Co-Founded by WashU alums Phillip Sangokoya (BSBA ’11) and Chavelle Sangokoya (BS ’12) BRAND of St. Louis is a social enterprise that collaborates with entrepreneurs and organizations to foster innovative community-focused partnerships. In addition to the services they provide at BRAND of St. Louis, Phillip and Chavelle serve as Skandalaris Center Experts on Call, supporting WashU entrepreneurs in a variety of subject areas remotely and free of charge.
Phillip recently answered a few questions about their startup story.
Tell us your startup story.
Although there is a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in St. Louis to help start and grow business, black entrepreneurs are often under-represented and under-engaged. Our background in banking and operations led to us successfully launching a pilot of our Startup League Rewards Program that incentivizes entrepreneurs to participate in the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem as a strategy to improve business outcomes of black entrepreneurs and to understand which resources are the most impactful.
What do the next 3-6 months look like for BRAND of St. Louis?
Over the next 3-6 months, BRAND of St. Louis is excited to continue its capital campaign to increase its capacity to enroll and reward more entrepreneurs in the Startup League Rewards Program. We are active in seeking out organizational partners to collaborate with in order to increase the scope of the program's membership benefits and offerings. Our goal will be to also raise capital to be able to create an investment fund for black entrepreneurs to access working capital for business growth.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?
The biggest lesson learned as an entrepreneur for me is to try to test your assumptions about your customer's interest in your product or service as often as possible. This can be done by directly asking for feedback and pitching a new benefit or product line. In my opinion, one of the most effective ways is by emerging yourself in your customer's environment and putting yourself in their shoes to better understand what interests, motivates, and inspires them.
What do you love about being an entrepreneur?
I love the autonomy and self-reliance of entrepreneurship. There is an empowering sense of sovereignty over one's time, talents, and treasures that allows an entrepreneur to generate income that also increases one's assets through ownership and, if successful, creates wealth accumulation over time. While having a steady income from a job is a blessing on its own, a salary just doesn't do the same thing for the goal of sovereignty and generational wealth.
What advice would you give to someone considering entrepreneurship?
When considering creating a startup or entering a career in entrepreneurship, someone should first ask the internal question, "What am I willing to spend 10,000 hours doing and/or learning about that would help serve a need or solve a problem in the world that I can authentically relate to or empathize with?" Once you can answer that question, then consider 1-2 other things you would be willing to spend another 10,000 hours doing and/or learning about and find an innovative way they intersect.
What activities were you involved in at Washu?
During my time at WashU, I enjoyed serving as a mentor for the St. Louis Family Court program in which St. Louis youth visited campus for social activities around personal growth, academic support, and professional advice. One of my favorite classes that had the biggest impact on me was a class titled, "Managing Your Business Career Strategy". I am currently involved with the Olin Africa Business Club as a proud supporter of fellow Africans interested in entrepreneurship and business.
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