Angel Investing & Root to Rise W/ Meg Charles

In this conversation of the Podcast, we are talking about career pivots, globe trotting for work, angel investing, telecoms, empowering female entrepreneurs, building personal equity, social fluency, ecosystem diversity and more. 

My guest is Meg Charles is an Attorney, Angel Investor, Executive and the Co-
Founder and Equity Partner of Basswood Counsel PLLC. She is also the Founder of Root to Rise. 

Meg shares about her law studies, profession and work in the exciting world of  telecommunications, tech and mobile sector. Which afforded her the opportunity to travel the world to places in the US, UK, Europe and Asia. 

We chat about her working in 19 countries in 2 1/2 years. Her wanderlust ways, where she got to expand her work experience and explore the cultures of other countries. 

Meg lived in London, India and Stockholm, where she was exposed to Startups and its culture. She also lived in Manila, Philippines where she was worked and advised Startups and entrepreneurs.  

Meg spoke about Angel Investing, and how she got into this sector; the opportunities that exist, working with entrepreneurs, and when is the best time to "get in" to invest, which is usually at the early stage. 

She talks about being the only black and black female associate working in firms while on her way to making partner. Working long hours, having to be perfect and producing to stay ahead. 

Meg spoke about  "the costs" that came with living the life she had, and that the transition into advising and other career shifts she made, allowed her to become "her" and to become free. 

She chats about the company Basswood Counsel, how the Attorneys relooked the law profession and designed a Company which was more in line with their core values, evolution and consciousness.  

She spoke about the concept of personal equity. Which encourages us to identify our natural attributes, which is what people will say about us. It is also the things that make us unique. From this we can operate and evolve into our best self. 

She talks about social fluency and the strategic deployment of social capital, which is about being authentic when we show up, to connect with people honestly. This can propel persons forward both professionally and personally.  

We chat about Root to Rise, the Vision - is dedicated to creating pathways to freedom through entrepreneurship and enabling visionaries to build purpose-driven businesses on their own terms and create generational wealth.

Root to Rise, develops programs and communities. It focuses on women of color from other professions who want to become entrepreneurs. 

Her intention is to help women in the business space; understand their personal equity, which may mean decommissioning from the corporate life and to use all the other tools to navigate this new life. 

Meg, talks about the power to manage your natural attribute; managing yourself, feeding your soul, recharging. She says that staying small is not an option. 

We must engage in ecosystem diversity and develop social capital. She asks do people remember you when you walk into rooms and spaces? We must authentically orchestrate strategic visibility to network effectively.   

Lastly, Meg gives some advice for women transitioning from Corporate, professionals or career shifts into entrepreneurship and how this can help them navigate the phases in their life to survive and then thrive. 

Meg says "we only have one life and we need to live it at highest potential.