Tools for Success — Nikki Porchers' Mission for Black Women
Nikki Porcher is the Founder of Buy From a Black Woman. Nikki ensures that Black women are seen, supported and heard. She opens doors for Black women business owners and advocates for them at every level of the business ecosystem. She pushes for change at the policy level, champions supplier diversity at the corporate level, mentors Black women, founders at the business level, and also educates consumers on how to support Black women entrepreneurs consciously, sustainably and long term. She's managed to get incredible results because of her approach.
Listen to the full episode.
LINKS
ON THIS EPISODE
[05:15] Nikki Porcher on what she’s most passionate
[06:36] Nikki Porcher on her childhood and role models and joining the Air Force
[10:27] Nikki Porcher on Sumo Wrestling
[13:14] Nikki Porcher on founding Buy from a Black Woman
[16:25] Nikki Porcher on the mission of Buy from a Black Woman
[16:54] Nikki Porcher on the issues Black women business owners face
[19:38] Nikki Porcher on how Black women can get started in business
[21:45] Nikki Porcher on the resources that Buy from a Black Woman provides
[25:04] Nikki Porcher on the about the Buy From a Black Woman Business Accelerator Program
[27:13] Nikki Porcher on Buy from a Black Woman success stories
[30:33] Nikki Porcher on Buy from a Black Woman’s collaboration with H&M
[33:17] Nikki Porcher on A Black Woman's Podcast
[36:18] Nikki Porcher on what she’s learned about herself from running Buy from a Black Woman
[39:48] Nikki Porcher on her future goals for Buy from a Black Woman
[41:54] Nikki Porcher on how people can be better allies for Black women
[44:42] Nikki Porcher on what she learned from her mother, grandmother and aunt growing up
[49:58] Nikki Porcher on what she learned from her mother, grandmother and aunt think about what she built
[53:12] Nikki Porcher on her professional mentors and being a mentor
[54:51] Nikki Porcher on how people can find her and Buy from a Black Woman
[56:02] Nikki Porcher on her dream for Black women
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Passionistas: Hi. We're sisters Amy and Nancy Harrington, the founders of The Passionistas Project. We've created an inclusive sisterhood where passion driven women come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world.
On every episode, we discuss the unique ways in which each woman is following her passions. Talk about how she defines success, and explore her path to breaking down the barriers that women too often face.
Hi, everyone. Today we're talking with Nikki Porcher, the founder of Buy From a Black Woman. Nikki ensures that Black women are seen, supported and heard. She opens doors for Black women business owners and advocates for them at every level of the business ecosystem. She pushes for change at the policy level, champions supplier diversity at the corporate level, mentors Black women, founders at the business level, and also educates consumers on how to support Black women entrepreneurs consciously, sustainably and long term. She's managed to get incredible results because of her approach.
She's built the highest-ranking online directory of Black women owned brands. She's secured partnerships with major brands like H&M and Masterclass and helped Black women drive $2.7 million in revenue and she's built an engaged community of 200,000 plus partners and allies.
Nikki believes that Black women deserve an equal chance. So she does everything she can to make sure they get the best tools and resources to start, build and sustain thriving businesses. Buy From a Black Woman ensures that Black women have the tools and resources that will allow them to be successful through educational programs and online directory and funding.
Buy From a Black Woman continues to grow as a trusted resource that helps Black women in business. So if you're joining us here live today, feel free to drop any comments or questions in the guest chat and we'll do our best to get them answered. And now we'd just like to please welcome Nikki Porter.
Nikki Porcher: This is always the offer, in part because it's pronounced Porcher.
Passionistas: I'm so sorry. We should have asked you that. Rookie mistake. Porcher. Of course it's Porcher. I'm sorry. Sorry. How embarrassing. We'll rerecord. We'll rerecord the intro…
Nikki Porcher: And always, I always encourage you to leave that. And I. And I do that because so often, sometimes Black women are scared to correct people… They can see that you have to be your biggest advocate first. Like you can't expect other people to advocate for you if you're not willing to speak up, if you're not, what to say, mama, this is going to be awkward. And that's part of the work I do live Buy from a Black Woman that's far away.
I do with advocate for Black women, that I go into spaces where Black one might feel intimidated or they might not feel so comfortable to say, well, that's incorrect or that's not accurate, or this might be uncomfortable for everybody, but it needs to be said. So leave it in. Let people understand. Like, you know, sometimes you have to speak up even when it's not, you know, always what it seems like.
And there's a need to hide corrections. Even I do my own podcast. So I hear me correcting myself with my voice, with my language, with my phrasing in real time. The just limiting believes about, you know what? That's a bleep I had. I'm changing that. So let me correct this and let them witness that because we don't see people growing and we don't see the grow.
They think we just woke up like this and it takes growth, it takes work, it takes time to learn stuff. So if people don't think people are learning, then they'll won't go and learn and do the work to get to where they need to be.
Passionistas: That's right. We've been talking a lot about that, too, about like perfection. And nobody's perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. And if you are waiting to start something until everything's perfect, it's never going to happen.
So and also asking the questions like we should have asked you that before we started and not assuming. And you know, that's part of the education process too, is learning to ask the right questions and a simple one like how do you pronounce your name? But but more meaningful and deeper ones, too. And, you know, so.
Nikki Porcher: If you're listening, they left it in that they and I don't know, but I always say leave it in because just so people can understand that we're all growing, we're all human and there are kind ways to let people know when something did not happen correctly and that people think everything has to be nasty and mean and confrontational. And it does it right?
Passionistas:
Yeah. no. We're leaving it in evidence. So hi, everyone, and welcome to Nikki Porcher.
What are you most passionate about?
Nikki Porcher: Black women. And just very that simple Black women who raised me. I grew up with three Black women in the same household. So that was my example of what being a woman was, what being community was, what, you know. And there are three Black women from even the other family my mother, my grandmother, my aunt. There are three different versions of what being a Black woman is a well, looks like.
So it's kind of hard not to be obsessed with Black women growing up. And that's all I saw in my house. And my mother is a history teacher by trade. So like learning the history of Black history, Black history of America, Black women, history in America, and why so many people put them all together. They are three separate things as well.
So I'm passionate about Black women. I'm also passionate about veterans rights, especially women veterans. And I always say, if I wasn't doing this, I'll be working as hard for women veterans in this space. As a woman veteran, I know what it is like after you leave active duty. I know it's like when you're in the active duty, so you know, women, Black women, veterans, all that.
Passionistas: So tell us a little bit more about that. Tell us about more about your childhood, where you grew up and then leading up into joining the service and your your service itself?
Nikki Porcher: My goodness. Well, I will. That's something you might want to get some coffee out because this is a story girl that's from New Jersey, Central and southern New Jersey. So I grew up in Mercer County, Burlington County, and spent some time in the Lake City Pleasantville area as well. So by the shore, all that stuff, like all that area I'm grew up in Jersey, grew out of my mother's single mother. My father, he was addicted to crack cocaine. You know, at my younger age, he grew into a phenomenal man.
You know, he had been published in Vogue. He taught at f i t he was a photographer, a very creative artist. And unfortunately, because of his community and the people he was around, he fell addicted to drug addiction. So during my upbringing, that's what I witnessed. That's what I saw. But my mother graduated college. She knew in eighth grade that she wanted to be a history teacher.
She didn't let anything be pregnant as a teenager, you know all that. So she didn't let anything sway her. She was like, This is what I'm going to do. This is what I'm going to do. Went to the Trenton State College, which is called the College of New Jersey now. So like, again, learning all that stuff, my mother, my grandmother from the south migrated up north, raised a family of six children on her own.
My grandfather died at a very young age, so she was raising six children in Trenton, New Jersey during the 6070s. All that jazz. My aunt, who was a fly girl, all that jazz, so grew up in New Jersey and did not go to traditional high school. I went to a technical high school where I picked up the trade fashion fabrication, so I was a seamstress, a social worker, and I was able to learn that as a trade.
So much so I got picked up and high school with a job, got a job right out of high school, but got fired because I was partying. I was out there. Like, I got money. That's party hard. And once I got fired, I realized that I was an adult who could not live with my mother because two adults could live in the same household under one set of rules because by the game girl and she think she's grown, she won't tell me what to do. So I end up joining the air Force.
And the funny story around that is I want to go into the Marines. And I had saw a documentary. I know I saw this documentary about the Marines in their boot cast. So, you know, I would do that. That's all I'm going to do. I need discipline. I need some order. I'm joined the Marines. The next day goes to the Marines office.
I'm talking to the Marine recruiter. And he's like, well, let's take a walk. He walks me to the Air Force office is like, This is where you belong. So I take the Air Force. The Marines picked the Air Force for me. So did that. It was in the Air Force got out of that, was looking for jobs and things happened around that. And then going to college as an adult with my son. And, you know, things happened with that where I was able to work back in fashion, work in nonprofit, work in marketing.
I was a visual arts school teacher in high school and middle school. I'll give you the straight CliffsNotes version of all this. You know, I you know, during all this time, I shattered my knee cap Sumo wrestling and I was told like I wouldn't run or walk again, which got into running half marathons. So I'm, you know, currently that's what you see behind me. I'm trying to run the half marathon in every state. So we have 32 states laugh. I did do a full marathon and in the New York City marathon and Buy From a Black Woman.
So I was able to complete that. And yeah, I do some of this, I do some of that. But it's all for Black women.
Passionistas: The one thing no one thing stuck by me that I want to go back to sumo wrestling. Tell us about that.
Nikki Porcher: So it is funny. So it was a beautiful day. And my son at the time, he wanted to go to the museum. Now it's so nice outside. Let's go outside and hang out. And I had a group of friends and this is a Philadelphia and you know how they how the street fairs, the street markets and stuff like that. So we were just doing that, just hanging out.
And one of the activities he had was sumo wrestling, where you could put on the sumo suit and you can sumo wrestling. And so the OC signed me up. So I did that and I was sumo wrestling a man as is that man ego? I beat him and he won a rematch. So I'm like, okay, I'll give you a rematch.
I, I just want it done. But I oc my ego. I also Emilio's my ego. Okay, let's just let me beat you twice so you can go home and like you got beat twice by me doing this sumo wrestler. He picked me up and he threw me and he threw me. I landed on my left knee and it just because it was the pavement was underneath the mat and it just shattered on sight.
But I didn't know for three days, right? I just was like, it really just hurts really bad. So drove home, my mom came and got my son for me and they hung out for the weekend and that Monday I took him to school, drove him to school. The Nigel's the E.R. that I hopped in the E.R. and they are like, Man, who drove you here? Like myself? You need emergency surgery, like, okay. Well, that explains much.
So, yeah, I had to do that. And there it was crazy because I had no health insurance, right? Well, trans had no health insurance. I didn't go to the VA emergency room because it was just too far. I went to like my local emergency room in Jersey. So because I had no health insurance and this is how the editorial stuff works, they were having, you know, sample cases and like, you know, you can volunteer for certain things.
So I volunteered so that my surgery would be discounted where they were able to, like, put some dissolving screws in my knees because it's a repair. So it's like the regular one that I tried this on, you know, cause I have insomnia because I'm broke. But with that, they were like, You will be able to run and you may walk with a limp.
And I was like, well, I'm going to train myself not to do that. And that's when I really got into running half marathons and five KS and stuff like that.
Passionistas: Wow. That's incredible. So from being in the service, what was your what was your journey to the point where you decided to start Buy from a Black Woman?
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. So from the service, when I got out of the military, I had collected degrees. Why? I was active duty because it was free for active duty military members and I was bored while I was in the military. My job was I was a maintenance scheduler. And what that does is I schedule the maintenance and the flights for 135 are the refueling jets and one thirties, which are cargo planes.
So it's a very boring job. But you could do that initially like it was just very boring. So when I got out, I was just like I don't know what to do cause I work at the airport, but I don't want to do that. So there was one day where I was in downtown Macon, and that was I had nowhere to go because I had no job. I came to the city. They're like. What am I going to do?
I don't be in the house. And there was a car that had hit another car and they hit the car and they left, but I was able to get the license plate. All right. Right. So I was just like, Well, I'll just sit and see. It's about to be lunch time. Maybe someday I will come out the building and this will be their car.
And it happened. The woman came out and it was a car. I think somebody hit you. They laughed. But here's a license plate. And she happened to work for the police department. So she's like, my goodness, thank you so much for letting me know if there's anything that I can do, let me know. I said, Yeah, I'm looking for a job. So you know, somebody hiring who let me know.
So time passed me. I could, you know, exchange information and she sent me an email and she's like, Hey, they're expecting you go ask for this person. And there was a nonprofit at a church, and that was how I got introduced to the nonprofit world. And that's where I learned like what nonprofit was. The different meanings of it were.
A board was like everything about it. And that's what inspired me to go back to Jersey and go to school so I can learn more clearly. I love this, but I know I only get so far because I don't have qualifications or experience or a degree or anything. So let me go learn and my mother was in New Jersey, so like, I'll go back to Jersey so she can help me go to school with my son and we can do that.
So that's how I was introduced to nonprofits. And then I was getting jobs in our office and I was working at a particular nonprofit board out my mind, and I knew that I was destined for more. I always knew I'm supposed to have more. I'm supposed to do more, I'm supposed to be somebody for somebody. And I want to make sure that we find the people who look like me, who thought like me.
I just didn't know what it was going to be. It was when I went to a van and I was the only Black woman at this event, and I was just like, Well, let me do this for Black women. So I started blogging. I still wasn't a nonprofit. I just started blogging about businesses owned by Black women, and people were reaching out like they were sharing the blog.
They were talking about the blog. But then Black women who are businesses, I like, well, do you have resources? You put my business on your website, Did you put me in the blog? And other people were like, can we donate something to you? Because this is great. We want this to keep going. And that's why I was like, okay, so all of this must have been for me to create this and let me just use all that and pour it into my own model.
Passionistas: And so tell us what the mission is of the organization.
Nikki Porcher: So buy from a Black who was here to educate, empower and inspire Black women Business owners, and the people who support Zimbabwean educational resources, financial support, awareness and online directory. So people have no excuse, no reason not to shop, support or Buy From a Black Woman.
Passionistas: So let's talk about what some of the key issues are that are unique to Black women in business.
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. So they are Black… women… in businesss… in America. There's a lot of the Black there are women and they're in America as well. So those are the three key issues, right.
Passionistas: Besides that… (laughing)
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. (laughing)
So, so like all, all three of those are issues that, you know, those are the issues that women have to deal with being a woman in America, being a woman business in America, you know that It comes with Black women business owners being Black in America, being a Black business owner in America, that comes with Black women being in America.
Obviously, I do support the country. I serve in the country. My son is currently in the Army, so I have strong political views. I do believe that the military can serve purpose for those who lack purpose. I also like my hot take is I don't think any elected officials to serve in office if they they're not served time in the military.
That's just my personal viewpoint because how quickly somebody's for something that you never done. But I digress. So it just last. However, this country is not kind to Black people. Definitely not so Black women. And this country does not put us first. This country was not built for us to have any type of advantage, profitability or even livelihood if we think about it.
So when a person is starting a business, when they're v, white, Puerto Rican or Haitian, as a small business owner, there's just so much that we have to go against. Was capitalism consumerism. On the income side, it's just demographics, as already as a block is already a stepping stone. So adding being a Black woman on top of that, you know, you get to more added to you because you get to everything that women have to deal with.
Everything that Black people, Black folks had to deal with. You get both. And nobody wants to give you anything for that. So there's a book called Some of Them Are Brave was a call as somewhere as you say. I like I like books but I just like some of them are brazen. There are white, but they're you know, some of them are Black women.
And it is just like one of those days where we talk about feminist movements, but that was created and with white women in mind, they leave Black women out. And then we talk about the racism, but Black men leave Black women out behind. So we just really have each other and allies who understand that the importance of supporting.
Passionistas: Right. So where do you start? I mean, that's that's huge. So how did you even know where to start?
Nikki Porcher: Yeah, you just start with anything. You just have to start. You have to truly have some type of faith, a spiritual practice. I am a believer. I believe that you have to have something that grounds you, otherwise you just won't make it. And not believing is believing is something as well. So I know I had this conversation with a woman and she let me Michel, I'm an atheist.
I said, Well, you believe that you don't believe that's a belief. Like you're you're standing strong on that. You felt like you had to let me know what you don't believe, but you believe in not believe me. So, like, that's was holding you down as was centering. So, you know, even though you're like, that's not true to do that, you're still practicing something.
So I ever discredit anybody's belief, whether whoever or whatever, having a belief in something and believing not to believe in something is still believe. And that's what's going to keep you going. And you have to have something like that. Otherwise it's going to be a very lonely world, is going to be a hopeless world. And you're not going to make it.
So starting is just how you start. If you're like, I had this idea, first idea is not going to come to you if you do not had everything that you need to fulfill that idea. And I say that all the time. It's like, well, I don't have a million bucks. Okay, but you know what your idea is?
The million dollar idea today, it may be down the line, but today is not. You know, what gets you there. How does that start? What does the beginning of that process look like? It could be something as simple, like, I want to do this. Okay, How will people find you on social media? That's free. You have a phone, How will people buy from you on your website? I'll go, Daddy, you can do that. So it's like there's nothing that you cannot not start. You can really just start.
Passionistas: Yeah, that's awesome. And so when people join Buy From a Black Woman, what resources do you provide them and how do help them move forward?
Nikki Porcher: Yeah, so we have tons of free resources that people utilize a lot. So we have like a lot of education worksheets on our website. We had BFA. BW that TV, which is our e-learning platform, we have experts and our fill who offer an hour a month to teach. I mean, like we have accounts and we have planners. We have a attorney who helps with business law, trademark architecture, and a number of other different people.
We have a mental health specialists like. So like even with that, that's free learning. We have our work a thon where you can come on and work with other Black women, and there's an hour that's dedicated to just idea generation where you go like, I have idea for this. Do you think I'll go over and these are other Black women who can share with you yay or nay or even some stuff that help them and they share their resources?
Our last work or thought a woman she share all of her marketing plan that an agency created a word like, this is a put together this case study for me. Here you go. See what works for you. See what does it now she paid about 40,000 for that, but she will only freely gave it to another woman.
And that's the type of stuff that you can't put monetary amounts on. You know, like the community building, we have a directory, we list your business. I know that people are getting contracts, people are getting corporate deals. People are getting so much from people come into the directory as well. I met you all. We do end stores with some of our partners with H&M.
So one of the women, they come inside the store and then a person sees them inside the store. Then they get picked up to go other places as well, because now the credibility, we know there is currency with clout and with social media clout, like that's a nice currency. So now you're getting that currency of a community, you're getting the credibility of the community.
You're even being able to use a name. And I tell Black women, I believe in nepotism, I believe in favors. If you say my name in a positive way, gives you a door, gives you a meet and gives you an email answer, go for it like you're connected. You're connected. So all that, that's just some of the things. And you know, we do a lot that I can't think of right now. But, you know, we're out here.
Passionistas: So it's so amazing and so inspiring to us because we're trying to build something similar for all women. And so we want to bring your community inside our community so we all help each other, you know?
Nikki Porcher: I think we need to overlap more. And I know there's many people who get their like vision anxious, but well, you can't be over there because you're over here. However, we really think about like how things grow. It is not the overlapping, it is the sharing of community sharing our resources. And that goes back to that belief. There's no reason to hoard or you don't have to be stingy.
You all have to be selfish. You get to good, right? Like there's so much you need to make room for everything that you're receiving. And if you're keeping everything aside, how come more come?
Passionistas: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about the Buy From a Black Woman Business Accelerator Program. How does that work?
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. So last year we were able to certify 15 Black women business owners with their minority business enterprise certification, the non the National Minority Diversity Supplier Council. And they should I get that…
Passionistas: That's a mouthful.
Nikki Porcher: And what that is, is as we see the changes in the structures happening with government, with city, with government officials, with corporations, they're going to be looking for more credibility from minority business owners, from Black business owners, for women business owners. So having certifications is key to get in to the doors. So one of the things that we are offering is that where we pay the cost for that is not limited to just one city or one state.
Last year with the 50 Black women, they were 50 Black women from all across the country. So now we're forming partnerships with these councils are in different cities, are joining different states. So that's just one offense. But we also do a marketing class. We have an attorney who gets some business right, a character who teaches them how to do that.
This year for our slower program, i think we're doing like h.r. Classes. We have some e-commerce classes being taught by some of the leaders over at h&m. So they'll be learning from a global retail company of how they do their marketing campaign and they can implement that stuff. We've done something before like that with the office of A.O. Scott.
Nikki Porcher: A.O. Scott is amazing. Woman amazing shoes. But her people came in and taught some of the classes with one of our salaried classes as well. So what we're doing, we are just equipping a business owners who are at a small, scalable size to grow their business into something bigger by providing foundations and fundamentals to make sure that they are equipped not only to grow their business, but to go ahead and bid for contracts with corporations, with the city, with the government as well.
Passionistas: That's awesome. So who are some of your success stories? Like who do you look at? Who's started with you kind of not knowing anything and now are doing really well?
Nikki Porcher: Well, I always go to Chanel Jones and you know, I'm biased because we're friends now. She's one of my best friends. Now she is my best friend, Linda Craig, that if she listens and calls me out. So but when it first started, we really started at the same time we were strangers. She received our first grant from Buy from a Black Woman, and we were just able to just grow her business.
She's grown her business and she's always close Buy From a Black Woman because we were strangers. Is and I don't vote on the grant company, and we've done away with grants just because there's so much happening with America. First, the laws Susan had with Grant. So we're like, know we can't afford those type of attorneys, but she is a success story for sure.
And then that one would be Bethany speak of you know saint now now but she was top coat in the beginning and she's grown her business is just you know she's another one who we see from the start and now she has her nail polish company but she also has a fulfillment center. And that was because she was growing her company and she realized she needed somebody to fulfill her orders.
A shoe like, you know what? I can I can do this, too, as well. And then she was able to employ her business, her family. So now she created a family business as well as her and two of her brothers who are working on that. So just a growth from us, believing in her, giving her that opportunity and her just believing in herself to do the work and pushing more.
So those are two that come first to mine. And there's just so many you know, I'm a success story. I'm proud of that as well, because I've grown a lot. But Buy From a Black Woman is my first business. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I made a lot of great decisions as well. When I started by, I felt like I had a disaster on the business.
I never knew I was on the business, let alone help other Black women in business. But as what I'll say is like trusting and believing and realizing all that stuff happened for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I was going to keep going until you told me not to anymore.
Passionistas: Excellent. And one of the success stories of our community is familiar with this. Kim Roxie, That's how I met Kim has been involved in a bunch of our summits and events and and. And she's a powerhouse. She's a Passionista superstar.
Nikki Porcher: Yes. Yes, Kim is. And I know she was with us when we went to New Orleans and 2022, and she sold her stuff inside of H&M and it was during Essence Festival. And she let me know that was her first time ever selling out of her product. And since then, she has not stopped selling her products. So, you know, we kind of helped her with that ball. But Kim's a very hard worker, so I don't I'll take the credit for any of the Black women because without the work, you know, nothing will be a success. But yeah, we we like to give nudges just like, hey, girl. Hey, we all need that, you know? I mean, that's what we're about to. It's like you're doing great. We do it to each other every day. It's like, God, we have each other. So.
Passionistas: So talk about that H&M deal. How did you how did that come about? Because it's such a great opportunity that you've created for women to actually physically be in these stores.
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. So without giving too much of, you know, my business, it was really one of those things where, you know, when you are doing the work for so long and you are doing nobody is noticing you and nobody is paying attention. There are noticing you and there are people paying attention. So whenever you feel like you're alone, that where you feel like is not happening, trust me, things are always working out for you.
They are always working out for me. They're inspired Buy From a Black Woman Inspired Tour by H&M. Now was originally just a Buy From a Black Woman Inspired Tour for the first two years of the store. I did it on my own. It was self-funded. I was in my car doing it like I was just driving places and just orchestrating everything, and I knew it was going to be more.
I knew that I wanted partnerships with retail companies. I knew I wanted Black women inside of stores so people could support and buy from that. But, you know, we can't just say this is what I want. And wait. This goes back to what I was say, just start. So I was like, okay, nobody knows what I'm doing. I'm just getting a couple people to buy it.
I'm doing all this on my own. It's a summertime. This is how I spend my birthday. I was still teaching full time, so I had the summer off. So I was like, This is this is what I'm going to do. And then I did again the next and then, you know, when H&M came to me, they were like, Hey, we see the work that you're doing, we see what you've been doing.
We will love to figure out how we can, you know, help. And that's one thing that I really love about H&M instead down because they could have easily created their own program and did their own thing. But it was important for them to find an organization who was doing the work that they can help amplify. And that was just a beautiful synergy.
So I had something already and I had a proven model and I knew how I wanted to enhance it because I had already been doing the work. So being prepared for when people come and see you out is such a key part of that. If I was not prepared, if I was not already doing the work, they were never knows me, never saw me, they overlooked me.
And then you know, I would've been just trying to make up ideas that may not have worked. They may have work because I had good ideas. At the same time, I had solid proof this love and don't last two years. This is what we can do together to make it bigger, to look like this, and grateful. It has been approaching year four of our partnership, so it has been amazing and journey.
Passionistas: Wow, that's just incredible. So you also mentioned your podcast, so tell us a little bit about your podcast, A Black Woman's Podcast.
Nikki Porcher: Okay. So then that also goes with the theme. Is here, if you're listening, do the work. Best to be okay. So A Black One's Podcast has been my pet baby. I was eight for the last three years and I've been trying to figure out my space, my voice in the podcast world. So like I did it with I was interviewing Black women exclusively, did it when it was just me just talking exclusively. I did it where I was just like, you know, I'll just have roundtables.
Let's try to figure out my formula and gosh, we got it. So it is you know, it is a combination of being a Black woman, sharing my life stories, sharing the things that work for me, being motivational and also enabling Black women. Sometimes we tell their story, their history, how they start it. Sometimes we talk about what they're doing now and we do it together and we just work through that.
Our we don't talk about any of those things. We just have a conversation about some hot topics that, you know, we don't get to talk about in publicly because we can't talk about it. So it's really, you know, A Black Woman's Podcast is a podcast for Black women and the people who support to listen and on things. So we have our Monday motivations, our Wednesday considerations and Fridays with the Black women.
And that's this really Black woman could be just me. I could be a guest on Wednesday. Is me sharing something that I want you to consider today was this consideration was to get out early in the make believe our ideas, our imagination, to have so much fun. Why? Why are you doing what's having fun? Do I get out there and do the things that you daydream about?
Do the things that you're visualizing? Don't let I make believe, Have all the fun. But also don't let it ruin your fun because you're so scared as well. You know, because we make up our fears, we make up these false narratives make up these days and nobody, nobody is thinking about you. So why are you acting like, my gosh, I can't post without my earrings on?
Because they're going to say, Look, I'm her. So stop doing that to yourself. Live the life that you should be living, that you live in your head. And that's what. So consider if you removed your fears, how would you be able to live your life? So that's was day and Monday. I just motivate with a motivational story like, Hey girls, let's do this. And one that really got it was on Martin Luther King Day, which was a Monday. I talked about how Martin Luther King had a housekeeper, the nanny. So why don't you how do you think you're going to be great if you don't have help?
Passionistas: That’s amazing. It's great. So you said that you've learned a lot about business through starting this organization, but what have you learned about yourself?
Nikki Porcher: A lot. I have patience. That, you know, I am a very patient person and I'm nice and I don't say that like in a way, like my friend, she gets on me. She's like, You're the nicest Leo I've ever met. Like, all the leaders I know are not nice. You are a nice little white. Okay, But that's I was a very, very angry in my twenties. I was a very angry person.
There were things that have happened to me that I was just holding on to. So much hurt, so much despair, just so much angry and judging people and holding grudges, justice that either the world owes me this. This is why, you know, I'm failing because of everybody else, not because of me, but because this happened. And that happened.
My father did this and my mother was like, That is my friend like. And I just started changing because I didn't want to be angry. I started going to therapy. I started eating different. It started changing what I watch, what I read, what I consumed. And I decided that, you know what? I want to be happy. I want to be a person that brings smiles to other people.
I want people to leave me feeling inspired, uplifted and encouraged. I want people to receive knowledge from our conversation, whether it's me sharing an article and sharing a book or sharing a story of my own or someone else, this is the person I want to be. I'm getting emotional. So my cry, you know, please forgive me, but it's just like I made that choice and it's something that I have to do every day.
You know, we're friends so I can share, like in the military, like, I went to war, I served overseas our Iraqi in Enduring Freedom. So to time war vet. But I have PTSD. I have serious doubts. Bouts of depression. There are some days that are harder to deal with than others. So I had to put practices in my way, like, am I going to continue to live like this or am I going to be the version that I see in my head of who I want to be?
So everything, I'm always making a choice and we all do that. We're all able to like, you know what? I choose to do something different. Okay, well, I can choose this donut or I can choose to drink some water.
I either choose order because I know about you. Just don't. It's going to taste good right now, but I won't be upset when I put these jeans along with them. Now I'm going to have some self-hate, some body shaming in my own head because my ass cares what I look like. You that nobody else care. This is all me.
So I learned that I am impatient, not just with other people, but with myself. And I'm nice in other people. See the patients and see me being nice because I'm doing it for myself. So they're benefiting from it. So they're like, you're nice. Because. Because I'm nice to myself, you get to benefit from me being nice to myself because I'm nice to myself. I'm nice to you because I love me. I can love you because I'm friendly and patient myself. I can be friendly impatient with you. You're benefiting from me choosing myself. Or so I learned how to do that.
Passionistas: Now you are my new favorite person on the planet. You mentioned the other woman is your best friend? But you have to deal with the fact that the Harrington sisters are taking over.
What are your future goals and plans for Buy From a Black Woman?
Nikki Porcher: I have lots of future goals and plans. One of my audacious goals is, which is like a long term goal. I won't be able Sesame Street I that's going to be my pivotal. I made that moment. I'm on Sesame Street in a cash register in the store, teaching about economics and business and money. That is my ultimate.
I know people are like, well, when I talk to Oprah, yes, that's great. But Sesame Street is my ultimate mom. I'm me that moment. So I have goose bumps.
Passionistas: Goose bumps from head to toe like that.
Nikki Porcher: Everything is how everything Lily is. How do I get to Sesame Street? So, like, that is my mantra. How do I get to Sesame Street? Am I doing this to get to Sesame Street? Well, this Take me to Sesame. She will apply to Sesame Street. How do I get to Sesame Street?
Passionistas: All right. Passionistas that are listening, if. Anyone out here we go out there. We know people in Hollywood like how do we get Nikki to Sesame Street?
Nikki Porcher: That that is that is my ultimate goal. But, you know, of course, we have in the media because I'm starting so late, the small things as we start at 2024, as I mentioned, our partnership with H&M is happening again. We're doing the accelerator program, A Black Woman's Podcast. I'm letting people who are not Black women on the podcast, which is interesting.
We have one woman, Courtney. She wrote a book and the company a women, and she talks about some of the great Black women authors. So I'm going to be interviewing her and doing some research and stuff with her around that. We have our survey as this allows a lot of stuff. And then those days are, you know, that's going to happen to I don't even see because I haven't been privileged to the vision just yet.
So there's a lot of things where, you know, stuff happened like Nikki, Did you play that? No. As being still is listening is believing and then just doing the work, trusting that it will come true.
Passionistas: It will. It definitely will. I mean, look at what you've built. It’s incredible.
So what's the question we're not asking as allies, What should we be thinking about that we're not thinking about?
Nikki Porcher: That's a great question. That that is a great question. As allies, I guess, just remembering that you are an ally, there's so often where allyship is confused with you that you person, but with allies telling us what we need are telling us what our voice is, are telling us how things are being interpreted or how. So we're just remembering that as much as you learn and you read and you have friends, you will never be a Black woman, so you can never speak on our behalf.
And when you go into spaces and places with people in, you know, remembering that you're talking about the demographic of you're talking about Black love, you're talking about Black people, and you look around and nobody in the room looks like the people you're talking about. Stop having that conversation like we share the beginning of the podcast. Don't be afraid.
No matter how awkward is do not be afraid to speak up for what you believe is right. And it's just really just that open so much to our course. Donating is always a given. But you know, with that, having real allies who are not afraid to say, I love we're just conversations going. However, there are no Black women here present to speak on Black women's behalf, so maybe we should stop.
And so we find some that can change so many things with this country. What the world and what the way that not only we operate business, but how we operate.
Passionistas: I mean, that's critical to us. That's that is the foundation that we have built this on, is we don't know what it's like to work in your shoes. We don't know what it's like to be a woman with a disability or an indigenous woman. So we've created a space where people can talk about their own issues and then we'll all see what the common issues are, but also how we can be supportive of the things that we're not familiar with.
So we appreciate you saying that and we will always have a space open to you and other Black women to tell your own stories, because that's the only way we're going to learn. And it's not on you to educate us completely. We have to do our own research, too. But, you know, we appreciate you coming in and saying that and being so open about what you've been talking about.So thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you. Excellent.
So you've you have all of these amazing belief systems and philosophies. You mentioned your grandmother and your aunt and your mother. So talk to us a little bit more about them and what you learned from them growing up.
Nikki Porcher: My goodness. So they like I had mentioned, they are three different Black women. I say like my grandmother, she was born in the 1930, so she was born during the Great Depression. She had to raise her brothers there, her, you know, sisters at a very young age, the highest she ever got through education was eighth grade. And you can imagine a great, great education in the 1940s for Black people were not anything.
So there is that as well. And so she grew up learning that her skill sets is how she would get ahead. So she learned how to barter, She learned how to sew, how to cook. She knew that she had to use her hands and her minds in order to enhance and be there for her family because she didn't have the education piece.
And from that she got educated, she got smart. You know, my grandmother, I don't think I ever saw my grandmother read a book at all. I don't think that's ever happened. But she also does not know how to write in print. She can only write and curse up. Right. Because that's how she was taught in grammar school was just the curse of So she doesn't print anything.
Everything is in curse up because of her upbringing. So having that my mother, who would just like books, books.Books, books, books, Both books. Right. Everything is in the book. They don't want you to know it. Could they put it in the book if you don't read the book? Research is like growing up with her mom. How do you spell this? She would spell out dictionary for me, and I'm just like, I just wouldn't know how to spell a word. Well, I know you like wine and everything.
Look it up. Research for a spell. So like that got me into like, okay, I must cite everything. I must source everything. And there's not, you know, it is in the book. You can like you just see a little bit of books. But my house is filled with books because of my mother and my aunt Blah, like, okay, we're going to do all this where we're going to go, why we're doing it so we don't leave the house looking like this and we don't leave the house talking like that.
And when we go, we must be positive. It must be this, it must be that, that. And don't get me wrong, all of them had a little bit of each other because they grew up together. But it was just so dynamic to see these women and their different spears and then with their communities who were so different, you know, they had the communities of Black women and my grandmother's community, they barters.
So I was like, okay, I'm gonna make you a cake. And in turn you do this for me. And like, that was the currency and going to church. And my mom was like, you know what? I had this research paper and what did I know this professor? I know this person with this job, what that community looked like.
And my aunt was like, you know, okay, I work in corporate and I work here and this is how you talk when you're in the boardroom. This is how you talk when you're in the conference. So it's just like seeing all the different types of Black women that I could be. And then I was able to get all three of them at the same time.
So now I'm I'm a combination, like the perfect combination of all of them. And it's just an to be that to have so much influence right there in my house. Whereas like, okay, I know what gossip is. I know what spirituality is, I know what the corporate legal is. I know how to turn on turn off, I know how to research, I know how to write books, I know how to be professional.
I know how to be with my girlfriends. I know how to cook. I know how it's so like all the like all the gathered. So they relate. I couldn't ask for a stronger foundation, a Black woman. This anyway, like I could not.
Passionistas: They sound amazing. And it's not surprising that you're a product of all three of them.
Nikki Porcher: And they're they're a riot. When we get together is always a good time. And sometimes that can be intimidating to other people because just the way that we talk with my mother had me at a young age, so like sometimes my mother or my aunt, they forget that I'm the niece and now I'm an adult. You know, I'm more of a sister than I am a niece, right?
So like, I have a little cousin that my aunt story, she's like 21, 22. So I was telling her, I think, well, you were born to like it. You were supposedly my best friend, but, you know, I'm old enough to be your mom, so, you know, like, so you're like, you're mine these. But we're cousins. But her, my son are around the same age, so like that.
But. So it's like I'm the adult me sister tight. They were as as is is very beautiful. It's a lot because I don't I'm not sure who was the oldest daughter but whoever is the oldest daughter, you know, that's a whole nother mother has oldest daughter syndrome. My grandmother has oldest daughter syndrome. I have only daughter syndrome. So not only am I the oldest, I'm the only.
So it's like all that as well. And it's so it's like stuff that I see from my mom and my grandmother. My aunt is just so carefree. La la la la la la. You know?
So it's like seeing a different viewpoints from that too, has added in to how I interact with other Black women as well, because I'm able to tell like, you must be the oldest daughter. You're the youngest one. Okay. All right. And now I'm able to talk to you differently because I know how you would be able to receive.So it's just I can ask for a stronger foundation. I really got it now.
Passionistas: And what do they think of what you've built?
Nikki Porcher: Yeah. So they're very proud. In the beginning they had no idea, you know, what was going to happen, where it was going to go. My mother, she was like, Yeah, whatever. Just don't be homeless. And if you are, send me my grandson. She like one of those days I told a joke like I had hired my mother and my aunts for that and they were just terrible.
So I fired them and I was like, Yeah, I fired them. But they're they've been rehired. My grandmother, you know, we have a scholarship named after her. Awards are called a dollar. So when we heard about one of the awards, she was like, Well, I need to go. The award was on Saturday, so I need to go home because I need to go to church and into the church and show people my award.
They need to know that I have an award named after me. So they they're just they're proud. Right? And these are, again, Black women, like I mentioned, my grandmother born at 30. So she seen a lot. Well, the 1930 is almost approaching 2030. Right. But, you know, like these are Black women who had no idea something like this could be possible for Black women. And I remember this one event my grandmother came to and she was looking around and she pulled me aside. Nicole, do these white people know that this is your business? Like, yes, Grandma, they they know they're like, they know that you do this.
You work for Black women. Yes, Grandma. They know. They know. And she was just so in disbelief like this is all for Black. But I'm like, yes, unless you see word Black, which is like, have these white people doing that, like, yes, Grandma, they are they are saying, well, back in my day. Well, this is not your day, though.
I was like, you know, being able and this is the woman who only wore that one time in her life, you know, that was Obama the first term. She didn't even vote the second time. So for her to see, you know, segregation, civil rights, Jim Crow, Vietnam, the eighties with Bush and all that stuff, and now seeing Black women being celebrated, it, you know, it brings her so much hope, inspiration that she also was able to share some of her anger.
And this also my mother and my aunt the same way, you know, because they were becoming adults during the eighties, they saw so many of their peers just not be able to have success at a certain level because they were Black women being celebrated for just being a Black woman. You know, not having the dreams of entrepreneurship is not just my my family that see this.
When I see other Black women business owners, I meet their moms and their older family because we were told so long, you go to college, you work in corporate, you get your pension, you retire. Entrepreneurship wasn't something that was taught to our community. So for them to see that their daughters or their nieces are doing this and being celebrate it for it, it brings a light and shine so much on to Black women. That is just immeasurable. And I'm just very, very honored that I was chosen to do this work. Wow. I'm just speechless from all of this. Like you're saying. You really are.
Passionistas: Have you had professional mentors during this or are you just more to other people?
Nikki Porcher: In my head, Just in my head, to be honest with you. But I've had mentors my whole life who have been Black women like Miss Harris was my sewing teacher in high school, and I always hear her favorite phrase was like, is not the machine is the operator. And she was say that when we were like, this machine is working, the sewing machine is broke.
And she always say, It's not. The machine is to operate, to slow down, figure out why it's not working and try again. So that's something that has stuck with me. She's a longer with us. She died from breast cancer, but that that stays in my head so much with so many things, like when I'm trying to figure out a project, go try to really email or I'll send an email.
I try to figure out how to get to sponsor this partner. I this me as I can. Let me slow down. And they said, no, it's not the machine, it's the operator. So let me figure out what I need to do to get that. So why I didn't have professional mentors and I still don't have them. I'm looking for them.
I have been a mentor and I have lots of mentors in my head, which is why I read so many books because I, like so many Black women, have wrote so many great books that so much knowledge is in there. So that's why I'm like, Harris in my head, like, we best we click tight. Now, she might not know who I am, but I have all her books. Listen to her speeches daily, you know? So in my head, I have a lot of mentors. Maybe one day I'm able to meet some and then maybe sometimes I'm not supposed to because they say they'll meet your heroes. So is that as well?
Passionistas: It can be tricky. So where do people find you and how can they get involved?
Nikki Porcher: Yes, we are by from a Black among all platforms. All roads lead to row. You just put by from a Black and Google you can find it. All of my personal stuff is A Black Woman because we stay on brand. Here is like A Black Woman's Podcast. A personal website is A Black Woman's Website. My social is A Black Woman.
So like just Google. If you're lucky for me to get involved. We love donations. That really helps our cause and our mission. A donation keeps the party going. When you see the event, you know, tell people about it. In the most way that you can do a free is just share. Share what we have going on, share our emails, see, share our social post like our post.
Subscribe to the stuff that's free. It cost nothing and that's a hill that I die on. I don't understand why you see stuff on social media that your following you don't like it and you're following that page. When they post something, you still like it every time. Because why are you here? If you're not, it costs you nothing. You're are using the data on your phone, right?
Passionistas: Well, one last question for you. What what's your dream for Black women?
Nikki Porcher: My goodness. So many dreams. My dream for Black women is to Alma. There's such a heavy question. You know to dream the dreams that they never thought would come true, but not to believe them as dreams. So, like, you know, like I said, stop living your dream in your head. Don't let your imagination just have the fun. Know that and the vision came to you.
If you're thinking about it, you're dreaming about it is waiting for you. You dream so you can receive is like, Hey, I'm here. I'd like to see this dream that are we dream so detailed, right? We have like lately. Okay, this is what I'm wearing. This is who I'm talking to. This is where I'm at. You have every detail in your dream. Act on it. Visualize and take action.
Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project. Since we're not only business partners but best friends and real-life sisters, we know how unique and truly special our situation is. We know so many social partners, activists, women seeking their purpose and more who are out there doing it all on their own. They often tell us that they wished they had what we have, so we're creating a space for them and you to join our sisterhood where trust, acceptance and support are the cornerstones of our community.
By joining, you become part of our family. We'll give you all of our assist tips on building meaningful relationships through the power of sisterhood and all the tools you need to thrive in three key areas business growth, personal development and social impact. You'll learn from our panel of power fashionistas who are experts on topics like transformational leadership following your intuition, the power of voting, and so much more.
You can join us virtually and in person at storyteller events and meetups to connect with other members of the community. And you'll be able to participate in our online forums with other like minded women and gender non-conforming, non-binary people who share your values and goals. Be sure to visit ThePassionistasProject.com to sign up for your free membership to join our worldwide sisterhood, a passion driven women who come to get support find their purpose and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world.
We'll be back next week with another Passionista, whose defining success on her own terms and breaking down the barriers for herself and women everywhere. Until then, stay passionate.
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