Duplessy Foundation

The story of her BBL surgery really moved me. She could help a lot of people. But she had one problem. “I don't have credibility” A couple years prior to our convo, she had a life changing event. “Once I get the BBL, tummy tuck, and liposuction, everything will be okay” She was going for all 3 procedures at the same time. To make this happen, she found a doctor who could do the work cheaply. The doctor’s office was 1,000 miles away. The facility probably averaged 12 surgeries per day. The plan was to have the surgeries, rest at a recovery home, and head home as soon as possible. The day of the procedures everything seemed normal. Just after the operations, she complained of pain to the doctor. He just rushed her off. He had more patients to serve. Her priorities were getting home and getting healed. Next stop was the recovery home. That’s where people monitor the healing process after surgery. At the recovery home, she started to help other women deal with their post surgery healing. The other patients trusted her more than the staff. In truth, helping other patients distracted her from the pain post surgery. While on the phone with her husband, she started to feel weak. Her body fell to the ground. She was unconscious for over 3 minutes. When she woke up, all she heard were screams. Nobody took her vitals. Nobody was CPR certified. Nobody was prepared. After 24 hours, she left the recovery facility. For 3 days, she went to a hotel and figured out how to take care of herself. After a week, she learned that a woman died doing the same 3 procedures. That life-threatening experience inspired her to start a company to help people pre and post surgery. When it was time to expand her practice - she didn’t know what to do. “I have no credibility”. I told her, “Your story is your credibility” Over time she became more comfortable sharing her experience and helping people safely navigate the process. Today, there are people going to unlicensed doctors to get elective surgery These folks figure that the lower cost is worth the risk They are often uneducated about the pre and post surgery Ashanti Mack is helping these people get home and healed - safely. Please show her some love in the comments.

When we sat down she had something important to say She told me “I’m gay" It was at that moment, that I knew everything would change We were at the window seat of an Au Bon Pain near MIT It was raining - heavy. When she made her opening statement, my first thought was... “You had me waiting almost 2 hours". I met her initially at the library that inspired Dennis Lehane to become the author of Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone. She showed me her photography. A Boston bodega, a bearded man on a street corner, and many wonderfully haunting photos transformed into frame worthy portraits of the city. You could feel the essence of people in her photos. I had never seen documentary photography before that day. My challenge was turning her photography into an actual living. I recommended she join the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston entrepreneur program for artists At the end of her 6 weeks in that program, there was an exhibition. Paintings, sculpture, collage, and all kinds of art from the program participants was being sold at a radiant store in Boston’s South End. After 2 weeks, none of her photography was sold. I recommended tripling the price of her cheapest piece and increasing everything else by $100. She argued left and right that raising the price would make selling harder. All she wanted to do was break even on her costs. Within 1 week, she sold two pieces. All she did was increase the prices. After a few weeks, she called me to say that her photography generated the most revenue out of all the art from her program exhibition. When we sat down at the Au Bon Pain in the rain, she needed to tell me “I’m gay”. Many people in her life used that fact to show her she didn’t belong. When she called me to tell me about her sales, she finally understood - she always belonged. Jay Belmer is the very first entrepreneur I’ve coached. Please do me a favor and show her some love in the comments. You can find her work at jaypixworx (dot) com

“Talented people always rise to the surface” No the hell they don’t. It took me 1 year, 1 dinner, and 1 life changing moment to uncover that lie. Across from my desk at CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) was a typical startup. They had 4 people. The founder with gift of gab. Always on a call. Always moving. 2 coders. Front end and back end. The 4th was “helping out with marketing”. After 1 year of observing the team, it was clear that number 4 was a star in the making. She was organized, thoughtful, and most importantly, got things done - even things that weren’t her job. I remember telling her many times. “You are a star”. She never believed me when I told her. I got so frustrated with her non-belief that I organized an 8 person dinner. 6 of the dinner participants were there to meet each other. 1 VIP dinner participant was specially there to meet her. This special dinner guest was the CEO of a fast growing company, investor, and extremely busy. It took 4 months of RSVPs, rescheduling, and follow up to finally get the special guest at the table. Towards the very end of the dinner, I noticed the special VIP and Number 4 had never spoken. I sat them down together and said “VIP, I need you set a date to meet with Number 4. This is critically important and I will follow up until you both meet.” After a few weeks, they met. Number 4 asked VIP about a VC her startup was trying to contact for 6 months. VIP said, “oh that’s my good friend. Let me text her and see if she can meet with your team.” Within minutes the VC agreed to meet Number 4 and her team. The VC made a life changing offer. She said, “I am willing to invest in your startup - on one condition.” “You have to make Number 4 the CEO of the company.” “You have to make that decision in the next few minutes to get this investment.” To their credit, the team made Number 4 the CEO of the company, right there. It was at that moment, that Number 4 started to believe in her talent. 1 year of encouragement. 1 dinner to make an introduction. 1 life changing moment that helped a raw talent rise to her potential.

“Your moment is coming soon” I said it in faith, She did it in hope 30 days later, both lives changed It was early April She had just been laid off as a result of COVID Her side hustle suddenly became her main hope for income She was giving this business a few months deadline to produce revenue or quit When she reached out to me, we had 3 goals: 1) Create a signature offer 2) Focus her website 3) Get some traffic to her website This website sold all kinds of products for new moms. There were close to 50 items that you could buy. None of them were over $50. To create a signature offer, our objective was to give the ideal customer a product they would be proud to buy. My challenge to the business owner was to create that “proud to buy” product for over $100. She took a blanket, bibs, burb cloths, and some items I’m forgetting into a beautifully packaged new mom gift box. There was a $100 version and $200 version. Focusing the website meant incorporating story into the website and making it easier for visitors to buy. Right on the front page, above the fold, she offered the new mom gift boxes. Below that she told the story of how the brand honored 3 generations of mothers - her grandmother, mom, and her. The number of items went down from almost 50 to less than 10. After 30 days of transforming the offer and website, we had to focus on traffic She hustled reaching out to multiple journalists and got featured on a list of Black owned baby product companies. That list was on a website that generates 2 million views per month - What to Expect (that’s the website name). The traffic that came flooded her website. Every single product sold out in less than 2 weeks. Her time came. She was ready. Finally, we both had faith and believed. That business owner is Mishell Ekunsrinde from Stina and Mae. Share this story with someone whose time is coming but needs some faith.

“I don’t have time to talk to customers” Are you a biz owner who says this? If you have ever said this, this story is for you. Imagine You suddenly have 2 big problems hurting your business Facebook ads are 2-3x more expensive The most expensive item you sell is $40 You’ve spent the last 3 years building up your brand via Instagram Every dollar you spent on ads, gave you 4 dollars back Your customers have a deep connection to your brand message Life was good. Now, your business is relying on $40 t-shirts to stay alive. When I met her, this very situation was unfolding in real time. My first suggestion as a coach, “Talk to your customers.” Her response at first: “I don’t have time to talk to customers” “I need an intern to set that up” I got so frustrated with her reasons, that I went through a process of hiring an intern for her. The intern worked with the biz owners to arrange 3 individual interviews and a group interview for the customers. Thankfully, the biz owner took the time to listen to the interviews. These strangers who saw posts on Instagram and purchased t-shirts - cried. The customers cried because being gay, a nerd or someone with 4c hair - made them feel disregarded and disrespected by their communities. Even through Zoom you could feel the emotion and how much it meant for someone to affirm their identity. The business owner turned the insights from those conversations into $100 and $200 items. These were items the customers recommended. She had no way of knowing they would sell. She couldn’t change Facebook ad prices but she did change her relationship with her customers. That business owner is Rachel Topping of Nappy Head Club. Please show her some love. If you know any business owners who would benefit from reading this, please share.

“No. I don’t accept your rejection” Has anyone believed in you more than yourself? I reluctantly believed them and this happened. After 10+ years in catering and events, she quit her job. She decided to start a catering business featuring vegan cuisine with a Caribbean twist. Great idea with interesting start date - Jan 2020 By the time we met it was March of 2021. New York City was one of the worst places for business at that time People were getting sick. Hospitals were full. So many places were locked down. Once we got on the phone, I told her all these factors made it near impossible for me to help her with sales. The words that came out of mouth were: “I can’t help you” She refused All the sacrifices she made, draining her bank account in 2020 - it had to be worth it. I could tell you that I was inspired by her spirit and I chose to work with her but that’s a lie. I was scared. I had no idea how I could help this woman. The pivotal detail was how she taught cooking classes online for free throughout 2020. She had a spirit of generosity when her dream was turning into day to day chaos. I was jealous. “If I can learn from her, it’s worth me trying to help her with sales.” She called every potential and past client. She applied to provide lunch to the COVID test tents around New York City. She was hustling. I advised her to send cookies with a handwritten note to the hospitals. She hand delivered these cookies to all kinds of potential clients. Some of those cookies turned into clients in late 2021 and throughout 2022. She went from just $20,000 in 2020 to $120,000 in 2021. 2022 was over $200,000. Today she is an ambassador for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program. She has done events at Gracie Mansion for the Mayor of New York multiple times. She refused my rejection and I thank her for it. She embodies resilience. Her name is Yudy Yudelka Carerra. If this story resonates with you, please let me know in the comments.

“I was just thinking of you” When people say it. Do you believe them? One story forced me to believe A piece of fabric lay on the desk of a very important woman The textured square stayed in the corner of the wooden desk underneath some files For two years, this important woman played with the fabric square, looked at it, and thought of the possibilities The important woman was in charge of decorating all the buildings for a major nonprofit She knew it was time to change the decor of those buildings The interior chairs, couches, and fabric decorations were starting to look like your Auntie’s 1980s era living room Even though this important woman had the time to change everything, she hesitated. Even when she had the money to change the decor, she just played with the square instead. What was she waiting for? Two years passed The fabric square stayed on her desk like an anchor. The idea of changing was still alive as long as the square was present. One day this important woman received an email. The email was from the designer who created the precious fabric square Finally, the sign the important woman was looking for. The designer talked through potential changes. The designer addressed some of her concerns. The multi-million dollar nonprofit had iconic buildings that the visitors saw as temples. The designer took the fantasy of the fabric square and turned it into a dramatic, organizational transformation. When the designer emailed the important woman, the first line of the reply was: “I was just thinking about you” Even when 2 years passed, the important woman remembered the brilliance of the designer. Yet, if the designer never reached out, the transformation would never take place. That wonderful designer is Kathleen Bennett. Please show her some love in the comments.

The story of her BBL surgery really moved me. She could help a lot of people. But she had one problem. “I don't have credibility” A couple years prior to our convo, she had a life changing event. “Once I get the BBL, tummy tuck, and liposuction, everything will be okay” She was going for all 3 procedures at the same time. To make this happen, she found a doctor who could do the work cheaply. The doctor’s office was 1,000 miles away. The facility probably averaged 12 surgeries per day. The plan was to have the surgeries, rest at a recovery home, and head home as soon as possible. The day of the procedures everything seemed normal. Just after the operations, she complained of pain to the doctor. He just rushed her off. He had more patients to serve. Her priorities were getting home and getting healed. Next stop was the recovery home. That’s where people monitor the healing process after surgery. At the recovery home, she started to help other women deal with their post surgery healing. The other patients trusted her more than the staff. In truth, helping other patients distracted her from the pain post surgery. While on the phone with her husband, she started to feel weak. Her body fell to the ground. She was unconscious for over 3 minutes. When she woke up, all she heard were screams. Nobody took her vitals. Nobody was CPR certified. Nobody was prepared. After 24 hours, she left the recovery facility. For 3 days, she went to a hotel and figured out how to take care of herself. After a week, she learned that a woman died doing the same 3 procedures. That life-threatening experience inspired her to start a company to help people pre and post surgery. When it was time to expand her practice - she didn’t know what to do. “I have no credibility”. I told her, “Your story is your credibility” Over time she became more comfortable sharing her experience and helping people safely navigate the process. Today, there are people going to unlicensed doctors to get elective surgery These folks figure that the lower cost is worth the risk They are often uneducated about the pre and post surgery Ashanti Mack is helping these people get home and healed - safely. Please show her some love in the comments.

When we sat down she had something important to say She told me “I’m gay" It was at that moment, that I knew everything would change We were at the window seat of an Au Bon Pain near MIT It was raining - heavy. When she made her opening statement, my first thought was... “You had me waiting almost 2 hours". I met her initially at the library that inspired Dennis Lehane to become the author of Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone. She showed me her photography. A Boston bodega, a bearded man on a street corner, and many wonderfully haunting photos transformed into frame worthy portraits of the city. You could feel the essence of people in her photos. I had never seen documentary photography before that day. My challenge was turning her photography into an actual living. I recommended she join the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston entrepreneur program for artists At the end of her 6 weeks in that program, there was an exhibition. Paintings, sculpture, collage, and all kinds of art from the program participants was being sold at a radiant store in Boston’s South End. After 2 weeks, none of her photography was sold. I recommended tripling the price of her cheapest piece and increasing everything else by $100. She argued left and right that raising the price would make selling harder. All she wanted to do was break even on her costs. Within 1 week, she sold two pieces. All she did was increase the prices. After a few weeks, she called me to say that her photography generated the most revenue out of all the art from her program exhibition. When we sat down at the Au Bon Pain in the rain, she needed to tell me “I’m gay”. Many people in her life used that fact to show her she didn’t belong. When she called me to tell me about her sales, she finally understood - she always belonged. Jay Belmer is the very first entrepreneur I’ve coached. Please do me a favor and show her some love in the comments. You can find her work at jaypixworx (dot) com

“Talented people always rise to the surface” No the hell they don’t. It took me 1 year, 1 dinner, and 1 life changing moment to uncover that lie. Across from my desk at CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) was a typical startup. They had 4 people. The founder with gift of gab. Always on a call. Always moving. 2 coders. Front end and back end. The 4th was “helping out with marketing”. After 1 year of observing the team, it was clear that number 4 was a star in the making. She was organized, thoughtful, and most importantly, got things done - even things that weren’t her job. I remember telling her many times. “You are a star”. She never believed me when I told her. I got so frustrated with her non-belief that I organized an 8 person dinner. 6 of the dinner participants were there to meet each other. 1 VIP dinner participant was specially there to meet her. This special dinner guest was the CEO of a fast growing company, investor, and extremely busy. It took 4 months of RSVPs, rescheduling, and follow up to finally get the special guest at the table. Towards the very end of the dinner, I noticed the special VIP and Number 4 had never spoken. I sat them down together and said “VIP, I need you set a date to meet with Number 4. This is critically important and I will follow up until you both meet.” After a few weeks, they met. Number 4 asked VIP about a VC her startup was trying to contact for 6 months. VIP said, “oh that’s my good friend. Let me text her and see if she can meet with your team.” Within minutes the VC agreed to meet Number 4 and her team. The VC made a life changing offer. She said, “I am willing to invest in your startup - on one condition.” “You have to make Number 4 the CEO of the company.” “You have to make that decision in the next few minutes to get this investment.” To their credit, the team made Number 4 the CEO of the company, right there. It was at that moment, that Number 4 started to believe in her talent. 1 year of encouragement. 1 dinner to make an introduction. 1 life changing moment that helped a raw talent rise to her potential.