The Hidden Truth About Hustle Culture Why It's a Trap for Black Entrepreneurs!

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Let's talk about this hustle culture. So I saw a clip on Instagram I thought was interesting. Let's play this clip, please.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:06)
Hustle culture and cruel optimism, it leads to a lot of crazy things for black folks like exhaustion. Here's an article from The Time. It says that the hustle is an idea, a discourse and a survival strategy often glorify this economic opportunity. It is an ode to a type of capitalism that cannot secure the futures of anyone but the wealthiest. But it's popularity lies and now hustling can feel like an equal opportunity struggle.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:33)
Okay. In that clip and shout out to that brother. He does a lot of like political different takes.
So he pretty much was saying that, I've been hearing a lot as far as on Instagram, social media that hustle culture is a trap to keep people unhappy. You're never really going to really reach the level of wealth that, you know, my times I attend that you're really going. So it's just the treadmill that we've brought into to kind of feel like, you know, we're running a race to nowhere type thing. And, you know, the traps of capitalism and it's really only designed for the top 1% to get wealthy and all of that.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:21)
Yeah.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:22)
So I saw that. And like I said, I saw other people kind of, you know, I've been seeing this a lot, that theory.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:30)
It triggered you.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:33)
I wouldn't say. I wouldn't say that it triggered me, but it was something that I think was worth talking about from a different perspective.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:52)
Stoicism in the answer. I love it.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:54)
For sure. For sure. So I have some, I have some pointed opinions on that, but do you have opinions?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:00)
Of course.
On the positive side, let's sandwich the situation. On a positive side, well, let's take the negative side. I understand what they're saying by the connotation that you need balance, you do need rest, you do have to make time for family and friends. But in every society, it takes capital to make reality come true.
I think one of the biggest things is not talked about is like, you have to put individual hustle into a system or business that allows you to scale. Now, if I'm on Canal Street selling fake Ferragamo bags, probably not the best business. But the idea that you can just lay on the beach, everything's automated, cook funnel, funnel hack, growth hack your way to it does not work. How many people have you met at Investfest? Robert Smith, Barack Obama, who should have been there? None of these people are talking about growth hacking. They're doing the work every day. Tyler Perry, 50 cent. Yes, you have systems, you have teams, but I think the bigger issue, I think a lot of people are giving up on the American dream and finding out that it is an illusion and a nightmare. But the thing I was talking to my barber about yesterday, man, the cost of living has gone up so much. Even for everyone who would map post this, if you're waiting on a rate decrease, well, you finally got the rate decrease. But the $500,000 house you now want is now $795. So you're paying the same thing. So if you don't hustle in this environment that you're in, you're going to be on the wrong side of history and you're financially not going to be in a good space and it's going to lead to a lot of depression.
But what do you, I know this is near and dear to your heart. What do you think?

**SPEAKER_1** (3:49)
So yeah, I think, it's an interesting conversation because looking at it like all right, this hustle thing is killing us and it's counterproductive and we wasn't meant to live life like that. But I think they're not really looking at it from a hustler's perspective. Like for me, some people don't have an option, there is no really no other option. You have to hustle. That's the job requirement. So it's like, all right.
When I started working as a financial advisor, I didn't work for a Wall Street firm or work for an insurance company. So if you're familiar with the difference, Wall Street firms, you get paid salary. From my situation, I got paid a commission. That's how you make money.
So it was no option of not hustling. You don't have an option not to hustle. You got to hustle. I never had a job where I'm getting a salary, and I can just work nine o'clock to five o'clock, and then leave, and then go home. We had to hustle.