Bridging Information Gaps: Empowering 40,000 Black Members While Building Community with Adeola Adejobi

Sep 21

Listen to the episode on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts

Listen to the episode on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts

Adeola Adejobi moves mountains and touches hearts with her vision to connect people with valuable information. Her mission is clear: to connect Black individuals with information that has the power to reshape the trajectory of their economic mobility and that of their families.

As a multi-faceted human being, Adeola is an attorney, entrepreneur, speaker. She is also the visionary founder and CEO of Avant-Garde Network, a social impact company dedicated to equipping entrepreneurs and executives from diverse backgrounds with the essential skills and knowledge to advance as leaders in their own businesses or within the corporate landscape.

Adeola’s academic journey, from Spellman College and later pursuing her Juris Doctorate at Cornell University (specializing in International Legal Affairs), has laid the foundation for her impactful career. Adeola went on to forge intentional relationships and continue to be a resource to those in her network.

Her commitment to delivering useful resources and information to Black communities has evolved into a thriving ecosystem of over 40,000 members under the umbrella of Avant-Garde Network. This umbrella houses many initiatives, including Women of Color and Capital and Diversity in Commercial Real Estate Conference. Their influence extends far and wide, reaching New York City, Washington D.C., Lagos, Nigeria, and beyond.

To further their mission, they host a wide array of events, from conferences and forums to masterclasses and networking opportunities. All of which facilitate discussions on market trends and opportunities across various industries, while simultaneously forging invaluable connections amongst professionals and across businesses.

For those who want to immerse themselves in a community of driven leaders, Women of Color and Capital is taking place in New York City from September 28th - October 1st, 2023.

This initiative is laser-focused on the success of women of color and its intersection with financial resources and opportunities. Its core pillars encompass wealth building through fundamental = financial freedom principles and advisors, strategic investing, access to capital for businesses (ranging from seed funding to growth and late-stage financing), and the pivotal journey of becoming investors and investment managers themselves.

What I admire about Adeola is her intentionality. At every step of her journey, she recognizes and appreciates how her work and the work of her team, directly impacts the lives and livelihoods of countless Black individuals and families across the globe.

This episode is for you if:

You are seeking inspiration for building a thriving network or community.
You are exploring strategies for measuring and amplifying your impact.
You want to discover ways to add value to your relationships and connections.

Looking for something specific?

[3:00] Adeola’s origin story and educational journey at Spellman and Cornell.
[6:00] A mother’s project: Adeola’s mother tasked her with reading and summarizing her real estate books, which ignited a fresh perspective.
[7:21] Correlation between GDP and women’s education – Adeola’s thesis in college delved into this connection.
[9:00] For Adeola, her work is centered around creating economic impact.
[9:31] “Follow the money”.
[9:41] Avant-Garde network started as a platform for Black attorneys to connect and grow in the industry.
[10:00] Adeola’s efforts focused on broadening perspectives and she emphasized he importance of expanding knowledge and thinking through ways to reach the next level.
[11:00] Started with events that focused on emerging industries, private equity, cryptocurrency, etc.
[11:20] Adeola values expertise. She is big on who is the expert. *Note: This is not always the same as who has a platform.
[13:00] Goal: Bringing opportunities within industries to the forefront before they go mainstream, akin to monopoly strategy. In monopoly (the game), if you land on the board and someone already owns it, you pay. But if you land before anyone else, you can start to build.
[16:06] How we can build more economically vibrant communities: Adeola’s vision for community development.
[17:31] Learning about Black history and leadership in 5th grade shaped Adeola’s propensity for building together.
[17:53] “You are accountable for other people”
[23:34] Measuring impact is critical. How Adeola quantifies the impact of her work.
[29:00] “I built my entire business on my reputation”.
[36:30] Adding value to relationships: how to build mutually beneficial relationships.
[41:20] Who Adeola leaned on when things got tough. “People are enjoying the fruit of my friend’s keeping me from quitting”.
[44:25] “Let’s rally around them”. Investing in Black, female-led luxury companies within in a multi-billion industry.
[45:40] Focusing on holistic health. It would be a disservice to bring Black women together and NOT talk about health in all facets.
[50:44] Adeola’s restorative practices: Her personal approach to rejuvenation, includes staying in, visiting museums, adequate sleep, traveling, and creating a nurturing home environment.