NO(LA) Reservations

Big changes coming soon! Stay mf tuned ya'll cause it's finna be dope 🤫

In 2014, Jacob Robinson moved to New Orleans to launch his career in Sales and spent four years learning to sell at two New Orleans-based startups. In 2018, he moved back to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio to find a new way to apply his Sales superpowers to a cause, which led him to join Venture For America (VFA) as a recruiter. VFA is a nonprofit that helps recent graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs launch their careers in tech and startup businesses. In 2020, Jacob, who is also a VFA alumnus, helped recruit VFA’s largest and most diverse class to date. He's excited to have returned to New Orleans to launch Skillz Academy and teach New Orleanians how Sales can be a life changing career. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees for his high school, has been a mentor with Son of a Saint, and is a Duke University alum (#GTHC).

Theme Song: Solo - Frank Ocean

Peep our thoughts and reflections from my last chat with Victoria Adams Phipps here!

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Shoutouts from this episode:

Guest: Jacob Robinson - LI

Set: Mr Wolf Espresso and Books (Shoutout for being our official location sponsor! Welcome to the fam Mr Wolf! 🎉) - Site, IG

Libations: Exclave Spirits - Site, IG

Entrepreneurship:

Education:

Social Impact:

Technology:

Reading: 

After a well-deserved Mardi Gras hiatus, we back at it again with another episode of NO(LA) Reservations!

Victoria Adams Phipps has spent her life pursuing a passion sparked in her heart back when she was a child growing up in Miami. Something stuck as she listened to her father and grandmother reminisce about the neighborhood she grew up in before it was ... "remodeled" into a completely unfamiliar world. The gears kept turning as she was dragged behind her father to attend all of his important community org meetings. Victoria knew that her ministry was called to the work of economic development, naturally centering Black and Brown communities (Gotta love that ✊🏽). Victoria is an impact strategist who was pivotal in solidifying New Orleans’ status as a hub of entrepreneurial activity. She currently serves as the Vice President of Engagements and Impact at Fourth Economy, an innovative consultancy focused on fostering action to create great communities, impactful organizations, and strong economies. I was honored to have Victoria join me back at Mr Wolf to share her journey, her vision for the future, and some truly priceless insight on what it looks like to give more than take from our cities.

Theme Song: That's Folks - Mykki Blanco feat. Big Freedia

Check out our last blog on my chat with Adrian Mendez here!

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Shoutouts from this episode:

Guest: Victoria Adams Phipps - IG, LI

Set: Mr Wolf Espresso and Books - Site, IG

Libations: Exclave Spirits - Site, IG

Community and Economic Development:

Adrian Mendez has worn, and continues to wear, many hats on a day to day basis. He is also by no means a stranger to the game, as his track record for moving the needle and setting things in motion speaks for itself. Throughout his career, he has created impact across every industry you can think of: education, consulting, hospitality, entrepreneurship ... you name it, he did it. More captivating than the multiple lives he juggles regularly is the story that brought him here (here being a multi-entendre referring to New Orleans, the Food and Beverage industry, this point of success he's reached, etc.) I sat down with Adrian for a discussion recorded live during a special event held at Mr. Wolf Espresso and Bookstore in the CBD to learn more about his never-ending support for his communities and his story of resilience, passion, optimism, and determination.

Join us for our first episode of the NO(LA) Reservations Podcast!

Theme Song: Tank and the Bangas - To Be Real

After the episode, check out our Blog on Medium here!

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Shoutouts from this episode:

Guest: Adrian Mendez - IG

Set: Mr. Wolf Espresso and Books - Site, IG

Libations: Exclave Spirits (official sponsor of NO(LA) Reservations 🙌🏽) - Site, IG

Food & Spirit:

Education: 

Welcome to NO(LA) Reservations (previously known as "Taking Back the Block: Conversations on Rebuilding)!!!! I'm your host, Travis Smith, and I'm an aspiring entrepreneur working at an education consulting nonprofit in New Orleans. This podcast is a conversation on how entrepreneurs across the country, focusing mainly on New Orleans, can help remove barriers to success for minority founders and startup leaders in a post-pandemic environment.

In our premiere episode, I sit down with Ann Marshall Tilton (even though I called her just Ann throughout the podcast, sorry girl) from the Lepage Center at Tulane University. Her main project this past year was the Greater New Orleans (GNO) Startup Report that presented some findings and insights around the previous year's impacts on local founders' goals going into 2020. Check out the GNO Startup Report here.