We were lucky to catch up with Chante’ Knox recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chante’ , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
As a multi-faceted woman with businesses in multiple industries, I’m no stranger to risk taking.
One critical moment in particular stands out the most. I remember the time when my Entrepreneurship and Innovation advisor, Dr. Isabelle Monlouis of Georgia State University encouraged me to compete in the E-Fest business competition. The competition is sponsored by Best Buy founder Richard M. Schulze, School of Entrepreneurship and by EIX.org and is held at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota (the school is Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition). At the time I had just become a published author and my book “How To Eat A Banana” was a number one best seller on Amazon.
I’m a free spirit and didn’t see an issue with being the author of a book that teaches women how to better communicate with their partners through oral pleasure; however, Dr. Monlouis helped me to understand the risk that was involved.
She pointed out that the University of St. Thomas was inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition. The school’s core values posed a potential conflict of interest with an author who writes about the benefits of performing fellatio. She also helped me understand that although I am a patented inventor who was entering the competition to showcase my innovative skills and gain funding for my new single use absorbent menstrual cup, the mention of my name associated with the book may overshadow the cause.
Fortunately, Dr. Monlouis’ words of wisdom were well received and “How To Eat A Banana” was written under my pen name, CJ Ryder. I decided to clean up my social media pages to ensure that Chante’ Knox and CJ Ryder remained separate. I went on to sweep the E-Fest competition, winning top prize and the rest is history.
As an entrepreneur taking calculated risk is a necessity, and I am now taking the risk of revealing that Chante’ Knox and CJ Ryder are one in the same.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. Not only do I own a production company, I’m a best selling author, a patented inventor with three issued patents and the founder of DelivHer FemCare, a feminine sanitary care product manufacturer.
I started out producing morning radio, now my production company is responsible for developing and managing the careers of rising entertainers. Two of our most notable clients are hip hop artists Kali and Rich Nanni.
I recently founded “Ryder University” and turned my best selling book “How To Eat A Banana” into a master course. Both the book and the course are helping women get ahead of the game and communicate better with their men by using their mouths to do more than nag. You can find the book on Amazon, audible, kindle and iTunes. Follow @how.to.eat.a.banana on instagram for updates about the course.
DelivHer FemCare was founded to manufacture the “Anu Clean Cup” the first and only disposable absorbent menstrual cup. A new technology that allows women to carry on like they’re not on during their cycle! We intend to disrupt the feminine sanitary care market and change the way women manage that time of the month.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I took a page out of Sarah Blakely’s (founder of Spanx) book when I decided to bring my product to market. I went through several different companies and prototypes before finally finding the right manufacturer.
I’ve learned that you have to learn your product inside and out in order to relay to someone else how to make it. Figuring out the right way to manufacture something that’s never been manufactured before comes from trial and error.
I had to experiment with different types of absorbent materials, various films and polymers before finally getting it right!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I initially funded my business by boot strapping and through grants and business competitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Banana-Oral-Pleasure/dp/173097872X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#customerReviews
- Instagram: iamcjryder
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1chanteknox
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chanteknox
- Twitter: iamcjryder