Originate, Motivate, Innovate

CHAPTER 8Living at the Intersection of Multiple Things

When I began raising capital for Black Girl Ventures Foundation (BGV), one of the funders told me, “You're doing a lot. You're all over the place.” I remember thinking, Am I all over the place? I feel very focused, very clear on what I'm doing and the impact I intend to make. But it wasn't clear to her because my journey to BGV didn't follow a traditional, simple, singularly focused path. Like most entrepreneurs, I have always lived at the intersection of multiple things. And if you're among that group of people, this chapter is dedicated to you.

At this intersection—where you may have had multiple careers or built multiple businesses or have been a person who works at a bank and sings or paints and cooks—you do more than one kind of job. You have more than one title, one profession, one way of earning a living, more than one way of being. And at this intersection you can pursue things that make you curious, things that fire you up, things that you're passionate about, or things that you simply see as necessary. At this intersection, you grow into the person you need to be to succeed in your business.

People like us, who frequently and persistently experiment with change, are often met with confusion from a society that promotes a narrow definition of career or job or financial stability—develop one expertise, become known as the go‐to person for that expertise, and do it for the rest of your life. In doing so, your identity ...