You have heard me mention my father in passing for years. This week he gets the whole episode.

Johnnie Will Smith was the first entrepreneur I ever knew. He ran his own business in South Central when almost nobody around us owned anything, and watching him taught me that a Black man could be his own boss, sign his own checks, and answer to no one but his customers and his God. He also taught me, without meaning to, what happens when a good businessman does not understand money.

Both lessons made me who I am. In this episode I tell the story of a proud, complicated man who built me up, and I am honest about the parts that were hard. There is a lot of love in this one, and there is a lot of truth.

Listen to it with your own father in mind.

🎧 Listen now — wherever you get your podcasts, or simply click below.