042: Genera Moore (Motorparts Nation)

Genera Moore on Innovation City

“If it’s crazy, run for it — do it… You don’t get a lot of crazy visions.” — Genera Moore

Welcome to Innovation City—powered by Venture Cafe—where Tyler Kelley and Michael Johnson, Co-Founders of SLAM! Agency, interview innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency in conjunction with Venture Cafe St. Louis and Venture Cafe Miami, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community. Venture Cafe is the largest combined gathering of entrepreneurs and innovators anywhere in the world. Events are held every Thursday in St. Louis, Miami, and other leading innovation cities around the globe.

Today’s guest is Genera Moore, Founder of Motorparts Nation. Motorparts Nation is a U.S.-based company that exports aftermarket auto parts to Africa. Genera also took Lexani Motorcars to dealerships in Dubai through the Deals on Wheels program, and recently launched Tano Travel a travel company for tourists visiting West Africa. Find Tano Travel on Instagram at @tanotravel.

They discuss:

• The popularity of the Nissan Xterra in Africa
• Genera’s time in Dubai, where she brought in celebrities for events and concerts like:
  • Dubai World Cup; the richest horse race in the world
  • Dralion and Michael Jackson Immortal Tour
  • Cirque Du Soleil
  • Events for the royal family
• The importance of tourism for Dubai’s economy; the surrounding countries don’t allow large parties or events with alcohol
• Learning about the power of import/export trade to build wealth
• The attraction of the automotive industry; a large luxury market
• Why Africa? It does not manufacture its own automotive parts, so it is dependent on imports
• Serious deaths have resulted from fake autoparts
• The importance of building a brand based on real parts, trust, and safety
• Working in Ghana and Nigeria
• How to offer credit via trade insurance to buyers who don’t trust a seller they don’t know
• STEP Grants that help American businesses build successful export programs
  • Offered in Missouri and many other states
  • Get 50% of costs covered for travel, lodging, trade shows, and foreign buyer services
• The importance of taking advantage of your opportunities
• Neurolinguistic programming
• The Power of Now
• Dealing with loss after her grandmother’s death
• How to build trust in uncertain markets around the globe
• The importance of integrity
• How to add value and build repeat business
• Building rapport and going above and beyond
• Why Genera got into the automotive industry: cars will always break down and getting them fixed is always the first priority
• The power of connections and the importance of networking
• You need to trust yourself, trust your idea, and find an organization that will help you build it into a business
• Tano Travel – the new travel company Genera just launched