Speaker 1This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. ChatGPT can do more than answer questions. It can help you get real work done. With ChatGPT Work, you bring the goal and the details, like notes, files, feedback, calendars, project plans, or data. Then it can help create things like a brief, tracker, analysis, deck outline, or workflow. You stay in control by giving direction, reviewing the work, and choosing the final result. Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting Work Mode, available on Plus and Pro plans.
Speaker 2And never miss a great deal on groceries.
Speaker 3Another jam? Hey, Blue? The UPS Store to the rescue. Oh, your printer and I need to talk. Wow, much better. At the UPS Store, we print banners, brochures, business cards, basically anything that says my business means business. And our printing pros are ready to help make sure everything looks sharp and is as good as new. And if you're interested in learning more about ChatGPT, you can find us at ChatGPT.com. And if you're interested in learning more about ChatGPT, but I like Comic Sans. No, you don't. With over 5,500 locations, there's a Blue near you at the UPS Store. Most locations are independently owned. Products, services, prices, and hours of operation may vary. See store for details.
Speaker 4Crown
Speaker 3Coins
Speaker 4Casino. Winning never sounded so good. What would you do if you won big? At Crown Coins Casino, real people win real prizes every single day. Hi, this is Michael from Dallas, and I won 40K and finally renovated my home. Visit CrownCoins.com, sign up in seconds, enter code CROWN, and get a free Lucky Wheel bonus. You may win up to 10,000 Sweeps Coins. CrownCoins.com. That's C-R-O-W-N, coins.com. No purchase needed. Code valid for new users only. Void where prohibited by law. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. Crown Coins Casino.
Speaker 5Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have eczema. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let eczema take over when you can talk to your doctor about Ebglis?
Speaker 6Ebglis, Lubricizumab, LBKZ, a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection, is a preventative medicine. Prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema. Also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebglis. Before starting Ebglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Paid partnership with Lilly.
Speaker 5Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Ebglis and visit Ebglis.com or call 1-800-LILLY-RX or 1-800-545-5979.
Speaker 7Welcome to my show. I'm Rashawn McDonald, the host of Money Making Conversations Masterclass, where we encourage people to stop reading other people's success stories and start planning your own. Now, you don't want to miss an episode, so please take a moment right now to follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. It's free. You can follow me on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. New Money Making Conversations Masterclass episodes drop daily. I want to keep you on alert because my guests provide tips on how you can uplift your community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Now, let's get this podcast started. My guest is the founder of Green Book Global, the first and only travel review website and mobile app that enables Black people to travel. Black travel to plan trips with confidence and less anxiety, providing them user-generated travel insights from the Black perspective. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass, Lawrence Phillips. How you doing, Lawrence? Hey, everyone. Just happy to be here. So thank you. Thank you so much for the opportunity. A Black travel perspective insights, you know, give me a little Black ground about me. I've cruised a lot, 80 cruise ships. You know, I'm older than you. So Black people, you know, I'm older than you. Black people are here by family union. Black people love to travel in the summertime. I know that for a fact, you know, why Black travel app?
Speaker 8Yeah, why? So it all started back in 2015. I was working at Accenture, doing IT consulting, got promoted, super excited. Like, yeah, I got promoted.
Speaker 7So he's a career guy. Yes. Yes. 40 hour week.
Speaker 8Sixty, you know, yeah. So I was actually flying back, doing travel between Atlanta and San Diego, going back and forth for about two years. So amazing project, learned a lot, but I got burnt out. And so that's where I was like, you know what, guys, thanks for promoting me, but I quit. And so I traveled the world for about a year. I did 30 plus countries in all seven continents, including Antarctica. So I was hanging out with them penguins. But as a Black traveler, like, it became very clear to me, I was nervous going to some places where I was like, wow, do you like Black people over there? Like, it just happened over and over and over again. Yeah. And so I was like, I want to make sure I'm traveling, I have a good time. And so I was like, oh, I really wish. There's a platform that can provide insights on, like, what the travel while Black experience could be like, just to give me, like, a little bit more comfort, increase my confidence a little bit for going to a destination. And so that's kind of where the idea came from that around the world trip. And I always tell this one story. I met a young lady at a hostel and she told me, we were talking about chocolate, because I just love chocolate. I just, you know, I just love chocolate. I just love chocolate. Started the conversation in the hostel and she's like, oh, well, we're in Paris. And she's like, well, you should go to Brussels in Belgium. And I was like, well, I don't know where Brussels is. And Belgium is? Like, what does that mean? Right, right. And then she explained, oh, it's a city. Like, it's not too far from France, from Paris. So I was like, okay, but like, is it cool if I go there? Like, am I cool? Because she was a Black woman. And I'm like, oh, you'll be fine. Right. And so within 24 hours, I was in Brussels. But I needed that head nod to be like, oh, no, that's good. You be straight. And I got that additional confidence just to kind of move forward. That's what the idea of the platform is, to give you that additional confidence to help you feel more comfortable.
Speaker 7Well, you know, let's, before we get any further with the conversation, the Green Book, the name Green Book has a certain degree of history that's associated with Black travel in the United States and racism. And talk about the history of the Green Book.
Speaker 8Yeah. So when I first learned about the Green Book, I was like, why is it not called the Black Book? Like, it's for Black people. Call it the Black Book. But Victor Hugo Green, he actually was a postman back in the 1930s that actually started the Green Book. So it was called the Negro Motorist Green Book. And essentially, it was the Black tribal Bible during Jim Crow and segregation. So it told Black people what restaurants they could go to. Hotels, gas stations, they, you know, towns to avoid, called like sundown towns. So it really was just a tool that would provide safety and comfort and also dignity for Black travelers. And so that's why we are continuing the legacy and calling it the Green Book, because we're doing it with an app, right? But we're allowing Black people to review cities and how Black friendly they are. So that's why it's all about Black friendliness and user generated scores, because Black people go to different cities all across the world, not just in the USA. We travel. But now we can leave reviews about our experience. So if I'm nervous going someplace, or if I had a great time going someplace, either way, you can contribute to the community because traveling is part of our mental health regime, right? Right. It's a way to take a break, to unwind. And so if we have that fear, then we're not going to be able to unwind like other groups are. So it's a way to hopefully have us be able to kind of enjoy that travel like other groups do.
Speaker 7Yeah. Before we get in more detail about Green Book Global, I want to talk about you, a little bit more background on you, your education. Give us some history.
Speaker 8Yeah. So I am from Boston, a Patriots fan all day. Yes, we're doing it right now. I live in Atlanta currently, but I went to Georgia Tech, electrical engineering degree after high school in Boston. Then I worked at Accenture for about almost 10 years through that around the road trip, and then lived in New York actually for a while as well. And kind of a connection between the Green Book and me living in New York is so Victor Hugo Green used to live in Harlem when he created the Green Book, and I was maybe like, in my second apartment, I was probably like five blocks away from where he lived. But the more interesting part is that him and his wife got married on September 8th, and me and my wife got married on September 8th. Congratulations. And I was like, "Oh, I might be doing the right thing if this is all happening at this point." So those are kind of like those head nods that, you know, I think I'm in the right place. And then we eventually moved back down to Atlanta, been down here for the last few years. So Georgia Tech grad, we also doing pretty good in football too.
Speaker 7Yeah. All this self-hype. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah. But you, when you talk about career moves, and that's what we talk about on the show, Monday Making Conversations Masterclass, because a lot of people make decisions, a lot of people in workspaces, they're not happy. A lot of people have deals that people have told them, you're a fool if you try that. You said you had a successful job, got a promotion, and you said, "I'm out." And you went on vacation, basically. What did your friends, family, or loved ones tell you? What did your friends say when you were making that decision process, and when you made the decision process to change for your life, to make you happy?
Speaker 8Yeah. Disclaimer, I'm not telling them to go quit their job. Don't say you listen to the podcast, I'm quitting my job.
Speaker 7Nope, nope. We ain't saying that. I'm telling them too. I'm telling them, I will tell people, you know, fear drives a lot of bad decisions. Yeah. And you had to overcome fear, and that's what this question's about. I bet on myself. You bet on yourself. Yeah. creep in, creeps in. Right. And then the they say is creeping in. And a lot of they say is going to be people that you consider mentors or loved ones. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 8So my co-workers like, wait, what are you doing? It's like, wait, where are you going? It's like, hold on. It does not compute. It does not compute. And then family, of course. Well, I would say family. They got used to me traveling. They're like, oh, he's just be jet setting wherever he'd be going. So they obviously were still very nervous. And also my girlfriend at the time, who I did marry. So it is my wife. Just bring that full circle back. She was like, what are you doing? Right. And so she actually was in business school. And so I made the parallel where, you know, I did Georgia Tech, got my degree. Don't really need me find myself going back to school again. But I said this travel experience to me was school.
Speaker 7Don't go anywhere. We will be right back with more insights from Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 1TED GPT can do more. More than answer questions. TED GPT work is built for bigger projects with multiple steps. You bring the goal along with the information it needs, like notes, files, customer feedback, calendars, project plans or data. Then TED GPT can help turn that into useful work. A marketing brief, a sales tracker, an investment update, a deck outline, an analysis, even a workflow your team can use. It can also work with approved apps. And connected tools to help move the project forward. And you stay in control the whole time. You give directions, review the work, approve any actions and decide what the final results should be. So instead of spending all your time figuring out where to start, you can start making progress. Put TED GPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Get started at TEDGPT.com by selecting work mode available on plus and pro plans.
Speaker 9Picture this. You're the owner of a plumbing company descending into an 18-inch crawlspace to hydrojet a sewer line. Don't ask. Boy, this is tight. I knew I shouldn't have had that extra helping of mashed potatoes last night. Now let's say your phone rings. Uh-oh. It could be a lead on a very big job. I better get that. Or it could just be a spam call. Oh. But thanks to Ruby's call screen. and seamless integration with the CRM system you already use, by the time you come up for air, your next job will already be waiting. Oh. This is Ruby, the team of remote receptionists who answer all your calls live. We do everything a great receptionist does, only better. Experience the new Ruby for yourself. Visit Ruby.com. Or better yet, call us.
Speaker 2866-GET-RUBY. This week, Tom. Thumb and Albertson shoppers can save $20 off any purchase of $100 or more using the digital offer. Valid through 1013. Plus, in stores and online this week at Tom Thumb and Albertson's, customers will also save on fresh produce. The 99-cent produce sale includes bougie or Granny Smith apples, Bartlett pears, Roma tomatoes or snacking tomatoes, onions, cantaloupe, fresh pineapple, iceberg lettuce, and more. Text TOMTHUMBWEEKLYADD to 48687.
Speaker 7We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Welcome back to Money Making Conversation Masterclass, hosted by me, Rashawn McDonald. Let's get back into it.
Speaker 8Right. So that's what I was using as my kind of next tier of investing in me was like, one, not only is it a mental health break, but two, I talked to God and I was like, I feel like something's going to happen on this trip. And that's kind of what I would mean by betting on myself. I said, I don't know what's going to happen on this trip, but I feel like I'm going to get some idea. I'm going to, I'm going to feel something, think something from this trip. And eventually that ended up happening. It ended up being Green Book Global. So I think it's important to, and also I had like, I didn't just like do this on a whim. So that's why I'm also saying don't quit your job necessarily. I save money. So I've been saving up for time because when I did the traveling, I used to meet a lot of Europeans that did this gap year where they would travel around the world, but they did it like after college. And I was like, well, I ain't got money after college, so I ain't doing that. So that gave me. Backpacking. Right. Backpacking. That's the way I want to go. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, okay, well, I can't do it now, but maybe I can do it when I'm older. So I started. Started saving. I also had a lot of frequent flyer miles from doing all the traveling with Accenture. Right. And so Delta actually had an around the world ticket that allowed me to go around the world for, I think it was like 80,000 miles or something like that or 120,000 miles. They got rid of that program. Really? Yeah. It's not there anymore. Some of the other ones, I think like American Airlines might have it still, like it's the one year program, but I use that to help offset the cost. Right. And then also rented out my spot too. So I found different ways to try to like subsidize. So it was, it was somewhat responsible, but it was still really like me betting on myself and just saying, I need this for me. This is, this is for me and for nobody else. This is me being selfish.
Speaker 7This is for me. And so when you're hearing this conversation about betting on yourself, you didn't like jump out on faith. It was a plan executed, money saved, but basically a change of, a change of space for you personally.
Speaker 8Right. Yeah, absolutely. I remember, I also, I felt comfortable doing it because I felt comfortable doing it. I felt like I hit a milestone because I, cause on my, on that project, I got to go on a private jet. So I had to wake up really early. There was like a eight person private jet. I had to go meet a client. I was like, you know what, brother, this dude from Dorchester in Boston, you all right, you, you good. So I felt like a sense of accomplishment there also after getting promoted as well. So I think it's just, it's a very personal decision. Right. And I think it's just important, even if you want to do it for a month or for a week, right? Like it's just plan for it. Right. Cause I think you will feel better and kind of feel refreshed.
Speaker 7Cool. I was speaking to the founder of the Green Book Global, the first and only travel review website and mobile app that enables black travelers like himself to plan trips with confidence and less anxiety by providing user generated travel insights from the black perspective. Talk about the experience. Talk about the website. Talk about the app. Yeah. You mentioned 2015, 2017 when it was actually founded, correct?
Speaker 82015 is when that first piece of code started being written, but I had to go through developer after developer. Mm-hmm. And then it took till about 2018. 2018 to have a stable website cause it crashed multiple times, had to be redone multiple times. Okay. Um, and then 2020, we kind of did a rebrand. Um, and then 20, 23, 2022, 2023, we got into the Expedia accelerator program. And so that was really great for us because it helped us really lean in our value proposition. Cause I'll be honest, right? Like being unapologetically black in America is like, oh, should I do it? Like, I don't know what people are going to say. Like, and so Expedia actually helped us lean into it. It's like, no, that's, that's your value prop. Like lean into that and don't, don't, don't go back on it. And that also, because we were called the green book, that also gave us like more authority. I will, if you will, because initially we were just marketing to like young professionals. Then it was like, well, you know, I talk, like I speak, like I'm black. So I was like, black professionals were going there, black young professionals. Then it just started being black professionals. It started just being black people. And I was like, I'm marketing to black people. You got a little travel about black school on here and just kind of go all the way in. And so then it kind of evolved into like.
Speaker 7So it was really important that people. I understand that, you know, if you're selling something, make sure who you're selling it to. You at first had a narrow sale and you expanded it. When did that light bulb pop out, pop up above your head?
Speaker 8Just like my audience. So I just resonated with that audience. So I just did young professionals, everybody, but especially like on social media is where I started with Instagram. And I would just be reposting like people, but it's like mostly black people. Most black people are in the comments. And I'm like, well, I prefer to talk about this anyways, from a black perspective. And so I gave myself. A grace to, to, to chain. Right. And so eventually like we were young professionals kind of, we kind of like did like a little loop. Like we went, we went kind of narrow. Then we kind of opened it back up, but in a very specific segment of just black people in particular in the USA.
Speaker 7Now tell me on Lawrence. Now I want to hear it clear. Like you said, we shine. I don't know if I wanted to talk black, you know, publicly. I'm, I'm a black man, proud black person, but how does that, how does that translate on how people were going to react? Am I going to be trolled? Am I going to be called? A racist because I am pro-black I'm trying to, I'm trying to get information out of people who want pro-black information. These are that what got you over the hump?
Speaker 8Yeah, that definitely made me, me nervous. Um, but also like, and there have been some comments that I have gotten, not a lot, but I have gotten some comments from people. I'm like, really? Like, is it really that? And so I think it was just time, right? I think being time in the space and also like the conviction of like, well, this is actually making a difference. I get emails and text messages, not more than that. Text me emails. I get emails from people saying like, Hey, like this has really helped or Hey, like I want to use this to help me plan my next trip. And so getting those like, oh, this is actually making a difference. And so that kind of gave me the tenacity and the determination to continue doing it. Um, and then it's just also us based black travelers spend a lot of money. Uh, there's about $145 billion black travel market. So one thing is that we wanted it. Like I wanted to talk to black people and then there's a lot of data that says, oh, you should, cause there's a lot of money in it. I'm like, oh, great. Perfect. So it kind of like tied in really well. Um, but I think it just took me time and took me people that saw the traction, saw the vision that I was kind of conveying and say like, no like lean into that so it took a community to really help me feel comfortable and also took
Speaker 7time to help me feel please don't go anywhere we'll be right back with more money making conversations masterclass now i need for you to do me a favor right now to follow or subscribe to money making conversation it's free and you can find it on the iheart radio app spotify apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast please do me that favor follow
Speaker 1or subscribe money making conversation chat gpt can do more than answer questions it can help you get real work done chat gpt work is built for bigger projects with multiple steps you bring the goal along with the information it needs like notes files customer feedback calendars project plans or data then chat gpt can help turn that into useful work a marketing brief a sales tracker an investment update a deck outline an analysis even a workflow your team you can use it can also work with approved apps and connected tools to help move the project forward and you stay in control the whole time you give directions review the work approve any actions and decide what the final result should be so instead of spending all your time figuring out where to start you can start making progress put chat gpt to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects get started at chat gpt.com by selecting work mode available on plus and pro plan
Speaker 9being a receptionist is one of the hardest jobs out there you have to be an expert for hundreds of people every day and you have to do a million things at once no wonder more small businesses are saving costs by outsourcing their front desk but replacing them with an ai answering service that's one giant step in the wrong direction we're ruby and we believe in the lost art of the overachieving receptionist we answer every call live we schedule take messages call to confirm details and so much more because only a human can connect with another human and instead of turning our back on ai we customized our own automating tasks pulling up relevant information instantly and so much more so we can spend all of our time making connections experience ruby for yourself right now call 866 get ruby or visit ruby.com company
Speaker 10spending is complex managing it should be simple amex corporate connects cards expenses and payments to streamline the way you work built to simplify design to scale this is amex corporate get started at go.amex slash amex corporate terms apply winning never
Speaker 4sounded so good what would you do if you won big at crown coins casino real people win real prizes every single day hi this is michael from dallas and i won 40k and finally renovated my home visit crown coins.com sign up in seconds enter code crown and get a free lucky wheel bonus you may win up to 10,000 sweeps coins crown coins.com that's c-r-o-w-n coins.com no purchase needed code valid for new users only void were prohibited by law 18 plus terms and
Speaker 11conditions apply get a new car now and keep the holiday cash in your pocket with a neighborhood credit union auto loan your first payment isn't due till 2027 and wait for it rates as low as 4.34 percent apr your neighborhood your credit union federal insured by ncua equal opportunity lender welcome back to money
Speaker 7making conversation masterclass hosted by me rishon mcdonald money making conversation masterclass continues online at moneymakingconversations.com and follow money making conversation masterclass on facebook x and instagram well you know uh it's money making conversation masterclass now how do you make money doing what you do
Speaker 8yeah absolutely so on green book uh what makes this unique is that we allow black people to review cities on how what it's like traveling while black right so every city on the app is user generated comes from black people that travel all around the world and they actually give a score out of five stars of like what the experience was traveling while black but then there's also like an adventure score and affordability score a local food score relaxation score right um and so with that we want to give you the insights that you typically can't get anywhere else once you get those insights now you can book a trip so we have brands like expedia and priceline and marriott on it that you can book a trip with and that gives us a
Speaker 7commission right right right right so you're working with the top tier uh travel booking services for hotels yes uh uh for when you get into those platforms they give you car rental options and all those things so that allows anybody to come on to your site to know that you're working with the best but it all started with expedia and now you can book a trip so you can book a trip with the top tier uh travel booking services for hotels uh for when you get into those platforms they give you car rental options and all those things so that allows anybody to come on to your site to know that you're working with the best but it all started with expedia's accelerated program and like you said that's why it was important that they wanted your business because you were unapologetically black correct yeah so
Speaker 8the accelerated program that they had actually was focused uh which i commend them for were about underserved markets so it was like lgbtq like startups in the travel space women's startups accessibility startups so like that was the entire cohort i was the only one focused on black travel um and so i i think expedia has like line of sight it was saying like hey you know these things actually work and i was like okay then this will be maybe a good acquisition down the line. So bookings is definitely something that we do. We also have a, we give cash back to our users as well. And that also leads us into our nonprofit program, which we can talk about in a minute as well. But we also have a premium subscription. So we have like a road trip planner that's really bringing it back to the original green book of like driving while black. So it really has pin scores that says, hey, green means great for that city. Yellow means average. Red means not so good or a sundown town. And so it's all user generated. So if you look on the map, you'll see a lot of red in the USA. But what you can do with that feature is you actually can figure out what your route, what cities you're going through. You can hit an avoid button and avoid certain cities. You also can add black owned restaurants onto your ride as well. So we give that- -
Speaker 7Like he did, like Frank did many, many years ago. -
Speaker 8Right, right. And so we actually partnered with another company called Eat Okra to get those restaurants because I'm all about building a tech ecosystem and not trying to do everything on my own. But from the premium subscription standpoint, you basically get a certain amount of free routes per month and then you can upgrade. -
Speaker 7Okay, cool. I'm traveling, coming up here with my family. We're going to Charleston, South Carolina. So- - You got reviews there. - So my whole thought process is that I go, I download your app, I can download the app, correct? -
Speaker 8Yes, you can. It's in the app store right now today, Green Book Global.
Speaker 7Give us five stars. - Type in Green Book Global, download it, put it in. And then what do I do now? Do I have to register a password or username and password? -
Speaker 8So there'll be a couple of onboarding questions where we gotta make sure like you're a legit person because we don't wanna, we don't have bots on there. So am I actually like, well, we'll actually like, how many times do you travel a year? What are your favorite brands? What's your travel style? Things like that to get an idea because we have groups on the app. And so it's a way for us to kind of understand what our community actually wants. And then once you get into the app, there's a search button, type in Charleston, South Carolina, and then you will see reviews and scores for black people that have been to Charleston, South Carolina. -
Speaker 7Okay, what about places to stay and restaurants? Would that be under there as well? - So how do we do that? - How does that work? -
Speaker 8So we do that with AI. So, you know, gotta talk about AI, right? Everyone gotta have some AI, you know? I'm a tech company, you gotta have AI. So we actually have AI, and this is on the app right now. So there's an AI button. You click AI, it actually will look at those reviews and then build you an itinerary in about 30 seconds, either a one day or three day itinerary. And it tells you where to stay. -
Speaker 7See, now I'm excited, but I'm also confused, okay? Okay, now, so I've downloaded the app. I'm ready, got my family, we rolling. Okay, so Charleston, South Carolina. Now, what confused me was when you went to AI real quick, and then you say they build you an itinerary. That sounds very simple, but I don't know what you're asking me to do. -
Speaker 8Yeah, so when you go into it, you'll see Charleston, South Carolina. You'll see the scores that I talked about, the Travel My Blatt score, the Venture score. You'll scroll down a little bit, and you'll see like booking options, right? 'Cause this we talked about with Marriott Expedia. Scroll down a little bit more, you'll see reviews. You'll see like comments that people have left. You'll see pictures that they have attached. And so with this AI, so there's an AI button, like right there in the corner. What that does is instead of reading all the reviews, it actually will read the reviews for you and make an itinerary for you just with the click of a button. So it's literally like two clicks, and it'll give it about 30 seconds, and it'll build out day by day what it recommends that you should do. - Okay. - It happens, yeah, very fast. So it's a way to kind of optimize your time to be able to kind of reduce your planning time and have a more, enjoy your travel more than like doing the planning part. -
Speaker 7Now, you know, this, first of all, thank you for building this app. Green Book Global is the name of the app. I'm talking to Lawrence Phillips. The great thing about entrepreneurship in general is, what's the bigger picture? It feels like it's a bigger picture when I'm talking to you. -
Speaker 8See, now you got me fixing myself talking about the bigger picture. - Okay, big picture. - Yeah, so it's a couple of things, right? So ultimately systemic change. So if you think about US-based black travelers, they spend $145 billion on travel, right? And so I think people may or may not want to do the good thing, the right thing, but if money is behind it, then they will. They will do whatever that money will push them to do. So if we're able to get some of that $145 billion flowing through the app from a booking standpoint, right? We work with brands and we work with destinations. So on a destination level, I can say, "Hey, we got billions of dollars of bookings coming through our app. So we would love to highlight your destination to our community, but what are you doing for the community, right? 'Cause here's use cases, the case studies we've done with other cities and look how much impact it's had. We would love to do something with their community, but what are you doing? And if you're not doing anything yet, how can we help you do that so we can actually make this connection happen? The money's talking from that perspective. The other thing is with our, so our goal is safety and empowerment. we talk about empowerment, we also want to work with nonprofits. And so we were thinking like, hey, we got to be the one to empower everyone. Like, no, that's too much work. We have amazing nonprofits in the black community that are doing great things. We might have built our house at a straw after civil rights because everything came tumbling down with one quick blow as far as funding goes. So the government has kind of pulled back with funding when you can barely even say the word black, right? Corporations have pulled back. And so I think it's an opportunity for us to realize how can we depend on each other to help us raise. So the whole idea of that billion dollars coming through the app now, right? If you're a part of a, like, let's say an urban league or some other nonprofit, right? And you have members, if they travel through the app, what we did is we started a program that said when your members travel, instead of that commission going back to you as the user, they go back to your nonprofit. So now you can go to Bora Bora, you can go to Charleston, South Carolina, you're booking on an app and your favorite nonprofit is getting funded. So those are some of the ways that we are. And then the last thing is like with the brands, right? So now we can say, hey, Expedia, you're, you know, we're doing great here, but now we can say, hey, we can come together. So it kind of allows them to have visibility on the impact of our dollars and then say, well, give us a higher percentage so we can get back to our community, right? So it makes money talk, money making moves, right? So that's kind of the idea systemically is by allowing that money to flow to help us kind of bring about systemic change.
Speaker 7Let's talk about, cause I love to travel. You know, like I said, I was a performing comedian on cruise ships and, and I've traveled this country and I, and believe me, I understand when you say, there's certain areas of the country, well, if I go to Mississippi, even today, Alabama, there is a thought in the back of my mind, whether it's real or not, whether I am safe, whether I should be worried about the speed limit or where cop pulls over, you know, is he pulling me over cause I'm, or should I get out of line? So, so, so people can hear this interview and go, oh, what is he talking about? Yes. There's a reality that we have to deal with because of the color of our skin. Mm-hmm. You talk about when I, when I think about, you know, they have so many different things out there, have family reunion spots, family spots, single places for single couples. Is that, is, do you offer those type of options on your app or that's something
Speaker 8you're looking to build? So we actually have a travel style. So if you go to Charleston, South Carolina, you can actually filter by the people that have left reviews. Okay. So you can say, hey, I love adventure. I want to see what all the adventure seekers are saying about it. Oh, okay. I want to see what all the family travelers are saying about it. Right? Okay. So you can actually filter out those reviews. So the more reviews we get, you know, the more data that you have to pull from, but so yeah, that's the way. And so kind of to your point about kind of that fair piece, right? So our, our motto is information to safety. Right. Right. That's kind of the idea. So we don't really encourage or discourage you to go anywhere, right? If you want to go to a sundown town, be my guest. I do not. I am not going, especially with my family. You can pull up if you want to, but now you have insights of people that have been to this city to give you the information for you to pick up or for you to hit that button and do avoid and go around. Right? Right. That's the whole idea. Information to safety. This gives you some information you can't get. So you can have a safer, more enjoyable travel experience.
Speaker 7Right. Now, you know, when I, when I look at the, the filtering process, that excites me. And that's why I think that it's important that we, as travelers want to go out there, get to our destination. They come back with an experience that we can share with everybody. Now, man, I went down, it was scared to death the whole time. Yep. I'd never go back. And that's what, that's what this is not about. This also is also maybe to, to end some stereotypes. There are certain areas that have been landmarked as untravelable locations for black people really have been just benchmark incorrectly are the, but it's changed. It's changed. Yeah. Like Miami was
Speaker 8the sundown town. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. When you think about Miami now, I'm not, I mean, I'm sure there's still systemic things that are in place that are there, but you're not thinking about being afraid of Miami at night. You're trying to go out in Miami at night. That's the complete opposite.
Speaker 7Right? Most definitely. Definitely in Miami. You're trying to get out.
Speaker 8So things change. Like there's a, so we wanna do some historical data, but the, the main value proposition is recent travels to these places.
Speaker 7So let's talk about the popularity of this app. You know, you, you launched like say, well, we're trying about 2020, you know, we rolling, you know, crash a little bit. Everybody, you know, I'm an electric engineer. I knew a little coding. We got some more coders in and we're, we're, we're, we're a full fled operation. What are downloads and to, and with your app and track that you talk, you just threw out the word 10,000 reviews. Let's talk about that because in any dream, you know, you, you want it to happen overnight, but then when it feels like it's a reality, when did it really feel like, man, I got something here. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't see it being this big, but I can see it being even bigger. Talk about that.
Speaker 8Yeah. I feel like the reality is still settling in. Cause I feel like we've gotten, I feel like I've gotten something years ago. Uh-huh. But you still want to see more of an impact because those emails that I get, I'm like, oh man, like you're using it. I, I go to sometimes events. I forgot. I went to something at Georgia tech and I talk to people about green book and it's like, wait, yo, I know that app. And I was like, yo, my mom told me to download this app. That happened like twice to me where I was like, people are saying like, download the app because it's really about, you know, feeling safer and having that, those insights. I didn't talk about this. We have different groups on the app too. So first of all, we, we focus unapologetically on black. Right. But we know there's layers to you, right? Family travel, LGBT, accessibility, you know? And so, uh, we actually had someone reach out and say, Hey, can you make a Muslim group on the app? Like they're black travelers, but you know, some of those same concerns being Muslim. So I was like, oh, wait, that's great idea. Right. And so we're working on just adding that group to the app. So we want to make sure unapologetically focused on black, but then try to take care of those other layers as well, because we want to bring the whole, we want to make sure the whole you can come onto the app.
Speaker 7Right. Right. And the bottom line is just safety and also feeling comfortable. Yeah. And, um, when you, when you, when you go about traveling yourself, you know, I told you, and I've spoken about, because I didn't know when I came out of high school, when I finally went to Paris, France, you know, it changed my life. Cause if I'd have known about Paris, cause you know, when you're in high school, you have an option to learn Spanish and French, and I went French, I would never use friend and realize that by going there, I went, I was, I was so comfortable. I was, uh, the culture was so inviting and I saw a lot of people like me and in France, I was like, okay, wow. And so, but that's what the, the whole purpose, that's what I love so much. That's why you're sitting on this show on money, making conversation masterclass, because we spend our money sometimes domestically because we are afraid of the experience internationally. Or we might run over to Jamaica. Cause they look like us and slide down to Mexico. Okay. Let's see a little lineage to Barbados, Bermuda. Let's go, go to the, but I'm saying that we'll stay in a certain. Area. Cause we're comfortable and we're comfortable. Cause I'm gonna use the word we're ignorant of the reality. That's really out there that we should travel to talk to.
Speaker 8Like I said, it's the lack of information. Right. And so, cause you might see information on other travel platforms, but you're like, but what about us? Like I said, in that hostel, people might love going to Brussels to get some chocolate, but what about us? People might love going to Paris, but what about us? And so once you figure out like, oh, we are actually out there, we actually have communities out there, businesses out there. It's like, oh, oh snap. Let me, let me go out there then. Right. And so that's kind of the whole idea is just like, what about us? That's, that's what green book global is for is to very specifically focus on black people feeling more comfortable. Cause this, the world is our, our oyster too.
Speaker 7Right. You know what I love about you, Lawrence is that you're, you're doing what you love. You you're highly educated. You went to college, came down from Boston, went to a very difficult academically trained school at Georgia tech got a degree that most people would like envy. And, but you went like my degree. I was in mathematics and my minors in sociology worked for IBM and I decided to leave to be a standup comedian. People go figure what you will, but I wasn't nothing. I wasn't happy. I wasn't satisfied. And I was looking around and I would tell you it was a lot of people did more complaining about what they were doing then and waiting to go on vacation and calling in sick. And I'm going, that's not the lifestyle I want. Yeah. I wake up Lawrence and I want to come to work. In fact, I I'm mad that I have to go to sleep to wake up. And so that is what's driving you right now. You're really a happy person, right?
Speaker 8Yeah. I'm generally speaking like a positive individual. So, um, I, I think that's also the, the culture that I want green book global to, to have, right. It's like, it does make me extremely happy. Cause I mean, I'm kind of a geek. Like I like, I like, I don't code, but I'm like, let me go ahead and test this new future. What else can I think about here? Right. I like doing social media too, but I, I like being behind the scenes, talking to my developers. Like I literally get joy out of like new features. And so like you said, like it's, I'm enjoying what I'm doing. Right. Um, and, and the idea of us being like a tech company that does black travel, I think is what was to make us stand apart because I'm really big about like technology, how to implement that and how to kind of present the best product for our community for us to just, you know, be able to feel more comfortable to explore.
Speaker 7My other question will be to you would be, uh, and thank you for doing my show is could you, could you say you have filters on that? It almost feels like that. The next step is like, you might be doing it on your app, on your website. If people want to travel with a group or one of what people want to do specialty vacations and things like that, is that something that's, that's a part of your experience that you're offering or that's might be a next step because me as a single person, I wouldn't know where to go. If I was a single person to meet people who are single or age group people, you know, people who are at a certain age group want to travel with a certain age group. Are these ideas that I'm, I'm saying, uh, being considered are already in place on book global? Partially.
Speaker 8You never want Lawrence Phillips to organize a trip for you. It would be a terrible trip. I would get terrible reviews. You're like, I hate this guy. He's terrible. So I'm probably never going to organize a trip, although that might seem like the next evolution. But what we are like right now, we're really focused on B2C. So we want to make sure we knock that out the park, right? There's still so many things from a consumer standpoint, want to make sure we get really, really good. But from a B2B standpoint, I got it back in my mind. If people are organizing trips in a review platform, why not have businesses on there that do trips that are reviewed, that are automatically kind of ingesting to our community, right? And so that's something that I've already kind of designed out, but I got to put it on the back burner because I want to make sure from a customer standpoint, there's still so much I got to do to make sure, our team has to do to make sure we're fulfilling our mission to be able to kind of really reduce that anxiety, increase that confidence. And so yes, but just be clear, we ain't planning no trips. Well, no problem, no
Speaker 7problem, no problem. But I got to ask, you got all this travel data. Can you tell me the hot spots that people talk about on Green Book Global that they rave about that from a standpoint of, you got to go, great experience, great food, great pricing?
Speaker 8Yeah. So, I mean, I think there's some normal ones like New Orleans is out there a lot because it's just the food. I mean, it's just like going to like another country. Bali is also a big one as well. Dubai is a big one. Why is Dubai a big one?
Speaker 7Why? Why?
Speaker 8My wife asked me, why
Speaker 7people want to go to Dubai?
Speaker 8I mean, there's a lot that you can do in Dubai. It's not super expensive, but you got like sand dunes, you got kind of wealth that's there. There's like a lot of adventure, a lot of fashion. Like you kind of can do everything in Dubai, except maybe like drink a lot. So like, I think that's the appeal with Dubai. So I've been there. It's just really, really hot. And I don't like, I mean, I'm thinking from Barbados, but that's like desert heat. So that's a little different for me. But one thing I'll call out is like, we partnered with actually Portland, Maine. So that one, I like to bring up one. Portland, Maine. Portland, Maine. Now Portland, Oregon.
Speaker 7Now he's a black man sitting in front of me talking about Portland, Maine.
Speaker 8Listen. And so that is exactly my thought process. And so we started working with Portland, Maine for the last like couple of years. And I'm from Boston originally, right? I don't remember ever going to Maine. I'm like, I don't, I've been there for like 20 years and I ain't really stepped foot in Maine. It's just north of you. Yeah. I don't know. So Maine, you know, when we went and kind of either the whitest state in America or one of the whitest states in America, right? So I'm like, well, what is the travel model black experience in Maine? And so that's actually what we partnered with them to do is like, we went there for like, you know, four or five days and highlighted, made an itinerary. We kind of did some research. They did some research for us, kind of collaboratively came up with an itinerary and we had an absolutely amazing time. And so they have like their own like black history tour. They have their own black owned businesses that are out there. They have amazing food, like a lobster roll. They got a lobster flight. A lobster flight. I had never seen a lobster flight in my life until I went, I've been to Martha's Vineyard. I like Martha's Vineyard, but they don't got flights of lobster rolls. You gotta be a boss to have, and it's like multiple places. It's not like just this one shop. So it's like the standard. Portland, Maine. It's the standard to have lobster flights. I was like, okay, we're talking about something here. So it was very unassuming. And so that's one of the things we also want to do, right? Like just because we don't have that information, I'm not going to the whitest state in America, right? But Portland is almost like 10% black, right? And they had a large immigrant population there as well. So there's all these different things that are happening that you just may not be privy to. Also with the North Georgia mountains. Do I really? I'm a black man in the woods. Oh no. But I think camping in the outdoors is super critical for our mental health, but you know, not great things that happened to black people in the woods in the past. So there's that fear, there's anxiety. Went to North Georgia. Now this particular part of the North Georgia mountains, but saw multiple black people hiking. I was like, wait, wait, we're out here. They had church. They had a whole black church out there. And I was like, hold on. Am I, am I tripping? Like no one gave me the memo. And then at the top was like this black man was painting a self-portrait of himself in the mountains. And I was like, oh snap. I'm sleeping on the Georgia mountains, that part of the Georgia mountains. So I think it's like, it's important to have people exposed. And that's what social media does. But we try to make it like, once you see that, what's the next step? How do you verify that? How do you book that? Right. And so we've to make sure we give you that full scope from start to end to have that experience.
Speaker 7Right. Well, I tell you, uh, he's giving me experience. He loves what he does. He walked away from corporate, very successful corporate opportunity to pursue and build. It came from the original Green Book, but now it's called Green Book Global. The founder, CEO. And as he said, he hides behind the coders just to see what they're doing. Mr. Lawrence Phillips, graduate of Georgia Tech by way of Boston. 617 down here, 404. There you go. Thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation. Thank you so much, man. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for listening to this episode. Now I need for you to do me a favor right now to follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversation. It's free and you can find it on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please do me a favor, follow or subscribe Money Making Conversations. Keep winning.
PodcastTranscript AI