In a world the place monetary prosperity and private success appear elusive to many, Dr. George C. Fraser stands as a beacon of knowledge, urging Black America to reclaim its future by strategic relationship-building, lifelong studying, and financial empowerment. His upcoming PowerNetworking Expertise & Expo, scheduled for November 5–8, 2025, on the Omni Atlanta Resort at Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia, embodies these rules. This annual convention serves as a pivotal platform for Black entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners to attach, develop, and prosper. In an unique sit-down, Dr. Fraser shared his insights on what he calls the “Seven Currencies of Life”—rules that transcend mere financial wealth to embody time, relationships, data, fame, change, well being, and monetary literacy. His message is obvious: Black folks should save themselves, and the trail to true prosperity begins with intentional dwelling.
From orphan to oracle: The making of a visionary
Dr. Fraser’s journey is certainly one of resilience and reinvention. Orphaned at a younger age, he spent his adolescence navigating a turbulent foster care system, in the end rising with an unshakable perception within the energy of self-determination. His early jobs included mopping flooring at LaGuardia Airport, a stark distinction to the legacy he would later construct as some of the revered voices in Black entrepreneurship and networking.
“It’s not the way you begin, it’s the way you end,” he tells me, exuding the conviction of a person who has turned wrestle into technique. Abandoning a poisonous setting in Brooklyn, he discovered his footing in Cleveland, the place he devoted himself to uplifting the Black neighborhood by financial training {and professional} improvement. His mantra? “Be taught, earn, and return.”
The Seven Currencies: A blueprint for Black success
1. Time: The priceless commodity
“Time is free, but it surely’s priceless. You’ll be able to’t personal it, however you should utilize it. You’ll be able to’t hold it, however you possibly can spend it. And when you’ve misplaced it, you possibly can by no means get it again.”
Dr. Fraser stresses that point is essentially the most precious asset one can possess. The phantasm that we’ve got limitless time is the best mistake we make. He urges Black folks to make use of their time correctly and eradicate distractions that don’t contribute to their progress. “I’ll inform anyone in a New York minute—do something, however don’t waste my time. I’ll get more cash, however I cannot get any extra time.”
2. Relationships: The true foreign money of wealth
“With out relationships, you don’t have any enterprise. You construct folks, and other people construct your enterprise.”
Dr. Fraser believes that wealth within the twenty first century isn’t just about cash—it’s about relationships. Drawing from his e-book, Success Runs in Our Race, he emphasizes that one’s circle immediately impacts success. “You’re the common of the 5 folks you spend essentially the most time with. Don’t spend main time with minor folks.”
He advises steering away from poisonous people: “Avoid ‘nonetheless’ folks—nonetheless complaining, nonetheless broke, nonetheless hating, and nonetheless nowhere.”
3. Data: The lifelong pursuit
“Learn, Negroes. Now, let me spell Negroes for you—capital N, capital G, R, Ws. Negro. Please, no less than one e-book a month.”
Dr. Fraser champions studying as a software for mental empowerment. He argues that most individuals use their opinions to kind details, reasonably than utilizing details to kind opinions. Encouraging steady studying, he cites Michelangelo, who at 87 stated, “I’m nonetheless studying.”
His e-book Success Runs in Our Race was just lately chosen by OpenAI to coach synthetic intelligence, a big recognition of its influence and African-centered knowledge.
4. Popularity: The inspiration of wealth
“The magic that you just’re on the lookout for is within the work that you’re avoiding. Do the work.”
For Dr. Fraser, fame is greater than notion—it’s about character and integrity. He stresses that one’s true wealth lies in being of service to others and constructing a reputation that carries worth.
5. Change: The one fixed
“In order for you change however don’t do the work to alter, you’ve truly chosen what you don’t need.”
Dr. Fraser challenges the neighborhood to not simply demand change however to change into it. Quoting Frederick Douglass, he reminds us: “It’s not the sunshine that we want, however hearth. It’s not the mild bathe however thunder. We want the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”
6. Psychological and bodily well being: The important thing to longevity
“It ain’t for sissies.” (Referring to getting outdated.)
Sustaining well being requires every day self-discipline. Dr. Fraser shares his private routine, which incorporates taking 14 dietary supplements every day and emphasizing the significance of train, even easy chair exercises. He additionally stresses the significance of psychological well being and figuring out one’s true id, significantly for Black folks, whom he describes as an “unbelievable folks with superior genetic encoding.”
7. Cash: The final word check of intelligence
“In case your cash ain’t working more durable for you than you probably did for it, then your cash is pimping you.”
Dr. Fraser breaks down monetary success into three pillars:
- Creating wealth (motion)
- Preserving cash (conduct)
- Rising cash (data)
He warns towards monetary illusions: “I’d reasonably carry a plastic bag with $5,000 in it than carry a $5,000 Louis Vuitton bag with $100 in it.”
Remaining phrases: “He Mattered”
As our dialog attracts to an in depth, Dr. Fraser displays on what he hopes his legacy might be. “On the prime of the tombstone is the 12 months you had been born, after which there’s a hyphen, and that’s the 12 months you died. The hyphen represents your complete physique of labor. So, below my title, I need solely two phrases: He mattered.”