What is it that Casey Richardson is bringing access to information, community and financing Black female entrepreneurs
Learn about the methods Casey Richardson used her experience of tech-related financing to form BLAZE Group and empower a group made up of Black women entrepreneurs.
A year and a half ago, the lifestyle of Ariel Richardson was completely different. Ariel Richardson was from the California's Bay Area and worked for Bank of America, structuring large-scale loans to tech companies. She soon realized that she was the only Black female on the team. For the entire ten years being employed in finance, she never receive any cash from any Black firm.
"It caused me to recognize that it wasn't just the wisdom was not reaching my people and that also the wisdom didn't reach my people," Casey recalls.
In the month of October, 2020 Casey took a decision to reconsider her decision.
Following her experience in finance for businesses, technology firms and financial institutions, she came to the choice to leave her 9-to-5 job and start her own company called the BLAZE Group -- building leaders and accepting the fact that there are no excuses for offering education, mentoring and a support program to communities that have been historically excluded that are comprised of Black female entrepreneurs.
by 2023. BLAZE Group is a firm which BLAZE Group offers online courses using Blaze Knowledge Academy. Blaze Knowledge Academy, group coaching and an online community that is popular as an application for in-person retreats, and the bi-annual summit-style virtual summit and the exclusive research carried out by Casey and her group of international experts.
What did she accomplish in only two years? This was due to formulating solutions for specific needs that weren't being met with the intention of creating audience groups, as well as selecting the best equipment and the appropriate personnel.
From the expert in corporate finance to the most ingenuous businessman
Prior to making the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, Casey was a finance specialist, who wrote large-scale loans for businesses that worked with the latest technology. She was an expert in advanced technology is a benefit, but she could see a gap between her colleagues as well as the companies which they helped to fund. "I was the sole Black female in the group. This was a message to the world that although I was educated however, my personal experience as well as my own experiences were not part of my "community."
Black females are the majority of entrepreneurs in the United States -- but just 3 percent own "mature" enterprises, and the vast majority of entrepreneurs fund their startups by utilizing capital. It's clear that there's a difference in terms of funding as well as the various alternatives that are available to Black women entrepreneurs when measured with white males.
In the summer of 2000, Casey was a participant at protests against the use of force by police. The sense of belonging she felt as well as the determination that she experienced did not appear in her day routine. "I felt more motivated to voice my displeasure than what I've never experienced when it comes to sexuality," she says. "I found myself rubbing shoulders with people that were courageous and courageous enough to make decisions that could have a ripple effect across the globe."
At the end of October she came to an agreement to end the process for the finance department of the company and not for the fact that she had achieved success, but nevertheless, because she was extremely accomplished thanks to her successes. How else could be used to benefit from her experience? What else could she do? Use her experience in the field of finance and technology to assist others Black women succeed?
"I'm very comfortable within the walls. However, I would put money in my pocket every day, hoping to buy more of the world. So I quit."
The company was terminated. She relocated to Africa and began establishing BLAZE Group, a location-independent company which lets Black women from all over the globe to accomplish similar things.
BLAZE Grupo is a company with a special attention to entrepreneurs during the initial 3 years after creating a company. This is what phase Casey calls"the "entrepreneurial stage."
"BLAZE aids clients to understand the best way to manage their business in a way to run the business. This is made possible by technology-powered solutions. We're among them." she says.
In order to meet the requirements of this section, Casey had to build authentic relationships to them.
What are your top motives to start an email list of your own (and what is the most effective way to begin?)
Casey was aware that she wanted to start an online course that focused on business-related educational excellence from the starting, however it was vital to create an online presence prior to when she could launch her first product.
Casey decided to make sure that she doesn't commit the same mistakes that she made when she introduced the first BLAZE product. Therefore, she made the initial steps in creating an audience, with a specific goal to think about. The aim was to construct a database of email addresses.
What is the difference between people who email and those who utilize social networking sites? "I knew that I was required to establish and maintain personal relationships with myself," explained Casey.
"On Instagram, you don't possess the ability to regulate the relationship. You don't know which email address their account has as well as if the handle shifts, it's better to have a clue of the handle they currently have," Casey says.
"I am looking to develop relations with people and be frequently on their radar in order to build confidence and image for the brand."
Are you interested in learning more about her present network?
15 minutes of discovery calls in which she explains her interest in the segment
1. Contacting her contacts currently
There's a wealth of knowledge available on how to boost the number of followers on your site, but the majority of designers believe that their initial customers will be people who have not heard of their website on social media. If you can develop your strategy completely from scratch, then there's a huge chance to get help from family members and even friends! your family!
Casey reached out to everyone in her circle of friends to let them know that she was creating an email to promote business. She asked for their approval to be a part of the mailing list.
"I started by looking through my most recent text messages. I also looked through my Instagram tweets as well as DMs... I set a clock and followed it by going through as many of them I could, in 5-minute intervals" she said.
Many family members as well in friends have been influenced through Casey and her ideas at the early stages of her effort to create an email database. It may be ready for the launch.
2. Discover calls of 15 minutes are made to the audience you'd like to speak to.
One of the best methods to connect with the people you meet is through speaking to them.
Casey posted a message via her social media in which she revealed she's created an online course that was designed to help Black women to gain a deeper understanding of business. "If you'd like me talk with you for fifteen minutes or are concerned, please contact me," she said.
The woman was aware that those they talked about targeted her specific segment of Black women interested in business opportunities.
Instead of arguing about the contents of the course , and selling her own courses Casey answered questions such as "What keep you awake until midnight? Which is the most fearsome anxiety you've ever had? When you reach the end of the year What would you prefer to be?" It was a chance to make sure that women felt appreciated and valued. Additionally, she was aware that she was the primary concern which needed to be addressed with within the materials that were provided to the students.
"Just giving the space a feeling of at ease is among the most important factors that may influence."
"By the end of a lot of these phone calls clients were seeking answers to questions like "Can I download the software right away? What should I purchase?" Casey remembers. The initial phase of development was part of the course but she collected the names of students' email addresses, and told them she would update them as soon as the course launched.
After the course was completed the course was made accessible to an email list that was built using two different ways. "There already was excitement in the people who joined. Everyone was eager to sign up."
What was the significance? The 80 percent of women they spoke to during the first phone call later became customers.
Two years later, Casey still offers free consultation to clients to understand the methods she utilizes to market and sales. Clients who are interested in learning more about Blaze Business Intensive. Blaze Business Intensive is a great option and you may like to schedule an time to attend the no-cost Perfect Fit call for an interview with Casey.
"On average, there are five follow-ups before concluding an agreement. I believe that most people do not know this," claims Casey. "I do these calls in order to aid in closing the deal."
Using the right equipment along having the appropriate staff will help Casey in growing her business.
Presently, BLAZE offers online courses along with masterclasses and classes for groups, with an online community. webinars and TablexTribe, a TablexTribe application for mobile devices and the annual conference online (a 2022 Webby Award winner to recognize the very top of the best in the fields of Business and Finance), in addition to exclusive research.
How will she be able to handle each of these things with such determination and dedication?
Casey is in touch with an international organization which will aid her in the expansion of different areas of her firm which include:
Blogger and Content Marketer, with their headquarters in Nigeria
A junior consultant with his base in London
Production manager and Brand Manager (her boyfriend!) who grew the BLAZE group that was added the Instagram by 1300 people during the month of May, which ended the month of May. Then, it was able to reach more than 70,000 people before the end of 2023.
Executive assistant, originated from Kenya
Analyst in research, who has written research papers in a variety of industries. Additionally, she has assisted BLAZE discover new clients who require consultation.
Production assistant at the semi-annual annual Blaze Virtual Summit
The recruiter doesn't only look for new employees. The recruiter also makes it the goal to hire equipment.
"I use tools with incredible speed." Casey laughs. "And I like it because it's why I have this speed."
Revenue growth isn't necessarily a sign that your company is growing especially those who are investing greater effort or purchasing more equipment to maintain the increase.
"The increase in revenue should not be your primary purpose," explains Casey. "If your spending is increasing money at the same time that the revenues are increasing, then your costs of operating isn't in any way affected."
"Scale is the term that is used to identify when you're able to boost your earnings while the amount and cost you invest do not change dramatically."
The previous experience with technology was a learning experience for Casey that tools that don't require programming can be very efficient such as integrations and automations. When she founded BLAZE Group, she leveraged the no-cost, low-cost tools like Zapier to make sure that the entire process went off without issue.
What Casey utilizes to teach her classes are the online communities, her downloads and the communities.
" was the first application I had to use to sell services in a huge size," Casey shares.
This technique gives Casey "more space to focus on the other issues that matter," such as the private sessions she arranges with those she's drawn to.
Casey is the creator of her very first digital item, dubbed Blaze. Blaze Business extensive online course that features . This course is self-paced, and runs for 6 weeks that focus specifically on "Business creation, Management of Business and Business Innovation for today's Black Woman."
"It was uncoded in its entirety. The course was developed by me during the time we conducted 14 days of test tests to determine if it was suitable for trial purpose," Casey remembers. "I created all the course within that time period before I began selling it after the trial had ended in order to sell it as soon as it was ready to go on sale."
(Want to follow the success of Casey's career? Join our no-cost program during the duration of time it takes you to get the course materials installed, after which you'll be able to upgrade the plan when you're ready for marketing.)
The class is provided as part of the Blaze Knowledge Academy which includes a number of resources for business education Casey has created for her website. The Academy hosts:
Numerous entrepreneurship masterclasses. Many of them, are free
Her online community is known as"the Blaze Women's Network has more than 7700 members
"People can choose to being part of"the Blaze Women's Network absolutely at no cost," Casey explains. Virtual coworking refers to the services we provide along with our webinars and then directing users to paid-for classes."
In addition to introducing customers to helpful items, Casey's Community provides members a welcoming and supportive area to network with fellow founders.
"It was the conventional belief that the content of the world was the supreme King. This is changing to the belief"that "community is the king. There are many users looking for applications that are specifically focused on the community... in addition, applications that aren't deemed as spam seem to be genuine."
Her experiences with the program has given Casey with some ideas for how to utilize an application that does not require code. "You are able to build a system which is flexible and allows me to create end-to-end solutions using your system," Casey explains. "And I've utilized this scorecard in order to analyze the software I'm using so that I can improve the functionality of your platform."
"It is truly a wonderful idea to think of ways to alter the course of the world in ways which are cost-effective and easy to access for those who are in need today."
Try not to tackle everything simultaneously
Each and every success Casey made in the space of just 2 years was she was the CEO of BLAZE as well as BLAZE as BLAZE was the BLAZE brand. Her advice for brand new musicians might come off as a shocker Make sure to make a lesser initial effort and, if you can, before beginning to play.
"Keep your primary objective at the forefront of your thoughts, because that's the thing that's most important" she writes. The Hustle culture helps entrepreneurs who are just beginning their journey to recognize there are many things to complete or creation of content. Yet, Casey recommends that all creators understand that "There's only one limit on the tasks you're able to accomplish, regardless of how skilled you may be."
"You do not have to master everything in the beginning. It's difficult to master everything right from the beginning of your journey."
It is recommended to start with a signature deal before developing on this. "I first started by taking an Blaze Intensive, my first course. This is the primary class I'm taking. Entrepreneurs must figure out what distinguishes the services they offer in addition to the types of services they want to be recognized for, before they can introduce a wide range of other offerings."
There's lots to take into consideration in the beginning, starting with your message and the people you're hoping to reach along with technologies like customer service, marketing and much more. After you've finished your project? You'll have the chance to take on a variety of things.
"I am certain that we'll succeed in achieving amazing feats. Maybe in 200 years. Since Blaze continues to be the game. This doesn't mean it should not happen immediately."
We're thrilled to be integral to the Casey story, and we're excited to find out what the next steps are for Casey and BLAZE Group. BLAZE Group will be in the year 2000, in from now as well as every day through every day of.
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