This episode’s guest on #MWL is Danielle McGee, we talk about her Black Business Boom RISE (Results. Increase. Sales. Engagement.) System, the new directory she has created for Nashville Black-owned businesses and the state of the world.
Danielle has a passion for supporting entrepreneurs, and is a creator and moderator of a 15,000+ person Facebook Group focusing on Black Owned Businesses in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area.
We talk about her move from Chicago to Nashville, why she got an MBA, how to figure out “what your lane is,” the difference between starting your own business and working for other people, and the need to “be a voice.”
About Black Business Boom
Black Business Boom is a coupon site that helps you save money while supporting Black owned businesses.
Black entrepreneurs typically have less access to funding, which consequently limits their ability to effectively grow their business. Black Business Boom is on a mission to change that and close the gap on the digital divide for Black-owned businesses. Covid 19 and the recent steps our nation has made toward equality has made that mission all the more important.Entrepreneurship is a pathway to creating thriving communities and financial independence. Black Business Boom is here to level the playing field for Black businesses.
Launched in 2018, Black Business Boom is a rapidly expanding multi-service digital marketing hub for Black-owned small businesses. What started as an app for special offers has evolved into a comprehensive digital engagement, education, and strategic marketing system that provides cost-effective tools and services to Black business owners.In addition to the Boomin Digital Suite which includes a website builder and puts customer feedback, SEO, and e-marketing at their fingertips, Black Business Boom also offers full service marketing support, coaching, educational workshops, and recently launched BlackOwnedNashville, a local directory of over 800+ Black owned businesses and counting.
Black Business Boom on Facebook
About Danielle McGee from Medium.com
Danielle McGee is a Chicago native. She has lived in Nashville, TN since 2016. Danielle is an MBA graduate from Saint Xavier University, spending the greater part of her professional career working in a leadership role in managed healthcare. Danielle has always had entrepreneurship in her heart and she has been a small business owner since 2012 so she understands the many challenges entrepreneurs face.
Her empathy for these challenges and fervor for helping others developed into a passion for helping fellow small business owners. This passion drove Danielle to develop Black Business Boom, a mobile marketing platform to help drive revenue to small Black owned businesses. Danielle is involved with several projects helping to craft the entrepreneurial landscape for Black and Brown business owners in Nashville.
From Linkedin
Danielle McGee is a detail-oriented and highly organized MBA graduate. She has extensive knowledge of the healthcare industry gained through Healthcare Administration concentration with Managed Care certification, internship and work experience at Chicago Family Health Center. She brings over 7 years of experience in contract review, banking; customer relations including relationship building, maximizing depth of existing relationships, and resolving escalated issues; and operations management including management of contracts and development of operational systems and policies.
About Marcus Whitney
Marcus Whitney is President and co-founder of Briovation, an Innovation Catalyst company with the mission to be the catalyst of the world’s most important health innovations. Through Briovation, Marcus is CEO of Health:Further, a strategic advisory firm working with leading healthcare organizations to navigate disruptive change for their benefit; as well as Founding Partner of Jumpstart Health Investors, a new kind of venture capital firm focused on innovative, early-stage healthcare companies. Jumpstart’s seed fund, Jumpstart Foundry has a portfolio of over 80 companies including ScriptDrop, Life Detection Technologies and Sightbox (sold to Johnson and Johnson Vision).
Marcus is also co-founder and minority owner of Nashville Soccer Club, the city’s Major League Soccer team. Marcus has been listed in the Upstart 100 by Upstart Business Journal, Power 100 by Nashville Business Journal, and has been featured in Inc., Techcrunch, Fast Company and The Atlantic.
Marcus is the author of the upcoming book Create and Orchestrate, a book for entrepreneurs about living a creative, purposeful life, breaking through boundaries and overcoming adversity. Marcus is also the producer and host of Marcus Whitney’s Video Universe, a video channel on YouTube that features a variety of mid-to-long form video shows, and Marcus Whitney’s Audio Universe, a podcast on all major platforms.
Marcus is a member of the board of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation and an Arts Commissioner for the city of Nashville.
QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS:
- Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY
- Re-married, father of two young men aged 20 and 18
- Moved to Nashville, TN in 2000 as a college dropout
- Self-taught software developer became head of technology and partner at Emma Email Marketing
- Co-founder and co-owner of Jumpstart Foundry, most active healthcare venture capital firm in the United States
- Co-founder and minority owner of Nashville Soccer Club, Nashville’s Major League Soccer team
- Professional public speaker with keynote and TEDx experience
- Practicing martial artist with Black belt in Hapkido and White belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu
- Covered by The Atlantic, Inc., Fast Company and TechCrunch
- Nashville Business Journal Power 100 for the last five years
- Lifestyle practices: sober, meditator, plant-based eater, intermittent fasting, weight-lifting and stretching
CHALLENGES OVERCOME:
- Dropping out of college
- Alcohol abuse
- Divorce and dysfunctional relationships
- Failed companies
- Poor eating habits
- Physical inactivity
- Bad credit
- Isolation
- Prejudice
- Self-doubt
INTERESTS:
