Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy Avery & David DeBerry II.
Hi Brandy & David, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
OUR STORY
Keys to Black Wealth (KTBW), a grassroots, mission-driven Enterprise founded in 2019 in response to the expanding racial wealth gap and the lack of generational wealth transferred by Black and Brown families across the diaspora. By infusing edutainment (education + entertainment), multimedia, and technology,
Keys to Black Wealth delivers events, education, mentorship, and resources, designed to help individuals build, sustain, and transfer generational wealth.
OUR WHY
The Community Represents… Highest Crime Rate, Highest Incarceration Rate, Highest Abortion Rate, Highest Poverty Rate, AND THE LEAST TANGIBLE WEALTH OF ANY RACIAL GROUP IN THE UNITES STATES = ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. According to economist, the racial wealth gap is widening as the typical Black family has virtually no wealth. In 2016, the median African American Family has only 10.2 percent of the wealth of the median white family. ($17,409 versus $171,000)
OUR SOLUTION
Empower the community with tangible resources to achieve and sustain generational wealth. Resources in the form of education, mentorship, and programming. With your support you can assist in furthering our mission, we ask that you support the Keys!!!
COFOUNDERS
David DeBerry II – CO CEO
Brandy N. Avery – CO CEO
Lemar Pughsley – Co-Founder
Frank Cage – Co-Founder
Tia Ramey – Co-Founder
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As much as we would love to say that forming a start-up company is smooth sailing, we know that would not be telling the full story. There’s many phases that must be embraced when deciding to form a new organization.
Ideology Phase: Deciding the identity that establishes what an organization does and why; what it stands for and why it exists. We spend almost a year working on our mission statement! That’s a big-time commitment but very necessary if you are serious about your brand.
Partnership: This is a crucial phase in starting up a new organization with other individuals. We know nothing great is accomplished alone, so we spent months undergoing evaluations, vesting schedules, and developing metrics for the Cofounders. This is a tedious process, but we know that that is no elevator to success, so we climb each step until we reached an agreement.
There are many other decisions that have to be made, financials, operating agreements, deciding how to incorporate, branding, etc.,.
We also have a big mission on our plate! Helping to close the racial wealth gap is no walk in the park, and it will take many organizations and resources, but we’ve planted our flag, and we are up for the challenge.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Brandy & David are the Co CEO’s of Keys to Black Wealth; we specialize in helping people build wealth and maximize their full potential in life. What sets us apart from others? We are Licensed Financial Advisers. Less than 5% of Licensed Financial Advisors are Black, and less than 1% of Financial Advisers are Black women.
What sets us apart from others? Keys to Black Wealth uses “edutainment” (education and entertainment) to deliver our services. We’ve fused finance and fun! Our events are high-energy, raw, and engaging. We removed the lid off of our level of creativity! Attendees leave our events feelings mentally stimulated and ready to build wealth!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Currently, we are in a phase called the Great Transfer of Wealth, where over $68 trillion dollars is set to change hands from the baby boomers to their children. We are in position to assist with this wealth transfer, and we are also looking for help! $68 trillion is a lot of money, and a financial license is required to participate in this historical event in the US. We hope to attract people to our industry who are interested in obtaining their financial licenses.
As Bia said, “there’s a whole lotta money in this mf” lol!! She was telling the truth!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keystoblackwealth.com
- Instagram: @keystoblackwealth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystoblackwealth
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keys-2-black-wealth-60a276196
Image Credits
Comfort Photography
