Moving Scams? Georgia Women Says Moving Company Is Holding Her Property For A Ransom of $14,000
All Angela Forte was trying to do was move into her new apartment for an inexpensive fee. Now, as WSB-TV reports, the preschool teacher from Georgia claims the moving company is holding her property hostage.
Forte says MMG Moving has held her things for almost a year and demanded she pays $14,000 in moving expenses or her things will be auctioned. She says they are taking advantage of her with extra charges that weren’t included in their original agreement. She told reporters her apartment looked empty because of this exhausting nightmare. “They’re just holding it hostage. Holding my things hostage,” Forte said.
“For me to live like this, I am so ashamed.”
Forte, who was moving from California to Atlanta, admitted to signing a binding estimate for $4,600, which turned out to be a moving broker who passed the job on to another company. The MMG movers showed up late on the day of the move and claim she signed a new contract. After she already paid more than $5,000, MMG said she agreed, in writing, to pay another $5,700 on top of that – resulting in $11,000 to move contents stored in a 9′ x 10′ storage unit. MMG demanded $5,700 before unloading the truck here in Atlanta.
“Well, you do have a balance and it has to be paid before the things can get off the truck,” Forte says the movers said. Forte is certain the “balance due” line for $5,700 was filled in after she signed the document and now the movers are threatening to auction her personal belongings. “I can’t afford to pay that to anybody. Even if I had the money to pay, I wouldn’t pay because they don’t deserve that,” Forte said.
Moving scams are occurring more and more, especially in Georgia. George Hunter told CBS 13 earlier this year he was fighting to get his belongings back after movers “jacked up” the price, mid-move, and refused to return his stuff. He refused to pay an additional $8,000 after the company told him he underestimated the weight of the move after he used an online calculator.
3 Key Entrepreneurial Lessons I Learned While Working for P. Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment
The only thing I love more than sports is music, more specifically the art and science of music production and the business of music and entertainment. In fact, in the process of completing my University degree in business, I enrolled in community college courses to learn the basics of audio engineering and music production. I wanted to be a music mogul. I wanted to be P. Diddy.
So, one afternoon while browsing the music catalogue of the Notorious B.I.G., I stumbled upon the careers page for Atlantic Records and Bad Boy Entertainment. There was a newly posted opportunity: Join Bad Boy and Atlantic Records international marketing team.
I knew my odds of getting the gig were low, but I said screw it, “what would Puff do?”
One week after submitting my application, I heard back from a recruiter who said the hiring manager liked my content samples as a beat writer for a Fantasy Football website. He also needed help building out his fantasy football roster. I got the job.
That next day, I notified the registrar that I was taking a leave of absence after my Spring Semester and dropping out to move to New York to become a music mogul. This is what I learned in the process of working for P. Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment — and how I’ve applied these insights to my own personal development and journey as a professional and entrepreneur.
Land and expand
Before joining the label, I had a very limited view into all of the alternative revenue streams that existed outside of the music catalogue. I assumed the majority of artists made their fortunes from their work in the studio. However, it became clearer to me that the music was the catalyst for building a brand that transcended Billboard charts.
Obviously, the music had to be incredible; However, Diddy was one of the first to extend the value of his brand into other categories that have made him a billionaire, such as fashion, media and alcohol. He was able to build thriving businesses that were connected to his brand persona. What’s more, he invested time and energy into businesses he understood. The intersection of those two forces had compounding effects.
I now apply this model to every new opportunity I evaluate or take on. I know that I have experience in enterprise SaaS sales with a passion for company building at the earliest stages. It’s what led me to start my podcast, it informs which companies I invest in and advise, and it’ll ultimately help influence which company I build next.
Whether you’re a music icon or a business-to-business SaaS founder, once you’ve mastered your craft and established a brand persona and reputation in your space, diversify your channels of impact by expanding into connected categories in the domains that you know well.
The muffins matter
During the release of Making the Band‘s solo artist Donnie Klang’s album, “Like a Rolling Stone,” I met P. Diddy for the first time. Diddy hosted a release party in Atlantic Record CEO Craig Kallman’s office, and I was there to represent International Marketing.
Diddy sat in the middle of a room as the entire album played from start to finish on the giant tower speakers. He listened to every track, barely able to keep himself from dancing out of the chair. At the same time, he critiqued every track and every lyric, while he surveyed the room to see the impact that the music and the environment were having on his audience.
Twenty minutes in, he pointed to the sky and asked to stop the music. He looked over in my direction and asked one of his assistants, “Who’s the guy by the breakfast table?” I introduced myself, to which he replied, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This room needs some #$#% muffins.” Following the breakfast incident, later that day, I remember seeing a copy of a press release with Diddy’s approval on it for the album to ensure that the quality was up to his standards. His attention to the details and involvement in so many of the seemingly smaller decisions are what stuck with me.
As entrepreneurs, we are often faced with the question of how to “run the business” without being “run by the business,” as well as when to delegate or take ownership in order to scale. Personally, I struggled with this when we were attempting to scale our sales efforts at my company, Disco, and ultimately realized that I needed to be more heavily involved in the direct selling effort to ensure that our brand, positioning and message were on point with the story we were selling.
If you’re hosting a party, make sure the party is awesome before you decide to leave the room. If you want the party to remain awesome, the details matter. Even the muffins.
Keep reinventing yourself
Sean Combs has taken on many identities in his lifetime — Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and most recently, LOVE — all showcase the evolution, growth and maturation of a music icon, entrepreneur and father. Similarly, the music industry itself has undergone several evolutions and identity shifts. Retail sales were disrupted by digital distribution, which was enhanced through the improving infrastructure of the web and streaming.
Watching this play out in real time taught me that we’re all a work in progress and that it’s important to continue to evaluate our position to stay relevant but also true to ourselves.
After a year and a half in New York in an unpaid internship, bartending in NJ, cleaning up vomit to make ends meet and eventually losing everything I owned in an apartment break-in, I decided it was time to reinvent myself. To my parents’ delight, I returned to college to finish my degree.
To be clear, my return to school wasn’t just driven by the barrage of pastry requests I was getting at the label. After seeing what was happening in the business of music and the disruption occurring to their business model, I knew I needed to get closer to the source of where those services were being built. I felt like I could build relationships with a network of entrepreneurs working on the business I cared about.
Two months later, I interviewed for a job at Intuit. And to this day, I haven’t eaten another muffin.
Here are a few points to summarize what I learned from working for P. Diddy and my experience as a “music mogul.”
Land and expand: Once you’ve nailed your craft or created your niche, experiment with channels to extend your impact in connected categories that you know well.
The muffins matter: Great founders don’t “run the business,” but they do sweat the details.
Keep reinventing yourself: Don’t be afraid to experiment and revisit your purpose or explore an alternative path that might help you get to the place you aspire to be.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Celebrates 5,000th Club Milestone in Commitment to Great Futures for America’s Youth
Yesterday, Boys & Girls Clubs of America celebrated the opening of its 5,000th Club location across the nation. Located in Elgin, Illinois, the new youth-serving Club, boasting 20,000 sq. ft., sets a record for the legacy youth-development organization, marking the largest scope and scale the nonprofit has ever reached in its 163-year history.
Joining kids and teens of the Elgin community in celebrating Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s unwavering mission of creating millions of great futures were a number of noted dignitaries, including Boys & Girls Club alum Denzel Washington, who delivered the event’s keynote remarks as he celebrates his 30-year anniversary as the organization’s National Spokesperson. Alongside him were Jim Clark, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Cathy Russell, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of South Elgin, Chris Abele, Board Chair, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Steve Super, South Elgin Village Administrator – among other distinguished Club professionals, community leaders, and elected officials.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we are honored and humbled to acknowledge that over the last several decades, Boys & Girls Clubs have continued to open in response to communities across the country seeking meaningful solutions for kids, teens, and families,” said Jim Clark, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Time and time again, they continue to see incredible outcomes kids and teens have when they attend a Boys & Girls Club, and we are committed to continuing this impact in the future.”
During a teen-led Club tour, Washington, along with Boys & Girls Club leaders and luminaries participated in a variety of activities in the state-of-the-art new Club, which serves more than 250 kids and teens per day and more than 500 youth per year. Olympian, Club alum, and Illinois native Jackie Joyner-Kersee shared her new children’s book, “Running for the Gold: Connecting Kids to Dreams,” with kids and teens, Major League Baseball hosted a youth baseball clinic for Club members, and WWE Superstars Xavier Woods and Raquel Rodriguez led a “Be A STAR” anti-bullying rally to encourage young people to treat each other with respect.
Additionally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America supporters and partners ensured the milestone celebration included impactful moments to benefit the community and Club kids. Bridgestone Retail Operations unveiled a 15-passenger van to help ease transportation needs for Club youth, meanwhile Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation donated outdoor equipment to enhance youth sports. The celebration was topped off with a visit from American DJ, D-Nice, who mentored an aspiring young artist as the crowd enjoyed Panda Express food provided by the Panda Cares Foundation.
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has opened its doors across the U.S. for kids and teens, providing a safe, inclusive space where youth can be themselves, build essential skills and find positive mentors who champion their potential. Ensuring every young person in the country has access to opportunities and experiences that lead to great futures, to date, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has provided over 40 million youth with mentors, meals and meaningful life experiences.
“This celebration not only honors the legacy of our organization but is a moment to recognize what Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, together with trusted partners, communities and mission-supporters, do every day to empower our next generation of leaders, innovators and change makers,” Clark added.
Annually, Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides over 3.6 million kids with access opportunities that help ensure they graduate from high school on time with a plan for the future. The impact of Clubs is felt nationwide, as 83% of Club seniors have applied for post-secondary education, while 82% of Club kids believe that they can make a difference in their local community.
Black Women Launch Mobile Market Featuring Black Farmers, Producers in LA
These women left their jobs to build a market for their community.
Prosperity Market founders Carmen Dianne and Kara Still have teamed up to support the development of their Black community in Los Angeles through their new mobile farmers market, featuring Black farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, artists, florists, and chefs.
According to Good Morning America, the duo celebrated their second anniversary during Black History Month at Planet Health Compton, continuing their efforts to support local Black businesses and provide food access for the community.
“I’m most proud of our resilience because this journey has not been easy, but with the outpouring of love with our vendors and our community, it really lets us know that [what] we’re doing is important, so we’ll celebrate today and get back to work tomorrow,” Dianne said.
“The first step in addressing any systemic constraints is to strengthen our economy,” the small business owners said.
“We just want to keep growing, we want Prosperity Market to go nationwide,” Still said, as Prosperity Market has already expanded across the city.
Carmen Dianne and Kara Still joined forces to launch Prosperity Market — a unique new mobile farmers market that features Black farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, artists, florists and chefs.
Green Giant recently donated $10,000 to support the business goals of Prosperity Market.
“This is going to help us build our operational capacity, right now it’s the two of us with our team — this is gonna help us get very far, thank you,” Dianne said.
“When we get our trailer on the road we can operate daily, we can take all of these products when the vendors can’t be there in person,” Still said through joyful tears, holding up the oversized check. “We’re going to be able to help literally hundreds of thousands of people a week with this.”
The former Hollywood makeup artist and fashion designer plan to make their farmers market mobile by operating an eco-friendly and sustainable food truck to provide easier access to nutritious, affordable, fresh food. With the help of $15,000 worth of technology provided by LA Stainless Kings – the company making their truck – the women hope to have their mobile market operating by summer.
Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen Legacy – #SoaringToGreaterHeights
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of The East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated (ECCTAI), the oldest and largest chapter of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. ECCTAI is dedicated to fostering recognition of and preserving the history of the original airmen, black achievements in aviation, and to inspiring and motivating young men and women toward endeavors in aviation, aerospace, and STEM careers and fostering workforce development in underserved and underestimated communities.
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration commenced with the 2023 Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day recognized on the fourth Thursday of March with the official wreath laying at the United States Air Force Memorial. Our Wreath Laying Ceremony honored our “Lonely Eagles” and our surviving Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen on Thursday, March 23rd. On March 29th, we hosted a fireside chat and reception with our living legends at Boeing Company, in Arlington Virginia.
This year not only marks a significant anniversary, we are also on the cusp of the first ever Presidential Proclamation to be signed by President Biden in recognition of our Commemoration Day. Our efforts have been led by Congresswomen Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) and our consultant, Ms. Vanessa Butler. Congresswoman Holmes Norton also presented Resolution 249 on the floor of the House of Representatives designating March 23, 2023, “Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.” This resolution recognizes and celebrates the Tuskegee Airmen for their heroism, valor and exemplary service to our nation.
ECCTAI invites you to help PRESERVE the legacy of the Airmen through support of our educational assistance scholarships focused on STEM and hands-on training in the aviation field through our Youth In Aviation Program. With your donation, you will be ensuring that we achieve our national goal of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., “to motivate, inspire and stimulate young people’s minds to aspire to, seek and achieve successful careers in the fields of aviation and aerospace.”
Silent Auction – will run through Emancipation Day and end on Tuesday, April 18th; includes Airline flight experience, Airmen collectibles and autographed sports memorabilia Visit: https://one.bidpal.net/tacd2023
Donate Now – www.ecctai.org/donate. Choose the option for Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day
About the Tuskegee Airmen and ECCTAI
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American fighter pilots and support crews to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was recognized as one of the best Fighter Groups of World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen valiantly and expertly fought for a ‘Double Victory’. First, overseas against fascist enemy forces; and second, at home against racism, bigotry and segregation. A little-known fact, the Tuskegee Airmen were the winners of the first ‘Top Gun’ Competition – Mission Accomplished!
Leonard Jones Joins Blaylock Van, Wall Street’s Oldest Continually Operating Black-Owned Firm, as Executive Director of Municipal Banking, Public Finance
Industry veteran Leonard Jones has been named Executive Director of Municipal Banking and Head of Public Finance for Blaylock Van, LLC, the nation’s longest-continuously operating Black-owned investment firm. In this role, he will lead the firm’s banking team and solutions for local and municipal government organizations with a focus on financial and risk management.
Most recently, Jones was Managing Director of Moody’s Investors Service, where he managed the company’s public finance local government ratings group. Prior to that, he served as Partner and Head of Investment Banking for Rice Financial Products and Vice President of Morgan Stanley and Company in New York as well as Chief Consultant for the Zambia Privatization Agency in Zambia, among other notable industry leadership positions.
“Lenny’s extensive leadership and strategic expertise will be a tremendous benefit to our clients and our team, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Blaylock Van,” said Blaylock Van CEO and President Eric Standifer. “He is a visionary across municipal finance and investment banking as well as marketing and talent development, which will support the continued growth and innovation of our municipal banking and public finance enterprise.”
Jones received his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He also serves as Board Treasurer for the New York Urban League.
Certified as a Minority Business Enterprise by the State of New York, the State of Wisconsin, the City of New York, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Blaylock Van is 81 percent Black-owned. Blaylock Van serves corporations, municipalities, investment managers, and pension funds with a diverse employee base committed to work beyond financial services.
About Blaylock Van, LLC
Blaylock Van, LLC (BV) is the oldest and continuously operating Black-owned banking firm in the United States, providing personalized services for clients across the country. Clients include corporations, municipalities, investment managers, pension funds, and family offices. The firm’s headquarters are in New York City, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Oakland, Calif. For more information, please visit https://brv-llc.com/
50 Cent Says He’s Technically Been A Billionaire Since 2007
The Queens-bred entrepreneur 50 Cent is going to 50 Cent every time. This week, he said he’s been a billionaire since 2007, but the public’s perception of him makes people believe otherwise.
During an interview on The Enthusiast Podcast, the rapper said he’s been touching a billion for years. But because he’s always supplying jobs, he’s spending money, many times, full salaries, paying his employees.
“So when they financially say, ‘Oh, you’re a billionaire, this person is a billionaire,’ it’s like, ‘I’ve been a billionaire since 2007. I’m that far from where I came from that I’ve been a billionaire financially because everybody around me is being paid,” 50 Cent said. “Resources that I compensate for people to be there, and I really don’t see things that I want that I can’t go get it.”
Because 50 Cent has a unique perspective on life and business, he incorporated givers and takers into his technically being a billionaire since 2007.
“You got givers and takers, right? People they’ll come, and you’ll feel them looking at you like, ‘I’m excited because he’s such and such…,’ or, ‘I wanna meet him because I wanna talk to him, and maybe this will happen for me,’ or, ‘Maybe he’ll finance my idea,’ right? Those people are takers ’cause you see them once. Then you have the guy that hears you talking about an idea and says, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea; let’s do it, man.’ That’s a giver because finance means nothing to ’em.”
Maybe 50 Cent has a point because the dude’s hustle game is crazy. There’s his music career and his heavy hand in television with popular series Power, BMF, and several others. He sells liquor, water, and books. He was even a boxing promoter at one time. If he’s not a billionaire, he sure does hustle like a billionaire.
T.I. Talks About His Partnership With CIGNATURE and How You Can Find Your Next Great Idea
Most people know T.I. as a rapper – but, as you’ll discover in our recent interview for the Launch Your Business podcast, he’s also an extremely accomplished businessman based out of Atlanta.
How can that help you?
In our conversation, he brought valuable insight to:
Finding purpose in your struggles
Trusting your mentors
Why vision is crucial to your success
I’ll share some of my key takeaways below.
The importance of having a vision for your life and business
I kicked off our discussion by thanking T.I. for his song “Live Your Life”; back when I first moved to New York, I was (to put it mildly) going through it. I was broke, five months behind on rent, and almost got evicted. But I’d listen to T.I.’s song, and envision a life when I wasn’t worried about the electricity bill.
T.I. said that this was a great first move.
“Before you do anything, you’ve got to adjust your vision. You have to have a vision for something that’s greater than what you see around you presently. So I think that vision did more justice for your outcome than that song did. But I’m proud of being part of the presence.”
T.I. has brought his vision to a broad array of ventures. Thanks to taking his uncle’s advice, his first non-rap endeavor was in real estate (more on that in the episode), and eventually expanding to apparel, food, drink, the Trap Music Museum, and most recently, cannabis.
“It’s always been about ‘What does our culture spend money on?'” T.I. said. “It’s always been about where [I can] impact the market with my platform by offering something that the culture already spends their money on.”
An excellent example of this is T.I. new partnership with CIGNATURE. As per the website
“Created with culture and ownership in the forefront, CIGNATURE was birthed with the sole mission to provide a platform for Black ownership within the tobacco and cannabis space. CIGNATURE is a full line of quality products partnered with top tier talent, allowing each artist the opportunity to handcraft their own specialized flavor.”
But, the goal shouldn’t just be to provide something your audience wants, you should improve on the current offerings as well. Here’s an example from CIGNATURE.
“The CIGNATURE line takes pride in offering alternative options including vegan hemp wraps that are 100% organic, non GMO and vegan, as well as CBD and Delta8 that are also hemp derived.”
So you need to consider practicalities (is there a place for your product in the market?) as well as your unique differentiator (how can you improve on what’s currently available?).
But you also need to have a good sense of the big picture. T.I. said that when it comes to vision, there are a couple of pitfalls to avoid: Limiting your vision to just yourself, and letting others limit you. Let’s dive into those one at a time.
Find a greater purpose for your business
You may have heard the phrase “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” T.I. provides even more perspective on why it’s so important to get clear on your WHY.
“The first thing is you try to find yourself focusing on something greater than you,” T.I. said.
“A lot of people would call that energy [or] universe. A lot of people go with religion … I think family is always a good component, but believing in something greater than you. Because if you think you were the greatest thing that you have in life, then your failures are going to hit hard.
He continues.
“Your lack of perfection is going to affect you in such a way that it makes it difficult for you to find the joy in life that everybody else can find, you know?” T.I. continued. “When you believe in something greater than you, no matter how flawed you are, you still see greatness, the potential for greatness.
If your outlook on life is only based on your performance, then you’re gonna be sad a lot of the time. Because to reach father, that means you’ve got to be willing to fail harder.”
Don’t let others limit your vision
The other big pitfall is allowing others to have too much of a say on whether or not your vision is within reach. T.I. says this is actually the biggest thing he wishes he’d learned earlier in entrepreneurship.
“Your vision is yours for a reason,” he said. “My vision is mine for a reason. Usually, [the] first thing we do when we get a vision is we take it to the people around us and say, ‘Hey, look, this is what I had an idea of doing.’
Because of their fears, their failures, because they don’t believe that they could do it because it’s not their vision, they would say, ‘Nah, man, why would you do that? Nah, that ain’t gonna work. That’ll never happen.'”
The worst part is that when, two or three years down the road, you see someone else executing your vision, you will have no one to blame but yourself for chickening out because your buddy couldn’t see the vision.”
Moral of the story, surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are while still encouraging you to continue ascending.
