35 min
Financial Education and Empowerment for Black and Brown Women Founders W/ Shelly Omilade Bell LENDING WITH PURPOSE
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- Entrepreneurship
In this episode, Shawn has a conversation with Shelly Bell, the venture capitalist behind Black Girl Ventures.
Before diving into his talk with Shelly, Shawn shares a story about his love of tee shirts, explaining the counterintuitive way in which tee shirts remind him to consider decisions and consequences. These things are important to consider in all areas of life, but one that is particularly relevant to today’s episode is that of credit and money management. And there is no one better to talk about both the dynamics of navigating finances and the ins and outs of entrepreneurial pursuits than Shelly Bell. Shelly is the founder and CEO of Black Girl Ventures, a company aimed at creating access to capital for black and brown women founders. One of its most visible methods of operation is a unique pairing of pitching and crowdfunding; the company also has locations around the country and works on the ground to provide resources and education to founders.
Shelly established the company in 2016, and prior to launching BGV, she worked in many different fields before stretching her entrepreneurial muscles by renting out a teepee in her home, as well as starting a printing business. The transition to BGV arose from the need Shelly saw for black founders to have more access to capital, and it has adapted and grown through many seasons since that point, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the time of racial unrest that coincided with it. The business is thriving, and as Shelly explains, it relies in part on a “vote with your dollars” approach to its pitch competition element - an element that offers community and mentoring to founders who need social and financial capital to grow their businesses.
Shifting gears, Shelly and Shawn talk about the partnership between BGV and Experian, which is geared toward financial literacy and education, ultimately aiming to make the subject more human and more understandable. Shelly has been hard at work on an Experian-sponsored podcast called A Dose of Disruption, which gets into topics such as money movement, building credit, and understanding leverage. As the conversation wraps up, she and Shawn talk about branding, Shelly’s desire to talk with Huey Newton, and Shawn’s takeaways from the episode.
Please like, share, and subscribe! And don’t forget to drop #LendingWithPurpose to get on board with our rebranding!
Links:
Learn about Shelly Bell and listen to A Dose of Disruption.
Learn more about and get involved with Black Girl Ventures.
Learn more about Shawn’s company Fortis Mortgage.
In this episode, Shawn has a conversation with Shelly Bell, the venture capitalist behind Black Girl Ventures.
Before diving into his talk with Shelly, Shawn shares a story about his love of tee shirts, explaining the counterintuitive way in which tee shirts remind him to consider decisions and consequences. These things are important to consider in all areas of life, but one that is particularly relevant to today’s episode is that of credit and money management. And there is no one better to talk about both the dynamics of navigating finances and the ins and outs of entrepreneurial pursuits than Shelly Bell. Shelly is the founder and CEO of Black Girl Ventures, a company aimed at creating access to capital for black and brown women founders. One of its most visible methods of operation is a unique pairing of pitching and crowdfunding; the company also has locations around the country and works on the ground to provide resources and education to founders.
Shelly established the company in 2016, and prior to launching BGV, she worked in many different fields before stretching her entrepreneurial muscles by renting out a teepee in her home, as well as starting a printing business. The transition to BGV arose from the need Shelly saw for black founders to have more access to capital, and it has adapted and grown through many seasons since that point, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the time of racial unrest that coincided with it. The business is thriving, and as Shelly explains, it relies in part on a “vote with your dollars” approach to its pitch competition element - an element that offers community and mentoring to founders who need social and financial capital to grow their businesses.
Shifting gears, Shelly and Shawn talk about the partnership between BGV and Experian, which is geared toward financial literacy and education, ultimately aiming to make the subject more human and more understandable. Shelly has been hard at work on an Experian-sponsored podcast called A Dose of Disruption, which gets into topics such as money movement, building credit, and understanding leverage. As the conversation wraps up, she and Shawn talk about branding, Shelly’s desire to talk with Huey Newton, and Shawn’s takeaways from the episode.
Please like, share, and subscribe! And don’t forget to drop #LendingWithPurpose to get on board with our rebranding!
Links:
Learn about Shelly Bell and listen to A Dose of Disruption.
Learn more about and get involved with Black Girl Ventures.
Learn more about Shawn’s company Fortis Mortgage.
35 min