Summary

This episode of the Success Fundamentals Podcast features Charles Debow and Roby Mercharles. Charles is VP for Global Development at the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) while Roby is VP of Business Development at The American Dream Fund (ADF) & Marketplace. Charles and Roby discuss the mission of their advocacies, the drivers of their passions, and how they measure their success.

Charles has had decades of experience supporting black businesses. With the NBCC, he empowers black entrepreneurs through a multifaceted approach including legislation, policy, and corporate commitment.

Roby's work with the ADF, an Economic Development Program which supports black-owned businesses, centers on building the economies of black communities. These areas were hit hard by the pandemic and jumpstarting the circulation of wealth is his personal and professional goal.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• 01:14 Charles's journey from the music business to the National Black Chamber of Commerce
• 10:09 The explosion of apps ushered in online entrepreneurship
• 14:08 Establishing and securing funding for the American Dream Fund and Marketplace
• 21:22 The mission of the American Dream Fund and Marketplace
• 23:24 Common denominators of success and what drives passion
• 31:44 The Black Dollar: Creating wealth for black communities
• 37:36 Success is measured by the impact of your advocacy on others

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QUOTES

• 15:23 "That's where American Dream Fund was, you could go here and you could see businesses that you can choose to support or to help, or you could just say I just really want to support the general mission of facilitating."
• 21:34 "We want to facilitate an ecosystem that eventually becomes self-dependent and where the black dollar can circulate enough to build black wealth in America, giving us a fighting chance."
• 27:03 "That's when he came out with the Off the Wall record and it sold six million, and Michael goes, 'I could do better than that.' And he comes back with Thriller and it's probably one of the biggest successes of all times."
• 31:12 "We kind of started with nothing but a platform. And this partnership with the National Black Chamber and since we've been able to reach 100,000 people and distribute, as we were talking about, all these grants."
• 45:52 "Don't allow society to deter your value, your value perception, of education."
• You can connect with Charles and the NBCC on the links below.
• National Black Chamber of Commerce - https://www.NationalBCC.org/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-debow-2280b87
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NationalBCC
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/NationalBCC
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/NationalBCC/
• You can connect with Roby and the ADF on the links below.
• The American Dream Fund - https://www.TheAmericanDreamFund.com/
• The American Dream Marketplace - https://AmericanDreamMarketplace.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/roby-mercharles-027759141
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/American-Dream-Marketplace-113449577230447/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ADM_Marketplace
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/AmericanDreamMarketplace/
• To know more about Brian Goldsack and Kristopher Sykes, follow and connect with them on the following links below.
• Kristopher Sykes:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-sykes/
• Brian Goldsack:
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejadvisorbriangoldsack/

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