What's it about Casey Richardson is bringing access to community, knowledge as well as the capital Black female entrepreneurs

Find out how Casey Richardson used her experience in tech finance to create BLAZE Group and empower a community from Black women entrepreneurs.

About two and a half years prior, her situation was completely different. Richardson was from the Bay Area of California's Bay Area and worked for Bank of America, structuring massive loans for tech companies. It was soon clear that she was the sole Black female on the team for over a decade involved in finance. She not seen any funds allocated to an Black company.

"It made me realize that, not only was the information was not getting disseminated, but also that the information wasn't being distributed to my local communities." Casey recalls.

In October 2020, Casey decided to change her mind.

With her previous experience in finance and technology and finance, she decided to end her 9-to-5 job and founded BLAZE group."Building leaders and accepting no excuses" to give advice, information and help for historically marginalized communities. Black women who are entrepreneurs.

In 2023, we're here: BLAZE Group offers online training courses through The Blaze Knowledge Academy, groups of coaching, an online community, an application for retreats on site, a biannual summit and exclusive research conducted by Casey and her team of global experts.

What could she possibly have accomplished this in only two years? The combination of providing the equipment that meets specific need that is not being fulfilled, the deliberate growth of the audience in addition to selecting the right equipment and the right team.

From corporate finance expert to the businessman who is a revolutionary

Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, Casey worked as a financial expert, drafting multi-billion dollar loans for tech companies. Always ahead of technology advancements. She noticed it was an inequities her group as well as in the companies that they funded. "I was the sole Black female in the group. This showed me that my education level, my experience, and my personal experiences were all not accessible in my region."

Black females constitute the most profitable category of entrepreneurs within the United States -- but less than 3% own "mature" firms as well as a large portion of entrepreneurs are self-funded with startups with capital. There is a huge disparity in the quantity of capital and other sources that are accessible to Black entrepreneurs, when contrasted with their white male counterparts.

As of the summer of 2020 Casey was a participant in demonstrations against violence by police. Casey found a sense community and the strength that was missing from the daily routine of her job. "I realized that I was more enthusiastic and active in protests than in all of the years I was doing those explicit sexual deals," she says. "I could connect with others who are courageous enough and brave enough to make decisions that really are important."

In October, she reached a decision at the end of her journey in her job as a finance manager of a business, however it wasn't for the reason that she was successful and had not, however, because of the reality that it. What other things was she capable of accomplishing through this talent? What can she do to make use of her expertise in technology and finance to assist fellow Black women succeed?

"I'm very comfortable within the confines of the four walls. But, I'd like to invest in my daily conviction that I'll take on larger areas in the universe. So I quit."

The worker quit her job and then went to Africa in order to begin building BLAZE Group, a location-independent business that provides empowerment to Black women from all over the world to achieve what they wish to accomplish.

BLAZE Grupo specifically targets entrepreneurs within the initial three years in business, resulting in what Casey calls"the "entrepreneurial phase."

"BLAZE is a company that aims to help individuals understand how they can manage their business in a way that will ensure that your business runs. We do this by using technologically-enabled solutions. We're among them." she declares.

To be able to communicate with the group, Casey was required to build genuine relations with them.

There are many reasons why you need to establish an email-list (and is the most effective method to start)

Casey was able to design an online business-focused course from the very beginning but it was crucial to build an crowd before she could launch her very first class.

Casey decided to make sure that this didn't occur with the launch of BLAZE's initial product. So, she approached her first attempt at building an audience by setting a target not based on the creation of an electronic database.

Why email subscribers over the Facebook and Twitter users? "I realized that I was searching for friendships with people," explains Casey.

"On Instagram, you don't possess the authority to control your relationships. It's impossible to determine the email address that they've used as well as when their handle change, you must be aware of what their current handle is," Casey says.

"I am looking to build relations with others that are positive and to be around people often in order to create that image and build trust."

Inquiring about her network of contacts

15-minute discovery phone calls with her target public

1. Contact her for contact details

There's plenty of information online regarding how you can expand your reach. A lot of creators think that their first customers will be people who have never heard of them via social media. If you're starting the process from scratch You're missing the most powerful sources of assistance: Your friends and family!

Casey sent out an email to all within her circle to let people that she had started publishing of a quarterly newsletter focused on business and entrepreneurship. She asked if they'd like to join.

"I started by going through the messages I had sent in recent texts, Instagram DMs, Twitter Facebook... I set up a timer and made sure to send as many texts as I could, in five minutes intervals" she says.

Many family members and acquaintances have embraced Casey and her concept too, and she set about developing a good mailing list that would ultimately lead her to her launch.

2. 15 minute discovery calls to the desired group of customers

One of the most effective methods of connecting with them is by talking to them.

Casey shared a post to her social media accounts in which she revealed that she designed an online class that will help Black women develop a greater comprehension of the world of business. "If you'd like me to chat with you for fifteen minutes , and have any concerns, please contact me through an email address," she added.

People who call to schedule a time with her are her ideal audience: Black women interested in entrepreneurial endeavors.

Instead of speaking about the content of the course or promoting the course, Casey asked questions like "What keeps you awake through the late night? What's your most feared fear? Within a year What do you hope to become?" This event was designed to ensure women felt valued and valued. After that, she began to realize what she had to think about when preparing her courses.

"Just holding space for that and helping them feel comfortable it's the most important element in the magic."

"By the time the vast majority of these discussions people were asking "Can I buy the course? Are you offering discount on this course?" Casey remembers. She was still working on the course, but she had received their email addresses and had advised them to get in touch with her that day the class was made available.

Once the training was over She tweeted the course to her mailing list which she created using two methods. "There was already a sense of anticipation in the minds of all who signed up. They were keen to sign up."

What are the results? 80percent of the women she spoke with during the initial calls were eventually customers.

Two years on, Casey still offers free phone calls to clients to help with her process of marketing and sales. If potential customers have concerns about their experiences using the Blaze Business Intensive, they could schedule a free Fit Call. Make a Fit Call with Casey.

"On average, it takes five rounds of follow-ups prior the signing of an agreement. I'm not sure how many entrepreneurs are aware of this fact," claims Casey. "I make these calls in order to close deals."

How can I best to work with sources and individuals who will assist Casey grow her business

Presently, BLAZE offers online courses and masterclasses along with training for coaches in groups and an online community. webinars, as well as TablexTribe, TablexTribe mobile application  and a biannual online gathering (a 2022 Webby Awards honoree to honor the top performers for Business and Finance), in addition to custom research.

How do she deal with everything with a focus on the small details and love?

Casey has put together an international team to help in expanding various aspects of her business, that include:

A content marketer and blogger with a base located in Nigeria

A junior consultant is located in London

A brand and production manager (her fiancé!) who grew the BLAZE group that was on Instagram by 1,300 members from May 2022, to more than 70,000 by the launch of 2023

A executive assistant is originally from Kenya

A researcher analyst who writes research reports in various industries. In addition, he assists BLAZE to identify new clients to consult with.

One of the members who is responsible for the production team to assist in the two-yearly Blaze Virtual Summit

The business doesn't just recruit new employees. They also hire equipment also.

"I utilize tools that I contract with rapidity," Casey laughs. "And I am awestruck because it's not about the price however the amount."

The growth in revenues doesn't necessarily mean that your company is expanding in the same way. This is especially true if you're performing more work or investing more money to achieve this growth.

"The growth in your revenue should not be the primary goal," explains Casey. "If your costs are rising at the same time that you earn more money but your end result doesn't alter."

"Scale is the word used to refer to the ability to generate revenue even though the cost and amount of your investment differ significantly."

Experience in the technology field has provided Casey that the value of tools that are not code-based . Automations, integrations and even as integrations, can be. When she launched BLAZE Group, she leveraged instruments that did not require no code or code such as Zapier, which makes everything work smoothly.

What is the method Casey uses her online course? Downloads, Community, and Community

" was the the first app that I used to make available services on a large scale" Casey shares.

These tools allow Casey "more time to concentrate on the things that matter," such as the private discovery calls she makes with potential clients.

Casey built her first digital product dubbed the Blaze Business intensive on-line course. The course comprises . The class is self-paced and will be taught over six weeks. Class that is focused on "Business development, Business Management and business excellence to the modern Black Woman."

"It was completely uncoded. I created it during the period of a 14-day no-cost trial period," Casey remembers. "I created all the course within the time frame and began selling the course before it expired, in order to begin making profitably."

(Want to experience similar experience to Casey's? Sign up for the free plan , take all time to finish getting the content of the course installed, and then upgrade once you're in a place to start selling.)

This course is part of The Blaze Knowledge Academy which are a set of educational tools for business Casey designed on her website. The Academy includes:

A variety of entrepreneurship masterclasses are offered, many of them are offered at no charge.

Her community on the internet, referred to as Blaze Women's Network is comprised of more than 7,000 people.

"People can choose between enrolling in Blaze Women's Network. Blaze Women's Network absolutely free," Casey explains. Virtual coworking is a thing we do and we also host webinars and then that funnels users into classes that are paid for."

In addition to introducing customers to useful products and services, the Casey's Community provides members an comfortable and warm place to connect with fellow founders.

"It was once it was "content was the primary element,' but now it's changing to the idea that "community" is the most crucial thing.' The people are seeking community-focused applications... and also communities that don't look like spam are real."

Her experience with the program has given Casey some ideas of what to be looking for when you're looking for software that does not require programming. "You have an extremely flexible platform that lets me to build end-to-end solutions with your platform" Casey explains. "And I've used the same scorecard whenever I evaluate the tools I utilize since I'm hoping they expand thanks to this platform."

"It is an amazing idea to come up with solutions for transforming the world using techniques that are inexpensive and easily accessible to the most disadvantaged people today."

Try not to complete everything simultaneously

With all the things Casey can accomplish in just over two years operating BLAZE and BLAZE her advice for new creators might seem to be a delightful delight. You should start with less, or at least, by the point you begin.

"Keep the primary thing in your mind and that's what you must have been doing" She says. The Hustle culture educates entrepreneurs starting out that there's plenty of work to be done or material made. But, Casey is a reminder of fellow creators "There's only so much you're required to accomplish regardless of how great you might be."

"You shouldn't be obligated to know everything you can from the book. It'll be extremely challenging to make all things perfect from the start."

It is advised to start by signing up for an initial deal and build on that. "I first started by enrolling in a course called"the Blaze Intensive, my first course. The Blaze Intensive is my absolute favorite course. Entrepreneurs need to work out what their product should be, what they'd like to be praised for before they start adding various other possibilities."

There's a lot to consider beginning with your initial thoughts: your messaging, your target customer, your technological and marketing strategies and customer satisfaction. What happens when you're done with the task? This opens up the possibility to many more possibilities.

"I believe we're able to accomplish millions of tasks. In 200 years, maybe. Since Blaze is still on the air. It shouldn't be necessary for that to happen today."

We're grateful to be part of the journey of Casey and BLAZE Group. We can't wait to find out what's coming next for Casey along with BLAZE Group in the coming year. And in the coming 200 years now and each day between.

This post was first seen here. this site

Article was first seen on here