This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about work or boring. And sure,

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demo today. That's V-A-N-T-A.com slash GO. About how to build these institutional relationships if they don't have them. First thing you got to do is get your credit score up to 700. Otherwise, you can't even, it's like somebody going to lunch with you and saying they want to do a $5 million deal, but they can't pay for the $50 lunch. I can't tell you many times I've had people, broke people come to me talking about have a $5 million or $5 billion line of credit from from, excuse me, China or Russia or someplace that you get from China. I'm like, come on, knock that stuff off. I said, if you had a $5 billion or $500 million line of credit, do you really think that you'd be talking to me at lunch? Don't you think that J.B. Morgan Chase would have that?

Don't you think the Wells Fargo would have that? KKR would have that. Some investment banker would get that deal. Why are you so special? Because it's a scam, right? And it unravel. So first of all, get your credit score up so you actually can walk the talk. If you can't do a $50,000 deal, don't be trying to talk to a $5 million deal.

Knock it off. So get your credit score up to 700. The average credit score for black folks is 620 across the country. I've done that through our Hope Financial Wellness Index. You put your zip code in, I'll tell you your credit score wherever you live. Get your credit score up, get your vibration up. Don't go to the local bank branch. Find the regional credit officer for the bank.

Don't go to a money center bank. Go to a regional bank or community bank that has a billion,

$2 billion in assets, $5 billion in assets, but you can still get to the chief credit officer.

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