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  • Calvin Dantley on Collaboration, Networking, and Building Better Leaders in St. Louis

    Calvin Dantley on Collaboration, Networking, and Building Better Leaders in St. Louis
    2026/07/16
    St. Louis gets called a “crabs in the barrel” city sometimes, but Calvin Dantley has not experienced it that way.In this episode of STL Hustle Insider, Cortez Hustle sits down with Calvin Dantley, entrepreneur, connector, husband, father, and founder of Master Systems, for a conversation about collaboration, networking, branding, sales, learning and development, and helping first-time managers become stronger leaders.Calvin shares his journey from Pittsburgh to St. Louis, how entrepreneurship runs through his family, what he learned from his father being known as “the picture guy,” and how that shaped his understanding of branding. He also opens up about sales, curiosity, making meaningful connections, and building Master Systems into a learning and development company focused on supporting new and first-time managers.This episode is for entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, team leaders, connectors, and anyone who believes St. Louis grows stronger when people stop gatekeeping and start making the right introductions.In This EpisodeCortez and Calvin talk about:Why collaboration and non-gatekeeper culture matters in St. LouisCalvin’s background as an entrepreneur, dad, husband, and connectorMoving from Pittsburgh to St. LouisWhy St. Louis and Pittsburgh feel similarGrowing up as a third-generation operatorHis grandfather’s pharmacy business and his father’s photography companyThe branding lesson Calvin learned from his father being called “the picture guy”Calvin’s journey through Temple University and economicsEarly sales experience, including CutcoMoving through direct sales, business-to-consumer, business-to-business, tobacco, and health and wellnessHow each career stop helped shape the business he is building nowWhy curiosity helps Calvin connect people and solve problemsThe difference between networking and wasting people’s timeThe origin and evolution of Master SystemsMoving from in-person workshops to e-learning after COVIDBuilding animated videos, courses, voiceover work, and a learning libraryWhy Master Systems focuses on first-time managersThe challenges new managers face when leading people they used to work besideCalvin’s Top Five STL recommendationsWhy business owners should seek out local resources and relationshipsKey TakeawaysCollaboration works best when people make thoughtful introductions that actually add value.Branding is not just a logo. It is what people remember you for.Curiosity is a business advantage when it helps you ask better questions, listen carefully, and connect problems to solutions.Every career stop can become part of the toolkit for the business you are building.First-time managers often need support with accountability, one-on-ones, performance conversations, and leading former peers.St. Louis has more business resources than many owners realize, but people have to go out, network, ask questions, and get connected.Growth is not the same as scaling. To scale, business owners and leaders need systems, training, and stronger teams.Featured GuestCalvin DantleyFounder, Master SystemsCalvin Dantley is an entrepreneur, husband, father, connector, and learning and development professional. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Calvin moved to St. Louis in 2011 and has built deep roots in the local business community.Through Master Systems, Calvin helps organizations support new and first-time managers with practical training, learning resources, and development tools designed to help leaders grow with more confidence and clarity.Guest LinksMaster Systems: https://mastersystems.us/Calvin Dantley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-dantley/Episode SponsorsThe 89th CollectiveThis episode was recorded at The 89th Collective Studios in East St. Louis, Illinois.If you need a small event space, a business mailing address, memberships, local vendor discounts, or a place to connect with other entrepreneurs, visit: https://the89thcollective.comRelentless Defensive Firearm Academy, helping responsible citizens across St. Louis train safely, legally, and confidently through firearm safety education, Missouri CCW classes, and self-defense training.Learn more at RelentlessSTL.com or call 314-314-8485.Interested in sponsoring STL Hustle Insider?Visit: https://stlhustleinsider.com/become-a-sponsorMusic AttributionBreak music mentioned in this episode:“Halo” by LateefListen at:https://LateefLive.comChaptersNote: Chapter timestamps were not included in the transcript. Please adjust these to match the final edited audio export.00:00 - Welcome to STL Hustle Insider00:45 - Introducing Calvin Dantley02:00 - Who is Calvin Dantley?03:15 - From Pittsburgh to St. Louis05:00 - Entrepreneurship in Calvin’s family07:00 - The branding lesson from “the picture guy”09:00 - Temple University, economics, and sales11:00 - From tobacco to health and wellness13:00 - How each career stop shaped Master Systems15:00 - Break and music from Latif16:00 - Welcome ...
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    32 分
  • Trey L. Scott on Emerging Business Leaders, Cash Mobs, and Meaningful Impact in St. Louis

    Trey L. Scott on Emerging Business Leaders, Cash Mobs, and Meaningful Impact in St. Louis
    2026/07/09
    Trey L. Scott on Emerging Business Leaders, Cash Mobs, and Meaningful Impact in St. LouisImpact is not always meaningful. But when it is intentional, organized, and rooted in community, it can change the way people see themselves, their neighborhoods, and their local businesses.In this episode of STL Hustle Insider, Cortez Hustle sits down with Trey L. Scott, founder and co-founder of Emerging Business Leaders, for a conversation about East St. Louis roots, community activation, cash mobs, faith, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and what it means to come back home and pour into the people who shaped you.Trey shares how a promise made with his friends years ago became part of the foundation for Emerging Business Leaders, a collective focused on youth development, economic development, civic engagement, storytelling, business support, and helping overlooked people push their vision forward.This is a conversation for entrepreneurs, organizers, community leaders, small business owners, faith-driven builders, and anyone who knows that local change does not happen by accident. It happens when people decide to get up, show up, and do the work.The conversation covers Trey’s East St. Louis upbringing, his move to Glasgow Village, his time at Riverview Gardens and Lincoln University, his call to ministry, the formation of EBL, the power of cash mobs, the role of civic engagement, and the importance of supporting St. Louis businesses with more than words.Trey also opens up about personal loss, building a business to honor legacy, advocating for Clean Slate legislation, creating a mobile “new-age chamber of commerce,” and encouraging entrepreneurs to take the first step even when they feel burned out, unsupported, or unsure.In This EpisodeCortez and Trey talk about:Why meaningful impact requires intentionTrey’s identity as a son, father, brother, entrepreneur, preacher, citizen, and follower of ChristGrowing up in East St. Louis and seeing the Arch across the riverMoving from East St. Louis to Glasgow VillageWatching neighborhoods change over timeTrey’s time at Riverview Gardens High SchoolThe Wolf Pack promise to come back home and pour into the communityTrey’s call to ministry and the mentors who saw something in him earlyWhat Emerging Business Leaders is and why it existsHow EBL became a collective of entrepreneurs and community activatorsThe origin of the cash mob conceptHow EBL uses cash mobs to support local businesses with customers, content, exposure, and connectionWhy cash mobs are about more than one day of revenueThe upcoming cash mob bus tour conceptWhy EBL is being described as a mobile, new-age chamber of commerceFerguson, B Juice, STL Run Crew, and the connection between health and community workWhy civic engagement is part of business leadershipTrey’s personal loss and how it shaped his workAdvocacy around Clean Slate and second chances for formerly incarcerated individualsThe importance of stepping up as the next generation of community leadersTrey’s Top Five STL recommendationsHis final word to entrepreneurs who are tired, uncertain, or waiting to startKey TakeawaysMeaningful impact happens when people move with intention, not just activity.Local business support should include dollars, visibility, content, relationships, and repeat customers.Community activation requires more than events. It requires systems, people, trust, and follow-through.Civic engagement matters because policies directly affect businesses, neighborhoods, schools, public safety, housing, and opportunity.Emerging Business Leaders is building a model that blends entrepreneurship, community organizing, storytelling, advocacy, and economic development.Small businesses do not always need only money. Sometimes they need structure, bookkeeping help, branding, marketing, relationships, and access.The next generation cannot only admire previous leaders. At some point, it has to step into the gap.Entrepreneurs do not need to have everything figured out before they begin. They need to take the first step.Featured GuestTrey L. ScottFounder and Co-Founder, Emerging Business LeadersAlso known as “The TikTok Preacher”Trey L. Scott is an entrepreneur, preacher, father, community activator, and founder/co-founder of Emerging Business Leaders. Rooted in East St. Louis and shaped by his experiences in Glasgow Village, Riverview Gardens, Lincoln University, ministry, entrepreneurship, and personal loss, Trey is committed to pouring back into the people and communities that helped shape him.Through Emerging Business Leaders, Trey and his team support local businesses, youth development, economic development, civic engagement, storytelling, advocacy, and community-based entrepreneurship.Guest LinksEmerging Business LeadersFacebookInstagramTikTok: [Add link]Episode SponsorsThe 89th CollectiveThis episode was recorded at The 89th Collective Studios in East St. Louis.If you have a business but you are still using your home ...
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    40 分
  • Nancy Jordan on Faith, Purpose, Business, and Building What God Gave You

    Nancy Jordan on Faith, Purpose, Business, and Building What God Gave You
    2026/07/02
    Nancy Jordan joins STL Hustle Insider to talk about building a life and business around purpose. She opens up about growing up with faith, pursuing law, realizing the legal system was not fully aligned with her deeper mission, and discovering her purpose through helping people start businesses. What if the thing you keep doing to help people is not just a gift, but part of your assignment?In this episode of STL Hustle Insider, Cortez Hustle sits down with Nancy Jordan, CEO of Grow Business Development LLC, for a conversation about faith, purpose, entrepreneurship, marriage, community economics, and mission-driven alignment.Nancy shares how her journey took her from childhood faith to law school, to working in difficult areas of the legal system, to discovering that helping people build what God placed inside them was not just something she enjoyed. It was the work she was called to do.This episode is for entrepreneurs, leaders, believers, nonprofit builders, corporate professionals considering entrepreneurship, and anyone trying to move from scattered ideas to clear, purpose-driven action.The conversation also covers her book, Six Success Goals for Business: Six Elements for Godly Success, her work with entrepreneurs around the world, the power of community economics, her upcoming From Employee to Entrepreneur workshop, marriage lessons after 23 years, and her favorite St. Louis recommendations.In This EpisodeCortez and Nancy talk about:Who Nancy Jordan is and why purpose has always shaped her lifeHer early faith journey and coming to know the Lord at six years oldMoving through different Midwest cities before settling in St. LouisWanting to become a judge before fully understanding the legal pathWhat working around divorce, custody, domestic violence, and orders of protection taught herThe difference between what the law can do and where grace and faith step inHow volunteering at church helped her discover her real assignmentTurning helping people into a business without losing the heart of the workLearning not to take a God-given vision and try to build it without GodMeeting her husband Will and lessons from 23 years of marriageHer book, Six Success Goals for Business: Six Elements for Godly SuccessWhy SMART goals did not fully resonate with her and how her own system was developedCoaching and supporting entrepreneurs in other countriesInvest Change and the power of savings groups, trust, and community economicsThe upcoming From Employee to Entrepreneur workshopNancy’s Top Five STL recommendationsHer final encouragement for anyone carrying a God-given visionKey TakeawaysPurpose may already be showing up in the work you naturally do to help others.A successful career path can still feel disconnected from the deeper work you are called to do.The law may be designed to resolve and separate certain matters, but Nancy’s mission has been rooted in building, restoring, and supporting relationships.Entrepreneurs often receive the vision from God, then make the mistake of trying to build it in their own strength.Goals should not just sound impressive. They should honor God, become practical, and be built into daily action.Community economics works when people establish trust, shared rules, and a commitment to building together.Marriage requires keeping God first, even above the needs and expectations placed on a spouse.If God gave you the vision, He did not make a mistake, but you may still need people to walk with you as you build it.Featured GuestNancy Jordan - CEO, Grow Business Development LLCAuthor, Six Success Goals for Business: Six Elements for Godly SuccessNancy Jordan is a faith-driven entrepreneur, attorney by training, wife, mother, business development leader, author, and purpose advocate. She has been connected to St. Louis for more than 30 years and has helped entrepreneurs, organizations, churches, communities, and leaders move from vision to execution.Through Grow Business Development LLC, Nancy helps people clarify what they are called to build, create goals that are grounded in faith and action, and move forward with structure, strategy, and support.Guest LinksSix Success Goals for Business: Six Elements for Godly Success: https://sixcessgoals.com/From Employee to Entrepreneur Workshop: https://claritystartsnow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancymjordan/Resources MentionedGrow Business Development LLCSix Success Goals for Business: Six Elements for Godly SuccessInvest ChangeFrom Employee to Entrepreneur WorkshopThe 89th CollectiveTruman State University, formerly Northeast Missouri State UniversitySIU School of LawJoyce Meyer’s Dream CenterTower Grove ParkSt. Louis toasted ravioliSaint Louis ZooSt. Louis-style Chinese foodJazz venue in the Central West End: [Confirm venue name]LatifLive.comEpisode SponsorsThe 89th CollectiveThis episode was recorded at The 89th Collective Studios in East St. Louis, Illinois.If you have a business but do not have a business address, ...
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    40 分
  • James Dickerson on Faith, Resilience, Entrepreneurship & Overcoming Adversity Ep 001

    James Dickerson on Faith, Resilience, Entrepreneurship & Overcoming Adversity Ep 001
    2026/06/25
    James Dickerson’s story is about faith, grief, business, resilience, and the strength to keep going when life gives you every reason to stop.In this episode of STL Hustle Insider, Cortez Hustle sits down with James Dickerson for a powerful conversation about overcoming adversity, walking by faith, building successful businesses, and staying rooted in purpose through life’s hardest moments.James shares how his entrepreneurial mindset started early, from creative business ideas as a young man to later building and exiting successful businesses. But this conversation goes far beyond business. He opens up about the impact of the crack epidemic on his community, the role mentorship played in shaping his life, the importance of faith, and how he continued to serve, lead, and grow through grief and personal loss.This episode is a reminder that resilience is not about avoiding pain. It is about getting back up, leaning into purpose, and continuing to move forward with faith, community, and a reason bigger than yourself.In This EpisodeJames Dickerson’s early entrepreneurial venturesHow a bike rental idea revealed his business instinctsThe impact of the crack epidemic on his community and lifeThe role of faith in overcoming adversityBuilding and exiting successful businessesWhy does a business become more valuable when it can operate without the ownerThe importance of mentorship and spiritual foundationHow personal loss shaped James’ perspective on purposeCommunity service, leadership, and giving backFinding hope after grief and setbacksKey TakeawaysFinding an itch in the marketplace and scratching it can lead to success.A business that can operate without the owner becomes more valuable.Resilience means getting back up after loss, grief, and setbacks.Faith and community service can shape both personal and professional growth.Mentorship and strong relationships can transform lives.Purpose can help carry you through seasons that success alone cannot fix.Episode SponsorsThis episode of STL Hustle Insider is made possible by our episode sponsors and community partners who believe in supporting local stories, local businesses, and the people helping move St. Louis forward.Sponsored by:Manly Mo-Jo — Premium Skincare & Wellness Brand for men.Website: ManlyMo-Jo.comAdditional Support From:iHustle Media Group — AI Systems & Marketing Integration for Local BusinessesWebsite: iHuslteMG.comInterested in sponsoring a future episode of STL Hustle Insider?Learn more at: https://stlhustleinsider.com/sponsorFeatured GuestJames DickersonConnect with James:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdickersonTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/jamesdickersonResources MentionedBishop E. Dwight K. — Mentor and spiritual guidehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dwightkThe 89th Collective — Event Space in East St. Louishttps://the89thcollective.comChapters00:00 Introduction and guest introduction02:08 Who is James Dickerson?03:09 Walking the entrepreneurial journey with faith04:36 First speaking engagement and early success05:55 Early entrepreneurial ventures: Bike rental business08:36 Impact of the crack epidemic and community involvement11:35 Community service: Shutting down crack houses13:22 The importance of mentorship and faith in transformation14:45 Overcoming loss, grief, and resilience18:34 The power of mentorship and spiritual foundation19:18 Building and exiting successful businesses21:51 Resilience in the face of personal tragedy24:36 The passing of James Dickerson’s daughter25:34 Finding hope and purpose after loss26:54 Closing thoughts and inspiring messageAbout STL Hustle InsiderSTL Hustle Insider is a St. Louis podcast and local media platform hosted by Cortez Hustle, spotlighting the people, businesses, creatives, nonprofits, and movements building the city from the inside out.Music AttributionMusic used in this episode is royalty-free/licensed for use by STL Hustle Insider.Track: HaloArtist/Creator: LaTeefWebsite: LaTeefLive.comAll music is used in accordance with the applicable license terms.2AKGZLMVLBPM9IAXSubscribe, recommend a guest, sponsor the show, or stay connected at:https://stlhustleinsider.com
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    43 分
  • Welcome to STL Hustle Insider | The Stories Building St. Louis

    Welcome to STL Hustle Insider | The Stories Building St. Louis
    2026/06/02

    Welcome to the official trailer episode of STL Hustle Insider, the podcast spotlighting the people, businesses, creatives, nonprofits, and community builders moving St. Louis forward.

    In this trailer, host Cortez Hustle introduces the vision behind the show, why this platform is being built, and what listeners can expect from future episodes. STL Hustle Insider was created to document the real stories behind the hustle happening across the city and the region — from entrepreneurs building from the ground up to community leaders creating opportunities for others.

    This episode is an invitation to be part of the first wave. Whether you were born and raised in St. Louis, moved away but still claim the city, recently arrived, or are thinking about making St. Louis home, this podcast is designed to give you a front-row seat to the people and stories shaping the region.

    If you believe local stories deserve a bigger platform, subscribe now, share the show, and nominate someone building something meaningful in St. Louis.

    In This Trailer, We Cover:

    • Why STL Hustle Insider was created
    • The mission behind spotlighting St. Louis stories
    • Who the podcast is designed to feature
    • Why this platform is bigger than just interviews
    • How local businesses, creatives, nonprofits, and community builders will be highlighted
    • Why listeners should subscribe before the first full episode drops
    • How to nominate someone for a future feature

    About This Episode

    This trailer sets the tone for STL Hustle Insider and introduces the heart behind the platform.

    Hosted by Cortez Hustle, this show will take listeners inside the stories, behind the brands, and around the city to meet the builders, dreamers, leaders, and local voices helping move St. Louis forward.

    The goal is simple: document the hustle, celebrate the impact, and help more people discover who is building something meaningful in and around St. Louis.

    Episode Timestamps

    00:00 Welcome to STL Hustle Insider
    00:12 Why St. Louis needs to tell its own stories
    00:30 Who this podcast will spotlight
    00:49 Why this is bigger than a podcast
    01:08 Who should listen
    01:26 What to expect from future episodes
    01:45 Subscribe and become one of the first 100 insiders
    02:00 Nominate someone building something meaningful in St. Louis


    About STL Hustle Insider

    STL Hustle Insider is the podcast spotlighting the people, businesses, and movements building St. Louis.

    Hosted by Cortez Hustle, the show features conversations with entrepreneurs, small business owners, creatives, nonprofit leaders, and community builders who are creating impact across St. Louis and the surrounding region.

    Each episode goes inside the story, behind the brand, and around the city to highlight the real hustle shaping the future of St. Louis.

    Subscribe to STL Hustle Insider

    Stay connected to the people, businesses, and movements building St. Louis.

    Official Website:
    https://stlhustleinsider.com

    Follow the Show:
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stlhustleinsider
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlhustleinsider

    Subscribe and Listen:
    [Apple Podcasts Link]
    [Spotify Link]
    [YouTube Link]
    [Other Podcast Platform Links]
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    3 分