Patience is a virtue! Charles and Shireen kick off episode 5 talking about delayed gratification. Charles has been curating events celebrating community and women, but none of it has been on his time. Shireen said this is a season of tests for Charles, she believes God wants to see how Charles will do trusting other people to take the lead(0:42-2:45). Theres other sides to Charles aside from the fun-loving life of the party persona. He used to treat his now-flourishing businesses as hobbies and side hustles. He has a great business mind and a creative one, he just had to learn how to apply strategies to both. He wasn't always this organized and focused, but Charles' older brother was his idol, so he pushed himself to secure a college scholarship(3:20-7:15). Charles' first R&B Houseparty was at his frat house. He was discovering new passions but had to put them on the back burner so he could develop a new skill set at his finance operations job. He later realized how crucial those skills would be in his own business building. Shireen helped him land a recruiter job but Charles was horrible at it. He worked so hard and felt like he was learning but couldn't execute properly. They actually got married on the same date that Charles got let go from that job, because he wanted to turn that negative into a positive. His only regret was calling out after he made a mistake, saying if he had gotten in front of it, he could've had more time to prep for the job he really wanted(9:05-13:20). Shireen saw Charles lose steam and ambition, facing rejection after rejection. Shireen handled all his job applications during that year. Charles says he spoils her now for how she held him down in the trenches. Charles' brother reminded him that if he had a passion, the money would come(easy for someone with money to say!). Charles took a recruiting job with less salary but he loved it. Ambition returned when the passion was nurtutred(14:02-19:05). Charles honed in on the skills he learned from finance and runs a tight ship. Now Shireen says he's a bit OCD and she's figuring out how to be supportive. Charles claims that Shireen is his soundboard and he's not as powerful without her. There are a bunch of conversations between them before Charles pitches anything. He spends a lot of time micromanaging and has a tough time with disappointment. He's been able to plan the last 4years of his life, getting comfortable with uncomfortable conversations at work. While working at Facebook/Meta, he learned to appreciate feedback(19:35-24:11). Shireen says she approaches feedback with radical candor and empathy by focusing on the issue, not criticism of the person. The pandemic softened Charles professionally and made him more empathetic. They both work in tech and know how fickle that industry is, so they lead with empathy and stay prayerful. The skill building jobs that required patience, are what helped them have successful businesses. Every job set them up for the next. Shireen believes you can pitch yourself while still figuring yourself out. Charles says shooters shoot and advises not to fear hearing "no's". Lean in and stay the course, manifestation is real(24:53-33:10).