“Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number”

Happy August readers! A new month is here which means a fresh start, a new page, a new beginning. If you are like me, there is enough negative news and events happening around the world that could make you want to just crawl into bed and not wake up until we enter a new decade! Honestly, everywhere we look we see depressing numbers and bad news. Recession. Inflation. Crime. Gun Violence. Gas Prices. Fires. Flooding. Heatwaves.? All are experiencing record-breaking numbers and not in a good way.

There is one number that is going up and I’m okay with it.? My age.??

Earlier this week (on August 3rd), I took another lap around the sun. I’m not much for big celebrations and honestly, I never remember my age. (I even have a lil’ tradition whereby I call my mom on my birthday and she reminds me what age I am, which I quickly forget until the next year rolls around.)??

This year, I spent time reflecting on Wocstar Capital and our fund, Wocstar Fund, especially since we are in our fourth year of existence.? I chose to celebrate the team and all that we have accomplished, but I am also humbled on a daily basis by my mistakes, lessons learned and the incredible people I meet on both the investor and entrepreneurial side.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

There has been a lot of good on this journey starting with the team, the investors and the allies. They are talented, intelligent, committed, and honorable people, who share my vision of championing, investing and storytelling. We have had some come and go and some even come back and I can’t wait to see how the team evolves as we onboard new team members (yes, we’re hiring!).

It goes without saying the founders and their companies are nothing but good. They are the reason I work six or so days a week, starting before the sun rises and late into the night. They are building amazing companies and technologies that move the world forward. They are ethical and moral in their business practices, inclusive in their thinking and hiring, and they are creative and innovative in how they are solving big, world problems.

I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again. I LOVE our investors and board members. They are some of the best, most interesting, engaging humans on the earth. I could spend a whole afternoon on the couch just talking with them about anything and everything.

And all the advice, tips, articles, support, and words of encouragement that people give you has definitely been great.? I get it from taxi drivers, the deli guy, family, college buddies, my Tri Delta sorority network, you name it. And I love those friends who send you every article that mentions #Blackbusinesses or #venturecapital . Who needs GoogleAlerts, when you’ve got a great network of allies.

We’ve had the privilege of working with Fortune 500 companies and various government agencies. We’ve launched Wocstar Academy to share our insights on how to raise capital and tell your story (next course is in Sept., be sure to sign up) and also launched the Wocstar Foundation so that we can support BIPOC creatives and storytellers.? Proud to share that our first project by the Wocstar Foundation - supporting a Broadway play, called “for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf ” went on to be nominated for 7 Tonys this year! Sadly, it did not win.

The Bad?

With every sunny day, there are some dark days and we’ve had our share.? They run the gamut from shady people, empty promises, folks not doing what they said they would, inflated pricing, dishonest behavior, you get the picture. However, I’d be doing a disservice to my fellow BIPOC entrepreneurs and investors though if I didn’t spotlight a few (even at the risk of alienating some of you).

• Well-meaning Woke People (WWP) - I actually like these folks and wish them well on their “woke” journey. I just don’t have the time or emotional reserves to get riled up and angry along with them and have a bitch session about all that is wrong in society for “your people”. Sometimes, being a WWP’s black bestie is exhausting and I’ve gotta save my energy for my sistahood and allies.? I’d love it if we could turn WWPs into GSDs - “get shit done” folks!
• Connectors - happy to tell you all the folks you should talk to because they would love what you are doing (i.e. Oprah, Elon Musk, Robert Smith, Melinda Gates, Microsoft, Apple) but alas they know none of them.? Others mean well and want to connect you but alas the relationship may be old or cold or “Linkedin lukewarm,” so now I ask when is the last time they talked to the person and what kinds of dealings have they had with them to see if there is a strong relationship there.
• Kick the Can Investors - they pride themselves on being investors but really they are gatekeepers, who follow the herd. Sadly, many have been empowered by their company, foundation or family office to invest in BIPOC funds and founders but they haven’t the confidence or courage to invest differently. You can spot them easily, by seeing what they have (or haven’t invested in) or how they waste your time - “Let’s talk again in 6 months,”, “Keep us posted,” or “Do you have an updated deck.” You know the ones.?

The Ugly

The ugly is actually my own doubt.? It’s those uglies that creep up and which I have to work really hard to manage through self-care, positive affirmations, therapy, meditation, and self-reflection (like this newsletter). It is those low moments when envy or jealousy creeps up, when instead of being happy for someone else’s success, I compare myself to it and wonder how come I haven’t achieved …..(fill in the blank____).? It is those moments when I see friends on Wall Street or corporate america heading out for some fabulous vacation or buying their second 2nd home (yes, you read that right, it's not a typo it's a second, second home) while I’m pinching pennies and trying to live off less than when I first graduated college.?

The uglies come out sometimes when a fellow VC friend lands a big investor and I start asking myself what am I doing wrong? Why won’t they invest in Wocstar?? Sometimes it shows up as a question, like “What am I doing with my life,” “Who am I to think I can make a difference?” or “Do I belong at this meeting, conference, etc.”?

It shows up on days when I have to ‘fess up to my f*ups and my ego and pride are holding me back for fessing up to my mistake or saying sorry and instead I’m grasping for an excuse for why things went wrong.???

It is the little voice that wishes I was skinny, pretty, smart and cool. It pops up when I see my messy house, the healthy recipes I haven’t tried, the unsent gifts or cards by the door waiting to be taken to the post office and the cool home decor I’d love to have time and money to organize.

The uglies are a part of me, but they DO NOT define me. If anything they are part of what keeps me grounded and focused on my mission to champion, invest in and tell the stories of my BIPOC sisterhood.??

Well that’s enough about my "Good, Bad and Ugly."?Thank you ever so much for listening to an official “middle -aged” black woman ramble on. I’m sure you’ve got your own? “Good, Bad and Ugly” to reflect upon in your own way.? I encourage you to do so and share them with me and others. It can be quite impactful. Our journeys may look different but they need not be solo missions around the sun.? Can’t wait to see you in the #Wocstar universe!