Very Necessary Decisions Podcast

Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine

Welcome to our new and improved podcast, Very Necessary Decisions. Very Necessary Decisions, hosted by Founder & CEO of HuCapital, Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine, is a weekly podcast capturing the critical, yet necessary business strategies that Industry Leaders and Founders have used to accelerate the growth of community and product-centric businesses. Whether these are senior leaders/executives at Fortune 500 Companies & Startups and/or founders leading their own businesses, we have a line up of multi-faceted interviewees across numerous industries ready to put you on to the game!

  1. 08/21/2024

    Lola Adewuya | Building a Pandemic-Proof Creative Brand Studio

    Lola Adewuya is the founder and CEO of the Brand Doula, a creative agency/brand development studio that works with one-of-a-kind companies and leaders to activate bold missions. Lola shares her journey of starting her own company that focuses on serving women of color and women-owned businesses. She discusses the importance of building a positive company culture and treating both employees and contractors with respect. Lola also talks about how her business thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase in inquiries from individuals starting new businesses. She highlights the need for ongoing support for black entrepreneurs and the potential challenges they may face in the future. . . . In this episode, we briefly speak about: (1) Starting and Operating a Creative Agency that Survived the Pandemic (2) How to Manage Employees vs. Contractors (3) Best Tools to Use for a Creative Agency (4) Unique Approach to Building Brands . . Welcome to our new and improved podcast, Very Necessary Decisions. Very Necessary Decisions, hosted by Founder & CEO of Hue Capital, Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine, is a weekly podcast capturing the critical, yet necessary business strategies that industry experts and thought leaders have used to accelerate their company's growth and, of course, their own career growth. Whether these are senior leaders/executives at Fortune 500 companies and startups and/or founders leading their own businesses, we have a line up of multi-faceted interviewees across numerous industries ready to put you on to the game! . . Stay tuned. . . Creative Direction, Film & Editing by: Nicole Perez, https://www.linkedin.com/in/nperez7/ _____________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Personal Instagram: @jujufontaine_ TikTok: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ _____________________________ Stay in touch with Lola Adewuya: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lola-adewuya/ Business Instagram: @thebranddoula Website: https://www.thebranddoula.co/ ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with Very Necessary Decisions: Instagram: @huecapitalco LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-community/ Website: https://huecapital.co Email: info@huecapitalco.com

    52 min
  2. 06/22/2023

    Charles & Shireen Kuykendoll | Building Careers & Businesses in Tech, Talent Acquisition and Entertainment

    Charles & Shireen Kuykendoll are your true depiction of what it means to be a “Power Couple”. When you witness the two of them, you not only see a mighty married couple who are evidently in love, but you also see two individuals who are passionate about building their family, curating culturally empowering experiences as entrepreneurs while also keeping some of your favorite tech company’s lights on by enhancing their talent acquisition initiatives. These two are truly inspiring. Don’t believe me? Peep their legendary work: Lovers: If you haven’t yet, you need to check out their love story; it is truly inspiring and hilarious at the same time. Their story has been presented on numerous platforms including The Black Love Series and Travel Noire. Entrepreneurship: Charles & Shireen are running multiple businesses; most popularly, RnB House Party and For Better or Best Podcast. RnB House party cultivates inclusive spaces for multicultural creatives to live life authentically. This includes events, talent bookings and brand partnerships. For Better or Best is a podcast where the couple discusses all things marriage, family life, Black love, and entrepreneurship. Career Trajectory: Both Shireen and Charles have been working in the Talent Acquisition industry for YEARS! Charles is currently working at Stripe as the Global Lead for Talent Brand & Events. Shireen is currently working at Riot Games in Diversity Recruiting Programs. In this interview, prepare to be taken on a journey of love, business and tech all in one interview! ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Charles & Shireen Kuykendoll: LinkedIn (Charles): https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskuykendoll/ LinkedIn (Shireen): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireenbarnes/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with RnB House Party: Website: https://rnbhouseparty.com/ Instagram: @rnbhouseparty ___________________________________ Stay in touch with For Better or Best Podcast: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWiOdspBQParqpevqLgCa3A Instagram: @forbetterorbestpod ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com (0:00) Introduction (3:24) Shireen's Introduction (6:10) Charles' Introduction (12:22) Creating the "R&B House Party" Brand (18:50) Advice for workers caught up in the recent tech layoffs (21:33) The improvements needed in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Black professionals (24:39) Myth or Truth: Do you need to Apply to several jobs to get a chance at a role? (28:09) Myth or Truth: Is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) only focused on Black & Brown people? (31:52) List of partnerships for the "R&B House Party" Brand (33:14) Partnerships as a couple / The "Black Love" Brand (38:20) How to balance work, businesses and parenthood (39:48) The importance of allocating responsibilities (43:24) The Future of Love & Business

    46 min
  3. 05/30/2023

    Markuann Smith | Becoming the Producer/Creator/Actor of TV Show Godfather of Harlem

    Markuann Smith is the Producer, Creator, and Actor of hit TV Show Godfather of Harlem, an American crime drama television series starring Forest Whitaker as the 1960s New York City Gangster Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson. You have probably heard of Bumpy in the movie American Gangster. Bumpy was a close associate to Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington) and took over after Lucas had past. Did I mention that this is all based on his Godmother’s life? Crazy! As a man that grew up in Harlem, then Far Rock Queens, Markuann has seen and experienced quite a lot in his lifetime. However, he has taken these experiences and allowed them to power his creative mind as he built a career in the Media & Entertainment industry. Check out his accomplishments:  Attended Morgan State where he received a BA in Broadcasting and Communications Played a love interest in VH1's Let's Talk About Pep Worked in Marketing/Content across various companies including BET Has made appearances across shows and movies such as The Dave Chappelle Show, Juice, Poetic Justice, Code Blue and more. Godfather of Harlem won 2 NAACP Awards for Outstanding Drama Series (2020 & 2022) Godfather of Harlem won an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design (2020) Godfather of Harlem was recognized by the PeachTree International Film Festival for being “Generational Barrier Breaker” In this interview, Markuann Smith walks us through his lengthy career in the Media & Entertainment industry.  ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Markuann Smith: Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2745203/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markuann-smith-03b7544/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com (0:00) Introduction (8:02) Knowing your passion (13:38) Lincoln Hall (16:00) Life after touring with a Music Artist (18:50) Skills you possess that have motivated you (20:19) Being signed to Whitney Houston's Label (22:02) Responsibilities as a Corporate Professional (27:16) Transitioning into the Acting World (28:45) Necessary traits to be great (30:38) Pitching Godfather of Harlem (42:17) Godfather of Harlem gets the Greenlight (45:23) Responsibilities of an Executive Producer (48:51) Diversity of roles and individuals on set (day to day) (51:02) Advice for Creatives (52:39) What does the future of Media & Entertainment look like?

    55 min
  4. 05/23/2023

    Ramel "Young Mogul" Newerls | Building an Empire in Commercial Real Estate

    Ramel "Young Mogul" Newerls is a man of many hats; he is a successful Commercial Real Estate Investor, Credit Coach, Motivational Speaker, Executive Producer in Film and a family man hailing from Brooklyn, NY. He attended the University at Albany (just like Juju) where he majored in Business Management and minored in Communications while also maximizing his free time to self educate on all things real estate. Milestones of such an empowering entrepreneur? Check it out: - Landed a role at PepsiCo and worked there for 6 years while simultaneously building his real estate businesses until finally becoming a full time entrepreneur. - At the age of 25, he received his first 6-figure check with the acquisition and resale of a Brooklyn brownstone that sold for 1.2 million dollars. - Since this sale, he has used his business earnings to pay off his student loan debt and has helped over 1,000 millennials get into the 700-credit club. - Has acquired over 300 units and continues to build a strong portfolio of commercial real estate. Started in Residential Real Estate and transitioned into Commercial Real Estate through Self Storage. In this interview, Ramel Newerls walks us through his amazing career in the Real Estate Industry. (0:00) JuJu's introduction (5:58) Ramel's Journey (10:55) Mentorship and Networking (18:03) The different areas of Real Estate (19:28) Getting into Residential Real Estate (21:47) Switching from Residential to Commercial Self-Storage Real Estate (25:18) What does Wholesaling mean for Real Estate? (28:48) Different ways to make money in Real Estate (32:29) What are different resources available to get your first property? (43:11) Bringing Family into the business (48:53) What does the future of Real Estate look like? ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Ramel Newerls: Instagram/TikTok: @mogullifestyle_ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramel-newerls-66603559/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q

    51 min
  5. 05/23/2023

    Ramel "Young Mogul" Newerls | The Same 24 Hours: Optimizing Time Management Using Virtual Assistants

    Ramel "Young Mogul" Newerls is a man of many hats; he is a successful Commercial Real Estate Investor, Credit Coach, Motivational Speaker, Executive Producer in Film and a family man hailing from Brooklyn, NY. He attended the University at Albany (just like Juju) where he majored in Business Management and minored in Communications while also maximizing his free time to self educate on all things real estate. Milestones of such an empowering entrepreneur? Check it out: - Landed a role at PepsiCo and worked there for 6 years while simultaneously building his real estate businesses until finally becoming a full time entrepreneur. - At the age of 25, he received his first 6-figure check with the acquisition and resale of a Brooklyn brownstone that sold for 1.2 million dollars. - Since this sale, he has used his business earnings to pay off his student loan debt and has helped over 1,000 millennials get into the 700-credit club. - Has acquired over 300 units and continues to build a strong portfolio of commercial real estate. - Started in Residential Real Estate and transitioned into Commercial Real Estate through Self Storage. In this interview, Ramel Newerls walks us through his productivity strategy for time management. (0:00) JuJu's Introduction (0:35) Managing your time (2:25) Leveraging the use of virtual assistants ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Ramel Newerls: Instagram/TikTok: @mogullifestyle_ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramel-newerls-66603559/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hue-capital-podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa69jtxXFFFRa2C1iiDr22Q Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com

    4 min
  6. 05/16/2023

    Jhone Y. Lucas | Navigating Hollywood & Leading a Talk Show

    Jhone Y. Lucas is an Actress and Creator/Host of the GenZone. GenZone is an interactive weekly news show that uses a uniquely humorous approach to relate to younger generation media users and centers around both national and international politics. As a Nebraska Native, Jhone has been a woman of big dreams who realized that leaving her precious home state in pursuit of these dreams was a must. Her dream to excel in the media and entertainment industry has brought her to big cities such as NY and LA where she has experienced an array of success: Created and Hosts her own TV Show on FOXSOUL called GenZone Acted in Paradise 1 and 2 (a Trilogy); They Shoot Paradise 3 in the Summer 2023 which will be aired on BET and BET+  Acted in Deadly Desire which will be coming soon to ALLBLK streaming network  Currently in production for a movie called Stay Out which will be aired on BET and BET+ Acted in the first season of All-American: Homecoming which airs on CW. Worked in politics alongside Simone Sanders, Former Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to the Vice President of the United States Has performed in 10 plays and 8 musicals; Jhone even plays the piano and attended master classes with Emmy nominated composer, William Goldstein Studied at Susan Batson Studios Goldstein; trained at The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and Margie Haber Studios. In this episode, Jhone walks us through her career journey and what it took to get to where she is in the Media & Entertainment industry.   Stay in touch with Jhone Y. Lucas: Instagram: @lovelikejhoney Imdb Page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11958094/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm Website: https://www.iamjhone.com/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@huecapitalpodcast8381 Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com (3:32) Jhone’s introduction (7:08) Jhone’s accolades (8:55) How Jhone landed her acting roles (13:37) Feelings towards her transition from Politics (17:20) Recapping the most shocking footage from the day of The Capital riots (24:30) How GenZone got picked up by Fox Network (32:23) Different types of roles for people on set of a TV Show (39:36) Acting Schools (40:15) How to find/build the right team (45:33) What does the future of Media & Entertainment look like?

    48 min
  7. 05/16/2023

    Jhone Y. Lucas | The Same 24 Hours: Audition Alerts, CBD Oil Facial Products, Rent Savings

    Jhone Y. Lucas is an Actress and Creator/Host of the GenZone. GenZone is an interactive weekly news show that uses a uniquely humorous approach to relate to younger generation media users and centers around both national and international politics. As a Nebraska Native, Jhone has been a woman of big dreams who realized that leaving her precious home state in pursuit of these dreams was a must. Her dream to excel in the media and entertainment industry has brought her to big cities such as NY and LA where she has experienced an array of success: Created and Hosts her own TV Show on FOXSOUL called GenZone Acted in Paradise 1 and 2 (a Trilogy); They Shoot Paradise 3 in the Summer 2023 which will be aired on BET and BET+  Acted in Deadly Desire which will be coming soon to ALLBLK streaming network  Currently in production for a movie called Stay Out which will be aired on BET and BET+ Acted in the first season of All-American: Homecoming which airs on CW. Worked in politics alongside Simone Sanders, Former Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to the Vice President of the United States Has performed in 10 plays and 8 musicals; Jhone even plays the piano and attended master classes with Emmy nominated composer, William Goldstein Studied at Susan Batson Studios Goldstein; trained at The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and Margie Haber Studios. In this episode, Jhone walks us through productivity tips that she lives by.  Stay in touch with Jhone Y. Lucas: Instagram:  @lovelikejhoney Imdb Page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11958094/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm Website: https://www.iamjhone.com/ ___________________________________ Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine: Instagram: @jujufontaine_ Twitter: @jujufontaine_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/ Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com ___________________________________ Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod: Instagram: @huecapitalpod Twitter: @huecapitalpod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@huecapitalpodcast8381 Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/ Email: info@huecapitalpod.com (0:30) What do you doing to be productive? (1:59) Health Tips (3:06) Skincare Routine (4:22) How are you staying on top of your finances

    6 min
  8. Aminata “Mimi” Diallo | Body Clock, Today Lists, Saying No, Solidcore

    04/27/2023

    Aminata “Mimi” Diallo | Body Clock, Today Lists, Saying No, Solidcore

    Aminata “Mimi” Diallo is a Senior Campaigner at Change.Org, a petition platform using technology to empower more than 200 million users to create the change they want to see. As a campaigner, Mimi is responsible for collaborating with a team that selects and amplifies petitions that come into the Change.org platform. However, did you know that she is responsible for kicking off the campaign that led to WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s freedom? Don’t be shocked; this is not Mimi’s first rodeo when it comes to community work and advocacy. Check it out: - Senior Campaigner at Change.org- Social Media and Community Manager at Kind Snacks where she worked closely with the Founder and Former CEO Daniel Lubetzky- Political Communications Advocate at Renew Democracy Initiative- Assistant Program Manager at New York Edge - Student Government President at Susquehanna UniversityIn this episode, Mimi walks us through her favorite productivity tips. ___________________________________Stay in touch with Mimi: Instagram: @la__malienneLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimidiallo/___________________________________Stay in touch with Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine:Instagram: @jujufontaine_Twitter: @jujufontaine_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/Contact: fontainejerlisa@gmail.com___________________________________Stay in Touch with HueCapitalPod:Instagram: @huecapitalpodTwitter: @huecapitalpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerlisafontaine/.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@huecapitalpodcast8381Site (Coming Soon): https://huecapitalpod.com/Email: info@huecapitalpod.com___________________________________ (0:00) Juju’s Introduction  (0:44) What are doing to stay productive? (4:26) What are doing to stay healthy? (6:37) What are doing to stay on top of your finances

    9 min
5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Welcome to our new and improved podcast, Very Necessary Decisions. Very Necessary Decisions, hosted by Founder & CEO of HuCapital, Jerlisa "Juju" Fontaine, is a weekly podcast capturing the critical, yet necessary business strategies that Industry Leaders and Founders have used to accelerate the growth of community and product-centric businesses. Whether these are senior leaders/executives at Fortune 500 Companies & Startups and/or founders leading their own businesses, we have a line up of multi-faceted interviewees across numerous industries ready to put you on to the game!