Butternomics the Business of Culture

Jul 28 · 56m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with Connie S. Falls, founder of Connie S. Falls and the operational systems expert known as Systems Bae. With 19 years of experience building the back end of everything from federal agencies to mega churches to record labels, Connie breaks down why there is no scaling without systems, and why most people saying “scale” actually just mean growth. She and Brandon get into the difference between a business and a hobby that makes money, why “nobody can do it like me” is the pride that kills companies, and how you can’t build generational wealth without generational documentation. Connie also shares the moment her five-year-old daughter forced her to confront her own hustle, plus the simplest first step any overwhelmed entrepreneur can take today: start with a checklist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 21 · 59m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with Doug and Ryan Stewart, the brothers known as the 2 Live Stews. It started with an argument. Two brothers screaming about a preseason game in a living room full of people who couldn’t look away. That energy became a pitch nobody in radio had heard before: an all Black sports talk show in the Blackest city in the country.  They took the late night slot on 790 The Zone in Atlanta. Did it for free. Then called every frat brother, every cousin, every homeboy and told them to flood the phone lines so the bosses had no choice but to pay attention. It worked. The barbershop made it to AM radio, and the industry has been copying it ever since. They get into all of it. The Sports Illustrated feature. Bringing real athletes in the studio before every athlete had a podcast. Riding with Mike Vick on innocent until proven guilty when it cost them. Getting fired on a Friday. The ten years apart. And the comeback that never lost the audience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 14 · 47m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with Big Block, the East Side Chevy rider and founder of Block Entertainment, and Ralph Sorrentino, VP of Operations for the Jim Ellis Automotive Group, about what happens when the music business and the car business come together to build something Atlanta hasn’t seen before. Block breaks down his run from Tupac and Bad Boy to building his own label, and why ownership is the only real way to scale. Ralph pulls back the curtain on how the largest privately owned dealership group in Georgia actually makes money, and why every business needs fans, not customers. Together they get into treating every vehicle like an artist, the Teachers Keep Us Moving program giving back to local schools, and why your neighborhood car dealership does more for the community than you realize. Follow Big Block at @bigblockesc and find Ralph at any Jim Ellis dealership in Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 9 · 44m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with Fred Blankenship, morning anchor of Channel 2 Action News This Morning on WSB-TV, the voice waking up Atlanta since 2007. Fred takes us from a 12-year-old kid in Harbor City, California who wanted to be the guy inside the TV, to the biggest decision of his career: when New York’s number one market offered him the job but told him to change his name, he said no and kept Blankenship. Brandon and Fred get into building a personal brand inside a legacy institution, why authenticity became the whole strategy, using energy and 90s hip hop to connect with a city at 4:30 in the morning, protecting your peace in a heavy business, and how Atlanta made him who he is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 7 · 37m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with entrepreneur and financial educator William Cross about how to teach the next generation what most of us had to learn late. William, founder of Wealthi AI, grew up in Tampa without ever hearing about 529s, trusts, or estate planning, then built a company to close that exact gap for kids. He opens up about going from a long Word document to a book that sold over 5,000 copies, turning that book into a 10-hour curriculum, and building Wealthi AI into what he calls the Duolingo for financial literacy. He also gets honest about what it really costs to build an app, why $500 won’t get it done, and why vibe coding gets non-technical founders in trouble. If you want to put real money skills in a kid’s hands, this conversation is the blueprint.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 30 · 45m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with philanthropic leader Cicley Gay about how nonprofits actually work and why so many people get it wrong. Cicley, board chairwoman of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and founder of The Amplifiers, breaks down why a nonprofit is a $1.5 trillion industry that runs like a business, why no money doesn’t mean no money, and why a nonprofit is supposed to solve the problem and go away. She explains the difference between a nonprofit and a foundation, what funders are really looking for when they read your grant, and why only 2.9% of donations go to Black-led organizations. She also gets honest about leading with love, why she calls bankruptcy a financial tool, and what it takes to build a foundation that lasts. If you have an idea for a nonprofit or you want to understand where the money really goes, this conversation is the blueprint.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 23 · 43m

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with entrepreneur and financial planner Latavius Powell about the $2.5 billion NIL boom and what it’s really doing to young athletes. Latavius, CEO of CSG Wealth Management, breaks down why these million dollar checks are 1099 income, how the IRS becomes the worst loan shark a young person can face, and how athletes go rags to riches to rags without the right plan. He shares the building blocks of generational wealth, why schools put contracts in front of teenagers with no lawyer in the room, and what it takes to bring that money back to the community. If you have a young athlete in your life, this conversation will save you from costly mistakes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 23 · 1h 0m

Most companies are still spending millions on beautiful, polished content that almost nobody cares about. Shannon Watkins has sat at the top of the brands that figured this out and the ones that didn't. Former CMO of Aflac, global CMO of Jordan Brand, and former global CMO at Fiserv, she's spent her whole career at the intersection of brand and culture, and she pulled up to Butternomics to break down what's really changing in how brands win. We get into the multimillion dollar mistake brands keep repeating, why people stopped trusting brand voices and started trusting people instead, and what brands are actually buying when they pay a creator. Shannon breaks down the difference between brand, marketing, and advertising, why the agency model is getting disrupted in real time, and the earnings report move every creator should be using before they pitch a single brand. She also takes us through the road that got her here. The pre-med plan she walked away from at Fisk. The worst assignment at Kraft that taught her the foundation of business. The Powerade campaign built around Derrick Rose and a Tupac poem. The Teyana Taylor partnership at Jordan Brand that changed how she saw creators forever. And now Watkins Brand Advisors, where she's helping CEOs, nonprofits, and creators figure out the problem behind the problem. This one's for the founders, the creators, and anybody trying to build something real around their creativity. Shannon doesn't hold back. Watch the full episode and let us know what hit hardest. Connect with Shannon Watkins on LinkedIn and Instagram, and check out Watkins Brand Advisors. #Butternomics #ShannonWatkins #BrandStrategy #CreatorEconomy #Marketing #Atlanta #BlackEntrepreneursSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 18 · 44m

David Shands started a podcast without knowing what a podcast was. He was selling t-shirts out of a kiosk in Cumberland Mall, running a conference where the tickets moved slow, so he interviewed his speakers to sell seats. That hustle turned into the Social Proof Podcast, two studios, a national summit tour, and over 500 episodes. In this one he breaks down the part most people get wrong. A podcast is a marketing arm for a business, not the business itself. Content needs a business model. He walks through how to cultivate an audience of buyers, why a community of 10,000 paying $2 a month beats chasing ad money, and how he uses AI to script topic episodes when the interviews aren't enough. He also gets honest about the climb. It took him 54 episodes before one hit, and the one that finally blew up rerouted traffic to an old episode nobody watched. He talks the dad guilt, losing $250K on a summit in Miami, and why he moved the whole thing to Atlanta, the Mecca for Black stories and Black wealth. If you're sitting at 200 views thinking about quitting, this is the episode you need. Catch David at Podcast Summit, July 2nd and 3rd. Use code BUTTER for a discount.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.