Moving the Needle

Today we're sharing an episode of a podcast that shares our mission to move the needle - Inside Impact with Alisa Herr.

Christopher Gergen's first entrepreneurial venture—a coffee shop bar in Santiago, Chile—was impactful, but more impactful was the man who walked in and introduced himself as a "cultural entrepreneur." In this episode, hear how that first project inspired him to support founders and transform entrepreneurship in the Triangle as a Founding Partner of Forward Impact Solutions.

Inside Impact is hosted by Unity Web Agency CEO Alisa Herr and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

When you’re running a small business, you’ll take all the resources you can get, especially access to capital. But many founders have no idea where to begin to look for funding and wouldn’t even think to look at the federal government. But America’s Seed Fund, the small business innovation research program, now distributes over $4 BILLION a year to over 4000 small businesses across the United States.

Jennifer Shieh is the Director of Ecosystem Development at the United States Small Business Administration.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

As we talk about the racial wealth gap it’s critical to highlight the importance of owning assets.  At the end of 2020, 44% of Black Americans owned their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, compared with almost 75% of White Americans. That’s an unconscionable difference.  One of the ways to build generational wealth is through owning assets like land, a home, or even retail property. 

Today we talk to someone who’s making it happen. As CEO of Chicago Trend, Lyneir Richardson is creating new ownership opportunities within majority communities of color.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Tracy Palandjian is moving the needle. She's the CEO of Social Finance, a national impact finance and advisory nonprofit that has mobilized $350 million in new investments designed to help 45,000 people realize improved outcomes in education, economic mobility, health, and housing.

Earlier this year, Social Finance partnered with Google on $100M innovative investment program that will upskill and place 20,000 Americans in good jobs and drive $1 billion in wage gains over the next 10 years.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Median Black wealth is 12 times less than median White wealth, and it is estimated that median Black wealth by 2053 will be zero.

Our guest today is Aaron Walker, CEO of Camelback Ventures based in New Orleans.  Camelback’s mission is to increase access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in their funding.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield. Trailer and this episode are edited and produced by The Aspen Institute.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

On the first episode of Moving the Needle, we are thrilled to bring you Harold Martin, the esteemed Chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University.

One of the greatest opportunities to improve economic mobility and generate wealth is quality education.  Today, we talk about why Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in general - and NC A&T specifically - are national assets worthy of investment, providing returns to our nation that cannot be replicated or replaced.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield, and is produced by Earfluence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live Oak Bank is on a mission to be America's small business bank and has the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. These small business owners aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like Live Oak.
• SHRM has created better workplaces by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the world of work and society. It’s why they developed the Together Forward@ Work initiative to drive racial inequity out of the workplace. It’s why SHRM made a capital commitment to support minority-owned business enterprises.

If you like our podcast, you'll also like our books:

• The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans, by Johnathan Holifield
• Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

Welcome to Moving the Needle, a fresh new podcast that explores how innovators and problem solvers are doing transformative work in cities and rural communities to create new pathways for generational wealth creation. Our goal is to lift up solutions that are giving us hope and light the way for policy makers, community leaders, philanthropists, private investors, and engaged citizens who care about equity and economic impact.

Basically, this is a podcast about needle moving sh!t.

Moving the Needle is hosted by Christopher Gergen & Johnathan Holifield. Trailer and episode 1 edited and produced by The Aspen Institute.