What exactly is it that Casey Richardson is bringing access to community, expertise and cash Black female entrepreneurs
Learn about the methods Casey Richardson used her experience working in the realm of tech-related financing to launch BLAZE Group and empower a group of Black female entrepreneurs.
A couple of years ago, the lifestyle that Casey Richardson was quite different. Her home is in the Bay Area of California's Bay Area and worked for Bank of America, structuring massive loans for tech companies. However, she recognized that she was the sole Black female participant on the team in her 10-year time in the field of finance and didn't think about the importance of financing for businesses who were Black firm.
"It proved to me not only the information was not delivered, but the capital was not delivered in my neighborhood," Casey recalls.
The month of Octoberin 2020 Casey decided to review her choice.
Because of her expertise as well as her expertise in the field of financing tech and business, she took the decision to quit her position and create her own business called BLAZE Group. BLAZE Group"Building leaders and making No Excuses" offers help, guidance, and a sense community for traditionally under-served segments of Black female entrepreneurs.
2023 is the year that BLAZE Group is a company which has the goal of providing online courses. BLAZE Group offers online courses through their Blaze Knowledge Academy, group coaching courses, as well as the online community app for users . It also offers retreats and classes on its website , as in addition to the annual virtual summit that includes exclusive research conducted by Casey and her team of international experts.
What can she hope to accomplish in just two years? It's a combination of giving all the necessary tools to address a specific need that's not being addressed and then focusing on creating an audience. Then, she'll choose the appropriate equipment and the most appropriate personnel.
From corporate finance expert to a businessman who has become a pioneer
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur on a full-time basis, Casey was a finance specialist who was responsible for huge amounts of loan to technology companies. She was constantly on the cutting edge of technology advances, but she recognized the differences between her coworkers and the companies that they assisted in funding. "I was not the only Black female in the company. I realized my education background, along with my expertise and experiences were not available to my local community."
Black females comprise the majority of business owners across the United States -- but less than 3 percent own "mature" businesses, and the majority of them have self-funded their initial capital. This gap is massive in terms of financing and other options accessible in the market to Black female entrepreneurs , compared with white male entrepreneurs.
As summer ended in 2020 Casey participated of protests against the police brutality. Casey felt a sense community along with the determination she was feeling not been able to bring into her daily job. "I found myself more enthusiastic and emotionalally involved in protests than I have throughout my entire period of participating in sexually explicit events," she says. "I felt connected to those who were courageous with enough confidence to voice their opinions during events that truly are crucial."
It was in October that she was at peace inside the confines of her job in finance for a major business. This was not only because she succeeded in the industry, but due to the actual reality this was. What else was she able to accomplish with her expertise? How else could she utilize her knowledge of technology and finance? Are they able to help others Black women to achieve success?
"I'm entirely at home within the walls. Yet, I'd never put money I have daily in my pocket to believe that I'm in charge of more of the globe. So I quit."
In the end, she quit her job, she moved to Africa in order to start BLAZE Group, a location-independent company that is empowering Black women all over the world to accomplish the same thing.
BLAZE BLAZE Group is specifically focused on entrepreneurs within the first three years after beginning the business. This is what Casey defines as"the "entrepreneurial stage." QQATEMGFADDCQYxgYcTq
"BLAZE is here to assist users in managing their business efficiently and effectively in order to keep them operating. We're based on technology-enabled solutions. We're part of the group." The girl declares.
To reach this particular group of people, Casey had to build relationships with them.
What are the reasons you must build an email database (and the most effective way to begin)
Casey was inspired to create an online business training course which was top-quality at the start, however she was required to create an following prior to the time she launched her first course.
Casey wanted this not to occur during the first launch of BLAZE's new product. Therefore, she launched her first campaigns to increase the number of users with a specific purpose in mind: build an online database of email addresses.
Why do people choose email subscribers over social media followers? "I was aware that I was trying to build and manage my own network," explains Casey.
"On Instagram, you don't have control over your account. There's no way to know what email address users are employing . In addition when their handle for the account changes It is recommended that they are aware of the name and the account's name." Casey states.
"I would like to build relationships with them as well as continuously being visible to them, in order to boost the brand's visibility and increase confidence."
She's reaching to contacts
15 min discovery phone contact to her public
1. Contacting her to get her contact number
There's plenty of info online on how you can increase your exposure, and most designers think that the primary audience for their site are those who've never even seen their website via social media. If you're making your own audience completely new, there's no way to tap into the vast variety of resources that could help you. This include your family members and most intimate acquaintances!
Casey posted an email to the entire circle of her friends to inform the world that she was launching publishing a monthly newsletter about entrepreneurship. She asked for people to sign up.
"I began by looking through my recent texts, Instagram DMs, Twitter and Facebook... I set a timer, and sent the most messages via text in less than five minutes." she posted.
Many family and friends were among the people who listened to Casey in her presentation while she was working on an outstanding database of emails prior to to her debut of the service.
2. 15-minute discovery call to her customers
One of the easiest ways to reach them is to speak with them.
Casey tweeted to her accounts on social media on which she said she was creating an online course created to assist Black women gain knowledge about the business world. "If I could talk to you for fifteen minutes, If you have issues, please let me know about the issue." she stated.
The individuals who had reached out to her to set up an appointment were the perfect persons to meet to: Black women interested in businesses.
Instead of discussing courses or the way she was marketing her own business, Casey made questions such as "What keep you up at late at night? What's the biggest issue you're scared to tackle? If you were given just one year in which to live What would you like to accomplish?" This was an opportunity to make women's voices valued and heard. respected. Also, she learned things that were important to include when writing the content of her classes.
"Just offering them assistance and making them feel comfortable is an essential element of magical."
"By the time they'd finished all of their calls, they'd asked "Can I now purchase the software? What other items do I need to get?" Casey remembers. The course was in its initial stages of the process of development. The course was in development after she figured out their email addresses and advised that they should launch the course when it had become fully functional.
When the class was over following the completion of the course and the instructor had promoted it on her email list of recipients. She had created it through two of the methods mentioned previously. "There there was already this excitement to all who had registered. Everybody was excited to sign up."
What was the incident? What transpired? she spoke to in the first conversation, but they turned into customers.
An additional year has passed, Casey still offers free telephone calls to discuss her sales techniques. Should potential buyers have questions concerning or concerns about or worries about Blaze Business Intensive, they can make a complimentary perfect Fit call to speak with Casey.
"On the average, there will be five meetings prior to reaching an agreement is reached. The problem is that not enough business leaders acknowledge that" Says Casey. "I phone these people to conclude an agreement."
An effective set of tools , and the right personnel can help Casey build her company
In the present time, BLAZE offers online courses along with masterclasses together with small-group instruction and an online forum. webinars as well as webinars, TablexTribe The TablexTribe mobile app and biannual online conferences (a 2022 Webby Awards winner for recognizing the top of the best in Business and Finance) along with research that is exclusive to BLAZE.
How can they do all at the same time while showing lots of love and commitment?
Casey is currently gathering an international group of experts to help expand different divisions within her firm, such as:
Blogger and content marketer with a base in Nigeria
A junior consultant who has his office in London
Director of branding and production (her co-worker!) who grew the BLAZE group in Instagram to 1,300 active users during the month of May 2022, increasing to 70,000 users by the moment of the debut in 2023.
A senior assistant from Kenya
Analyst in research , who produces reports of research across a variety of different industries. Additionally, she helps BLAZE discover new clients through cooperating with clients.
Production assistant at the Semi-annual Blaze Virtual Summit
It's not just about finding new employees to work with her. She also uses tools as well.
"I utilize tools that are fast," Casey laughs. "And I am awestruck by that, because it's due to the size."
The growth in revenues does not automatically suggest that your company has grown, particularly those times when you're spending more time or extra money to achieve that growth.
"The increase in revenues has to be not your main goal," explains Casey. "If you're increasing the cost of your company and you're earning more, but the bottom line hasn't changed."
"Scale happens when you boost revenues, however the price and time frame of your expenditure remains the same."
Her expertise in technology has provided Casey with the advantages of automated tools. Automated integrations, automated processes, and integrations are all possible. When BLAZE Group was launched, BLAZE Group, she leveraged options that were inexpensive and did not require code, for example, Zapier. This helped make sure that operations were running seamlessly.
How do you go about doing this? Casey utilizes it to make her students' community, downloads Downloads, community, and downloads community
" was the first application which I tried to provide similar services as" Casey shares.
Tools like these give Casey "more space to focus on what she's looking to do," such as the intimate meetings she schedules with customers she's attracted to.
Casey developed her first item on the internet and that's her Blaze Business extensive online class , which comprises . The course is self-paced and 6 week course that covers "Business Construction and Management, Management and Business Management and Quality of Business for today's Black Woman."
"It wasn't coded. It was developed after I was offered an opportunity to try a free 14-day trial" Casey remembers. "I created all the material within that time frame and began selling it before the expiration date to make it instantly profitable."
(Want to be able to duplicate the success of Casey? Register to receive a free plan and spend time to set up the course's contents in place, and make the necessary changes when it's time to launch.)
The course is part of the Blaze Knowledge Academy series of learning tools that companies Casey has developed via her website. This Academy is also the place where you can find:
Numerous entrepreneurship masterclasses. Most of the classes are free.
The online community she has created is referred to by the Blaze Women's Network and has more than 7700 members
"People can choose to joining this Blaze Women's Network absolutely free," Casey explains. This Blaze Women's Network hosts virtual coworking sessions and also host webcasts which direct participants on paid-for training courses."
In addition to introducing customers to helpful products and solutions, Casey's Community provides members with a welcoming and cozy place to get to know other founders.
"It was generally accepted the notion that "content was the primary purpose of websites. However today, we are embracing the notion that "community is the primary goal. Many people are searching for apps that are focused on community... as well communities aren't seen as fraudulent and don't look like spam."
Her research on it has given Casey some ideas on how to proceed in the search for an application that doesn't need any programming. "You are an extremely versatile system, and I can develop end-to-end solutions using the platform you use" Casey explains. "And I've utilized an exact scorecard in order to assess the program since I'm trying for ways to improve my use of the software."
"It is truly an incredible concept to come up with strategies that change the world using low-cost methods that can be affordable for those who have been disadvantaged by status quo rules during the past."
Do not do all the jobs in one day.
With all the accomplishments Casey is able to accomplish in only two years as CEO of BLAZE in addition to BLAZE its BLAZE brand, her advice for those new to the business might shock you if try to accomplish lesser in the initial stages, and while working towards becoming established.
"Keep the things that you cherish and cherish is the main element" she advises. The hustle culture teaches youngsters that there's no limitation on the amount of product or work produced. However, Casey serves as a reminder to co-creators "There's only what you're expected to do, regardless of the level of your skills."
"You should not attempt to be able to do all things at the start. It's extremely difficult to master all the elements that start."
The best way to get started is by offering a specific course prior to expanding on the subject. "I began by enrolling in the Blaze Intensive, my first course. The Blaze Intensive is now my primary course. Entrepreneurs should determine the exclusivity of their offering and their objectives before going on to adding additional items."
There's plenty to think about in the beginning. The message you employ to get your message to your audience, and your technological tools including customer service, marketing. Once you've mastered the things you've learned? After that, you're free exploring new options.
"I am convinced that we could accomplish a lot of things. It could be in 200 years. It's due to the fact that Blaze is still floating over the skies. This doesn't mean that it is required to occur today."
We're thrilled to be involved in the story of Casey and we're eager to see what's in store for Casey as well as BLAZE Group. BLAZE Group in the coming year and in the 200 years to come and beyond.
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