Urban Intellectuals with Freddie Taylor

Freddie Taylor is an entrepreneur, speaker, history enthusiast, philanthropist, and the founder of Urban Intellectuals (UI).
 
Spurred by the lack of Black history instruction that his sons received in grammar school, Freddie knew the onus was on him to create a new narrative of Black culture, and in 2009, UI was born. 
 
UI is an online hub of Black media that boasts over one million Facebook fans, a mobile app, and its own social media network. 
 
Over 350,000 Black History Flash Cards have been sold and featured in: Essence, HuffPost, CBS Chicago, Good Morning Washington, Milwaukee PBS, ABC News Live, and Sister Circle on TV One. UI enjoyed a 2019 Black History Month collaboration with JetBlue, featuring the flashcards in the JFK (NY) and Newark (NJ) airports. Additionally, UI received 2021 All Black National Convention’s Black Business of the Year award.

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Transcript

Freddie Taylor
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Freddie Taylor: [00:00:00] Starve your doubts, right? Like, yeah. So I, I would, I love the term because it's so serious, but most people don't achieve what they set out to because they doubt themselves. If you doubt yourself, bring you forward, you get into action. You don't have a chance. Right. So I think magic Johnson is credited with saying you miss a hundred percent of the shots that you don't take.

Jared Easley: welcome back to the podcast. My name is Jared. I'm. One of the co-hosts and joining me today is. Long lost. Komazi Constable come-ons a year and I haven't done a podcast episode just a few days. Actually. It's been a long time, but we're really excited to have you back on the show and welcome back and hope.

Yeah, 

Kimanzi Constable: thanks for having me. We did it on like Disney Springs in person. That was right before. 

Jared Easley: Yeah. That was pre pandemic, which is 

Kimanzi Constable: wild, but I was laughing. Cause the other day I was thinking about how we did all these. And you always used to be like, it's the official call is on [00:01:00] I'm like, I think after the first few other cells, they know.

So I think it's funny. 

Jared Easley: Well, in full transparency, commodity reached out to me and he's like, Hey, you got to hear about this guy. Freddy Taylor told me about Freddy Taylor. And I'm like, would Freddie find it in his heart to be on the podcast? And he's like, I don't know. You know, he's pretty, he's pretty up there.

He's pretty far up. But Friday has decided to be gracious and join us today for any, just a little bit about him. He is an entrepreneur, he's a speaker, he's a history, enthusiastic philanthropist, and the founder of urban intellectuals. We're going to get into a number of these things so we can explain them further.

So I'm excited about that, but first of all, Friday, thank you so much for taking time to chat with us today. 

Freddie Taylor: Thank you for having me, gentlemen. 

Jared Easley: Excellent. And one of the fun things we like to do is start with a couple of ice breaker questions. And, um, the first one is maybe a little bit random, but, uh, let's give it a try.

So, Freddy, what is the best concert or performance that you've 

Freddie Taylor: been to, man? That's great. So last year, yeah, last year I went to the Bruno [00:02:00] Mars concert. We were there on July the third, 2021, which was my 20th wedding anniversary. So. My wife and I, I surprised to ourselves, if you can surprise yourself, right.

We took ourselves to Vegas. That was like one of our first trips since the pandemic. And that concert was literally amazing. My wife was in there crying, like, like we love Bruno Mars. So that would definitely. That was, that's the most memorable concert that I've been to. He really puts on a great show and I am a fan of shot day and I seen her life.

And that was amazing as well. So the goal, the jumbo side day was pretty big. That was pretty. 

Jared Easley: Yeah. So, okay. Yeah, those are both great shows. I have not been to see there, but I'd love to, and I think c'mon likes to refer to himself as a smooth operator. Is that true? Uh, generally. 

Kimanzi Constable: Yes, but I don't feel so now that I don't have my good microphones.

Jared Easley: So, uh, okay. Well, we can, we can fix that for the next episode. Yeah. Friday, we'll forgive you. [00:03:00] 

Kimanzi Constable: Yeah. So Friday, how was Bruno life? Cause you know, sometimes artists on the tapes I'm hearing them and then hearing them live is different. How was that? 

Freddie Taylor: Yeah. I'll know he lived up to the Billy. It was, it was absolutely amazing.

Even make the story even better. Right. We purchased, of course the nosebleed seats. Right. It was just trying to be in the building. It was a thousand dollars. It was crazy. Right, right.

Yeah. Yeah. It was crazy. I get a call from a friend of mine and he's like, she's like, you're at the concert. I was like, yeah. Well, my cousin works in the, is in the band. So, you know, I could go to we'll call. I can get you better seats, man. We go down to we'll call. We take their name, give us the tickets. And I'm looking at the number and you know, you hand it to the guy at the door.

He usher you down and he just kept walking towards the stage. I'm like

fifth row center, Bruno in Vegas. That's how [00:04:00] you do the singing, the dancing, the performance of it all. It's a must-see concert. And then at the end, Uh, come on. Who's in silk, Sonic winning Anderson pack came out. I just toured a whole place. It was amazing. I, oh man, I really want to go back. I gotta go do it in those bleeds to 

Jared Easley: fifth row.

That's 

Freddie Taylor: the way to do it.

Jared Easley: Yeah. I, I need more cousins.

Kimanzi Constable: Yeah. I had a similar experience for any boat with Taylor swift Taylor swift. I had no connections. I paid the $1,500 in the front. And when she came out two 15 year old girl sitting on either side of me, I was crying louder than they were true. Sorry. That's 

not 

Jared Easley: the first time that's been talked about on a podcast.

I'm sure. 

Freddie Taylor: Let me [00:05:00] ask you, let 

Kimanzi Constable: me ask you a question. Would you rather have an invisible suit to dance in front of your neighbors? Or would you rather have played football for coach? 

Freddie Taylor: Ah, coach prime. Yeah. I mean the invisible suit would have been amazing, but I mean, I grew up watching and I admire him coach prime, man.

That is, that's gotta be an unbelievable feeling. I played dieback as well. I played in college. I just couldn't imagine playing for the greatest quarterback of all time and what he's doing for the HPC. Beautiful. But man, that would be amazing to play for him. I gotta, I gotta go. I seen the kid do the invisible, visible suit dancing in front of the neighbors, which was classic, but I gotta go with commodity.

If you're 

Jared Easley: not seeing that video, uh, we got a friend he's a Facebook page and you'll, you'll enjoy that. It's definitely all, we'll close out our icebreakers here with F finish this sentence. So I'll give you the beginning of the sentence. And how about this? If you ever make plans to rewatch all of 24 [00:06:00] blank 

Freddie Taylor: or you're in for a treat?

Oh yeah, you really haven't been on my page. Right? The wife and I are rewatch. Yeah. It is just an amazing show. I just got, I'm always flabbergasted that people haven't. I think it was one of the best shows ever of all time. So you're in for a treat. If you plan to sit down and watch all nine seasons of 24, it's unbelievable.

You 

Jared Easley: and your wife are doing all nine. Yes. Even the newer ones. Right? Because I came out with some newer ones 

Freddie Taylor: a few years ago, we're going through everything. I love it. I love, we love that. I should've worn my Jack Bauer for president shirts.

Kimanzi Constable: I'm currently in the process of rewatching 24. Jared, are you 

Jared Easley: as you, as you should be. So, and, and that's a little redemptive as you talk about Taylor swift and crying, so nice to have the man cards back on the show and[00:07:00] 

Kimanzi Constable: he wouldn't be opposed to them 

Freddie Taylor: rebooting the series. I wouldn't either. I'd love to see it. I love to see it. Right. And they've really rebooting everything else. Right. So why not bring it back? That'd be. Yeah. 

Jared Easley: Yeah. He was on another show that was like DC, what was it? It was like survivor or something. 

Kimanzi Constable: A survivor designate a survivor 

Jared Easley: in my mind, in my mind, it was almost like if Jack Bauer kind of like, you know, grew up, maybe not.

Kimanzi Constable: Netflix has picked it up for one season and I think they just are not going to do anything with it. 

Freddie Taylor: I liked it, but I missed that one.

Kimanzi Constable: so Friday, why are you so passionate about black? 

Freddie Taylor: Ooh, that's a good question. Well, I know the importance of it was instilled in me in my, from my father. It's really kind of where it all root, the [00:08:00] root comes from, right? Like raise up a child, right. They had always talked about the importance of history and knowing where you came from so that you can really understand the responsibility that you have moving forward.

Right? So many people have sacrificed and died for us to have the opportunities that we do have. So I just know that that is mission critical for us. Moving forward as a community, as a society, we really need to understand our history and our past so that we can create the future that we desire. I believe that our history is black history is the greatest motivational story never told.

And so I want to make sure that we are telling that to the youth so that they grow up with higher expectations of themselves so that they can perform better in their lives, their families, their communities, but also to better impact. 

Jared Easley: Excellent. When did you realize that this passion that you have for black history could actually become a business?

Freddie Taylor: Yeah, that's a, that's a good question. Cause I really wasn't in it to create a business. I was just spreading the word [00:09:00] because I thought it was an important, particularly around the social commentary that's going on. I think we have to have the entire picture. Right? So I, one of my mentors was on the wall back here.

I call him my mentor. I never met him. John Henry Clark. He talks about. Anything until you understand how it came to be. So that's why I really think that history is important. What I was dabbling around on the internet and a friend of mine convinced me to get on Facebook, right. So I get on Facebook and like, oh nine and I just start ranting and raving about different things and then started building up a following.

And then I learned how to monetize. Conversations, right. I started to learn the eyeballs, right? So once I figured out how to monetize eyeballs, I figured, Hey, why not apply this to black history and culture, which is what I was speaking about. So I just kind of stumbled into it to start making the decision to get online.

First I used to own, I call them real world businesses. Then when I decided to get out of real world businesses and get online, that I [00:10:00] naturally gravitated to this space. And then I said, once, you know how to monetize conversations, then. 

Kimanzi Constable: So, how was it in your early days of building this business? But what we're interested in is how you, how did you do it with a family, with small children and the responsibilities of life?

Because that's 

Freddie Taylor: not easy. Yeah. Quite a lot of stress. Right. But a really supportive home environment and my wife. Right. Because when I first saw. On the internet, obviously I wasn't making any money. So somebody had to pay the bills, right? So she was definitely team player, number one, getting a corporate job and, you know, making sure that the family and the kids have health insurance while I was busy building the dream.

So I, that. Just having a home that's really supportive of you and your endeavors is really like the key to it all, particularly for me, because I know if I were, if you get, have that stress in the home, then you know, everything's going to fall apart. So I just give a lot of credit to her because without her, I like to think I would have succeeded anyway, but it [00:11:00] probably wouldn't have been as seamless.

All right. So let's zoom back 

Kimanzi Constable: because you said something that I feel like is incredibly important that you do not see on the internet. Your wife had a job that covered the health insurance provided income. So you can build your business. Now this happens a lot, but you do not see a talked about an internet marketing space because that's not 

Freddie Taylor: sexy.

It's not a, well, actually it is though, right? It is though. It is sexy. Right. But, you know, I guess when you're portraying a particular lifestyles, I'm not that type of internet marketer. Right. So I like to get serious about how we got here, but yes. Really, you know, warming up and like made it happen to hell down the bills and all of that good stuff.

And I was being a good parent, uh, you know, getting the kids to the bus, stop, getting them ready in the morning and, you know, attending the PTA meetings and all of that good stuff. But while I was building the dream at night and during the day, but yes, she was really the bedrock of it all because, you know, if I got [00:12:00] to go get a nine to five, then maybe we're not here talking to them.

Maybe I'm just the guy working, handling the bills and getting things done. But thanks for her. I really got a chance to leave off of that platform that she's secured for me. Yeah. 

Jared Easley: Provided that gave you that option to be able to move forward with this. Let's talk about your team. So how did you build your dream business with a small.

Freddie Taylor: Yeah, man, like to say, I've stumbled and failed all the way here. Right. But that's, that's kinda like the key to success, right? It's really endurance going from failure to failure with the same enthusiasm. I forgot who said that, but I love that quote, but we got here because of. It's weird because I didn't want to build a team.

Right. I was anti corporate America. I've had like two jobs in my life. Like never have that. I'm not the work. That guy, I'm an entrepreneur through and through, through my core, right. I had a job in high school and I had a job in college, but I still didn't want to [00:13:00] build a company. It's funny because inside my mastermind, we were just talking about this, having this conversation.

Well, how did you get there to build a team? Cause I was everyone knows. I didn't want to be. Accompany, right. I just want it to be a couple of guys with some laptops, traveling the world, talking about social justice issues and spread and black history and joy all over the planet. Right. And then one day I was in Vancouver actually with them on a meeting.

And one of my, my mentor, really, he really laid into me. He was like, man, you know, if you really want to build this dream, you're going to have to start building the team. So from that conversation in 2020, believing in that is when we started to get serious about growing our team. And I just started with hiring a couple of VA's starting that route and building a couple of systems and then having more, a little bit more success in saying, okay, that's when we added the same culture club commands that I know we talked about it a little bit within really needing someone to have an eye on.

Forced me to bring in Tamiko [00:14:00] Cohen. Who's our St. COVID club, community leader to focus on that phase of the business, and then more success leads to more ideas, more opportunities. So we just slowly been adding people one by one, uh, kind of building out this machine that I really can't believe I'm here.

Right. Cause like y'all, if you just understood how anti company I've. Then you really see how shocking it is that we're here, but I'm enjoying it. Now I'm seeing the fruits of bringing on a team instruction in, and I have an org chart together and really visualizing what the, where the company is going.

But I'm enjoying rallying the team and getting them to see the vision and getting everyone in one accord so that we can move in unity in the same direction. And it's really, it's really been a fun experience. I wish I would've started sooner, but I was reluctant. So I guess we. 

Kimanzi Constable: So for starve, the doubts listeners, urban intellectuals started from what I've read started as a company that wanted to educate about black [00:15:00] history through flooding.

But then now over the years, I'm in front of you started in the internet in 2003. So like very early days, internet. Like, I don't even remember what I was doing in 2003, but I definitely wasn't on the internet. What were you doing? 

Jared Easley: I was in the Navy. Oh, there you go. I wasn't doing what Freddy. You 

Kimanzi Constable: know, so you started the internet, you build this thing with the flashcards first.

Now you have all sorts of things. You have an online education company, you're doing black history trips to Africa. Like how does that feel to be at this point? 

Freddie Taylor: It really is amazing when you see the impact. Right? Cause when, when we're day to day, we just, you know, still feel like you're playing around on the internet.

Right. Having. But then when we start to get the feedback from our customers, from our audience and, you know, just people really like yourself, like really appreciating what we're doing. It's like, that's when you sit back and be like, oh yeah, I guess, I guess we are doing that. [00:16:00] Right. Like you were like, oh, Freddy's up there.

I don't really see myself as up there. I just see myself as still a gritty startup, you know, still trying to figure it out, get our feet together and really grind and to achieve this mission, to change in the world. Right? Like we want to change the world one child and. And we're really focused and intent on that, but it's just, it really is amazing sometimes to sit back and watch, but I try not to get caught up in that because there's so much more to do.

We have a lot of work. But I enjoy them when, at time to time, when I come up for air and think about it, I really do enjoy

Kimanzi Constable: No. What about doubts 

Freddie Taylor: Friday? Like you have lookouts eliminate beliefs. Yeah. They creep into all of our heads. Right. But when I get into that space, I got doubts and limited beliefs. Every time payroll come around, right? Like

everybody's[00:17:00] 

always doing payroll. But, yeah, so, I mean, sometimes it creeps into your head and things like that, but every time that happens, I, I tend to go back to what I call the whale. Right. So I go back to Napoleon hill. I broke out think and grow rich this week. Right. So I'm going back through that to really solidify my burning desire and really stay focused and believe that it can happen.

I go back to Jim Rome, I loved him wrong. Right? Like I got goosebumps saying his name because, you know, I put it on my headphones and I'll either I go for a run. I'm working out and I'm just really just centering myself back in belief, right. Trying to eliminate those doubts. So, you know, I don't want to continue to attract them, but they come into your head from time to time, you know?

So it's just good to have some friends to talk to some people that really support you. And I like to dive back into my personal development, whenever that. 

Jared Easley: Commodity mentioned the black history trips to Africa. And that was curious, what else [00:18:00] does urban intellectuals offer today? 

Freddie Taylor: All right. Good question.

So right now, urban intellectuals is focused on creating a historical education products and services designed to right the black community back into the pages of world history and back into the hearts and the minds of. Well, we do that through our series of flashcards. We have like 12 in our series right now.

We're coming out with three additional flashcards. So it was playing card games. There's matching pairs, there's trivia games. So it's all types of variety of different flashcards. We got books, we got apparel. We have a black history club for children that we call it, the San Copa club. I mentioned it a little earlier.

It teaches live black history classes taught by teachers. Then we archive them. So, and they have access to all of the. Uh, later, there's literally over a hundred and some courses available to our members inside of the St Cofer club. Once you, uh, you go into the archive, we call that the Netflix of black history for children, right?

Because it's on demand. We have the [00:19:00] African travel are urban intellectuals, travel X movement, where we are taking people to Africa. We're going to, uh, several countries. Th later this year and next year. So we're really excited about adding that feature to our lineup. We have a program called the black math genius program, where we teach mathematics and history together to inspire the children.

So we have a bootcamp which is an online version of the course. And then we have a tutoring service where we are educating young, young, future stem geniuses that are going to grow up in. Inside of the organization as well. And we've achieved all of this through joint ventures with some highly skilled experts in their individual areas, like the travel experiences and a black math genius program.

And then of course hiring out our org chart and really fulfilling the mission of the world. So we're, we're working on it. So just a couple of things going on. They don't want her to, 

Kimanzi Constable: I mean, that's all the business stuff Friday, [00:20:00] but entrepreneurship is about balance. What do you do for. 

Freddie Taylor: I am a chess player.

I love chess. I is probably like an addiction. Like if you see me on the phone, I'm probably not scrolling on Facebook. I'm probably playing the test game. I absolutely love it. That is like a passion of mine. I dream of traveling the world to chest. And playing in those I'm not good. I'm not going to like win or anything like that.

I can beat average person, but when you get into a room for the chess players, you, you realize you get humbled really quick. Right? That's a beautiful game. I love it. Outside of that, I love to travel, I guess. I love beer. I'm a craft beer enthusiast. I am a craft beer fanatic, actually enthusiastic, probably isn't a strong enough of a term.

I'm a runner. I love to run. That really gives me good joy and balance. I'm a social agitator. I love to try to make people think, right. I still, I say it's not illegal yet to people, so we better start thinking [00:21:00] before it happens. So I think those are, oh, I'm a reader. What else do I. I love skipping. Shannon.

I'll watch a skip and Shannon each morning, each morning, but some mornings catch a little bit of that. Yeah, that's about it. I love hanging out with my friends, you know, laughing. And I mentioned the Jared that I, I think I'm a comedian, so I'm always trying to tell a joke. So not like it's not a red Fox, one line punchline joke.

I like working in the conversations 

Jared Easley: as you should. And apparently 24 is, is somewhere in the mix too. Oh, 

Freddie Taylor: absolutely. Absolutely. I love a good show and definitely love a good show. I know 

Jared Easley: you have so much that you're focused on now, are you even considering what's next? And what would the. Yeah, 

Freddie Taylor: we are actually kind of working on it, right?

So these teachers that we hire inside of our San COFA club, we call them world changers. Obviously they have expertise in a lot of different areas. And then also inside of the black man genius program, we're partnered with the former principal and teacher. It's not a more inside of [00:22:00] that program. And we have a bunch of teachers hired as our tutors inside of there.

So we're secretly. Building the school, right? So we are going to, well, what's next is an online educational platform school for children. Right. I remember my children, one of my children went to online school years ago. They're 18 and 22 now. And, uh, that kind of sparked the interest in my mind. But yeah, I want to build a global institution that has teachers from around the world, either teaching the language that they're in or the skill of mathematics.

Children to see the globe and the interact with it, and then to have an opportunity to be educated by it so that they're not afraid of it later when they become adults. Right. They can move into the world and work hand in hand with people from everywhere. Right. So, uh, just, just a little bit of an idea that.

You're kind of secretly working on it behind the seat.

[00:23:00] yeah. Uh, you mentioned coach prime, but he, what he's doing for the HBC use is really interesting to me. I just like how he's breathing life back into those schools. And I love it for the athletes of course, but I really love it for the students. Right. Because athletics brings so much money to these institutes.

It's unbelievable. Right? So with the eyeballs going to Jackson state and other HBCU, the money's going to follow and that money is going to improve. The facilities is going to create better pay for the teachers, which is going to create better learning opportunities for the children for the future will better networking opportunities, more connections, more opportunities.

I just, I love what he is. Single-handedly not single-handedly but what he is doing, right. So really spark the interest. HBCU and the underfunding that's going on in the area. So I just, I love what coach prime is doing. I am a massive fan of what he's doing. Cause I like solutions. Right? I don't, I love to acetate and talk about it a little bit, but we don't need more people talking.

Right. We need more [00:24:00] people in action mode getting things done. So I really appreciate what he's doing because. You know, sit on his farm in his acres and, you know, live life and just be rich and, you know, do whatever you want to do, but he's waking up every morning coming down to Jackson state and really trying to make a difference for the community around it on HBC use in general.

So hats off to coach prime. I just love. Yeah. And he's 

Jared Easley: winning obviously. 

Freddie Taylor: So

Jared Easley: he's got, he's recruiting. Well, he's doing his doing all everything. Right. So, yeah, that's outstanding to see what he's up to now. And we're gonna start to wrap up here Friday. Uh, just two more questions. One is, uh, for people that are listening and they're saying, Hey, I need to pay attention to what Friday has going on.

And what's the best place for listeners to connect with 

you 

Freddie Taylor: on. Uh, yeah, you can check us out@urbanintellectuals.com. That'll get you to the universe of offerings that we have. You can see us on social media, on any of those platforms. And if you ever shoot an [00:25:00] email to info@urbanintellectuals.com, you can either get to, you can somehow get to me, right.

Eventually you got to probably get to my handler. That's what I call. Somebody's got to run to my schedule. Yeah. Well, 

Kimanzi Constable: excuse us. 

Freddie Taylor: It's interesting because you, you build a company and you become a little bit of an interest to people, and then, uh, you know, folks start to handle you. They have to move you around.

So I appreciate, but I appreciate it. A 1000%, we wouldn't be here without her and the rest of the team. They do a great job. 

Kimanzi Constable: And Friday, do you have any final thoughts for the start of that? Starve 

Freddie Taylor: your doubts, right? Like, yeah. So I, I would, I would, I love the term because it's so serious, but most people don't achieve what they set out to because they doubt themselves.

If you doubt yourself, bring you forward, you get into action. You don't have a chance. Right. So I think magic Johnson is credited with saying you miss a hundred percent of the shots that. [00:26:00] So doubt really, really is forcing you to put the ball down and not take your shot. Right. So I really want to encourage people to take their shot, to get into action, do it poorly so that you can eventually do it well.

Right. I mentioned that I've stumbled all the way here. I promise I'm going to continue to stumble till we open that school and do many, many more things, but it's all because we started out, I'm just trying to start my day. And stay in action mode and get 

Jared Easley: things done while Freddy, uh, we really, uh, are excited for you and for your success.

Congratulations again, and, uh, just thank you so much for taking time to share with us today. And Komazi thank you for sitting in on this. Yeah, 

Kimanzi Constable: but yeah. Thanks for having me back starve. The doubts list. There's maybe the old

podcasting streets. 

Jared Easley: Uh, I'm sure we'll do it again. And, uh, hopefully when Freddy gets a school launch, maybe we can have him back and he can catch us up. I love 

Freddie Taylor: it definitely 

Jared Easley: helped me too. It sound good. All right, Friday, we appreciate your time and I wish you the absolute best. 

Kimanzi Constable: Thanks, 

Freddie Taylor: Freddy. Thank you.

Appreciate ya.[00:27:00] .