Inspirational Black Men In Tech: John York & Frequency People On The Five Things You Need To Know In Order To Create A Very Successful Tech Company

An Interview With Jamie Hemmings

Stay adaptable. Not only are markets constantly evolving, but so are people and their needs. We keep an open line of communication with our customers to ensure we can stay ahead of their needs. For example, we use our chat technology to create a public community where our users can talk with us in real-time and suggest new features and functionality, and just have a conversation around their needs, etc. This boosts our confidence with our user-base and allows us to stay in-the-know on how they’re feeling, and changing.

As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Black Men In Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing John York.

John York is a tech entrepreneur and enthusiast and co-founder of the Frequency People app — (formerly known as SpokeHub). His company was one of the first recipients of Google’s Black Founders Exchange back in 2017. John has an extensive background in advanced analytics and a strong desire to bring people together from all around the world to have real engaging conversations. He is based in Atlanta, Georgia where he lives with his wife Ava and their dog, Monty.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was at a high school basketball game watching a student I mentored. Long story short, he received a technical foul for apologizing to the ref! I was heated! So, I did what any normal person would do…I went to Twitter to rant! As I was writing my tweet, I realized something. Nobody who followed me on Twitter was at the game. So, I could rant as much as I wanted to, but nobody would fully understand the frustration I had with the ref. I wanted to build a platform where people could jump into a community and have a conversation about the things that are happening in the moment and that they can relate to with each other. This was the beginning of Frequency People.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

One of the most exciting moments in our journey occurred after we successfully raised $2 million, with 90% of the funding coming from black investors within our local community. We were invited to appear on Al Sharpton’s PoliticsNation on MSNBC, which was my first experience on live television. I was thrilled to share our story.

During our segment, Al asked about the challenges of raising funds as a black-owned business in a predominantly white industry. Interestingly, that struggle was not our story at the time since we had just raised $2 million from black angel investors. It was an exhilarating experience to share our journey and talk about how we overcame the odds and beat the statistics.

Overall, it was a fun and memorable conversation that highlighted the power of our community and the importance of supporting black-owned businesses.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of the mistakes that still stands out to me occurred a couple of years ago when we were trying to test the market for our app. We had several top-tier colleges in North Carolina located within a few miles of each other, each with their own fall semester orientation celebrations. We decided to set up booths at all these events on the same weekend, with a new build of our app that had not been tested.

We were under a time crunch to promote this new build, and we thought it would be okay to skip the testing phase. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Within hours of getting over 1,200 students registered on our platform, our app began to crash, and every user registered that day was lost. What had taken us hours to achieve was lost in a matter of minutes. There will never be a more humbling experience than a new user showing us their phone and it says, “this app has crashed”!

It was a valuable lesson for us. We learned that no matter how confident we may be in our technology, it is crucial to run it through proper testing channels before launching it to the public. This experience taught us the importance of thorough testing and the need to prioritize quality over speed.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

There were moments during our startup journey when I felt like giving up. It’s tough when the biggest obstacles are the ones closest to you. Our team has gone through several changes early in our journey, which meant seeing original founders and key executives leave due to key decisions or differences of opinion that did not align with the vision of the company.

The hardest part for me was realizing that the people we started with couldn’t be the same people we would finish with. This realization was emotionally taxing. However, our team recognized that these decisions were necessary for the betterment of the company. The individual motives of previous members had become a hindrance to our collective vision. So, we had to consider the situation and take action.

What kept me motivated was the belief that what we were building was more significant than any single person. The positive impact that Frequency People could have on the world was what drove me to keep pushing forward. Ultimately, my encouragement came from the knowledge that we were working towards a greater good.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I must give a shoutout to one of our advisors, Lori Jones Gibbs, affectionately known as Auntie Lori. She was the catalyst for our initial fundraising efforts. Auntie Lori gave us access to the investment groups that she was part of and allowed us to pitch to all of them. Because of Auntie Lori, we were able to raise $2.2 million in angel investments within a matter of months!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

This quote has been key to our perseverance. “Have a plan, but write it in pencil.” We’ve had to endure so many shifts, twists, and turns. In doing so, we’ve learned to be flexible, and allow ourselves to adjust to the ever-changing markets ahead.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This is of course a huge topic. But briefly, can you share your view on how this crisis inexorably evolved to the boiling point that it’s at now?

Throughout the last several decades, the United States has become more eclectic, with a growing minority population. Race and ethnicity are becoming increasingly prominent as the country becomes more diverse. Regardless of which way one may lean politically, partisan politics and divisive rhetoric from all sides have contributed to a climate in which problems of race, diversity, equality, and inclusion have become increasingly divided, leaving us where we are today. Social media has also placed a magnifying glass on the real issues that take place in the minority diaspora in the US. These things have led to where we are as a nation today.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

As a black kid growing up, the most inspiring thing was to see someone sitting at the top who looked like me. There weren’t many examples, especially in the technology space. We have seen that change over the years but it’s still not at a place where it should be. As a leader when I think about a diverse executive team, it’s not only race to take into account. It’s important to be inclusive of race and gender being in the social media space. Though we have a shared vision, the uniqueness of everyone’s experience and interactions makes for a better platform and user experience.

Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in more broad terms. It’s hard to be satisfied with the status quo regarding Black Men in Tech leadership. What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

Going back to my previous answer, I believe that we as black men have a responsibility to instill hope and encouragement to the next generation. That starts with providing opportunities to introduce others to this tech leadership space as early as possible. We need to go from being an outlier to being the status quo of black men in technology. Mentorships and sponsorship of other black talent is also important. The passion may be there, but passion without opportunity is just a dream. We need to turn dreams into reality.

We’d now love to learn a bit about your company. What is the pain point that your company is helping to address?

Frequency People is determined to address key pain points and concerns people have had engaging with social media platforms over the years. The three key areas we really address, and standout are privacy concerns, content moderation, fragmented user experience and monetization.

• Privacy concerns: Many social media users are becoming increasingly concerned about the privacy of their personal data and may be hesitant to share information on existing social media platforms. Frequency People does not share individual data with third parties. Individual data is only utilized to provide that user with a customized and unique user experience.
• Content moderation: Frequency People leverages AI-based content analysis, human moderators, and community reporting mechanisms to limit toxic and inappropriate content. We allow each network owner to set a “Frequency” (community standard) for their community to determine how they want the community members to engage with one another.
• Fragmented user experience: Many social media users may have accounts on multiple platforms, leading to a fragmented and disjointed experience. A new social media platform could offer a more integrated user experience, potentially by combining features from multiple platforms or by offering unique features that cannot be found elsewhere.
• Monetization challenges: Frequency People does not establish thresholds in order to monetize your content. Additionally, we have the ability for content creators to monetize different formats of content.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Our company’s story is a testament to its power and resilience. Initially founded by six individuals, five of whom were black, we leveraged our local network to raise over $500k in just a few months. Within six months, we raised a total of $2.2 million, with 95% of the funding coming from members of our black community. This was a significant achievement that set us apart from the norm. However, our early success was short-lived due to poor leadership decisions that led to the loss of all our funding within a year.

Fortunately, we did not let this setback defeat us. We took the necessary steps to replace our leadership, and I eventually assumed the position of CEO. Despite our struggles, we remained committed to our vision and persevered through the challenging times. Our user base, which had once reached 70k, had dwindled to just a few hundred, but we did not give up.

We have been actively rebuilding ever since, determined to reclaim our former glory. Our journey has been challenging, but we have learned from our mistakes and emerged stronger. Our story is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our vision and the resilience of our team.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, we have created a platform for people to re-imagine how they will engage with social media.

Building a community that is engaged and interactive can be a powerful tool for individuals and businesses alike. With our app, users have the ability to cultivate a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about the same topics and interests. By providing a platform that prioritizes engagement over followers, we allow users to focus on building meaningful connections with their audience.

In addition to fostering engagement, our app also enables users to monetize their content. By providing tools for creators to earn revenue from their content, we empower them to turn their passion into a career. This not only benefits the creators, but also the community as a whole, as they can continue to provide valuable content and insights to their audience.

But we don’t stop there. Our app also allows users to create their own social platform, called Frequency Universes. With this feature, users can tailor their social experience to their specific needs and preferences, creating a personalized space that reflects their unique interests and voice. By providing a fully-hosted platform, we eliminate the technical barriers that can often prevent individuals from creating their own social space.

Overall, our app offers users a new and exciting way to engage with their community and build a meaningful presence online. By prioritizing engagement, monetization, and customization, we empower users to take control of their social media experience and build their own dedicated social platform, their way.

Frequency People is available for download for Apple and Android or you can access it online at www.frequencypeople.com.

What would you advise to another tech leader who initially went through years of successive growth but has now reached a standstill. From your experience do you have any general advice about how to boost growth or sales and “restart their engines”?

The first thing I would suggest is to take notice of your current situation and perform a full analysis of what is actually taking place. Is your stagnation due to internal factors such as certain team roles and responsibilities that aren’t being fulfilled, or external factors such as an unforeseen shift in the market? Try to pinpoint your pain-point. Your next step is based on the assumption that you have mentors/advisors who can provide guidance. Reach out to them and share your findings within your pain-point and listen. Following this, evaluate everything and take action. Take a look at your business strategy and the considerations that come to play. Hire (or fire) people who can fill any internal gaps you may be feeling and adjust your business plan to the ever-changing markets to ensure that you remain relevant in your industry. Ensure that with everything you’re doing, you’re keeping your customers at the forefront. Focus on retaining your customers and growing your customer-base through marketing efforts, customer surveys, etc. Think outside of the box and get creative with your strategies. And finally, embrace patience, and make minor adjustments. This standstill phase isn’t uncommon for businesses. If you stay focused and move with a strategy in patience, then I believe you can “restart your engines” more effectively.

Based on your experience, can you share 3 or 4 strategies to give your customers the best possible user experience and customer service?

Personalization is key in providing customers with a curated experience. Whether it’s personalized products, targeted messaging, or recommendations, it is important for every customer to feel valued and understood. This leads to customer loyalty and long-term relationships.

Simplification is also essential. While having an extensive range of features may be impressive, if the product is too complex for users, it becomes challenging to navigate, leading to frustration and abandonment. People are creatures of habit, and if a product interferes with their routine, they may revert to old ways, even if it’s not great. Simplifying your product can eliminate the barriers that limit users from trying new things and open them up to novel experiences.

Lastly, responsiveness to customer inquiries, complaints, and comments is crucial. Providing prompt feedback to customers helps establish trust and confidence in the business and enhances overall customer satisfaction. Customers who feel heard and appreciated are more likely to remain loyal to the brand and recommend it to others.

As you likely know, this HBR article demonstrates that studies have shown that retaining customers can be far more lucrative than finding new ones. Do you use any specific initiatives to limit customer attrition or customer churn? Can you share some of your advice from your experience about how to limit customer churn?

Customer churn, or the loss of customers, is a major challenge. In order to limit customer attrition and retain existing customers, we have implemented the following initiatives:

• Analyze customer behavior and feedback: Analyzing customer behavior and feedback can help not only identify why customers are using the platform but also the reasons why customers are leaving. From these insights we can determine what improvements can be made to retain them and keep them engaged. We can make data-driven decisions to improve customer retention.
• Improve product quality: We are constantly looking at ways to improve our product quality by offering better features, better user experience, and faster response times.
• Provide excellent customer support: Providing excellent customer support can go a long way in retaining customers. Responding promptly to customer queries, offering solutions to their problems, and being proactive in addressing their concerns can help improve customer satisfaction.

We can’t share all the secret sauce, but these are some of the initiatives we have implemented to limit customer attrition and retain existing customers, ultimately improving our bottom line and creating a loyal customer base.

Here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a very successful tech company? Please share a story or an example for each.

The first thing I will mention is to ensure that your company is solving a real problem that customers are facing. Find the problem that hasn’t been addressed yet, do your research, talk to potential customers to understand their needs, and create the solution. When we first started, we began to look at unhealthy trends that were plaguing the social media industry. We conducted surveys and conversed with our customers and those within our target market. We built our platform with these conversations in mind. And we continue to have them to this day, which takes me to my 2nd point.

Stay adaptable. Not only are markets constantly evolving, but so are people and their needs. We keep an open line of communication with our customers to ensure we can stay ahead of their needs. For example, we use our chat technology to create a public community where our users can talk with us in real-time and suggest new features and functionality, and just have a conversation around their needs, etc. This boosts our confidence with our user-base and allows us to stay in-the-know on how they’re feeling, and changing.

As you’re becoming adaptable to the necessary changes that may come your way, make sure to focus on the user experience. You want to create a product or service that is easy to use, and as enjoyable as can be for your customers. Use feedback from your customers to continuously improve your product. We’ve taken feedback from a few of our users on accessing certain portions of our platform. After receiving the feedback, we surveyed more users and looked deeper into their feedback. We ended up using their feedback to update the layout of our UI, which has significantly improved the user experience of our platform.

Next, I would say that you should focus on building a strong team. A strong team is essential in the success of any company. You want to hire individuals with diverse skill sets and a strong work ethic. When you’re a startup in the tech industry, possessing a toolbelt is powerful. I like to say, “As you walk this entrepreneurial journey, focus on breadth of knowledge; but carry a shovel.” Look for those who have a breadth of knowledge but can go deeper into the areas where needed. More importantly, you want a team of people who share the same passion that you do for the company. Great skills can be found anywhere, but aligned vision and passion can sometimes be a rare thing to find. When you do, bring them close. I was lucky. My Chief Strategist, John McAdory (Mac) is tech savvy, and business minded. He understands everything, operations, but can jump in and sell our services with the best salesmen out there. AND he is completely in alignment with the vision we have set for Frequency People, and his passion matches the rest of the team. He is a true asset. Mac is a great example of finding strong team members.

Finally, I’d say to plan for scalability. The goal of a company is for it to grow. You should prepare for the growth before it comes. I’m not saying to go out and get a 401-k plan for your company when you only have 3 employees (unless that’s necessary for your industry!) but be thinking about how you will scale. Focus on areas such as the roles and positions you foresee your company needing to hire. Or the architecture of your online platform. Is it time to add redundancy to your hosting? Have you set your cloud service up to ensure that your platform won’t shut down if something happens to your servers, etc. Have you considered cyber security to protect your users’ information? How about legal representation? How will you allocate your funds as they continue to come in? Is office space needed? If so, will you rent an actual office or use a co-working space? These are questions you can be considering now. Before we raised our first round of funding, we knew the lawyers we wanted to use and the skillsets we needed to hire that would excel our growth. We had several conversations early on with other developers and cloud architects to understand what we would need to implement to ensure our platform would run safely and securely. We were ready to grow when the time came. And all we had to do was implement the plans we had already created. There was no being caught off-guard. We were ready. Making a plan with adjustments is purposeful, but making adjustments without a plan is a waste of time. Plan for growth!

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Here are the final “meaty” questions of our discussion. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Frequency People was created with the purpose of giving everyone a voice and providing a platform for effective action. In today’s world, there are endless opportunities to be heard, but it’s important that these voices lead to meaningful change. We envision Frequency People as not just a platform for diverse voices to be heard, but also a catalyst for action and empowerment.

The Global African Community is made up of over 1.6 billion people, and if we unite around economic and political empowerment, we can achieve great things. Imagine a platform where goods and services can be bought and sold, and ideas can be exchanged across borders and cultures. A global marketplace with the ability to transact in multiple currencies would allow us to address the needs of our communities and create sustainable solutions in areas such as food, water, data, and banking.

By focusing our intentions and efforts on the needs of our community, we can ensure that our voices are not only heard but acted upon. With Frequency People, we can work together to create a better future for ourselves and future generations.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I’d love to sit down with Myron Golden. I love his story and his convictions. As a Black entrepreneur who has been very successful in his field, I believe that I could glean a lot from a private meal with Myron.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!