…because black millennial women who balance the personal and professional need the spotlight, too.
In life, our main assignment should be to use our influence to impact. Today’s millennial woman is multidimensional and chooses to define herself by her acts of service in the community, personal growth and development and the lives impacted by her influence.
This is not just any woman. She is Britney Robbins, a woman who believes that her daily work will positively change the lives of youth.Â
Britney shares with The Chicago Defender what it means to be an influencer as a culture contributor, children’s author and founder of The Gray Matter Experience.
Britney, how does your influence impact the world?
As a Black woman working with and on behalf of Black communities across the Chicagoland area, I do my best to ensure that I’m representing a diverse, community-centric perspective that centers the changing needs, realities and opportunities that exist for Black communities to thrive.Â
I hope to have a hand in changing how we view Black entrepreneurship and business creation and help to reorient people to the nuanced ways that Black founders need support as they pursue entrepreneurship as a pathway.Â
In doing so, I’m hoping to create more opportunities for funding, visibility, partnership and growth for Black-owned businesses. As a founder, I’m dedicated to making the pathway to entrepreneurship an easier one than I — and so many others — had to experience as they worked to launch and sustain their own businesses.
What does it mean to you to be a key voice in shaping the culture of youth in Chicago?
I consider it both an honor and a privilege to be able to speak on behalf of and support our young people. They are so bright and empowered, innovative and hungry for opportunities to learn and grow.Â
By supporting young people, we support the future — the world we’ll have to live and grow old in. I believe it is our duty to support them in whatever ways are critical to their growth and development — including exposing them to and educating them about the world around them, ensuring that they have the tools, guidance and opportunities to cultivate their interests, passions and skill sets. I am encouraged by the intelligence and boldness of Gen Z and young people. They are certainly ahead of the curve, and they deserve to be invested in, and I’m happy to be able to do so.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Everyone has a role to play in the fight for Black liberation.”[/perfectpullquote]
How would you answer the following question? The Gray Matter Experience is the solution to…
In its simplest form, we’re aiming to solve for the inadequate and inaccessible business training for founders of color. Gray Matter Experience is much more than teaching youth about entrepreneurship. We aim to expand worldviews and shift mindsets, not only for young people but also for the adults and communities that serve and care for them.Â
We are striving to become a hub for Black entrepreneurship, where high schools, adult-focused entrepreneurship platforms and other organizations that want to support entrepreneurial development for founders of color can view and replicate our model to drive outcomes within our communities.
Gray Matter envisions a future where all Black youth are empowered to embrace bold futures and where business leadership equitably includes the talents of Black entrepreneurs.
What advice can you give those looking to gain success in the nonprofit sector?
Partner with the people around you. So many of us are doing similar work in different parts of the city and country. By sharing resources, we bring more value to our communities, create more visibility for each organization and maximize our impact. Partnership opens opportunities for joint grant applications driving down overhead by sharing costs. Aside from that, operate your nonprofit like a business. Find ways to generate revenue and think early on about how your model could scale, should there be opportunity to do so.
Britney, you are also a children’s book author. The Adventures of Buster & Duval follows the stories of two miniature dogs. What was the thought process of creating such a creatively unique book for kids?
My dog Duval was the inspiration behind it. He’s an adorable (now 15-year-old) teacup yorkie, and people (and I!) love him. Seeing the way people respond and interact with him through the years was always so fascinating to me. At some point, I became interested in how to monetize that. Writing the book combined all of my passions/loves: my dog, writing, business/entrepreneurship.Â
I started researching the publishing process, and to be honest, it was expensive and difficult to break into writing and find the right publisher. I decided to self-publish and looked into which platforms were best while also searching for an illustrator, whom I ultimately found on Craigslist.Â
I had the manuscript written already with visual cues for the artist. Once she got Duval’s features and the illustrative design style right, we published, and viola! It was my first entrepreneurial venture and taught me a lot about business and marketing — public speaking also! Duval did book tours and signings at schools and libraries over the next year. It was such a fun and rewarding but challenging process. I’m glad I have something tangible to honor my dog and see my passion realized.
Shifting gears, let’s talk about self-care. How does Britney show up for herself daily?
I had to learn self-care and boundaries within entrepreneurship the hard way. After achieving founder burnout on several occasions, I finally committed to taking better care of myself. We are not encouraged to do so – by the culture, by society, by the capitalistic way this country moves. However, I’ve learned that without rest and proper self-care, I am no good to the people I serve. In order to remain intentional, thoughtful and excited about the work, I must take frequent inventory of how I’m nourishing my mind, body and spirit to ensure that I’m finding balance between production, leadership and management but also rest, creativity and fun. We only get one life, and that life is not meant to be spent behind a computer screen and in business meetings. I’ve learned that we must continue to prioritize ourselves and our needs, despite the world and demands saying otherwise.Â
If you could gift your younger self with one thing personally and professionally, what would it be?
Personally, I’d gift my younger self the opportunity to have more experiences and explore more. I’ve found in my adult life those are two things that keep me sharp, motivated and hungry for more opportunities. Professionally, it is almost the same. I come from a small town, and there were limited opportunities and not a ton of exposure to industries and jobs. So, I chose a major and career path based on the thing I was best at — writing. I wish I had known what other career paths existed and had more of an opportunity to learn about and be exposed to those things before going to college. It certainly would have saved me a ton of time and money!
Lastly, finish this sentence. As a millennial mind, it is important for readers to know…
that everyone has a role to play in the fight for Black liberation. Whatever your circumstance, we all have people that we influence that are counting on us to show up. However big or small your contributions, they matter in the grand scheme of shifting society forward toward a more equitable landscape for Black people and communities.
To connect with Britney, visit The Gray Matter Experience or her Instagram page.
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