Stevii Mills

Rise Urban Nation Podcast

Taryell Simmons: What up family and welcome back to Rise Urban Nation where we unite, uplift and ignite the stories of entrepreneurs, innovators, change makers and all across the globe, not just here in the US, but to Africa, to Jamaica. Ooh, I wanna take it. I don't know why I did that, but I was about to get my groove on. But let me ask you something Rise Urban Nation. Have you ever sat in a room, listened to someone teach something and thought,

Wait a minute. I know this. Maybe you solve problems in your career. Maybe you've helped friends grow their businesses. Maybe you lived experience alone. Your experience alone just could fill a master class. But somewhere along the way, many of us were taught something dangerous that our knowledge only has value inside a job. Well, today's guest is here to challenge that belief. She teaches entrepreneurs how to turn their expertise, experience, and insight into real income streams by packaging what they already know. Family, help me give a warm welcome to the entrepreneur, the strategist, the educator, the great doctor herself, Ms. Mills, Dr. Mills, welcome to the show.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Thank you so much and fun fact, I love that song so I was about to start singing with you. That's one of my favorite songs.

Taryell Simmons: I saw. It just came to mind. Sometimes, you know, my ADHD gets the best of me and I start going on these tangents. So you got to bear with me. So I want to start. I think I want to start here with many, many people who have knowledge. I do agree with that, but they don't recognize this value. How did your journey begin in recognizing this and getting to entrepreneur and where did the knowledge monetization begin for you? Give me the backstory. How did we get here?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Thank you so much for having me on this amazing platform. I'm super excited about that and I love love love talking about this topic. Academically, part of my training is in human resources. My actual master's degree is in human resources. So I studied human behaviors in that regard and I've been an entrepreneur for this year, 17 years coming up in the fall.

Taryell Simmons: Congrats, congrats, congrats.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Thank you. And the fun fact about this, I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. I thought I would do what my parents and probably some of the people listening and viewing us today, they would do, right? Their parents told them to go to school and get a great job. So that's what I thought I was going to do. You heard that too, right? And the...

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, I think a lot of black parents are like that. you know, so if you don't know this about me, I'm Nigerian, like my parents are Nigerian. So my mom is black, my dad's Nigerian. And they both was preaching that Nigerian parents are like, my friend go to study your books, you are going to be a doctor, a lawyer, engineer. then, know, black parents tell you to go to school and do something with yourself, do something with your life.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Absolutely, it's I did I did the thing I went from kindergarten to grad school and so I got a job the first job I got was amazing It was a nonprofit organization and like most nonprofit organizations the grant from my position ran out once that happened I Went to where the money is I thought so I went to corporate America And I actually ended up very very ill at the age of 30. I went to the sickness honestly of having to have the recalibration within 30 days to within 24 hours. I had shingles and I went from a size 14 to a size 0 all because of stress. And so that is how my business started.

I am now refining, because I used to work with a different population of people and I realized when I went back into employment after some time off that I need to talk to the people just like me. I now work for another nonprofit organization and I'm the marketing manager there.

But I love to have multiple streams of income because you never know when your life is going to change. And just because I work for a company, that does not mean that my skill set has to be there when I leave at 5 o'clock, right? So really take an opportunity to talk to professionals and high achieving people and saying you can take your information with you and you need to. We don't know what's going to happen with the economy from day to day, so we have to be prepared.

Taryell Simmons: Man, I love that. And usually I tell people when you're starting your first business, your first employer is usually your investors anyway. So how do you use that as your investor so that you can create multiple streams of income? And every really successful person that you see that has become a millionaire in life, they didn't do it with just one business. They usually have...

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: multiple streams, even if they have one business, they have multiple streams of income in that business that's working for them, right? So I love that you mentioned the multiple streams of income. Speaking of income, what made you first realize your knowledge could be income?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: I really falling into the space of seeing people who were coaches and who like my I think my first time getting paid for my knowledge and getting paid not necessarily for having to work for someone, get my first client, that helped me because this person, I've been doing business online most of my career. I never really did business in my city. I've always done business online. So this person who I never really met in real life sent money to me and that just allowed me to know that this is something.

Taryell Simmons: Mmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: what I do in my business is really imprint my academic skills and like you were saying even your life skills things you've been through and knowing and understanding that this is what it is. You can literally look at this whatever your skill set is and make money from it and so I think the first time I ever did that that was probably early on in my career but that was when I was under charging too.

Taryell Simmons: I think every entrepreneur learns that lesson and we kind of evolve along the way. I'm also thinking too, because I want to go back to something you said earlier. Like you said, you didn't come from parents who were entrepreneurial. think that like we come from those parents that say, you know, go to school, get a good job. So like, how did you first get introduced to entrepreneurship? And then how did that, how did your entrepreneurship journey kind of evolve over time?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: The interesting thing about that is that my father was a musician. So that's a I didn't even think about it as entrepreneurship. I didn't think I thought that he had a particular skill that he got paid for. I'm like, I'm not a musician. So I didn't know about people getting paid for their knowledge. I really started my business out of the information of direct sales and network marketing back.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: In the days I was a Mary Kay consultant and thus I started the entrepreneurial journey. I didn't even know about business, but that was the very first time I put my information inside of a business and from that point I really thought about what happens to the woman after she takes off the makeup and I started a personal development tour, which I didn't even know what that was. It was called the Beauty from Head to Toe tour and it actually became a five city tour.

Taryell Simmons: Okay.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: and I always say you know how they say some people have a dollar in the dream I didn't even have a dollar I just had the dream and people started sponsoring this amazing tour so that was in 2011 that was the first time I ever really stepped out on entrepreneurship and my own self not with the business model of direct sales and network marketing but my own business and the rest is history.

Taryell Simmons: Mmm.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, yeah. So like going through that, what would you say was the moment that shifted your thinking from, all right, know, instead of working for someone or working on direct sales marketing, which is technically, you know, it's my own business, but there's a, it's like a franchise of somebody else's business, you know, for lack of better terms to building income on your own expertise. When did you think that shift started to happen for you?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Really when I started seeing that people, again, that I didn't know, that just saw me on Facebook, they were sowing inside of my business. Like, I didn't even, I had a tour that was in Virginia and North Carolina and Georgia, and it wasn't perfect by any means, but...

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Taryell Simmons: It never did.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: So people were traveling to come to this. They were traveling. People I had never met except for at the event. I met them online, but I had never met in person and they sent their money. So for me, it was...

Taryell Simmons: But that's, but see, that's when you know you got value, right? And so that's what I would say about that. Go ahead, go ahead. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah, exactly. No, you're fine. But exactly, that is, and I didn't even realize it. Now all these years later, I realized like, oh, okay, but that was like God telling me to do that. That was not even me being so much knowledgeable, right, myself to even know what I was doing. I didn't know. I was like, listen, we can get, now I know, you know how to get people inside of an event, how to fill an event, different things like that. But then I was like, okay, well let's just go.

weren't this hotel. It was at a hotel. All the things. So we were doing big things at the beginning of the business.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, yeah. And I think that's when you get your learning stripes as an entrepreneur, because, you know, recognizing the value of what you know is one thing, but turning it into a business is something else entirely, right? And you were able to do both of those things in that example. I think where it gets tough for some entrepreneurs is once they get there,

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Thank you.

Taryell Simmons: overcoming the barriers of different hurdles. Because you say that, you know, wasn't by perfect by any means. And there's some challenges that happen. Sometimes some of the challenges is overcoming the mindset barrier all by itself. Let's talk about that as a barrier for many entrepreneurs that they face. And it's not just the business itself, but that mindset barrier. What is the biggest mental hurdle people face that you feel from the coaching you've done, the mentorship you've done, even the spaces you've been in?

what some of those mental hurdles people face when trying to monetize their knowledge.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: tell people all the time that making money is more mental than mechanical.

Taryell Simmons: Okay preach on this, say it.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Making money is more mental than mechanical. I've been blessed to make six figures in my business in 2020 and 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. And I did that because like I had been doing business all those years prior. It took me to that time when the world was shut down, when everybody needed to know what I knew to make the money. The thing about it, I think, is that now on the other side of that, I realized that literally

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: you charge what your mindset allows you to charge. I made six figures at that time but the mind space for anyone is if I say I want to make six figures, seven figures, whatever, you can literally do that with one person but a lot of times you can't charge that person that amount of money because they feel like they're not good enough or that they haven't put in whatever experience or whatever they feel like they haven't they don't have it whatever it is so they can't say my coaching program is $100,000 to one person because that's the easiest way to do that, but when it comes to the opportunity to have your mindset, that is the whole thing. You have got to work on your personal development. And that's one thing that I do credit the direct sales network marketing industry because I learned so much of personal development, things I had never known. And I look at the world differently and people need to you have to work on yourself. You have to change your mentality. So many people have money blocks when it comes to making money. So they feel like they can't make it or they don't deserve it.

a It depends on the person. But I do think a lot of times, most of my clients are female. So I talk to them in the fact that men, it's easier for a man to wrap their mind around money. Why? Because most men will say, I had the greatest touchdown back in the peewee league and then 40, 50 years old. But women, they can make money for the company last week and they won't tell you that because we are taught in a different

Taryell Simmons: Ha!

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: way to be more demure and quiet and all the things. And specifically, I'm sure you could agree with that even culturally, that that is the truth. So, are taught certain things to help them to bring the money together. I've been blessed to have all kinds of different hurdles financially, but I tell someone even today, I cannot afford to not charge somebody. I can't play these reindeer games. I have to charge people because it is a service to myself and to the person if I don't because we a lot of times want to give it all away right specifically people of faith we want to give it all away but the bills come every month so you can't they're not giving nothing away.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, yeah. And this is the common problem I see when, you know, especially in the black community when we do entrepreneurship is that, and this is a very high level generalization people. So don't come from me in the comments. can see people coming for me now as I'm digging how to weave through this conversation is like you either have one, people are.

undervaluing themselves in a way and they like giving away the game for free and like not charging their true value of what they're worth or don't have the confidence to. And then you have the overcharged people, Like, you know, Broham on the block, he might got the best salmon on the block, right? He seasoned that thing, right? Cooked it, he grilled it. He got a little pop-up shop over here, but he charging.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: you know, 50, $60 a salmon and providing bad customer service. And you like, and not a good wholesome $60 experience. And you think that just because he got this good, this good seasoning and a good cook that he could just charge whatever you want and do whatever you want. like, yo, you can't, you gotta, if you're going to charge those prices, you gotta come with the whole package, right? And so we got two, some people,

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Well.

Taryell Simmons: charging too little, some tired people charging way too much for the service, right? They're not bringing the same level of service to that charge point. And I think that's the struggle. What's that sweet in between? I think, I guess the question I propose to you, why do so many talented black entrepreneurs undervalue their expertise?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: You want?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: That's a deep question and I think when it comes to black people we have to look at how I'm just gonna be real with what I think because that's the way I know how to be. But I think we have to look back at how we came into this country, how we were undervalued as people in this country, how we first even arrived here and how we were bought and sold over here. I think that so many different things have been birthed inside of us in that regard. Then also, if we look at people, most black people have been in America. I live in North Carolina, so definitely in the Bible Belt. And we have been taught to give away our services.

Taryell Simmons: Mm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Like if you can do something then you need to give it to the church and the church don't pay so We've been taught all these things so when it comes to our businesses Then we're like we don't want to rock the boat so my thing is We haven't been taught the laws of the land when it comes to being an entrepreneur because we you know our counterparts have been and Different rooms that we're in some people are not privy to the room right there

don't know what the conversation is. Some people don't know what the charge, how to charge. Undercharging comes from not having understanding. So I always tell people like you can never pay me what I'm worth because even from a spiritual standpoint you can't buy me. I am priceless as one of a kind in this earth so you can't pay me what I'm worth and I don't really ascribe to that conversation of paying somebody what they're worth. I say pay what your heart will allow you to.

Taryell Simmons: Mmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: for because I can tell my clients all day long go out here and charge six figures right but if they can't do that without kicking and screaming they need to start at a different point so that they can have some comfortability then they can see that it works and go up so you know charging what you're worth is a different thing I didn't start out the gate charging what I charge now I had to grow to that point and understand that I can't I had to look because I remember having the

Taryell Simmons: you

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: with a coach I was like well I don't need that much money these they can't afford it and I had to change that mindset because I had to realize that even if I didn't need that much money I want to be a blessing to my church my community all the things so I do need more money in order to do that and that was you know a mindset switch that I had to do so like I said a lot of this

on your mind says it's about how you were raised. Some people have been raised in households where money was a hurdle. Some people have been raised in households where it wasn't. So a lot of this is individualistic stuff that we have to work through on our own and with the help of the Lord. Because if not you're be stuck and you can't really move forward in business. That is why even statistically less than 11% of all businesses ever make it to six figures and traditionally black women make around $24,000 per year in our businesses. So one thing I always like to say is the difference between Sarah Lee and Sarah who makes some great pancakes at your church who's better than Sarah Lee is that Sarah Lee she knows how to charge her worth. is in all these places. Her pancake ain't even that great. So you gotta know it.

Taryell Simmons: See you over there, caking.

Taryell Simmons: Right, right. So you got to know that this, especially people who make food, like we're talking about actual tangible products, have the ingredients, you have to think about your time. It's a lot of that goes into it. And if you're undercharging yourself in that regard, then you're not going to be able to afford the things you need.

The term you said earlier, I like when you said work through so that people are not stuck in whatever that mindset is. And some of the things that I hear, specifically as you talk to women entrepreneurs, especially black women entrepreneurs, something that came to mind, because I'm a board member for another organization called Village Up, and sometime around COVID, we had these conversations with women leaders of color from different industries, Who are amazing people. I look up to them and then we were having a conversation about imposter syndrome and I was shocked to see that some of the people that I revered and looked up to had imposter syndrome and still kind of had that to this day, but they worked through it when they were in rooms where it's male dominated, big seven figure caps on the table and VC funding grounds and so forth and having to get through those imposter syndrome. I'm curious, did you experience imposter syndrome early in your journey?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: It's funny because I think my business started before the term started. So I probably didn't know what that term was and I probably didn't go through it but I didn't identify to that term because it wasn't, it wasn't there. But I can relate to it and the fact that I, you know.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: really didn't know I was doing That's what I can relate to it wasn't that was afraid to do it I'm just like what am I doing? Like it was I always tell people like now how we are virtually in the world I was in the rooms with the people I had to go ask people in their faces to pay It was it was you know intimidating. I think that was more the time we use intimidation than imposter syndrome, but it was very much like having to really face who was and think like who are you to be asking this? You don't really know what you're doing and knowing that about my mind. So I think as I escaped that Conversation just because that wasn't a term and by the time it became a time I was kind of out of that stage, but I can relate to it and The one thing that I really You know just quickly my father passed away in 2022 and I was about to hang up all this whole business. I was like I don't want to do this. This is my tie with him. And like I said, 2020, 2021, I was able to make six figures. 2022, I went through something financially when my dad passed away and I ended up declaring bankruptcy. And I think it's pivotal for people to know that because this is what you were saying, imposter syndrome. think I went through that a little bit coming out of this story because I'm like, I had to become a different person and quit.

quickly. And so the rebuild of it all is important because one thing I did was to get inside of rooms where people were talking bigger and making bigger investments and doing those things so that I could get back on my standing. I couldn't be in the same room with people who were thinking small. So I think environment has something to do with all of that because I didn't stay in that place too long. I was able to, and if I was by myself, I wouldn't have been able to do that.

Taryell Simmons: Nah.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: able to do that.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, yeah, I can see that. I'm also, I want to go back to the piece where, you know, when you were saying, I didn't know what I was doing. And I think a lot of us as entrepreneurs start off in that space or we start off knowing what we want to do and we know aspects of what we are doing. But there's a whole aspect of it that we don't know what we're doing. What mistakes do people make when they first try to package their knowledge? What do you see?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: undervaluing it.

Valuing it really you know a lot of times people go into academics with the thought of whatever like you were saying become a doctor become a lawyer become whatever your parents have told you to become right and That is not what you want to do some people Follow that because they've been told to do that and that's great, and that's good, but at the end of the day That's not you so a lot of times when you wake up in the morning, and you're like hate my career is because you didn't choose your career. So I think that's one of the first things to really understand like is your knowledge something you want to do or is this your time to pivot? So I think people undervalue it and I think people don't allow themselves forgiveness of the people who put them in some of the places that they're in.

Taryell Simmons: I see that. Yeah, because I think all through when we're younger, lot of our parents, our school counselors and so forth, they often say, oh, go into this career because you make money or go on this because you're good at this and da da da. And people don't do the time it takes to do that self assessment of, know, what lights my soul on fire. What are the things I'm really good at and how can I monetize it? We don't come from that line of thinking. So I definitely get that. Now, have you seen people with incredible expertise struggle simply because they didn't know how to position it?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: all the time. All the time. So it's interesting because my undergrad degree is in public relations so I've been in this PR marketing field for this year will be 30 years. But

Taryell Simmons: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: that has come with me understanding how to say certain things, right? How to position certain information. Everybody doesn't come with that. So they don't know what to say. Sometimes it's very clunky. Sometimes people speak on and on and on and on and on about things. It's certain things that you have to know in order to project your expertise even more. So I think that they don't know how to position it sometimes and that is a detriment, but I also believe that that could be a learned behavior. And I didn't always know how to position myself as a businesswoman because I didn't identify as one. I always tell people for the ladies, I always say don't be a business Barbie. And so with me, I was a business Barbie. I was looking cute how the things but was making no money. So money is the great equalizer. I think a lot of times that substantiates yourself as a business owner and you feel like when you put your information in a package to where people outside of your job have paid you, then you feel real. Like I'm a real business woman now. So I think that is a way that that helps to kind of crystallize the things that people are going through when it comes to positioning.

Taryell Simmons: there.

Taryell Simmons: Man, you know the other thing I have with some entrepreneurs when they're trying to position themselves? I try to get them to see, and I don't know if you do this or not too, but tell me what you do, or if you agree with this model. I try to get them to say, know, whatever niche that you're in, what do people ask you for, a vice owner? do people you see constantly needing or coming to you for? Is that something you do?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Absolutely. That's a great inventory list because sometimes people overlook those things because they come easily, right?

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: one year because a lot of people ask me how to do whatever line dance. They're like, how do you do this? And I love to dance. I'm always on the dance floor. But I'm like, let me go ahead and start charging people to teach them how to do this. And so that's something that has nothing to do necessarily with my academics or even my employability skills. But that's something I can learn and have money from. So I think you have to write an inventory of all the things in order to get where you want to be.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Taryell Simmons: Damn, I agree, I agree. And for everyone listening right now, think about something people consistently come to you for advice about that might be your expertise, that may be line dancing, hanging, so on two steps, go on two steps. Once people recognize that their knowledge has value, the next question becomes, how do you actually turn it into income, right? And this is where we kind of get practical about it. here's what we do. Let's talk about some of the actual transform, how someone actually transforms their expertise into an income stream. Like when you're going through this process, what are some of the simplest ways you say entrepreneurs can monetize knowledge?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: So I wrote a book called Click to Cash.

Taryell Simmons: She wrote a book y'all. Tell him the book, tell him the book. Bring the book in here, tell him the book.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: So in this book, it has what I think are the seven simplest ways of taking your knowledge and your expertise to increase your income. So it has things like creating an e-book, having a coaching program, having a membership, those type of things. And I really think that you have to look at your personality, your time, because some of the things are more time intensive. But I think that we have all heard of the seven streams of income, right? But people have not taught us how we can take our one skill set and create seven different streams. It does not have to be do this, do this, do this, do this. All it has to be is I know how to do a thing and this is the different ways in which I form it. So normally when people start working with me I do tell them to read the book first and then see if they need more help.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Nah, like that, I like that. What's the name of the book so people can know and tell the people how to get this book?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Click to cash and if you know how to spell my first name right, can go stevie.com, S-T-E-V-I-I. Just remember the I's and my name stands for increasing income.

Taryell Simmons: And don't worry, we'll give it again at the end of the show. I just wanted to plug that real quick for us. So this is gonna be on audio, but for those who watched the video, she showed it right in the screen so you get to see a good visual of the book. Now you said that there's several ways to do this, do courses, coaching, digital products, workshops, and they all have different time consumption pieces.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Thank you.

Taryell Simmons: If I lost my job tomorrow, which one is the easiest one that I can put together that could start monetizing for me? What's the least passive resistance if I had to put a knowledge thing together? Coaching?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: I always say coaching, coaching. You could do like a quick coaching session. You could get you a Stripe Link cash app, whatever you, people ask me how do I accept money? All the ways, all the Get you a cash app, get you a PayPal, get you a Venmo, whatever, Zelle, whatever. And just send that to that person and get on the phone.

Taryell Simmons: Ha.

Taryell Simmons: Uhhh

Taryell Simmons: But can they can it but can they start a coaching business even if they don't have a big audience? Like, can somebody start? Yeah.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah, you get one person.

Taryell Simmons: Okay, yeah, I guess so, just one person. All right.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: You need, I mean seriously, you need one person. It's so much easier. Oh my gosh. Now, like I said, I started, we had to go into the room. Now what I would do, honestly, I would just go live and say, look, I'm doing, I'm looking for five people that I can have a fire starter coaching with, and I'm going to coach you on how to play Monopoly and make real money. I don't know. I'm making something up.

Taryell Simmons: Nah.

Taryell Simmons: I dunno.

Taryell Simmons: Wait, I know, I know, Okay, all right, I'll let you just use me as an example. So I have a podcast, right? I interview all sorts of business people from all over the world. I think the, let me see, what's the people, lately people have been asking me how to start a podcast or get on podcasts. And so can I turn that into a business? And what business would you recommend me to do?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: No.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: Absolutely. Absolutely. There's so many ways you can make money from that. You can, How to Start a Podcast is probably one of the greatest things people ask.

Taryell Simmons: Hold on, let me put some things in there. I ain't got time to do no coaching because my schedule is busy. So what would be the best path for me to help people?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Do an ebook. Yeah. Especially now, chatGPT. Put your expertise in. So, we trying to get to the bag. What you mean? Or, like, one of the platforms that you... Yeah. People pay for it.

Taryell Simmons: A ebook. All right.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: People pay for ebooks these days? Oh, God, all right.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: And guess what? You can also, whatever platform you use, the podcast probably has an affiliate program. So you can just go do a live and tell people to click your affiliate link. So, you know, there are a whole lot of ways to make money.

Taryell Simmons: Huh.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, you right, right, you right. See, she opened up my world to new worlds now. So this is why you go to her. This is why she do what she do, y'all. Y'all see it, y'all see it. She just solve problems for me that I didn't even know I had until now.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: you

Taryell Simmons: Yeah

Taryell Simmons: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: I'm saying, people have, look, you said, will people pay for it? If you have the courage and confidence to sell it, they will pay for it. Why? Because they want your knowledge and information. So whatever modality you put it out there in, they're gonna buy it. People making money every day. I get excited, sorry.

Taryell Simmons: What? Facts, Hey, I appreciate that. I mean, this is what you want in a culture, somebody who knows their stuff. So the other thing that I got on my mind is visibility. How important is visibility in this process?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: million billion trillion percent important because like we just said about the cakes, right? Like we just said, the thing about that is visibility. A lot of people know who the brand marketers are, who may not even be the best at what they do, but because they're out here getting to the visibility channels that are free. Free visibility channels.

Right now they're not charging for you to go live on any of these platforms. They're not charging for you to post. It's so much easier now than it 17 years ago. I promise you. What I would do for real, what I would do is if I was somebody who needed money tomorrow for real, I would go on TikTok and start going live because you get monetized on TikTok. Share what you know. Get paid and get you a bag.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: I didn't even think of that. All right, I heard it first. Get live on TikTok and then visibility is everything. see Sarah Lee, she on every block. She on every block in 7-Eleven. She in your local grocery store. See be outside. She got visibility y'all. So make sure you get visible. Get visible.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Visibility plus credibility equals cash.

Taryell Simmons: Say it one more time for the people in the back.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Visibility plus credibility equals cash.

Taryell Simmons: There you go, there you go. So I'm gonna get visible, think. And what I've seen you do so well so far in this is being the ability to tell your story and share information. What role does storytelling play in building an authority?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: huge role. Why? Because people do business, and thank you for the compliment, people do business with who they know, and trust, right? So the thing that happens is that everybody does the same thing. My very first book was called Cultivating Your It Factor, and Cultivating Your It Factor talks about how to make a personal brand out of your gift skills, talents, and abilities. And

Taryell Simmons: Hehehehehe

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: People have to fall in love with you personally because there are so many people who do what you do I'm not the only one person talking about visibility But my people resonate with me whether it be I like your southern drawl or I like how fast you talk Or I like whatever it is that you do. That's me Somebody else can say the same exact information and not deliver in the same way and their people will fall in love with them So it is so important

Taryell Simmons: It is so important. Go ahead.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: no, I was just saying it's so important.

Taryell Simmons: I'll just pause it for dramatic effect.

I was like, what's she about to say? What's she about to say next? Look, I was hanging on every word, girl. I'm like, is it so important? You was kind, you was important. I'm a man taking mental notes, but no, you're right. It is so important.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: It was a mix tape. See that's what you want. You want people to be like, listen when it's gonna drop.

If... Listen.

Taryell Simmons: You gave me plenty examples of you. Give me another example of somebody you know who successfully turned their knowledge into a revenue stream.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: So this is somebody I've met in real life and somebody who most people know. So Tap the Brown came to my mind when you said that. Tap the Brown is some, yeah, see?

Taryell Simmons: yeah, Tabitha. She is amazing, by the way. She is a great storyteller too.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: And I love the fact that she actually comes from around my area. She's not too far from where I from a very, very, very small town. So I was Facebook friends with her way before all this. So I love the fact that she actually has taken this and ran with it. And she did it sitting in her car on TikTok eating a sandwich. And she actually took her information back to the storytelling thing. We now know.

Taryell Simmons: Get outta here!

Taryell Simmons: god.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: all the stuff about her that we didn't know and she still shows up every day. So really being in the space of utilizing storytelling as a tool to go ahead and build this relationship with the people so that they will pay you. We feel like we know Auntie Tab and Relay for everybody who's even if you've never seen her, never met her, all the things, then you feel like you know her. Why? Because she has given us her. So that is what it is when it comes to this.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: going back to storytelling why is that so important is because it is. It is. People have to know you in order to trust you and do business with you. So differentiation is something where you can stand out. God has already given you everything you need to stand out from anybody else. So all you have to do is turn up the heat and the volume on that, put more of yourself in it, and then ask people to pay you.

Taryell Simmons: Man, yeah, you know, that's so true because Auntie Tab do remind me of one of my aunties. And so I'll be feeling like I'm talking to her. I love when she come in. Hey, y'all. I was like, yes, Auntie, what, Auntie? So it is so true. All right. So I'm thinking about that Tabitha Brown story because ultimately, you know,

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yes. Yep. Yep.

Taryell Simmons: What we're teaching people is not just about money, it's about storytelling, it's about ownership, it's about all of these things. I want to transition to conversation around ownership, visibility, legacy. And one of the things I think we talk about every so often, but we need to talk about it more, especially on this podcast, is the narrative ownership, your story, your knowledge, your experience, how that matters, especially for us as black people, as we see what's happening all around this country, our stories are sometimes diluted, watered down, stripped away, not put in. So I love the fact that through entrepreneurship, we get to own our stories and tell our own stories, have ownership over that. In that narrative in vain, is visibility important for black entrepreneurs today?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: We deserve to be seen. That's the first thing. Our ancestors have fought too hard for us to not be seen. Even with, I get on people a lot of times about voting. I'm like, do y'all know that people die for y'all with the right to vote? Are y'all sitting at home? But, and also in this, like people think that...

Taryell Simmons: Mmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Business is hard, right? But our ancestors think about how hard they had to work and what they had to go through and all the things. So getting on any type of electronic media from your home is not hard.

And we, it's our right to do that. It's our right to do that. we, nobody in this day and age can really squash our voices unless we allow them to. You have a phone, you have computer, you can go live, even if you don't have Wi-Fi at home, because I everybody doesn't have the same Wi-Fi, there are places you can go. You better go to McDonald's, you better go to the library, different places, borrow their Wi-Fi, do what you have to do until you can do something better. And I do believe that visibility is important. I believe that in my work and in my studies as a public relations person, I always tell people back in my day, you know, I'm almost 50 now, but back in my day, used to be some publications. There used to be some publications.

Taryell Simmons: Nyeh heh!

That were like tabloids and different things, right? And so in the tabloids, they will put your information out there. They'll throw it out there, whether it's true or not. They're just gonna throw it on out there. But when you own your narrative, you tell your truth. Nobody can tell it for you. I tell people I can tell, let me tell my truth because I tell it way better than what you can tell because it's my truth. But you cannot forfeit the right to tell your truth.

you do not, then people will believe whatever they're being told. Because that's what they see. So when it comes to owning our narrative, we have the right to take anything. Everybody's made mistakes that we wish we didn't, but owning your narrative allows you to stay in control of the story.

Taryell Simmons: Nah.

Taryell Simmons: Nah, nah, nah, nah, tell them, now run, tell that. Let me tell you the real story. Now run, tell that if you want to tell a narrative about the story. You know, I know one way, because the question I'm thinking about, the easy answer you probably might say, go get the book. But I want them to go get the book, but I also want you to give them a little taste, just a little taste of what they're going to get from that book.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yeah.

Taryell Simmons: on how, you know, especially black and African, Pan-African entrepreneurs are all around the world can position themselves as experts in their space was one tip that you would give in reference to that.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Really know that nobody else is like you on this earth. Like really know that. We hear it, right? We read it. But I don't think that enough people know, like embody that and act from that. Like if nobody else on this whole wide world is like Stevie, listen, you're not listening.

Taryell Simmons: Mm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Nobody else is like you. That is powerful and we can do amazing things. We are one of one. And I think sometimes we downplay that and we don't think about how amazing we are. And you have to turn up the heat on how you think about yourself and how much you love yourself and how much you value yourself. It is so important. No amount of money can ever replace you. So when we get caught up in these worldly things, then you have to know that you have to be focused on what really matters because heaven and earth shall pass away and all that will be here is what is here so all this stuff doesn't even matter it don't matter how much money you have in your bank account when you expire.

Taryell Simmons: Mm-hmm.

Taryell Simmons: Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. What advice, since you still preaching the gospel, what advice would you give someone who has knowledge but feels hesitant to share it publicly?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: you

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: I'm Jane.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: In the, in Costa Vangia, in fact, I say, say, listen, I might step on some toes.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: If you do that you are selfish

Taryell Simmons: Mmm.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: If you do that, you are selfish. If you are the key to unlock someone's life, you are the thing that may keep them alive. You are the thing that will keep them in the position that God has for them to go into. Because there are people who are custom designed assigned to you, and you are custom designed assigned to other people. And if you do not move because of your fear, then you are selfish and I don't want that blood on my hands.

Taryell Simmons: So to all my listeners, don't be selfish, be selfless. And you will reap the rewards and treasures that you you desire and you will find through that selflessness. So if your experience, if you have the experience, come share that knowledge. Your experience will truly pay the way for whatever it is your heart desires. What would you teach? What would you share? What are the three?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yes.

Taryell Simmons: You know, I'm thinking now, if we want to leave them off with something good, what are the three steps someone could take this week to stop monetizing their knowledge?

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Get a why that will make you cry. That's the first thing. Because if not, you're not going to be able to go.

Taryell Simmons: She said, get a Y that'll make you cry. Oh my, my, my, I heard some Isley brothers in that line right there. Get a Y that'll make you cry. All right, me, go ahead. That's number one. Get a Y that'll make you cry. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: You gotta get a while to make you cry because if not, you gonna quit! up in here is not butterflies and rainbow baby. You gotta stay committed to the process. Find the simplest thing for you to do. Simple. We keep saying simple around here. The simplest thing you can do. And the third thing...

is ask five people to invest in you.

Just fine.

Taryell Simmons: and we'll call them your top five. That's your top five. Man, Dr. Mills, this conversation has been so powerful. And it just reminds me, or I should say it reminds us that so many people are already sitting on valuable knowledge. They just have to realize it, or they haven't realized it yet, right? And we need to actuate that. Before we close, working list is connect with you, learn more about your work, get this book.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Yes.

Taryell Simmons: Tell the people where to go. Tell the people where to go.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: so excited. Thank you so much for this time together. One thing I do want to say is that a lot of people are sitting on gold mines starving to death, and so we can't do that no more, y'all. We can't do that anymore. I would love to absolutely connect with you all, and in fact I have a free gift for you. It is my Visibility Plus Credibility equals cash masterclass.

And it's about 15 minutes long, but I promise you it will bless and change your life. And the way you get that is to go to stvii.com, Stevie.com. And again, the I's in my name stand for increasing income.

Taryell Simmons: Increasing income. That's what the I stand for. So if you listening to this, make sure you go to the website. Now I'm gonna put the, I'm gonna get the information from put the website in the links in the show notes below. So you ain't got no excuse. Don't do it while you're driving. I want you, you know, swerving and crash though. Be safe, be safe now. And family, if something so sparked an idea for you, don't keep that idea in your notebook act on it.

Dr. Stevii Aisha Mills: Let's say.

Taryell Simmons: subscribe to this podcast, share this episode with somebody who needs it and start recognizing the value of what you already know. It's already inside you. It's already there. You just gotta share it with the world. Because here at Rise Urban Nation, your story matters, your experience matters, and your knowledge deserves to pay you. So make sure you take advantage of this.

Next week, we're back with another entrepreneur sharing how they turned purpose into power. Until then, unite, uplift, ignite. Peace.