Grits and Eggs Podcast

Host: Deante’ Kyle
Episode: 113 - Introducing Michael Morris
Date: January 16, 2026

Overview

In this lively and candid episode, host Deante’ Kyle sits down with Michael Morris, a Nigerian-born self-made entrepreneur and founder of businesses in telecom, oil and gas, and medical transportation. The conversation explores practical entrepreneurship for underserved communities, the importance of socially-focused business solutions, pitfalls of "money gurus," generational economic empowerment, and the vital need for Black group economics. Both guests dissect the systemic barriers facing Black communities in America and Africa, drawing from personal narratives and real-world examples to offer pragmatic pathways for empowerment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entrepreneurship Rooted in Problem-Solving

• Michael Morris’ Journey:

  • Born in Nigeria, Michael moved to the U.S. in 2001 intent on doing business, not just making money. His ventures always begin with addressing real problems within his community rather than chasing trends or selling lifestyles.
  • Illustrated with his telecom startup (providing better international phone cards for Nigerian immigrants), an energy company targeting oil/gas waste in Nigeria, and Caraco, his medical transportation firm inspired by his mother’s health crisis.

  “Every company I’ve started, it started off with an issue or a problem...if I can’t explain it to my 8-year-old son or my 12-year-old girl, I can’t even, you know, I can’t, I don’t even want to approach it.”
  — Michael Morris [04:17]

• Tech in Community Health:

  • Michael applies tech solutions to improve medical transport for underserved, primarily Black, communities—reducing missed appointments and improving access, all paid for by the clients (facilities, not patients).
  • Deante’ emphasizes that the traditional approach of “give more people LLCs” doesn’t always translate to meeting community needs.

2. The Flaws of “Money Guru” Culture and Lifestyle Selling

• Critique of Online Gurus:

  • Both express skepticism towards social media personalities who peddle costly advice without understanding the real environments or challenges facing Black Americans.
  • Point out the manipulative strategies—selling aspiration, hiding “secrets” behind paywalls, and revenue coming almost exclusively from courses rather than actual business operations.

  “All the money that they making is off the course...optically, I can sell you the lifestyle. It’s just con man, to be honest.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [05:30]

3. Community Economic Strategy

• Practical, Collective Empowerment:

  • Michael introduces the concept of group economics, arguing that pooling Black wealth could fund hospitals, schools, businesses, and transportation—mirroring models from other successful minority groups (e.g., Jewish American community funds).
  • Emphasizes the difference between wealth through individual achievement and systemic, group-based prosperity.

  “The need is...to give practical information that we could take. And we got to do this fast, bro, because we, we behind like on eight Ball on everything.”
  — Michael Morris [05:08]

4. Business Ethics: Value Over Exploitation

• End-User Focus:

  • They stress that real business success is measured in the impact on the community, not just profit margins.
  • Critique businesses—especially in Black nightlife and service industries—that exploit customers with high prices but poor service, and call for an “abundant” rather than “scarcity” mindset.

  “The way that they do business is in the scarce mindset. And I’m thinking in an abundant mindset.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [26:14]

5. Structural and Foundational Challenges

• Corruption and Systemic Barriers:

  • Michael shares how entrenched interests (mafias, cartels, corrupt power structures) resist any changes that threaten their profit or control (in both Africa’s energy sector and U.S. economic structures).
  • Stresses that new solutions must also find ways to appease or transition existing power holders, not just disrupt them haphazardly.

  “You know, a lot of people say...[in Africa] Why can’t you guys get this and get that? Oh, it’s way deeper than that.”
  — Michael Morris [12:24]

6. Diasporic Parallels and Unity

• African and African-American Synergy:

  • Both discuss the manufactured rift between Africans and Black Americans, identifying it as a deliberate tool of division.
  • Highlight similarities, shared struggles, and stress the need for unity and group economic action globally, especially as demographic and economic power shifts toward young Africans.

  “We actually have all the cards in our hands. We've always had it...the biggest con is how they made us feel and how they made us pit each other.”
  — Michael Morris [51:04]

  “The fear around Black people unifying is that we’re going to kind of do onto others as we've been done to. And I think...we really not stunting y'all like that. If y'all would just leave us to alone, like, we'll be happy.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [70:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Practicality in Entrepreneurship:
  “If you give us practical information, bro, that actually matches up to our environment, we could take that and we could run with it.”
  — Michael Morris [03:25]

• On Community Investment and Group Economics:
  “If we had an African American fund where we all chip in five bucks a month, I mean, we. We talking about damn near a billion dollars.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [60:45]

• On Service, Scarcity, and Abundance:
  “It’s the disregard of the user experience...it’s one big money grab...the onus is on [patrons] to ask...why am I willing to keep...engaging in a scam?”
  — Deante’ Kyle [25:20]

• DNA of Black Unity:
  “This literally is how we've been operating for tens of thousands of years...as soon as we start engaging in it, it’s gonna activate.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [79:21]

Important Timestamps

• [02:36] Practical strategies using tech in the medical space
• [04:01] On “money gurus” and the need for actionable info
• [09:12] Disparities in emergency medical response in Black communities
• [16:04] Navigating entrenched, corrupt business systems
• [18:19] The power of Black group economics
• [22:11] Building businesses that serve rather than exploit
• [32:25] Entrepreneurship: valleys, resilience, and process
• [51:04 / 70:39] Breaking down divisions between African and African-American communities
• [60:48] Outline of a practical African American economic empowerment fund
• [66:42] Modern tech enabling transparent, decentralized community funds
• [79:21] Community collaboration as culture and legacy

Tone & Style

Candid, analytical, and humorous, with both speakers combining personal anecdotes, cultural references, and sharp critique. There’s a consistent push for both immediacy (do it now, be intentional) and historical awareness, blending practical business advice with social commentary that’s both witty and richly reflective of Black experience in America and abroad.

Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its laser focus on actionable, community-focused solutions to long-standing inequities. Deante’ and Michael call for a shift from individual hustle to systemic, group-based empowerment, illustrated with real stories and an emphasis on legacy. The dialogue offers insightful parallels between challenges in the U.S. and Africa, always returning to the need for Black unity, transparency, and sustained, practical action—from the microbusiness to the international fund.

Guest Plugs:

• Medical Transport: Caracocare.com (now in Georgia & Houston)
• IG: @therealmikemorris
• Book Recommendations:
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni ([91:09])
  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates ([91:23])