(Never Released) My Entrepreneurial Awakening in Baltimore

This episode was actually recorded earlier and never released.

I was supposed to post it back when I first attended my first women’s small business networking event, mental health panel, and pitch competition in Baltimore, but I held onto it for some reason.

Listening back now, I’m honestly glad I did.

Because this episode captures a real moment:
 the exact point where my mindset around entrepreneurship, networking, business, and my future started shifting in real time.

In this episode, I talk about:

• feeling stuck between creativity and survival
• realizing I needed new rooms and new people around me
• why my business ideas kept “crashing”
• the importance of proximity, networking, and momentum
• how one email unexpectedly opened a door for me
• why “being denied is knowledge”
• learning to ask questions instead of pretending I already know everything

This isn’t polished.
 It isn’t perfect.
 It’s a real-time audio journal from the beginning stages of figuring things out.

And honestly, I think that makes it more meaningful.

So here’s the episode I never posted.
 The episode that almost stayed in my drafts forever.

— Kiana Hughes

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Okay, so I just finished uh my first I'm not gonna say my first ever, but I would say my first in a while and also the first ever of its kind. I just did my first ever women's small business networking and mental health panel and also a pitch competition, and this was all located at the Cube, which is a co-working space located in Baltimore, Maryland, uh out here on Hartford Road. The space existed, I believe, for about 13 years, created by a woman from West Baltimore and her partner, also from West Baltimore, in a time 13 years ago when there really weren't any resources for women in that space, especially in this area, and they made a beautiful space. Oh my god, I love this spot. This is my place right here. I'm passing Coco's my favorite. I love this area. I gotta do more over here. I love the whole area around Morgan State. Like, I'm gonna do way more around this area and find out what else is going on around here. So it was just a really amazing time because for me personally, I I was purposely attending this event because I've always been interested in entrepreneurship. It's followed me my whole life, and I've been good at it, but I've also been in a place where I really don't know much about it, like I don't know how to go about entrepreneurship in a legal way, so or a legitimate way. And I'm just realizing now within the past like couple weeks, like, okay, I have these business ideas, I know I want to create businesses, I know I don't want to do nine to five, and I just keep feeling like this intense feeling of like, oh my god, I need to escape the nine to five. I cannot keep doing this, it's not good for my mental health. I'm not showing up fully because this is just not the way I want my life structured. Like, I love what I do, but I've accomplished everything I want to do within this realm and within this field. So it's time for me to move on. So the past couple weeks, I'm like, what is gonna take me to the next level? Like, I have ideas of what I want to do, and I start ideas here and there, like I'll get some business idea and then I'll like barely get a it off the ground. Like, I'll start a website or I'll create a logo and a brand name and might even make an advertisement or two, but then everything falls apart at the end. So, like, what is it? Like, what are the missing links? Like, what do I need to know and understand in order to actually successfully launch the business and have the business orbit? Like, you keep launching, but then this shit crashing. Like, what is gonna keep my business in orbit? So, I'm like, I need I'm a person that is easily easily confident or easily persuaded or has more faith in a situation or a belief or uh a potential of something if I can actually see some some like physical evidence, some physical evidence of its potential. So, for instance, I need to be able to actually be involved, I need some events, I need some networking, like I don't have anybody around me that's also interested in business. None of my friends or family are interested in business or entrepreneurship, or they are, but they're in the same place that I am, so I can't really learn from them. So, how's that helping me? Like, we all just got a fucking dream, but like nothing to back the dream. Like, you could have a dream all you want, but until you know how to actually execute the dream, like we're not really getting anywhere. Like, I've been doing this for a few years now. Let's say I I started to really think start getting into entrepreneurship and business around I would say 2016. So it's been about 10 years now, and I've started and I've started businesses and they've just come and go, or they really weren't in alignment with like who I am as a person, or you know, etc. And so I started last week, like I need to take a couple things to the next level. My knowledge, and that's in terms of what resources are already available for women, for small businesses, for entrepreneurs in the Baltimore City area. You gotta start small. You can't start let's see what's available in the world. Like, that's just kind of counterproductive. Yes, is it positive? Yes, is it helpful? Yes, is there potential there? Yeah, but guess where there's the most potential? In the areas that are closest to you that are just like slipping and they're sneaking right under you that you don't even know they're right there because that's how you get access. They're closer, you're you're not having to travel anywhere to go and access them or to notice them. You're able to just physically access them. And like I said, that physical manifestation of something like being able to actually touch it, feel it, see it, smell it, taste it, hear it makes it so much more real. So I did myself the favor last week and started to look into all these different small business resources in my area. Ones that I knew I could just walk right into, and ones that I knew I'm not even qualified to be there yet. And I learned so much in the past week before I even like really even did anything yet. All I did was start looking around and I already learned so much. Like, I learned about the fact that you gotta put yourself out there and ask questions and ask for what's next. Like, for instance, I try to email a like an investment or some type of financial group that um it's like an investment. I don't actually know because I'm not wealthy enough at this point in my life to actually access the services and resources that they're offering per se yet. They're they have a um minimum business, like you have to make a minimum of a million dollars for your business each year in order to be able to join their group. However, I emailed them anyway, and I said, and they said, sorry, Kiana, you have to make a million dollars in order to be like in a part of our association, and I'm like, okay, I hear you. And they're like, and you won't even qualify for our pretty much like our baby group, which is a $250,000 minimum a year. And I'm like, all right, understood. However, what does one need to do? Do you have any advice for someone like me who doesn't meet the qualifications for the big show, doesn't meet requirements for the the um opening act? What do you recommend for someone like me? And you know, I didn't know if their answer was gonna be something as little or as condescending as a response at all, or maybe who knows, like maybe they provide me with the resource that they started with back in the day when they first got their business off the ground. And you know what happened instead? They connected me to the um, they connected me to the leader of the $250,000 program where you have to make at least $250,000. She she connected me to this gentleman and she introduced me. This is all via email, and this was all within a couple hours, okay? I found the business. I think all I did was Google entrepreneurship, um, entrepreneurship resources and services in Baltimore City. And I think like like you know, like I I wrote down like ten different groups and places and websites and services and resources that I wanted to reach out to and connect with. All I did was email them. Within a few hours, I get a response back from the gentleman that she connected me with, and he's like, Hey there, Keanu. Um I respect the fact that you're a fellow entrepreneur, and I will actually make time to talk to you one-on-one just to see where you're at with your business and see where I can point you in the right direction. Bro, I'm probably getting a better service than most of the people in their groups. They probably got to go through a whole initiation, a whole thing, in order to get a one-on-one with the guy, the CEO and founder, the CEO and founder of the $250,000 a year business initiative group. Okay? And I have a Zoom meeting scheduled for this week, this Thursday at 10 a.m. I have a Zoom meeting scheduled, a one-on-one with the CEO and founder. This is what I'm talking about, and this is what I learned. What I learned is it felt so good to just say, who knows what will happen. But I had a feeling that it would be good. I said, I'm really not qualified for them to even reply. But I know how I am, and I'm an entrepreneur, and I know how I would be one day when I become an entrepreneur when I turn people away. Maybe they don't qualify for a certain program or service or a grant. That's okay. I'm not gonna turn you away. I might be able to point you in the right direction. But it takes it takes you to ask for that. Because they might think, oh, she's in the wrong place, she doesn't know what she's here for. You have to ask the questions. Well, I don't know what to do. What do I do? Where can I start? Can you point me in the right direction? Humility, being humble, is probably the best thing that we can do for ourselves in the place when we're humble. Like, we are in a humble place. We are starting out, we are entrepreneurs, we are small businesses, we are unknowledgeable in the places that they are knowledgeable, but we all started somewhere. So it was just really cool because it was an immediate, like boom, boom, boom. And I'm like, dang, that's crazy. It just reinforced this whole time. I was the only one holding myself back. Nobody else was. Nobody else said I couldn't. They they did say I couldn't technically be in the room with them at the moment, but they just said that room. They didn't say any room, they didn't say I'm never gonna speak to you ever. They just said, look, this isn't the right program for you at this point. However, all I did was ask the question, and now I'm gonna be pointed into the right room. Now I have my Zoom meeting coming up, and I'm gonna prepare for that tonight. Prepare for my meeting with this person. I have no idea who it really is, I don't know, but I have to get my questions together. So, I said, Alright, cool. Momentum's starting to pick up. This is pretty awesome. I'm really liking this, right? Boom. Start looking into other small business events locally. Come across the women's business. I believe it's the women's development, women's business development center. I may have that acronym incorrect. However, it's ran through Morgan State University. And they just by the grace of God, I'm just trying to look for local events. Like I would I really didn't want to just be in a Zoom meeting. Not that I'm I'm not saying nothing bad about uh what's this showroom? Hold on. What's this? This looks pretty cool. Is this something it's like live music? What is this showroom? I don't know. Looks kinda cool. There's like I'm driving by this place, it's called showroom, and I'm seeing a few people sitting down. Looks like it's pretty cool in there. Not really sure what it is. Maybe it's karaoke. I think it is karaoke. Anyway. So sorry to get distracted. However, um, where was I? Don't mind me. Okay, yeah. So zoom meetings are cool, um, books are cool. But like I said, not only am I lacking knowledge in which is, you know, really cool that I'm gonna get some of that within, you know, the zoom meeting and just like being told no, being told you're not able to come into these rooms is cool. Being told that you're you're you're not, you know, you're not there yet. How great is that? Because you know what that does? That's knowledge in itself. That's knowledge right there by telling you it's not that you're not allowed in these rooms, it's that you're just not allowed in these rooms yet. That is knowledge in itself, that's motivation in itself. That creates a clear path for you. The next question is okay, how do I get in that room? That is beautiful. That's knowledge. Being denied is knowledge, okay? Don't you want to be denied? Because I'm not saying you want to be denied forever, but being denied as an entrepreneur, as a small business owner, as a small business startup, anything like that, being denied means, ooh, that's what's up. I either it's not meant for me, or that means I get to learn more. That means I get to grow more. That means I get to meet more people and know more to be able to one day get into that room. That is exciting. It could be intimidating, but you cannot deny that it's exciting. Do you want to just be able to walk into anybody's house, walk into anybody's room, walk into any business? If you're the millionaires in that room, do you want just anybody in there? No, that's not to discriminate. I'm not saying based on skin color or or disabilities or gender or age or looks, like, no, not discriminate. However, what's the point of you being in the room with neurosurgeons when you don't you're you what what is that gonna do for you? Now, if you are somehow connected to that, you have to prove yourself. Like, what's wrong with that? What's wrong with being in the rooms with the like-minded individuals, with the people who earned their spot there? Don't you wanna be one day in a spot where you had to earn to get there? Does everybody win the trophy? Does everybody make the team? Is that discrimination? No, that's motivation, baby. Because they didn't say you can't get in here because you look like that. They said you can't get in here because you're not here yet. She didn't say you can never come in this room. She said you can't get here yet, but let me show you how you can. That's knowledge. The next part is the network. Like I was saying, all the people that I surround myself with, I love them to death, but they're not, they're not exactly interested in the same things as me. I moved from Miami, I was living in Florida for 10 years. I met a lot of people. Can't really say I had a network per se because it was different out there. People was on their own tip. They was they had their own money, they had their own money, they weren't really talking about business. Just because they had businesses doesn't mean that they cared about you having some. Especially as a female, it was like, yeah, I'm a millionaire. You could pull your tips out. Like, I'm not trying to be vulgar, but that was a very like that was the energy out there. And who knows, you know, that has to do a lot about the the things and the way that I was caring and holding myself back then. However, in Baltimore, it's very different, it's very different, and it's a beautiful different. And I'm not saying anything negative about um Miami. I have negative things to say about anything, and there's positive things to say about anything. I appreciated my time there, I learned a lot, and it brought me back to Baltimore. However, there's a different vibe out here, and you're noticing that when you start to actually surround yourself with the vibe. How are you gonna know what the real vibe is? A city is a city, a city is humongous. If you hang out with around hipsters, your life is gonna feel like a hipster movie. If you hang around with brokies, your life is gonna make you feel like a brokie. You surround yourself with businesswomen, you're gonna start talking like a businesswoman, thinking like a businesswoman, acting like a businesswoman or businessman, whatever. But today, it's solidified and made physical a network. You know why? Because when I came in there, I was nervous, I really was nervous. I'm a very I'm a people, I'm a I'm a people person. I love people, I love to talk to people, and I was still nervous. You know why? Because I'm not here to just meet people. I'm here to learn from the people that I'm meeting. When I go out to the bar, I go out to hang out with my friends, I'm not nervous. You know why? Because I know I run the conversations. I know that I don't have anything to be shy about because nobody here, there's nobody here to impress. There's nobody here impressing me, and I'm not impressing them. Well, I'm probably impressing them because, you know, batty tings, but I'm not impressing them in the way that I desire to. With my knowledge. Yeah, I might look good, I might make you laugh, but I want to talk about things that are gonna change lives. My own, my families, and my community, and the country, the world, and generations between but after, okay? So it's like, yeah, you might find that conversation once in a while with some, you know, some of my closest friends, absolutely. And you might find that in a random bar sometimes, absolutely. But when you're no longer in college, and you know, my work, the work that I do during the day, it is impactful and purposeful, and I get to lift up my community by working at a substance use clinic and a psychiatric rehabilitation clinic, you know, it's really cool. But my day is mostly spent one-on-one with the clients. It's not really, and they teach me so much, don't get me wrong, like I learned so much from them, and they've had businesses like just because you're on Medicaid, just because you're in a rehab, just because you have a mental health diagnosis, doesn't mean that you're not successful now, haven't been successful in the past, and won't be successful in the future. No, that's separate. However, when they're in our space, when they're when they're at drug treatment and they're getting mental health treatment, it's depending on where they're at on their journey, their main concern is not really having a business right now. Their main concern right now is staying sober, improving mental health, getting a getting your health together in general, your physical health, primary care doctor, dentist, etc. So I don't get to really spend my time with people who are thirsty, who have resources, who have services and things of that nature where that can lift us up, right? So coming out tonight, it made that real for me. I met a woman who already has her own book that she just published. I met the owner of the business themselves. I met the the host of the panel. I met a person who does credit fixing. I met a woman who does a sound bath healing business. I met a woman who doesn't even have the business yet, but just the idea, and all she had was the QR code to her business on the table. It was so interesting to be able to see people from every stage of the business there and connect with them and to learn from them and to talk to them because every single person can teach you something because they're all seeking the same things that you're seeking. Like I obtained knowledge this week, I obtained a network this week, and now I'm going to create something. So I've been doing a lot of thinking and I feel very motivated, and that's the other thing is that you get the knowledge, you get the Network, and now you need some momentum. Now getting some knowledge is momentous. Creating a network, attending an event is momentous, but so is using that momentum that you gain from those from those events and from those connections and from that knowledge to now put that into something physical and make it into something real that reflects for your own business. Like, I'm gonna go home and I'm gonna spend at least 30 minutes. That's not a lot of time. I'm gonna spend 30 minutes creating a prototype or at least gathering the information so that I could be prepared for the call that I'm gonna have with the uh the gentleman that I talked to you about earlier. And also, I also I have a um a mentor, a meeting with a mentor, free. All of this, by the way, was free. The event I went to today, free. The one-on-one Zoom call, free. The talk with the mentor, free. Like, it's free. Business school is not free, but this is. Everything that I am doing is. So we can't make the excuse that well, I don't have the money or I don't have the education. You don't need a business degree. You don't need the million-dollar business yet. You need to have the the hunger to ask questions, the excited excitement to explore new places, the understanding that you need the things that we talked about, knowledge, network, and momentum. And then you begin. And you do it a little piece at a time. It's not gonna happen all at once. I'm gonna keep y'all posted on my journey and on the next steps, but I figured why not make a podcast and why not make you know a part of my journey and a part of my business and a part of my entrepreneur and my one day um, what's the word? Uh not a kingdom, but the word for like I don't know, like a powerhouse. I want to include this this side of me that's learning along your side. Because a lot of people come back later and they're like, oh, I did this, this, and that. Well, why don't we just do this journey together right now? Why am I telling you later? Because I'm gonna forget stuff. Let me tell you about the excitement I'm feeling right now. Let me tell you about what I did right now so I don't forget any piece of it, not the little piece, not the for just nothing. I want to tell you the littlest minute details would appear, minute, and share that and express that with you. So I will keep you guys posted. Thank you for listening, and I really appreciate it.