Friends & Family with Aurora James

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Fifteen Percent Pledge

15 episodes

22 hours ago

When a founder begins raising money for their business, they will often start with a “friends and family round” before seeking out loans or venture capital. While this is a viable option for some, not everyone has access to a network of deep-pocketed friends and family. Enter: Friends & Family with Aurora James. We may not all have access to a “friends & family” round when launching a new venture, but on this podcast, we’re here to be YOUR friends and family in business. Whether you’re fundraising or bootstrapping, join Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, alongside some of the most inspiring Black founders as they share wisdom and act as your support system while you build your business and scale for success. Friends & Family is brought to you by Fifteen Percent Pledge and produced in partnership with Alkemie Sound Lab. Our sponsor this season is Citi. Citi Financial Pathways has resources to help you meet your goals.

Entrepreneurship

Business

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Entrepreneurship

Business

Episodes (15/15)

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Building Community One Curl at a Time with Maya Smith

This episode of Friends & Family hosted by Aurora James, explores the inspiring journey of Maya Smith, the multi-hyphenate CEO and Co-Founder of the popular haircare brand, The Doux. Maya shares her earliest experiences working in her mother’s salon and how they translate into a lifelong passion for haircare. Maya reflects on her years working for celebrity stylists and later for women in the military, and shares the lessons she learned from both of those groups that made her the success she is today.

22 hours ago

56 minutes 56 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

The Art of Design with Brigette Romanek

This episode of Friends & Family hosted by Aurora James, delves into the inspiring journey of interior designer Brigette Romanek. Brigette shares the childhood design experiences that helped spark her passion for design. Brigette shares the colorful careers she pursued - from working in furniture stores, to singing on main stages, to designing handbags - before realizing that she wanted to be the interior designer she’d been allowed to be as a child. Aurora and Brigette discuss the challenges and triumphs of running a design firm, the importance of creativity, and the adaptability required to succeed in entrepreneurial endeavors.

4 weeks ago

1 hour 6 minutes 15 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Leading with Love with Danessa Myricks

In this episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James and Danessa Myricks of Danessa Myricks Beauty sit down to catch up in front of a live audience. Danessa shares how she began her entrepreneurial journey as a 30 year old single mom of two after losing her desk job. She knew she loved creating safe spaces for herself and others around makeup and beauty but she had no idea how to turn that passion into a business. So, she made the controversial decision to work for free, to gain the experience that would lead to her beauty empire. In this episode, Aurora and Danessa have an honest conversation about the high stakes tradeoffs entrepreneurs have to make and the success that can be waiting for them on the other side.

2 months ago

40 minutes 13 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

An Overnight Success That Was Years in the Making with Brandon Blackwood

In this episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James invites Brandon Blackwood, one of American fashion’s pre-eminent designers, into her world to discuss the decade of hard work he put into his brand before his big break, when he was labeled an “overnight success.” Brandon recounts his early years studying neuroscience before he found his love for fashion, much to his family’s frustration. He details mistakes that went viral online, having to learn on the go, and the joys and challenges of having made that iconic bag. This episode offers a refreshing view on the highs and lows of starting a business and just how far you can go with that first chunk of savings (spoiler: it’s $7,000).

5 months ago

58 minutes 26 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Being Ready for Your Moment with Sergio Hudson

In this inspiring episode of Friends & Family, host Aurora James sits down with acclaimed fashion designer Sergio Hudson for an intimate conversation at her LA home. Sergio shares his journey from South Carolina to becoming one of fashion's brightest stars, recounting pivotal moments that shaped his career—including the life-changing experience of dressing Michelle Obama for the 2021 presidential inauguration. The conversation explores industry gatekeeping, financial realities of building a brand, and how Sergio redefined success on his own terms. From childhood inspirations (including unexpected influences like Batman Returns and the film Boomerang) to navigating racism in fashion, this episode offers an honest look at entrepreneurship and staying true to your vision against all odds.

6 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes 59 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Combatting The Attacks on DEI with John Legend

John Legend is an award-winning singer/songwriter, musician, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and founder of the skincare line Loved01. John serves on several boards, including the Equality Project, Stand for Children, Teach For America, the Harlem Village Academies and PopTech, a unique innovation network dedicated to accelerating the positive impact of world-changing people, projects and ideas. Legend also doubles as the national spokesperson for Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that assists the next generation of minority business leaders. In partnership with Samsung, he supports education initiatives with a special focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year honoree, among other accolades, Legend launched his own education-based organization, the Show Me Campaign, in 2007.

8 months ago

26 minutes 53 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Big Lessons in Small Business with Maurice Harris of Bloom & Plume, Plus Activist Ayana Johnson Talks Climate Change & Sustainability

In this episode, Aurora chats with Maurice Harris about how he turned his passion for art and community into a business and why, sometimes, it’s okay if things don’t work out.

11 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes 19 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Creating a New Lane for Black Hair Care with Hannah Diop from Sienna Naturals, Plus Stacey Abrams On Why DEI Is Good for Big Business

Hannah Diop is creating her own lane in the hair care industry. As the founder of Sienna Naturals, Hannah has not only created a new hair care brand for natural and textured hair, she’s broken into the prestige beauty category.

1 year ago

1 hour 15 minutes 41 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

It's a Fashion Week Special! Featuring Activist and Icon Bethann Hardison, Plus How to Impress Retailers with Nordstrom’s Olivia Kim

1 year ago

1 hour 9 minutes 35 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

The Backstory Behind a Renowned Skincare Brand with Shani Darden, Plus an Entrepreneur’s Must-Know Finance Terms with Alisa Carmichael of VMG Partners

We talk with entrepreneur and esthetician-to-the-stars, Shani Darden about how she developed her namesake skincare brand and got the attention of Sephora. Shani has long been Hollywood’s go-to person for all things skincare and after years of developing her own product line, in 2020 she took things to the next level by launching “Shani Darden Skin Care.” Tune in to hear how Shani played the long game and became one of the most trusted people in the skincare field (including Aurora’s). Then, we do a deep dive into private equity and the financial know-hows every entrepreneur should know. What’s an EBITDA? How about a convertible note versus a safe note? What’s a “data room” and how do you make one? You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers, thanks to Alisa Carmichael, of VMG Partners.

1 year ago

1 hour 10 minutes 13 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

How to Scale a Brand At Your Own Pace with Justina Blakeney, Plus Financial Advice for Your Business from Tiffany Aliche, AKA “The Budgetnista”

Tune in to hear how Justina Blakeney turned her one-woman design studio into a major, nationwide brand with a multi-year partnership with Target—all while maintaining a sense of work-life balance. Plus, Aurora calls Tiffany Aliche, aka, The Budgetnista, for the financial tips every entrepreneur should know.

1 year ago

59 minutes 49 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

A Guide to Raising Capital with Julia Collins, the First Black Woman “Unicorn,” Plus Crowdfunding on Kickstarter with Everette Taylor

In this episode, we chat with the serial entrepreneur Julia Collins, whom you may know as the very first Black female “unicorn” founder. Most recently, Julia founded Planet FWD, a company with a platform working with climate-friendly businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. To date, Julia has raised more than $550 million across multiple businesses and rounds. Tune in to hear everything you need to know to navigate the world of venture capital and private equity. Then, stay tuned for our call with Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter, to hear his fundraising and business advice on crowdfunding small dollar amounts.

1 year ago

1 hour 11 minutes 28 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Merging a Love of Food and Sense of Purpose, with Jon Gray of Ghetto Gastro, Plus Tips on Niching Down with Nancy Twine of Briogeo

We’re cooking up a storm with the inimitable Jon Gray, CEO and co-founder of Ghetto Gastro. Alongside chefs Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker, Jon founded the food collective with a mission to build "community through cuisine." Hear how Jon channeled his passion for food into a business that has catered dinners for clients like Microsoft, published a bestselling recipe book (Ghetto Gastro), and launched a line of dry goods including the delicious Ghetto Gastro Pancake and Waffle Mix. Then, it’s time to phone-a-friend for some advice. Aurora calls Nancy Twine, CEO and founder of the clean hair care company Briogeo to hear her take on how we can all take more risks and find our industry niche.

1 year ago

51 minutes 36 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Getting a "Yes" In Business, with Emma Grede of Good American, Plus Instagram Tips from Eva Chen

On our very first episode of Friends & Family we welcome Emma Grede, serial entrepreneur, CEO, investor and chair of the Fifteen Percent Pledge. Tune in to hear how Emma got her first clients, how she approaches business partnerships, plus her advice for all aspiring entrepreneurs! Then, it’s time to phone-a-friend for advice. For this episode, Aurora calls Eva Chen, head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, to share tips on how brands can optimize their social presence.

1 year ago

57 minutes 10 seconds

Friends & Family with Aurora James

Introducing "Friends and Family with Aurora James"

Have you ever heard of entrepreneurs powering their fundraising with a "friends and family round" before seeking out loans or investment? Well the truth is, most founders don’t have access to a network of deep-pocketed friends and family, or to resources to find alternative funding. This brand new podcast is here to help. Whether you're fundraising or bootstrapping your business, join Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, alongside some of the most inspiring Black founders of the moment, as they share wisdom and act as your support system for building your business and scaling for success. On “Friends & Family with Aurora James,” we're here to be YOUR friends and family in business. This podcast is brought to you by Fifteen Percent Pledge and Citi. Citi Financial Pathways has resources to help you meet your goals.

1 year ago

1 minute