Name: Rondel Holder
Profession: CEO of Soul Society 101
Age: 30
One Word That Describes You: Authentic
Business and pleasure have provided Rondel Holder the opportunity to travel frequently both domestically and internationally, often dining out and opting for the “local” approach to travel versus being a tourist. A marketing executive for over 10 years, Holder has worked at notable media companies such as Pandora Radio, ESSENCE Magazine, Complex, VIBE and AllHipHop.com. In 2012 he started sharing his travel and foodie experiences on his blog, Soul Society 101, and continues to travel, try new recipes at home and taste new cuisines and cocktails while dining out.
Always interested in learning about and exploring other cultures, Holder wanted to create a media outlet that highlighted the travel journeys of himself and other African-Americans. “There’s so much beauty in traveling and learning about people around the world – their music, food, clothing, what’s important to them and how they operate on a day to day,” Holder tells BE Modern Man. “When you see people in their environments, it’s like the pieces of the puzzle of life start to come together. You learn so much about yourself through your differences and gain so much appreciation from the common threads in our spirits as human beings.” Many stereotypes are placed on black people and one that stands out to Holder is that blacks do not travel, or have a well rounded view of the world. “That is absolutely not true,” says Holder. “The Moors, who were black, were the original nomads, and in our current day and age, we are exploring the world so much. This is why I’m so grateful that media like Black Enterprise and the BE Modern Man platform exist.”
Applying all that he’s learned from his education and professional experiences, Holder has successfully launch and developed a brand that is now growing exponentially and touching people in a way that he can see every day. The travel and experience may be beautiful, but it takes a lot of work to continue to grow the business. “Always expect to work hard and be persistent,” says Holder. “No matter how glamorous or easy something looks on the outside, to make a real impact, someone is doing a lot of dirty work to keep things moving on the inside.”
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