For this month’s First Friday interview, it was important to highlight someone that is contributing in a positive way to the Black culture. There is no one we know doing more for his community than the Founder of For(bes) The Culture, Raashad Lambert. I’m sure many of you have been following his journey for a while now, but for us, it was time to get personal with him and find out what inspires and motivates him. Keep reading for the full scoop on award-winning marketing architect, and philanthropist Rashaad Lambert!
PPRG: Hi Rashaad, thank you so much for taking the time to be a part of this First Friday interview! Growing up in West Philadelphia, what did you picture yourself doing? Was this career path something you have always dreamed of doing as a child?
RL: I actually wanted to be an architect… I liked to create and build things when I was younger. I used to play with Legos, Lincoln Logs, and things of that nature. It then shifted to music because I like to create music, and then marketing because I like to create and build campaigns and shift public opinion on things. All of that kind of grew into what I do now. There’s a common thread that I always liked to create the things that I wish existed but didn’t, whether it was building something physically, abstractly, or even mentally. I took the whole architecture thing and merged it with marketing, and then coined the phrase Marketech.
PPRG: After growing up in West Philadelphia, founding For(bes) The Culture, and becoming the SVP of Culture and Community, what would you say has motivated you to succeed?
RL: I always say that the highest form of inspiration is an example. Until I saw someone look like me ascending into the highest of heights, I never ever thought about that; I never thought that was possible for a young black man in America. I had read about Reginald Lewis, and of course, you see people like Oprah, but those seem like a needle in the haystack. I remember on November 4, 2008, when I saw Barack Obama get elected as president; it changed my perception of what I thought was possible and what I thought I was capable of. That’s the highest office in the land, and it was being held by somebody who looked like me, and I could see myself in, and that just changed everything. From that point, I decided I was leaving my job and that I wasn’t going to work for corporate America anymore, or at least not in the way I was. In 2009, I went into full-time entrepreneurship for about 12 years until I took this position as SVP of For(bes), which was created for me; it didn’t exist before me. It was pretty enticing to step back into corporate America, but that was in 2020, so it took a long time for me to come back into the fold. Being able to see that it was possible was what motivated me, and that’s what made it a reality.
PPRG: Is there anyone who inspired you to become the person you are today? What drives you to continue inspiring others?
RL: My biggest inspiration would be my children. My son is 18, and my daughter is 13, and they look up to me and look to me for guidance, stability, support, and motivation. Everything I do, I always think about it as if they’re watching me even if they’re not watching me because abstractly they are always watching me. I would say, my family and my friends… I am fortunate enough to have a good support system of people around me and they always push me forward. They’re championing me, even if they don’t fully understand what I do. It’s like the running joke that nobody knows what I do for work, like Tommy from Martin. But yeah, they really keep me focused, even with all the things going on around me.
PPRG: You’re always on the road, what’s a typical day look like for Raashad Lambert?
RL: There is no such thing as a typical day; it really depends on what I’m doing that day. It’s really funny, so we have this series called What’s Your Life Like, and it started off by opening “people always ask me, what do you do” and my answer is that it is always based on the day. So it could be anything from getting up early and taking my kids to school, going to meetings all day, trying to get some exercise in while I’m on Zoom, or a run when it’s not raining for three days straight. It could be rushing to and from the airport to travel to meetings… I work sometimes 18 hours a day, so there’s a lot of work, but in between, there’s studying for spelling bees, checking homework, and even checking in on my son, who’s 18 and is in a technical school. All of those things, and honestly, most of my time is spent on other people. That’s what most of my days consist of, checking in on others, and then maybe there’s some sleep and a little bit of food.
PPRG: As For(bes) The Culture continues to grow, what are your goals for the future?
RL: That’s a great question, so one of my immediate goals is expanding. We are opening new chapters in different cities and around the country and even one international chapter. We are planning some things I can’t mention just yet, but one of the goals is to continue to provide value to the members, so whether that’s in job opportunities, grant or scholarship, or funding opportunities, just making sure the For(bes)The Culture family is connected and understands that all of the goals are in the culture. This is where everybody else comes to mine, so we don’t have to look outside of ourselves because we are the gold mine that’s right here. Reinforce a sense of community and family within the Fo(rbes) The Culture network.
Philly PR Girl thanks Rashaad Lambert for doing what he does and being such an inspiration to so many people. Kate, Philly PR Girl’s Founder, has known Rashaad for a long time and they’ve collaborated on many projects throughout the years. We know that even though he’s always on the go, Philly will always come first to him as he continues to play an active role in his community and we can’t wait to see what is next.
Don’t forget to check out some of our other amazing interviews on our blog as well!
