 |
Building A Better Brand®Author: Tony Triumph Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
Listen Now...
From Vacant Storefront to $2.3M Vision: Angel Gregorio on Power, Partnership, and Purpose
Episode 13
Monday, 5 January, 2026
In this episode of Building A Better Brand®, host Tony Triumph sits down with Angel Gregorio, the visionary entrepreneur and community builder behind The Spice Suite and Black and Forth—DC’s first Black-owned strip mall. Recorded live during Congressional Black Caucus Week, this conversation traces Angel’s intentional journey from the classroom to multimillion-dollar real estate development. Angel pulls back the curtain on her "rule-breaking" philosophy, sharing how she transformed a single vacant storefront into a national movement for collective ownership and economic empowerment.The conversation reveals Angel’s unfiltered approach to scaling, from using a 9-to-5 as a "dream investor" to navigating a $2.3M renovation and securing emergency city legislation to complete her mission. Together, they explore the importance of discernment, the power of peer-led mentorship, and why moving beyond the "struggle narrative" is essential for building sustainable community systems. Whether you are a brick-and-mortar founder or a digital operator, this episode offers a masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship and what it truly looks like to build a better brand through service, distinction, and disruption.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Momentum for the "Big Leap": The real story behind leaving a career in education to bet fully on a single storefront and the mindset required to scale.Building Big in DC: How The Spice Suite evolved into Black and Forth—DC’s first Black-owned strip mall—and the shift from shop owner to real estate developer.The Math of Scaling: A transparent breakdown of a $2.3M renovation, including city infrastructure requirements and the hidden costs of scaling brick-and-mortar.Partnership Over Hustle: How to leverage civic engagement and emergency legislation to secure high-level funding, including a $1M grant.The Hybrid Model: Why every for-profit needs a nonprofit arm and how Dream Incubator was built on service before structure.Systems Over Struggle: A vital conversation on moving beyond the “struggle narrative” to focus on operational outcomes and sustainable business solutions.Brand Authority & Data: How to use relevant insights and performance data to communicate brand value to funders, government entities, and customers.
