Victoria Azubuike on Building Brands That Back Black Entrepreneurs

0:00This is the thing that kept popping in my head. I just felt like I'm not writing the story that I want for myself. Like there's no adventure. There's no like, oh, hardship. We both know like building any business is difficult.

0:12Alex Chisnall:My guest this week is Victoria Azubuike, who shares how she built a movement from scratch and why staying true to your values matters more than ever. I now feel like I can achieve and like do anything. I just feel like now I'm limitless. I don't have no one to like stop me. I can go as far as I want my ideas to go because I'm literally my own boss. Sometimes you just need someone to be like, no, stop making that excuse. You can do it. Welcome to this special bite-sized episode of Screw It, Just Do It from our back catalogue of over 550 past episodes. If you like what you hear, don't forget to follow the show and grab your free two-day pass to the Festival of Entrepreneurs this October.

0:50Alex Chisnall:Just head to festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk to claim yours and don't forget to dive into the back catalogue. Want to surround yourself with 5 ,000 to 10 ,000 entrepreneurs who've already decided to screw it and just do it? The Festival of Entrepreneurs is happening October the 8th and 9th at the NEC Birmingham, and I'm giving away free two-day pass to my listeners. 200-plus speakers, 90-plus sessions, billion-pound entrepreneurs sharing their real stories, not theory, but the actual strategies they use to scale. Head to festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk right now and claim your free pass, because the best networking happens when you're in the room with people who've already decided to screw it and just did it.

1:30Alex Chisnall:So I always start off by asking my guests, screw it, just do it moments in their life that took them from the path they were on to where they ultimately want to be. Was there a moment when you decided to quit your corporate job to pursue helping women through the us group or are there moments before them that kind of set you on the journey? I've naturally always been someone that's like, you know, loved building things outside of like, you know, academic, my academic life or university, as well as when I was in the world of work. And I think there was just moments leading up to that when I was just not getting that fulfillment whilst climbing up the corporate ladder.

2:09And I think there's one day in particular, with my last job in the world of work, corporate world, where I was having a conversation with my brother, And then he was literally, I had planned already, like maybe in six months time from that time to like leave my corporate job. And then he was just like, look, Victoria, like I was speaking to God, I feel like you need to just quit. And I was like, yeah. And then the next day, so I was doing like 7 a.m. meetings with my CEO of the company just to like, you know, bounce ideas off for him. And the next day I like presented like my almost like my business plan to him and just say like, look, I feel like it's time for me to like screw it and just do it and take that leap.

2:52And I believe in myself. And he was like, you know what? Like, and this is what also reassured me. He was like, this is a loss to our business. But like, I'm glad you're doing this for yourself. So that moment. Yeah, that was November 2021. And 21, yeah, like that was literally a one day in between. And I was just like, I have to do this. And I've never looked back.

3:14Alex Chisnall:What seems to happen to me a lot of the time is the people I recruit for my business. And this goes back quite a few years with different businesses I've had, leave to start their own businesses. And like part of you is like, oh, damn, losing somebody really good. But you can't begrudge someone doing that because they're just doing what you've done yourself, which is going to start a business. So you're like, you've got to applaud that. And was there anything like stopping you from making that leap before? Had you thought about that many times? I was always complaining when I was like in the world of work because when I was in the corporate world, I just felt like I wasn't building or doing things that like, was I was like, I should be doing at the time.

3:54And I think there were so many moments. Actually, there was the year before that, it was my mentor who first put the idea into my mind. She was like, Victoria, like, you've been building up the US program, well us group um then us program like you should like take this full time and like see if you can like start um you know with bouncing yeah with bouncing off ideas and like maybe bring a recruitment arm because i would see in my previous event the young women who would be attending would be getting at like hired from the from my event and she's like maybe like take this full time and believe in yourself so that was 2020 into in the during the pandemic and i was just like Like it was just a whole new world for me.

4:35I've never seen someone who did that like close to me who like quit to do something. It was always someone like distant online. So like I wouldn't even understand like what that like how would I prepare myself financially? So that idea first came in 2020. But then I was just I wasn't ready. I didn't understand. And I'm glad I took one year like to save a bit of money to really think things through. And yeah, then do like screw it at the right time.

5:01Alex Chisnall:If you're enjoying this conversation and thinking, I need to be around more people like this, then I've got the perfect solution for you. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5 ,000 to 10 ,000 ambitious entrepreneurs come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. It's on October the 8th and 9th at the NEC in Birmingham, and I'm giving my listeners free two-day passes. Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies, exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and get your free two-day pass before they're gone. Do you think your mindset changed at the same time?

5:38Alex Chisnall:Or do you think you've always had the mindset? It just wasn't the right timing for you? As in the mindset to quit? Yeah. So I was always going to quit. I knew eventually I would quit because I was just like, this is the thing that kept popping in my head. And I did a YouTube video on this. I just felt like I'm not writing the story that I want for myself. Like there's no adventure. There's no like, oh, hardship. Like I was to read my Wikipedia page at that point, like I wouldn't be excited about it. And I saw so many of my friends smashing it in the corporate world and killing it and loving it and like, you know, progressing and fulfilled and happy.

6:14And I was just like, this is not for me. Like this is not like what my race needs to look like. So yeah, I knew that the mindset was there, but it was timing. And like when you don't see someone who's gone and did that before you, it can be sometimes difficult to know what does that actually look like.

6:34Alex Chisnall:How different do you think life could be if you hadn't made that decision? So do you know, sometimes I just stop and think like, wow, like I'm really like doing, like it's hard, like we both know like building any business is difficult. But like I just would have, I would have stopped myself. Like I now like feel like I can achieve and like do anything I'm not saying that I couldn't, I didn't feel the same Like particularly when I was in the world of like corporate world But I just feel like now I'm limitless I don't have no one to like stop me I can go as far as I want my ideas to go Because I'm literally my own boss So no one can like tell me like, you know You can't progress to do this, you can't do this Like I could, you know, leave this room and like take a flight to somewhere And like, you know, start something there So I just feel like right now it's just, I just feel like, you know, just limit us to build, to see, to do really whatever I want to do.

7:28Alex Chisnall:Where does that come from then? I love that. Does that come from the upbringing you had, like from your parents, from your family, from your friends? Or is that something that you've just developed? It can only go so far with like your initial circle If you don't see them in a position that you want So what I started to do, right Especially when I quit my job Is I changed like my mentors Like my mentors before were like very much like in the corporate world And then I changed it to actually people online Who I saw who had built incredible things for themselves And started off for nothing And I would like literally soak in and digest And like stalk them, research them find any video I could on the internet to like understand like how do they think like this why like what has got them to this point and then I think that's what's helped me is seeing people like you know online who were just smashing it who were killing it who are reaching their full potential and like studying them um because again I do really think seeing is believing but then that helps you create your own path and like again like because I use social media a lot on the days where I'm just like I don't know I look at someone I'm just like they're doing it there could be someone else watching me so like i can do it as well and is that why like with the you can tell us a little bit more about um the us group and and what you do and who you help but is that why with some of the events you hold like we were just talking about you've just had grace beverly come and do that is that why you're you're trying to to get somebody that the people you work with so like a lot of the young women you're working with have got um you know somebody that they could like you say seeing is believing they could they can physically see that person they can hear that person they can understand their story and it makes it real to them and it makes it achievable to them exactly like i completely completely agree and sometimes you just need someone to like who's done it who's gone before you to actually be like look they've done it you can also do it as well so that's why i try to bring people in from all different backgrounds all different you know walks as long as you know um they are like a woman like who can you know speak on share their experiences and relates with the like young women i serve like absolutely because sometimes you just need someone to be like no stop making that excuse you can do it and because i've done it so if i've done it and i'm no special than you i'm no you know better than you i always share like i have you know even with myself like i've got severe dyslexia i've haven't come from the wealthiest background I've really struggled with a lot of things like you know so I always share that just to show that like you can do like really whatever you set your mind to but it's a lot of work.

10:08Alex Chisnall:That conversation just proves something you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with so here's my challenge upgrade your network the festival of entrepreneurs is happening October the 8th and 9th and I'm giving my listeners free two-day passes to get in the room with 5 ,000 to 10 ,000 entrepreneurs who are actually building something. This is where the risk takers, the game changers, and the people who've decided to screw it and just do it come for inspiration, education, and connection. Don't just listen to their success stories. Go meet the people living them. Grab your free pass now because the biggest risk isn't taking a chance.

10:43Alex Chisnall:It's missing the opportunity entirely. I hope you enjoyed that bite-sized episode with Victoria as a bouquet, turning a student idea into a movement. So what really struck me is how Victoria started with the university project and grew it into something that genuinely impacts lives. A reminder, ultimately, that you don't need massive resources to start. You just need the conviction. Her passion comes through in everything she says. And for me, that level of authenticity is ultimately what builds trust and long term support. Many people wait until things are perfect, and this is proof that starting where you are with what you've got can still lead to real momentum.