't grap sing or dance whatever to say in
my life. UM. In the pursuit of the business side of the entertainment industry, that New Times where I met you, you know, so many years ago, feels like, UM, what did you realize about the economical difference between the performer who ultimately gets the bright lights and takes the selfies with fans versus the person who may walk into a room or go into a crowd undetected or unnoticed. So so on on the economic side, um, let me just
address address that. You know, it's lights, camera action, so so saving is always should be always at the forefront of anybody in entertainment or any other industries, UH frontal low in their thinking right because as we all know, in entertainment specifically, but just in life, nothing lasts forever. So so once you have that understanding that that you mentioned the right lights, at some point those lights will dim. I don't care if you are on stage or I
don't care if you are backstage. Right, there is always someone who is gonna be a little more talented than you are, a little younger than you, a little faster than you. So you really have to look at your talent and understand will that that it's everything lass in chapters and in seasons, So you have to prepare yourself accordingly. You know, as a business person, you know I've been saying the art of recalibration is what can what allows
you as a businessman to continue to grow. You know, I've been in in music, I've been in television and film and out I am in uh in banking services and digital banking, services industry, and you know, my recalibration has um allowed me to change industries, right, But my strategies in the way I operate as a businessman remains consistent, and and that really starts with for me, trusting in God and putting God first with whatever I do right and then also doing the best that I can to
treat people the way I want to be treated, um, whether they are on my side of the negotiating table or on the or whether they're on the opposite side
of the table. A lot of times people will realize, you know, truly honesty is really the as policy, whether you right, whether whether whether you want to you'd say something to somebody that you think that they don't want to hear, and they might not want to hear it, but at the end of the day, if you're dealing with grown ups, grown ups will understand it and respect it, and then that will allow you no matter where your professional career journey takes you, will allow you to garner
that same respect with that earlier individual or with the individual that you're currently dealing with in that given time. So, I mean, those are my two basic strategies of whatever. And listen, if I move to um opening up a hot dog stand in front of a a sports arena. I'm gonna use the same strategies of the same strategies I use in banking. The state use intelligent film, same strategies and methodologies are using music. Yeah, and that honestly
gives them the opportunity to deal with it. However, they got to deal with it. But come back to the table for everybody's benefit. Yeah. Yeah, you mentioned relationships, and um, you know I saw an interview with you where you said the best business advice you ever received was never give your partner surprises. Um. When I think about that advice, I consider how much a business partnership it's like a
marriage and probably shouldn't be entered into frivolously. Right. And if if then we are the culture as in black people, If we are the culture that drives all global culture, whether you're talking about food, fashion, music, sports, or whatever. Then if you put two or three of us together, um, we should dominate, right if we're to you know, globally and all of these things, and we're not in everything.
And so I wonder, um, is it because we may be misaligned with our partnerships, or is it something else. I wonder what your thoughts are on how to build successful business partnerships because you've done so many over your career. Well,
I should say, yeah, so so building successful partnerships. You know, in all candor, oftentimes people look at like myself, they only remember the successes, But will I have had multiple upon multiple upon multiple failures right to go along with those successes, I've actually learned more and appreciated and it sounds crazy, more in my failures than my successes, right, And in those failures, you know, I learned earned really how to treat people and how to um identify not
just talent but also partnerships. That I went and applied those tactics and strategies two businesses that ended up working. Right. So, you know, we live in a generation now where everybody wants everything micro waverable. You know, you know I you
mentioned party promotion at Howard. I used to study, go to school, study, taking nap at night, wake up at twelve am in the morning and go pass out three thousand, four thousand flyers hand to hand at an event at an upcoming event that I was promoting into the wee bit hours and then get up and do it all over again weeks on in while at school while promoting, right, that's that's the grind now kids a lot of times and Riley, So technology is great. I'm thank the Lord
for technology. But technology is could be a gift and a curse at the same time because although you know, the younger generation is definitely on the hustle and I love it. I love everything that I see, um from the the younger generation across multiple industries. But there's something to the fact to the art for me of putting a flyer on a car, right, yeah, I did that. I did that. That that that you just you can't
duplicate that. That grind hand combat, yeah yeah, and that grind, that grind is always in the forefront of my mind whatever I do. It's ironic. Man, the the more uh the world perceives of my success, uh, the more instable in stable I become, right because I'm like, you know, I don't I can't. I can't really, I can't really process success. I can only process I can't process past success.
I can only focus on what's in front of me, right, Yeah, I'm not looking backwards, I'm looking forwards, um, because there's there's still more work to be be done. There's still more good trouble to get into, you know. Um, so so so that's that's that's my mindset man. Um. Far too many of us in our community have dreams of starting companies and don't have adequate business business banking relationships
right or banking relationships period um. In fact, too many of us avoid banks altogether and or just use banks for you know, depositing their check and you know debit cards. Right. And you said in the previous interview, Uh, this is our time speaking about Greenwood to take back control of our lives and our financial future. Um, for it would be entrepreneur in our community. What does a good banking relationship look like? This is a big question, but what
does a good banking relationship look like? How are we supposed to engage with banks? Um, bankers a should say, even for services other than just making deposits into an account? And what level of bank er should we be talking to? Like, so we start with the teller, like what, let's walk us through this? Yeah, so so so I believe Speaking of technology, we're in a new digital age. So sixty of Americans are banking digitally currently. Um. That number is
kicking up around three per year. And there are really no UM authentic digital banking solutions that cater to the African American and Latin X community really until Greenwood. So we're a fintech nel bank that provides modern digital banking
services for for the for the culture. Right. So, so you know some of our services your full service UH bank in your hand, savings and spending the count We have Apple and Android pay, peer to peer money transfers, mobile deposits globally TM network, UM, no hidden fees and one of my favorite features UM today early early path UM. But the fact of the matter is there are three problems well that we will solve UM. And as a
reason why we stood, we're standing Greenwood up. UM. One. UM, you know, in our communities there are far too many predatory banking services that we cater to. We want to extinguish those predatory services. Two and oh to Greenwood. We want to be a part of the solution of recirculating capital back into our communities as once had what was
happened in the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. UM. You know, we often hear about Black Wall Street in all of the thriving businesses that existed during the twenties and that time. But you know the reason why those businesses flourished is because one dollar recirculated thirty six times in that one community,
and that allowed UM. That allowed the barber, the banks, the the grocers, the attorneys, right the the doctors, right the bowling alleys, that whatever businesses were in those communities, that money recirculated and everybody got a bite at the apple. Unfortunately for us, in our community today, one dollar man
recirculates six hours. So so you know, at Greenwood, through our Greenwood Gives Back round Up program, our customers have the opportunity to donate their rounded up change to three causes we care about um UT one the n double a CP to fight civil rights, um to U n c F to support education, and three there's a wonderful company in Atlanta that feeds um the hungry and homeless
called good or UM. And our customers have the opportunity to donate a portion of their rounded up change to either one of those organizations or a combination of the three. And then every quarter Greenwood UM we will UM as a banking solution, donate and match those funds to those to those organizations. The third UM solution, the so third problem that we're going to solve is the deployment of capital in our communities. Right. So, you know I've started
a couple of businesses that have done well. None of those businesses we're started or stood up with banking capital. So you know, we don't have the relationships that our counterparts have UM that allows us to create wealth personally or professionally like others do UM and and we plan on solving that problem UM or being a part of
the solution to that problem. Uh So, really to answer your question, you know, we we are an authentic banking solution that knows how to because I am one identify small business owners UM that that you know, I have great ideas, have wonderful talent, I have a great support system, have a marketplace, but just don't have the capital to to turn their business from a micro business to a major business. And we're we're bullish, We're bullish on that
um UM as A as A as a company. Season two of the Black Tech Green Money Podcast is brought to you by Lexus, known for celebrating driveway moments for over thirty years. Lexus invites you to create more with exclusive offers on the most popular Alexis models at the December to Remember Sales event. Experience Amazing at your Alexis dealer.
This year, I read the book The Color of Money by Mercer Barraturan, and she talked about how black people have not yet overcome the mindset and systemic oppression of being capital to having capital. Ryan's new effort with Green Would Bank, it's on the mission to change that for many have tried before. How will Green Would make an impact on this pervasive issue? Ryan Glover speaks on it, Well, we have good reason. You read the book, so you
understand we have good reason to mistrust banks. So you know in eighteen hundreds US a Freeman's bank, that right that that actually duped thousands of African Americans out of their savings and and those trustees who ran the bank UH misappropriated their funds into investments that never panned out. They're over three thousand um um um um individuals who lost who lost money in that one bank, and that
actual tread tragedy and travesty. Unfortunately, from a folklore standpoint, that story has been told generation to generation and we haven't gotten over it as a culture. Um, you know there's no there's no mystery or there's no falsehood in our grandparents are great grandparents actually using their mattresses as their savings and deposits? Right because bank mistrust? And then you fast forward word you know all of the the the the issues that some traditional banks have had with
predatory lending, redlining. Um you know of the sort. Uh you know, the current community doesn't. We're not we're not trusting banks, um curb currently. Right. So you know we know also too that we are as a community, uh a lot less likely to receive loans than our white counterparts. So all of that combustion, combustible bad will for decades
has created a mistrust in banks, right. Um, you know, we are attempting to build that trust back, and we're coming at an approaching it from a standpoint of I am not a banker, but we have hired bankers to operate our business. But me not being a physical banker,
I understand. I believe what the community and the small business person and just the everyday African American and Latin X customer needs to understand on creating an authentic banking solution and we're speaking directly and authentically, UM to to that, to that individual, and hopefully over time we will build
trust back into the community from a banking perspective. Um. You know, and yes there are other great African American banks that that exists, but I candidly think, you know not no of the traditionals or the African American current banks are speaking to the generation, UM, that we currently exist in the way we organically and authentically can. And
that's what we're that's what we're going to do of it. Um. You've broken into very well, you know, these industries that have high bars in a lot of ways to get into, you know what, whether it be owning television stations and not holding a bank, etcetera. And talk to me like number one, like, what what is it that Ryan has in his background that says, you know what, we're going to give him the keys to this next level of success Because a lot of people may go to start
a television network and can't get it done. A lot of people want to start a bank, can't get it done, not for like a trying, But what is it? What is it that people miss? Here? Here's my secret partner with people as smart or smarter than you in those industries. Okay, that's where I start. Um. I always start with, whether whether it be music, television and film, um now banking services, I start with where is the opportunity and that can't
could be filled? That's not right. In music, we started Noontime from the auspices of they're amazed, a ton of amazing production companies and record companies that are doing amazing work. So so Deaf Bad Boy, Deaf Jam death Row Right death Row came a little bit after us, but you get my get my point, um. But we at Noontime we all knew myself, Chris Hicks and Henry Lead, we all knew that neither none of us could wrap singer
dance away out of a paper bag. But we are Angle was being the best business people that we could be to support the talent. Right that that led the company. We weren't the talent and the other companies that we were competing with they were led by talent. Our Angle was not to lead by talent, but lead through business and business executives. Right, So that was our niche bounce. We were the first African, We are the first African
American broadcast network in existence. Right, we knew, I knew that black and brown folks UM, you know, wanted to watch compelling, captivating entertainment entertaining television programming. But we all don't have dollars to UH enlisted in a cable operator, right, So how can we become the first over the air network that provided free entertaining UM content to the masses over the air broadcast content like an NBC, ABC, Fox. And we did it UM and partnered with individuals who
knew that business like the back of their hands. Same thing with with with Greenwood UM. There's an opportunity to serve a zero served African American and Latin X community from a you know, banking perspective. UM. Partnering with bankers UM and individuals of like thinking to grow this business is the way we're growing the Greenwood UH banking solution.
So all all of the businesses that have all ever started always has started with the mission and then a devout commitment to create UH compelling content that I believe resonate with our consumers UM and then do it consistently UM. And that has just grown and I believe, you know, going back to trust, will you know, based on my
past successes and failures that folks don't talk about. I have built trust as an executive and that is carried over and from music to television and film and now the banking and in that trust is resonating in the community with our mission at Greenwood. UM. Speaking of what you were appointed to the Martyr board back and I think seen um, which to me indicates like that you see the correlations between like political power or influence and
a true opportunity to serve the community and make it better. UM. So many business people avoid getting involved in government or politics, and so many government types either avoided don't have the jobs to succeed in an enterprise. UM. For those of us out there who are growing companies but also are getting called on to serve, how do you recommend we or they? UM, both think about their responsibility and their overall legacy and ability to create chase for the community
and for you know, their lineage. So here's how I'll answer that and kind of be around the block, but I'll get to my point. So I have five children from the ages of twenty one uh to seven, and I believe in that the more time you invest time that you invest into your children, the more successful they will become, and the the the more valuable from an
economic standpoint they will become for themselves. Okay, soh so that time that I invest into my children may be perceived or directly a time suck for me that is not registering to a dollar earned. Right, what I understand that that investment that I don't reap a monetary benefit from, will harvest itself in my children's life generationally, that will provide for generational wealth down the world. Okay, UM, here's
the analogy. The more you lend your talents and your services, two causes and organizations that span outside of where you directly earn a living, too, will build and harvest relationships
and value. Right, that right that you will benefit from, um, And you might not benefit from it directly or the next day or the next week, but inevitably you will benefit directly or you know, or you will be the benefactor or you will allow someone else to benefit from the from the knowledge that you provide to them, which is the value. Right. So you know, I often I get asked to do favors often, and a lot of times UM individuals say hey, well, if you can do this,
for me. I will do that this for you. I will never do favors looking for a direct return, right because I know and I've been living long enough to know that that return will come in a different form and fashion. Um, maybe not even directly back to me, but someone that I have a relationship with or get this, I may need that same favor of the person in ten years of the person that asked me for the favor ten years previous. So I like to bank my favors,
no pun intendon. That's good. That's good, man, That's really really good. That was heavy right there. Season two of the Black Tech Green Money Podcast is brought to you by Lexus, who's been celebrating driveway moments for over thirty years with a Lexus December to Remember sales event when you can find exclusive offers on the most popular lex models. Experience amazing at you, alexis dealing. What kind of benefit did going digital all digital have for you in Greenwood? Like,
could you have achieved your mission of building wealth? You know, money circulation in the black community and generational wealth transfer with brick and mortar. And Here's what I'm getting out before you answer it. What is different about the opportunity and doing business today at scale versus a teen years
ago or fifteen years ago. Yeah, So brick and mortar no, um, because my our message can resonate in California, it can resonate in Chicago, it can resonate in Atlanta, it can resonate in Savannah, it can resonate in d C. It can resonate in Newark, it can resonate in Compton. It can resonate um currently domestically, it's going to resonate internationally
as well. Um. We could not stand up um brick and mortar banks fast enough right in order to I believe, keep up with the demand of the service that we are going to provide. Two, I believe that those brick and mortar costs are not necessarily archaic in having to do but don't serve the customer as well as a digital offering will because at some point the customer pays for that brick and mortar spind, it trickles down in
some way, shape or form. Okay, we nor any other bank or charities, So we will make money, but we hope to make our customers UH a lot more money as well than they're currently making as well. So so that's our philosophy on on brick and mortar. No, and finally, Ryan, Um, I'm gonna take us back to the beginning because I want to end on this, which I think is a
really powerful thing. So, Um, you graduated with a degree in accounting and after a while I read the story said, after a while of working in the field, Um, you called to tell your mom that you hated working in the county and she cursed you out for about thirty straight minutes, and afterwards gave you your blessing to go and do your thing in music. And so the chapters of your career looks something like, you know, accounting the music, to fashion with Ryan Kinney, to TV and now to banking.
For people who today might feel that some cost of spending so much time pursuing something, or so much time in an industry that may not feel them, Um, I mean keeps them switching gears. What do you hope your story inspires in them? Be brave, right, Um, Trust God and be brave Um. And thirdly, Uh, you've got to be more in line with your passion then the money that you think you'll make. The harder you chase a dollar,
the faster that dollar will run away from you. You follow your passion, you follow your heart, and you follow your talent. All right, Listen, I want to play second base for the Atlanta Braves right now, right at fifty, I still think I can turn a mean double play. Um, but I'm fifty and I can't turn a mean double play like a guy a team right nineteen twenty that's been right, that's in the maize, right. So I'm passionate about baseball. I love the sport, but my talent isn't there.
So you gotta marry. You gotta marry being brave, with with passion, with for me, faith in God, and talent right and a lot of times when I say talent, it may not be personal talent that you own, but you have to be intelligent enough to partner with individuals who have that talent that you need, that can work with the talent that you have in order to make your vision growth. So so that is that that would
be my three of for keys to success. Black Tech Green Money is a production to Black of the Afro Tech is produced by Morgan Dubon and me Well Lucas, with additional production support by Love Beach and Ray Veneer Bort Special thank you to Michael Davis is the cars of Von Yarn you know, like the wine and yes that's his real name. Learn more about my guests and other tech disrupt does It innovators at afro tech dot com. Don't get your money. He's in love.