Welcome back to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward talk with Dr. Joseph Daniels, founder of Build Community Through Love. Build Community Through Love seeks to infuse AGAPE LOVE into the strategic and actionable redesign of authentic community. Dr. Daniels has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas, is a community builder, and is a real investor. In this episode, some of the topics you will get to hear about our insights around inclusivity in ecosystem development, opportunity zones in real estate, the need for equity in Northwest Arkansas, and Dr. Daniels’ why. Thanks for listening in with us!
Shownotes
(2:01) Introducing Joe Daniels
(5:06) Moving from a metropolitan area to NWA
(11:19) Inclusivity in entrepreneurial ecosystems
(26:12) Joe’s future with Build Community Through Love
(32:15) Joe talks about what drives his passion
(35:48) Advice for Joe’s younger self
(38:55) Wrapping up
Links
Build Community Through Love Website
Quotes
“We value all of these things and then allow for a seven day event where everybody comes in from outside to come into our home. And we begin saying, you know what, we’re not gonna, we can’t do anything. We’re just going to let everybody be themselves. And, you know, if I’m a taxpayer in this city, I don’t want to have to go to another city for a week just to let other people come into my house and wreck it, just for me to have to come back.” (27:20)
“So I would tell young Joe, as he’s coming out of high school, begin thinking of ways to employ people. Begin using your mind to solve problems. Don’t force yourself to get A’s in a system that’s gonna continue to keep you locked into as an employee, because your mind is so powerful. And if you use your mind, you can always be an employee, but you can also be someone who can really affect change, and who can provide ideas that solve and can provide real solutions.” (37:08)
A Catalyst for Change in Northwest Arkansas
Conversations revolving around inclusivity have become very prevalent over the last decade, and 2020 has not bucked the trend at all. Joe Daniels, founder of Build Community Through Love, speaks regularly and powerfully about inclusivity in the country and entrepreneurial ecosystems. He founded Build Community Through Love to grow community through economic development, community development, and education.
Joe grew up in the greater Washington DC area and moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. In 2013, he relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas, as a graduate student after the University of Arkansas reached out to him in an effort to increase diversity in their graduate studies programs. Joe graduated with a Ph.D. in 2018 and has begun to settle into Northwest Arkansas.
Now, Joe works in several capacities to promote inclusivity in Northwest Arkansas, including speaking at Martin Luther King vigils put on by the University. He also works with Bikes, Blues, and BBQ to make the event more inclusive by taking actions such as banning confederate flags.
“We value all of these things and then allow for a seven-day event where everybody comes in from outside to come into our home. And we begin saying, you know what, we’re not gonna, we can’t do anything. We’re just going to let everybody be themselves. And, you know, if I’m a taxpayer in this city, I don’t want to have to go to another city for a week just to let other people come into my house and wreck it, just for me to have to come back.” (27:20)
It is no secret that inclusivity and equality are great passions of Joe’s. Listen to him talk, and you will hear the fervor in his voice, his words well-thought-out and powerful. He now seeks to spread this passion through his organization Build Community Through Love. He hosts a podcast under the same name as his organization, and he remains active in the community.
According to Joe, the most effective way to promote inclusivity is to make it a core value. People’s actions are shaped by what is important to them, and if they value inclusivity, they will inherently promote it. To Joe, businesses and organizations are no different. If a company makes inclusivity a core value, the business will naturally promote inclusivity in its environment.
“So I would tell young Joe, as he’s coming out of high school, begin thinking of ways to employ people. Begin using your mind to solve problems. Don’t force yourself to get A’s in a system that’s gonna continue to keep you locked into as an employee, because your mind is so powerful. And if you use your mind, you can always be an employee, but you can also be someone who can really affect change, and who can provide ideas that solve and can provide real solutions.” (37:08)
Moving forward, Build Community Through Love seeks to assist in creating systems that provide equitable opportunities to all people, especially those that are systematically oppressed and disenfranchised. Joe believes that by making love the core value of his mission, he can affect change globally.
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