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Black Entrepreneur Experience
BEE 518 Transforming Cotton into Culture with Julius Tillery
00:42:58
We’re bringing back a powerful rewind episode featuring Julius Tillery, the visionary founder of . Julius is transforming how the world sees cotton—not just as a crop, but as a cultural symbol of beauty, resilience, and heritage. Through art,...
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Black Entrepreneur Experience podcast. Inside the business buzz and brilliance of black entrepreneurs. Here's your host, Dr. Francis Richards. What happens in Vegas goes all over the world on Black Entrepreneur experience, episode number 518. Thank you for joining us as we elevate the Black Entrepreneur experience by interviewing CEOs, thought leaders, innovative thinkers, and black entrepreneurs across the globe. I. Hi, I'm your host, Dr. Frances Richards. How would you like to block your entire screen when an unauthorized person looks over your shoulders to view your documents? Our next guest is founder and chief disruptor of SmartEye technology. Welcome, Dexter Cathy.
- [00:48]
B
Thank you, Dr. Richards, so much for having me on your show today.
- [00:51]
A
It is our pleasure. Why don't you fill in the gaps, Share with our audience what you'd like them to know about you and your business.
- [01:00]
B
Okay, great. I'm glad you mentioned that. So I started SmartEye technology roughly two and a half years ago. I'm originally from Youngstown, Ohio, a little small town, Ohio, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. Been in Atlanta for the last 24 years now. Seemed like it was yesterday, but it's the last 24 years, and my background is actually in the financial services area. And just about two and a half years ago, I actually moved over into the technology area by accident. It wasn't on purpose. It was by accident. I was actually in Israel, and I go to Israel once a year to see some of the technology that with the organization here in Atlanta, they go and see some of the newest technologies, newest innovations. And so I just happened to go on that trip with them just as a networking for my other business. And I just happened to sit next to a guy at a cybersecurity conference. And he and I were talking, and as we were talking, I noticed at when I looked at his laptop screen, I saw documents, I saw Word documents, I saw PDF documents. And I just said to myself, you know, why should I be able to see any document that's on this cybersecurity guy's laptop screen? I said, it's none of my business. I said, what if we could create an app called SmartEye technology that would shut off if Dr. Richards or anybody else looked physically at my screen? So that's how the whole idea started with SmartEye technology.
- [02:16]
A
That is brilliant. So how did you take your finance background and build this company?
- [02:23]
B
What I did because of my knowledge of business in general. I just really kind of focused on the business side of things, and I knew a lot of people in business, and so I was able to network with them. And some of them were able, they were able to actually help me out as far as some things questions that I had because I was not as familiar with the technology world. So they were able to assist me and make introductions to me with other people that they knew. And so it was a really good mix of just years of being in business and building up good quality relationships is what I focused on. And those relationships started bearing fruit when I decided to accidentally start something else.
- [03:00]
A
So do you still have your investment firm?
- [03:02]
B
Absolutely, I still do, but it's an area where it's kind of a specialized area. So we're focused 100% on SmartEye though. That's our focus. SmartEye technology is the key focus at this point.
- [03:12]
A
And talk more about this SmartEye technology and what we should know about it and how we can support your business.
- [03:20]
B
Well, one of the things that you can do, like if you guys wanted to who are listening your listeners right now, they can go to the Google Play store or the Android or the iOS store and download the app and they could check it out themselves. It's called Smart I and that like Smart eye like your I tech T E C H. If they type in Smart I tech T E C H they'll be able to download the app for free out there today. We don't have a price on it. You'll be able to see all this excitement that we're really excited about where you upload a document inside the app. And if you ask a friend or anybody else who sit next to you, hey, look at this document on my screen. Watch what happens. The entire screen is blocked and the document shuts down so nobody can see it. And when that person's not looking at it anymore but you're but in your face is the only one looking at it, then the document pops back open to you so you can look at the document again.
- [04:06]
A
It sounds like it has some AI technology in that.
- [04:11]
B
Yeah. And we use facial recognition. We use what's called continuous facial recognition. So it's not just a one time check in with your facial recognition like you have on your phone and then you're actually in and you can do anything you want. Ours is continuous. In other words, Dr. Richards, it actually follows your face to make sure that you are still looking at the screen. If you look away from the screen like that, it'll say away from phone. And so because it no longer can recognize your face anymore, so it's continuously verifying your face every moment that that document is open to you on that screen.
- [04:42]
A
Wow, that is Brilliant. Now, it'll do it on the computer and the phone. Anywhere you have the app, it'll work.
- [04:50]
B
Absolutely. We currently have it where it works on a mobile phone as of right now, but in about four to six weeks, it'll be where the app will be, where you can use what's called a web app. So you can pull up SmartEye from your mobile phone, on your laptop or desktop computer, the exact same thing. And you can. It would then recognize your face. As long as you have a camera on those devices, it'll recognize your face and the documents will open up to you as well. And if somebody walks up behind you, it'll say, warning, multiple viewers.
- [05:15]
A
That is brilliant. Brilliant concept. Talk about developing an app and launching. What advice would you give someone who's interested in developing and launching an app?
- [05:27]
B
I would tell you I knew nothing about developing or launching an app on day one. I knew absolutely nothing. I learned everything from the scratch. From scratch. So basically what I did, I connected with a group of Israeli software developers in Israel, and they were instrumental in helping me actually develop the app. So, basically, if you're going to develop an app, I would highly suggest that you spend lots of time as well as money into the research of that particular app. Because it's not just about developing an app, it's really about. Because apps are expensive to develop. They're not. They're not. When you build a quality app, they're expensive. It's not like building a website and you can throw it up for 10, $15. That doesn't exist in the app world. So you're talking about spending possibly. I've seen some apps as low as $50,000, up to a million dollars for an app. And so ours was on the higher side of things. Ours was not a $50,000 app as well to build. It's a very expensive app that we created. But you definitely want to spend lots of time doing research on building the app, on knowing exactly what it's going to be used for. In other words, when you create something, you have to have a pur. It just can't, because it's a cool idea that just doesn't work. It has to be a purpose for it. Could this be used in the business world? Could this be used for consumers? Will consumers pay for it? Will businesses pay for it? Why would they pay for it? So those are questions. I would say definitely, as you're building an app or thinking about it, you also have to think about cloud storage, because when you have that app, it has to connect to a cloud provider. So that data has to be stored somewhere. So whether you're going to use a AWS Amazon web service or you're going to use a Microsoft Azure, those things that you need to kind of know up front to host your data of your app.
- [07:17]
A
And Dexter, you mentioned the high end of developing an app. Talk about financing your company. How did you raise the capital to finance?
- [07:26]
B
That's a great question. That's something that all entrepreneurs, you always want to know about. How do you go about getting money? And it's not just about going to get money. You need to have, of course, money. But what's more important is really having a real passion and a focus and an intense passion and focus on one thing that you're extremely passionate about. And so what I mean by that is, number one, investors have to be convinced that you're serious about this. They have to also be convinced that it's a viable product, meaning people will actually pay money for it. They also have to know that you're going to be wise with their money as well. So finding those investors, it can. Normally people start from friends and family. My family doesn't have any money. So as a result, I had to find friends with money. So if you don't have any family with money, you have to find friends with money. And so I was able to go out and talk to investors that I just met throughout the years that I've known for several years. And I told them my idea. And it was hard because especially before Dr. Richards, I actually had the app up and running. Just telling people about what we were about to create was the hardest part, because you didn't have anything physically to show anybody. So it was hard to really initially do that. But after we began to create the app, I mean, it was pretty much a go as far as with other investors at that point, because they physically saw something that they could actually see working and being tangible. So at that point it became a real thing. So I would highly recommend, if you're an entrepreneur out there seeking capital, start with people who, who believe in you. And if you don't have any, people who believe in you, focus on finding quality networks that you could become a part of and telling people your dream because it's easy to, to have a passion about something. But people have to know that you're real in this thing because they buy you. They're not buying your thing, your product, whether it's a hair care product or whether it's an automobile product, they're buying you. And so they have to know that you're the person that they want to. They're putting money in you. That's what they're doing. At the end of the day.
- [09:40]
A
You talked about going to Israel to find the tech people. What's interesting is you really never. And I should say I have, and I'm going to speak for myself. You hear a great deal about the tech space in Israel. Share about that. Might be a gem there, talk about that, about the tech space and the people in Israel and what they're building and if there's a way to connect.
- [10:02]
B
Yes, I didn't. I visited Israel in 2015 for the first time and I went with an organization that was mainly kind of humanitarian. They went over there and they had. They were involved in different programs that fed some poor individuals in Israel, helped out families in Israel. So I went over there with that organization, really saw Israel from a humanitarian side. And I was able to go in places that a lot of people have never seen before or even heard of, and saw, you know, Israel from a humanitarian standpoint of view, some of the things that they did, as far as helping out a lot of unfortunate, you know, people in Israel who are poor, I saw a lot of those things. And so I was really excited about being. Seeing Israel from the first. Just Israel, the first time ever in my life in 2015. And so what happened when I came back from that trip, I happened to run into another guy that I knew in Atlanta that ran this organization that went over to Israel to look at different technologies. He said, dexter, I heard you just came back from Israel. I said, yeah. And he said, you need to go to Israel with us to see the technology side of Israel. I said, what do you mean technology side? I said, I saw the humanitarian side. He said, no, you need to see the technology and business side of Israel. And I said, okay. So I called my wife and I said, hey, I'm going back to Israel next year. And she said, what? And so I went that next year and I couldn't believe all the technology that I saw in Israel. It was like my mouth just dropped wide open. They're insanely huge tech hub. It gives Silicon Valley a run for its money. The technology is insane in Israel. I've been in so many different meetings and seeing so many different types of technologies in Israel. And, you know, one of the reasons why I chose Israel to develop it was because when I was in Israel, I understood from visiting Israel that they have a mentality in Israel. The mentality is if they don't Understand something, they'll figure it out. So I knew that I was bringing something to the table that was very difficult. And as a result, I said, who do I want to help me try to create this crazy dream that I have that's never been done before in history, and it was very easy for me. And I said, I'm going to go to Israel and see if I can get this thing done. So I went there and it's an amazing product.
- [12:08]
A
Were they very receptive and open to bring you in and to collaborate?
- [12:14]
B
Absolutely, in Israel. The one thing I love about Israel, and what a lot of people don't realize, Israel is extremely diverse. I've met so many Ethiopian, you know, black Jews in Israel. My friends today, I met different other nationalities of Jews in Israel that were from Spanish Jews in Israel, you know, it's a tremendous diversity in Israel. Tremendous diversity. And so I felt at home and it was easy for me to communicate. They speak English in Israel very well. I've learned to speak Hebrew, so I can speak Hebrew as well. Not as fluently as some of my friends, but I can definitely speak Hebrew pretty good. And so I was able to learn to understand the Israeli culture. The Israeli culture is a very forward, you know, basically, you know, they're very straightforward culture. In other words, it is what it is with them. They say exactly what they mean, so there's no sugar coating. And so that was one thing that I learned going being there throughout the years. And so because I knew all this and I understood it, I just knew it would be a perfect relationship to create in that situation.
- [13:14]
A
Is there a social cause connected to SmartEye technology?
- [13:20]
B
Well, as far as socially, the thing that we want to focus on when it comes to it is a business app. I will say it's definitely a business app, but we do plan to do some social things, which we're not. We're just a startup right now. So we're not at that level yet where we can be as social as we'd like to be. But because of. We do have the people working at SmartArt, we probably have roughly about our workforce is probably 80% women. That's. And we're a small company, but we have roughly about 80% women and in the organization and just a few of us guys. So as far as creating opportunities with women and other minorities, it's something that's a natural thing for me to do. It's not even something I have to think about. It's just natural. It just happened that way. So that's one of Our ways of actually creating an environment. Because typically in technology, it doesn't look like that.
- [14:06]
A
Absolutely. Dexter, talk about. What are you most grateful for right now in your life?
- [14:12]
B
Well, I would say the things I'm most grateful for is having a good group of team of people to work around and having one thing and having a supportive wife who hears my crazy ideas. I can come home and tell my crazy ideas. Ideas too. And she looks at me and say, okay, yeah, I believe you. Go ahead, continue. And so having that there, I would say I'm grateful for my mentors in life that I have extremely great mentors that I found throughout the years who were able to help me in business as far as. Make introductions, as far as understanding, you know, where I am at at every stage of where I'm at. So those are things that are really I'm grateful for because in life, you, you know, we won't live forever. And so to have people in your life that puts an impact on you is what I really love the most. And that, like I said, from the team that we have at smarteye, from my wife, and from my mentors, those are three areas that I'm truly, you know, grateful for.
- [15:08]
A
Speaking of living forever or not, talk about your legacy. When it's all said and done, Dexter, how do you want to be remembered?
- [15:18]
B
I think I want to be remembered as somebody who cared about other people, somebody who loved other people despite of who they are, what their actions were, that I helped other people. I have a thing. When I was growing up in Ohio, my mother used to always take me to and have me take around in my car, older widows. And so I have a passion for helping out, you know, older widows. And I've got plans for, you know, that in the future as far as other things I'd like to do. But that's just something I'm passionate about because they're helpless. And so for me, that's something that I'm passionate about. And I just kind of got into that by accident for my mother. Have me, you know, me being busy trying to study in college and have my mother, hey, you know, you need to take my friend such and such somewhere, you know, because she has no husband, you know, so in understanding that those things are. When you do those things, it's a wonderful thing to do. But also some of those widows can tell you, hey, you know, I told you to go to store for me, but you bought the wrong thing. So those are things, but it just comes with the territory. You know, they say what they need to say, and you just smile and you say, okay, let me go back to the store and get exactly what you needed. So, but, but those things I love because that's real life, those are real people. And so for me, I'd love to be remembered for helping out other people and seeing other people succeed, whether I could help them or not. Just being a person who really love and promotes other people as far as helping them make their life better. And that's what I want to, if I can make somebody else's life better, that's what I feel like we're doing with, with SmartEyes, really helping lives become better through protecting the privacy of document and the privacy of information that people have they don't want being discovered.
- [16:51]
A
Talk about your top two influencers and what lessons did they teach you?
- [16:57]
B
I would probably say I have a mentor, he's a male here in Atlanta and one of the things that he taught me was about networking. And he took me, we went to several events and he grabbed me aside and he's Jewish. He grabbed me aside and told me, you know, when I had my name tag on, I think I had on my left hand side, he said, don't wear it on your left hand side. Make sure your name tag is always on the right hand side because that's naturally where people's eyes look at. So for me to, for somebody to kind of grab me aside and say, hey, listen, you need to do it this way. I mean, I mean to me it humbles you and it makes you say, wow, this person really is like, cares about me. So. And the other mentor I have in my life, who's a female, she is, has been in technology forever. So she's made introductions to corporations that we're talking to right now. And to have somebody like that in your life who sees where you're at and sees if I can just help this person a little bit, they can take off. So having people in your life, mentors that can help you move to the next level and can have been there and done that and see where you're at is vital to your success. Vital. It's not even a question if you don't have any. Go find some. Go to places, go to networking events that do cost money. It does cost money to go to network events, go to expensive networking events, go where the people have money to pay, where it may cost you $250 to go to an event or $1,000 to go to those events, go to them, spend the money. We spend that same money on other things, like, you know, some I could spend that same on food or this and that. I'd rather spend it for those types of events instead to focus directly. And you may not find somebody immediately, but just keep doing it and you'll find people who will mentor you and will help you because it's vital to your success. You have to have somebody in your life that cares about you first of all and wants to see you successful.
- [18:43]
A
Dexter, There are so many brands that are dominating. Talk about a brand or a business that's dominating that you admire and why.
- [18:54]
B
I think Tesla is what I really admire. Elon Musk. I mean, I admire his completely different way of thinking. He goes completely against the grain. I mean, this somebody that I admire from a business standpoint of view and has gone completely against the grain of what other people said he should do, never listens to him, does exactly what is in his heart and look what he's built.
- [19:15]
A
And I understand he has a new technology that's coming out. It's neural technology. Have you heard of that?
- [19:21]
B
Haven't followed it as much, but I've definitely. I've heard glimmers of it, but I haven't followed it as much. I've been so much into SmartEye.
- [19:29]
A
Absolutely. And speaking of SmartEye technology, what can we do right now, at this very moment to support your business?
- [19:37]
B
I would say download the app and share it with friends. Share the app with friends. Because the way SmartArt technology works is that when you download the app, if you want to share a document with somebody, it has to be somebody within your contacts. So if you have people in your contact, we have a little link inside of SmartArt technology. When you download the app and you click on the little thing which call a hamburger, little three lines on the app we call a hamburger. Click on that little hamburger, roll three lines and you'll see a list of items. At the very bottom, you'll see where it says invite a friend. When you click on invite a friend, you can share that app. Share the smart app with a person through text, through WhatsApp, through email, however you want to send it, you'll be able to send them the app and tell them to download the app. And you could send them documents back and forth. And so that would be. I think one of the biggest things that we're doing right now is having people use it and test it out and see how everything works from there. So that would be one of the biggest things right now. What we'd love to see your listeners.
- [20:27]
A
Do, do you have smarteye technology in any type of businesses that are using it, or is it only consumers?
- [20:34]
B
No, right now we have consumers using it as well as businesses. We currently have three companies right now who are testing it out, as we speak, over the past, you know, couple weeks, testing it out as we speak right now. But also we've got probably over close to almost 2,000 consumers using it right now as we speak. If your listeners could go and download it, SmartEye tech like Smart iTech, they'll be able to pull it up and start testing out themselves. We have a lot of consumers using it. So it, again, it's for consumers as well as businesses. Consumers could send documents to their friends and different things like that so that their friend could be the only one who physically could look at that document on their mobile screen.
- [21:11]
A
I am thinking of so many markets that can use this. That is a brilliant idea. Especially I'm thinking about HIPAA and the healthcare industry.
- [21:21]
B
Absolutely. And that's. That's. Those are just a few. And also one of the biggest use cases that we've talked about, Dr. Richards, when it comes to SmartEye technology, is for invoices. A lot of times if you sent me an invoice as an example, you say, okay, Dexter, this is from Dr. Richards. Pay us our $20,000 and what'll happen about maybe, let's say an hour or two later, I'll get another email, supposedly from Dr. Richards, saying, hey, Dexter, it's great to talk to you today on a podcast. I'll tell you what, can you change our wiring instructions that I sent you earlier a couple hours ago, because we had a change of our banking instructions. That wasn't from Dr. Richards. That was from a hacker. So the hacker sent that information. So if I send that $20,000 over to supposedly Dr. Richards, it goes right into the pocket of a hacker. And that's what's happening. So smart technology stops that, because when you send a document through smart technology, it goes from smart technology app to smart technology app. Therefore, we're not going through your emails.
- [22:14]
A
That is brilliant. What problem exists today that you would like to solve?
- [22:19]
B
There's a big problem when it comes to e signature. So if I send you a document right now, how can I verify that it was you, Dr. Richards, who physically signed that agreement? Yes, I see your name. How can you prove. How can I prove that it was you who did it with your hands? Who actually physically sign that agreement? Do you ever send off, like, electronic signatures to somebody? Do you know if that was the person who physically did it with their hands. Do you know that?
- [22:48]
A
No.
- [22:49]
B
So what?
- [22:50]
A
And speaking of that, it's so interesting because I've had to do. I've sent out, like, literally 10 documents this week that I needed signatures on. And you're so right. Even my own personal signature. I'm not. I'm actually. It's just typed with like, right. Like the font. So it's not legitimate, per se.
- [23:13]
B
Exactly. So what we've done inside of the smart technology app is that we have signature inside of the smart technology app. And so when you go to sign a document, it does facial recognition, continuous facial recognition every second that that document is open. So now you can be assured that it was me who signed your document when you sent it to me, because that document only opens up to just my face and stays only open to just my face.
- [23:37]
A
Wow.
- [23:37]
B
That's the difference. That's the difference. So that's what we're doing inside of smart technology is really changing the world and verifying e signatures. So now you can be assured that you're the person who actually signed that. I'm the person who actually signed your agreement.
- [23:54]
A
That is huge.
- [23:55]
B
And at the moment, there's no way to determine that at all. None. None.
- [24:00]
A
That is brilliant. Talk about the person, Dexter, in your legacy that has impact you the most.
- [24:07]
B
And why, let's say my father probably who passed away about a year ago, definitely because he taught me a lot about business, taught me a lot about dealing with people. He. I remember when we went on, I used to sell life insurance with him while I was in college. And. And I remember he went to this lady's house who. I didn't think that she could afford to buy the life insurance. So it was this very. It was in the projects, really kind of bad area. So I was wondering, thinking to myself, dad, we're dressed up in suits. I'm thinking like, dad, why are we going over to this lady's house? I said, this makes no sense. I'm thinking this in my head. And I even. I believe I even questioned him. And he didn't say anything. So we got out the car, and so we went to the house. And so she sat down and she looked at the policy, how much it would cost. And she said, I just can't afford it. She said, I can barely afford to buy my medicine. So what he did, he reached in his pocket and gave her money for her medicine. So he wasn't going in to sell her insurance. He's going to help her out. So that's How I want to be.
- [25:02]
A
Wow. Thanks for sharing and our sincere sympathy for the loss of your dad.
- [25:07]
B
Absolutely.
- [25:08]
A
Let's shift gears for a moment and talk about the worst moment in business. And what was your takeaway?
- [25:16]
B
Those happen all the time. No, I would say when we first started smart technology, I remember we had like the first maybe two or three months of starting, we had owed our developers in Israel close to like $70,000 and it was time to pay. We didn't have the money to pay. I was waiting on some investors to put money in the account. They said they would come through and they didn't come through. So my guys in Israel called me, say, Dexter, we're on your side, we're with you, but we need to pay our developers. And I said, I get it guys, don't worry about it. I said, everything will work out fine. And like 30 days or I think 45 days went on, they're still calling me. I'm saying, look, everything is going to work out fine. I'm sweating like crazy. And so what happened? We did have some investors that came through in a pretty big way in a short amount of time. They didn't know that I needed it, but they knew I needed investments to continue to move forward. And that amount was covered in a heartbeat. And I told my guys, I told you everything will work out, just don't worry. Again, don't worry, don't worry about that. So it was very challenging. And I remember walking in the office and I only had one person working with me at the time and she saw my concern on a daily basis and she was quiet, didn't say anything, respected it, but knew what was going on. And so it was like the biggest challenge ever because I knew what I wanted to create and I knew that we needed to continue to do that. So it was nerve wracking for me. But we got through it and moved on to it and raised millions of dollars, you know, after that. So that's what we've done.
- [26:45]
A
That's a great story. Speaking of raising money and you talked about it earlier, can you drop some more value bombs on raising money? Because we know when you look at the statistics for black and brown people and women getting financed through investors and is there any advice you could offer?
- [27:08]
B
Yes, I would say depends on again, your product that you have. I would say you have to find the right investors who believe in you. In other words, in other words, spend time with invest or potential investors who you think would be a good fit for you personality wise. Because not every money that comes into your organization is good money. So you may have an investor that completely is. You're at odds with. So you need to really find investors who personally believe in you and are willing to be patient with you, and they're willing to see you through the entire stage of every. Of everything that you're doing. So it's sometimes hard to find those people. And I know a lot of your listeners probably cannot relate to that because it's hard at times to find those people. And so I would say that keep going, pick up the phone. If you don't have family who have money, like I didn't. You have to call people who you know that could have money. And I would say find those people should probably be people who are. Have been investing in things before or they're entrepreneurs themselves and can understand your way. Because if they're not entrepreneurs themselves or they not, or they're maybe they don't invest and you're asking them for money, you're going at the wrong person at that point. So stick with people who are entrepreneurs or investors who are used to investing in things that may work in your area. So I would say that would be the best way to raise money. Because if you're, you know, trying to talk to friends who are not investors, you're wasting your time. If you're trying to talk to family members who are not investors, you're wasting your time. I have some family members that I know who are. Who do have money, but they're not investors. So I'd never even thought about asking them ever, because they're not investors. So why would I ask you? You're not an investor, you're a saver, but you're not an investor.
- [28:46]
A
You talked a great deal about networking and surrounding yourself with people that can help elevate your mission. We're in different times with COVID 19 talk about moving through that networking system space and meeting people during this season.
- [29:02]
B
I would say this is actually a challenging period for every business as far as this environment because we have to do things differently. It's not impossible, but just that we have to think differently, which is good because it makes us be more innovative of how we approach things. So I would say the telephone still works. We see these zoom calls still work, and you're able to actually reach out to people and have more time with them because they are not running from meeting to meeting to meeting to meeting. They have time to now actually talk. Six months ago, he didn't have time. Everybody was so busy, so nobody wanted to sit down. Nobody knew what Zoom was six months ago. Now everybody knows. So I would say learn how to be more creative when it comes to networking. Learn how to be strategic at it. In other words, focus on people who you think could have an impact on your business. In other words, they could also not just invest, but also bring relationships to help grow your business. That's so important because if somebody gives you $100,000, $20,000, or a million dollars, doesn't matter what the amount is, they have to bring something to the table that can help the business go forward, because that's what you need as an entrepreneur, because you can't do everything by yourself. And if you try to, you'll fail. So you need people who say, listen, I see where you're at right now. This is what you need to grow. And I know some people who could help you do that. That's what you need.
- [30:18]
A
Dexter, how do you feel about the person that you have become?
- [30:22]
B
I think two and a half years ago, I didn't think that I would be doing anything else, Dr. Richards, than what I've done in the financial services world. I had no interest. And I had a lady who is a rabbi that I know pretty well, and she used to tell me three or four years ago, she said, dexter, you know, when you talk about technology, you light up more than anything. She said, I know you've been doing your, you know, investment side for over 20 years, but when you talk about technology, you just, like, light up. And I said. She said. She said, that's your real calling. I said, get out of here. I said, no, no. I said, get out of here. I said, I love what I'm doing. And she was right. You know, she was. She saw it and she was right. So I would say those are the types of things that, for me, at least, if you told me three years ago that I'd be doing something differently, I would have said, get out of here. No way. No way. And so. And I love it because I really enjoy what I'm doing, and we're helping people, and companies really change the way that they send and receive documents. So that's what I'm passionate about. So I love that person.
- [31:19]
A
Now, did you have to get any type of patents or trademarks before you launched the app?
- [31:26]
B
Yes, before we even started talking to people about it. That's a very good question, Dr. Richard, that you asked, because getting something patented or and trademarked for that matter, because, you know, those are two different worlds is vital. So if you have an idea. And you want to focus on that idea before you start telling the world about it. Start doing research with patent attorneys. Start sitting down with them, telling how, what you want to do, have them. Sometimes they can do research that can be a little bit expensive. They do the research, but if it's something that's unique, go ahead with the patent process and focus on that. And so whether it's a patent or whether you need to get things trademarked, you'll have to do both. It's not cheap to do, but it's vital to your business.
- [32:07]
A
And did you hire an attorney or did you do it yourself for the patent trademark?
- [32:12]
B
That's a great question. No, I didn't do myself. And you know, additionally, I tried to do my little trademark, a copyright with the name. I completely messed it up, just completely. So I actually, because, you know, there's services out there that'll help you try to go ahead and do a trademark or things like that. And I tried it. You know, when you deal with the government, you know, they said this is not right, that's not right. And you as much for you don't have time to do all that. So I just turn it over to the attorney, say you guys deal with that. They did it so smoothly, got everything trademarked, and our patent was filed two and a half years ago. I didn't try to do a patent that they did that 100% with the patent. I thought I could, you know, trademark things myself, but I. You can't. I'm sorry, you just can't. That's not my job. My job is to create and run a business, not to be a person that does all that legal information. So turn over somebody that can do legal information. You'll save a lot of time and money.
- [32:57]
A
Now, did you do a provisional patent before you did the traditional patent or did you go straight into the patent?
- [33:03]
B
I actually did a provisional patent first. You're correct. I did a provisional patent first. And that was like said two and a half years ago. And then we, you know, they give you a year after that to convert it over to an actual patent at that point, a regular patent. And then, you know, of course that stays pending until it's. It's actually accepted. That that's a process that you have to go through as well. But yes, you do a provisional patent first, which basically makes sure that you're the first person who had access or who created that invention. So yes, that's first before you do anything. And that that's actually a lesser cost than A regular filing a regular patent. So I would highly recommend to your listeners to file a provisional patent first. That's good for one year. And then after one year, then you have to file an actual full patent application. At that point with a patent attorney.
- [33:47]
A
And then with the provisional patent, are you feeling comfortable? Is that going to protect your idea to keep someone from doing a patent on your patent? Does that make sense?
- [33:58]
B
Yes. One of the most important things about that is that once you filed that provisional patent, let's say you file something today and let's say six months ago, a competitor filed the exact same thing you did. Doesn't matter. You found it first. It's all about who found it first. You filed it first. That invention belongs to you, not that other six month later competitor. So it's all about who files it first. That's why you have to get it done out the way initially. And remember, with a patent, it's really about the process. So it's not about a thing like a glass or a piece of paper or a chair. It's about how that thing works. That's what a patent is really all about. So it describes how your invention works. Somebody could still do something similar, but it has to be exactly, you know, from what you know, I've learned, they may not be a hundred percent correct. And I'm not. Again, that's no legal information there. I'm just learning from my own personal experience. It has to be about a process of how your invention actually works.
- [34:53]
A
Dexter, talk about your most memorable moment in life or business.
- [34:58]
B
I would probably say my most memorable moment in life is probably when I was 16 years old, I actually went tell you, I was going to a public school in Ohio and I wasn't really doing well at the public school. And I asked my father, could I go transfer to a private Catholic school. And he said no, because you're messing up at the public school. So I'm not going to pay for you to go mess up at the private school. Because my brother was already attending the private school and he had just graduated. So I said, well, since he graduated, my dad's not paying money for that now. I guess I can. He can now pay money for me. And she said, no, I'm not going to do it. So I said, well, if you don't do it, I'm going to do it myself. So I actually paid my own way through private high school, which was about $7,000 a year at the time. That taught me a lot of discipline because I was making $4.25 an hour, paying $7,000 a year. So I knew exactly how much I needed to make on a monthly basis in order to pay my tuition. It was very difficult. I lost a lot of friends because some of the friends at the old public school that I was trying to be too good, going to a Catholic school. And so I lost a lot of friends there. And it was very difficult to make new friends at the new private school because everybody had already their established cliques already. So I kind of found myself in a lonely world. And so I worked. And I had a mentor at that time who was mentor to me at the private Jewish country where I worked at. And he came over to me and was asking me on a weekly basis, how are your grades doing? How are you doing socially? How are you doing family wise? I mean, so he just like, literally just was in my business on a weekly basis. And so I had somebody to be accountable to outside of my family because I had a great mom and dad. But still, when you hear somebody else on the outside, it has. It rings a lot bigger in your ear as well, because you're like this person actually, like, cares. So that to me, was probably the most the turning point in my life.
- [36:45]
A
Dexter, talk to a younger you. What advice would you give to a younger Dexter?
- [36:51]
B
I would say probably pretty impatient. I'm pretty impatient. I like for things to move fast. I would probably say slow down, but it's hard for to happen. But it's about patience. And some things do take time to work out. But I'm pretty impatient in a positive way. Impatient to make things move fast and move faster. So I'd probably say slow down a little bit and look around and enjoy things a little bit more. But it's hard.
- [37:16]
A
Dexter, if you conducted this interview, what is the one question you would have asked yourself? I want you to ask the question and answer it.
- [37:25]
B
I think it's the question of why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Why? Because if you can answer that question, I think for me, that sums up your passion, your very existence. I mean, so the question is why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Why did you start that business? Did you start that just to make money, or did you start that because you really saw a need and you were passionate about fulfilling that need? So really the question is why? Why did you do that? Why did you start that business? The answer to the why that I'm asking myself is because I wanted to be able to bring back privacy to people by everything is so Public now everything is so public. So I wanted to bring back privacy to documents. I wanted to bring back privacy to ensure that when I sent you something, Dr. Richards, that it's only you who could look at this. I wanted to bring real privacy. So that's my why. That's what it's all about, privacy and control over documents. That is my why.
- [38:22]
A
We've come to the part of the interview. It's called Fun Facts Lightning Round. I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I'd like you to give me very quick answers. If there's something you desire not to answer, feel free to say. Pass. Are you ready for the Fun Facts Lightning Round?
- [38:39]
B
Let's go.
- [38:40]
A
The last movie you saw?
- [38:42]
B
The last movie I saw, I think it were Devil Wears Prada. I like that movie. You relax doing what I relax doing? Riding my bike. I ride my bike 15 to 20 miles per day.
- [38:55]
A
Your favorite singer or rapper?
- [38:58]
B
My favorite singer is probably. I would say probably favorite rapper is probably Drake. I know some of his lyrics are a little bit challenging at times, but I like his style. As far as singer, I like more jazz, so it's hard for me to say a certain singer. I'm more into jazz than actual regular, like songs and things like that.
- [39:18]
A
Your favorite dance song?
- [39:20]
B
My favorite dance song is. It's a pop song from back in the day. It was a song I like to work out to. Black Box is a group and I can't remember the song, but I know exactly what some of your listeners don't know what I'm talking about.
- [39:34]
A
What food you eat every week. No matter what?
- [39:38]
B
No matter what it is fish. I would say baked chicken. Baked fish and baked chicken. Probably every week. No matter what. Probably my two things I do eat.
- [39:47]
A
Your favorite month?
- [39:49]
B
My favorite month is probably, I would say probably October. I love the fall.
- [39:55]
A
Do you work out or hit the couch?
- [39:58]
B
I work out daily. I walk, depending on which day. I walk about 10, say about 8 to 10 miles per day. But I'll ride my bike. If I'm not walking, I'll ride my bike 15 to as high as 20 miles per day, seven days a week.
- [40:11]
A
And your first job?
- [40:12]
B
My first job, I was a janitor at a school and I got fired from my first job because you want to hear that story. You don't want that story.
- [40:23]
A
You have to tell the story now.
- [40:25]
B
Okay. I got fired on my first job after maybe six months or so because I was working there and I was a janitor. You know, we were cleaning out elementary School. I used to attend elementary school, so I was a janitor. I think I was 16 at the time. And the boss wanted me to mop the floor. And we only had maybe 10, 15 minutes left in the floor. You know, those long school hallways. And I said, there's no way I can do that in like 10 or 15 minutes. And I said, this will have to wait till tomorrow because it's impossible. They said, no, that has to be done today, so when the kids come back in, it'll be mopped. And then I said, well, I said, no, I can't do that. He said, and then he said something else. And I said, listen, this is what got me fired. I said, listen. I said, listen, one day I'm going to own a business and you're going to work for me. And if you don't work for me, your kids are going to work for me. Wrong thing to say. Wrong thing to say.
- [41:11]
A
Dexter, you were a very smart kid.
- [41:18]
B
Yes.
- [41:19]
A
So it's apropos that you built Smart Eye technology.
- [41:25]
B
Yes. And my dad friend who got me the job and was the boss there called me in the office the next day and said, dexter, you know, you can't tell your supervisor that he's going to work for you one day. You can't say those things to somebody like that. But it's true, you know? And so that's what happened. So. And that day, I was let go.
- [41:48]
A
That is a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. Dexter, thank you so much for spending time with us on black Entrepreneur experience podcast. Before we let you go, why don't you share with our audience the best way for them to connect with you and to do business with your company?
- [42:05]
B
I would say go to our website. You can go to smarteye, Smart Eye, then the word technology.com smartitechnology.com and reach out to us, send us an email and we'll sit down and talk with you or your organization or however you plan on using the app. But I would definitely say go to the app Store or the Google Play Store and download the app today for free. Doesn't cost you anything. Test it out, play around with it and give us some high stars on the app Store and Google Play Store, give us five stars. We'd love to see that.
- [42:35]
A
Thank you, Dexter. That is a wrap.
- [42:37]
B
Thank you so much for having me on your show, Dr. Richards.
- [42:39]
A
Thank you. Thank you for listening and subscribing to black entrepreneur Experience. We would love for you to leave.
- [42:45]
B
A review and rating on itunes and.
- [42:48]
A
Share with your friends for show notes.
- [42:50]
B
And more episodes go to www.beepodcast.com. join us next Wednesday. And remember, green is the new black, so keep your bank accounts and your business in the black.