Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Jacquelyn and Shaun Rodgers on African American Santa character, Clarence Claus & Merchendise

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Jacquelyn and Shaun Rodgers on African American Santa character, Clarence Claus & Merchendise · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she
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  Speaker 1: has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and
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  Speaker 1: Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me
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  Speaker 1: advice to many occasions. In occasion didn't notice, I'm not broke.
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  Speaker 1: decision makers. It's what he likes to do, it's what
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  Speaker 1: my man, Rashan McDonald. Money Making Conversations. Here we come. Yes, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversation. I am your host, Rashan McDonald.
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  Speaker 1: I recognized that we all have different definitions of success.
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  Speaker 1: For some insuscisable paycheck, Mine is helping people wake up
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  Speaker 1: and inspiring them to accomplish their goals and live their
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  Speaker 1: very best life. These are my passions and that's what
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  Speaker 1: money Making Conversation dot com. I want you to stop
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  Speaker 1: tripping over small challenges and prepare to rise above the
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  Speaker 1: bigger obstacles that life will present to you. My next guest,
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  Speaker 1: there's two of them. Uh. First one is Jacqueline Rodgers
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  Speaker 1: has over fourteen years experience and consumer package goods from
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  Speaker 1: nest Lee, Mars and Wrigley and as a graduate from
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  Speaker 1: Clark Atlantic University. Compadre partner in Crime. Sean Rogers received
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  Speaker 1: his undergraduate degree from more House College and NBA from
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  Speaker 1: Duke University. They are co founders of the hugely popular
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  Speaker 1: and successful holiday decor and apparel company green Top Gifts.
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  Speaker 1: The company brand signature character in African American Santa Claus,
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  Speaker 1: affectionately known as Clarence Clause, has quickly cubmitted green Tops
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  Speaker 1: Gift place in African American and families of color households
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  Speaker 1: who looked for representation during the holiday season. To provide
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  Speaker 1: that verse options with four holiday collections of products, Please
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  Speaker 1: welcome the money making conversation the creators of Clarence Clause,
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  Speaker 1: Jacqueline and Sean Rogers. How are you two doing great?
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  Speaker 1: How are you I'm excited to talk to two creative minds.
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  Speaker 1: Um for Let's talk about a little bit of we
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  Speaker 1: talked about you, Jackie, when your your history from a
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  Speaker 1: corporate standpoint, talk about how you made that transition an
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  Speaker 1: HBCU grad and we know during the pandemic HBCUs we're
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  Speaker 1: really thust out finally in a positive life of the
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  Speaker 1: Vice president elect. She's from hbc U school, Kamala Harris.
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  Speaker 1: So talk about that from a female's perspective, what it
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  Speaker 1: means to you that's going on right now in this
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  Speaker 1: history making time for hbc USED and women of color.
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  Speaker 1: It's a great day to be a product of HBCU.
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  Speaker 1: It's always a great day, but now so more people
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  Speaker 1: are seeing their representation really matters. And it's so great
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  Speaker 1: to see hbc USED thrust to the forefront. And as
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  Speaker 1: an hbc grad we both have long lineage of HBCU
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  Speaker 1: graduates in our family. Were so excited to see it. Um,
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  Speaker 1: and I say, from my background, as I went to
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  Speaker 1: Clarkland University, I knew I wanted to get some corporate
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  Speaker 1: experience before I jumped into entrepreneurship and it was the
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  Speaker 1: best decision. Our network of HBCU graduates is really helped
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  Speaker 1: our business. And Um, we're so grateful to our network
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  Speaker 1: of hbc is awesome. Now, Sean, you have the best
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  Speaker 1: of both worlds. You have HBCU degree masses at Duke.
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  Speaker 1: I got several friends who are very successful graduates of
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  Speaker 1: Duke University, not just from athletics but academic side. How
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  Speaker 1: has that been a blessing for you to have to
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  Speaker 1: basically master both worlds both worlds? Um, it's been great.
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  Speaker 1: It's been great, as I tell people all the time. Uh, Duke,
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  Speaker 1: it's sort of what helped me accelerate my career, but
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  Speaker 1: more House made me who I am. So I think
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  Speaker 1: you know, both both of them were important, But it
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  Speaker 1: started at the HBCU. I mean I remember, you know,
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  Speaker 1: conversations going on in the dorm at three am when
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  Speaker 1: we're talking about everything from football to the original man,
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  Speaker 1: you know, all everything, the entire spectrum. Uh. And that's
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  Speaker 1: that's kind of what made me who I am. But
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  Speaker 1: then I realized I needed to sort of round out
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  Speaker 1: my education UM, so decided to go back to Duke
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  Speaker 1: get my m a UM and that set me on
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  Speaker 1: a different kind of path professionally, being able to go
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  Speaker 1: from there to Wall Street and work several years on
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  Speaker 1: Wall Street. So it has been beneficially and both of
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  Speaker 1: those communities have helped us as we've been trying to
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  Speaker 1: build a Greenhop into what it is. So I couldn't
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  Speaker 1: be more grateful to both more House and and do
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about green Toop. What did that name come from? Greenop? So,
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  Speaker 1: my grandfather was a entrepreneur and my father worked with
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  Speaker 1: him there at Greenhops. So Greenhop was a restaurant bar
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  Speaker 1: in the forties and fifties, and it was here in Hillsboro,
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  Speaker 1: North Carolina, and it was a place that African Americans
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  Speaker 1: could go and celebrate and fellowship and it was a
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  Speaker 1: source of celebration in our community. And so when we
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  Speaker 1: started a company, we were thinking of names, and Greenhop
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  Speaker 1: was really just it seemed like the right thick because
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  Speaker 1: it honored the entrepreneurship background of our families. It's powerful.
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate hearing that now when we talk about business.
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  Speaker 1: I would tell people like when I started my first
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  Speaker 1: business in ninety two, you know, I was a comedy club.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I just basically turned on the lights and
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  Speaker 1: got the licenses that I needed and started accepting money.
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  Speaker 1: You know, that was my rule. And so obviously I
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  Speaker 1: made a lot of mistakes. You know, I didn't I
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  Speaker 1: didn't look at the whole the bookkeeping aspect of it.
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  Speaker 1: I did look at the accounting aspect of it. I
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  Speaker 1: didn't have a I didn't have a business plan or
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  Speaker 1: did I have a business plan for the next six months.
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  Speaker 1: I just wanted to get in business. And so I
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  Speaker 1: always talk about how we make mistakes because when I
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  Speaker 1: say me sometimes about entrepreneurs, especially entrepreneurs of color, because
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  Speaker 1: we don't look at the forecast the reality because we're
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  Speaker 1: such dreamers, you know, we don't you know, once you
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  Speaker 1: hear the reality, it can kind of hurt your dreams,
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  Speaker 1: and so you kind of like ignore the possibility of
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  Speaker 1: failure and put a lot of your opportunities in faith.
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  Speaker 1: You're planning in faith and not planning in numbers. So
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna turn to you, Mr Nba. Okay, when you
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  Speaker 1: opened this green Top, she gave me that great name
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  Speaker 1: and they had great history. Great land is you know,
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  Speaker 1: you know, obviously inspired. Okay, somebody had to have the
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  Speaker 1: number somewhere. I'm not saying she was involved in the number,
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  Speaker 1: but I'm gonna go to the NBA on this one.
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  Speaker 1: Mr Nba, Mr Mr Waan Street, Mr Waan Street. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: that's that, That's exactly what happened. I mean, I'll give
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  Speaker 1: you the quick story. She came and she said, look,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I want this wrapping paper. It doesn't exist.
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna, you know, do with my stuff, and she
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  Speaker 1: will tell you. I was like, no, you're not, that's
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  Speaker 1: not gonna happen. We're not about to investor playing and
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: so you know, she was she was persistent, and she said, no,
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna research and I found the manufacturer all this stuff,
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  Speaker 1: and I said, okay, well, let me do a little research.
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  Speaker 1: And I found one number that made me say we
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  Speaker 1: can do this. I look, I had no idea the
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  Speaker 1: size of the wrapping paper market. So in the United States, uh,
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  Speaker 1: Americans spend almost seven billion dollars seven billion with a
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  Speaker 1: B on wrapping paper every single year. So I saw
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  Speaker 1: that number and I said, okay, wait a minute, seven billion.
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  Speaker 1: There's nothing for black people out there with you know,
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  Speaker 1: images that look like us on it. I said, we
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  Speaker 1: can probably make this work. Right, So the numbers just
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: from the size of the market, because you I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: you know that's where everything starts from. What is the
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  Speaker 1: size of your market. And so once I saw what
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  Speaker 1: the size of the market was, now it was about execution,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: right because the market was there. There was a you know,
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  Speaker 1: the window was cracked for us to get in. Um
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  Speaker 1: as people of color and providing something for people of color.
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  Speaker 1: So for me, from there, you know, the numbers made sense.
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  Speaker 1: We just had to go execute out a very I love.
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  Speaker 1: That's the part of the conversation, the execute part, the
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  Speaker 1: creative side, you know good creating, original artwork, original designs.
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  Speaker 1: How did that part start to lay? It? To have ove?
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  Speaker 1: Because you know, we have a great idea I want
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  Speaker 1: to do. I want to do, uh, wrapping paper for
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  Speaker 1: people of color? People can look like? What are the
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  Speaker 1: designs and the looks? Does either what you have skills?
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  Speaker 1: Art skills are? Are we just big personalities I'm talking
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  Speaker 1: to here. I would say that I've been creative, but
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  Speaker 1: I don't draw. So I do love all things holiday.
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  Speaker 1: I love to decorate. I love him do hearts and
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  Speaker 1: cracks and hobbies. With drawing and creating the actual character
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  Speaker 1: I did not do. We worked with an illustrator and
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  Speaker 1: I knew what I wanted to look like. I wanted
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  Speaker 1: him to appeal to children. I wanted him to appeal
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  Speaker 1: to adult and I wanted him to definitely look black,
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  Speaker 1: and I wanted him to be jolly and magical. I
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  Speaker 1: thought it was really important for him to connect with
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  Speaker 1: children and adults. Um. So we worked with an illustrator
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  Speaker 1: and the first iteration that came back and it was perfect,
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  Speaker 1: and that was the image that we went with. That
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  Speaker 1: players call Now what is the name Clarence Clone? That
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  Speaker 1: which is which makes me smile every time I said,
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  Speaker 1: you know, my staff came to me, they created Clarence clothes.
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  Speaker 1: I go, I said, just on that alone, we got
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  Speaker 1: to talk to him. It just makes me smile. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I come from inner city fil for the six sisters,
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  Speaker 1: two brothers. Grew up in a two bedroom shotgun house.
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  Speaker 1: So that's my that's my my, my, my lifestyle. And
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  Speaker 1: I grew up in a graduated from Universe Houston with
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  Speaker 1: a math degree minor in sociology. So in some ways,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I I mirror some of the things if
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  Speaker 1: you've accomplished in your life from a male perspective. Sean
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  Speaker 1: and I do a lot of work with HBCU schools
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  Speaker 1: now to try to uplift them. Have done a lot
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  Speaker 1: of things. I managed Stephen Smith who is a graduate
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  Speaker 1: of What's in Salem, States. So I have a strong
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  Speaker 1: heart and a strong brand association with HBCU schools. But
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  Speaker 1: Clarence Clause that CC that's my man. CC. It's funny.
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  Speaker 1: It's funny you say that. So when we were when
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: we were coming up with the idea, we knew he
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  Speaker 1: needed a name, and I said to Jackison, man, but
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  Speaker 1: he needs a black man. He needna here they go,
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  Speaker 1: that's a black man, right, um. And so we're throwing
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: around names and and to your point, c C, we
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  Speaker 1: were like, it needs to flow, and then everything kind
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  Speaker 1: of connects with family. So her father's name was Clarence.
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  Speaker 1: One day I said, what do we just call him
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  Speaker 1: Clarence Clarence Clause And then it just stuck, you know,
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  Speaker 1: it kind of as you're saying, when you heard it,
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  Speaker 1: it just kind of I loved it, but I loved it.
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  Speaker 1: I like it just it sounds so many uncles, so
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  Speaker 1: many as sounds. It sounds black, it sounds soulful. It
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  Speaker 1: sounds like, you know, the Thanksgiving then the crist the
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  Speaker 1: summer barbecues, Clarence clones, my man. It sounds like like
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  Speaker 1: you're happy. It sounds like you're gonna have a good time.
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  Speaker 1: But it made you smile. So so so that was
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: the way it was happening. Everybody said thumbs up on
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: Clarence clause. Okay, now that now we've got the thumbs
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  Speaker 1: up on clans clause. Now taking it to the market,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: how is that working out? And how did it first
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: get introduced and how was their initial reactions. So it
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  Speaker 1: really started as I was working full time working on
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: that idea at night, creating the website, and then we
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: got the inventory. It was sitting in our garage and
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  Speaker 1: I said, we're gonna launch in October October sixteen. Um.
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  Speaker 1: We worked with one of my sorority sisters. Actually, she
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: came and videoed and came up was kind of our
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  Speaker 1: story of the origin, how we started it, and she's
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  Speaker 1: a great storyteller, and so she developed this minute thirty
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  Speaker 1: second video, um, and that's kind of how we shared
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  Speaker 1: it on Facebook and social media. And that video just
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  Speaker 1: told the story of the need and why it was
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  Speaker 1: important for us as black parents, and it really just
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: captured the essence of why it was so important for
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: black children to see images that looked like them. And
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: that video, I won't say it went viral, but it
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  Speaker 1: did pretty get numbers and people shared it and that's
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: kind of what got us out there and people found
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: out about our website. We were packing orders in our
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: house up until Black Friday of that year. And you
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  Speaker 1: know I was working full time, as was Sewan. So
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: we get home at night, we packed orders, We put
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: the kids down to eat dinner, and we packed the
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: orders until we were about passed out. And then the
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: orders just kept coming and coming. And said, I think
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: we need a fulfillment company, and I don't think we
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: can kind of cross anymore. Um, And so we switched
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: on the filming company and they packed our orders for us.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: But that's just kind of how it started, you John,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: I was gonna say, you talked earlier about UM HBCUs.
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  Speaker 1: We talked a lot about hbc US and we first launched,
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: we really leaned on that hbc U UH network. You know,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: we launched, we got all of our HBCU you know, classmates, friends,
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: the schools we went to U when that first year,
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: we basically created street teams to go to these homecomings, UM,
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: and we gave them T shirts and they were passing
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: out flyers and buttons. So we really leaned on hbc
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: USED to help get that first year off the ground
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: and get some success behind it then. And HBCUs came
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: through for us in a big way. I mean, they
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: supported as they say, they showed up and showed out
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Clarence clause. So it was it was it was huge.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: It was huge. Well also was you was being featured,
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: you know when you get these featured moments in Essence
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: and the old Oprah magazine. You know, you know back
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: in the old school days when you when you put
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: out a record, you hear your record on the radio,
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: come over right, And so when you start seeing your
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: product being featured in prominent magazines like Essence and oh,
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: what would your reaction? Did you have your frame? Did
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: or did you is the magazine still sitting on your countertop?
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Well did you post to those social media? How did
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: you react and how did you use that, you know
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: to your advantage. We had some praise and worship in
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: the living room, well we got the phone call from Oprah.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: I definitely was shouting and screaming, come on girl, come
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: on girl, come on girl about the open team. We
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: put on some got some music and danced around. Um.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: But when we got NBC News, that was probably the
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: first big press that we got, and the order started
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: to flood in and it was picked up by some
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: local television network news networks and it's great. You know,
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: it's one thing when you think it's something important for
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: your own child, but when other people see it invalidate
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: it and and say it's important as well. So the
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: features in the press have been wonderful to help, you know,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: get a brand awareness out there, and we're so grateful
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: for all of them. So, you know, we're we're we're
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: talking about wrapping people talk about Clarence Clause and then
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Clarence Clause has kind of become a bigger than like
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: character that you guys didn't even mix back to, you know.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: So that's usually how great ideas come about. You know,
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: it comes from it come from passion, but there's something
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: you believe in and and when when you tell your story,
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: it just connects, you know, the Green Top story connects
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: and Clarence story connects, you know, and it all feels
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: very organic and real. And so how big can Clarence
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: call Clans Clause become? How big can he become? Do
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: do Macy's Day Parade? One day? I see a Clarence
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: Clause up there, floating up there next to Snoop Pik
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: And can you get that big? That shot? Come on?
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Absolutely get that, you know, because that's because that's that's
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: the dream big and you get that big. So what
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: what what additional marketing techniques are you guys using? And
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: I know you've had grants tied to black women, Uh Jack,
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: What I wanted to talk about that that you've been awarded.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Talk about the grants and the funding that has come
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: into to to benefit you guys in your brand and
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: your company growth. Definitely, we have really benefited from some
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: grants this year with Beyonce and her foundation be Good.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: Um as awarded us ten thousand dollar grant that we're
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: very excited about. Um in partnership with Double A CP
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: and we also ever see the grant from Visa and
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: I Fund Women and that's a great opportunity for us
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: because Visa, I mean, Visa is huge and I found
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Women does this great work to help like own and
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: women businesses um really grow and give them the tools
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: they need. And so those two grants have really given us,
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: you know, exposure to larger networks, has helped us internally
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: with that funding, and they've provided us with resources that
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: were really right before Okay, green typ grift lines include
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: gift bags, holiday accessories of pails such as socks, face mask,
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: which is very smart, means you pivoted, you saw a
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: need and you pivoted right there. Dad Hats. Their paral
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: line includes T shirts, sweaters, baby one disease, and pajama
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: sets for the whole family that were newly added this
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: year and available for pre order. Right now, let's talk
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: about the pre order. Let's talk about the whole facial mask.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Was that just something you saw you had, that you
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: had the ability at we're pointing this whole pandemic because
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: we got shut down in March, that you felt you
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: should get in the facial mask market. It was very
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: early on. People reached out to us and said, you
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: guys are gonna do Christmas mask right, you know, I
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: mean it was people. It was June and July and
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: people were realizing that, you know, we're gonna be in
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: this for a while. And I had a lot of
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: friends that were like, you guys want to do masks,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, we could do masks. We
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: do masks for sure. So I like our attitude mask. Yeah,
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: we got that on the agenda mask get the mask number. Yeah,
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: the masks are going well, they're selling. My mom and
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: I have been out wearing ours and people are stopping
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: up and asking where'd you get those masks? Right right? So,
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: like I said earlier prior to our call, you know,
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: I love to feature you guys and my my shopping
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: zones all free. You know these are There'll know when
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: I see great opportunities. And that's how you get out there.
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: You always tell people, no, this is not the lottery.
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: You don't win in one location. You win and people
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: turn this way they see your brain. They turn that
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: way to see your brain. They turn this way they
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: hear your brain. And so, like I said, have a
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: mailing list goes out there when they any. Thousands of
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: my fan club members love to put you there. Post
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: you get my social media, which is uh money making
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Conversation dot com. And then I have my personal social media,
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: which is ra Sean McDonald which has almost a million
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: social media followers. I think it would be very fun
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: to post Clarence Clause and get some pre orders. But
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: how does the pre ordered process work for Green Top?
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: So for our family pajamas, we're doing pre order. They
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: come in sizes from infants to an adult to X
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: and if you order them now, they'll shift after the
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: first of December. But if you order any additional product
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: with it, like if you order a mask and pajamas
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: or a mask and um a parent set of rap
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: and page for the items that are in stock now
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: outside of the pajamas will ship immediately, and your family
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: pajamas will ship as soon as we have them all
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: packtrition already. Okay. Cool. So with that being said, uh uh,
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: you're doing any modeling? What your what? Do your what
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: your what? Your items? Or they just uh already been
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: photoed or how's it? How's the package being featured on
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: your website? So we have done a great family photo
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: shoot with tons of cute kids and our pajamas, and
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: that's on YouTube, it's on our website, it's on our
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: social media. There's tons of photos that you can see
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: and kind of get engaged and what the sizing looks
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: like and see the pajamas and the kids are having
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: a ball in the video. So it's just super joyful
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: to look at you know, I look at it. I
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: looked like I mentioned earlier that you was Nestleie was
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: you Mars and Wrigley and then John you mentioned World Street.
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: You know my background, I was IBM A. I work
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: for I BM two and a half years undergraduate, two
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: and a half years graduate, and the and the and
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: the the things I've learned from my five years i've
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: been my still used today, you know, from a marketing
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: stand from from being a professional, from being able to
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: how the management I can always clearly look at some
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: of the statements that how it was handled by by
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: supervisors to be successful work for me today and the
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: principles or me starting my own company, managing people along
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the way and being able to you know, be able
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: to have goals of success. So started with you sewn
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: with your experience that you had. How how are you
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: incorporating that into greenop Oh man, It's uh, Well, the
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: first thing is is just making smart decisions. I've been fortunate.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: I've been around a lot of smart people, h people
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: who've done some pretty incredible things and and typically their
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: success was rooted in they didn't always get it right,
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: but they use a lot of logic to make smart decisions.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: UM and so I've tried to help Jackie UM and
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: helped each other, but I've tried to sort of bring
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: that the green top. It's like, is this a smart decision?
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: The numbers, like you said, at the beginning. Do the
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: numbers make sense? Does this mac add up right? Um?
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: And so that that's really what I've learned most you
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: touched on you said at IBM being a professional. I
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: mean that was something that the first day I walked
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: into Morgan Stanley. You know, you could just feel you
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: better be a professional in here, right, You're gonna get
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: walked out to doing it right. So so, uh, you know,
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: professional is a big part of it. I think sometimes
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: people overlook that. Um, how you carry yourself matters. Um.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: I never forget. There was a guy who I worked with,
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: a guy who I worked with worked for at Morgan Stanley,
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: a gentleman by the name of David de Luca, and
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: this quote I will never forget. He said, why wait
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: until tomorrow to do what you can do today? Um?
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: And so I take that with me everywhere now, that
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: you just always get as much done today as you
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: possibly can, because we don't know what's gonna change the ball.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: So those are the types of things that I've tried
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: to bring to Greentop, how we think about it, how
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: we approach it, making sure every decision is strategic, every
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: decision makes sense. Um. And I think it's benefited us,
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: uh to a large degree. It has the thing I
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: always after, you know, like when I left IBM to
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: pursue a career as a comedian. Okay, well, to a
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: lot of uncertainty because people are always like you the
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: next day the Murphy here ride right and so so.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: But there's still that unknown. You know, when you walk
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: out into you walking away from medical benefits, you're walking
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: away from a consistent check. You're walking away from a
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: building that you know exist. You know so and and
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: then so in the world of doubt, you know, I'd
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: love to hear both of you guys reaction to you know,
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: overcoming and they are known and plus your team I
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: call I call you guys a power couple because the
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: decisions were made jointly, but then each decision was made
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: individually because you were working Jacklin and you was working
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Sean okay, And some people say, well, you work until
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: we get up and running and then you come on
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: later on. How was that that commitment to the brand
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: of green Top handled within the household of the Rogers
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: um So it was. It was interesting. So we started
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: the company in twenty sixteen, and we were a tag team,
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: you know, we as Jackie said, we work late, we
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: packed orders, we do all that stuff. And probably two
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: years ago I started to push her a little bit
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: on if we really want this thing to grow and
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: blow up, you're gonna have to quit your job. You
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: have to quit it and do it full time, because
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: we're looking at some of our friends who have started businesses.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: They're doing a full time and you can see the
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: business grow. And I said, if we if one of
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: us doesn't quit our job, it's always just gonna be
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: a side hustle versus being a real company. And so um,
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: I think we learned some harsh lessons in corporate America
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: to um, you know, and working for some of these companies. Jackie,
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: you know, worked for Nestlee. She worked there for a
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: long time and you know they later off, we don't
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: mind talking about that. And so she was a bit
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: fortunate enough talented enough to get the job at Mars.
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: But I think we realized from that experience and Nestle
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: that you know, to to a lot of these companies,
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: you're just a number. So you know, you've got an
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: opportunity to have your own company and grow it and
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: build it. Let's go after and so after me pushing
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: for a couple of years, in February of this year,
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: she made the decision, I'm gonna quit Mars. I'm gonna
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: do this full time. And um, that's kind of how
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: we balance it in our house, right. So I still
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: go to work and work my nine to five, uh,
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: so that we could keep the health insurance and the
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: benefits and all that stuff. But you know, she does
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: it full time, you know, all day long, and and
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: and some days most days she's doing more work than
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: I am with my nine to five. You know, she's
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: working from eight in the morning to midnight one am.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm watching the game, you know right well
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: when when star watching the game? Hey. But but yeah,
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: that's how we balanced in our house. You know. She
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: she she's done an incredible job. She quit, she's doing
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: a full time and now you know, it's it's growing.
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: So it's been been really cool in that in that
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: way when you say it's growing, Jacqueline, you know you
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: made that commitment, and as an individual, will you say
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: I'm going in and first of all, smart business decision. Okay,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: you you do if you can put if you can
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: pull this off, then you do it. Because a lot
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: of stuff is online nowadays, you're not in the factory
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: pulling stuff down. You moved into a fulfillment location, so
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: that making sure your product line. So you're running the
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: company by yourself in a sense. So because it's set
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: up that way. So talk about the hours. I will
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: tell people that are twenty four hours in the day.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: Learn to take advantage or use each hour. And that
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: seems to be what you're doing as a as an entrepreneur. Yes, um,
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: we have two small children on top of that. So
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: before I quit my job, I was working full time
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: and I said double dutching and doing this at night,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: on the weekends and when I could. Um. And now
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: that since that you were, I've been working on it
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: full time. So the hours are every second is down
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: to a schedule on my calendar. If I don't put
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: it on my calendar and schedule it, it it doesn't get done.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: And I have to be very strategic with my time
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: because we have a two year old and a six
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: year old and their home with virtual learning, so most
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: days we have a tutor that comes in and works
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: with our son, but we have to be really efficient
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: with getting work done before they wake up. During naptime,
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: I try to get a few hours then while they're
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: sitting and eating lunch, and then I do a lot
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: of work in the evening once they're down from bed.
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: So we balance off each other and work with each
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: other schedules to make calls work, and we're in the
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: house and COVID's kind of been a blessing because it
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: allows us to get things done even more efficiently. So um,
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: lots of scheduling and just working together to make it work,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: but there there's no office hours. Get well well. First
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: of all, thank you for coming on the show, money
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: making conversation. Thank you for making me smile. When I
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: say smile, I've been really uh um. You know, I'm
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: much older than you guys, so I've I've experienced a
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: life without this type of diversity. As far as my daughter,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: she's twenty four now and she's been graduating from college,
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: and I'm very excited about that, but more importantly giving
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: us a hope. All right, when I look at look
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: at what we sold said today night, that diversity, when
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: I look at the civil unrest and looking at white
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: people stepping up in a lot of situations saying that's
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: not right, and that that it's important to us as
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: we move forwards. Bless you. You You raising young people to
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: be better people in this life and people recognizing that
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: they want to be uh, they want the same dreams
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: that everybody else wants. Just we just have to be
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: different colors, and different colors should not matter in your dreams.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: And I applaud you guys for for living your dreams.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: I applaud this this lifestyle you guys are creating right now,
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: where Sean is hanging down in that white collar world
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: doing this thing, and you over there doing that entrepreneur spirit.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: And I'm pretty sure next year we're gonna keep this relationship.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: And next year might be full time both of you
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: guys out there flipping it might he might ask this
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: called we're looking like Clarence Claude, Right, That's all I'm saying.
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: I just know that in the world of animation, I
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: I just know that there's there's a there's a bright
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: future for a brand that makes people smile. There's a
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: bright future for people who and it's just then the
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: cute thing about it's just not people of color buying
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: your product. That's the beauty of that's the beauty of
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: what Clarence Clause is you know, it's it's it's it's
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: a charming. Are you guys doing our ornaments for Christmas
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: tree ornaments as well? Yet? Yeah, we have ornaments. I'll
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: be on the site shortly. Yeah, you thinking about blankets
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: and throws. We got it all because I want to
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: buy me some ornaments for my tree. You know, I
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: want to put it up. But again, on my end
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: of the table, my responsibility to you is to promote
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: your brand. So I get my staff to reach out
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: to you, get us some any videos or odd work
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: that we want to promote. Definitely want to promote Clarence
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: Clause as my man. He's close to my heart. I'm I'm,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: I'm I'm putting out there promoting as much as I care.
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: But more importantly, good luck and keep winning. Okay, So
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: we talked soon. Bye bye. You want to hear more
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: money making conversations, please go to money Making Conversation dot
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: com and I'm ra Sean McDonald. I'm your host.