(Q) Whats good CZA? It is a true pleasure to do this interview with you, can you please tell the DH readers about yourself?
(A) Thanks for having me. To put it as imply and as plainly as I can, I’m nothing more than a cat from the curb who talks about how I see the world. Some good, some bad but all about coming up from whatever hardship you face on a daily basis. Bio-wise, I started out as a writer for magazines and blogs such as The Source, Basic and Ballerstatus.com doing articles and columns before I made the jump into motivational speaking, writing and blogging. I have a syndicated column called “Mogul Motivation” you can catch on the net as well as a radio segment called “Mogul Moment” on The Carey Sisters show airing in Las Vegas every last week of the month.
(Q) You know CZA certain words can be intermediating or cause confusion such as the word CEO. My questions is what does the word CEO mean to you and how can people harness the power of that word?
(A) CEO is an acronym I came up with to mean something different than what most think it does. While you can be a Chief Executive Officer, you don’t have to be in a corporate setting in order to do you the best way you know how. To me, a CEO stands for someone who can Create Every Opportunity they get and Conquer Every Obstacle that stands in their way. By realizing and living these two philosophies, you’ll grind harder than you’ve ever grinded before and get the kind of results you’re looking for in whatever you do.
(Q) With DH I talk alot about personal branding especially for artist or MC’s but how can personal branding help somebody that is looking to get a promotion in a job or really stepping their game up by starting a business?
(A) Being an up and coming MC is no different than entering the corporate world; you don’t have a lot of means at your disposal initially and you have very little experience to draw off of initially. That’s when your creativity comes in and when you should focus on building a presence for yourself through everything from your clothing options to elements of your resume. Whether it is on the block or in the boardroom, you should create your persona, your personal brand, by incorporating who you are into your environment and use the skills and tools available to you. While I would never advise anyone to stay in someone else’s corporate setting, the skills you learn at your 9-5 can translate into you jumpstarting your own enterprise.
(Q) It is quite obvious that the Recession is probably not going to stop anytime soon my questions is what is ROHI and what are some things that people should focus on to increase their ROHI?
(A) As I mentioned in my free ebook over at 10Facets.com, ROHI stands for Return On Hustle Investment and is based off the financial term ROI or Return On Investment. Underneath it all, the game is you get out exactly what you put in. If you lack integrity and play people to the left, you’re not going to get anywhere because karma will come back in the form of angry people blackballing you or worse. To get the most out of your ROHI you have to evaluate the hustle you’re interested in versus how you’re built. Not everyone can do everything as well as everyone else and why would you want to be mediocre at something when you could be great at something else? Knowing this will speed up your rise because there’s no wasted effort!
Another tip to improve your ROHI is not committing to a project, person or idea until you’re ready to. How many times have you come across someone who floats from one thing to another, starting up with enthusiasm only to stop mid-stride and go another direction? Plan it, execute it, move on.
Finally, a great way to get your ROHI up is to not look at failures as failures but as a chance to up your knowledge. Don’t let it bum you that your deal didn’t go through or Dr. Dre wasn’t feeling your demo tape–if possible, ask for criticism and apply it to your hustle next time. At the very least you learned something you didn’t know before.
(Q) In my last couple of interviews I have been asking this question a lot, how do you see Hiphop in the next 10 years?
(A) I think in the next ten years we’ll see more and more artists taking control of their music, image and business opportunities, creating more Diddys and 50 Cents. The day when you had to beg a label to sign you is well past dead; the artists been knew it, the labels themselves are beginning to catch on and the fans are respecting the movement. I couldn’t be happier that the middle man is being cut out–these mega conglomerates have been raping the culture since the onset and soon there’ll be a better distribution model with the music and fans in mind that’ll completely do away with the old school play-for-hire trap. We all see through the 360 deals for what they are and enough is enough.
(Q) I can’t wait for your “upcoming book and album”, can you please DH readers about it and what it expect?
(A) You can expect good, quality reading and even better music all about grinding, getting your mind correct and staying positive. I’m not on that corny Schoolhouse Rock, either, I can’t do anything but speak the real so be prepared. There’s a joint on there for every type of hustler and even some cuts to play with your lady. The book is deep too, chopping up the essentials of how a successful CEO thinks from ground zero. I’m talking about everything from creating your brand to the psychology of the hustler to how to get the most out of networking opportunities from a street corner perspective. OGs on the block can relate to this. Presidents in the biggest corporations in the world can key in on the game I’m dropping. Even your mom can use the book to go further because of how approachable and applicable it is to every day life.
(Q) What do you think the biggest mistake young entrepreneurs do when starting off?
(A) The biggest mistake I see a lot of young entrepreneurs making is they talk too much. They feel like by telling the world what they will do before they do it will make them look more accomplished than they really are. building a buzz is one thing but hitting up cats when you’re not prepared tarnishes your reputation and can make it harder for them to believe you when you’re actually ready to go. Don’t broadcast every single thing you do on the net–it’s too easy for people to search you now and use any negative aspect against you. Work first, acclaim second.
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