Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani
By Lola Media
Find out more at www.thetalkmoney.com
Talk Money with Mesh LakhaniDec 11, 2019
Black in Business
In this special episode, we delve into systemic racism in the United States from an economic lens and bring you three stories from Black entrepreneurs during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the midst of COVID-19. Featuring Kris Shelby of Atlanta's Attom Shop, Chris and Shanelle Montana of Minneapolis's Du Nord Craft Spirits, and Yelitsa Jean-Charles of Detroit's Healthy Roots Dolls.
After George Floyd's killing, we felt the need to take action and have our voices heard. We spent months working on an episode exploring and explaining systemic racism from an economic lens. Our goal is to not only give these founders and their stories a platform, but to provide education on the business challenges they had to overcome as Black people in America.
To learn more and support these businesses, visit the Attom Shop GoFundMe and the Du Nord Recovery Fund. For more Talk Money episodes and bonus content, visit our website.
This episode features:
- Kris Shelby of Attom Shop, the first Black-owned luxury retail store located in the upscale shopping complex, Shops at Buckhead, in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Chris and Shanelle Montana of Du Nord Craft Spirits in Minneapolis. Chris is the very first Black owner of a microdistillery in America.
- Yelitsa Jean Charles of Detroit's Healthy Roots Dolls, one of the first start-up toy companies that creates dolls with diverse skin tones and hair textures to reinforce positive self-perceptions among young girls.
https://www.thetalkmoney.com/podcast/black-in-business
The Price of a Pandemic: The Coffee Shop
We all miss our favorite coffee shops. It's part of our routine. It's habitual. Coffee, or any caffeinated drink, also happens to be addictive. So how are coffee shops surviving during this pandemic? This pandemic has highlighted our need for convenience and minimal touching. With one click, we have our favorite drink ready for pick up, without the need to touch anything! This is the future of digital payments that we've seen work really well in countries like China.
In today's episode, we learn about the coffee shop business and how they relate to the evolution of digital payments. We sit down with Tim Griffin, founder of Cloosiv, a payment platform focused on coffee shops. We learn:
- Why the US is behind in digital payments in comparison to China.
- How Starbucks created one of the most used payments app.
- How the coffee shop business works, and how they're adapting during COVID.
- Why contactless payments are the future.
This is our last episode of the season, but we'll be returning soon after a short break. Thank you to all our guests from this season for participating. Thank you to Olivia Briley for producing and to Maia Tarrel for editing the podcast. Thanks to my wife for doing all our pre-rolls and editing the notes. Thank you to our listeners, for sticking with us and giving us your time. Stay safe out there.
The Price of a Pandemic: Where Did All the Oil Go?
As I'm sure you're well aware, the price of oil saw some major fluctuations a few weeks back... going "negative." It became headline news. How does one of the most valuable commodities in the world go negative? In other words, at one point, people were paying to store oil. Due to COVID-19, demand for oil has dropped significantly because we simply aren't going anywhere.
There are a lot of moving pieces here. We have demand, supply, storage, a pandemic, and then the relationship between the three largest producers of oil - The United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
In today's episode we're learning everything we need to know to make sense of all of this. I speak with Kartik Misra, an energy investor for one of the largest Family Offices in the US. We learn:
- Why the price of oil went negative, and what that means.
- What is happening to all the oil that is not being consumed.
- What's the relationship between the US, Saudi Arabia and Russia when it comes to the production of oil.
- How COVID is affecting the consumption of oil, and how that affects us as consumers.
- What's the future of this industry and all the jobs it affects.
I hope you find it just as informative. If you did, please feel free to share it. Stay safe out there!
Mesh
The Price of a Pandemic: The Good Doctors
Last week, we heard about the incredible pressure on hospitals during this pandemic and how it’s affected nurses specifically. Today, we turn our attention to ER doctors at all stages in their careers... from the residents to attending physicians. And just like other healthcare professionals, they too are putting their lives at risk.
The cost of education to be an MD is high, resident salaries are low, and starting one’s own independent practice is harder than ever. With that said, there are many young MD's (residents) who are working on the frontlines right now. The question is - are they being fairly compensated?
Episode 9: The Good Doctors - In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Nitin Vaswani, a trained clinician, Hopkins alumni & healthcare investor. Currently, he’s spending his time pushing digital health initiatives, as well as helping hospitals transition into tele-health. We learn:
- The current pay gap between doctors in the ERs and the one's senior to them.
- How the hospital system works, and why it’s so hard to start one’s own practice.
- Why hazard pay and loan forgiveness is important for healthcare workers right now.
- The importance of digital health, and how COVID-19 is pushing that movement forward
- How doctors can be compensated through tele-health.
Today’s episode also includes personal stories from two physicians on the frontlines. We thank them for not only sharing their stories, but also for giving us hope. A huge thank you to all the healthcare professionals out there! Stay safe!
In this episode, we show our support for Node Health, focused on bringing evidence-based medicine practice to digital health.
The Price of a Pandemic: In Nurses We Trust
Today we are paying tribute to the heart of the hospital, the nurses. We are so fortunate to have so many incredible nurses in our healthcare system. They play such an essential roll in the comfort and needs of patients, as well as keeping the doctors and physicians informed of what needs to be done. They are efficient and run the show 24 7.
The truth is, we don’t have enough of them. And the ones that we do have are overworked and under-compensated. With the cost of nursing school so high, it makes it even harder to incentivize people to go into the field.
We need them now, more than ever. With the first wave of the pandemic coming down, our hospitals are still short-staffed. But why is that? Well, It has a lot to do with economics.
In today’s episode, I speak with Dr. Rosemarie Aznavorian, Chief Clinical Officer of a hospital staffing company. She’s had over 40 years of experience in the hospital system, and happens to be my mother in law! We learn:
- How hospitals currently staff their nurses and the increased need due to COVID 19.
- Why we have a shortage of nurses currently and what it has to do with the economy.
- How the cost of being a nurse is too high in comparison to the compensation provided.
- The importance of nurses in the hospital system, and how we can incentivize people to pursue this career.
This was an incredibly insightful episode. For one, nurses are on the frontlines risking their lives every day to keep us safe. We should do our best to protect them physically, as well as financially. A huge thank you to all nurses working the frontlines.
For this episode, we’re supporting No Kid Hugrey. Millions of kids rely on school for their meals & shutdowns prevents these kids from being fed: nokidhungry.org
The Price of a Pandemic: Video Games Rule All
Not all businesses are suffering during this pandemic. Specifically, video games and streaming are thriving during times of social isolation. People are gaming more now than ever before. It's keeping us busy, entertained and connected. Gaming has come a long way, and has created multiple new revenue streams for professionals. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that reaches millions of people.. In today's episode, we talk to Ludlow Ventures investor and industry expert Blake Robbins. We learn:
- How far gaming has come since the launch of multiplayer gaming over the internet.
- How the industry has thrived during the pandemic.
- What eSports is, and how professional gamers are seeing success similar to professional athletes.
- How streaming has created new forms of content and entertainment on platforms like Twitch and Youtube.
- The discipline and skill needed to make it as a professional gamer.
For more of Blake's work on gaming and the future of media, check out his newsletter- blake.substack.com. If you want to know why millions are turning in to watch people play video games, check out some of his streamer recommendations:
The Price of a Pandemic: A Wedding Story
COVID-19 is changing every aspect of life right now, and that includes big events that have been in the works for months, even years. Weddings are no exception. Many people have had to cancel or postpone their wedding, which causes many ripple effects. Along with the emotional stress, there are flight & hotel cancellations, deposits lost, figuring out the right future date, etc. With so much uncertainty, it makes planning very challenging.
In today's episode, we talk with world-renowned wedding planner, Michelle Rago of Michelle Rago Destinations. She shares with us how the industry has been affected, what to think about when planning a wedding, and what the future looks like.
We'd like to thank the couples at the beginning of the episode for sharing their stories. We wish you all the best.
If you're a couple who's had to postpone or cancel your wedding due to COVID-19, Love Stories TV is providing assistance. Email bff@lovestoriestv.com for venue and vendor recommendations.
Our music for today's episode is brought to you by Blue Dot Sessions. Intro music was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by All of Bach, a project of the Netherlands Bach Society.
The Price of a Pandemic: A Restaurateur's Dilemma
Also, our friends at Ingest.AI are putting together a “Restaurant Re-Starter Kit” that will help guide restaurants through the reopening process by providing business intelligence tools to track sales, optimize labor, and provide visibility to staff up hyper-efficient skeleton teams. If you know anyone who could use the assistance, visit ingest.ai for more info.
Our music was courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more about this episode and others, visit thetalkmoney.com.
The Price of a Pandemic: Calling All Therapists (On Facetime)
For Today’s episode of the podcast, we’re showing our support for the NYC COVID Care Network. If you or your family member is an essential worker, get free support from a volunteer mental, emotional or spiritual care professional. Go to nyccovidcare.org for more information, and to sign up as a volunteer.
The Price of a Pandemic: Does Bitcoin Know Something We Don't?
Folks from the Bitcoin, crypto & tech communities were sounding the alarm on COVID-19 weeks before most people realized how serious it was. What is it about their way of thinking that had them ahead of the curb? Even though Bitcoin crashed along with the rest of the global markets, what insights can we learn from its potential use case? In the time of a pandemic, is Bitcoin more relevant than ever? We talk to Avichal Garg, co-founder of Electric Capital to learn more. Follow him on Twitter @avichal.
In Today's episode, we're bringing attention to the Frontliners Responder's Fund. Flexport.org & CAF America are working hard to get critical to healthcare professionals at hospitals. They're getting supplies from point A to point B, working with every major trucking company, airline, medical supplier and everyone in between. IF you can, please show your support gofundme.com/frontlinerespondersfund.
For more information, visit thetalkmoney.com
The Price of a Pandemic: The Stock Market
Welcome to our new miniseries, "The Price of Pandemic." We think it's important for people to be updated on all that's happening with the economy, markets & business. In this new series, we're going to talk to experts on a variety of topics and provide you with a toolset to make well-informed decisions. In today's episode, we sit down with investor Rennick Palley, co-founder of Mark 2 Capital. We learn why the stock market crashed this past month, and how to understand the crazy price movements. For more, please visit thetalkmoney.com
Season Finale: An Origin Story
It's somewhat unfortunate, but it's true. Money does in fact make our world go round. That is the system we live in. Therefore, it's important to understand as to make us smarter investors and more informed consumers. In the Season Finale of Talk Money, we learn a little bit about my origin story, the lessons learned, and why this podcast is so important. For more information, please visit thetalkmoney.com.
Mo Money, Mo Savings
Degrees, Debt & Your Dollar
Money Mentor- www.money-mentor.com/
Commonbond- www.commonbond.co/
For more info, please visit thetalkmoney.com
The Mortgage Whisperer
On his second dive into the finance of homebuying, Mesh talks to mortgage banker John Teweles about what one should expect and how one should prepare for the mortgaging process. Afterward, a conversation with Adena Hefets (co-founder at Divvy) illuminates the ways our evolving tech landscape will open up home-buying to a broader range of consumers.
For more information, please visit thetalkmoney.com
Home Sweet Home
Your first home is more than just a space to live--it’s one of your biggest investments. Unsurprisingly, big questions follow: How should I choose a realtor? How can I prepare to make an offer? What information do I need before making a decision? Mesh finds the answers with developer Jordan Ghrist (of Level 1 Development) and realtor Marian Rosaaen (of Compass Real Estate). Listen today, and gain the confidence you need to start looking for your first home...if you're ready.
For more info, please visit thetalkmoney.com.
What's the Deal with Bitcoin? (PART 2)
A worthless gamble, or a rocketship to the moon? Opinions on Bitcoin’s viability as an investment come in all shapes and sizes. Mesh talks with Ari Paul, former University of Chicago Endowment investor and current crypto trader, about the risks and rewards you need to know about. Why has crypto crashed in the past? How can you buy Bitcoin? Should you even touch this stuff? The answers to these questions, and more. (Also featuring guest Avichal Garg, co-founder of Electric Capital; and our friend Kane).
To learn more, visit thetalkmoney.com
What's the Deal with Bitcoin? (PART 1)
You might know bitcoin as a nebulous new technology and a volatile asset--but what’s going on behind the hype? This week, Mesh and his guest Avichal Garg (co-founder of Electric Capital) peel back the curtain to reveal the blockchain currency’s mechanics, its origin story, and its real-world applicability among crashing financial systems. (Also featuring Carlos Hernandez, writer for Caracas Chronicles.)
To learn more, visit thetalkmoney.com
A Table For Two, Please?
Talk Money’s premiere episode examines an experience we have frequently—dining out at a restaurant—through an exciting new lens. Mesh, joined by Eli Chait (restaurant investor and co-founder of Wholesail) and Gabriel Stulman (famed NYC restauranteur), unearths the story of what it truly takes to open and run a successful restaurant. Turns out, it has a lot to do with money.
For information, visit thetalkmoney.com.
Talk Money Extended Trailer
Finally, a podcast that tells the story of your money on your terms. Talk Money highlights everything our money does and teaches you to spend, invest, and earn for today’s world. Preview Season 1 now.
For more information, visit thetalkmoney.com.