Style of Business - Page 7

NEW! SOB Episode: Miesha Robinson – Founder of Ucrowd

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Miesha Robinson - Founder of Ucrowd

On this episode of Style of Business, Keetria speaks with the founder of Ucrowd, a new ticketing platform for events and entertainment, Miesha Robinson. The company is based in Los Angeles. Miesha talks about her journey, her new platform and gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs about how to be prepared for investors and ways to stay motivated.

Style of Business
-Podcast Show Notes-

Episode – 28

Summary:

On this episode of Style of Business, Keetria speaks with the founder of Ucrowd, a new ticketing platform for events and entertainment, Miesha Robinson. The company is based in Los Angeles. Miesha talks about her journey, her new platform and gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs about how to be prepared for investors and ways to stay motivated.

Show Notes:

  • Miesha started working on Ucrowd in college.
  • She graduated in 2014 from Cal State Dominguez Hill with a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing.
  • She was involved in a few different companies where she helped with sales, merchandising, and management.
    • Kellogg’s, Target, Hertz Rental Cars
  • Has an extensive background in sales and marketing and helped her launch Ucrowd, an online ticketing platform.
  • Took a computer information systems class in school where she had to create a blog about one of the projects they created.
    • She came up with the idea of creating a blog about events that were free with in a 10-mile radius of where she lived.
    • She couldn’t find a platform that combined all of the information about free and affordable events in the area.
    • She created Ucrowd to fill this need.
  • Ucrowd is an online self-service ticketing and registration platform for events.
    • Ucrowd focuses on bringing people together offline while simultaneously redefining the ticketing industry.
    • Not only is it a ticketing platform, it’s also a social platform.
    • Ucrowd is bridging the gap between social and ticketing industries.
    • You can go on the site and filter by distance, category (such as music and theatre).
    • You can create your own event or register for an existing one.
  • Miesha’s tech experience.
    • Miesha had little tech experience but used YouTube to understand how to build her website.
    • She created Ucrowd’s website from scratch choosing look, feel, and flow.
    • You can find so many things online to help you do all the tech stuff for your website.
  • When it comes to a business plan, it’s important to link up with someone who knows more than you.
    • A business plan is a blueprint for your business.
    • It took about a month to lay out everything she needed for her business plan.
  • When she was looking for events, it was hard to find ones that weren’t really expensive.
    • A. has events going on constantly, but Miesha has to find events that fit her niche market.
    • She wanted to take her experience at live events and put it into one particular app or tool to find things to do during the week.
  • Ucrowd is different from other platforms because of pricing.
    • Other ticketing platforms focus on adding fees to the event price
    • Ucrowd focuses on making event booking affordable so you get your money’s-worth.
    • They have straightforward pricing so you know exactly what you’re getting and there’s only one fee associated with the purchase.
    • Ucrowd uses social buying – there is a direct button on social so people can buy tickets directly from social media.
    • The event organizer can share pictures from the event and people can comment on them.
  • What was the strategy for launching Ucrowd?
    • Creating a business plan.
    • Creating a pre-launch and post-launch marketing plan.
    • Miesha had a great professor that took time to go over her business plan with her and helped her map out:
      • Where she wanted to go
      • How she wanted to get there
      • Who she needed to connect with.
    • Used the SBA (Small Business Association) who helps entrepreneurs get from point A to point B.
    • She funded her own processes, such as the Trademark process.
    • Miesha encourages entrepreneurs to use their day job as a stepping stone to get to their dreams.
    • She put away money from each check to fund her dreams and make Ucrowd work.
  • People are afraid to move forward and act on their vision because they listen to outside voices other than their own
    • Instead of embodying our confidence we listen to the detractors.
    • You have to encourage yourself through the entire journey.
    • If you listen to others opinions, it will discourage you and deter you from bringing your ideas into fruition.
    • Take time, plan everything out, if you don’t know something reach out to someone who knows more than you do.
  • The evolution of the event industry over the next 5-10 years.
    • Miesha believes there’s going to be a merge between purchases and social media more than it is now.
  • Miesha enjoys the independence that comes from her entrepreneur journey.
    • Through entrepreneurship, unless you have a day job, you’re not sure when the next time will be that you make a big sale.
    • She likes working on a project where she gets to be creative and can push herself.
    • She likes to help other people create opportunities within business and encourage them.
  • What challenges has she faced as an entrepreneur.
    • For Miesha, the main challenge has been financial resources.
    • Raising funds for your business out of your own pocket can be straining.
    • It’s hard to raise funds and convince the investor that it’s worth their while.
      • You have to be able to get other people to understand your vision.
    • Before presenting to investors in an incubator situation, you need to make sure you have a pitch deck and business plan. You need to be ready for presenting.
      • She went to a luncheon for an incubator and was asked on the fly to pitch her idea.
        • Thankfully she was prepared and invited back to do a full presentation.
      • Did 10-15-minute presentation for investors.
      • You must know your numbers, your marketing plan and your ROI.
      • You need to know your business like the back of your hand.
    • Miesha stays motivated through prayer and circumstance and expectation.
      • She did not have a wealthy upbringing and in moments where you have to stay motivated.
      • When you pray, you expect God to move and change things.
        • Personal mantra: Faith without works is dead.
      • She prays herself through any circumstance.
    • The best advice someone has given her is to believe in herself and continue to move in love.
      • She focuses on what’s important to her: being creative and helping others.
    • Another key piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs:
      • Don’t become a slave to your circumstance. There’s a lesson in failure, use it as a stepping stone.
    • Working on an online talk show for entrepreneurs.

Tweetable Quotes:

  • “I encourage entrepreneurs to use their day job as a stepping stone to get to their dreams.”
  • “You have to encourage yourself through the entire journey.”
  • “Faith without works is dead.”

Resources Mentioned

Styleofbusiness.com – Podcast website

Ucrowd –Miesha Robinson’s company – Website will be available next year.

Cal State Dominguez Hill – Miesha Robinson’s Alma Mater

Social Media Handles: @iammiesha; @officialucrowd

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Ways to Cross-Promote Your Brand and Sell Your Product

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Miesha Robinson - Founder of Ucrowd

Social media ads and sponsored content are great for marketing your products. However, it doesn’t always work. And as an entrepreneur, you’re probably wondering if there are other strategies to help you promote your brand and ultimately, sell more products.

The answer is cross-promotion.

Cross-promotion is basically “co-marketing,” and it means teaming up with another business to craft a promotion that benefits you both. By utilizing another medium or channel, you can promote your products and services to new markets. The beauty of cross-promotion is that it’s not only powerful, but it’s also an inexpensive way to generate more sales.

Here are some ways you can cross promote your brand:

Collaborate with non-competing brand

Start by finding a business who is not a direct competitor of yours but sells a product that complements your product. By tapping into their established community, you get more qualified leads. And you can do the same for them. Some ideal prospects would be other local businesses or social media influencers.

Collaborate with influencers

While we’re on the topic of influencers, cross-promoting to each other’s audiences could prove to be mutually beneficial. If you’re a local business, look for an influencer who has the attention of your local community.

The influencer could mention your business in a Tweet, a Facebook or Instagram post, or on their blog. Remember that depending on the influencer’s following and reach, you may have to shell out. There’s more than one way to compensate an influencer but think along the lines of cash, exclusive access to your events, product gifting, or promotion of their platform by your brand.

Co-promote on social media

Together, you can co-promote your brands on social media. If you both have an established social media presence, you have the opportunity to win more followers thanks to the increased visibility that cross-promotion will bring.

It can be as simple as crafting messages that relate to each other’s audiences through a shout out that will get each other’s followers to pay attention to both your brands.

Co-produce a newsletter

The trick is to find a way to tie your brands together that seems natural. Some brands organically mesh while you may need to get creative if your two companies wouldn’t otherwise be seen together in a typical setting.

By cross-promoting each other’s products or services through newsletter campaigns, you both benefit from the other’s email list.

Cross-promote through content marketing

If content marketing isn’t a part of your digital marketing strategy, it should be. Consumers consume cast amounts of content each day, looking for the solutions to their questions. When you produce content that is compelling and relevant regularly, you’re getting placing yourself as a leader in your industry.

Cross-promote using your content by adding links in your content that will lead them to websites that you may want to link back to you. Don’t forget to email them to let the content manager you’ve linked to their site. You never know, but they may return the favor.

Do you already have prospects for your co-promotion strategy? Good luck!

NEW! SOB Episode: Charlynda Scales – CEO of Mutt’s Sauce

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Charlynda Scales CEO

On this episode of SOB (Style of Business), Keetria interviews Charlynda Scales, the CEO of Mutt’s Sauce. Charlynda is an Air Force veteran who took her grandfather’s sauce recipe and turned it into a business.

Style of Business
-Podcast Show Notes-

Episode 27

Summary:

On this episode of SOB (Style of Business), Keetria interviews Charlynda Scales, the CEO of Mutt’s Sauce. Charlynda is an Air Force veteran who took her grandfather’s sauce recipe and turned it into a business. Mutt’s Sauce was created because Charlynda’s grandfather strongly disliked condiments and wanted to create a sauce that could go on anything. Charlynda talks about becoming an unlikely entrepreneur, how she manages her time, what motivates her, and what she’s learned as a business owner. She also advises other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Show Notes:

  • Host Keetra introduces Charlynda Scales, CEO of Mutt’s Sauce and former Air Force veteran.
  • Charlynda gives a brief introduction of herself.
  • Background of Mutt’s Sauce:
    • Charlynda grew up in the country with her extended family.
    • Her grandfather came up with a recipe for a sauce because he hated condiments.
    • He wanted to make one sauce for everything and came up with Mutt’s Sauce through trial and error.
    • The final recipe was created in 1956 and stayed with the family for years.
    • Charlynda’s grandfather left the Mutt’s Sauce recipe to her.
    • Charlynda turned the recipe into a business.
  • The Mutt’s Sauce business began as a gift to family and friends and grew.
  • It took four months to turn the Mutt’s Sauce recipe into a business.
  • Used org for mentorship as she was a budding startup.
    • org builds you a checklist to get to a final product.
  • Created the product while she was on active duty in the military.
  • What makes Mutt’s Sauce stand out?
    • “Tasting is believing.”
    • It has a flavor that’s unlike anything anyone’s ever tried.
    • It’s sweet and tangy with a little bit of heat.
    • Not like anything on the market in terms of flavor and consistency.
    • It’s not like mumbo sauce because everyone has a different version of mumbo sauce.
  • The number one question people ask about Mutt’s Sauce is if they can drink it.
    • Someone created a cocktail called The Bloody Mutt.
  • Types of market research for brand positioning and making sure that the products stand out.
    • The BBQ sauce market is flooded, Mutt’s Sauce is a specialty sauce.
    • Lab testing has to be done before you can get into stores.
      • Worked with university labs to test the pH and shelf life of the sauce.
      • Safety and preservatives need to be tested.
    • You have to apply to stores to get your product on the shelves.
  • The launch process.
    • She joined the local chamber of commerce.
    • The chamber of commerce helped her to a launch event.
    • The first production was by an Amish family in Wellston, Ohio.
      • 700 bottles were hand poured.
    • Great turnout at the launch event, all 700 bottles were sold.
    • Launch event members connected her to local stores to get Mutt’s Sauce on the shelf.
      • Her first client was a hotel, some farmer’s markets, and some local vendors.
    • What time management looks like.
      • Learned about time management in the military.
      • You need to be efficient choose your top priorities and be realistic about what can be done.
      • Get your top two critical things done each day.
    • Helpful books on business management and entrepreneurship.
      • The Power of Broke by Daymond John.
        • Charlynda is a VIP ambassador for Daymond John’s new book Rise and Grind coming out next January.
        • Talks about his journey with FUBU.
        • Hear about testimonials from people with humble beginnings.
      • Charlynda’s interests when she was younger-
        • Charlynda wanted to be a doctor and had an interest in anatomy and the human body.
        • Never aspired to own a company but like to work with people.
        • Naturally inquisitive about how people operate and want to know what motivates them.
        • Majored in business and got an MBA.
      • What she enjoys most about her entrepreneurial journey.
        • The people she’s met and the friends she’s made have made the journey worth it.
      • What are the challenges of entrepreneurship?
        • Not having a partner to help.
        • Entrepreneurship can be lonely and networking can help.
        • Trying to explain to people who aren’t entrepreneurs why you’ve chosen to run a business and make sacrifices.
      • Understanding that the business is bigger than her is what keeps her going each day.
      • She considers herself a servant leader of the people who have made Mutt’s Sauce a part of their lifestyle.
      • The best life advice she’s ever gotten is to believe in something bigger than herself and stay humble.
      • Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: If you’re thinking about doing something, there’s a reason why you’re having that thought and it’s tied to a purpose.
        • Just have faith, do it, and realize it’s not as scary as you thought.
      • All social handles are @muttssauce

Tweetable Quotes:

  • “Entrepreneurship is to embrace the unknown.”
  • “Opportunities stop when humility is gone.”
  • “Even when you hit it big, you operate like you did when you were broke.”

Resources Mentioned

Mutt’s Sauce – Charlynda’s product website

Charlyndajean.com – Charlynda’s personal website

Score.org – Mentorship site

The Power of Broke – Book by entrepreneur Daymond John

Rise and Grind – Book by Daymond John and Daniel Paisner

FUBU – Daymond John’s clothing company

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NEW! SOB Episode: Felicia Fort – Founder/Visionary of One Step Closer Foundation

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Felicia Fort

Style of Business

-Podcast Show Notes-

 

Episode 26

Summary:

In this episode, Keetria interviews Felicia Fort of One Step Closer Foundation, a Washington DC-based organization that provides Math tutors, funding for high school students and promotes STEM careers. Learn about Felicia’s passion for teaching Math to everyone—from little kids to 70 year olds. She delves into the importance of mentorship for one’s success and explains the value of the three-way triangle of parents, students, and mentors. Tune-in to learn more about this entrepreneur and some tricks and tricks to run a one-person business.

Show Notes:

  • Felicia is the founder of One Step Closer Foundation
    • Provides trained Math tutors, funded high school students and promotes STEM careers
    • Quotes Rita Pierson who said, “Every child deserves a CHAMPION”
  • The origins of One Step Closer
    • This five-year-old foundation started with the intention of helping individuals hone their Math skills
    • Created a 501© non-profit
    • Offers different programs such as the College Care Program, Summer Externship Program, Ford Scholarship Program and college tours
    • Aims to bring people “one step closer” to their goal of mastering Math
    • Works with everyone—from little kids to 70 year olds!
    • Tailors Math activities to suit an individual’s interest
  • Felicia shares details about her book, The Mentor Model, where she intertwines the business model
  • How she got into mentorship
    • Volunteered with mentoring organizations while in college
    • Was not keen on being a teacher
    • Joined a mentoring organization while in DC
    • Found the three-way triangle between a student, mentor and parents as being really beneficial
  • You can find a mentor through a formal or informal arrangement
    • In a formal setting, a mentor is first vetted through the organization
    • Important for a mentor to be available and knowledgeable
    • Started when she was in her Master’s program
    • Important to monetize time as a one-person show
  • Enjoys the uncertain nature of entrepreneurship
  • Does not give up on a problem and keeps on trying to solve it; this serves as an inspiration to her students
  • Recommended Business Book: What Color Is Your Parachute? 2015: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers and Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
  • Social media has helped in connecting with students and generate referral requests
  • RECOMMENDS getting a mentor; advisable to connect with someone outside of your biological family
  • There are 24 hours in a day; do not let these hours go by without doing something that you put your whole HEART into
  • Firmly BELIEVING in your product will attract people
  • Mentorship is free whereas you need to pay for a coach
  • You can be successful as an entrepreneur even if you do not have a team backing you
  • Felicia has a mentor-mentee brunch coming up on Saturday, December 2
  • Connect with Felicia on Instagram, Twitter or through her website
  • Connect with Keetria through her website or Twitter

3 Key Points:

  1. Get a mentor who is knowledgeable, available and outside of your biological family.
  2. There are 24 hours in a day; do not let these hours go by without doing something that you put your HEART into.
  3. Firmly BELIEVING in your product will attract people

Credits

Top 4 Motivating Fitness Apps for Runners

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Fitness Apps for Runners

Are you running to lose weight? Running to get outside of your own head? Do you run because it’s your favorite form of cardio? Or do you just love being outdoors and running is your escape?

Whatever your reasons and motivations, we’ve put together 4 great fitness apps created especially for runners. We’ve got apps that will help you find new routes, track your progress, and even one for beginners who are now retired couch potatoes.

      1. Nike + Run Club and Nike+ Training Club

Nike+ Run Club is an innovative running partner. Besides its features like indoor or outdoor tracking and distance coverage, it has a coaching program based on your goals.

Apart from tracking your progress, it has a shoe tracker so you can tag the shoes you used for each workout. You’ll know how much mileage your shoes can take before you wear them out!

Download the Nike+ Training Club app and get more than 100 workouts that come with instructional audio and video clips.

      1. Fitbit

Even if you do not have the actual wearable tracker, you can download the Fitbit app and turn on MobileTrack. This feature lets you count all the steps that you have made, the distance you have covered as well as calories burned.

And the New Adventures feature is just one more thing to really get you motivated. It uses my steps progress to show you how far you could have traveled on famous trails, giving you an idea on how you would fair running along iconic landmarks!

      1. C25K

This is a great app for beginners.

And speaking of couch potatoes, the C25K app used to be called just that – Couch Potato. The name was fitting because it was designed for people who don’t run. Alternating between running and walking, the app will help you build strength. Through its 8-week plan which calls for 30-minute workouts per week, you’ll be a runner before you know it. The goal is to take you from your couch to finishing 5k. C25K = Couch to 5k. Get it?

      1. MapMyRun

Like Fitbit and Nike+Run app, MapMyRun also has track features like speed and distance. Best of all, this app is not exclusive to runners; you can use MapMyRun to search for biking paths or even places to walk your dog.

What we love about this app is that it has a unique feature called “Find a route” where the app suggests a new running course for you based on your location. A change of scenery is always inspiring.

All these apps are available on Android and IOS. With so many competing brands making health and fitness fun and interactive through technology, it’s intriguing to find out what they’ll come up with next.

Are you a runner who has a favorite running app? We’d love to hear about it.

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NEW! SOB Episode: Rob Aurelius – Co Founder of A&R Collective Group

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Rob Aurelius - Co Founder of A&R Collective Group

Check out the latest episode of the SOB Podcast! I had a great chat with Rob Aurelius who launched his career in the entertainment/sports industry by taking a chance on himself and stepping into opportunity.

Style of Business

-Podcast Show Notes-

Episode 25

Summary:

In this episode, Keetria interviews Rob Aurelius of A&R Collective group, a New York based organization providing promotional services. Starting in 2013, this organization co-founded by Rob has managed to add the iconic WWE to its client roster. Learn how Rob managed to leverage Twitter to effectively network with WWE wrestlers like Prince Nana and The Brooklyn Brawler. Rob also shares the impressive initiatives made by the WWE community in the fields of pediatric and breast cancer. Tune-in to learn more about this passionate and socially responsible entrepreneur whose militant FOCUS helps him to provide his clients the BEST service possible.

Show Notes:

  •     Rob is the co-founder of A&R Collective Group

          o      Started in 2013, they provide varied services such as entertainment, marketing, consulting, advertising, promotions, event planning, event management and social media management

          o      Caters to the music industry and competes with the likes of Sony and Viacom; being a boutique firm, they have the ability to connect with their clients

  •     Rob shares how they got involved with WWE

          o      While helping out a friend with her social media campaign, Rob got acquainted with former wrestler, Gene Snisky who introduced him to many other former wrestlers

          o      Got in touch with Prince Nana of Ring of Honor fame via Twitter; Prince Nana agreed to help out Rob if Rob helped him to get verified on Twitter

          o      Networked with former WWE wrestlers who are now associated with NBC, the local wrestling outfit

          o      Not happy with WWE managing their careers, a lot of wrestlers were looking for an outside backstage agent

          o      Got in touch with Steve Lombardi aka “The Brooklyn Brawler” via Twitter; Steve introduced him to many WWE wrestlers who needed help with promotion

  •     Admires that fact that WWE community leverages the power of its brand to address social issues

          o      Organizes school visits and even conducts free shows for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

          o      Connor’s Cure, a WWE community initiative focuses on pediatric cancer

          o      Susan G. Komen is another prominent program that works for the eradication of breast cancer; having lost a close friend to breast cancer, Rob is really passionate about this cause

  •     Rob shares how he got HOOKED onto kickboxing

          o      Growing up, Rob idolized Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali; he admired Ali for raising his voice against racism

          o      Encouraged by Steve Lombardi to work on his fitness, Rob took on kickboxing; keeping his 2017 New Year’s resolution, Steve joined iLoveKickboxing

          o      It is NEVER too late to take up something new!

  •     What FUELS Rob to keep on working

          o      Being a third-generation immigrant, Rob realized the value of hard work; feels blessed to be born in America, the land of opportunities

          o      A spiritual person, Rob believes that his giving personality is ideally suited for his kind of business where he can genuinely help out people

          o      Wants to be a source of INSPIRATION for the youth

          o      Loves working for WWE since it has given him visibility and a chance to build a SOLID reputation

  •     Not a big fan of Apps, Rob uses tools like Buffer to schedule his Tweets; being a small outfit with just 3 people, Rob uses such tools to downsize his work
  •     Rob shares his experience with various social mediums

          o      Has a strong presence on Twitter with 190K followers; uses it to get feedback and voice his opinion

          o      A big proponent of using Twitter Ads

          o      Is active on Facebook and Instagram as well; uses Facebook for networking and posts pictures of beautiful Brooklyn on Instagram

  •     Rob wants to ensure that his parents have a stress-free and comfortable life in their later years

          o      Rob’s mother had a difficult time raising four children; his father is still working and refuses to retire at 67!

          o      Hopes that his parents get their benefits and can retire with the right insurance plan

  •     If you are passionate about something and want to bring it to life, go out there and make sure you do it!
  •     WCW or WWE?

          o      WWE bought WCW years ago; years ago WWE and WCW had an epic battle going on

          o      Back in the day, icons like Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Ric Flair joined WCW

          o      Always loyal to WWE, Rob respect Vince McMahon, the owner of WWE

          o      WWE has evolved from a wrestling organization to a global promotions company

3 Key Points:

  1.       Use the POWER of social media to network with prospects and attain greater visibility.
  2.       Aim to genuinely HELP your clients and the greater community at large by concentrating not just on the work, but also on social initiatives.

3.       PASSION will help you find your internal voice—this voice will push you to go out there and just do it!

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NEW! SOB Episode: Stephanie Caudle – Owner & Founder of Black Girl Group

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Laughing Matters with Comedian Deveron “D” Dennis

Here’s the latest episode of SOB – I’m speaking with Stephanie Caudle about her new micro job site venture and her continuous journey in the tech industry!

Style of Business

-Podcast Show Notes-

Episode 24

Summary:

In this episode, Keetria interviews Stephanie Caudle of Black Girl Group, a micro-job site and organization helping connect African-American freelancers to companies who are struggling to hire diverse, freelance talent. Listen as Stephanie shares the various struggles she has faced on her entrepreneurial journey. She shares about her noble vision of creating a platform aimed at helping African American women earn extra income as well helping the US marketplace become more culturally diverse and inclusive. Tune-in as she discusses the key factors that contribute to her success and the value of stepping out and taking that LEAP of FAITH.

Show Notes:

  •     Keetria introduces Stephanie to the show
  •     Stephanie is the founder and CEO of Black Girl Group, a micro-job site

o      Similar to Fiverr and Upwork, but caters solely to African American women

  •     The Origins of Black Girl Group

o      Was launched in November 2016

o      As a PR agent at Tom Ford, Stephanie was handling 45 clients and was totally burnout

o      Was laid off from her job immediately after registering her site; been working full-time on Black Girl Group ever since

  •     Stephanie has a two-fold mission:

o      1. Help women increase their load

o      2. Increase diversity

  •     Coming from a publishing background, was terrified of entering the tech industry; only 1% of women receive funding in the tech industry

o      Admits that her misgivings for the tech industry were unfounded; was recently accepted into an incubator program promoted by Google

o      Has received resources that have allowed her to grow as a freelancer and a startup founder

  •     Wants to leverage on the fact that African American women are the fastest growing entrepreneurs in the United States
  •     Realized the immense NEED for African American talent when she saw a Twitter ad for an African American writer placed by an influential CEO

o      The CEO was specifically targeting African American buyers, the race that spends the most money in America

o      The only way to get in front of African American audiences is through hiring African American talent

o      For hiring African American talent, you need to go to a platform such as Black Girl Group where you can find all this talent in one place

  •     Offers a variety of services such as virtual assistance, writers, web designer, developers and much more
  •     Learn how Stephanie’s marketing background has helped her

o      Graduated from North Carolina AT&T with a concentration in public relations

o      Is able to handle her own media outreach and pitching to gain visibility

o      Is able to create targeted content that resonates with viewers; recently created a blog post titled, “How do you make money as a freelancer without going broke”

o      Digital marketing experience helps her in keyword searches through which she zeros in on the right topics

  •     CHALLENGES encountered

o      Getting funding for her venture has been Stephanie’s biggest challenge; has received pushbacks because of the name of her company

o      People think that her business model is divisive

o      Many emotional challenges as well

  •     Stephanie’s shares how she kickstarted Black Girl

o      Writing for Huffington Post was her side hustle while she had a full-time job

o      In the midst of losing her job, took up freelance writing as a fulltime profession

o      Her experiences as a freelancer has equipped her to deal with the ups and downs of business

  •     The things she ENJOYS the most about being an entrepreneur

o      Being a mom, she values the flexibility that her profession offers

o      Wishes to help African-Americans succeed by giving them access to valuable information

  •     Shares that the Google Incubator she is associated with is especially designed to help startup founders of color; has received help in the form of legal fees, website development and staffing
  •     RESOURCES to help you manage your startup

o      Attended the 2-day internet summit focusing on digital marketing and broader technology

o      Has checked out the Blavity conference online

o      Recommends Medium to anyone looking for information about startups; this is where she got she found Google Incubator

3 Key Points:

  1.       It is always good to have a side-hustle which will fetch you some extra money. In the event that you lose your job, this can develop into your main source of income.
  2.       Finding a good incubator is a great way to kickstart your startup; there are incubators who focus solely on helping startup founders of color.
  3.       Be bold, go ahead and just take the LEAP of FAITH; the only reason we have 9 to 5 jobs is because someone decided to do just that!

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Upcoming Tech Conferences That May Interest Beginners

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Are you looking to work in the tech industry or simply a hobbyist with a lot of questions that you feel can be answered by experts at a conference?

Whatever reason for your interest in attending a tech conference, you’ve probably ended up here because you’re new to it and a bit apprehensive about showing up to an event having little knowledge of what goes on at these conferences. You worry about fitting in, networking, or simply maneuvering your way through the crowd.

The best advice would be to jump right in and attend as many as you can. Before you know it, you’ll be a seasoned conference attendee.

Here are some upcoming tech conferences that may interest you:

Web Unleashed 2017
When: September 25-26, 2017
Where: Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel, Toronto

Are you a front-end developer or aspire to be one? If so, By attending Web Unleashed, you’ll get up-to-date on the skills to take you to the next level of your career. With two full days with four tracks and over 50 presentations, this will also be your opportunity to be around like-minded professionals to network and share ideas with.

 

BoxWorks
When: Oct. 10–12, 2017
Where: Moscone Center West, San Francisco, CA

BoxWorks 2017 will be full of amazing speakers, sessions, and tracks to help you drive the future of your business. This is your chance to join thousands of developers, administrators, and business leads as they share ideas and inspire each other.

 

Cyber Security Chicago
When: October 18 – 19, 2017
Where: Chicago, IL

Learn from the cyber security industry’s top experts as they deliver insightful seminars on all aspects of cybersecurity and risk mitigation. Cyber Security Chicago 2017 offers IT and Security managers invaluable security insight from industry experts who will cover topics that will help you build a stronger defense against cyber-attacks. Learn how to educate your employees, recover your systems if they are breached, and protect your organization from cyber terrorism.

 

Dreamforce
When: Nov. 6–9, 2017
Where: San Francisco, CA

Dreamforce is largest software conference in the world, making it the must-attend tech event of the year. It is four days that will transform your career through innovation and will connect you with your community of fellow Trailblazers. There will be over 2,700 sessions to help every role in every industry find success. It will also be your opportunity to get your hands on with the latest product innovations.

 

The Brand Safety Summit
When: November 16, 2017
Where: New York, NY

Brand safety is emerging as one of the most important issue media buyers are facing in today. The Brand Safety Summit is the premier event that brings together the industry’s decision-makers from top publishers, investors, technology developers, agencies and brand marketers address the challenges that media and marketing executives face when creating brand safe experiences. Attend and learn how to work toward solutions to digital media’s most challenging obstacles.

The tech world is fast-paced and broad. What do you specialize in? What conferences would most interest you?

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NEW! SOB Episode: “The Importance of Consistency”

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This week’s episode is a brief short on CONSISTENCY. We all struggle with staying consistent at some point in our life. While breaks and timeouts are called for and very much needed, consistency in anything you do will always prevail.

Style of Business

-Podcast Show Notes-

Episode 23

Summary:

In this episode, Keetria discusses the importance of consistency while handling a project. Often, we start off with ample enthusiasm as we get involved with a new project. However, our enthusiasm wanes if a project is prolonged. It is imperative that in such situations, instead of giving into frustration, we maintain a level of consistency throughout the entire project. Setting aside some time every day to work at your project will help maintain the momentum you need to keep moving forward. Putting in a couple hours over the weekend is also another trick recommended by Keetria that can help you cross the finish line.

Show Notes:

  •     Today, we discuss the importance of consistency

o      Often, as we continue working on a particular project for a prolonged period, our enthusiasm wanes, and we become too tired to even look at it

o      Tendency is to do nothing and put a project on the backburner for months

o      One needs to be consistent; SQUEEZE in time everyday so that you can meet your goals and deadlines

  •     Keetria’s “Saturday workshop”

o      Sets aside a couple of hours every Saturday in order to work towards her goals

o      Helps you achieve the momentum that you need in order to reach the finish line

  •     Aim to achieve consistency in every project; implementing a common-sense approach will stop you from getting burnt-out and help you achieve your GOAL
  •     Connect with Keetria through her website or Twitter

3 Key Points:

  1.       Working on a project for a prolonged time will decrease your enthusiasm and ultimately lead to burnout.
  2.       SQUEEZE in some time every day so that you work towards meeting your goals. 
  3.        Setting aside a couple of hours every Saturday is a great way to ensure that you achieve the desired momentum to cross the finish line

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4 Questions to Ask Your Partner When You’re Working on a Team

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Some of us are born gregarious and capable of working well in teams. Others have issues when it comes to interacting with others one one one — don’t sweat it if you’re this type of person. It takes all sorts!

However, this advice isn’t exactly a load off when it comes to actually interacting in a team setting. Your personality and social misgivings are valid, but these are things that have to be set aside when it comes to getting work done.

This issue also goes both ways — if you’re a person who IS good with working in teams or pairs, it’s important that you recognize the working styles and insecurities of those you’re teamed up with.

Communication is essential when working in a group, no matter who you are. In order to make sure that everyone is on the same page and working comfortably, consider asking these four questions when working with another person (or with team members).

1. How do you want to communicate outside of face-to-face meetings?

Some people like to text. Others like methods like group phone calls or Google Hangouts. Establishing the best line of communication for everyone can lead to a better overall vibe while dealing with the project at hand.

Some people will have to compromise when it comes to group work, and this also applies to one-on-one communication. For instance, if you like to talk on the phone while your partner prefers texting, someone will have to bend so the other’s needs are met.

2. What’s the most important thing we want to accomplish?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when working in a group, usually because group tasks are assigned to teams due to the large amount of work to do. Even when splintering off into smaller groups, like partner work, it can be hard to split up assignments or decide on what to do first.

This should be one of your first questions. Establishing the most important aspect of the task can clear up a lot of unnecessary chatter and communication about other, less important goals. Set your priorities first, then worry about how to accomplish them.

3. Do you have any communication challenges?

Being blunt is sometimes the best way to get to the heart of an issue. We all have communication weaknesses, and addressing them can allow others to adjust for these weaknesses. For example, if someone is bad about reading texts but not responding to them, this issue should be acknowledged and the person in question will then be held accountable.

This also clears up miscommunication out of the gate. Like in this example, team members or the person’s partner won’t be left wondering why the text messages aren’t being answered.

4. Will you speak up if difficulties arise?

Communication breakdowns happen to the best of us, but we’re defined by how we handle them — not that they exist at all. Everyone within a team must understand that if they can’t do something or have an emergency, they need to tell everyone so the entire group can adjust accordingly. In partner work, this information is even more critical.

These questions are vague — meaning they apply to most general group scenarios. Assess your own team situation and ask yourself if any specific questions should be asked that have to do with your own unique team and assignment.

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