SPEAKER_00 1:45

Welcome to the Hilltop Glove Podcast. Today we're excited to introduce an extraordinary mother-daughter duo from Irmo, South Carolina. Go ahead, clap it up. Tyra Jefferson and her mother Willandria Jefferson. After participating in two Food Network competitions at the age of 11, Tyra became an accomplished entrepreneur, the owner slash CEO of Tyra's Big World of Flavor. She's also a published author, a motivational speaker, and student at Fayetteville State University. Shout it out. Her journey is a testament to her passion for cooking, creativity, and dedication to inspiring others, whether through her cookbooks, podcasts, or artistic projects. And joining her today is her mother, Wallandria Jefferson, Tyra's mother and manager, who not only supports Tyra's endeavors, but is also carving out her own path with her platform Why Why Why Not, where she shares real life stories, advice, and discussions on various topics. Together they balance the challenges of entrepreneurship, creative growth, and the powerful bond of family. Today we'll dive into their unique experiences, the joys and obstacles of building a brand at a young age, the role of social media, and the lessons they've learned from working so closely as mother and daughter. Let's get started and hear from their inspiring story.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

How are you guys doing today? Thank you for having us. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Man, I I will tell you, um, just to start off, we're gonna get right into it, but if you all could just give us a quick heads up about we told you who who you all are, and I know we're gonna jump into Tyra, but explain. Coming from Irmo, were you always in Irmo? How did you get here, and how did you end up doing what it is that you all do?

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Well, I'm originally from a really, really small town, Timminsville, South Carolina. Gotta shout them out. Yo, Timminsville. Yeah, um, didn't have a stoplight when I was growing up. We got one now. But um, I'm from Timminsville, and um, after I went to Benedict College, and after graduating Benedict College, I pretty much stayed here.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

So started off in Irmo, and I was in Irmo forever. Tyra came along, and we just continue to live in Irmo and just been enjoying life and each other, because it's just me and her. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Yeah. Go ahead. But here. Excellent, excellent. So I obviously been in Irmo.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

I've been in Irmo my family.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Born and raised.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

But um, I mean, she's from Timmonsville. Our family's in Timmonsville, my grandma and granddaddy, so every summer I would go stay with my grandma and granddaddy. That's also kind of what taught me cooking because my mom, she would let me help out in the kitchen, but she would say, You're not wasting no food in my house. But my grandma and granddaddy would let me go over there and experiment, like bake some stuff. Like me and my granddaddy was frying chicken once, like the first time frying chicken. We ain't never fried chicken before. It didn't turn out right.

SPEAKER_04 4:34

You said we?

SPEAKER_03 4:35

Yeah, me and my granddaddy. But um, that's like what got me going, um, learning how to do it. But yeah, I've been in Irmo my whole life. I went to Irmo High School, graduated from there, and you're the enemy.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

I went to Lexington. You know we don't like y'all. Yeah, we don't like y'all. Yeah, we emissions, especially football. I play football too. Oh my lord, y'all was dirty. I still are dirty. But it's all right, it's all right. Oh man, but I digress, I digress. Um, just jumping to the first question. Of course, what's really um cool and interesting about you is that you're a young entrepreneur, you're in the world of food and bev, and so you're balancing the roles as chef, author, and a student at Fayeville State University. And so I know a lot of the folks that listen to our podcast, we aim towards uh millennials, young millennials, etc., and those people who want to get into certain careers or have certain aspirations are just wondering how do people do what they do? Um, what drives your passion and keeps you motivated to take on so many creative pursuits at such a young age?

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Um, what drives my passion, um, when I like when my business tires we grow to flavor, my motto was always um flavor isn't just what it tastes like, it's the ingredients that are added that makes an amazing dish. So basically, if you got a pot of soup, the flavor, the soup, you know, is good. But if you don't add, you know, any salt, no pepper, that's fine. But if you want to add a little Cajun seasoning, some Texas peat, something else, all the flavors included into it makes the soup stand out, and people be like, This is the soup that I want to eat. So that's always been my motto is that adding your flavor to everything makes makes it amazing. So my business, I wanted to add all of my flavors. So my flavors would be me cooking, being an author, I do art, everything like that. So creative, right? Yeah, so with my business, I never wanted to just limit myself to just being a chef or just being an artist. I always wanted to add my flavors in. So that's why I named it Tyra's Big World of Flavor. Tyra's Big World of Flavor.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

You see, that's that sounds like a lot. Yes, it actually was a lot. Because the good thing is she was creative. And as a parent, when you see your child has a passion for something, it's good to support it. Don't push them into it, go with with go with the child, and then they're doing something they want to do. They're not doing it because you're telling them to do it. So it's a difference, especially with this age group of kids. If you tell them, they're not gonna do it. They want to do the exact opposite. Yeah, so unfortunately, as a parent, you know, she can't ride a bicycle. Not because I didn't buy them, she just didn't want. Wait. You don't ride bicycles? No. Do I need to? You know what?

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Since you put it that way, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

You know, I bought the the athletic stuff. Uh-huh. That's something she never wanted to do. I always saw how artsy she was. So that's what I focused on because my background is education. So when you see it in a child, you pull it out in the child. So she came up with the idea of cooking, let her cook. She came up with the idea of drawing, bought canvases, let her draw. She came up, came up with the idea of digital stuff, bought the iPad, came up with the um idea of customizing shoes, bought the paint. So it's like the things that she wants to do, she, I mean, for a business, her business is basically selling herself. Yeah. And then she wanted to create seasonings and barbecue sauces, had to get the supplies for that. But she has to create for herself. So she entered into competition after competition. And she was winning competition after competition, even at in eighth grade out of 41 high school students at the Yes Carolina, yes, yeah, yes Carolina um competition of business, just like Shark Tank, she was the only eighth grade out of 41 high schoolers, and she won first prize. So the good thing, the blessing to that is I've been traveling a lot for free. You know. By supporting her. We got a free trip to New York, um, went on Broadway. I mean, saw movies, movies on Broadway. She's taken me when she cooked. We was in um Hollywood, California for three weeks. What? Then they called her back for um before you get the now. I'm on the scenes with um How to Get Away with Murder Stad. What? Yeah. I love that show. Yeah, I did too, but I've been saw them too. Yeah, so then they called her back, and then we was in Malibu, California for a week. You mean the intern?

SPEAKER_04 9:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

So you do catering? Like, yes. Okay. And that's how we met a lot of celebrities. So, you know, you know, she's cooked for Donald Lawrence, um, Mars Standard Time, Sheila E, yeah, um, all the celebrity football players. What?

SPEAKER_03 9:29

Do you know Morris? Do you know the music? Quizzle.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

You really know it. Quizzing. Yes, she does.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

I've been around my grandma, my granddad, my mom my whole life.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

So you knew who you were cooking for? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Oh, wow. Oh, you that's dope. You got an old soul there.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

She put me to shame.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

And I'm up. She put me to shame.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

So I have a question. Okay, what's a seasoning that's one of your favorites that a lot of people don't use?

SPEAKER_03 9:55

Um, I just like, well, when I was doing my seasonings, it was um, I wanted to do a garlic parm seasoning. But the one that everyone would get was my lemon herb seasoning because that one, you could use that on chicken, fish, vegetables, everything. So it has like the zesty, but the herbs just kind of bring it all together. I would love using it on like salmon or like yeah, so that's the one that they love the most, and I think that's probably my favorite one to make. Um, I do want to launch my seasonings again in a different way.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

So that's so like rebranding it, yes, put them back out. I have to ask this question too, because I know we're talking about all these things you do. How do you do that as a student?

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Right.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

So uh you know there's a semester, you know that they it's hard sometimes for it to bend. Just explain that to the audience.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

Yeah, so when I was in college, right now I'm not right now. I took a semester off. College, that was, you know, really different.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

That's what I wonder, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

Very different. But when I was in college, um, I wasn't obviously I couldn't like cater and everything. I was living all the way in North Carolina, dorm room, no kitchen or anything. Yep. I was really miserable. Like all I was eating was noodles. I couldn't even like I like to cook my noodles on the stove. I had to buy myself like a little pot. But um when I was in college, I wasn't doing I think in college I did like honestly, college did like change a lot for me because when I was in college, I wasn't interested in the things that I was interested in before I went to college because it was something so new. I was in a new state, culture, everything like that. So I wasn't I wasn't drawing, I wasn't cooking. It was just like I was just somewhere else doing something different. But um, it's like I wasn't like just sitting in the dorm room, like like I told you before, um, I was doing hair, like doing retwists and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Oh, yeah, she told me she was hustling.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

I had to figure out how to make some money. Wait, what's your sign, Taurus? Okay, yo. I had to figure out how to make some money because being a broke college student is real, like you make they they account for your hours already outside of classroom.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

So you gotta think about that.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

Yeah, yeah. So um, my business, I did pause when I was in college. I did like a few YouTube videos, but I did pause when I was in college because I think I was really just trying to figure myself out because that was a whole new life. High school really does not prepare you for college, and I really thought it was going to. I got there and I was like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

But you know what's so crazy? I like that you started the entrepreneurship before college. You see what I'm saying? Most people started after college or you know, right after high school. So I I commend you for that because that's just crazy within itself. Because that means you know yourself. Yeah, you have no direction, you just you don't really know yourself all the way after you're leaving high school. And for you to take a leap of faith to jump into the creative world, oh my gosh, girl.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

Yeah, yeah. So um that's also another reason why I took a break this semester, is because I just after going to college and I came back home and I was like, okay, I know what college is like, I know who I am, I see like how I lost myself. I'm like, okay, let me take a break, get myself together, figure out what I'm doing. Then I could go back and you know, actually be more prepared this time.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Because you know why and what you're trying to extract out of college. Because I told, oh, I don't deal with this students and I used to work um at College of Charles and used to deal with students in program. We have to tell them, hey, what are you trying to extract out of here? Because you're paying money into a service. And it's something that you're trying to get something from. So if you don't know what it is, you're gonna waste your time and your money. And so especially with somebody like you who has a drive and a passion for something you want to do, that degree and going to college is important only if you really know what it is you're gonna get from it. Because like you said, it feels like you're wasting time. Yeah, you could be out here grinding.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

And that's something I also told her with me work when I graduated from Benedict, I started working at Benedict. I was there for like 22 years. So I started in admissions. Yeah. So it's like I know the ins and outs of going to college, working with a lot of students, because I would do admissions, tours, telemarketing, over scholarships, research. So it's like I, as a parent, which was kind of hard, this is what parents are gonna deal with. This is what you're gonna deal with when you have an entrepreneur and you're a parent, but then you have your own um outlook of your profession. So I thought my profession of knowing college was kind of like a struggle for me.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

Because I was trying to guide her before she got there. But I thought, I think she looked at me more as a parent than me as the person who understands what you're gonna go through. Right. And I'm preparing you for it. So even though, you know, when she went to college and, you know, I'm trying to give a heads up, I'm still a parent, giving her a heads up. So she's not receiving it well from the parent side. I can't turn into the other person because I'm still gonna be a parent. So, in other words, I'm the type of person, how I help my child, I help everybody. Yeah, you know, of course I give more to my child. However, I think when when I started turning that on, it was more my problem because I have to just let go and let her figure it out for herself. So I think she really got more upset that I wasn't upset. So, because I understand as a person, they have to figure themselves out. Yeah, and things that we have no control over, leave it alone. I have no control over that because she's her own person, and that's what I kept telling her. You know, I probably bought this on myself because it was just me and her. Where I went, she went. Who I know, she knows. What I learned, she learned. But look at her. So it's an attachment, you know. Age gracefully, look at her. She's ahead of her time. And then I know by her doing all that she did before she even got to college, I say you can kind of look at it, not the Michael Jackson, but she did a whole bunch.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

She did a whole bunch. Yes, about the age of 20 seconds.

SPEAKER_02 16:05

Yeah, and I explained it to her so she wouldn't be down once she wouldn't be hard on herself. You've done a lot that most have not done or you know thought about. Right. So it's okay. It's okay. If you if you feel you don't want to go to college, you don't have to. Just get your plan, write it out, just like we did with your businesses. We sit down, we write it out, we get our business plan together, and we go for it.

SPEAKER_04 16:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

So what you want to do, I'm here to support. So that's what I always try and drill in her so she'll know I'm not pushing you. This you. I'm just here to support you, but don't shut me out so I can help guide you. Yeah. I'm not gonna tell you wrong. It may hurt your feelings because I'm not gonna sugarcoat, but I'm gonna tell you how you need to hear it because that's the real world. You can't sugarcoat nothing nowadays.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

It's a tightrope. Yeah, you're walking on that to make sure you're doing right. I think you're doing an excellent job.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Yeah, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

And I mean, that leads right into this question about you being a mother and a manager. Uh I and we I know we just talked of a little bit Michael Jackson. I know you ain't hear Joe Jackson in there. No, no, no, no, no. I know you ain't tasting the leather scraps. No, no, no. So that's a this is what's so cool about it. And this is a change in the era and a change in how generationally, especially as um as black folk, how we raise and guide our children. How do you you're talking about navigating that balance is balance between being supportive parent and guiding the professional and her entrepreneurial spirit, making sure she's getting her journey. And I know we were just talking a little bit about this, but just so that they have a little bit more understanding, our our audience, what are some of the most rewarding aspects of it? We talked about some of the challenges, what you're talking about now, but what are some most rewarding aspects of that dual role role?

SPEAKER_02 17:47

The most rewarding part, I think, the very first one, well no, I won't say very first. The most rewarding part is to see the how talented she really was. Now, we know our kids, but sometimes we know our kids, but we really don't know our kids. So when they tell you, you think you know me, we are still learning a little bit because everybody changes. Yeah. So when I saw her do some of the things that she could do, when I saw her wanting to do some of the things that she wanted to do, and she was just not good at it, like basketball, and I had to tell her, no ma'am. She tried, and I told her, no, ma'am. I will not spend no money on something where somebody out here talking trash to you because you're horrible. Because I would be that person talking trash to you. And I said, I refuse. I don't like to put and I hate it bothers me when people put people in situations where you know it's not good and you pumping up their head and it's not happening. Pump it up. And I knew she had no actual bone in her body.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

You knew it with you're honest with it in yourself.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

I was, and I had to let her know that no, I I do not want my child to be embarrassed. Yeah, I don't want no child to be embarrassed, so be honest with them.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

So when I saw what she could do, I just encourage her. Is that what you want to do? Okay, research it. She was good at researching. Research it.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

But you get that. I gotta ask this where'd you get the research strength from? Like, how did you know that? All right, this is how I go and find the information I need. Very important, especially for our audience. I want them to understand how you were able to do that.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Well, ever since like I was in elementary school, I've always been like really, like, I I think I'm kind of a nosy person. So, like, if I wanted to learn something about it. I said, What's your sign? Taurus, tourists, tourists on everything, right? Yeah, like if I want to find out something, I'm gonna go look for myself. So, like, it would be like um, I'll do like biography projects. Like, I would just um I was obsessed, like learning about Muhammad Ali and just learning about stuff. Like, I know I would get sent in the classroom sometimes. Like, it was one time in second grade, my teacher was talking about history, and I brought up Emmett Till, and she was like, she didn't know who it was. I said, How are you a teacher and you don't know who that is? And then she sent me up the classroom. It's your child, that's it. Yeah, she sent me out the classroom for that. Yeah, I would like I guess I would challenge them because it's like I knew more about the history, and it's like I didn't really understand why y'all are history teachers and don't know things that I learned about your child.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Yeah, I never been to the office a day in my life until my child was born. Okay, because she the the thing, she has a big heart. Okay, she cares a lot. So therefore, because she cares, she don't know when not to say. So if she see wrong, she's gonna call it out there. Yeah. And I try and teach, you know, I'm I'm you know, I shoot, I shoot straight from the hip too. Yeah. However, I kind of like mince my words to make it sound more perfect. Yeah, so I try to teach her that. But she didn't want to pick it up. So therefore, she's like very blunt and straight to the point. Yeah, my type of girl. Yeah, yeah. So she did that a lot. And I'm like, you know, I can't say she wrong because if you didn't know, you know. However, did she, what she did and how she did it, was that incorrect? Yes, it was. I'll handle that when I get home. So I'm not gonna sit here as a parent and know what your child, you know, when I got caught. Oh, dog, I gotta go to the office. So, you know, but you know, that also showed me her drive. So I kind of like guided her in ways to where she can pull all of that out.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

You didn't punish her for that.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

I did punish her for that.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

No, no, but not for being someone to correct an error, but the way in which she did it. Yes. The reason why I'm asking that and I'm saying it because I want the audience to listen to that, because with a lot of black folk, I'm not gonna lie, growing up, oh, especially with school, we will be very hard on our children and not listen to their side of the story and punish them immensely for something that a teacher may be an error for. And I don't, I always dislike seeing that.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

And see, I always tell her, with me having a background in education, um, I said, sit down, tell me everything. Because what I'm not gonna do is go in here and look like boo-boo the food to somebody not knowing what's going on, and they tell me something totally different from what you tell me. Yeah, you're gonna be in trouble, but you may not be in as much trouble if I go in here and find something out different.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Very true.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

So that's what I would, that's how I would do it. And I thought when she was small, punishing her with like homework assignments, I just made that that's something she loved. Yeah. I couldn't just give a mad. I couldn't give a mad, I couldn't give a problem to solve. She there loving it. So I'm like, what am I supposed to do? How can I complain? I should just pull out a bicycle now. You button and you ride. But no, I'm trying to figure out another way. But I'm okay, so I see. So I started using every degree I had to try and figure out, okay, how to work with the child where you're not crushing them. Yeah. And where you're not pulling pushing them down to where they still feel encouraged. Gotcha. So I that's why I encouraged her to write. And then when she started writing, I tried to get to do journals, but I see that ain't work. She just got to say it out. So therefore, that's when she started the YouTube, and then she came up to me with her own idea for her podcast, which is push-through movement. Okay. And she told me she said it was powerful, unique, successful heroes that have risen untouched. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. So, and then she said why she wanted to do it because with her being in a single parent household and not having that father figure in her life, she had to figure out ways to channel the things that she was. Getting into. Gotcha. So that's when she started researching um celebrities that grew up in single parent pet parent households and how they pushed through. Oh, yeah. So she would kind of like say what she went through and then what they went through and kind of like tie it all together and give you a solution. So I, you know, was pushing her to do that because that kind of like released a lot because we didn't do we did counseling a couple of times, but I couldn't afford it. It's a counsel. So therefore I try to channel other ways. So that's when, you know, did the catering, the cooking, the digital. So I was pulling out all the activities that she liked to do. So that could kind of like take up time. Because if she's not busy, that's when she's getting in trouble. Even when she was in school, when if your child is in school, I'm looking at you like this. If you see that they're doing something in school, maybe what they're learning is not advanced enough. Therefore, you gotta figure out another way to challenge. So I would tell the teachers, because she never napped. Yeah. Never ever napped. So I'm like, have her cleaning up, have her doing paper down. Well, I can't do that because I'm telling you, if you don't do it, this is what you're gonna get. So when you have a parent, teachers, when you have a parent trying to tell you about their child, listen to them. Not saying take favoritism. They're trying to help you out just like they're trying to help their child out so you won't have issues. And I was a prime um person that would do that and send to the school what they ask you about your child. I told you exactly. If you tell her something, day one, day one. You don't follow through, you're gonna have problems. If you say you're gonna call me in front of me, in front of her, pick up the phone and call me. Do it. If not, she done figure you out and you're done open up the door. That accountability. She has no learning. Yeah, because she will figure you out. I'm telling you, most kids. That's a bloke. Most kids growing up. They pull your kids. No, you can't. If they show you who they are, don't talk to them like they babies. Talk to them like they're your age. Because if not, you're gonna get lost and they're gonna play you. Yeah. So I figured that's why I told her jewels right now. I told her when she really thinks I don't know her, I told her the other day, I said, I've seen you from the beginning. You hadn't seen me from the beginning. So you miss a subject. You have watched you ride. I watched you from the beginning to 19, to right now. So although you really think I don't know you, I see you. And you still so young. Right. Accomplished. Oh my God. I'm just proud. When you see your child, take your child for what they are. Don't let them. Everybody, I tell everybody to manipulate. Yeah, everybody. Good and bad. So you just have to know how to read the room, read what's going on, stay five steps ahead. And that's what I told her. I will always be ahead. So don't try me. If somebody's asking you the question, that means they already know the answer.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

So Tyra, I know social media plays a significant role in building your brand, and it can be kind of difficult for some people. What are the some some challenges that you face building your brand and using social media to promote it?

SPEAKER_03 26:51

Um, I think the challenge with social media is you never know what is going to go viral or what's going to get seen. Like I could post something that's um I could post something one day and it'll get like 50 likes the next day, that'll get like two likes, or and the audience will be like a hundred people watching that one. But wow. It's like you never d quite know what exactly what people are going to do, or like if they're going to support this, or if they're going to like this. So I think that's the challenge, like really not knowing what people want. It's like you can guess what people want. Like if I used to do YouTube videos, people did like seeing my muttbangs more like if I did like they like those challenges where you're like eating really fast or like eating under the time limit. And I would try to do that, but I'm the type of person I don't like doing nothing. I don't want to do like I would try to do that, but I just it's just like I was like, I had to tell my mom, I was like, I'm done with the muckbangs. Like, I'm done with the muck bays, I can't do it no more. Just because I just didn't want to keep doing that anymore. Like, I know that's what the people like, but I it's like I already said I want to do something that I want to do. So like eventually, like me doing what I want to do on my YouTube channel, eventually it'll get seen, eventually people will see it, but until then I just gotta keep pushing it out how I want to do it. Um I do like vlogs and stuff like that, or like get ready with me's or like spend the day with me, things like that. Just because I like to just I don't want to just set up a camera and eat anymore. Like that's what I used to do. So I just am trying to just change and evolve and everything like that. But the challenge is just really figuring out what people want and staying consistent with it too.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

That's a challenge. What's your main platform that you use? Like what social media platform you use the most? Um, what I use the most is TikTok.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

Everybody's on TikTok. I love TikTok. I mean, so what you gonna do? Aren't they banning TikTok?

SPEAKER_00 28:52

What's what I January 19th?

SPEAKER_03 28:54

I just hope that's not I hope that's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

They've been saying that gone.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

They've been saying that for like five years.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

Look, I'm verse, I'm a TikTok hater. Uh I'm a I'm an administrator of the TikTok hate fan club. I want it gone. I need it out of here. I'm tired of getting caught up there watching cat videos. It'd be messing up my productivity. I ain't gonna lie, I don't need I don't need TikTok. But it ain't nothing wrong with it.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

I don't love TikTok. I don't know like what to do if TikTok is gone. Like, you know what you gotta do?

SPEAKER_00 29:24

I don't know what's you're gonna have to use the other competitors in um structure.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

And the thing is the other apps are yeah, they're becoming TikTok like this. Instagram, Snapchat, they're becoming all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

It's just it really is at the end of the day. I don't know, it's it's a business issue. It's who's making the money, it's not what you're doing, it's who's controlling it. So right now, the issue why TikTok is not loved is because the people who own the majority of the stake in it aren't the right folks. So you'll still have TikTok like content, but it's gonna be on one of those large, either Google-owned platform or Facebook or Meta owned platforms. Why are you saying it like that? You don't like them?

SPEAKER_03 30:06

I just want TikTok.

SPEAKER_00 30:11

This is the young person telling you. This is what they like. All of them are gonna be TikTok because apparently they ain't gonna use your.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

TikTok actually, like people just think TikTok is just this app that just is just trash, but I learned so much from TikTok. That's what they might hear that from everybody. Especially during like COVID when everything was going on. TikTok would state so many facts about like black lives and stuff that went on in the world. I learned more on TikTok than I learned in school. Like Wow. I don't even go to Google anymore. I go to TikTok. Oh certainly. Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:45

Yeah, like I said. You know what it's turned into?

SPEAKER_00 30:47

You remember? All right, so in the matrix, right? You remember how they would learn stuff, they would just go and download it into their mind? Yeah. That's what TikTok has become. You go to TikTok, you look something up, and in 30 seconds, 45, even like a two-minute snippet, boom, it'll get everything that you need. Download it. You get it quick. And plus, you gotta imagine too, with them um the attention span decreasing. No one wants to sit and wait three hours for a video. Like I grew up in an era, I would sit and watch a three-hour documentary, mind-blown. Take notes. Take those notes to the encyclopedia, Britannica, flip through that thing, confirm the information, know what's right, get two or other three sources, ask my grandmama, is this real? Grandma said, no, but that's not real. Okay, take that off. And then start back over. Now they're doing that.

SPEAKER_03 31:35

Yeah, that sounds like a while.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Miss Research.

SPEAKER_03 31:39

No, but um, also like TikTok, um, they haven't now like you got 10-minute videos. Like, I'll be on TikTok some some nights, it'll be like one o'clock in the morning. I'll just keep scrolling. I look, it's five o'clock. I'm like, oh my God. How long have I been on here? Like, bro, I was just in the videos, the videos, like they got 10-minute videos now, and I'll be watching the videos and not realizing how you're addicted to information.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Yeah, and it's so much information.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

Like, I remember when the whole Diddy case was going on. I um Allegedly. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. When that was going on, it was one night. I just, it was so much videos, so many videos about it, and I just kept watching it. And then I realized what time it was, and then after I watched all of it, I had to turn on like a cartoon or something.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

You mess your mind up. We call it Ibly. Ibly, she had to wash them eyes.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

Yeah, I was like, oh, this is scary. But it was so much.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

I'll tell you a funny story since you said that. So when I was little kids, we used to live in Connecticut. And brother Skip, he'll he'll confirm this story. Watch the movie Leprechaun.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

That's too scary. When we were little kids.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

After it was over, my pro said, you know what? She already was on this whole concept of Ibly. She was like, put some cartoons on for them babies so they can go to sleep. And it was necessary because if we hadn't watched cartoons that night, I was not sleeping. I was gonna be up with a small knife waiting for some little leprechaun to pop around like a pick.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

That movie was scary. Yes, so I understand what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

Diddy is as scary as the leprechaun. Right, okay, okay. And that's not alleged.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Um, do you guys have any upcoming events coming up or things that we can check out and look for you or help promote you?

SPEAKER_02 33:15

We don't right now. But she don't. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Preach.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

I am in the process of starting my I'm about to throw her in it too. But um, I'm in the process of starting my own podcast, Why Not Talk? Yes. Um, and she's gonna be doing my intro for that. Yes. So she's gonna be doing my intro for that, and it's just a one-woman thing because I know y'all probably saw I love to talk. And like I was saying on my YouTube the other day, you know, people but the saying back in the day was um, you can talk to yourself, but don't answer.

SPEAKER_04 33:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

I'm like, that can't be true because that's how you resolve your own problem. So therefore, you can talk to yourself, you can answer. So that's why it's gonna be why not talk? Because I can talk to myself and answer. Long ad. I'm not looking at a movie and I'm answering the questions I have for a movie, then that's a problem. So y'all not gonna see that. So that's basically what I'm working on, and I'm helping her rebrand her um her, because she feels Tyra's big world of flavor is too immature.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

That's what she said.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Yeah, like I'm trying to stand for you regardless. I'm just I think right now, like that's why when she asked, like, when you asked me that, I said I don't right now. Cause ever since college, I've really just been trying to figure stuff out. Like, right now I'm working two jobs. I don't have to work two jobs, but I'm the type of person I like my mom said, I have to stay busy, like I have to keep doing something. Like, that's why with my business I would find things and include it in because I find different things or I discover new things and I want to try it, I want to do it. So, like right now, I have a plan. Like, I created, like I said, I wanted to watch more season because I already created like the label, everything. But you know, I've realized since um getting older, things are expensive. Like, I've it's not on me no more.

SPEAKER_02 35:13

Like, oh my god, not on me no more of that. Like now, add that up from what 11 to 9. That was all out of my pocket. And now you gotta raise your price for that. Yeah, so like we're gonna be able to do that. To buy material, you gotta have catering stuff, you got to have the shirts, you gotta have the chef jackets, you got to have the hot boxes. Yeah, now therefore we gotta have a storage to put all that stuff in. So when she has an event, we just pull out and we go.

SPEAKER_03 35:40

So it's like Yeah, the seasonings. Um, with that, I just have to get everything so I can start that up and because what I really want to do, I guess I'll say this on the podcast. What I really want to do with my seasonings, instead of mixing seasonings together, I want to actually create the seasonings, like dehydrate the vegetables and everything like that, make the seasonings from scratch so it's really unique and really me. That's why I'm trying to rebrand brand to something new. Like, I don't just want to come out with the same seasonings I have, like, yeah, you want to really have a new product. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Plus, I know with what you're saying, and I know where you're coming from, since this is your like your second foray into this, you're trying to get it to the point where it is uh like it's an elevated item, something that people would buy that you could put in a gourmet shop or something like that. Not just not to say it's nothing wrong with it going into Walmart, nothing like that, but you don't just want it in a Walmart, you want to go into the to the store. The stores where you buy cheese and crackers from. Yes. And people got fine meats and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 36:43

Even like with the packaging, because when I had it before, it was like these plastic bottles. I want them to be glass bottles. Okay, so I do have glass bottles.

SPEAKER_00 36:58

That plastic was what we could afford, baby.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

Yes, with that, um, I'm just waiting right now. You know, it's very expensive, so I have to um hold on uh for a second, but that's coming, and I've just figured out exactly what I'm trying to do. I know I still want to have my business and um doing this podcast right now, like I want to continue mine and maybe change it up and everything. Because like she said, my business isn't Tyra's big world of flavor anymore. I don't think I've actually created a name yet.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

But I'll be the first to know when to get it, right?

SPEAKER_03 37:33

I haven't created a name yet, but I'm just really just figuring me out. And that's I think college helped me with that too. College makes you really ask, who am I? Yes. College, like I've been I've asked that so much. Like when I came back home, I know like my mom kept asking me, What you gonna do? What you gonna do? And I was like, Like, I don't know. Like, calm down. Like, I don't know. I just got back, yeah. I just kept saying that because I really did not know, but I know now, like the what really just keeps me going is I know I want to be successful in the end. Like, that's why I want to continue to do stuff, that's why I want to continue to elevate and do things because I know in the end I want to be successful because I made a promise to my mom that by the time I'm 25, I'll get her house. So, like, if I want to do that, if I want to do that, I actually have to keep reminding before you know it.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

You're gonna be 24 and I ain't got my stuff.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

And I want that Cadillac.

SPEAKER_02 38:30

Yeah, we ain't tripping though. We ain't coming on trips no more. You know, you're not in the contest.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

I hadn't been traveling in a minute. So, how do you like I want you guys to definitely promote your social media and your website or YouTubes and stuff too because like I was looking at it today, I thought it was very interesting. I thought the joint was dope.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

So go ahead and drop your YouTube social media, how you want people to follow you, contact you, find you, not stalk you, but you know that's something she that's something she that's her, she'll study you so hard.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

She really all I need is a first name. I try to encourage her at everything. I would I would always tell her that it may come off as you're bragging, but it's not. You're promoting yourself. Yeah, I promote her all the time. And a lot, and you know, a lot of people, you bragging on your child. No, this is something that is very rare for someone from us, you know, to do all the things that she's done. And if you were to see her resume, it is huge from the things that she's done. So I said, talk about it. And I was watching Mark Cuban, he was talking, and he said, When you have a business, a brand, you have is it may come off as bragging, but you're not. You're you're um branding yourself, you're letting people know what you're capable of so you can build in brick business, bring in business. And that's what I try and tell her, because she's just so shy. I'm gonna tell it, I'm gonna talk, I'm gonna talk, I'm gonna say it. So you'll know, Capricorn. So you know, and I I don't just do it for her. The information that I have, and if I see someone doing something, I say, have you ever thought about doing this? Because when I talk with the kids, when they come to my table and visit, when I'm doing a vendor thing, I try and tell them, yes, you want to major in this, but since you're already doing this, you can look at it in an entrepreneur way and have your side hustle and just make it official as well. Because sometimes you're gonna want to do things for yourself, pay for it by yourself when no one's telling you because you know how y'all don't like nobody tell y'all nothing. But so you know, you just got to figure that out. So it's just like I think with her business, she just needs to promote it more. Yeah, promote it more. With mine, my YouTube channel, I don't put it out as much. I was doing daily. Daily, I was doing daily. But then it's like, do I I really want to do it? But then when you get off work, you just want to relax. Yeah, so I don't do it then. But my YouTube channel is gonna be picked back up. Why, why, why, why, why, why not? And then I'll um gonna uh spin off from that would be my why not talk um um podcast. Yeah, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Well, anyway, we can definitely help you guys um because we also produce podcasts and do promotional work. So if you guys want any help, any guidance, we can definitely use the intern, like I was saying. Uh-huh. You want a shadow. But just let us know. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 41:20

Oh, my YouTube is Tyra, and it's um it's a semicolon and a parenthesis, you know, like the little semicolon.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Yeah, I was about to ask you. Yeah, it's not the normal. I was about to get lost because I was trying to find it. I was like, is this the right one? So yeah, you're too late.

SPEAKER_03 41:35

I don't I don't know why it's not easy to find. Like, ever since I changed my name, like it's hard to find.

SPEAKER_02 41:39

You have to literally go to Tyra's Big World of Flavor, then you will see Tyra. So that's why I told her you got to search because she had so many videos where she um did collabs with so many big people, but she wanna hide all of that because it's something she's not doing. That's what I try to explain. I try to do it. Because she's monetized. I see you cutting into your money.

SPEAKER_03 42:01

Yeah, I think you know Yeah, because listen, I just build off of what you built off of how you've grown.

SPEAKER_02 42:10

That's how you should look at it. I understand people. That's how you should look at it. If you've done something in the past, it was good, you prosper, you you pro you um grew from it, then you continue to grow from your past and use that as a lesson of what you're teaching others. So don't hide it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:28

She's trying to, you're trying to really do a full rebrand. Yeah, like so she wants to leave that.

SPEAKER_03 42:33

Yeah, I actually don't even like to look at those old videos. Like, I don't like to look in it, though.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

I don't understand. You can't.

SPEAKER_03 42:42

I just I just don't even like to look at them. Like certain, like even with the food network show, I don't watch it. Like, I can't watch it.

SPEAKER_00 42:49

Are you are you are you the person do you like to hear yourself talk?

SPEAKER_03 42:52

Sometimes. She's probably real critical. Yeah, I know. Yeah, like sometimes and like seeing those old videos, I had this fade in my head, and I just I just can't believe I had it in my head. Like, I don't even want to see it. To me, it is good. I I don't think I should have had it. So that just wrap up and bother you about that later.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

But no, but seriously, we would love to have you as an individual. Yeah, um, and then we'll talk about that stuff behind the scenes. But uh for the Hilltop Glove podcast, we want to thank you all for joining us today. This is DJ and what?

SPEAKER_01 43:26

Tamaya.

SPEAKER_00 43:27

In the back. And of course, our esteemed guest, Tyra.

SPEAKER_02 43:33

Wallandria.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

And we're so glad to have you all. We will have you back again, obviously, especially once things have rebranded, and we want to hear from you too.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

We might have her cater an event or two.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah, I'm not even gonna lie. Seriously, because we do little events with um alternate route alternate routes. So we'd love to have you come and actually cater some events. But um, until the next time, please tell somebody next to him that you love them, that you appreciate them, and that you cherish them. Hill Top Glove Podcast signing out. Peace.