Innovating In Your Own Voice — Tahaji Felder

Fred Schonenberg
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the VentureFuel Visionaries podcast. I'm your host, Fred Schonenberg, and on today's show, we have Tahaji Felder. She is a seasoned social entrepreneur, corporate innovator, and community leader. She has over a decade of experience supporting startups and founders to accelerate their emerging brands.

Her TEDx on the power of embracing your unique voice is simply awesome, and she's launched her own lifestyle brand. She's mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs and is a champion of inclusive innovation through program leadership and social impact. So please enjoy this episode with Tahaji Felder. Tahaji, welcome to the show.

Tahaji Felder
Oh, Fred, thank you so much. I need to record that and have that every time I wake up, right? That needs to be like my motivation, like my entry music for like when I wake up every day.

Fred Schonenberg
My son messes with my ringtone. It wakes up to like the Star Wars, like Darth Vader theme as he walks in. So I would like to have somebody else record an intro. That'd be a lot nicer way to start the day. Well, cool. Well, it's my pleasure, and I really appreciate you joining us on the show. And I would love to kind of talk a little bit about your career and what brought you here, but maybe you could start at your career pivot. I guess it was about 10 years ago, focused on supporting entrepreneurs.

Tahaji Felder
Yes. Oh my goodness. So I tell folks I've had like three or four careers, probably even more than that, but three major moments in my career. So I started off as an accountant and I know we need accountants. I was living in New York for a little bit. I know we're talking about New York. I know that's where you're from, Fred. So I lived in New York for a little bit and I had a great career in accounting. I love accounting, but I remember having this epiphany sitting in my cube one day and I was just like, this career is not for me. I couldn't see myself looking at Excel spreadsheets and pivot tables all day long. Although of course, like I said, we need accountants. 

So then I moved back to South Florida, actually Fort Lauderdale, where I was raised. I was born in Connecticut, but raised in South Florida and I've always been passionate about entrepreneurship. So I started my own lifestyle brand. As you mentioned at the top, I no longer run it, but it was called Goose and Gander. And I mean, it was honestly like the joy of my life. 

I met incredible, incredible entrepreneurs, farmers markets. And they all started asking me. How'd you create your LLC? Like very simple, basic entrepreneurship startup questions, Fred. You're shaking your head. So you know where this is going. So how'd you get that trademark? How'd you get into that store? I had some really great local traction in the South Florida area. And I realized I really loved mentoring, coaching entrepreneurs. Like that was like my jam.

So I started guest speaking at conferences and high schools and middle schools and colleges because I really enjoyed the startup phase. Because I felt like I was realizing a lot of entrepreneurs had a really hard time getting the idea off the ground. It's one thing having an idea is actually getting it off the ground. That's a whole another, right? Whole another step. 

I came across a nonprofit called Nifty, our network for teaching entrepreneurship. They do incredible work. They put entrepreneurship electives in schools across the country, actually started working with them, mentoring, coaching entrepreneurs there. And then from there looking for more growth, I then started leading a program which I had just left that previous role. So my journey started from accounting to realizing this passion I have for entrepreneurship to then mentorship and coaching. That's what I've been doing pretty much ever since. 

And it started with, like I said, my passion. It started with realizing the need that so many entrepreneurs had. Honestly, just like my superpower. I felt like that was just like the space that I was really good at and I could see myself doing it for the rest of my career. Like I would do it for free. Like I didn't have to get paid to do it. That's when I was like, okay, I'm onto something here.

Fred Schonenberg
So someone that's, and I agree with you. And there's also this energy that you like unless you are involved with entrepreneurs and startups, like you can't really describe it. It makes work feel very fun. There's something about somebody that is like all in on an idea that just makes it easy to get up in the morning. So let me ask you this, as you've gone on to help entrepreneurs, are there any big challenges that you see across the board or maybe things that are more unique today than when you first started doing this?

Tahaji Felder
Yes, quite a few things. You'll probably hear me say this throughout our conversation. But one of the biggest things I'm seeing right now is lack of clarity. A lot of entrepreneurs, like I said, like they'll have an idea, then they'll start it. And then they don't, they're not really clear on the brand, the products or products, if it's a CPG based or, you know, or service based. They don't really know who they're talking to or how to talk to that target. We all know that you speak to everyone, you're speaking to no one. So they say, hey, I have this product, like it's for everyone. Actually, it's not for everyone. So I think it's like a lack of clarity. That goes with all branding and marketing, how they're talking to their consumer and how they're not. 

I would say the second thing is not understanding the finances. Finances have been a huge thing for entrepreneurs. It could really make folks go bankrupt. You know, lots of times entrepreneurs are bootstrapping their company. Maybe they're taking money from their 401k, they're borrowing money. Crowdfunding, but not understanding their finances, like very simple things like margins and balance sheets, like all these really simple things that they get intimidated by.

So to me, like some of the two biggest problems are lack of clarity. Not understanding their finances. And then I think the third thing is lack of access. So today, it's crazy. I was talking to someone the other day. I'm like, we've never lived in a time where there has been so much access, but then so much lack of access. Or not knowing to get into these rooms or access these resources or grants or whatever that may look like. So I think it's not understanding or not being able to have access to the resources that they need to actually grow their company.

Fred Schonenberg
I couldn't agree more. And what's interesting too on the finance piece is like, there's so many levels of it. There's basic finance to figure out how you run your company. How do you do that? And then like, as things get more complex, it gets more complex. And I find that the founders  usually have one or two things really strong and then a gap in one of those three, right? So if you have two or three, you can figure out the third one is usually the answer. Which is interesting, so.

Tahaji Felder
Yeah, and I mean, even to your point, I have to call you, but even to your point too. It's also like, okay, I have $1. Where should that $1 go ? Or who should my first hire be, to your point, Fred, or like helping. Most times as an entrepreneur, entrepreneurs are solopreneurs. So like they started the company, so they are the marketing, they're the finance, they're the janitor, they're the sales rep. They're the customer service. They're the marketing, they're the CFO, they're like everything, CMO. So, it's impossible to ask one person to be a pro at all of that. So even understanding who should the first hire potentially be to help them, you know, move their brand forward.

Fred Schonenberg
Yeah, it's funny too. I'm a three-time entrepreneur at this point. I've been running VentureFuel for 11 years and I still have moments like, the game changes. You up-level again and you're like, so that prioritization on where to take that $1, like that doesn't change and it becomes more complicated over time. I was just talking to a CEO of a publicly traded company and we were talking about capital allocation and like, that's the game. There's that $1 go. Now his $1 has probably got a B behind it. There's a billion go. But it's still like such an interesting choice and it always evolves, which is what makes it very fun also. 

So I wanted to ask you about the role the community plays. You've done such a great job within the startup ecosystem, but how do you think about community as a role in sort of helping entrepreneurs?

Tahaji Felder
Yes. I think community is the number one catalyst to helping, especially startups. I mean, Fred, you've mentioned you've been an entrepreneur for, you've been running VentureFuel for 11 years now. And I know community is still important to you. It may look different than year one. But your community is still really important and I think when entrepreneurs are starting off, community honestly is the number one resource.

Most often than not, let's say an entrepreneur starts a company, they are thinking they, hey, I wanna collaborate with X person that has 25 million followers or this celebrity or that person when their neighbor right next door actually might be that person that takes their brand to the next level. I know an entrepreneur, I'll give you an example, that has a mocktail company and incredible, incredible founder and his friend's wife works for Delta. And she was the one that gave him the connection to be able to get the brand on Delta flights. Like his friend's wife. So when he could have been thinking about, again, that celebrity or this person, now, of course, they're actually obviously important. 

But community is a catalyst, like number one, the folks around us, our peers that may be on our level. That can help these entrepreneurs move forward. Number one with the brand, but I also think number two, which is actually the number one, which is helping them with their wellness. I'm a huge proponent, Fred, of entrepreneurship, wellness, taking care of their mental, their emotional, their spiritual. Running a business is like having a baby. It is like your baby. And oftentimes, entrepreneurs kill themselves over their brand. And I don't believe in that. I don't believe in sleeping when you die when you run a business because if you're dead, you can't run the business. I believe in also making sure that your wellness and your emotional health, physical wellbeing is just as healthy as your company.

So I think the community also helps entrepreneurs by making sure they're staying motivated, staying passionate. And they need someone to lean on, a conversation to vent. Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey. Entrepreneurs are unicorns. I feel like when we look on social media, folks think everyone is an entrepreneur when it's truly the opposite. You mentioned earlier how fun it is to work with someone that has an idea and then they put it out there in the world.

Do you know how hard that is, Fred? Okay, Fred, you remember like in elementary school, like show and tell and you bring your thing and you're like in front of the classroom with like your thing. And you're showing and telling it. To me, that's entrepreneurship. You're bringing your thing in front of the world and showing it and hoping that folks actually embrace it and buy the thing. So you need a community around you that's gonna help inspire you and motivate you when you have those down moments.

Fred Schonenberg
Yeah, it's funny when you said it's like having a baby entrepreneurship. I was like, yeah, except it's socially acceptable for them to tell you your baby's ugly or not big enough or not fast enough. And so it's like there's an extra level of emotional pain that goes into it. 

And to your point of community, one of the biggest clients, VentureFuel, got early. We pivoted our company in 2019. And as we had just done that, I went to a breakfast and it was literally, I went because it was a free breakfast at a conference that normally I wouldn't have gone to. It was the last day, it was a Saturday morning and my wife had something to do that morning. And so I was like, I'll just go get some free eggs. I sat next to a person and we basically talked for 20 minutes, deciding there was no way we would ever work together. But we enjoyed the conversation. We traded cards. 

And like three weeks later, he called me and said, you won't believe this, but my board just asked me about running something like Shark Tank. And I was like, I know a guy. It ended up being a client that we still work with today. Seven years later. And so I think that you have to leave room for serendipity, but community is such an important piece of this. I was wondering, I want to touch on something you mentioned around access. You've done a lot of work around creating equitable opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs. Can you talk a little bit about that and some of the strategies you've found that have been successful?

Tahaji Felder
Yeah. I think, like I said, number one is creating not only a community, but a safe community. Where founders and entrepreneurs feel seen, they feel heard and they feel valued. Oftentimes in that community or the work that I've done, I've been doing, entrepreneurs come in exhausted. They come in, it's kind of like they've been running a marathon and they're at the finish line. And I'm like, whew, this is like a place of rest. And a place where they're like, ooh, okay, I'm feeling seen. I'm feeling like, okay, like I'm on my second leg. Like I have another opportunity. So it's really important for me. My work is creating a safe community where entrepreneurs can share their ideas. Share their gaps, share like what's on their mind, share their brand, share their finances. So I can actually help them get to the next level. So that's number one.

I think number two is sharing my network. Like sharing my network. Of folks that I know to help move their brand forward and also my network of resources. So it's like the people resources, but then also like the tangible resources. Hey, maybe this person knows that person that gets you to this. Hey, maybe it's this business template to help you scale here. Hey, maybe it's this, I know about this company that has this grant.  Or this opportunity to apply for X opportunity. So it's ensuring that I'm sharing what I know and who I know with the community. And I think that is one of the biggest ways that we can support, especially really small entrepreneurs as particular right now. 

Entrepreneurs are always facing tons of hurdles, but right now we also have tears, like there's just so many things. Hurdles that they're constantly having to jump over. So it's a community, it's sharing access to resources and people. And then I think the last thing, just again, making them just feel like safe is a safe space that they can always come back to when they need it.

Fred Schonenberg
Yeah, I love that. I would also advise right now, not to maybe read the news. If you're trying to start a business, you gotta, there's so much going on, it's hard to stay focused. But let me ask you this, I mentioned in the intro how much I enjoyed your TEDx talk. And I think one of the things that's really cool about it is this idea of finding your unique voice, embracing that unique voice as an entrepreneur. Can you talk about that, I would say cultivating the confidence in your own authentic vision?

Tahaji Felder
Yes, that's a great question. So as someone who is naturally introverted, we talked about playing basketball. We both played sports before and basketball was my outlet. I was a point guard, as a point guard you're supposed to be vocal and like this, like a robust and like voiceless leader and I was not that. I was more of a quiet leader. So I tend to very much relate to those kinds of entrepreneurs who have a hard time. Cause they think that all entrepreneurs are really loud and rambunctious and like all over the place have to be on everything. 

But I think one of the ways is, and this is gonna sound so cliche, Fred, but you could probably attest to this, but it's like really, really being your authentic self. If you have a company, oftentimes you've started it because it was a problem that you personally had. Oftentimes entrepreneurs start with a personal problem so they create something to solve their personal problem and then hoping that more than likely there are people with this problem as well that their new idea will help me fix and solve those people's problems. So I think it's really being authentic to yourself. There is tons of noise out there in this world, social media apps. I mean, you name it. I think staying true to who you are, staying true to your authentic voice is the way. And like not deterring from that and not deterring from like why you started the company in the first place. 

Fred Schonenberg
It's really interesting. It dovetails into your earlier point about the challenges entrepreneurs face about knowing who their brand is and who their audience is. So a lot of this is about exploring authenticity. Like, who are you? What do you stand for? Then, okay, you're creating this company because hopefully you had a lived experience and you saw something that you could improve in the world or a gap or something that you believe in. 

Tahaji Felder
Sure. 

Fred Schonenberg
And it's like, okay, how do you stay true to that? How do you refine that to the point that someone else can understand it? And that's a raw thing to do. 

Tahaji Felder
Yes, yes.

Fred Schonenberg
That does not exist in the world. You cannot stand up in front of the room and tell you about it knowing that nobody else might've seen it.

Tahaji Felder
Yes, yes, 100%. And to your point, I think it's also this thing of understanding that it's a marathon. I think one of the misconceptions about entrepreneurship is that I'm gonna start something today and I'm gonna make a million bucks and I'm gonna lay on the beach with my laptop and just ride with a cocktail. That'd be amazing. But along the way, realizing that you will change. But constantly staying true. Like when you started VentureFuel, Fred, I'm sure your year 1 looks very different than like year 11. But the why of why you started it and who your venture fuel is supporting hasn't probably deterred or really changed. So it's staying true to that core, but understanding that it's a marathon and there may be tweaks on like the outliers.

Fred Schonenberg
I gotta give a shout out. This is so funny that you said this. When I launched the company, I had my roommate from college and I was a designer. And I said, hey, can you design a logo for me? And I knew exactly what I wanted the logo to look like. She sent me a 60 page questionnaire that was like, who is VentureFuel? Like, what is your spirit animal? If you were a movie, what movie would you be? And I was like, would you just design the logo? And she was like, no. And she refused. And I was like, okay, this is my roommate from college. And she's a good friend of mine too. I was like, I'm just gonna fill this thing out. 

And I found that document about a year ago, right before our 10th anniversary. And it was crazy how true to that document the company had become. I was so mad about writing at the time, but it was such a beautiful thing to go back and look and be like, hey, like we changed. We made some moves over time, but like the purpose and why, what I was thinking about the company had come to fruition, which is a really cool journey. 

Tahaji Felder
Yes, a hundred percent. And I think the second thing I'll add is like, as a brand grows, obviously now you're tapping into who your customer is. So I think it's really important to talk to your customers or you get like, whoever you're targeting. Who is buying your products? What would they also like to see? And seeing the overlap there of like, why did you start it again? Like, what's the purpose, understanding the overlap? How can you share that message even better as the brand grows? 

Fred Schonenberg
Yeah, I love that. The sort of overlap of your purpose and vision with your customer's purpose and vision.There's a sweet spot that nobody else can get after. So I want to turn to CPG a little bit. First off with a congratulations on being recognized as a corporate champion at the Food Awards by Dine Diaspora. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is and what it meant to you personally and professionally?

Tahaji Felder
Oh my goodness, Fred, wow. I, you know, talked about playing basketball. I'm in the Hall of Fame in my high school. I've received some really incredible career awards and basketball, like all these things. This is honestly like up there because A, I didn't even know, number one. And then I think the second thing is how other people nominate you. So that was like one of the biggest honors because someone or someone saw me, saw me in my work and, you know, put my name up and I was actually chosen. So being seen by others was like, you know, incredible.

But Dine Diaspora is this incredible organization and movement that they put on, they cultivate events. They cultivate community. We talked about that quite a bit and opportunities for Black women that are in the food industry, around African cuisine to get together and just connect through events and partnerships and opportunities to actually grow their companies and their brands as well. So, you know, it was just, again, as a Black woman in this industry supporting, you know, CPG brands, it was like just really an honor to be seen as a champion.

Fred Schonenberg
That's very cool. Well, congratulations again. And like, now you're making me think like, does my high school have a hall of fame? I'm like, no, now I'm jealous. But so let me ask you, staying on the CPG track, is there anything different about being a CPG founder or brand or advice you would have for a CPG founder or brand that is different from what we've already talked about? Because that's such a unique business to scale and there's a lot of challenges with it. 

Tahaji Felder
Absolutely. I mean, CPG, starting any company is hard, but as you know, CPG is in particular hard. Number one is very capital intensive up front. When you're starting out, because now you're thinking about the product. Product development, you're thinking about manufacturing, thinking about branding, thinking about packaging and that can get very expensive. 

The second thing is like a supply chain. Which again, we talked about tariffs and like all these issues that are happening right now. That huge market saturation is another big one. Particular food is like a, beauty is another very saturated market. It's really hard to stand out. Also distribution. Which channel are you gonna distribute your CPG products through? So lots of opportunities within CPG, but two things I did not mention that are really important for CPG entrepreneurs to think about as they're scaling their brand.

Number one is capabilities. Do you actually have the capabilities to scale the brand? Capabilities like, do you understand your supply chain? Do you understand who your manufacturing partners are? Do you have the revenue to actually scale? Again, talking about those upfront costs? Do you have the branding where your brand is actually standing out and people are searching for your company? They want your company. 

A lot of brands think that when you are scaling a particular big box that you're gonna go there first and then the company grows, whereas the opposite, your company should be huge first as far as branding, marketing awareness and capital before you get to bigger box partners. So capabilities is one understanding that you have. Are they in place? And then I think I mentioned this earlier, but it's again, they're intertwined, which is the capital. You have to understand how expensive having a CPG product is and ensuring that your money is in order.

Fred Schonenberg
It's very funny. We run a couple of different accelerators in the CPG space and we've worked with a lot of early stage founders. And one of the things that comes up a lot is they're like, I just wanna get into a big box retailer or grocer or whatever. And they're like, then everything will be fine. I'm like, well, actually, then you're gonna have to come up with a lot of money because you're gonna get one shot once you're in there. By the way, now they want you in every store. So you gotta somehow like to pay for that and you have to support it in each store so that they want you back and all the turns and all these things that like, I never knew till we got into this. 

It is a really interesting game. So let me ask you this. I feel like we could talk forever, but we're gonna keep it short here. What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you before you got involved in this sort of innovation ecosystem?

Tahaji Felder
It's a marathon, not a sprint. Yeah, it's a marathon, not a sprint. I thought that even when I had my company, I'm just gonna, whoops, sprint to the top. I'm in this one store you mentioned. Or I'm in these two stores and whoo, that's it. Like I'm off now. Or I got this publicity, I was on this show and that's it. I'm gonna go viral and it does not happen that way at all. And it's really important again, just like a marathon to think about. 

Actually, let's use a different reference. Conditioning for basketball in college. We used to have to run two miles, which is around my entire school campus. And I can stand the two miles. Like I can actually even still smell the grass like I made it for this two mile. Cause I was quick. I was a sprinter and I remember mentally having to pace myself. I had to do it in a certain timeframe still, but pacing myself mentally to make sure I still had breath and legs left for this two mile. So starting off slow at the beginning, taking my time. And then at the end is where I start to speed up. Make sure I made the time.

And I think entrepreneurship is an innovation. It's still the same game. You're making these small deposits along the way. And then those things, they add up, add up until eventually like, okay, you're looking back. Okay, I have this traction. And that last thing got me to this thing. And this thing led me to the next thing. So understanding that it takes time and it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Fred Schonenberg
I love it. And also you might not know which is the thing that's gonna hit and break out. I remember that breakfast I mentioned had a bigger impact on our company than we got this unbelievable write-up in a very premier publication. And when I saw it, I was like, oh my gosh, buckle up everybody, here we go. And like, I just was looking. I was like, when's the phone gonna ring? When am I gonna get all the emails? And it was like crickets, like nothing happened. Meanwhile, that breakfast that was just to get some eggs changed our company. 

So I think you got it. I love what you said about, you know, you're placing, you know, you're planting seeds along the way. You're doing the little things. You need your breath at the end. So very, very cool. Where can people go to learn more about you and what you're working on?

Tahaji Felder
Yes, I am going back to social media platforms. I am not on all of them, but I am on LinkedIn. My name's Tahaji Felder, Instagram, same thing. And I'm on Twitter and I'm very active and I do check my DMs. So you can definitely find me there.

Fred Schonenberg
Awesome, well, thank you for your time today and for everything you're doing to spark change. It's been a pleasure to chat with you today.

Tahaji Felder
This is amazing, Fred. Thank you for having me.

Fred Schonenberg
Of course.