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‘Become the Money’: Arlan Hamilton’s Guide to Investing in Yourself

The Backstage Capital founder shares powerful ways to tap into your natural motivation, empathy, and authenticity.

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Sometimes people ask me what gave me the confidence to think that I could be a venture capitalist when everything and everyone was telling me I couldn’t. Honestly, the answer is that I fought insecurity with information. I spent the years 2012 to 2015 reading everything I could get my hands on. Every single day, I read blog posts, books, magazine articles, and newspaper clippings; I listened to every podcast I could. I did that day in and day out for years before I ever got one check. (Another key is I never stopped! I still do that to this day.)

I learned everything I know from reading, listening, watching, and being intent on learning. I learned from relentlessly consuming information that is available to everyone. I dedicated time and effort to the thing that fascinated me, and I found a way into this business by using my knowledge as capital. In other words, I became the money. I became the attraction. My mind, my information, my brain trust became the assets.

And as of May 2020, I have a new asset: My own book, It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage. When I was learning about start-ups, venture capital, and investing, books were my starting point, so I’d like my book to be the same kind of helpful tool for its readers. Plus, I love paperbacks. I love throwing them in a bag and going to the beach, or jumping on a train with one in my hand. Paperbacks are like the back half of a mullet: a party!

Read on for a selection of resources from the book, along with Hamilton’s notes on why these links are essential.

Reprinted from IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME. Copyright © 2020 by Arlan Was Here LLC. Published by Currency, and imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Image courtesy of assemble.fyi

Arlan Hamilton

Arlan Hamilton, founder at Backstage Capital and HireRunner.co, is a serial entrepreneur, author, and master multitasker.

She founded Backstage Capital in 2015 to invest in founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. Since its founding, Backstage has raised nearly $30 million and invested in 200 startups led by underestimated founders. Arlan also is the founder of HireRunner.co, a startup that connects outstanding employee talent with inclusive companies.

Arlan published her book, It’s About Damn Time, in 2020, detailing her journey from homelessness to venture capital trailblazer. Arlan also hosts the popular podcast Your First Million, and in 2018, she was the first non-celebrity Black woman to grace the over of Fast Company magazine.

Arlan is a big proponent of paying it forward and supporting other underestimated people in the tech industry and beyond. She’s a limited partner in 27 funds led by emerging, underestimated managers, and she and her mother, Mrs. Earline Butler-Sims, have established scholarship programs for Black students at Oxford University, HBCU Dillard University, and Harvard Law.