When I was thirteen, living in Accra, Ghana, I had dreams of building companies and being an entrepreneur. They were so clear to me... I saw a future where I was making products and services that the world loved. Ideas from making cleaner water for Africans to building penpal networks that connected kids in Africa to kids in the west. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I wanted to be an investor. I talked about it so often I was described by everyone in my family as "the dreamer" ..." Gerald is always building castles in the air". 

At some point in our live's, we've all dreamed about making some leap and doing something that we know might not work. if we had to ask for permission to do it, most people would say no, or it's not going to work. Because of this, most like me end up going through our entire lives, not walking our dream path. Whether it's because we have never seen anyone like us walk that path, scared to fail and look foolish, or we don't know how to turn that dream path into reality.

My uncle Charles was the most well-read person I knew at thirteen. He got me dreaming beyond my reality through reading great books like the richest man in Babylon and learning about great entrepreneurial tycoons like Aristotle Onassis. He inspired me to dream about being an entrepreneur. At 16, I met my mentor Wayne Patrick who flamed my love for technology by teaching me computer science and opening my eyes to the opportunities the internet is bringing. It still took me twenty years before I met my friend Rob Fitzpatrick, author of The Mom Test, who finally inspired me to believe I can do it. Rob gave me practical frameworks to rethink the risk I thought I was taking and what to do with the ideas I have. I quit my job the day after meeting Rob to walk my dream path. After seven years of walking that path in 2020, I finally overcame the imposter syndrome- "feeling like a fraud" and embraced it. 

I am an entrepreneur. 

At my company Impact Brixton, a coworking space for dreamers  we know how arduous this journey can be and know it can be the most rewarding gift you can give someone. 

"The best thing you can do for a person is to inspire them. That's the best currency you can offer: inspiration. Nipsey Hussle

 So what is The Welcome Dreamers podcast? It's a gift; to inspire and support more entrepreneurs to walk their own path. 

We call all dreamers, and we welcome all dreamers to come and walk their path with us. Share this idea, video and blog with someone who you know needs to hear it.  

Today supported by the my team Daryl McCollin, Maurice Cunningham and Daniel Thompson, I talk to Kate Allen, Wayne James ad and a live performance by Gareth Esson. We talk about; 

This first show is happening live at the Blackbar at Impact Brixton and might be online live. It's our rehearsal. It's backstage work and the birth of a new idea and a new project. It won't be perfect, it might not work, but hey, it's a dream project.

If you want to attend tonight, online or offline or for future shows, follow Impact Brixton on IG and let me know. 

Gerald