Your go to person for the right blend of innovation know how, vision and wisdom Yvette Dubel is a speaker, artist-researcher, and personal innovation mentor, founder CEO of WebAntiphon Group, author of “Why Brand Risk Management Innovation is a Game Changer”, and creator of the Empowered Innovation System[CFAaP]. She is the go to person for conscious leaders looking for outside box thinking with vision and wisdom to drive triple bottom line success (profit, people, planet). For more than two decades Yvette has built a reputation as a big picture thinker and social innovator that knows how to drive short term goals without letting what matters most fall by the wayside. She makes this big topic easy to digest and prepares audiences to be proactive.
Dubel is also an Artist-Researcher in Residence Coordinating the We, the World Freedom Campaign and Founding Director of the [We] Freedom Film Fest. As part of this collaboration on MLK Day 2021, she launched ” a cure for racism” project powered by the Empowered Innovation System[CFAaP].
What is WebAntiphon Group all about?
My business is about forward-thinking solutions that increase the peace and advance inclusion for better tomorrows.
It exist with an understanding of “Business as Ingredient” in the solutions for our world’s most intractable and persistent problems. Creating a system, based on decades of work, that helps you transform challenges into launchpads for success has led to a focus on individual momentum as the key to systemic transformation towards innovation via more effective diversity inclusion.
How you started your company?
My husband and I met in my senior year of high school. That first date was an Amnesty International event collecting signatures for a petition to get American companies to divest and help end Appartheid in South Africa. We shared this story in a WSJ article on Love at First Sight because it changed my life because it was the beginning of our 31+ year relationship that includes 30 happy years of marriage. At that time a local paper reported that was the first black woman to register a marriage to a white man in Pitt County, NC. The social opposition or resistance created a backdrop for many many years to follow. This life choice has also given me unique insights about racism at different levels.
I went to school deadset on making it as an artist. The early racism I experienced at school conditioned me in ways I wouldn’t understand for many years. Early on I settled on being a painter for a long time before deciding to follow where my creative impulses were leading. My artist practice led me to discover and join communities of practice interested in interdisciplinary work. Working in community development at local levels led me to explore a new understanding of socio-technical infrastructures.
All of this happened while I was homeschooling our 3 children who were born in unattended (just my husband and me) home water births. These life events created a foundation of values driven priorities. I was applying and refining what I teach as a personal innovation mentor even during the early years. It was the key to continuing to advance my personal, parenting and marriage goals as key ingredients in recipes for my success, aka my “Success Buffet” (or banquet).
Participating in various research projects gave me a chance explore more leading edge technology and develop an inclusive adaptable model for community change management and social innovation.
Early support came from foundations advancing open source software and applications of new emerging technologies to address social issues and find new market opportunities. Research projects explored applications and interfaces for virtual reality and knowledge sharing platforms to support peer to peer collaboration.
My company began when I first conceptualized ” business as ingredient ” in terms of what was then called SAAS (software as a service) inspired by software art.
With a view on promoting CRM software innovation to include new live streaming and virtual event tech alongside strategy consulting to support cost effective implementation and management. But back in 2008/2009 small business markets overwhelmingly proved resistant to leading innovation so that initiative struggled.
My company initially marketing Socially Responsible CRM Strategy Consulting but it became clear I was again too far ahead of the curve. Realizing if I continued developing my expertise by the time the market caught up I could better position my expertise if I forged on with what I understood to matter. This led me to explore my ideas in relation to branding and risk management, as a path to better outcomes. In exploring new market opportunities I further refined my focus on sustainability via ecoluxury solutions in brand risk management innovation.
After working with a few business coaches I began focusing on “packaging” my art based inquiry and artist practice finding and artifacts into products and services. And that is how the Empowered Innovation[CFAaP] Principles came to help define the Empowered Innovation System [CFAaP] that is applied in “a cure for racism” project
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Good self-management, ability to accurately read a situation early in the game and adapt, as well as integrity (authenticity).
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
My growth plans focus on outcomes, impacts, and legacy of the art based inquiry that anchors my artist practice to help produce “Art as Solution” services/products. Hopefully, this will include progress with recognition as a modern art series and foundation of an inclusive art movement that makes a lasting positive systemic impact.
I will continue to encourage and support entrepreneurs, executives, decision-makers and business owners to redefine success and growth to make “business as ingredient ” part of a new systemic approach across industries. With “a cure for racism” project I plan to make “personal innovation ” part of the lexicon of allies and a preferred lifestyle choice for change agents for good of all and facilitate a huge leap in dismantling systemic and institutional racism.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
My process and my broad knowledge base applied to what really matters. Most recently this has evolved into my focus on personal innovation education and mentoring.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
Trusting others more than myself – I learned the value of my own intuition, abilities, knowledge and unique understanding.
Thinking money was the most important ingredient in business – I learned how invaluable the intangibles are (trust, care, inspiration, honesty, respect, appreciation, etc.)
Working so long to raise funds before going for my big ideas – I came to understand the value of bootstrapping an idea and that the source of the money matters in defining quality (real value) of the partnership.
What has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Building on relationships with folks I’ve met and been introduced to around the world to develop collaborations. So, I guess that means networking at events, doing interviews, hosting podcasts and word of mouth.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Clients that weren’t a great match.
Selecting such an unusual path has been challenging to help folks understand how I can help them.
My solution was to work with coaches to better refine my niche and develop products for them and find an easy way to explain the value.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
That I eventually would come back to the heart of things where it all started.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Slack
- Google Drive
- Webinars
- The Passion Economy – Adam Davidson
- The Truth Podcast –
- U.Academy Online Course Awareness Practices for Leadership via The Presencing Institute
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
Write a book and focus on building confidence sooner.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Infrastructure systems to support more niche digital products (creation and delivery), focused on offline marketing to bring desired market(s) online sooner and freelancers to outsource much of the work I did for years myself.
What is your favorite quote?
We can’t solve problems with the same thinking we used when we created them
– Albert Einstein
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Seek mentors who can offer vision and wisdom not just industry or market understanding.
Who should we interview next and why?
Latisha, owner of Luxuree Photography.
Because she is thriving in an unexpected place and could have good advice for other creatives who are business owners or aspire to be.
She is a good example of a passion economy business.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can find me on most social media platforms by my name or just go to my website EmpoweredInnovation.org or Webantiphon.com
Thank you for this opportunity to share a few lessons and tips with your audience. I hope folks are able to learn something from my journey.
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