Q+A: Exploring the Impact of Instability with Entrepreneur Dhani Jones

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These days, “uncertain times” feels like an incredible understatement for our current moment in history. The recent swell of Black Lives Matter protests has inspired a nationwide conversation about police brutality and systemic racism in American society  — and while COVID-19’s reach seems to be dissipating, the country must still contend with the economic anxiety, psychological trauma, and lingering threat of reemergence left in the pandemic’s wake.

This massive paradigm shift is sure to have a pronounced impact on all aspects of our lives, from our purchasing behavior as consumers to the fundamental beliefs we hold as people. That’s why it’s more important than ever to listen to your customers right now, particularly those with a painful history of being under- or misrepresented. What do they want? How have you previously failed in hearing them, and how can you serve them better?

As part of Suzy’s most recent State of the Consumer webinar session, CEO and founder Matt Britton sat down with Dhani Jones, an entrepreneur, former NFL linebacker, and host of  Stand Together LIVE, an Instagram chat show raising money for COVID-19-affected families as part of the #GiveTogetherNow rapid-response initiative. Together, the two discussed the nuances of this complicated subject.

[The below exchange has been edited for length and clarity.]

Matt Britton: So let's talk about some of the issues that we’ve addressed in this webinar so far, in terms of racial injustices As a former professional football player and a black entrepreneur, were you at all surprised to see all this happen? And how do you think this is going to play out moving forward?

Dhani Jones: Well, I'm not surprised it happened because I've lived through it my entire life. I can think back to times when I was in middle school and in high school, and racial slurs were thrown in my direction. I can think about even playing football and being on the field and fans saying certain things, and about boardrooms that I've been in. So I've lived through it and I'm 42 years old. 

And so, I'm not surprised. I'm supportive of all the advocacy, and the protests that people are peacefully engaged with. I think that's what's so great about [Suzy] is that you’re able to distill these insights. Whether you're in marketing or whether you're in data analytics or whether you're in sports like myself, you can take that information and have a conversation with someone. 

MB:  My struggle is that I see the data points, but I have not lived in your shoes. What's the best way somebody like me can truly understand what you're going through and find ways to best react towards it?

DJ: Number one, you have to understand your own privilege, where you've been, and people that you've engaged with — and you may find that you may have had some moments where you weren't as good as you could have been. Number two, I think it's always appropriate to reach out to those that are around you and facilitate discussions. And three, go outside your comfort zone. I know this is easier said than done, because a lot of the times our neighborhoods may not be as diverse as the community that we're trying to understand. So, sometimes you have to go down the block and meet someone that you've never met before, participate in one of the peaceful protests, or maybe even stand on the side of the street and observe.

One of my friends, IN-Q, is a poet. He says, "In life right now, we're going through it. The fact is, we're going through you. And what that means is you're going through yourself." That's why people have such an emotional response right now, is because we're actually starting to solve some of those issues with who we are as people. And that's challenging, and it starts to allow different loads of emotions to start to bubble to the top. It might incite an argument, but if you've both agreed to have a conversation about it, you can work through those details.

MB: Definitely. I think in the social media world right now, there's not enough dialogue. You can post something, and then somebody will take a shot and move on. It's not me and you getting on a video and discussing things, and I really think there needs to be much more of that. 

DJ: Yeah. I’ve had great conversations on Stand Together LIVE, and everybody has a different perspective, but we all agree that things need to change. What we all need to understand is that it takes time. We all have our inherent responsibilities, and brands have a responsibility as well. People want to know more about what you care about before they care to know you. It's the same thing with brands. People want to know what the brands care about before they care to invest in a brand. 

MB: It's so interesting. When we raised venture capital funds for Suzy, we went out and pitched 80 of the most prolific Silicon Valley investors, and not one of them asked us what we were doing to drive a more diverse workforce. They only wanted to know about our numbers. Those same VCs now...

DJ: They're changing things. Now VCs want to know, how many female employees do you have? How many African-American employees do you have? What does your board look like? How are you looking at running your business? And that only happens when people start to have those dialogues to challenge others about how they're running their business. They're starting to realize that people, through technology and transparency, know what you're about. They will follow up. 

So you can't just submit a check. You can't just make an ad. People will look at you differently depending upon what you do right now in this moment, and they will evaluate that for the rest of your entire life.

MB: What I worry about is you see a lot of companies are doing these campaigns, but where are we going to be a year from now? 

DJ: Well, here's the thing. We have no idea if brands will continue to operate in the same way, or if they'll just go back. But people won’t forget how you respond right now. And so I don't want you to be hesitant in terms of what you say, I just want you to realize that it's important to think through what you are saying. What you contribute to has to be different. People say, "That's too complicated" — well, unpacking 400 years of racism in the world is complicated. It takes time.

MB: It's not like COVID-19, where hopefully there's a vaccine and it goes away. This is a systemic thing that's been underlying in our society for centuries, and we just have to get better every single day.

DJ: Agreed.

For a thorough breakdown of our most recent research study into consumer sentiment, download the full recording of State of the Consumer: The Impact of Instability.

Want to get your own insights from consumers? Get in touch with us to schedule a Suzy demo and launch your first question today.