Morgan DeBaun on Reaching 20M Millennials - With Kat Manalac at the Female Founders Conference | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Morgan De Bon shares her journey of founding Blabbety, a media company and lifestyle brand for Black Millennials, and discusses the importance of empowering the Black community through technology and entrepreneurship.

Key Insights

• 💼 Morgan de bon is the founder of Blabbety, the largest media company and lifestyle brand for black Millennials. They have built a community of over seven million readers and raised a million dollars.
• 🔴 Morgan started Blabbety in 2014 after realizing that traditional education and politics were not offering the solutions she sought to make a difference in her community.
• 💻 Morgan worked at Intuit as a product manager before deciding to leave and start Blabbety.
• 🔵 One failed project she worked on was a personal finance calculator aimed at helping young graduates manage their money, while another was a platform for finding free food on college campuses.
• 🎯 The original vision for Blabbety was to create products and experiences that celebrate black people and address the problems that black people, people of color, and women face in the media and technology industry.
• ⚡ The initial users of Blabbety were attracted through an email newsletter curating the top ten videos of the week that black people and people of color would enjoy.
• ❌ Blabbety initially tried to focus on video content, but they soon realized that their audience preferred written content. They shifted their strategy to focus more on blogging and storytelling.
• 💰 Morgan faced challenges in raising funding for Blabbety, but she learned to target investors who understood their unique value proposition and were willing to invest in the vision of the company.
• 🚀 The future of Blabbety includes expanding into different areas, such as music media and indie black creator space, and becoming a recognized brand that represents and empowers black culture and experiences.
• ♂️ Morgan advises female founders, especially black female founders, to be unapologetic about their big visions, surround themselves with a supportive community, and not wait for validation or permission to succeed.

Transcript

and now I'm really really excited to introduce you to our next speaker Morgan de bon she's a founder of blabbetty so blabbity has you know grown into the largest media company and lifestyle brand for black Millennials so Morgan started Bobby in 2014 and since then they've built a community of over seven million readers and they've raised a million ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the initial inspiration behind starting Blabbety?

The initial inspiration behind starting Blabbety was the realization that the media industry was ignoring the needs and stories of the Black community, and the desire to create a platform that celebrated and empowered Black people.

Q: How did Blabbety grow from an email newsletter to a full-fledged media company?

Blabbety started as an email newsletter curating videos for the Black community. However, through content marketing and listening to user feedback, it was discovered that users preferred reading content rather than watching videos. This led to the development of a blog and eventually separate websites for different brands within Blabbety.

Q: How did Blabbety raise funding despite the challenges faced by women and people of color in the startup world?

Initially, De Bon made the mistake of approaching investors who had already invested in similar companies, resulting in difficulty in raising funds. However, by focusing on building a strong community and showcasing the growth and potential of Blabbety, she was able to attract investors who believed in the vision.

Q: What is the future vision for Blabbety?

The future vision for Blabbety is to become a recognizable brand that represents empowerment and positivity for the Black community. Blabbety aims to expand into different areas, such as music media, and continue to empower creators and showcase their work.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Morgan De Bon shares her background and how she transitioned from wanting to be a teacher to becoming an entrepreneur in the technology space.

• She discusses the original vision of Blabbety, which is to create products and experiences that celebrate Black people and address the needs of the underserved Black community.

• De Bon talks about the challenges and failures she faced along the way, as well as the strategies she used to grow and nurture Blabbety's passionate community.