Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
EP 9 : What The Radio?
53 Plays4 years ago
“What the Pod?” with Tricey Trice introduces you to a new Podcast every week. Tune in to see what show you need to add to your lineup ✌🏾
Subscribehttps://bit.ly/WTPSite
Watch LIVE Every Tuesday(7pm EST)www.DJTriceyTrice.TV
Support My Content www.Patreon.com/DJTriceyTrice
-----
Follow Up With Anna:
https://annadeshawn.com
https://e3radio.fm
https://soundcloud.com/e3radio
https://soundcloud.com/annadeshawn
https://facebook.com/e3radio
https://facebook.com/annadeshawn
https://instagram.com/e3radio
https://instagram.com/annadeshawn
https://twitter.com/e3radio
https://twitter.com/annadeshawn
Check Out Our Podcast Playlist--> https://spoti.fi/3FNJ8pP
Want to Support What The Pod?
100% of Merch sales support the production of the show, thanks in advance.
Shop Now ---> https://bit.ly/WTPMerchStore
Follow Me On Tik- Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@djtriceytrice
Follow Me On Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DJTriceyTrice
Follow Me On YouTube: http://bit.ly/DJTriceyTriceYouTube
Have a question or feedback about What The Pod? With Tricey Trice. Record an audio message https://s.bcast.fm/what-the-pod-with-tricey-trice?episode=mn4wvyq8
Subscribehttps://bit.ly/WTPSite
Watch LIVE Every Tuesday(7pm EST)www.DJTriceyTrice.TV
Support My Content www.Patreon.com/DJTriceyTrice
-----
Follow Up With Anna:
https://annadeshawn.com
https://e3radio.fm
https://soundcloud.com/e3radio
https://soundcloud.com/annadeshawn
https://facebook.com/e3radio
https://facebook.com/annadeshawn
https://instagram.com/e3radio
https://instagram.com/annadeshawn
https://twitter.com/e3radio
https://twitter.com/annadeshawn
Check Out Our Podcast Playlist--> https://spoti.fi/3FNJ8pP
Want to Support What The Pod?
100% of Merch sales support the production of the show, thanks in advance.
Shop Now ---> https://bit.ly/WTPMerchStore
Follow Me On Tik- Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@djtriceytrice
Follow Me On Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DJTriceyTrice
Follow Me On YouTube: http://bit.ly/DJTriceyTriceYouTube
Have a question or feedback about What The Pod? With Tricey Trice. Record an audio message https://s.bcast.fm/what-the-pod-with-tricey-trice?episode=mn4wvyq8
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'What The Pod' and Guest Anna Deshaun
00:00:03
Speaker
You are listening to your auntie's favorite DJ, DJ Treating Treats.
00:00:36
Speaker
What is going on? It's DJ Trisi Trees and welcome back to What The Pod. You are now in episode 9. Welcome back. For those of you that are new, What The Pod is a podcast where basically I just recommend a new podcast for you to listen to every
00:00:53
Speaker
single week. This week we've got an awesome guest that I broke the rule with because I definitely tell y'all I don't know these people and we only spent 10 minutes together. But during our first intro call, it lasted like an hour. So now this is my homie. Help me welcome Anna Deshaun from E3 Radio. What's going on? Hey homie, what's going on? Thank you so much for having me. Yes, thank you. I was trying to like build that up for us. We were having all this tech, you know, issue in the back.
00:01:22
Speaker
I felt the build up. I felt the energy. I'm here with it. Yes. Yeah. So welcome to the show and tell us a little bit about your podcast.
Anna Deshaun's Journey and E3 Radio Origin
00:01:31
Speaker
Yeah. So well, I got a podcast called Anna's got a word. It started because, you know, I'm a PK and everybody be like, you always got something to say. So it kind of evolved into Anna's got a word. So folks can check that out.
00:01:44
Speaker
But I got an online radio station, so I'm like adjacent to the podcast land, you know, I'm all for audio streaming. And so we stream queer and independent music in high rotation, 24-7, 365 from our website, e3radio.fm. Awesome. So tell us a little bit about how you got started with the radio station. First of all, I think it's dope that you just, you have a podcast and you also do something else that's like really all heavy media. So much respect there, but tell us how you got started.
00:02:14
Speaker
Well, the E in 3 came from undergrad, actually. I spent my time at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. And I'm from Chicago, y'all. So y'all already know that was culture shock. OK, so we could start there. And then in undergrad, I ran for office. I ran for Student Activities Board President. And I ran on this platform for three E's. It was educate, enlighten, and empower student body, et cetera, et cetera. It was really cool.
00:02:37
Speaker
I got into a runoff. I lost in the runoff. It was real close, though, y'all. It was real close. And during that time in undergrad, I was learning about all these powerful women that I had never learned about before. I was studying radio TV production. And I was thinking, how can I get the word out about all these amazing Black women that I did not and had not learned about previously? And so I thought, oh, I can do some PSAs. I can syndicate them to college radio stations. It would be great.
00:03:04
Speaker
That did not work, okay? So I decided in November 2009 that I would then just start my own show and play my own freaking commercials and then I can do whatever I want. And that is where I started. I started with the Anna Deshaun show. And so just been interviewing
00:03:21
Speaker
I started with Black queer folks that I wanted to center. And so the interviewing folks, gosh, for over a decade, it's been a passion project. And then a couple of months ago, I decided to quit my job because that happened. Come on. That happened because COVID happened and had to reevaluate my time, where I wanted to spend my energy, what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
00:03:44
Speaker
I know that this is what I want to do the best of my life. And I know it's what I'm called to do is radio. I feel like media can affect change and be a positive force when used for good. And I just want to do that all the time. That's so awesome that you say your calling and your passion is radio because we're now in a place where the radio has to evolve. And I heard you say that you can stream your radio station on a website.
Adapting to Digital and Curating Unique Playlists
00:04:09
Speaker
Tell us a little bit about how you continue to do radio and to stay relevant in a digital age.
00:04:14
Speaker
Yeah, it's hard. Everybody be like, so Anna, where can I listen to after? I'm like, it's radio. Do you listen? OK, I'm in Chicago, y'all. Do you listen to GCI on the man afterwards? You either catch the morning show or you miss the morning show. So that's where my head is sometimes, because I can be a little bit of a traditional listener that way. But I think it's important to recognize that podcasting
00:04:37
Speaker
is the evolution of what radio has been and still respecting both crafts and both arts for how awesome they both are in their own ways. So the show, after I run it live, I put it on SoundCloud, you know what I'm saying, for people to enjoy it. The radio station is on all the time. We've got playlists on Spotify that people can check out. We're trying to
00:05:01
Speaker
create a space where we are centering black, brown, and QTPOC folks and creatives and artists. So we have a trans, you know what I'm saying? Focused playlist, we've got a queer artist focused playlist, people of color focused playlist, and really just trying to introduce folks to artists that they haven't heard about before. There's a lot of good music out here, you know?
00:05:21
Speaker
Yeah, that's dope. Because I'm one of those people that now I have to get back. And I know it sounds crazy. I'm a DJ. But I play the same. You get into the groove of your same stuff. I'm your uncle's favorite DJ, so I'm playing either booty music or Mary J Blige. It really ain't no difference in what I'm doing there. But I do have to find new artists. Even inside of hip hop, I'm challenging myself to actually like some of the new artists that's out, even though Mumble Rap is not my thing.
00:05:51
Speaker
that part. But, and I, let's be clear, I have a team of folks who continue to introduce me to new music. And I love, like, let's be clear, if anybody gets in my car on any given day, it's going to be gospel music. Okay. I mean, that's just, that's your favorite music genre. 150%. Like it could be a range from Hezekiah to
00:06:16
Speaker
Jonathan McReynolds, you know, Kirk is always in rotation. I mean, I just, gospel music is just what I grew up on. So I'm listening to that anytime. But R&B and soul, hip hop, I mean, that's where it also started for me.
00:06:33
Speaker
And there's artists like Shay Diamond, who is a black trans woman, who is doing her thing. Her music is so good. She's got this track called American Pie. And Don't Shoot that we've been playing in high rotation. It just hits in a different way. I love it. Duran Bernard, right? You've probably seen him on BET. He used to sing. He sings back up right for Erykah Badu. Freaking amazing. He's hilarious, too. You should just check out it.
00:06:58
Speaker
His IG, you know, there's, there's a lot of artists out here who are doing their thing who are black and queer brown and queer even just black artists who just fly under the radar who aren't mainstream mainstream right but if you check out the YouTube they got followers they doing a thing that signs a really great labels. For example, Sam Henshaw.
00:07:18
Speaker
been enjoying his music. He got a track called Church, which makes sense because I do like Church. Yeah, you like Target Market B. I mean, he definitely did. But it's really good music. And it gets you going in the morning. Princess Nokia, for example, is another artist I've been really enjoying. We play in high rotation. So this is a lot of good stuff out here. And most people don't know where to find it.
00:07:42
Speaker
So you got to find a balance. And that's what we always try to do. We try to find a balance between what people like to hear, what they're used to hearing. I mean, Cardi B is always going to be in rotation. But we can mix Cardi B with someone you don't know. And you'd be like, oh, I should go check them out. And they need that type of exposure on a platform where that can happen.
00:08:03
Speaker
Yeah, and that's awesome that you're curating this on a constant basis, too. So it's like, hey, we can throw some local artists in there as well. Do you have a local focus with some Chicago artists? Or is it more regional based? What can people really look forward to hearing when they listen to E3?
00:08:19
Speaker
Yeah, we got Chicago's finest. So we've got a couple of times throughout the day, every single day, where we just play Chicago artists. Saba Pittavidge, Jamila Woods, No Name, that are only Chicago artists. Then we have a whole time during the day where it's the queer blackout, where we're only playing queer artists.
00:08:40
Speaker
But what you can expect is that it all feels like R&B, hip hop, soul vibes. Got you. Got you. That's the continue vibe just through different communities. That's right. We were just talking about this. So, OK, so we we listen on the website. Is there another place that we can
The Cube App Launch and Market Potential
00:08:56
Speaker
listen?
00:08:56
Speaker
Yeah, so today you listen on the website, so e3radio.fm. But the team and I, we've been working on this app for two years. And I'm crazy excited about it. And we're about to do this huge fundraising campaign starting in June, June 1st, to finish the app development and design. But the whole idea is that we need to make it easier for people to listen. And people stream audio from apps, period. And so we're going to develop an app that's going to be called the Cube, so Q-U-B-E.
00:09:25
Speaker
Come on, you know, E3, Q. You know what I'm saying? It's got to keep it in alignment. And we're curating music and podcasts by Black folks, brown folks, and QTPOC folks all in one place. We want to create this amazing hub where people can find new music and check out our playlists and support artists that look like them, sound like them, and music that they enjoy that they would have otherwise probably not found.
00:09:52
Speaker
Exactly. So for all of y'all that's listening out there and are interested in, you know, investing and helping a movement like this, you heard the fundraising campaign is going to start in June. So definitely click them links down in that bio and follow them on social. So, you know, we got a set, you know what I'm saying? Shameless plug.
00:10:11
Speaker
Hey, just a little shameless. It's been a labor of love, but so needed. Because after two years, you would think that maybe someone has created it already, someone's done it. But no one has made the investment. No one's invested in Black podcasters, brown podcasters, queer podcasters out here.
00:10:28
Speaker
And so we figured we can create an app, invest in them. There's going to be options to tip those creators inside the app, some options for those creatives to opt into our ad revenue sharing program. Like we want to put money in the pockets of creatives because they're not making money. Everybody just doing it out of a passion unless you picked up by a network or you're on some major distribution type of situation. So I think all of them deserve to get a little kickback.
00:10:57
Speaker
Yeah, and definitely advertisers are looking to target this audience anyway. So it's interesting to me that nobody's invested the time or the resources to shine a light onto this audience because it's a really lucrative subset of the population.
00:11:14
Speaker
I mean, gay people spend money on the extravagant outfits, extravagant experience. I just was thinking about how extravagant we have gotten out here in these streets, just as a baseline. Child, black people spend money. OK, brown people spend money. We all spend money. And no one is taking the energy to find out how to reach these folks. They're going through these huge marketing agencies or advertising agencies. And it's like this trickle down effect. I'm like, y'all, you got to go where people at.
00:11:43
Speaker
And so we can create a hub where people can find who they're looking for in one place. Yeah. That's what's up. That's what's up.
Challenges of Full-time Radio and Fundraising
00:11:52
Speaker
So how has it been transitioning out of COVID, out of your job, and doing all of this right now and going full force into your radio station? How is that working for you? Gee, I cried yesterday. OK. That's how it's going.
00:12:07
Speaker
Real talk. It's been awesome. It's been amazing. It's been a freedom that I have dreamt about for a really long time. But it's also stressful and lonely at times. And you feel your head up with all these other thoughts. And you've got to get back to your mindfulness exercises and remember where you started and remember what you've been called to do. So it's everything. It is all of that in one. This fundraising campaign, I've never raised money for myself before. I've never asked anybody for money.
00:12:37
Speaker
in this way. If anything, I've just always given back. So I've currently board president of Affinity Community Services, which is an organization here in Chicago serving Black LGBTQ folks, particularly Black queer women. And so I've been fundraising for them for years. It's easy for me to be like, yo, stop that Starbucks and get that $20 a month to Affinity. I've done that for a long time, but never for myself. And so getting over that,
00:13:05
Speaker
fear, getting over that anxiety and all of that, and just leading from a place of passion and, you know, just determination and tapping back into that. My sister friend, I mean, she just spoke so much life into me yesterday, like legit cried. Okay. And then you bounce back. And so
00:13:24
Speaker
That's how it's been. Yeah. Yeah. And I always, I mean, I've been an entrepreneur since I was a teenager as well. So that up and down people don't, people don't know, you know, it's really emotionally taxing to be like, yo, I just had a thousand dollar sale. And then a week pass and you're like, that, that's it. Ain't heard nothing else. Crickets. When is the next one coming?
00:13:48
Speaker
I'm over a decade in so I go in and out of the job you know market depending on what I'm trying to develop at the time but I've just come to accept the highs and the lows I'm like hey you gonna be busy but you should just appreciate the downtime because once it comes
00:14:06
Speaker
You know, you're going to be wanting to tap into that. Yeah. Because I can I think you're going to be pretty busy this summer. It sounds like with the fundraising campaign and getting everything going.
00:14:16
Speaker
this is my daily prayer, okay, that I'm busy. I'm doing my best to be in alignment with folks. It was so dope meeting you, right? Reaching out to you and just feeling like, oh man, this is an alignment. Like this is what I should be spending my time doing. Talking to people who are passionate about the same things I'm passionate about are, you know, in places in their life that I'm looking to be, you know, and meeting people where they're at and
00:14:44
Speaker
that part of this journey has been amazing. I've been able to talk to people, you know, at noon, you know, and it's not possible. Exactly. And that wasn't possible before.
00:14:57
Speaker
Yeah, that is totally what's up. And I can't wait to be a part of it like we were talking about. I'm going to be on the Cube. Hey. The Cube. Because when we first talked, I'm really looking to grow my audience in a different way and invest my time in podcasts and be serious 100% about this. And I'm working on my audience and doing all these different things. And it was so cool to meet somebody who's like, hey, I'm building a platform.
00:15:24
Speaker
for you to be able to do that and for other people to be able to, you know, enjoy your content. And, um, I've had some LGBTQ people on the show. It's just, it's just feels so good to, to have that shared amount of resources. You from Chicago. So, you know, anytime I'm home, we can go get some pizza posts and some guy rolls, you know, I'm here for that. Actually, I'm trying to make my way to LA. Okay. Yeah. Oh, for sure. For sure. And, uh, the food here, all of it is, I mean,
00:15:51
Speaker
I haven't met one restaurant where it was like, the food is gross. Even the bar food, the carts on the streets, man, everything. All of this good. Yeah. All right. I'm here for that. All of it. OK, so out of all of your years of doing the radio station, what has been the most rewarding part for you? What keeps bringing you back?
00:16:15
Speaker
People, right? So many years ago, I went to this sisterhood retreat. And it was right in the beginning of me starting the radio station and doing my own show and trying to figure everything out. And the sister leading the whole retreat, part of the exercises was determining what our definition of success was.
00:16:39
Speaker
Now, gee, everybody got their own definition of success, whether it's how much money you put in your pocket, how many people you're reaching. At that time, my determinative of success was how much money was going in my pocket, OK? Yeah, that's pretty much always mine.
00:16:55
Speaker
You know what I'm saying? So it was during that retreat when I realized and really talking through it like money ain't really the determinant of how I want to consider my success because that's depending on somebody else. Like I want to really build something that's sustainable that touches people and that means something to people and means something to the community.
Redefining Success and Radio's Authenticity
00:17:17
Speaker
I always want to do right by my community and by my people. And so I think some of the most beneficial and rewarding things in this journey has been people telling me that they tuned in and they felt seen or they felt centered or we interviewed somebody that
00:17:33
Speaker
they needed to hear from or who shared a resource that they went and were able to utilize that really helped and changed and impacted their life in some type of way. And that's happened more than I could have ever imagined in doing the show over the years. And that has kept me going. People telling me that what I'm doing has actually been meaningful to them.
00:17:58
Speaker
That's what's up. That's what's up in the field. That amount of validation is probably in, even when you want to cry, it's like, I got to keep it. I got to keep it going. It's what keeps me going. I tell you no lies. People, when they tell me, and I don't think I've seen anybody do what you're doing, not like this. Um, and then even after 10 or 11 years, I'm still shocked.
00:18:20
Speaker
that no one is caring to market to our people. What is wrong with y'all? Seriously, I was in corporate America over a decade, right? And I was certain that by the time I decided to do this full time that somebody would have taken the idea, run with it. There's plenty of queer celebrities with enough capital and enough bank.
00:18:40
Speaker
to have done something like that. Seriously. And still no one has done it. And it baffles my mind because we've seen it done in the past. We've seen the BET. They thought he was crazy, right? That was nuts, right? To cater just to black people or even radio one, which is now urban one with Kathy Hughes on what she's built. She did it.
00:19:04
Speaker
I used to work for Radio One, and that was an awesome experience. I just stopped working for Radio One in February, and it was by far my favorite job. Just working for a Black organization is different. You know what I mean? It hit different. Juneteenth, we was off. You know? It just hit different. You got to explain. You know them riots and all that stuff was happening. They sent us emails and was like, listen, don't do the vlog the end of the day. It's a lot. Yeah.
00:19:31
Speaker
I mean, that's a difference to be represented like that and then to be able to be doing business with the radio, the jocks.
00:19:39
Speaker
is why I did it. The personalities, the brands, you want to get them to work with the jocks to show them that you can use your influence. So I love the whole business of radio. Me too. I think it's one of the most authentic forms of media for a number of reasons. One, the main reason is in most cases, you can't see the person. So it is truly about what they're reporting on, not what you're looking at. And in the beginning when I was an undergrad, that's really how I fell in love with radio because
00:20:09
Speaker
I want to do ESPN. I wanted to be the next Robin Roberts doing play-by-play announcing. That's what I was doing all in undergrad, doing the basketball games. I even did a football game, and I knew that's not what I wanted to do, OK? That was way too long. I could not talk about another sport. I can't come and take that all. I got to be like, first quarter, 55. No, I'm into everything, G. Especially if I got my glasses on. I ain't put my contacts in. It's a no-go. You've no-go.
00:20:37
Speaker
I loved it. It was great. But I was like, y'all trying to put makeup on me and make me look a certain way and how and the perceptions of what they think we supposed to be looking. I was like, this is not for me. And and media has shown that that ain't what's trending. OK, you can't tell me.
00:20:59
Speaker
to anyone outside of ESPN, that's a woman who is masking in a center that is on television right now, on Main Street television. It just does not exist. And I got an opportunity to work at a radio station and turn on Tom Joyner in the morning. And I was like, oh.
00:21:14
Speaker
People were calling in and said, hey, it's great to hear you in this morning. And I was like, you tell me I can sit here in my pajamas and talk to thousands of people. And still get my message across and not have to be seen or have to finish anybody's standards of what they think I should be looking like. Oh, I'm here for this. I'm here for
Digital Media Transition and Global Reach
00:21:30
Speaker
this. Oh, that's the best part for me too. Now that I'm DJing on the internet, girl, it's going to be hard to get me back at them events. I'm busy is looking real slim because this is
00:21:44
Speaker
This is the life. I mean, we turn on the mics, even though you might have one or two tech issues. But we met. And we're from Chicago. We never meet in Chicago. We met on the internet. On the internet, OK? And this is what I've known about the internet for such a long time, the power to reach anybody in the whole world while you sit in your one location.
00:22:07
Speaker
There's nothing more powerful than that. We just had a station here in Chicago, 91.5, actually switched from being on FM to going online only. She was like, it's a black-owned woman station. And she was like, why am I spending money on this? Why am I trying to mess around with the FCC? Why am I going through these hoops to try to fit their mold? And I can just go online and reach out.
00:22:29
Speaker
Just as many, if not more people. You can say what you want to say. You can say what you want to say. If you're online, you can open it up to online betting if you want to do CBD. I mean, just the amount of advertisers, because I also think about that part of it. As I'm building my podcast now to be monetized at some point, it's like, this is the best. I got it on every logo on the bottom of the screen. I can say what I want to say there.
00:22:54
Speaker
I can say whatever I want to say, it can be mature audiences only. It can be the experience that I want it to be. And that's never been a thing. That's right. Joe Budden is out here. I mean, I subscribe to him on Patreon. And I had never listened to another fucking podcast of Joe Budden. And I want to say this because I advocate for him. I actually like him now. Really? I only listen to his Patreon stuff. And it's the behind the scenes, unedited. Because I wanted to see.
00:23:24
Speaker
I'm gonna give him $25 a month to see how he has built this podcast into that business that it is. Yeah.
00:23:32
Speaker
He's showing the backstory. He got the documentary, all of that. And I'm honestly a fan now. It really blows my mind. I don't never listen to the podcast. Because the podcast is mad long. Gee, I'm not listening for three hours. It's just not half. I don't have three continuous hours to give to Joe Budden, his fans, or pop culture, none of that. At most, the e-book that long. But his little one hour pre-pod talks.
00:23:58
Speaker
I can digest that. So he gave me an option and I'm literally paying for less content. How about that? Ain't that something? It's crazy. I was just on a collective call with some queer podcasters on Sunday. And they were talking about the Patreon content that they're putting out there and how they're doing, like what you said, shorter form, but exclusive behind the scenes content, what they're creating. And it's really been working for them.
00:24:26
Speaker
And clearly it's working for Joe Button, because they got you, Trace. He got me in 25. And I'll just be like, I'm really paying this dude 25. And here's the thing. I also want to see how he's doing the Patreon thing, because for a long time coming, creatives have been needing to band together and do
00:24:44
Speaker
a better job of bargaining on their own behalf, you know?
Monetizing Podcasts and E3 Radio's 2021 Goals
00:24:49
Speaker
And that's why I respect Joe Button is because he's willing to say, I'm not taking no deal. That Patreon deal ain't no deal. He's actually influencing the company. You know what I mean? Like giving him some kind of compensation.
00:25:03
Speaker
But it's because he's a part of the leadership and a part of the plan at this point. That's the most respectable move for me. So like I said, him doing that made me a fan. Now you're going to let him know this. I'm telling you, go listen. He got them little backstage little things called Journey talking about how he was turning away the deals and how it became what it became and when he knew it was time to shift. But they're sponsored by Cash App. I'm interested in all of those things.
00:25:34
Speaker
Absolutely. Let's be very clear of why I'm on this microphone. Versorship is why I'm here. That's right. I got hella stuff in my life that is like this. Hi, Crunchy Curls. And my homie brought these from Chicago, too, because they only sell these in LA. This is a rarity. That is. That's funny. Let's see what I got over here. Who sent me some? Burt B's.
00:26:01
Speaker
I'm pretty certain they're owned by Clorox. Shut up. See, look at you. You're like, yeah, nah. Yeah. And no, Clorox is owned by somebody else. Ain't it Procter and Gamble? Procter and Gamble. It all goes back to the top. 5%. So we should just go after them. Damn. It's like, why even mess with the brands? Just be like, all right, what can I sell? A lighter? I'm good with that. I'd be grateful for 20, and the lighter would have been perfect. See? Yeah, yeah. OK, so.
00:26:29
Speaker
So what tell me tell me what on your 2021 plan is like the number one thing other than the app, whether it be content based or it be like another thing that you're going to add to the station. What are you looking forward to here? We had three main goals this year. I always do a
00:26:49
Speaker
like a town hall with the team at the beginning of the year where we outline what our goals are and what we're looking at achieve. And there's three things we're working on listener acquisition, the cube and a sales pipeline, because for 10 years, this was a passion project and
00:27:05
Speaker
Last year was the first year we really started going after sponsors and advertisers and the money piece of things as it really began to feel like I was ready for that transition. And so if I had to choose one thing, it's really just letting as many people know that E3 Radio exists as humanly possible. I'm trying to tell the world that this exists and that we're a platform that is centering who we're centering.
00:27:35
Speaker
and the up listenership by at least 5%. That's my goal. That's probably my next main goal. Yeah. That was very detailed. Most people, you're like, what's your goal? And they're like, uh, maybe like you were like, I have three thrusts that I am working on. This is where I'm going. Oh yeah, absolutely. It's so funny. My friends be like, Anna, you set a goal and then you just go after.
00:27:58
Speaker
I have to have something I'm working towards. And I don't know if that's just like the former athlete in me, like what are we going for? We're trying to win a championship. You know, we've got to work hard. We've got to do to get where we're trying to go. And it's in me. I don't know if it's the Virgo in me, but I have to have something that I'm looking to attain. I see my board back here. I'm forever writing.
00:28:19
Speaker
up there making sure we're on pace and thinking things out of my head, you know, taking it out of my head and onto something. But it's just really important because you can get very lost.
00:28:30
Speaker
out here doing your thing, you can get really caught up in what other people are doing. Social media will suck you in and make you think that what you're doing, okay, you leave, you came in feeling happy, leave feeling deprecated, like, I'm not doing enough.
00:28:50
Speaker
Focusing on yourself and your goals is just so key because that will help to reach whatever goal and get to wherever you're trying to go versus trying to compare yourself to what other people are doing. Their journey is not your journey. Your journey is your own, right?
00:29:05
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. That's what's up, man. This is just like all good vibes and you got goals. You out here doing the radio. You know what you're doing. You know what your next biggest hurdle is. So at the end of the day, where do you see E3 radio where it's like, this is it. This is the moment where I know I've made it.
Long-term Vision and Entrepreneurial Insights
00:29:28
Speaker
When I'm no longer involved, I'm trying to build a business. One of the most profound things I ever heard in all these business workshops I've ever gone to in my life was a business owner said, I don't want you to think about today. I want you to think about the end. What do you want your business to be in the end? Because that'll determine what you choose to do today. And I left that like, hmm.
00:29:58
Speaker
At the time, I did not know what I wanted it to be in the end. But I'm very clear now that E3 Radio is bigger than me, that I want this in the end to be something where I don't have to be involved, that other people are running this institution that is curating the dopest Black, Brown, and QTPOC artists, creators, podcasters, musicians,
00:30:25
Speaker
There's E3 TV, there's E3 radio, there's E3 media group. There's the cube. It's bigger than me. That it lives on long past this physical body I got. That it becomes a place where people can turn to and a place that they trust for good content, good music, good podcasts. And so in the end, that's what it looks like to me.
00:30:47
Speaker
That's what's up. Would you ever get to selling it? And this is the entrepreneurship moment for me. Because I always think about business, right? It's like, dang, do I want to do this forever? And I do, because I'm in it for the love of the game. I can tell you love it as much as I love it. But at what point is it like, let's go get a house in St. Croix? Jean.
00:31:12
Speaker
ASAP, okay? I mean, the House of St. Croix, the selling of the business, not so much. And even now, I've had people say like, so are you looking for investors for the cube? And, you know, things like that. And the answer right now is no, I want to nourish these things. And I want to see what it's going to happen, what it's going to become. And
00:31:35
Speaker
I'm not going to allow anybody else to put a value on what we're creating right now, because that's not the value in which it will be. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I think there is, I've seen success in people selling their companies and then going and nurturing other businesses. So for other people. And so I'm really also passionate about
00:32:00
Speaker
allowing other people's dreams to come true. I love the idea of being able to have the finances to invest in somebody else. And that's the only benefit I could see of maybe one day selling this institution is only so that I can grow other people's
00:32:18
Speaker
dreams. Exactly. So other people's dreams come true. That's the only benefit I could see. Otherwise, it's just going to always be mad. Yeah, I'm in love with the process. That's why I'm like, even if I sell a business or be done with the idea, I know I'm going to come up with something else and be in love with building it from the ground up and getting people excited about it. And you know, I got so many ideas and it's been amazing since I quit my corporate job. The
00:32:47
Speaker
the brain space that was opened up to me and all of the creative ideas and dreams, things just have randomly been coming to me. And I'll be like, wife, what you think of that? It's like, I ain't ever heard of that before. I'm like, hmm, let's go ahead and get this LLC real quick. Why? It's $150. And then let's go get this domain name real quick and let's just hold it for a minute. And then we're going to circle back to that. Okay.
00:33:11
Speaker
Yeah. And if not, then whatever. We only lost what, $23 on GoDaddy? $150 at the cheesecake factory. Okay. And so, and that's the difference, right? That's the difference in mindsets between people who are looking out to build business and to build wealth and not just trying to get a rich scream or anything like that. Or, you know, I'm thinking like,
00:33:35
Speaker
Let's go do some stuff that is going to make us legally binding here and protect us real quick. And then let's circle back to that idea. I learned that from some of my past bosses. I've worked at startups. And talking to them, they hustle. Do you like that?
00:33:55
Speaker
Yeah, these white guys, they were hustlers. You know what I'm saying? They sold three companies, OK? And they have so many domains. And I'm going to tell this story. One of the owners, he passed away, and it was kind of sudden. It was extremely sad a few years ago. And the other owner, they were all really good friends. He was telling this story at his services, just like, I bought this domain name.
00:34:21
Speaker
because he told me to. And I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with it. They had a laundry list of domains and ideas that they had, that they hadn't just gotten around to yet. And that's what I'm trying to do. And that's what I'm trying to do. You can broker domains. You can just be like, all right, cool. I had the idea. I got the domain. Now I can sell it to you for $1,500. Hello. And I bought it for $1,199. Hello. On the Black Friday sale. That part.
00:34:51
Speaker
All the ways that you can make money out here that people don't know about, right? Yeah, that's cool. GoDaddy is really big on that.
00:34:58
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And especially if you can think of awesome porn sites. If you can do that, I mean, you can make a killing. Because people will buy them domains. They sure will. They're like, no. They ain't already thought of. That's right. They're like, hold on. That's the one I want. No, there's no other option. All right? All right. I'm telling you, man, I was on there one time just searching. I'm thinking, let me try this. Let me put an S in front of this. Let me do this.
00:35:25
Speaker
I couldn't figure out nothing. But if you could hit the jackpot, that's a jackpot. It is. We just dropped some gems on y'all. Right. Come on, get on, go, Daddy, and just buy some domains that's worth something. They tell you how much they worth. Yeah, it do. Yeah, awesome, awesome. All right, so before we go, give us the pitch. If you are an advertiser, what would you tell an advertiser? What would you tell a potential listener? And just give us a little bit of why we should eat three.
00:35:55
Speaker
Hey, well, why you should eat three? Man, there's so many reasons why you should eat three. I know, I know. But we reach Black queer women between the ages of 25 and 44. This is a group of people who not only have buying power, but are loyal as hell.
00:36:16
Speaker
And they need to be catered to and centered. And that is not happening absolutely anywhere. And we're offering this space to them. And they tune in every single day. Come on. Every single month, OK? We got mad space and different opportunities for you, right? Because you can listen online. We've got our social media presence. And now, in just a few months, we're going to have an at presence as well.
00:36:44
Speaker
And so the opportunity for growth of your own brand, the opportunity for your growth of your own music, there's no better place than to grow with us. That is what's up. Come on, you better talk about that demographic and how they got money. Hey, they got expendable income, okay? Aunties, that's what your auntie give you the best gifts all the time, right? Every rip. I love my auntie's baskets.
00:37:10
Speaker
There you go. You know they got a break. Thank you so much, Anna, for joining us and spending some time with us. I'm definitely going to be on the queue whenever it drops. Let me know how we can be a part of it. If y'all want to come back on this show and do anything with that, I'm always down for that.
00:37:30
Speaker
Thank you so much, man. You've been so great. I mean, since the first time we talked, I mean, it's just been love the whole time. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast. And I can't wait to get you on the station too with your mixes and all the good things that you do. I mean, you hella talented. So it's just good to be in the company of good people. Yes. And we are definitely going to keep it going. So we'll see you soon. Yes, please. Thank you. All right.
00:38:00
Speaker
All right, y'all definitely listen to E3 Radio. If you are in your car, don't look down, but just know that it's in the description below. If you are listening on any social media, please like, share, tag, tell your friends about it. This has been episode nine of What the Pod. Come back next week to see what podcast is up next. My name is DJ Tresi Tres, and I will see y'all soon.