“Alonzo Black,
CEO of Zobe Models & Talents Agency; President/Senior Director of A&R (Zobe Records – Indie Major Label); Director of Zobe Celebrity Booking (Music Artists, Athletes, Comedians, Actors/Actresses); Fashion Designer of Zobe Fashions (Couture/high-fashion, evening wear, swimwear, lingerie, casual/ready-to-wear, urban gear, shoes, and more for men and women); Professional Photographer (Zobe Photography); Editor-in-Chief of Zobe Magazine; Computer Graphics/Website Designer; Producer & Director of Zobe TV Network/Zobe Films; publicist/marketing & PR guru; and CEO of Zobe Promotions (cabarets, private parties, club venues, conventions, expos, and more). We currently have over 1000 models & talents within our agency nationally & internationally.”
Click Here To Read More About Alonzo Black And His Businesses
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to entrepreneur for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
Once I realized that most of what I was learning in school was not going to be used in real life, I knew that I didn’t want to work for anyone else and I wanted to build my own business. I grew up with both of my parents being entrepreneurs with my mother being a fashion designer and my dad being a lawyer with his own practice, a real estate broker, and a gemologist among everything else that he has done in life. My parents have always been my role models, influences, and heroes. So I can say that I knew at an early age what it was like to be an entrepreneur even from the early days of selling candy to other kids in elementary school. Over the years there have been other entrepreneurs that I have seen become successful who inspired me in the entertainment industry and business as a whole.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then what separates you from other entrepreneurs out there?
I actually would not compare myself to any already established entrepreneurs because I would consider myself to be unique. I may have some things in common with other entrepreneurs or businesspeople but my journey is not the same as anyone else’s. The only shoes that I have to fill are my own. I learn as much as I can from other’s successes and failures but I can only apply what is relevant to myself and I create and determine my own destiny. What really separates me from other entrepreneurs is really my drive, dedication, determination, and ability to adapt. You have to really be hungry and serious about your passions, skills, talents, abilities and be willing to invest in yourself and sometimes go against the grain and think outside-of-the-box. My mind is the main thing that differentiates me from others.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on how you approach your work? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a business owner?
I have definitely seen my share of adversity in life and in business. When it comes down to it you must be willing to push through any and all obstacles in your path. There are always multiple ways to get things accomplished, so taking the path less traveled may be how to reach your goal. When approaching work you must determine every option possible and select the best and most efficient and effective option that fits the specific scenario or task at hand. The most difficult thing is funding your business out of your own pocket from the ground up. I have never had any major investor and ownership means a lot to me. In the entertainment industry in particular it is very difficult to find the right people to work with who are like-minded and will not take advantage of you so you must be very careful and gain as much knowledge as possible before jumping out there so that you do not get taken advantage of by anyone. I had to learn the hard way as I navigated my way through the industry.
4.) Aside from money being a motivating factor, how do you prepare yourself to network and build relationships with prospective clients? What is your process?
I have always stayed prepared to network and build business relationships with prospective clients and I used to join/attend as many networking events as possible. My original process involved attending expos, trade shows, conventions, conferences, seminars, and showcases involving your industry. Over the past few years my process had to change and I have had to adapt over time to do most of my networking and business relationship building online utilizing social networks and industry specific websites.
5.) Unfortunately the creative industry is full of talented individuals who more or less become the “starving artist” and don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you do (or plan to do) to make sure you stand out and get noticed and don’t fall to the wayside?
The industry has many “starving artists” mainly because of the lack of funding and resources. To get recognition for your work you must invest in yourself. Many individuals in the creative industry believe that they can do things on their own and reach success but the truth of the situation is that they actually need to build a team around them to take their career to the next level. Here at Zobe Entertainment, Inc. we are creating a conglomerate which is composed of related divisions of our company which builds a team around a talent/artist. Within the organization we have a model and talent agency, management division, promotional/marketing division, public relations division, an online magazine blog, an online television network, a publishing company, and more. We are in the process of also developing technology apps for the industry which is the direction of the future of the industry, so the structure of our organization is what sets us apart along with how we do business and put ourselves and our clients in demand.
6.) Would you rather work for a big corporation or would you rather stay independent and continue to run your own business? Why or why not?
I would rather stay independent as I am big on ownership. When you work for a big corporation you limit the amount of money that you can make and you also limit your abilities as you place yourself under someone else’s rules and restrictions. When you run your own business you are in control of your own destiny and the direction of your career. Being independent you are able to make changes in the industry but working under a major company you are subject to their regulations. When dealing with a major company you will only have access to a certain level of the company structure and staff but if you work with an independent company then you usually get access to the executive level staff in which decisions are made and you get access to understand and help create the big picture which is more beneficial to your career.
7.) Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, how do you think the internet and social media affected the creative industry and how photographers and videographers are able to market themselves? Do you think any business will be able to survive in today’s economy if they’re not social media savvy?
I believe that social media is a key vital element and is very important to establishing your brand, marketing, promotions, advertising, and networking. The internet has provided the easiest and cheapest methods to building and growing a business. The creative industry is able to share their creations and make a significant impact with them a lot easier than before social networks and the internet where everything had to be physically done in-person. Being able to publish your creations online and immediately get feedback, sales, and allow others to share your work is an advantage in business. Any business that doesn’t take advantage of technology it will be a lot more difficult to reach success in today’s economy where people want things immediately and fast.
8.) As a serial entrepreneur who runs multiple businesses under the Zobe brand, can you give the readers some insight on the skills and lessons you had to learn on your journey to running various businesses to where you are now as a CEO?
It all started with learning how to run a business and the fundamentals and basics of finding a void or a need that must be met or a problem to solve. I’ve always been a great problem solver and I have always thought outside-of-the-box and being strong-minded is one thing that can set a true entrepreneur apart from all the rest. So you must not only know your customers and clients but you must know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses before anything. You must be able to trust yourself and your personal and business instincts in order to do business with the right people to be able to elevate your brand and company. You must not only be a people person but be able to understand people and their wants and needs and determine someone’s true and alternative motives so that you don’t get taken advantage of. You have to have a strong understanding of your self-worth and your vision and the steps that it will take to reach your set goals. It’s all about consistency and that constant progress and growth to building a company and becoming the CEO that you want to be. Never give up!
9.) When you started Zobe Entertainment Inc. and you became the CEO of Zobe Models & Talents, did you see yourself starting other business ventures? When you started the other business ventures such as Zobe Photography, Zobe Magazine, Zobe Records, etcetera, did it feel like a natural next-step to diversify or was it something that you were advised to do?
When I started Zobe as a talent agency I always knew that it would be more because I had actually become an event/nightlife promoter before I created the company so that was already a division built into the company from the start. I had already had all of the talents and skills that I would later add other divisions into the company. I had already been building websites and doing computer graphics so I began creating those for various talents and utilizing my promotional skills online to market them. I already had the talent of drawing and creating and thus I became a fashion designer which became another division of the company. I had already managed bands that I was in as an instrumentalist prior to the business so thus it was inevitable that I add the record label division to the company. I was always a good writer so I added the magazine division to the company. I was self-taught to do photography so I added that to the company. I was also self-taught to do videography and editing so I added the Zobe TV Network division. Everything was built upon my talents and abilities so it was always a natural next step to the evolution of the company. I have always been my own advisor. I have had to learn the hard way and through my own mistakes. I’ve tried to get mentors but usually they just tried to take advantage of me and nobody understands your story and journey like yourself so you are your best advisor. Trust yourself!
10.) It seems that black entrepreneurs have to really fight to be seen and heard in a world that more or less doesn’t embrace black business. With that being said, what are some issues that you feel that you and other black business owners face when it comes to gaining the momentum necessary to compete in a white-dominated capitalistic society?
The main issue that I feel impacts our community the most would be finances and access to capital/funding/investors. The one thing that a business needs to start and to survive in business is money. There are not as many opportunities to obtain that capital because there are few of the community in the top positions of offering that assistance and help to obtain it. There are very few investors that will take chances on the community. There are very few companies that are run and lead by the community who give grants and funding to entrepreneurs. Then it’s the issue of lack of knowledge and information within the community. We are not being taught many things that we should be taught at a young age about entrepreneurship and business and finances. We are not growing up born into wealth and having opportunities given to us. We have to always build from the ground up and work hard for everything that we get so we have to have the right mindset which can be an issue in itself when we are programmed from birth and taught things one way instead of being taught the entire truth of life itself and the world that we live in. A true entrepreneur has to realize how the world works and the industry that they are a part of in order to become successful.
11.) If black entrepreneurship is one of many avenues to black economic empowerment, do you think we will see more black entrepreneurs coming on the scene? Will we see more black people become serial entrepreneurs? If so, what do you think it will take for black business to truly compete in a world that seems to be rapidly advancing?
More of the community are realizing that entrepreneurship is one of the many avenues to economic empowerment each year and there will definitely be more of the community coming onto the scene. To become a serial entrepreneur they just have to ensure they have the right mindset and align their goals and resources to achieve those objectives. So hopefully we will see more of the community do more as we are definitely seeing the community reach a higher level of consciousness. However, it is not going to be easy and those who are in control or who seek control of various aspects of the world and the economy are trying to make it even more difficult for our community. So for the community to truly compete in this world we live in we must try to stay a step ahead of the competition and find new creative ways to not only reach our goals but to also help others around us to do the same. We must lift each other up and provide opportunities for others and build up our own community and internal economy by buying from our community and supporting our community and educating our community together. Know where our world is advancing to and be the one who creates and develops solutions of the future today so that our community can be ahead of the curve and put our businesses in demand.
12.) What advice would you give to someone who’s interested in starting a business or pursuing a career in the arts, whether it be graphic design, web design, photography, branding, marketing, etc.?
Some advice that I could give is that sometimes you have to start by showing what you are capable of doing. That may look different for different entrepreneurs but for some it may mean that you have to give services or products for free or have promotional samples or you may have to barter to be able to get the ball rolling. Just know that you always have control over something that is yours so ownership is key. Mindset is the lock. On the other side of the door is opportunity and you have to take advantage of it. So it’s all about finding that opportunity or creating that opportunity. They say “if you build it they will come” but that is not true… in today’s society, if they don’t know about it and it’s not already popular then they won’t come so you have to find ways around those issues and be able to appeal to people in creative ways by putting your company/products in demand. Always think about what makes you different and better than the next.
13.) There are multiple ways of attaining clients and building up your clientele, so what are some ways you acquire clients? If you were to advise an aspiring business owner/entrepreneur on how to get more clients, what advice would you give them?
Business development has always been something that comes down to networking for me. Word-of-mouth can do wonders. Grassroots promotions and marketing is where I started. Being able to adapt to any environment and being able to relate to others has helped. To obtain clients you must know your industry, know the needs of the potential customer, and be able to provide an alternative solution for their needs that is competitive with other businesses. Having a strong online presence for your business is essential to business development these days. To get more clients you have to be able to tap into any and every resource that you can to get exposure for your business and to share the client’s experience as reviews are big in today’s business. Referrals are one method and great customer service and a great product can take you a long way. You just have to know your market and demographics to know what will work for your business and products to pull in as many clients as you need to meet your quota or business sales goal.
14.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 to 10 years from now?
In 5-10 years I see myself being able to place my company in a position to where it could run without me and grow it to become an empire that I could create generational wealth and opportunities for my family and the community as a whole. I currently have plans, partnerships put into place, and I am developing products to take my business into technology which will take my company into the future and allow for expansion of my empire as I take this conglomerate to new heights here at Zobe Entertainment, Inc.
Zobe Brand Links
Zobe Fashions, Models, & Talents (Modeling, Talent, & Promotional Agency)
Zobe Records – Independent Label – Major Distribution
Links To Featured Articles About Alonzo Black And The Zobe Brand
Meet Alonzo Black: The Man Behind The Multimedia & Entertainment Brand Zobe
Entertainment Executive Alonzo Black Builds a Business Conglomerate Called Zobe
