Keep pushing. Right. I love don't give up on yourself. Don't fail yourself. You can do anything. Keep pushing and don't be afraid of it. That's what I would tell my 16-year-old self. I was actually on a conversation here recently and, um. Someone asked me kind of what would I, what would I share? And I said, you know, I would start earlier, right? I would start this process earlier. I would believe in the fact that I could do this earlier so that I'll move forward in my purpose. Right? I can do two things at once. I can do three things at once, right? But it's moving in your purpose. And so I would, that's what I would tell ultimately, my 16-year-old self. Moving your purpose and keep going. We'll discuss race and how

it plays a factor and how we didn't even talk about this topic 'cause we were afraid

A Black Executive Perspective.

We are coming to you live from the new BEP studio for another thought provoking episode of A Black Executive Perspective podcast. A safe space where we discuss all matters related to race, culture, and those uncomfortable topics people tend to avoid. I'm your host Tony Tidbit. So before we get started on this fantastic episode, I wanna make sure that everyone checks out our partners at Code M Magazine, whose mission is saving the black family by first saving the black man. So check them out@codemmagazine.com. That is code m magazine.com. So today, Okeatta Brown, founder and CEO of O, and Company Interiors. Joins BEP to share her journey. From corporate board rooms to bold entrepreneurship, A seasoned leader advocate, an HBCU graduate, she will discuss her personal roots that shaped her professional ambition, her deep commitment to community, and a decision to launch a company that reflects culture, heritage, and innovation. We'll also explore the business of design, the power of black entrepreneurship, and what it means to live with purpose from inside and out. Lemme tell you about my good friend Okeatta Brown. Okeatta. As I stated earlier, a dynamic leader who has seamlessly bridged the world of business design and community impact. With over two decades of success in corporate America, she has brought her strategic acumen. And passion for cultural expression into the world of interior design and furniture production. By launching her company O and Company Interiors in 2025. A proud HBCU graduate of Johnson c Smith University. EDTA is also a committed civic leader. She has held influential roles on numerous nonprofit boards included in United Negro College Fund, the Urban League of Central Carolinas. Well, guess what? She made history as the youngest board chair and the Carolina Community Builders Initiative Advisory Board. I. She's also been on the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council, where she serves as second vice chair. She's a dedicated member of Alpha Alpha Kappa I Alpha Sorority and continues to champion equity, empowerment and entrepreneurship across every space she enters. Okeatta Brown. Welcome to A Black Executive Perspective Podcast, my sister.

Thank you for having me. What an introduction.

That was amazing. Yeah. Um, it is your introduction and you're amazing. Okay. I mean, unless, unless you stole that from somebody else. Right. And you're like, oh, I did, I really did that. Oh my God. I should have, I should have came up with something a little bit less, you know, perspective. All right. But that's you, Mike, girl. So look, we excited to chat with you. Okay. And you like, look, you got a, a, a. Fantastic background. Um, we can't wait to dive in into the things that you're looking to do. You built your own company and look, it takes a lot of courage, especially as a black woman to do that. So we're gonna dive into that. But before we get into the heavy stuff, why don't you tell me a little bit about where you currently reside and a little bit about your family.

Well, thank you again. Thank you for having me today. Um, I am Okeatta Brown. I currently reside in Charlotte, North Carolina. Uh, I have, uh, I'm an awesome auntie. I have a wonderful goddaughter. I'm an amazing daughter and a great sister to several, and a wonderful friend, to several. I don't have any children of my own, but that I, again, have a wonderful, wonderful extended family. I.

That sounds awesome. See, you see that. We should have threw that in the bio. How amazing of a friend you are and how you got this and that. You know what I'm saying? But No, that's good. That is all. Hey, look, family's important and is, you know, regardless of where they fall, cousin, uncle, kid, you know, it's great to have people that love you, support you. So that's awesome. I've been to Charlotte. Great city. Um, so glad to hear that you're down there. So, question I wanna ask, look, and now we just went through it in your bio, right? Um, you got a lot going on. You're working, you're building a big interior design business. You are all over you on different platforms. Uh, you are in high demand, people are reaching out. They want you to come on and chat about what's going on. So why did you wanna come on A Black Executive Perspective podcast to discuss this topic?

I think you offer a unique point of view to your listeners, right? I think you tell a different story than some of the other podcasts that I've been able to participate in. And so I really wanted to come into, to your point, a safe space to have a good, candid, real, authentic cultural conversation.

Well, my girl, you picked the right spot. All right? And that's what we gonna do today. You know what I'm saying? That's what we gonna do today. So you ready to talk about it?

Let's talk about it.

Alright, my girl, let's talk about it. So listen, let's back all the way up because, you know, um, chairman of all the different nonprofits, CEO of your own business, um, civic leader, all those things that didn't just happen overnight, right? That didn't just happen, you know, today you were, you know, somebody told me this a long time ago. They said, I never seen a a, a baby born that says, uh, born six pounds, seven ounces, and a fist. Full of hundreds. Right. Okay. So at the end of the day, yeah, it don't work that way. So let's go all the way back. Tell us about a little bit where you grew up, where you grew up at, and the values and early lessons from your family that showed up, that still shows up in your life today.

Yeah. Uh, I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and I'm a product of, uh, divorced parents. It was a single mom. My mom married young, and it's just my mom, my brother and I up until. He went to Howard University. Right. And so just growing up and watching my mom just kind of try to make a way for us, right? We, I never felt like we didn't have things. I never felt like I went without, but I knew that my mom was struggling, right? My mom was making ends meet. I figured, I learned very early what it meant to Rob Peter to pay Paul, right? So we knew all of those things very early on. My brother started working at the time he was. 13 years old. Right. And I followed suit shortly thereafter. So we always, my brother and I and my mom, we always had a very strong work ethic. We knew what a dollar meant, we knew what survival meant. Um, but growing up I went to a different school every single year from the time I was in kindergarten up until the ninth grade. Mm-hmm. So that constant change, right, is something that still sits with me today, but it helps shape the executive and the leader that I am today because. I'm okay with change, right? Mm-hmm. And we know the one thing that remains the same is change. And so going through all of that and the different homes, because we moved every single year, the rent went up, right? So I know what that feels like too. Right. So mom was like, wait a minute, we got to go. Mm-hmm. You know, that's right here. Right. So I was going to a different school, but it was okay. It, it, it taught me a lot. Right, right. But what someone mentioned to me, and I didn't quite put it together until, um, this person mentioned it to me, but the reason why I got into interior design and the reason why. It's so important to me is because there was a constant movement. So I never truly had roots. Right. You know how some people can say, that was my childhood home. Right? Or my teacher from this school at this age, I still remember my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Cunningham. I can't do that 'cause I don't have that level of, uh, stability, if you will. But when I in, when I do interior design and when I work with my clients, it was very important for me to understand what they wanted to feel when they came in their home, but that their home was a representation of who they are as well. Mm-hmm. So I always say I'm, I'm a movie from house to home. So you feel like you're walking through a space that represents you and that comes from this going from house to house to house and not really being able to paint a wall or, you know, to, to make it my own. So when I bought my first town house, I painted. Regretfully. I painted my kitchen electric blue, like my living room was purple. There was some yellow in there somewhere. It was a mess. It was a stone. But I could, I was like, Ooh, I can do this. Right. Um, but it really said for me when I started that interior design work. So I did that in about 2015 when I started that work. Right. That's why it was so important to me to build homes so that people could feel that sense of stability and feel that connectedness to who they are to their culture or whatever it was that they wanted to represent at the time.

Wow. Wow. So number one, thanks for sharing that. And there's a couple of things I wanna dive a little bit deeper when you talk about change, um, because it's something that most people struggle with, right? Um, in terms of dealing with, you know, getting out of a comfort zone. Or you know, having to, you know, wake up one day and find out that you gotta do something different or you gotta move somewhere different. Or you gotta think differently. Right. A lot of people struggle, and especially in today's world, we're dealing with a ton of change. Yeah. All the time. Right. And some people become immobile, so outside of the ability. To be able to, to get a sense, 'cause you didn't grow up, um, you know, with roots that, that, that you know, you can plant and this and that. And obviously that's what you love to do now because with your interior design, you're allowing people and helping them create something that can be a legacy or it can be planted. Within their family, their house, what the case may be. But you've been a, a successful executive as well, right? So talk about some of the other values and stuff that you learned from moving around all the time when it comes to change.

Hmm. Um. So to your point, that change allowed me to come into the corporate space and be really just flexible, be amenable to change, understand that things are not going to remain this way. And if I needed to make a way, I needed to build that way. Right. Um, and so when I got into my career coming outta South Carolina, um, I had to unlearn some things in terms of just some, the, the, the. Juxtaposition between how I grew up with a very racially charged space. Columbia, South Carolina isn't the easiest place to grow up. And then coming into Charlotte, which felt like a world away, right? And then going to an HBCU, love Johnson c Smith grew up there. They taught me how to be an adult. Right? There was no, there were no violins. There were no, there was no handholding. They're like, you better figure that thing out. Right? Right. But because I had experienced so much change, I knew how to do that. Um, and then going into the corporate space. And I went into that space thinking I knew everything, right? I had a undergraduate degree in marketing. I thought I knew everything. I was like, I'm ready to be the chief marketing officer today. Let's do it right? And some people sat me down and told me and made me understand that what I was, what I was trying to do, I needed to learn a little bit more, listen more, speak less. You don't know everything. So. Growing up and being around that and really trying to understand how to get along with different people, meet people where they are, learning different personalities, right? All of those things came along with that change that then allowed me to apply it into the corporate space, right? Because you can't have the same exact conversation with every person, right? You have to know who you're talking to, speak the language so that you can be heard, right? So that's, that was very clear to me.

My girl. I love what you said. Right? And there's people that's gonna watch who's watching this now or listening to it. They needed to hear that because at the end of the day, it is about being a chameleon. I. It is about being flexible. It is about shutting up. It is about changing. It is about, you know, all the things that you talked about. For you to become successful in any endeavor, you have to embrace change. Right? And more importantly, what I'm hearing from you, which I love, it's not just embrace it, learn from it, right? Because that's the key right now. Look, we could be talking about change all day long. I mean, you know, and I'm not talking spare change, okay? I'm just talking change because you've had a lot of changes, you know, um, and even starting your own business. But let's just stay right here in terms of your corporate life, right? You've two decades in, in corporate, right? What are you most proud of in that journey?

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of coming. From Columbia, South Carolina, moving all the way from early years to ninth grade, having a mother that's, you know, hustled and made it happen, but didn't have a lot of, you know, material things and stuff to that nature. And now look where you are. So what are you most proud of, of that journey the last two decades in corporate?

It is actually been three. I know. I don't look that long. You know?

Ha. Had you not said nothing I wouldn't have had you not said nothing. I wouldn't have thought nothing.

Oh no, it's because you look

good. You look. Exactly. Exactly.

Well thank you. I appreciate that. Um, I learned a lot along the way. Um, but what I will say, one thing that's always stood out to me, well, two in particular, and what I'm proud of is that I was a very matter of fact. Person. When I entered into the workforce, I was like, I don't wanna talk about your cat. I don't wanna talk about your dog. Your children are none of my business. That's how I was when I started. Right. Um, but then really understanding people and opening myself up to people and really trying to figure out how to navigate these spaces and being comfortable with sharing. Because we know it's not easy to be vulnerable in a corporate environment, particularly if you look like me. Right? Correct. So how do I find that space where I can do that? Um, but there were two women in particular during my corporate career, um, that I would point to as, um, very pivotal moments in providing very sound advice to me. One mentor said to me very early on, Okeatta, if it doesn't exist, build it. And I didn't know I had the capacity to build until she said that. And I sat down, she said, Okeatta, we need this particular strategy. And I was like, well, she called me Keita Re, Keita Reef. We need this ki in. We in the office now. Keita Re, we need this particular strategy at such and such. And I was like, okay. She said, I'm gonna build it. And she turned around, started typing. Next thing I know, she was the head of the thing that she built. Right, right. And she said, wow, that that's a thing. Like we can do that. And so I've always taken that approach. If it doesn't exist, I'm going to build it and I'm gonna build it in such a way that there's shared value, right? I'm gonna make sure that everybody wins, the company wins. What I'm trying to do, wins, and the customer or the people we're trying to serve wins, right? So I always look for the stacked win and the second critical moment. I was very young in my career and. Sister hemmed me up. She was an attorney and I gave her something. She said, she's a corporate attorney. She said, um, she needed something. She hemmed

you up, huh?

I never hemmed up before in my life. She said I gave her something, like I threw something together for her or whatever. I was in marketing. I threw something together. She came down to my desk. I don't know where she came from, what building she came from, but I ne Next thing I know this person, this is a story that I have in my head, came to my desk and told me not to ever send anything out that had my name on it that I wasn't fully proud of, because my brand will always perceive me. Ooh, that moment on, I was like, Ooh, I'm so sorry. And Ooh, right. But from that moment on, I'm knew, and I think the people I work with now think they probably think I'm a perfectionist, but I'm like, no, that stuck with me. Your brand will always perceive you. No matter where you are, where you go inside or outside of corporate America, your brand will proceed You so always put your best foot forward. Those are the two things that I take away from my corporate career because it set the foundation for everything else that I've done since then. And I apply that both internally and externally. I apply that to the work that I lead today 'cause I'm in service of others every single day. But I always put the best foot forward. But then in building the business, right, owing co interiors, what is it that I'm trying to do with this company and how do I impact change in a meaningful way, but also create something that's beautiful and resonates with, with everyone that loves it, right? It, it should create a feeling. How do I do that? So I'm always thinking about. What's the end opportunity there and how do I create the stacked win for everybody?

I love it. I love it. Let me ask you this, you know, one of the things that we all deal with, and I want to hear your thoughts on it because you talked about, you know, the two things that you're proud of, um, and one is building and the other, understanding your brand and making sure that whatever you put out there is. 100% you, because like you said it, it goes forever. But I wanna back up to when you said, um, what'd she say? Or Rita, I said, what did she called you? Ke Kitie. Kitie. Kitie. Right. And she said, we kitie. Right. Kitie. And she said, we gonna build something. Right. Let me ask you this. When she came and you said at the time you didn't know that, that you could build something, but now you in the middle of it, how much. Did fear tie in to any of that? And the reason I ask Yeah. There we know, and just looking at you, there are so many talented people.

Yeah.

There are so many people who are gifted. There are so many people in the walls of corporate America. But even to the point where you even started your own business, that people are afraid. For whatever reason. All right. To take that leap, even when somebody kind of says to them, you had a mentor that was like, we gonna do this. Right? So talk a little bit about that because I can imagine people are want to hear that because they need to get out of that for them to move forward.

Yeah. I would say for me in particular, I have the, the pleasure and the blessing of serving in my gift in two spaces, right? So I'm still in my corporate space, but I get to have this other space as well. What I do in my corporate space is my heart's work, right? So I get to be in service of others. I get to drive change and impact in my corporate world. But then in this other space, I get to exercise my passion around building beautiful things and creating beautiful spaces. So I don't have to make that decision, if you will, of leaving one space and going into the other. I'm squarely in both and doing my best, but to your point, fear. Is the thing that will cripple you the most? It will. That's that doubt. That's that talk that you give yourself that you can't, you don't know enough. Uh, some would call it imposter syndrome. Correct? Correct. Uh, that you can't move into these other spaces. You have to overcome those things. That happens on a daily basis. For some, it happens for me as well, but I just move through it, right? Because the fear of not doing something because I got in my own way. Supersedes the fear of actually doing it. Right. Right. So I'm more afraid of the me not even trying and not realizing what my true potential will be versus going out there trying and failing or learning from that. Right. I go, I approach things with, you get a 50 50 shot, you going win or you're not. Right, right, right. But in the process, you have the opportunity to move forward, and the true failure is when you don't take that opportunity.

Ooh.

That's the thing that I hold on to.

I love it. I love it. I learned this a long time ago. The word fear spelled FEAR, stands for false evidence appearing real. Okay? Okay. And what does that mean? That means 90%, and this is facts. 90% of the things that we're afraid of never happen. And the 10% that do happen. It's better than what we thought it was, right? So I love what you said in terms of continue to move forward. So you know, Chad, with you, you seem so grounded. You, you seem, you were brought up by a great mother and you know, created and taught you core values. Right? So talk a little bit about how serving in the nonprofit or nonprofit boards and champion community initiatives, how it's always been a part of your mission. Why is that? Talk a little bit about that.

There are so many people that need help, right. Regardless if it's help because they are unhoused or it's help because they need to build capacity to learn a trade or it's help because they're trying to get their credit together so they can buy their first home and generate wealth. Because we know the path to wealth is through home ownership, right? So I've always been in that space, but, but also because I grew up. Understanding what it meant to not have Right. Or to not have a, a single home to go to. Right. I always knew what that meant. And my mom had, she had a government job. I knew what that felt like for her. Right, right. And so I've always been in a place of give back, serve always. I, when my nieces would come and visit me for summer, they'd be right in my Urban league meetings with me, learning all the things that I'm saying and learning all the things that they need to learn to. To, to be successful, right? And making sure they understood what credit meant, right? What does it mean to have a good credit score? Well, this is what it means, right? And so going through all of that with them has been amazing. But that because I was grounded in understanding what it means to not have, but then what it means to have a little, and what it means to have a lot, I can go through that, that life cycle, if you will, and do my best to share my thoughts, share, add value in whatever way I can. So I've always been in that space of giving back. It's so important.

Tell me a little bit about entrepreneurship. I mean, you know, again, it's a, it's a leap. Okay. In terms of, you know, starting, 'cause you just finished talking about, you know, generational wealth and stuff to that nature. Um, we do live in a country that is a capitalist country. It is really, most people don't know this, but it really is about you starting your own business. Okay. The laws and everything is set up for that. Right. And the majority of people end up working for people for years. And you know, that's why I went to the ask you about the fear component as well. Like, 'cause a lot of times people are afraid. But talk a little bit about, did you grow up seeing entrepreneurs in your community? Did they inspire you? Or talk a little bit about that.

I didn't grow up with entrepreneurs in my family, if you will. Mm-hmm. I learned more about it in my adult life. I learned more about the opportunity to actually have your own and what that meant in my adult life. I think it was, what was interesting about the scenario that in which I grew up was really thinking through or seeing the examples of. Put your head down, do the job, just get through it. Right. It was never a situation of this is what it means to own your own or to build your own. I didn't see that growing

up. Right, right, right. Most people don't,

and one of my roles, particularly in, in our community, right? Correct.

Most people don't.

No. And so I didn't see it. I didn't know that that was an option for me, and that seemed like a harder road. To take Correct. Right? Correct, correct. But I, I can get the one, one good friend. I can get this. Good job. Right? A friend of mine said that.

Well, also our parents bring us up there with that mindset, right. To go out and get a good job because they didn't have good jobs. Okay. Or, and sometimes they did, but that was the mindset. It's not, you know, so finish your thought. But that has a lot to do with it as well.

100%. You go in, you get the job, you keep the job, you keep your head down and do a good job, right? Correct. Correct. Make ways, don't say anything. Take the money they give you. They don't. We don't. We didn't learn how to negotiate our salaries. Right. We didn't know we could negotiate a salary. 401k. What do you mean? Right? Oh, we didn't know those things,

but reason I'm laughing is because it reminds me you just got finished saying, uh um, uh uh. It's, it's a little different, but it was the same kind of slogan when I was growing up. When I used to go to the grocery store with my mother and you, you walk in the store first thing when you get ready to walk in, first thing she said, I ain't buying you shit. Don't touch nothing. You ain't getting shit.

And you get the look. My mama had a look flat out. Got that look.

Don't even, right.

Oh, I remember that. Look boy. Woo. Yeah. No was the first thing before anything else, mama? No. Okay. You.

So when did you, when did the bug become real for you to say, because look, you, you, you've been successful in everything you've done. When did you finally have that bug saying, you know what? It's time for me to start my own thing?

Honestly, with Owen Co interiors, um, and starting the furniture line, that vision came to me in a dream. Mm.

Tall. Tell us.

I saw it was COVID. Everybody was spending their time at home. I was spending time at home and I was looking at my furniture like, I need some new furniture. This, I want something different. This, this how I've been living. Oh my, I had stuff back, man. Like, wait a minute now, wait a minute. So I'm, I'm trying to find these pieces and I was looking for something that I could connect to, something that I could connect with my culture, with my heritage. Something that was beautiful, something that I would. Fall in love with and stay in love with. 'cause I'm not a big fan of trends, right? I don't want something in my house that I'm gonna hate in a year. So I want things that I'm gonna love. And so I couldn't find the piece that I was looking for. And I had a dream. And in my dream I saw this beautiful bed. It had these beautiful, the beautiful braid embellishment on it. And I'm like, oh my gosh, where is that? Right? So I'm looking and I can't find that. So through my interior design work, I have a general contractor that I typically work with, uh, with customized construction. And I said to him, I had this dream and this and that and the other. He and his wife built the frame for me. And put this raw wood frame in the middle of my living room and said, go, no excuses. Figure it out. So I had to teach myself how to make this thing that I saw in this vision that I had. So I'm testing fabrics, I'm sewing things by hand 'cause I don't know how to sew, use a sewing machine, I don't know. And really didn't, I was just doing things and, and trying to figure it out. And I made a prototype. And I looked at the prototype and I was like, wow, it's beautiful, but it also looked like I made it. So that won't make, that's not gonna go in anybody's house. I wouldn't wanna put that in anybody's house. So then I realized I was, I had something that was aesthetically beautiful, connected to culture, something that people would love because I loved it so much. I felt like others would love it equally as much. Um, so I found a manufacturer to actually build the pieces for me. And then that said to me, I really wanna get in this business. I really wanna share these beautiful pieces with other people because if it had this impact on me, it might have the same impact on others. So that's actually the catalyst for me. Starting a furniture line and really trying to get into this aspect of design versus the interior design work. It's brand new. It's terrifying and exciting at the same time. I'm stumbling through it, I'm finding my way. Um, I've got great people around me. I have a great mentor in this space as well, and so it's still a work in progress, but I'm really excited about it. But that was the catalyst, this beautiful dream that I had of this beautiful piece that I wanted to create and share.

Wow. So you know what's funny though, and not funny as I'm listening to your story, um, and you probably know this, right? How things come full circle, okay? So as you were telling me you were at work and your boss said, oh, Rita, we gonna build something? And you were like, I can't, I can, I can build something. And they were like, yeah, we gonna build this. And you saw her build it. I didn't, now you were in a dream. Well, no, excuse me. You were looking for furniture, okay? Mm-hmm. And then all of a sudden you saw this, and then you started building it. Think about that.

Isn't that

something? Okay? Isn't that something? Isn't that right? Going back to, oh, Rita, we gonna build this.

I'll never forget that moment. I'm like, because, okay, sure.

And look at you now. And look at you now. Right. So that bug, that moment didn't go away. No. That opened up something that was already inside of you that you already had, and then. It's what the same thing you did to build your business. Right? And so tell us more. Tell, okay. Look, I'm a novice, you know, when it comes to interior design, you know, I, till my wife showed up, I had, you know, sheets, it's curtains. Oh no. Alright. That out loud. Tons of blowing it up. No, I'm. Being honest. Right? Had nothing wrong with that. Right. It look good to me, you know what I'm saying? Kept people from looking in my window. Okay. So talk to us a little bit about, you know, oh, and what you bring to the table and what people would see and your differentiation and why they should, you know, come to you and what are you bringing that you know is so fascinating and so beautiful that's going to make them, that's gonna blow them away and make them wanna work with you.

My hope is that the, and I, I, it's called the Victoria Lane line, so it's okay to, it's oh, and co interiors. My initial launch, my collection is the Victoria Lane Collection. Victoria is named for my mother and my great-great grandmother, so I wanted to bring them into this space because I, it is again, just beautiful pieces. I've not seen anything like this on the market. My manufacturer, when I found her, and it's a woman-owned manufacturing company in High Point, which is almost unheard of. Right. Um, but when I shared with her what I was trying to do, she said, Okeatta, I've been in this business for 30 years. I've never seen anything like this. That's why I'm agreeing to do this project.

Wow.

So what I'll say is, why come to me? There's nothing like it on the market. It is nothing that's going to connect to you the way that we know the braid connects in the, in the community, right? Mm-hmm. The braid is, has been around for thousands of years and it has caught, crossed boundaries in terms of countries and continents, et cetera. It's used to date. It's something that I learned to do on my little Barbie head. When I was, I don't know how long, how old my mama taught me how to braid. Right. And so you, you remember the big Barbie head with the, I I remember. I

mean, I didn't actually play with it, but I remember it. My sister had it. Right. My sisters okay. But I I got you. I got you. But

that's where I learned, right. And that's where I was teaching my nieces, uh, to braid as well. But you see that in the work. Every piece that we make is handcrafted. It's solid wood. Every braid is individually braided and then we apply it, right? And so when, why come to Owen Co Interiors? Why the Victoria Lane Collection? You're not gonna find this anywhere else. You're not gonna find pieces that will resonate the way these pieces do, just across the board.

Now talk is this. What is this? Living room furniture outdoor front. Tell me a little bit more about what type, and then more importantly, um, you know, do people order it? Do they, do you, you know, do talk a little bit about the process as well.

Process. Uh, so we have the, this initial collection, we have a cate, a bed, um, a bench. An ottoman. Why are you smiling? No, because you said,

hold on. You said ate. And I'm like, what the hell is that? This is a fancy, I just told you I had, I had shit up in the window. And you talking

ate.

No, I'm teasing. I'm teasing. I'm teasing.

Oh. Oh. But we have those pieces, all upholstered pieces and so interior home pieces. Um, but, so there's o and Co interior, so OA and d co interiors.com. You can go out there and see the pieces as well. Um, but get in touch with me if you're interested in having a customized piece, because again, these are all handmade, handcrafted, I love it. Individual custom pieces so we can create whatever you like. I just see the vision of so many different things that I wanna do with these pieces. It's, it's endless.

So talk about what's what, give us that vision. Where, where do you see you, where do you, where are you going with o? Where do you want it to go? What, you know? Talk a little bit about what's your ultimate goal? Where do you see this? Are you looking to scale it? Give us a little bit.

I absolutely am looking to scale it. Um, I want to have multiple furniture collections. I want to be known as the go-to for these types of customized pieces, pieces that you will have in your home. Four years to come that you can pass down to your gen, your family, um, from generations to generation, right? Um, so that's what I'd like to see. I think about it in terms of restoration hardware. Like I wanna be a restoration hardware, there

we go,

type company, right? I wanna grow it to that level where I am at one po when I get to a place of being global, right? I wanna be able to share this, this vision and this beauty around the world. So the intent is to grow it for sure.

I speak it into existence, my sister. Right. You speak it into existence.

God,

right? No, he, he. Now look, we can sit here and, you know, obviously we can be visionaries and we can talk about all the things, but let's be, and you spoke a little bit about this a few minutes ago. Yeah. Talk, what's some of the toughest things that you're, you have to deal with in terms of being an entrepreneur, especially being a black woman who's, who's building a business?

Yeah. Uh, I, I wasn't shocked because I used to be the vice chair in the Carolina, Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council. So I knew the struggle of. Being an entrepreneur, I would go to the National Minority Supplier Development Council conferences. I used to be in supplier diversity, so I knew what it meant to have your own business. And you know, some of the mistakes that I saw some of our, um, vendors make, right? So some of the vendors would come in and just, what do you need? And I'll do whatever you need. And it's like, no, what are you good at? Right, right, right. And do well that we both are successful. 'cause I tell. I mentioned early on, I always look for the stack win, right? So how do you win? Mm-hmm. How do I win?

Correct.

And I don't win if you don't know what you're doing. Right. Because that's gonna make it bad for everybody,

you know? That's right. Um,

but some of the challenges, when I thought about what I wanted to do, there were a lot of nos. There were a lot of not phone calls not being returned still. Um, and that's okay, right? Because it only takes one. Yes. Correct, correct. And yes. Um, and it's all self-funded, right? And so trying to get some of these grants and, and some of these small business loans or thinking about, um, you know, how I wanna move forward in this space, and it's like, oh, you need to be making $75,000 in revenue in order to qualify for this a hundred thousand dollars. I'm like, but wait, how does that work? So it's self-funded, right? I, I'm able to plan appropriately so that I can fund this, so that I can do my best to be successful in this space. So I am invested personally, not just creatively, but I am invested in this to move it forward. But some of those challenges and what I'm finding difficult is finding the right people to work with, right? That was initially what my challenge is. Now, it's moving from concept. People love it. I had people come from. We showed in High Point Market last week, which is amazing. So we had our space. I've been trying to show at High Point Market for the last three years. This, this has been something that I've been working on for four years now. So the last three years I was dealing with a manufacturer that kept deprioritizing my project. So I missed three markets just dealing with that manufacturer. So it got to the point with them where I said, it is clear to me that you don't priorit, you don't find value in this concept. You're not prioritizing my project. That's fine. I'm small now. I won't be small forever and that's okay. Let's go ahead and we can part ways. And then I found a manufacturer that believed in the vision, right? Um, so it's navigating some of those challenges as well. 'cause I didn't know what I didn't know. So having a mentor in this space has been highly valuable. But navigating this space is very challenging. It's very difficult because my mentor said to me, he said, um, Okeatta, you've been very successful over here. You've done a lot of great work over here. You're at the top of your game over here. Over here. You're starting from the bottom. You're starting not knowing anything. And typically people start here and then open their business. You didn't do that, so you have to start at the beginning, right? And that's the part where I'm like, but no, I know how to do this, this, this, this, and this. That's not gonna work over here. So that's another thing that I'm navigating and I'm learning. It's a test and learn as I continue to walk through this process. Right? Um, okay, this didn't work. Let me pivot here. I have a plan in place. What do I need to pivot in this plan? Right? So that's what I've been finding the most difficult is breaking through in the industry and moving from concept to, uh, generating revenue.

Got it, got it, got it. What keeps you waking up? Based on all those different circumstances, what keeps you waking up and continually to have the same vision, motivation, um, and energy to continue to move forward?

I believe in it. I believe in these pieces. I believe in the Victoria Lane collection. I believe in the impact of it. I think, um, that's the thing that keeps me going. I believe in the legacy. That I'm aligning to it, right? Because it's named for my mother and my great great grandmother. And it's like, hold on. Now this can't fail because I don't want my mama coming for me and I don't need great, great grandma coming for me in my sleep. I'm like, no, no, no. Get it right little girl. I don't need that. So I wanna make sure it's good, right? And so I wanna make sure anything I'm put attaching my family's legacy to is successful and I'm doing every single thing I can to move in that space, right? To move in that vein to make sure it's successful. That doesn't happen every single day, meaning I don't wake up every single day like, okay, let's do it. But I get there.

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Every single day. Right,

right, right, right, right. Well, listen, that's what it takes just to be fair. Right. And it takes, but you have a strong mindset, which is the key. Right? And then we also know that consistency showing up every, if you just show up every day consistently. Yeah, you are good because, and I hate to simplify it like that, right? Yeah. But just, just to be fair, right, because what's gonna happen is if you are every day and you have the passion, you know, I always tell this story, you know, I've been in sales for years. I used to tell this story to my sales team. 'cause I used to always want them to know at the end of the day, when a farm, if you think of a farmer. And he sees a piece of land and it's got wood on it. It's this and that. But in his mind he's thinking, you know what, I'm gonna plant corn, corn here, and I'm gonna grow corn and I'm gonna sell it, and I'm gonna make a ton of money. Right. So what does he do? He clears the land, right? He works it,

yeah.

He puts seed in it and he waters it. So he does all that. Now the land is, you know, empty and he's put all this stuff in it. He goes to sleep. When he wakes up the next morning and looks outside, what does he see? Nothing. Okay. So what does he do? He gets back up. He works it some more water. It puts seeds, wake ups. The next day, what does he see? Nothing. Okay. And that's the reason people fail. It is because, oh, I put in this effort, but then I don't see no results. See, here's the kicker, and this is why the consistency is the key. Alright? The bottom line is, is this, if you perfect the process, I. Hmm. And you continually to work the process, the results will come. Yeah. Okay. So he knows All I gotta do is keep doing this over and over again. Focus on what's in my control, and that's me working this soil and having a good attitude about it. Now if a flood comes, I can't control that. Right. If a hurricane come, I can't control that. If locust come, I can't control that. But if I just focus and show up every day, one day he wakes up and what does he see? Blo, bloop, bloop. Little buds of corn. Right? And that's how we have to have that mindset of our business. And I'm so excited and just impressed with you because you have that mindset. There's always going to be trouble. There's always gonna be roadblocks. There's always gonna be tank traps. There's always gonna be, I didn't know. That's fine, right? But if you just keep at it and you said something earlier, I don't want the audience to miss it, and you learn from it.

Yeah,

and then you apply it and you just keep doing it. It's just a matter of time. You know, I learned this a long time ago. Um, you know, uh, this was when I got out the mill, this was years ago, and eating and, you know, just got, became really, really outta shape, you know, I was in shape, blah, blah, blah. So what did I do? I was fat and I was outta shape. Okay, so I joined the gym like everybody else does, right?

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Every day I went to the gym, worked out, worked out, worked out. So after two weeks from going to the gym every day, instead of me being fat and outta shape, I was sore fat. And outta shape. Okay. So sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. Right. But as I kept continuing to work out, I ended up losing 30 pounds. Yeah, okay. So my point is it didn't feel good. I didn't see instant results, but I kept at it. Right. So let me, speaking of that, if you can sit down with 16-year-old Aita today.

Ooh,

what would you tell her? My friend?

Ooh, it's gonna be all right, boy. Get my Kendrick Lamar in there. It's gonna be all right. And also keep pushing, right? I love don't give up on yourself. Don't fail yourself. You can do anything. Keep pushing and don't be afraid of it. That's what I would tell my 16-year-old self. I was actually on a conversation here recently and, um. Someone asked me kind of what would I, what would I share? And I said, you know, I would start earlier, right? I would start this process earlier. I would believe in the fact that I could do this earlier so that I'll move forward in my purpose. Right? I can do two things at once. I can do three things at once, right? But it's moving in your purpose. And so I would, that's what I would tell ultimately, my 16-year-old self moving in your purpose and keep going.

That is awesome and you are a hundred every we, I would think same. If I knew what I knew today, I would've started this a long time ago. Right. Totally agree. Final thoughts, what do you wanna leave the audience?

Definitely check out Owen Co Interior. Please come look at these beautiful pieces. We are on Instagram, we're on TikTok. I think there's a Facebook out there as well. Come check us out. Look at these pieces, share these, share everything that you can. If you can share it with your networks as well. Um, but come see us, come support us. Please do. It's o and co. Ter, it's O-A-N-D-C-O-I-N-T-E-R. IORS, is that right? That sounds right.

I mean, it's yours. I, I hope it's right. Right? I'm saying you gonna sit on somebody else's website and like, Hey, ok, I bought something. Like, no, you didn't. I

didn't see that. Okay. Um, but let's make sure that we certainly come to owen co interiors.com. I'd love to hear from you, share your thoughts. Feed all feedback is a gift. I'd love to hear from all of you. If you have anything you'd like to share, please do let me know. Know.

Awesome my friend. Well, listen, this has been a gift today. Having somebody like you come on A Black Executive Perspective podcast and share and really, really help people understand that, you know, they can deal with change, they can have a strong mindset, and then they can jump out on faith. And build something special for themselves and that their brand and who they are and what they do. Is the most important because that's what people remember. So make sure you bring a hundred percent every day. And I can tell you today, my sister, you brought a hundred percent here, so listen, we're gonna put your website up. Definitely check her out. I, I, you know, I still got, I'm gonna chat with you after the show. What is a cate? I'll figure it out, right? But once I find out, then I'm gonna have to look into it. Okay? I

listen, which, you know what I'm

saying? Yes, but really appreciate Okeatta Brown, CEOO interiors. Thank you for coming on A Black Executive Perspective. We're gonna have you come back as you build your business, and so you can share more with the audience in terms how things are going, and you can provide some insight, continual insight in terms of entrepreneurship.

I would welcome that opportunity and thank you for having me today.

You are welcome. So now I think it's time for. Tony's

tidbit.

So the tidbit today, success isn't just about climbing the ladder sometimes the greatest leap is knowing when to step off and build your own. And you heard a lot of that from my sister, Okeatta Brown, so don't forget to check out the next need to know by Dr. Nsenga Burton. You don't wanna miss that. Here on the Black Executive Perspective Podcast, Dr. Burton dives into the timely and crucial topics that shape our community and world. You wanna tune in to gain insight and deepen your understanding. She talks about the issues you don't have, you don't have time to figure out. You don't wanna miss it. Every Thursday here on A Black Executive Perspective podcast, and don't forget to meet. Also, check out our next show. Pull Up, speak Up, where our round table dives into a lot of the most provocative issues that's happening today in the world. These are sharp perspectives, real talk. A call to action. This is not just an episode, it's a revolution. So don't forget to miss the next pull up. Speak up on A Black Executive Perspective podcast. For those who know, this is our time when we have our call to action. If this is your first time watching or listening, A Black Executive Perspective podcast. Our goal is to decrease all forms of discrimination, and for us to do that and for you to do it, we ask you to incorporate our acronym, which is called less. L-E-S-S-L stands for learn. You wanna learn about other racial and cultural nuances, people that you don't know, so you can enlighten yourself. Then after L, you have E, which stands for empathy. Now, since you've learned, now, you can put yourself in their perspectives because you know exactly what they've been dealing with. The first S is share. Now you want to share what you learned to other individuals to enlighten them. And then the final S is stop. You wanna stop discrimination as it walks in your path. So if Aunt Jenny or Uncle Joe says something at the Sunday dinner table. That's inappropriate. You say, aunt Jenny, uncle Joe, we don't believe that. We don't say that. And you stop it right there. So if everyone can incorporate less LESS, we'll build a more fair, more understanding world and we all will see the change that we wanna see because less. We'll become more. Don't forget to follow A Black Executive Perspective of Tune in on YouTube, apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast, and you can follow us on our socials of LinkedIn, X, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram at a black exec for our fabulous. Guests, the outstanding, phenomenal Edia Brown. I'm Tony Tidbit. We talked about it. We learned about it. We laughed about it. We are going to continue to strive about it, and we're gonna thrive about it. Now we're out. We love you. See you next time.

A Black Executive Perspective.