Empathy is Everything with Krystopher Scott

Krystopher Scott (he/him/his) is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and managing partner of Billion Or Bust Ventures, where their goal is to inspire a billion diverse businesses to become billion-dollar enterprises. He also co-founded Two Cent Sports, a sports media company aiming to tell sports stories and amplify the voices of athletes through the lens of Black culture, and serves as an adviser for the venture capital group Pride Fund 1.

Krystopher also carefully selected and curated other B-plus media sites and oversees their innovative content and editorial integrity. This has enabled him to initiate highly engaging and deeply sustained conversations with his core target audience, the influential minority millennial.

Krystopher came from a mix of military and musical backgrounds. All four of his parents—yes, four—were in the Air Force, and he spent a large amount of time around his grandparents, including a grandfather that was a musician and videographer. His grandmother had a background in social work and was very active in the church, feeding the homeless, and helping senior citizens. They taught Krystopher how to provide for people, and from that point he always knew he was going to grow up to run a business or become an entrepreneur.

His stepfather was in charge of the audiovisual department of the church, handling camera equipment and sound engineering, which led Krystopher to what he does today. As he describes it, “I help people go from name to brand through storytelling.”

Being raised with both left brain and right brain mentalities, Krystopher understood that he loved to create, but the idea was shunned because it was difficult to make a living as a creator. Instead, he found ways to incorporate his love for creation into what he does now.

Krystopher fully embraces being an individual. Assigned female at birth, he has now transitioned, and even from the age of three, he knew that something didn’t seem right. Knowing who he was at a very young age, he became okay with being different. He realized that many people go through life not really knowing who they were, so he relished this awareness and understanding.

Growing up so different, Krystopher relied on his community to pull through, and he learned that it’s important not to put limitations on what community is going to look like. All types of people are living life, trying to make it better for themselves and other people. Don’t be afraid of other people. Talk to people who don’t look like you, who don’t think like you. Listen, learn, and gain new perspectives.

What Brett asks:

  • [01:37] Can you take us back to your childhood?
  • [06:28] What was it like to be a child in your family unit and how did you feel about the lessons you picked up?
  • [13:31] How did you become so clear on who you were at such a young age?
  • [22:53] What was the silver lining in transitioning as late in life as you did?
  • [25:16] What has it been like going through the hardships of being underrepresented?
  • [31:56] What was it like to transition at the age of 26?
  • [35:23] What are you doing now?
  • [39:31] How do you see these emerging media in a way that isn’t beneficial for humanity?


Lessons for intentional living:

  • Being an individual is key. Krystopher found strength in his individuality, in growing up different from others and realizing that his unique experiences gave him an edge against others who did not have those experiences. Be you, be unique, and lean into that strength.

 

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