Black To Business

Richard Brandt is the Founder and CEO of Codetrain, the first technology accelerator in Ghana to train young people to build apps and software.  Codetrain’s holistic approach connects its students to job and mentorship opportunities in addition to providing the practical skills needed to build a career in web and mobile application development, design, and online marketing. To date, Codetrain has held two boot camps at the British Council in Accra and provided training and mentorship to over 300 university students from Ashesi, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana Technology University College, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, IPMC, and NIIT. Nearly half of university graduates in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to land jobs. The proliferation of smartphones, high speed internet and the digitization of our economy means that Africa will need a talent base that will possess the needed skills to support this infrastructure.  In order for there to be continuous development in the y

Benchmark Creative Group is a digital event marketing agency that creates marketing campaigns for events and provides marketing workshops for organizations as well as one on one branding sessions. BCG is run by co-founders Tiffany Ashitey and Tasha Morris who have a background in event production. The duo are the creators of Brooklyn Marketing Week and the SHEBOSS series. DURING THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSSED: The different elements of customer engagement Being realistic with your time and abilities Delegating The power of partnerships RESOURCES MENTIONED: Asana Later Canva  Planoly  Twenty20 Stock  RECOMMENDED READS: The Alchemist x Paulo Coelho The Founder's Dilemmas x Noam Wasserman The Tipping Point x Malcolm Gladwell  OTHER PLACES TO LISTEN: Apple | Stitcher | Google Play STAY CONNECTED: BCG: Website |  Instagram | Twitter  | Facebook Black to Business:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Nicholas Richards, is the founder of Roho, the largest online community of Black Christians.  Roho's mission is to keep you connected to God at all times.  Prior to Roho, Rev. Richards served as Assistant Pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.   DURING THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSSED: Bridging Tech and African American christianity Leveraging your network in business The impact of entrepreneurship on the Black community The impact of HBCU’s on entrepreneurship OTHER PLACES TO LISTEN: Apple | Stitcher | Google Play STAY CONNECTED: Nicholas: Website |  Instagram | Twitter  | Facebook Black to Business:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Mandy Bowman is the Founder and CEO of Official Black Wall Street. After studying entrepreneurship at Babson College, she set out to empower the Black community through economics and ownership. With a deep-rooted passion for all things social media, entrepreneurship, and Black culture, she has worked tirelessly to make it easier for others to find and support Black entrepreneurs through her digital platform and Black business directory, Official Black Wall Street. In 2017 Mandy was invited to TEDx Dover, the first TED event held at an HBCU, to give a TED talk on ownership and long term wealth in the Black community. She was also chosen to present her business pitch to a panel of celebrity entrepreneur judges on Centric TV's new series 'Queen Boss.' Just before the 2017 holiday rush, Mandy launched the highly anticipated app version of Official Black Wall Street to help people find and support online-based and brick & mortar Black-owned businesses. Making headlines as the first app to alert users whenever

 Lloyd J. Cambridge is the founder of Progress Playbook, the learning platform that designs customized learning experiences to equip entrepreneurs and their teams to accomplish their goals. Progress Playbook has designed entrepreneurship curriculum and programs for government agencies and non-profits, including, NYC Department of Small Business Services, City Harvest, The Actors Fund, New York University, Council Member Robert Cornegy, and Brooklyn Community Foundation to name a few. Lloyd’s career started as an analyst and underwriter at JP Morgan Chase working with middlemarket companies in the apparel, textile and jewelry industries. After spending five years in the banking world, he made the switch to work alongside entrepreneurs as director of NYC Business Solutions, a program under New York City Department of Small Business Services. At NYC Business Solutions he lead a team and cultivated key partnerships to deliver services to thousands of small businesses, fueling New York City’s business engine. He h

Claudette is as an accomplished customer service professional.  Her expertise was refined with formal education, experience over 40 years working in a corporate environment, ongoing engagement with meaningful community associations, and through business practice as an entrepreneur. She is President of At Your Service Consulting, LLC and Touchpoints of Service providing customer service training and consulting services. DTE Energy represents the corporate environment where Claudette fine-tuned her ability to execute strategic planning tactics through progressive roles with expanded responsibilities.  Forward thinking analysis is second nature to her as a result of completing ongoing training including continuous improvement and leadership.   DURING THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSSED: The importance of knowing your customer and seeking to understand their specific needs Customer service in Black-owned businesses How to increase and maintain your customer base How to deal with both internal and external customers, incl

Marielle is a Personal Brand and Publicity Strategist, Author and Speaker. She founded Women Who Influence, a global personal brand and publicity community for female entrepreneurs in June 2017. She hosts in-person masterclasses in New York and London, whilst being a speaker of choice for Yale University, New York University and KPMG. Prior to launching the community, she gained over a decade of global expertise building brand reputation campaigns for some of the world’s largest companies including Deloitte, Grant Thornton, Experian and Golin. Her work has captured global audiences' attention through top tier media channels including BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times and Forbes.  Her book, The Personal Brand Bible For Ambitious Women: Featuring Success Secrets from Six-Figure Trailblazers is the ultimate guide for women looking to open up more professional opportunities and become more influential in their industry. It’s available now on Amazon. DURING THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSSED: The importance of establishing

Name: Richard Bailey Age: 31 Current Title: Co-Founder of GrpFit Location: Oakland,​ ​CA Rich​ ​fell​ ​in​ ​love​ ​with​ ​Health​ ​and​ ​Fitness​ ​at​ ​an​ ​early​ ​age.​ ​From basketball,​ ​football,​ ​track​ ​and​ ​field​ ​to​ ​15+​ ​years​ ​of professional​ ​and​ ​competitive​ ​dancing,​ ​health​ ​and​ ​fitness​ ​has been​ ​an​ ​integral​ ​part​ ​of​ ​his​ ​life.​ ​The Harlem, NY native ​graduated​ ​with​ ​a Bachelor’s​ ​of​ ​Science​ ​in​ ​Computer​ ​Engineering​ ​Technology from​ ​the​ ​Rochester​ ​Institute​ ​of​ ​Technology​ ​and​ ​followed​ ​with​ ​a​ ​Master’s​ ​of Business​ ​Administration​ ​from​ ​the​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Rochester,​ ​Simon​ ​Business School.​ ​His​ ​professional​ ​experience​ ​includes​ ​software​ ​engineering, technology​ ​research,​ ​finance​ ​and​ ​business​ ​operations.​ ​ During this episode we discuss how how the GrpFit Team has created a community around fitness for the Black community. Richard shares why they chose to focus specifically on the Black community. Not only

Name: Steve Canal Age: 37 Title: MillerCoors National Community Affairs Executive and Founder of The Brand Executive Location: New York Educational Background: Fordham University This Episode: During this episode Steve takes a deep dive into personal growth with the intent to cut your learning curve and inspire a winning mindset that will put you on the path to achieving success with purpose. Steve shares tips on how to develop a winner’s mindset coupled with persistence and hard work. Book: The Mind Of A Winner About Steve: Steve Canal is a Senior Marketing Executive, award-winning branding architect, author, and national motivational speaker. A self-proclaimed corporate-preneur, Steve serves as Principal and CEO of The Brand Executive (a digital platform that provides people with the tools to grow as entrepreneurs or successfully climb the corporate ladder by being CEO of their personal brand) and a National Community Affairs Lead for MillerCoors. Steve has developed award winning corporate marketing strate

Name: Kandia Johnson Title: Communications Strategist and Founder of Kandid Conversations Location: Northern New Jersey This Episode: Kandia shares tips on how to do what you can do with what you’ve got when building your brand. We dive into ways to pitch your brand to the media and across social media. Kandia also shares why the number of followers you have doesn’t matter. How to get paid what you are worth. This episode is packed with all the resources you need to grow your brand and control  your time. Books: Destiney: Step Into Your Purpose x T.D. Jakes How to Win Friends & Influence People x Dale Carnegie You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life x Jen Sincero The Power of Broke x Daymond John About Kandia: As the founder of Kandid Conversations,  she teaches  9-5'ers and entrepreneurs how to get noticed by the right people. She’s helped her clients launch global campaigns and events, get booked on TV shows, and featured in print and online publications. S

Name: Sherrell Dorsey Title: Founder, ThePLUGDaily.com Location: New York, New York Educational Background: B.A., International Trade and Marketing, Fashion Institute of Technology M.S. (2018), Data Journalism, Columbia University This Episode: Sherrell shares her journey as a lifelong learner and her mission to create a business that serves the community. Through ThePLUG she helping to change the narratives surrounding the black community in tech. We dive into how having a strong team has allowed her to balance school and business. The most transformative change for her has been realizing that leadership takes an extraordinary amount of self evaluation. What do you value? How purposeful you are with your journey? Books: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business x Gino Wickman The Innovation Blind Spot: Why We Back the Wrong Ideas and What Do We Do About It x Ross Baird Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit x Krista Tippett About Sherrell:  Since learning to code at the age 14 Sherrell

Name: Chekwas Okafor Age: 27 Current Title: Founder/CEO of ONYCHEK Location: Albany, NY During this episode we discussed how Chekwas has been able to live his purpose through his business ONYCHEK. We touched on the importance of job creation and economic development within Africa. Chekwas also shared his own personal story of the sacrifices he has made in his transition to entrepreneurship. Key Takeaways: Have patience with your vision. Execution is important. Time block so that you can focus. Recommended Read: Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters x Richard Rumelt Chekwas Okafor is the founder of ONYCHEK.com, an ecommerce retailer for Luxury Fashion from Africa. He graduated from Voorhees College, an HBCU in South Carolina, with a degree in Biology. Chekwas launched the company in September 2016 to help make African luxury fashion easily accessible to the world. He has been featured on reputable press platforms like Forbes, CNN, HuffPost.

During this episode we discussed the importance of entrepreneurship and wealth building for  athletes. We touched on the role that athletics plays into the households within the black community and what the future looks like. Krystal also shared her own personal journey which led to her writing her first book. Name: Krystal Beachum Age: 26 Current Title: Founder/CEO of Student Athletes Unite & Licensing Intern at the NFLPA Location: Washington, DC Krystal Beachum, author of "For The Other 98%" and Founder of Student-Athletes Unite took her passion for student-athletes and entrepreneurship to the next level by filling the gap in the college athletics industry. Her company is committed to helping student-athletes create business and career opportunities.

During this episode we discussed if a college degree matters in entrepreneurship, why you have to become obsessed with your business, and managing and allocating your energy in business. Drake also provides information on how Inflc Media performs a social media analysis and uses analytics to create a custom strategy to grow your brands presence. Name: Drake Reaux Age: 26 Current Title: President and Founder Location: Dallas, TX Drake Reaux is the founder of Inflc Media a new breed of social media agency that helps small & mid-level businesses, celebs, and personal brands to find their social media voices and build their digital brands. He also recently purchased and became Co-Owner of Dapper Deals Club, an online designer fashion accessories brand that is inspired by city life, modern art, and music bringing elegant pieces to life. Founded with the vision to serve the men's and women's entrepreneur fashion market. Dapper Deals Club is now a global renowned brand consistently introducing new, yet classic p

During this episode we discuss how to brand your business successfully. Amanda shares some affordable tools for building your brand successfully, common mistakes brands make, plus more. Age: 30 Current Title: Tech Publicist & App Entrepreneur Location: Chicago, IL Amanda Spann is marketer and serial app entrepreneur on a mission to help fellow founders build and accelerate their brands. She produces marketing driven resources and programming through her consultancy Spann & Company in addition to being the Co-Founder of Tiphub, an impact driven innovation community for entrepreneurs in Africa and the African Diaspora and the hosts of Diaspora Demo Day, the largest startup showcase for black entrepreneurs outside of the continent of Africa. Amanda has been honored as one of Business Insider’s 30 Most Important Women In Tech Under 30, BET’s Blacks on the Brink of Greatness, and as one of 5 future leaders in technology by Black Enterprise Magazine.

During this episode we discussed wealth in the black community, student loans, and credit. Tonya also shares her journey to financial freedom and becoming a Certified Financial Education Instructor. Age: 32 Location: Brooklyn, NY Current Title: Founder, My Fab Finance & Co-Founder FOAM Enterprises, Inc. Education: BA Public Administration and MA Urban Policy & Affairs, Financial Education Instruction Certificate

During this episode Marquelle discusses how his project, The New Stereotype, celebrates and highlights the many diverse layers of black life through fashion, film, and photography. We also spoke about the influence of black culture in the fashion industry and living your life on your own terms. Name: Marquelle Turner Age: 29 Location: Doha, Qatar Current Title: Creative Director - The New Stereotype & Menswear Buyer - Galeries Lafayette via Ali Bin Ali Group Education: Fayetteville State University - Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing (2009), NC State University - Master of Global Innovation Management (2014), SKEMA Business School - Master of Science, Global Luxury Management (2014)