Today we’d like to introduce you to Hubert Smith
Hi Hubert, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Columbus, Ga. to Hubert Smith Jr. and Brenda J. Smith. After graduating from Hardaway High School, I attended Howard University majoring in Business (Management) while also playing football.
After graduating from Howard University and spending a total of 8 years in DC. I moved to San Diego to explore a new opportunity with my employer CoStar Group Inc. and begin coaching high school football. After 2 years in San Diego, I moved to Oakland, CA to explore a career in sales with the same company.
During my time in the Bay Area I joined the executive board of Bay Area Urban League Young Professionals and finished my pursuit of becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc and joined LinkedIn where I am currently an Enterprise Relationship Manager.
During my time in the Bay Area I spent a lot of time in my community doing service events. After the start of the pandemic I moved back to Georgia to be closer to my parents and purchase my mother a home.
I also decided to pursue my MBA to advance my career at LinkedIn and other endeavors. I finished my MBA in 2023 and moved to Chicago to be closer to my son Yumir. That is where I started my company HubeKnowsBest LLC and I started my podcast and to share knowledge I attained over my life and share resources and knowledge of my network of friends and associates that are movers and shakers in almost every industry and career field. I am focused on reducing gatekeeping in and outside of the black community while also providing mentorship opportunities to businesses and entrepreneurs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing is ever as bad or good as it seems.
In college coming from meager means being that neither of my parents were wealthy I had to figure things out financially during college almost being kicked out of classes during my first semester due to an overdue balance.
In my career I faced challenges with getting promoted initially due to immaturity around how I handled voicing dissenting opinions and lack of self awareness. Through mentorship and honest conversations with leaders I was able to get out of my own way and get promoted multiple times at my 2 employers.
During my MBA program about a month into the program I found out that I would be having my first child (my son Yumir) and he would not be in Georgia where I would be finishing my program. So during my program I would travel to Chicago every 3 weeks to see him and spend time with him for the first 8 months of his life until I could finish my program. After transitioning to Chicago it was definitely and adjustment as I have no family in the area and having parents back in Georgia, especially my mother (I am her only child) with significant health issues.
The last 2-3 years have been stressful and tested my resolve, but has made me a better man for my son and for my own benefit.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I have been podcasting for about 20 months now and it has been a journey. The biggest thing I learned in my time at Howard and UGA was how information is consumed and how to attract customers. I have always known I wanted to own my own business, but what that would look like did not come into focus until near the end of my MBA program as many were asking what I would do with this new accolade.
My focus has always been is I want to empower others and make sure people have the right information in a timely manner. One of my biggest strengths is that I can get along with pretty much anyone and I know a lot of people. So with that in mind I decided I wanted to create a space where I could share information that I feel most want to gatekeep and I also provide inspiration for those that look like me, come from backgrounds that are similar to mine and just provide awareness of things we all should know. How I would do that I wanted it to be fun for me, but something that is easy to consume for the audience and that is why I decided to start my podcast.
The journey of becoming a podcaster can be expensive and expanding your audience is even more expensive if you are not focused. So the last 20 months has been a learning experience because this is self funded and I do not have a large team. I outsource my editing and I have a publicist team because I went viral on the dating show Pop The Balloon or Find Love back in September of 2024.
My proudest moment though is doing my first episode because the one thing I learned is the best way to get better at something is just to do it. So I am focused on just that continuing to improve and work on making my podcast the best podcast out there.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Make sure to follow @HubeKnowsBest on IG, TikTok, Twitter and subscribe to The Hube Knows Best Pod on all podcast platforms and on Youtube.
Pricing:
- Consulting Services – Monthly
- Mentoring Services – Annual & Monthly
- Sales Services – $1000 + 20% commission
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hubeknowsbest.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubeknowsbest/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubertsmithiii/
- Twitter: https://x.com/hubeknowsbest?s=11
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo7hMGMRJbKOvr6m6uVHgfwJqhdtuV_bo
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubeknowsbest?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
