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Archives for September 2015

Connect, Enlighten & Empower: Why Curlfest is So Much More Than Curls!

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If you missed the Curly Girl Collective’s, second annual Curlfest event August 30 in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, you missed what some would probably say was one of (if not) the best events of the 2015 summer.  While the cost of attending was absolutely free, what attendees walked away with absolutely priceless, inclusive of the giveaways, swag bags and socializing!

Although Saturday was the rain date after the June weather dictated a rescheduling, it was well worth the wait.  Curlfest really has something for everybody; men, children and women alike, lined up even before the 1pm scheduled event start-time to score an opportune spot for the participating vendors and festivities. Curlfest left no stone unturned and was so well executed that the collective of women outdid themselves by topping last year’s event.

Curlfest is one of those events that prove to be a great example of the very mission of Womeneur.  As Black women are trailblazing in entrepreneurship all of the country, here in New York and particularly Brooklyn, I honestly believe that we’ve realized just how much we can achieve when we support one another.   No longer waiting for opportunities but creating not our own but platforms for other like-minded black women as well.

Connect

Emerging from the natural hair community has been networks of women that have created and leveraged platforms for all sorts of business opportunities that can no-longer go unnoticed and written off as a “black thing”.  Saturday’s Curlfest was an event opportunity for content creators, brands and followers to connect in a personal way that social media doesn’t allow.  Local businesses lined the parks’ lawn with quality products and a genuine appreciation for the community that has helped make many of them a major brand.

Enlighten

Whether it was a favorite YouTube sensation, beauty product owner, or lifestyle brand experts, the Curlfest chats were that rare chance to get up close and personal with some of the most influential entrepreneurs.  I’ve learned that there are no secrets to success; they have been able to achieve their accomplishments and want you to succeed as well.  The interactive chats were full of great business information and take away nuggets that the speakers were more than willing to share.  That’s the thing about the black community and Curlfest; we have so many experts among us that the event provided one heck of a networking opportunity and access to the best of the best of the best as well as some local giants.  Tapping into them has proved invaluable, as black women have been able to turn their passions into big profits.

Empower

I’m reminded of how blessed we are as black women when I think about how our hair has catapulted us into this new territory.  It has not only created lucrative revenue streams but most importantly, it has given us our power back. Our hair, the very thing that that we were once shamed about and made to feel as not good according to beauty standards, is the very thing that has created us so many opportunities.  Yes, self-care is so much more than hair but from childhood we are taught that black woman’s hair is well… her crown. It’s the one outward expression that represents our uniqueness and vastness of who we are.

Curlfest in this one event provides a day of celebration of our multifaceted culture that encompasses so many great aspects that began with hair.  It’s an experience that I shared with m 13-year-old daughter and from the turnout; many other mothers did the same.  An event where black men support black women and black women support one another and brands that care about us support our community.  Curlfest is so much more than hair or a picnic, it’s what I like to tag as an inter-generational movement, day of fun that’s total win!

A Different Perspective on Hope

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When you think of the word hope it is usually rooted in an optimistic state of mind, right? There is some expectation of a positive outcome. My father once said to me “As long as there is breath in me, there is hope”. So profound and full of positive energy, yet also lacked depth because of the lack of action. I found myself believing and repeating those same words from time to time. Hope for me is a good thing, I do believe in it, however there has been matters in my life when I pondered and struggled with the idea of letting go of hope.

But how do you let go of hope? Why would you even want to?

I recently had an interesting conversation where a totally different perspective on hope was presented to me. In those moments when I contemplated letting go of hope, I now understood why. While hope is again typically a positive idea. Hope can keep you in the future if you allow it to. The future does not exist, of course in our minds it does. It can be a way of hoping things get better without actually doing the work. Think about all the instances when you hear someone hoping for something. “I hope things get better” “I hope I get that new car” “I hope I find the perfect mate” “I hope for better days” etc. That kind of hope is usually coming from a place of lack disguised as optimism. Example being the dad who hopes to one day have a beautiful relationship with his son and who believes that as long as there is breath in him there is hope, but also the same person who doesn’t do the work. In this case hope has become crippling. You can’t become reliant on hope and think that magically things will happen.

Maybe hope is a good idea to let go of or rather re-evaluate when you become obsessed with your projected future results. When it becomes a hindrance instead of a means of encouragement, preventing you from being in the now and cherishing life right now. When things are going good, you rarely hear people hoping for anything. Maybe you might hear someone say “this is great, I hope this never ends”. In hoping that “this never ends” you’ve left the moment. As a person who’s consciously trying to stay in the moment, it’s something to give deference to. So when I was contemplating letting go of hope it was because I was stuck in the future, blinding myself and robbing myself the experience of right now.

Keep these things in mind, should you ever find yourself in a precarious situation wondering if you should let go of hope or not.

  • Keep hope alive, just remember to not become so consumed in it that you forget to live and explore the endless possibilities of right now
  • Hope should be based in reality
  • Hope that will not disappoint has to be grounded in something more than wishing
  • Remember that hope is a virtue, therefore a very good thing!

3 Key Items To Include in Your Business Agreements

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Before owning my company, I worked in a corporate environment. While I have not always been a fan of how certain things were executed by the companies I have worked for – I find myself syphoning some of those “big business” practices now that I own my own business. I like having systems and protocols in place. Protocols provide clarity and guidance around the who, what, when, how and why of what you do in business. If you don’t establish some foundational precepts in your business- you are likely to have your people haphazardly and unproductively prancing around your organization.

Early on in my business, I developed a document that allows me to outline the scope of my services to my clients. My “scope of work” allows me to make prospective clients aware of my expectations and terms of engagement. In the beginning, one of my SMB clients was presented with my “scope of work” and felt strongly that a document with equal parts project detail, pricing and legal jargon was not needed when working with small business. It was said that this document was intimidating. To which my reply was: “I’m sorry you feel that way, but this is how I conduct business.”

In my humble opinion, running a small business does not mean that your business is a free-for-all. There are certain checks and balances that must be accounted for regardless of whether you run a corporation or a local store. If you don’t explicitly outline your approach to the job or tasks at hand – who else is going to do it for you? We teach our clients how to treat us by the way we conduct ourselves in business. I would love to trust that every client I take on will pay on time or have the better sense to reschedule conflicting appointments in advance. The reality is: someone along the way is going to be “the one”. That is, “the one” to not pay you as discussed or to forget that you couldn’t promise certain outcomes without them providing timely information or access to systems.

I haven’t figured out all there is to know in business. However, there is one thing I know for sure. If you do not start your business on solid ground with systems, protocols, contracts, scopes of work etc. – you will likely be out of business pretty quickly. Should misunderstandings or conflicts arise, you need to be able to refer to an agreement, contract, or scope of work to reestablish order and refocus all parties involved on the client’s specified needs against the proposed services.

It doesn’t matter what kind of systems and protocols you choose to use. Nevertheless, you should include the following information in your business agreements:

1. Cancellation Policy
If someone fails to keep your scheduled appointment you lose time and money. Clients should be well-informed about what they need to do should they miss an appointment and any applicable fees associated to cancelling your services.

2. Pricing Terms
If you don’t establish these early on, people will take advantage. People need to know upfront what your services cost, how you prefer to be paid and when you expect to be paid for services rendered. Do you prefer Net 10 or Net 30 for payment scheduling? Assuming that people will pay on time or at all is not a strategy. Ensuring that clients are made aware of your expectations and any legal ramifications is smart.

3. Scope of Proposed Services  
It is very easy to get off track during a project or job. Your scope of work will act as your base camp. It will become your go-to document anytime a concern,question or complaint arises. I have had clients who abandoned the purpose of our scope weekly to pursue more immediate interests. When changing focus regularly gets tired- it is your scope of proposed services that will serve as a reminder of what you initially agreed upon.

Many will tell you that there is no need with such formalities or that you should do business with people on a “handshake” or “good faith”. As a business owner, you have to remain diligent in making sure you establish and enforce the systems, rules and/or protocols you put in place for your business. You will thank yourself later.

How to Build Wealth- Part 1

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You maybe born rich or poor but you ultimately determine your wealth. Wealth is a state of mind and your mind determines your pockets. Many people are nonchalant about savings but fail to realize why they struggle. The lack of savings plays a major role and those habits are taught. Poor money habits can be broken and where there’s will, there’s way. Here are some tips on how to build wealth through savings.

Where are your savings going?

Most people save by placing their leftover funds into a traditional bank. The bank uses the money for lending and capital accumulation. You may ask why should I care? You should care because the bank gives you a minuet portion of what they earn from interest by lending your money to others. Banks use the rule of 72. The rule of 72 is a calculation of how long it takes your money to double. For example, the bank will give you 3% for a one time deposit of 10k and it would take about 24 years for your investment to double. The bank invests (either by giving out loans or stocks) your money at a 12% interest rate and that 10k become 20k in 6 years. To solve your savings issue, you can invest in a mutual fund. A mutual fund is a collection of assets (stocks, bonds and cash) that is managed. People contribute to a fund and get a higher rate of return. Instead of 3% you may receive 6-9% on average. Your money is also protected against inflation where as if you keep your money in the bank you risk a loss due to inflation. You can usually get a better ROI (return on investment) and inflation protection with a mutual fund than having you money sit in a bank or under a mattress. Keep in mind that you can have a loss of capital by investing but the risk outweighs the benefit of keeping your money in the bank.

Have benchmarks for short-term, mid and long-term savings goals

Ask yourself “what is the least amount of money that I want in my short, mid and long-term savings?” For example you can decide to have $2k short-term, 10k mid-term and your 401k, 403b, plus 1 million long-term. Once you’ve set those clear goals, saving money will be easier for you. If you do not set benchmarks you are likely to fail moving your wealth dreams to reality. You need to define where you want to go.

Wealth challenge

Find an investment bank money and set up an account. Time out of life (TOOL): 1 1/2 hour.

Why Worrying Is Not The Answer

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There was a point in time when I worried over just about everything. I worried and wondered if and when a romantic relationship I was involved in would ever manifest into the vision I had created for myself. You know the grand vision that we all have for our personal love lives or any relationship we involve ourselves in. What it should look like, how it should make you feel, how it should read on paper, how it should flow, how it should be, the list goes on. Overly consumed by this imaginary blueprint, the blueprint of my love life, I would find myself so overwhelemed that anytime something went perceivably wrong or not in my favor, it felt as though life was being extracted out of me. I would be so mad and upset, feeling as though I was being cheated. Many times I felt hopeless and would fight tooth and nail for control; control over things I had absolutely no control over.

Think of being outside trying to change the course of the wind. Imagine the exorbitant amount of energy that is wasted fighting something that was never meant to be fought. That was me, time and time again. Fighting against the things that life presented me with instead of flowing with them.

At some point, I began to realized that my energy is very relevant to the health of my overall well-being; I abused it. I worried, I wondered, I was anxious all the time. Beyond the point of exhaustion there’s numbness. Being numb is never an ideal way to live, at least not for me and it shouldn’t be for any of us. We are all flawed human beings, we are bound to have our moments, we are certainly going to struggle. But if we are going to struggle, why not make it more of a graceful struggle. The more you go with the flow of life, the less you struggle. It doesn’t matter if it is a personal relationship you are trying to navigate your way through, a business relationship or any relationship for that matter; play your part and do what you can. The rest is out of your control.

Worry arises because you realize that you cannot predict what is going to happen tomorrow and know that you cannot have full control over how events turn out. You are uncomfortable with not having absolute certainty.

  • Work it off– Although exercise may not actually solve the issues that are causing you to feel anxious, engaging yourself in activity takes your mind off things. You become clearer after taking a break.
  • Meditate– Meditation helps your mind with needed breaks from all that clutter. The practice also helps you with greater focus. You find yourself experiencing increased clarity and less likely to worry over unnecessary things.
  • Change your perspective– Energy flows where you focus your attention. Understand that you can choose to focus on positive rather than negative thoughts. In fact, as you become more positive, you’ll be better able to create more positive outcomes.

This way of thinking allows space for me to freely move about this blueprint of mine, and allow things to happen naturally. After putting enough practice in repeatedly I can definitely notice the shift in my energy, in my thoughts, in my peace.

3 Effective Instagram Apps to Enhance Your Business

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Social media has changed the way we interact with people and has created new opportunities for small business to reach their customer base. Most of us rely heavily on our smart phones to check emails, post photos, maintain our e-commerce sites and maintain a constant connection to the world and our clients.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms; becoming host to many small business looking to provide a service, products and information to each given audience. This mobile application is supported by complimentary applications (apps) to enhance our pictures and videos which can help to engage our audience in fun, relevant and creative ways.

So what are the Instagram complimentary apps that can help small business owners utilize the benefits of their social media platforms and make the experience for their customer better? Here are 3 apps that we can’t live without!

1.  Instafollow

When you are running a small business, it is important to monitor and set goals to gain respectful, authentic and consistent followers. Instafollow is a free to install apps that helps you track the people that follow your business page back (followers), understand the followers you have gained our lost and see any mutual friends that may exist for potential new followers. This app is available for IPhone and Android phones given many users the opportunity to participate!

    Some App Features:

– View user profiles

– Show non-followers, mutual friends and fans

– Support accounts up to 10,000 users

– Detect and keep track of blockers (Optional Purchase)

– Support Multiple Accounts (Optional Purchase)

For your business, it is important to know the numbers! Losing and gaining followers should be tracked when it comes to social media so that you can understand how you should adjust your content, how you should engage your audience better and the ability to set goals for where you would like to be!

2.  Iconosquare

Photos, Photos, Photos! That is the true essence of Instagram. Iconosquare is a free complimentary app helps to enhance the visual portion of your page. The pages that typically have the largest amount of followers have great content and even better photos. If you are running social media campaign or establishing your brand it is important that you pay close attention to the beauty of your photos.

     Some App Features:

– Promote your Instagram account across other social networks with feed tabs or photo widgets.

– Manage your community and their comments on a user-friendly platform.

– Analyse your activity through professional statistics.

– Engage your community with photo contests: Setup, promote, moderate, monitor and publish results of an Instagram contest all within Iconosquare.

“Iconosquare works with your Instagram account to help you grow a social-rich media strategy, effectively interact with your community and measure your efforts with metrics.”

3.  Phonto

It is important to protect your photos on your business Instagram page while being creative, fun and informative. The Phonto app is a free install that allows you to add text and/or watermarks to your photos that can increase your brand with a logo or slogan or add in a text that informs the audience of what the photo is about, promote an event or inform about a #newpost or an alert to your customers.

    Some App Features:

    – Install other fonts

– Text size is changeable

– Text color is changeable

– Text gradient is changeable

When you are developing your small business, focusing on the creative side of your social media platform is key! Use this app in order to literally add some color to your post and keep your followers anticipating for more!

So, what are your favorite apps on social media for your small business?