From the NBA to the Nation Building: Charles D. Smith, Chairman & CEO of Urban Icon Global

Speaker A: So our business model is more of a humanitarian project. We're not, oh, uh, we're not focused on building buildings, we're building people. Um, we're impacting cultures, communities. Uh, the buildings are what makes it happen. But at the end of the day, our assets on the property, we build anywhere between a 10,000, 15,000 multi, uh, use seat arena. Uh, we have a contract with Hilton Hotels where we build a hotel on property. Uh, we have a high performance center for the youth. They're dedicated for the youth when it's job creation and technology, hospitality and entrepreneurship. Um, and everything that we do is geared toward the beneficiary which is the youth and the young adults.

Speaker B: Welcome to the Reboot Chronicles, your gateway to the world's most influential leaders who are rebooting their organizations and themselves to thrive in unprecedented times. I'm um, your host, Dean Dubais, CEO who's rebooted dozens of companies creating billions in value. My passion is uncovering inspiring reboot stories. So buckle up, lean in and please share this episode with a friend. It may help reboot their career and their life. Today in the Reboot Chronicles, we're joined by legendary NBA icon and business powerhouse who embodies rebooting at every level, Charles D. Smith. Charles is Chairman CEO of Urban Icon Global, a company working directly with governments and civic leaders to design sports, entertainment and and economic development projects across Africa. Charles Journey from the NBA pro athlete to entrepreneur provides remarkable leadership lessons as he's invested years into building businesses that operate on the global stage. His investment conferences and cross cultural initiatives alone generated over a billion dollars in collaborative different types of collaborations across five continents, connecting CEOs, dignitaries, private equity firms and family offices from New York to Dubai. With a keen ability to create unique opportunities through relationships, he's focused on unlocking the $40 billion African sports and entertainment market, among other things and creating sustainable economic engines through culture, tourism and infrastructure. Charles isn't just a former NBA pro athlete and Olympian. He's a global entrepreneur building systems, partnerships and economies with social consciousness and faith at the foundation. Good to see you Charles. Welcome to the show.

Speaker A: Thank you Dane. Happy to be here.

Speaker B: You are one busy guy. It's good to see you on the program. I uh, we've been looking at all different things going on around the world including Africa, um, especially in the fintech banking side. So very interested in the uh, what you're doing, not just in sports entertainment but how you're kind of taking that platform to the next level. And um, you know, before we get into It, I guess the big question I always have, um, we've had a lot of, you know, former athletes on and movie stars that get into business and some, some make it, some don't, some don't understand their calling. But as you went from, you know, the uh, the sports guy to entrepreneur to a, uh, global leader, when did you first realize that your life was going to be bigger than sports and in your case, basketball?

Speaker A: Well, I think I first realized it when I was beginning to retire. I always had a mindset for entrepreneurship since I was like 9 years old. Always had jobs. Um, but at the time of retirement, that's when the rubber meets the road and you have to figure out your next step. Uh, I had things in the works, but my next step wasn't about a transition. It turned into a transformation.

Speaker B: I love that. And how did you. You seem, I mean, one of the reasons we really wanted you on, besides our producer is a big fan, is you seem to be leading. Uh, first of all, you're, you seem like a very strong leader. You're very thoughtful, you're very patient. Most people would have given up on projects by now. Um, but how did you find your purpose? You didn't have a roadmap and you seem pretty purpose. A purpose oriented leader. Yeah. How'd you get, how do you do that without a map of where to go? Because I don't think the sports industry really prepares you, except for the team camaraderie, to do what you've done.

Speaker A: Yeah. So it was, um, uh, as I said, a transformation, not a transition. Transformation was seven years of therapy. Because playing professional sports, I spoke in a way that was very direct, that wasn't conducive for working in an office.

Speaker B: Like in your face kind of direct.

Speaker A: Yes. You know, and I, I thought I was an HR nightmare at the beginning. Um, I, uh, I was impatient because sports is about being impatient. And uh, I had to check the ego. So when I say transformation, seven years. Wow. I don't even remember the person I was. Um, that's how transformative it was. Once, um, I was able to put myself in a position to conduct business and understand it. Uh, the next step was the different opportunities. I had a lot of different, uh, corporate C level jobs. But you know, I was always looking for that position to qualify myself. And even though I was qualified, I was still seeking and searching, Dean. But then once I realized that I was called, uh, to go to Africa, by God, it was purpose without preparation. And I just jumped in with a leap of faith because I Was convicted on it. And the, ah, journey began.

Speaker B: I love that. Amen. Yeah. I saw you did a stint at wpp. Sold, uh, one of our companies to them. And I was there for a while as well, hanging out with Martin Strell and all those guys. Yeah, sure, it doesn't seem like the right cultural fit for you, but, but you're. At least you're in the right genre. It probably prepared you for what was, what was next. Yeah, I also like that you're kind of a, you know, kind of, you're like, you're like me, like, ambassador, teacher roles sometimes. And you, you've, um, you're talking off camera a little bit, but, uh, you know, you've, you've taught people, I think, that life experiences can be both good and bad. And, but how you actually handle them is what matters most in creating, you know, your life, your future, and how did that shape you? And, um, you know, any early failures that you had to really recover from, um, either before, during, after your transformations. Like, like you said, we. Preparation, uh, is, is nice, but sometimes we don't have time for that and we have to go through the hard times.

Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, the, uh, the challenge was for me, I had, uh, to deal with the fear of not stretching myself into the unknown. You know, for anybody who's an executive entrepreneur, whatever you're doing, you're trying to transition, you're trying to reboot. Fear is debilitating. And even if it's a small amount of fear, you know, in, in sports, sports taught me to fail, fail, fail to get better. But I didn't make that connection in business as much because when you come in as a professional, former professional athlete, your business acumen is not credited to you. You have to continuously earn, earn, earn people's respect. So once I made the connection, I began to defeat fair with faith. Uh, my faith just grew and grew, uh, to the point where I didn't care. You have a lot of naysayers out there, um, that are not going to believe that you can achieve what you're going to do. Went through that in sports. You have a lot of people that are going to say things about me that are not going to call me and say, charles, is this true? What happened? Um, so with all of that, my faith just grew. I put my head down, I worked with my team, and we just continue to prime the pump and push forward.

Speaker B: I love that. You know, um, the fear of stretching you into the unknown is, um, it holds a lot of us back. And you're right. Unlike sports, business doesn't. You know, we talk about it, we speak about it, we write stupid books about it, you know, feel, you know, don't, you know, fail forward and all that nonsense. But business does really not accept it very well. So I can imagine, you know, how that transition went. And um, but hey, here we are, you know, a couple decades later, you're rocking and rolling, you know, God called you to Africa. Uh, those of you that don't know, um, he's building an empire over there. But Africa is I think one of the fastest next generation economies, uh, that's coming up from economic wise largest labor force someday, digital economy probably projected to be over a $4 trillion market in the next couple of decades. A couple billion people. Uh, so it's not just India and China anymore guys. And um, you know, it's, it's, it's not just where the, I mean you're going, not just where the wealth is, you know, like South Africa would have been my first choice, but a lot of the growth is happening in Nigeria and Egypt and Ethiopia and you know, you're, you seem to be placing some interesting bets. But Charles, why, why did you start in um, like Zanzibar, you know, the uh, Archipelo, uh, islands if you will. Tasmania would probably wouldn't have been my. I mean it's beautiful. It's more of a tourist island. But yeah. What, how, why'd you get started there? I guess. And tell us about the journey and how you've expanded this into four projects.

Speaker A: Well, you'll, you'll continue to hear me say, Dean, that uh, I'm led by God, uh, and my spirit. Um, I thought about uh, other countries and I visited presidents of other countries. But Zanzibar, uh, when I met with the president there, uh, we had a really good heart to heart. We just spoke, very direct, very open, very uh, transparent. And I left his office saying I'm going to start in Zanzibar. Now at the beginning, like you, why Zanzibar? Well, I'm coming from the us I have no knowledge of the culture. I've never done construction. Um, I don't know how to start the business there. I didn't know. Um, but I developed some great local partners to kick it off and uh, it turned out to be the best place to cut my teeth on the continent because it's a, it's today's the number one tourist destination. And what a place to go to where the people are so friendly, helpful. And if I were going into the political jungles of say Nigeria or, or some of the other bigger countries. I wouldn't be talking to you right now. Probably still be at step one. So it worked out very well.

Speaker B: Yeah, it helps to have the rule of law and a, uh, growing population and it's a friendly place. I mean if you actually look at the island and just do a hotel search, everybody, it's hundreds uh, of hotels pop up. So that's a, that's a dead giveaway that doesn't happen in every country over there. It's still a little misunderstood as a continent, as separate countries. There are some you definitely still want to avoid. But um, and then how did you, um, so I guess what's the, what's the thesis? It's sports, entertainment, infrastructure. What's the, uh, I guess what's your business model and what's your expansion plan looking like?

Speaker A: So our business model is more of a humanitarian project. We're not, oh, we're not focused on building buildings. We're building people, um, or impacting cultures, communities. Uh, the buildings are what makes it happen. But at the end of the day, our assets on the property, we build anywhere between a 10,000, 15,000, uh, multi use seat arena. Uh, we have a contract with Hilton Hotels where we build a hotel on property. Uh, we have a high performance center for the youth. They're dedicated for the youth when it's job creation and technology, hospitality and entrepreneurship. Um, and everything that we do is geared toward the beneficiary, which is the youth and the young adults. Um, we are required, and we did this for ourselves, to hire 40% of the locals, uh, pre, during and post, um, our build, uh, out of the communities. And if they don't have the training, we'll train them. So when you look at our numbers and what we're doing, we will impact uh, the youth and young adults and the economy and a lot of these countries in a way that it, it hasn't happened because our focus is the people.

Speaker B: Yeah, I love that, leading with the people. Um, actually 40% is probably an easy goal to achieve. My guess is it'll be higher. Most, um, people would put you under the category. Uh, let's just go back to your point about the naysayers. Right. There's too many of them out there that they put this in impact investing. I don't think people understand the passion behind impact investing and how it can actually turn into some of the most extremely profitable ventures on the planet. Um, and you, you know, you didn't have a roadmap. You kind of stepped into these Things. And like me, you value a lot on relationships and building partnerships in order to scale, which I think was a huge lesson that a lot of CEOs still need to learn. Uh, you had to because you know, this is all new. It was a new wheelhouse too. But people like Hilton, they could partner with anyone they, they probably liked. Your, your, your passion question is, um, how do other people. We talk about this program a bunch and I want to get your, your take on it is how do people find their impact project? How do they develop a more passionate approach to. Let's in this case just focus on business. I always show my students, um, a Venn diagram of fun, money and impact. And then we start playing with it and picking the things I said. You'll never find happiness in the center of those. But occasionally in fleeting moments, you compare the two together and you'll find projects you can work on. And you know what, what's your advice to not just the next generation, but all of us really about your journey and what you found. How do we find that in our day to day lives and ventures in business?

Speaker A: Well, what I found is that we all have it already. Uh, we just haven't made the connection.

Speaker B: But where is it?

Speaker A: When I look at my sports career and I look at everything I've learned in sports, uh, and these are not just cliches, they're real. You learn how to work with people, you learn how to be really good at conflict, uh, resolution, um, you, you learn so much about uh, being able to build a team, which is building a business. Being able to lead, being able to follow and lead from behind. You learn all of these things and then you have the skill sets to match it. Business development, sales and marketing. There, um, you develop skill sets. Now to answer your question, when I say you already have it.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker A: When I look back on everything that I've done, it prepared me for what I'm doing today. The work I did in technology, the work at wpp, the work, uh, uh, corporate trade, all the different things that I did even from when I was a young person in college, traveling internationally, learning how to, to navigate the international market. When you jump into position, uh, with faith in mind and you're not totally prepared, you don't have the blueprint. You find as you get into it, hey, I'm actually prepared for this because all those insignificant jobs and responsibilities you had that you thought were insignificant, you find that they play a major, major aspect and what you're doing in your next phase, but you just don't think about it, and you won't know and get the blessing unless you take that leap of faith and go to the next level. Wow.

Speaker B: Uh, and, um, listeners out there, there's one thing that he is that not everyone is. I am too. I call it ll lifelong learner. Um, you were open enough to actually receive many things that now are your gifts. Um, but you're also. You've mellowed out in your older age. Right? Don't take that the wrong way. Um, but you were also, I think, um, one of the top shot blockers in the NBA, for gosh sake. So you must have a competitive side to you that, uh, where you can keep people, you know, from encroaching on your business. You know, you want your business to grow, right? It's like I want to be the center of this thing. So define the sports muscle, uh, memory, connected tissue coming back in the middle of a board meeting sometimes.

Speaker A: Well, you know, it never leaves. You have to contain it. Um, you know, when you and I and I use the word transformation because it's, it's much more powerful than transition. When I transformed, I had to rewire my brain, um, literally. And by doing that, you. I got a chance to learn about myself and I got a chance to understand what I needed. What everything that the sports gave me wasn't what I needed afterwards. I had to actually get the opposite. So, um, that aggression. I can't have aggression in business. Not caring about the person I'm competing against and will do anything that for that person not to excel, I can't have that attitude with other people I'm competing against. It's just totally different. So when you're in that environment and you change, um, yeah, I mellowed out. But if you don't, if a professional athlete during retirement doesn't do something constructive, they will continue to do something destructive. And so I really rewired how I thought and how I did things. And, uh, it's been very helpful. But, uh, I found something that feeds that passion, that drive. And nobody's going to outwork me. Um, they're going to. Everybody's going to be accountable because I'm accountable. And accountability is not that prevalent in corporate America as we know. Everybody passes the buck. But in my, uh, offices with the people that we work with, everybody's held accountable. Everybody can handle it, and that's why we thrive.

Speaker B: I don't know if I can keep up with you. Do you find the. Your work ethic is amazing that, you know, you remember the joy of Team sports, going to practice on a good day, winning a game. How do you bring that feeling into your business? Your small team?

Speaker A: Yeah, no, we, um. So look, um, uh, we have a team of 16. Um, when I add new media technology, I built a team of 40. So the one thing that I realize is that they need to know that me as a leader, I'm not going to quit on them. They need to know that I'm going to die trying. Um, they need to know that I'm bringing the athlete mentality, uh, the corporate executive discipline and that conviction of purpose. Um, they need to know that about me. And then they need to know that what we're doing, they have the skill sets that's like a puzzle piece where we're all going to win. They need to know that in their current circumstances that if we get the job done, it's going to be wildly more beneficial than where they are, their current circumstance. And they have to know that we're going to win at the end of the day. So they're valued and I need their value. So with all of that in mind, it creates a, uh, team that doesn't bring politics into the small team. And it creates a team that everybody pulls the same rope. So we have to continue to reinforce where we are as a company. When I hold our meetings, it's with everybody. Everybody can hear what's going on. Everybody knows that everybody's getting paid. Everybody knows everybody's equity. You take that out, just like with a sports team, you take that out. And now people just focus on the work.

Speaker B: Yeah. Instead of, instead of guessing or being a naysayer. Love that. And, um, you know, I've watched you as you've grown and, you know, you were doing real estate deals in Chicago, my hometown, uh, Detroit. Then you took on Africa. Major transitional moment. Um, so we talked about, uh, Zanzibar. You're also looking at Nairobi, Ethiopia, uh, Uganda, I think, as well. What's. How, uh, are you going to scale this? What kind of partners are you bringing in to help you pull all that off? Because that, that is, that is not a little. Not a little company anymore.

Speaker A: Yeah. So when I, when I first started, you know, and built the tainting, we were in Zanzibar. And, uh, this was almost six years ago. We were, we were the beachhead company that took on all the risks to kind of get this started and Pun

Speaker B: intended, beach of Zanzibar.

Speaker A: Yeah. Over that period of time, uh, the market, the investment market just wasn't ready. There weren't any sustainable revenue models. For an arena. So when people look at, hey, what do you have constructed in Zanzibar? We built the platform that was most important during this time while the investment market was catching up, uh, while the investments were catching up with the market. So we built a platform and our platform, we signed a deal with Taylor Townsend, which is one of the largest construction management companies on the continent with 30 years experience. And they know everybody.

Speaker B: They're huge.

Speaker A: Um, M. So, uh, Urban icon Global does the pre development, signs a land lease, all the pre development and we pass it off to them to handle the construction and we just get a great construction company and we manage them. So that was a big benefit to our company. And then we had to look at the tax structures, we had to look at a lot of different things to make sure when the investment came in that it wasn't a situation where we're pitching to an investor. It's a situation where now we can say, this is the thesis of the investor and how they're going to make an investment. Let's match our company to it. And we can do that today.

Speaker B: And what's your legacy going to look like? M. Whatever, five, ten years from now, what are you going to do?

Speaker A: You know, um, uh, the legacy of the company is going to be born in the spirit of all the youth and young adults around the continent. They're going to be our legacy. Uh, when it comes to the, you know, buildings and things we're putting up, uh, that's going to be the company's legacy. Um, but at the end of the day, we're trying to impact, uh, a group. As you said at the beginning of the uh, uh, the, the call here, um, um, in this podcast, how Africa is growing in leaps and bounds in so many different directions, in so many industries.

Speaker B: Massive.

Speaker A: I am blessed to be able to be there. In East Africa, everybody talks about the west, everybody talks about the south, but nobody talks about the east. And the east is the what, fourth, fifth superpower? Once they accepted the Congo, it's over 281 million people. So I think we, we made the right choice on where we are and we made the right choice in focusing our company on the humanitarian aspect. We can fit into impact and all sorts of different types of investments. But our legacy is going to be built on the dirt and the ground and uh, what we do with those youth and young adults out there.

Speaker B: You know, I used to chair the development committee at niu, uh, and uh, forgot what the slogan was. People shape buildings. And then the building shaped people. And that, that every time we put in a new building, it's just the entire society or ecosystem, depending on what group it was just, you know, the, the rising boats. Um, it's so impactful to see that where once, you know, this is just a bit, you know, a school. But, you know, we had a crappy old business school with a leaky roof and all that, built a brand new state of the R1. And all of a sudden everything changed. So I, I can't imagine the impact you're going to have is going to be nothing less than, uh, remarkable. What, um, are you looking for new partners? Investors? What, uh, what's next?

Speaker A: Sure, we're, we're always expanding, looking for strategic partners and investors. I mean, we have a good investor group, um, that requires a process to access their capital. And, uh, uh, that's great. And we're always looking for partners. You know, I've opened up our doors to many companies that want to, uh, come to the continent. And if they can, if we can build a mutually beneficial relationship, we'll just plug them in. It's plug and play. Um, it's all about building relationships. You know, I've always said this, Dean. You know, the most important, and I call it currency we have today as human beings is not our flashy cars, our money, our good looks. It's really relationships. Relationships are the most important thing that we can have today because those relationships will be like we talked about, legacy. Those relationships will carry on and will continue to help this business and people grow. It's just all connect connectivity. So, um, we're always building relationships, always. And we won't stop.

Speaker B: It's one of the reasons we wanted you on. Our producer loves the fact that you, you value relationships as an asset even more than capital. The other thing, the reason I was more interested in you is like you were, you were saying, we, we set out to build a platform that we can plug other things into. It's one of the biggest reboot lessons out there. Uh, most people don't think that far ahead. They think, oh my gosh, if I don't get this building built, I'm, um, toast. And you're like, no, we're building a platform for the long term. And, uh, it probably feels good to see that starting to, that plug and play starting to happen. What else can you add? Like data centers, for instance, One of the businesses.

Speaker A: So, Dean, you know, uh, when we started, uh, I talked to the team and I said, listen, make sure all our documentation is redundant. Um, and it puts us in the ability to scale. Because we're only going to go through this one time and try not to, uh, go through it again. Country to country. We're just going to replicate what we're doing. So with that ability, it opens the door for partners. Um, people look at the company and like we talked about, naysayers, look, uh, to all the naysayers out there, if I were stepping outside the picture frame and looking back at me and what I'm doing, I'm going to side with you. It's just what I. What's being done is almost impossible. And I can't blame them for being a naysayer. But when you have God on your side. Dean, my back has been to the wall countless times, but with the faith. That next step that I made every single time was the next step that kept us going and in a huge way. So the, um, um, the opportunity with Taylor Townsend, uh, you know, the ability for this to be a tech play with different tech companies. You know, a lot of software companies want to get into the sports entertainment industry.

Speaker B: They do.

Speaker A: We're opening our doors for that, and, uh, we welcome that. The only thing is they have to come with value and it has to be mutually beneficial. But data centers, um, you know, different networking equipment for Internet and all the different things that some of these stable companies, uh, don't have.

Speaker B: Just developer and developers. I mean, it's as much as AI is like frowning on, oh, we won't need developers. True. It's going to be a massive labor force across Africa that's going to take advantage of the tech, all the booms. And that's why I like your, Your platform, Plug and Play.

Speaker A: And.

Speaker B: No, I hear you, what you're saying about faith and being up against the wall. And it's too easy to be a naysayer. Uh, and as an empathetic leader myself, I always look back and go, well, they don't know what we know, so. Course. Exactly, you're going to say that. And then other days I wake up and I go, oh, gosh, maybe they're right. How do I get through another week of this?

Speaker A: No, you're right, though. Uh, uh, fear and skepticism does creep into your mind. And I'll tell you, when that does creep into my mind, the first thing I can think of is the word grateful. I've gone through some tough times, but I'm always grateful. Because if I look at where I am at this moment in time versus where I was last year and the year before and the year before, man, it's so positive. And it's. And I am grateful. So that abolishes that.

Speaker B: Those.

Speaker A: Those thoughts that start to creep into my mind, and I just stay positive.

Speaker B: I love that. I had, uh, Andy grow over my house in Silicon Valley years ago for a little fundraiser party and digital politician. Yeah, this is before you wrote the book Only the Paranoid Survive. And I. Yeah, yeah. I was combining with him, probably too much wine and saying, yeah. He's like, well, how's it going, you know, with the company? I'm like, well, I tell you, some days I wake up, I'm like. He's like, that's fear. He's. I'm like, yeah, I don't like to talk about that. He says, you should just. You have to feel that fear. You have to be. You're a paranoid leader. I'm like, my biggest issue is I'm always worried about what are the competitors doing. He's like, stop doing that. Just worry about what you're doing and let them worry about you. I was like, ah, that's powerful. And they wrote a book about it. It made more sense at that point. Yeah, but you seem to embody that. And I think it's the sports, you know, training that. That seems to have helped you and guided you. But what, what. It was some. What were some of your toughest moments that you've gone through in your life that really, you know, finding God is a big one, of course, but, uh, anything else that really transformed you?

Speaker A: Well, now, I always had God, but it was partnering with God that was the, uh, that was a challenge. I always had God in my life,

Speaker B: but partnering with God, you know, what's the difference?

Speaker A: The difference is, you know, you have God in your life and you, you, you talk to God. He's a central focus on everything that you do. You can do all things through him, all of that. But in business, you're. It's almost like you're partnering with faith, and then you have to believe it and you have to read and you have to study scriptures to constantly reinforce what you're doing in business. It's not like you have a physical business partner next to you. And I've traveled all the deals that were done on the continent. Nobody was with me. Dane, um, the contracts, the meetings with the presidents and the dignitaries and prime ministers, nobody was. I was in those rooms by myself. There was nobody with me. God was with me.

Speaker B: So he was. Yeah, it's a.

Speaker A: It's. It's an, uh, interesting. And I don't mean, you know, so I don't. I don't mean, like, uh, in a totally religious sense. Sometimes it's based on principle. You know, uh, it's the pragmatic practicality of what you're doing, and you're seeking and praying for answers, and those answers are coming to you through other people. You know, um, when I needed some legal work in Kenya, my lawyer, uh, in Kenya, I met her in the airport, you know, three years prior to landing in Kenya. And I said to her, I said, if I ever get to Kenya, I'm going to call you. I want you to be our lawyer. She thought I was crazy. She's our lawyer today. You know, these are the things that I'm talking about as far as there's no such thing as coincidence, and you partner with God, he makes everything happen for you.

Speaker B: I love it. Amen. Never leave serendipity to chance, either. Keep those business cards. Charles, I want to thank you for sharing with us today. It was, uh, beautiful. Great story. We really wish you luck.

Speaker A: Thank you, Dean. Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

Speaker B: Uh, on. Absolutely. You've been listening to Charles D. Smith. This is Dean Tobias on the Reboot Chronicles. Subscribe and like us anywhere you get podcasts or Reboot Chronicles dot com.