5 Moments of Inspiration from Black Business Owners Justin Forsett and Kareem Cook
Black History Month may be over, but our commitment to keep the conversation going is just getting started. We celebrated and honored this past month by inviting one of our newest brand partners and a prospective brand partner to talk about their experiences as Black entrepreneurs building a brand:
Justin Forsett, co-founder of Hustle Clean and former NFL player, whose mission is to empower greatness, specifically in underserved communities
Kareem Cook, co-owner of Naturade, who is working to make healthy food available to all and change the data on diabetes, a disease that disproportionately affects people of color
Here’s what they said:
On greatness - “Everybody wants a breakthrough but no one wants to be broken. But I believe in those moments of brokenness, is that we get our greatest learnings and our greatest growth. Greatness grows best in the shadows. Like those moments when we’re counted out, those moments when we’re constantly being stretched and pulled. We have to dig deep within ourselves and pull out things that we didn’t even know existed in order to get to that next phase in life.” - Justin Forsett
On responsibility and advocacy - “Be bold. If you find yourself in a situation where you can say something to influence what’s happening in a room, you should do that” - Kareem Cook
On leadership - “You have to serve those around you. And if you feel that you’re too big to serve, then you’re actually too small to lead.” - Justin Forsett
On adversity - “It’s these moments of adversity and tension and discomfort that we get our greatest gains with the right perspective” - Justin Forsett
On creating opportunity for others - “I think that you should knock on as many doors as you can right now because there’s never been a better opportunity for minorities to move ahead right now in anything you want to. But I also think you also have a duty to leave that door open for people to come behind you” - Kareem Cook
We’d like to thank Justin and Kareem for joining us. We’re excited to be working with their companies and we’re inspired to continue our commitment to DEI and creating an inclusive culture here at Netrush.
