Adam Torres and Sharneise Allen discuss the Grant Cardone Foundation Pitch Competition.
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Show Notes:
Listen to coverage of the Grant Cardone Foundation Pitch Competition in Miami, Florida.In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Sharneise Allen, Founder of Jus One, Inc., explore entrepreneurship and the Grant Cardone Pitch Competition.
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About Sharneise Allen
Experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Sharneise is skilled in Operations Management, Vocational Education, Non-profit Program Development, Training, and Adult Education. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Architecture from The Catholic University of America.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and today I am at Grant Cardone’s headquarters in Florida. And I just got done watching a pitch competition. It was absolutely amazing. I’ve been doing interviews here, covering the event, and now I have a Sharnice in the show who also received an award today, so let’s get started.
First up Sharnice, welcome. Thank you. Okay. So you’ve been running around here, helping me coordinate, bring all of the kids on the show, or I should say young adults on the show, the winners and everybody else that participated. What’s your role? I just want to like, bring me up to speed here. You do, you do a lot.
So I’ve been working with the students all summer as their business coach. So we started just teaching them design thinking about how to think creatively through a business idea. And then we just put it all together and it’s helping them understand who they were serving as their target audience and.
The impact that they would have to actually solve a problem as a business person, business owner, and they took it from there. What is it like to work with a young adult and bring a young entrepreneur from idea to then today to see them on stage pitching? What was that like for you? It was a fight. It was a fight because I think that they don’t always understand the work that you have to put in ahead of time to build the business.
Yes. So really getting them to understand that there’s a problem that needs to be solved, that, you know, there’s money to be made, that there’s something bigger than you outside of this whole entire thing. So just kind of pulling the selfishness out of it and making it something that’s going to be valuable to other people.
And then, you know, Getting here today to this point, I think there was a lot of aha moments. Like, Oh, now we get, there were some surprises too, right? Like a lot of surprises. Yeah. I was told that like where some of the other individuals I interviewed, they’re like, wait a minute. I know they were going to say that, or I didn’t know this or that.
Like how’d that come? You know, we, we tell them stuff and you never know what sticks or when it’s actually going to come out. I mean, we rehearsed last night and what I saw today wasn’t even what we saw last night. So you never know when they’re going to pull the tricks out, but it’s a part of the fun.
Yeah. Well, what was one of the fun parts about, about like being like now getting to see them on stage? Like, well, it could be, it could tell you, it could be about a particular pitch. It could be about a business idea or otherwise. But what was one of those moments that you’re like, man, this is something.
So one of the big things that I’ve told them all summer was come in the room and I’ve. Gotten them to do it various ways. I’ve had students stand on tables. I’ve had the building that we were in, I called every person in the building into the room for someone to do it. I’ve had a student go outside and scream up into the, just to kind of command it and own the space.
So to see them actually do that without all the tricks and trades that I’ve had to do to them, it was really inspiring. Yeah, them to own their own, the space. Yeah. One of the things that really wanted them to do. And age wise, just for everybody at home that wasn’t here today, I think 15 was the youngest off the top of my head.
19 was the most mature we’ll say. Yeah. Yeah. So going through, obviously you’re in business, you’re coaching them. Like, what do you think that means for them going forward? Like having an experience like this? For me, I think it just really means that your age doesn’t matter. Because I did not. Modify the way that I was working with them based on age.
Wow. So it was, if you’re in this space, we’re all adults, we’re all business owners or aspiring business owners. And then one of the things that I really kind of wanted to drill into their mind was that until you’re solving the problem, you don’t have a business. So you have a concept. And so I think it was like the wee wee hours, like the last couple of hours where it’s like, now you can name your business and own this baby and really work with it, but.
And so you can actually solve this problem and make it make sense, you know, the revenue and the monetization. You don’t have a business. So I think that was hard for them to understand because they wanted to come in and do the logo and the name. Of course. That’s what we all want to do. I want to do that now.
What do you mean? No, no, no. So they, they were not happy about that, but. It worked out. Yeah. It worked out. I noticed a lot of the solutions were solving issues or challenges or even just monetizing opportunities within their own communities and from their own like own vantage point. Can you talk a little bit about that?
So like I mentioned, we started with the design thinking and the design thing always starts with the empathy, not making the business about you, but someone else and how you’re going to creatively solve that problem. Yeah. Mm. So. Going in, I just ask the students, what is something that you’re passionate about?
What is something that you have always wanted to just address a problem that you have seen in your community or an issue that’s personal to you or a person that’s personal to you? So everybody kind of approached it from different standpoints. Some were really, you know, like Reagan and Manny, who were really into their community.
And then other people like Trinity, where it was like, you know, I had to pull it from her. I was telling someone Trinity wanted to start a cupcake business. What? She’s a professional gamer. Looking at her. I’m like try again. I’m not doing a cupcake cause I didn’t see it in her. Yeah, I looked at her and I’m like, you’re not doing a cupcake business.
Yeah. So just really pulling out of them. Dang, what should I start? You’re pulling ideas like that out. What should I start? I don’t know. I know we just met on this like podcast, but dang, you’re over here like giving her this and she’s a gamer and she’s attacking the eSport industry. She’s been I already interviewed her, signed a little bit of her story.
What, 16 years gaming, three years professional. You’re going to start a cupcake business? No. Shandice, what should I be doing? I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. No, but I’m glad she went that direction. Glad she dug deep and actually found something that she was passionate about. Yeah. Yes. What was it like working with the Grant Cardone Foundation through this process?
This is energy on a thousand. And it’s. This is my second year here. Oh, okay. You’re a vet then. This is my first time here. Oh my gosh. The energy just, it’s so good. It’s contagious. You know, that was like an awesome way to just walk around and see everyone that if you were not inspired and pumped up, I felt like a football player running through the tunnel and get ready to do this thing.
It was really inspiring. It was really, really good. I don’t know. It was electrifying. I liked it. It was good. Amen. It was really good. Sharnice, final thing I want you to do. I want you to look into the camera, tell people how they can follow you on social media or otherwise in your journey. Yes. So you can follow me on social media at Sharnice Allen.
I think they’re going to put the link in somewhere, but at Sharnice Allen. I’m on Instagram. Yes. Fantastic. And for everybody watching, yes, we’ll put the link in the show notes. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with us and you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button.
This is a daily show. Each and every day we’re putting out new content for you and new ideas to hopefully help you along the way in your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow. And Sharnice, thank you for all your hard work, not just here, but with all the work that you put leading up to today.
So thank you. Thank you so much. Nice to meet you.