By Lacie Blankenship
As part of Black History Month programming, the Owen Black Student Association (OBSA) hosted Slim & Husky’s’ co-founders Derrick (Mo) Moore and Clinton (Clint) Gray to kickstart their new Uncharted Speaker Series. Moore and Gray, 2 of the 3 original co-founders, answered questions moderated by OBSA President, Nimi Ajayi. The partners were consistent with themes of intention and authenticity as they reflected on their entrepreneurial journey, Black culture, and community.
Below, we highlight 3 key takeaways from Moore and Gray’s discussion. You can watch the full event on the Vanderbilt Business YouTube channel.
Be loud and intentional.
Gray advises underrepresented aspiring entrepreneurs to “be as loud as possible.”
(L to R) Derrick Moore, Nimi Ajayi, Clinton Gray
He reflected on the original logo of Slim & Husky’s, which featured a tractor and wheat, symbolic of fresh and local produce but concealing the brand’s authentic roots. “We were Black in Nashville, opening up a restaurant in North Nashville,” he said. “We didn’t want people to be scared to pull up on us, so we tried to conform.” Gray explained the decision to rebrand and embrace being “unapologetically Black.” The co-founders intertwine Black culture into current branding with 90’s Hip Hop and R&B music, showcasing Black artists on their walls, and intentionally including 3 Black men in the logo.
“We were 3 Black guys in a majority white city, and we basically took the hospitality industry by storm, and we did it because we were loud… about everything we were doing,” said Gray.
Moore added that the co-founders are intentional with their time and prioritize community events where they advise budding entrepreneurs that may or may not be familiar with common business terms. He spoke on hard lessons learned because of a lack of familiarity with business tactics and financial literacy. He even shed light on the humble beginnings of bootstrapping Slim & Husky’s.
Embrace ‘healthy fear.’
“Research… but don’t let fear keep you from going out there and doing whatever it is that you have in mind,” advised Moore. It is no secret that entrepreneurship requires a little uncertainty, but he says “it’s a healthy fear, right?”
Moore discussed the doubts he (and his loved ones) had as he moved away from a steady job with a decent salary to take a chance on the 3 friends’ first entrepreneurial journey, an eco-friendly moving company, that they later flipped to jumpstart their pizzeria dream.
He shared a quote from his mom that he remembered from when he was leaping into entrepreneurship – “if everyone thinks it’s a good idea, then it’s probably not a good idea; the fact that you got a lot of people doubting you makes me think you’re on the right track.”
Be proud of what’s to come.
Slim & Husky’s recently announced their 10th location, and the founders’ are branching out beyond pizza into retail, television, and their new cocktail bar, EG&MC. In the past year, they also broke barriers as the first Black-owned restaurant on Broadway… but the 3 entrepreneurs aren’t satisfied.
Gray quoted J. Cole – “successful people really have no way to measure their success.” He explained that despite their growth, the 3 friends aren’t satisfied yet. “That’s what I’m proud of, for what’s to come,” he said.
When asked about being the first Black-owned restaurant on Broadway, Gray says, “it’s cool but a little disheartening… we opened the restaurant in 2021, and it took that long.” “There’s a lot of firsts in the African American community that shouldn’t be firsts,” he said. He noted that as entrepreneurs, they want to make a profit and a difference, but their goals are more about being the best.
“It is important for young African American boys and girls to be able to go downtown and be able to see representation so that they know it’s possible,” said Gray. “When we were growing up, we didn’t have that, so we’re super committed to making changes as we become more successful [for future entrepreneurs].”
You can watch the recording of the event below or on our Vanderbilt Business YouTube channel.
“The OBSA hopes to continue the Uncharted Series by featuring Black leaders in the community to speak on their journeys, Black culture, and community,” says Ajayi. To stay up to date on OBSA news, follow the OBSA on Instagram.
