Oneonone with Jermaine Dupuis who shares his journey. Trying to do anything, wrou have to have a flicker in your life. If you are walking down the street and you see something shimmer and you walk over to that thing like some things should jump out at you about the business that you want to be in. From there we talk to two savvy entrepreneurs who capitalize on the guilty pleasures of reality tv. You need to have a very clear picture of who you are, where you are and where you want to go. Brand yourself as a goto person and expert in the space. Welcome back to our world with black enterprise. It was pure inspiration at this years black enterprise entrepreneur summit where hundreds of Small Business owners and Corporate Executives met to network and make deals. The highlight came from steve harvey. He sat down with our ceo earl bush graves. Take a look. I want to take it back to west virginia. Welch, west virginia. A lot of people dont know about your story. People think you started off in sharp suits like this and beautiful shoes and ties and all of the above. I know better. My mother was a sunday school teach. She ingrained faith in us. My father never talked about faith but only about manhood and work. That was all he was. I thank god for that because that is the work ethic in me today. Outjump you, outsing you and outdance you. They can be better looking than you. They can run faster than you and jump higher than you but there will not be a man living that can outwork you. My father was the same way. No room for laziness in the house. You did all kinds of jobs. I wanted to be rich. I was exhausted with poverty. I was sick of it. I was allergic to it. I could not understand sometimes why i would be itching. I didnt know what it was. I was actually allergic to poverty. I didnt know it at the time. I thought the polyester will expose any allergy you have. I just wanted to be rich. If you came to me with a way to get rich i bought the kit. You said you found that thing. Comedian still out here named a. J. Jamal. I was writing some jokes for him. One day i was at his house and a girl named gladys jacob came to the house and she said why dont you do it yourself . She said come with me this tuesday. October 8, 1985 i walked into the comedy club and signed up to be a comedian for the next week. I had never been on stage as standup. They did nine people. Tenth person didnt show so we will go to next weeks list. If steve harvey is here we will take steve harvey tonight. I was sitting there eating a chicken wing and i told gladys somebody in here got the same name i got. She said you just ignorant. Thats you. Dude said if steve harvey is here come up. I aint here until next week. It was a white crowd so they laugh better. You say that in front of black people they are like what is you here for then . I said im not here until next week and i won amateur night and they paid me 50. I went to work the next day and quit my job. You had this success in this one area, but to often whether sports or entertainment we do something well in one area and dont look at the business side of things. You decided you were going to become that other guy. You were going to become the one who was not just the entertainment but an owner. People always ask me why you got so many jobs. If you come to me and you threaten my employment i can easily say you can have your job. If i go ask for the money i on it i can walk away because i got three more jobs that pay. As i sit in front of yall i dont want you to think im this arrogant person. I understand my life is a huge blessing. Its really grace that god did all of this to me. I cant map this out. How i got a radio show, tv show and talk show, two more shows coming on this summer. How do i do that . Thats god. Thats grace. Now you expanded to other businesses. Share with us about what you doing from an entrepreneurship basis outside of media. I decided when i die i got to leave something for my children. I cant leave none of these tv shows to them. I cant leave these jokes to them. I cant leave this radio show to them. I said you have to Start BuildingSomething Else that i never want to be poor again. That drives me. I cant go back to that. I cant go back to not having. I cant go back. I lived in a car, man. I lived in a car. Do you know what it feels like to at the end of the day not be able to say im going home . You dont know, man. So when i am looking at myself here today in front of yall what makes me emotionally is i actually think of the moments i come from. I always am aware at moments like this that this is all a blessing. I work hard but at the end of the day im so blessed to be sitting up here because i lived in a car. Whole room down on that note, ladies and gentlemen gentlemen, steve harvey. [ cheers and applause ] appreciate to have you here. Coming up after the break, well have more from the 2015 black enterprise entrepreneur stay with us. After a stressful day you may need a little help falling asleep. Try Unisom Sleepminis to get a good nights sleep and wake recharged. Unisom sleepminis. Welcome back to our world with black enterprise. Jermaine dupuis has made an incredible mark in the world of music and just celebrated 20 years and with notable entertainers like mariah carey, janet jackson, escape. I had a chance to ask him about his career, vision and ability to reinvent himself. I know your father was in the music industry. How influential do you think your father and mother in your life early on . In the beginning my father was truly important as far as putting me in the places i should have been. My father was a tour manager for brick and sos brand. This was the first of the atlanta music scene. Happen in this city that was musical i was always just watching it because my father was working. He put the battery in me to want to do this. You could say that you were also a child prodigy because at 19 you were basically given your own company. At 17 i produced this group and it was these two girls that i met on tour. I wrote and produced their entire album at 17. When that happened i was in the music business at that point. It didnt sell enough for everybody to really know about it but it did well enough for me at 17. And i was with the dj from the girls group and we found these guys from the mall and it was like i seen these kids Walking Around the mall thinking they are somebody looking at me like im a weirdo. Was 17 at that time. 17 i met the chriss and at 19 jump came out and the rest is history. At 19 you produced jump. I think that makes you the youngest producer of a number one album at that point ever. Yes. I think with a lot of entrepreneurs in the room we ask how do we know this is what i should be doing. How did you know that is what you should be doing . I mean, you have have a flicker in your life where it is like if you are walking down the street and you see something shimmer and you walk over to that thing like some things should jump out at you about the business that you want to be in. They sold enough records to if i try this again it will be better. So then crisscross came after that. A lot of those great years i got to go to janet jackson. How important was that relationship with regard to your business . It wasnt. That is one of the things about me. I dont make moves because what these people think about. I never use janet as a piece to get people to like me more. It could have been her or anybody at that particular point in time. So at what point did you begin to look outside of music . One day i walked into the studio and all of the interns was on the computer. I was giggling and wiggling and they was on my space. I was like what the hell is my space. I wasnt up on my space. What year is this . This had to be 2000. Thats what attracted me to social media and all of that period. Is that when you began working on global 14 . I got on my space and started building my own page. At that time i was the president of the record company. I would go back to work and i would tell all of the people in the Art Department these people on my space are busting yall [ bleep ]. What are yall doing because i got artwork that is killing what yall are doing . They didnt understand what i was saying. They thought i was being crazy because i was young and running the company. That day when i said that and i had so much frustration that is im going to create something these kids can get to me with no walls. I want to thank you not only for the years of great music, but i want to thank you for being a visionary. Appreciate it. Round of applause. And we will be right back. Honey, did you call the Insurance Company . Not yet, im. Folding the laundry can you . No. Cleaning the windows well, the living rooms a disaster you should see the bathroom vo most Insurance Companies give you every reason to avoid them. Im looking for my keys plants need planting well the leaves arent going to rake themselves vo nationwide is different. Hon, did you call nationwide to check on our claim . vo we put members first. Actually, they called me. Welcome back to our world with black enterprise. At this years black enterprise entrepreneur Summit Panel Discussions explore whether reality tv could be the right fit for you. Who knows better than celebrity hair stylist kim kimble. How do we know if reality tv is right for our business and not just the type of business that we have but the stage of our business . One thing you want to do if you decide you want to do you want to already have in mind how you want to be portrayed. You want to have a plan in place. It is important to know who you are and what your brand is first. And keep your eye on the prize. I think we also have to think reality tv is here to stay. Once you decide lets say that everyone in this room has decided i want to pursue reality tv because i want that larger platform how do we go about doing it . You have to visualize it and write it down and visualize what it is you want to do. Hi. Im 18 years old and in the future i plan to get a degree in Fashion Design and have a chain of beauty salons. Before i did this i wanted to produce reality shows about hair and beauty. It involved me behind the scenes because i am a behind the scenes person. I saw this as an opportunity so i told myself. Speaking of which, when youre pitching a show make sure you have dotted your is and crossed ts as far as ownership and registering registering. People have short term memory. They will forget it was your show. They will forget you walked it in the door. It has happened. Network first and get the Network Execs to believe in you. And then what they are going to do is partner you potentially with one of their partners who they trust and who successfully delivered in the past. I love that because you are almost reverse engineering it. A lot of people go through the Production Company first. You are saying let me go through the network and then the Production Company. Lets move to the third part. Once you are on reality tv how do you leverage that and get the most out of it . One thing is that im a celebrity hair stylist. I leverage my clients. I have celebrityies on the show and i do their hair. Seriously, let me go on record and say you are the best. Sorry. You like that. I would say im still in the process of leveraging. Is stay on message i have a very clear picture. What you need to do is have a clear picture of who you are, where you are and where you want to go. Brand yourself as the goto person whatever it is. I always tell property virgins be ready to compromise. At the end of the day you have to have a clear vision for what you want. What someone told me about television is television is really two book ends for a commercial. It really is just a commercial. So that is your opportunity to then further whatever you are doing. If you are not already doing something then you are furthering nothing. And the work doesnt end. Never ends. In a land where we know that reality tv is about salaciousness and drama and hair pulling both of you represent power, beauty and you represent just truth on tv. Round of applause. After the break a look back at the 20th anniversary of the entrepreneur summit. Lemme get a mcpick 2 listen up theres a brand new mix on Mcdonalds Mcpick 2 menu. Lemme get a mcpick 2. Hurry in now and pick your 2 hot n tasty mickey ds classics for just 5 dollars. Mix n match. Share n savor. 2 for 5. 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That is what this summit is doing for me. Network with very brilliant entrepreneurs and discovered a lot of interesting business, Business Concepts and learned a lot for myself. Our book, me and my brother wrote this book. We helped two other africanamerican boys at their own book and now they are published. Every work shop has been incredible, lots of great information and also inspiring. I love it. Im definitely taking advantage of everything offered. I have attended several workshops. The thing i got most out of being here was dealing with different entrepreneurs and know existed and to follow those connections and i will be back. Welcome to atlanta to everybody from for the Bye Bye Foundation beautiful you collection from it cosmetics by jamie kern lima. Brought to you by guthy renker. Imagine having skin that looks this beautiful, this flawless, without having to wear foundation. Imagine a product that covers everything but looks and feels like youre wearing nothing. 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