The TrepTECH podcast is here to prove business doesn’t have to be serious all the time. It’s okay to laugh and smiles as long as you’re putting the work in to achieve your goals!

Hosted by the stunning Airial Re’nal and her trusty sidekick Scott Doucet, TrepTECH is here to bust open the floodgates on every facet of business - not just the numbers. Both Scott and Airial share their personal stories of successes and failures in the entrepreneurial journies so far. You are not alone! Get settled in and get ready for a wild, informative, unconventional show about business. Your mind is about to be blown wide open.

 

Trigger warning and disclaimer: in this episode, Airial and Scott welcome Keenen Smith as an impromptu guest to discuss the very sensitive subject of racism and classism in business.  This may be a sensitive and difficult topic for some listeners. Please be advised. Scott, Airial, and Keenen each have different experiences as it comes to racism. Airial is a black female. Keenen is a black male. Scott is a white male.  Scott discusses what Keenen calls ‘inside racism’ is the only kinda he is familiar with while both Keenen and Airial have experienced what is described as ‘in your face’ racism. What does that mean for business though?

 

• Keenen has experienced sending in a white person to close deals for his business even though his name is the one on the check.
• Airial has experienced black business owners/customers exclaiming that she is ‘trying to be white’ by using proper grammar.
• Airial has experienced when working with a white business partner that they each approached those of their own race in order to make a sell.
• Scott describes not being able to get black clients most of the time.
• Keenen and Airial talk about racism inside their own race. They speak of dark and light skin tones as well as proper grammar and ebonics. They give examples of what can happen in business with each of these concerns.
• Kennan also describes using an alias instead of his real name during business transactions.

Scott throws down a gauntlet and discusses the differences in racism and classism stating that he, as a lower middle-class white male, has experienced some of the same things that Airial and Keenen have described earlier. What’s the difference?

• Classism: prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class. (social status)
• Racism: the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races
• Scott describes clients turning away from him for being white, covered in tattoos, not dressing up, and not speaking in an extremely professional way

 

Airial Quotes

“Okay, so, first of all, there’s this meme goin’ around Facebook like, ‘I may be ghetto, but my customer service voice went to Harvard.’ It’s about how we change how we talk depending on who we’re talking to.”

“Another thing that got me was because I spoke properly I would get . . . I would get pushback. My friends would say or my classmates would say, ‘Oh, you’re tryin’ to be white. You’re tryin’ to act white. You’re talking white.’ That kinda thing.”

“A woman asked me before, a black woman, she’s a veteran, and she has a nonprofit and she asked me, being black, in Georgia, in her town, wearing braids . . . if she should pretty much have a stock photo representing her nonprofit or if she should have her face there.”

 

Scott Quotes

“To be completely fair and I think it’s a fair assessment to say that I’m fairly naive on the topic of racism.”

“ I do, really do, think that racism looks different depending on where in the world you are. Like, racism in Africa is gonna look different than racism in Europe is gonna look different than racism in Canada.”

“I grew up broke and I know of black families that grew up so much more wealthy than my family did. “

 

Keenen Quotes

“If you make the culture believe it’s okay, it’s okay. You make it acceptable everywhere.”

“We’ve divided ourselves amongst ourselves because some of us are trying to change things and some of us are trying to look within and try to understand like, what is the problem? You know? “

“that’s a part of our culture where we have . . . we have to actually separate ourselves in our own races to be able to live comfortably. That’s a horrific fact. It’s serious business.”

“I had a brand--a business and went by an alias. It’s even my personal brand now. The brand was Xpro brand, but I never put my face on it and the reason I never put my face on it is I was perceived as a black hustler”

Check Out The TrepTECH Academy

www.treptechacademy.com

Airial Links

Airial's Facebook Profile

The Veteran Woman

Rebel Revolution Blog

TrepTECH Academy   

TrepTECH Facebook Profile

Talk to Airial One-on-One  

 

Scott Links

Scott's Facebook Profile

Scott's Instagram Profile

Podcast Bay Facebook Group  

 

Keenen Links

Keenen's Professional Facebook Profile

Keenen's Wesbite

Keenen's LinkedIn Profile