Minority Firms in Massachusetts Could Benefit From $75 Million in Grants
There is promising news for small businesses, including firms owned by minorities and women in Massachusetts, courtesy of a new $75 million grant launched by the Baker-Polito administration.
The fresh small business relief program was announced by the office of Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito to back small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plans call for $50 million to go to businesses reaching underserved markets and historically underrepresented groups. These include minorities, women, veteran-owned businesses, or individuals with disabilities and those who identify as an LGBTQ+ community member. The remaining $25 million will go to firms that did not qualify for prior aid in 2020 from the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC).
The $75 million will be centered on small businesses with two to 50 employees. Under both tiers, grants will range from $10,000 to $75,000. The funding can be used to help pay operating expenses, including employee and benefit costs, mortgage interest, interest on debt, rent and utilities. Applicants must also show that business revenues for 2020 were between $40,000 and $2.5 million.
The new effort is part of the plan to spend $4 billion in American Rescue Plan funding that was signed into law by Baker in December 2021. Those interested can gain more information and apply for grants here. The application process is open until April 4.
“We have been proud to support small businesses in every corner of the Commonwealth through the MGCC small business program during the pandemic, but we know that some challenges remain for many businesses,” Baker said.
“With the launch of this new effort, we can build on MGCC’s successful work and direct important federal funding to those businesses with the greatest need quickly and effectively.”
The funding could be a lifeline for some enterprises. Two years after the onset of COVID-19, many small businesses still face challenges such as capital access, finding qualified employees to hire, supply-chain issues, turnover, and retention to name a few.
Another possible threat is rising gasoline prices for a broad mix of small businesses. The challenge is if prices are not constrained soon, entrepreneurs may be forced to pass the higher cost onto customers. That could ultimately reduce their sales and profitability.
Two Sisters Die After Driver Crashes Car On New York City Highway
Two sisters died in New York City on Friday morning after the driver of the vehicle lost control and crashed into a highway median.
According ABC 7 , the two siblings, Kesha Montez, 35, and Monhougane Robinson, 29, were passengers in a white 2006 Infiniti M35 . The driver Daquan Allen, 33, lost control of the car and crashed into a concrete median on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Drive in Manhattan‘s Upper East Side.
Allen escaped the car before it erupted into flames. Montez and Robinson were trapped in the vehicle and pronounced dead. According to police, the car was “engulfed in flames” when first responders arrived on the scene shortly before 5 a.m.
Allen was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital. On Saturday, The New York Daily News reported he was in critical condition with severe burns to his face and extremities. Allen was charged with reckless driving, and authorities are determining if he was speeding. There was no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved.
The New York Daily News reported that Robinson, of Columbus, Ohio, was in New York after traveling there in a Greyhound bus to visit with her sister in Yonkers, their parents said. Montez leaves behind two boys, ages 13 and 15.
“I understand a crash, alright, passing away,” said the father, Anthony Robinson, 53, on Saturday, after driving down from upstate New York. “But when you can’t go and identify (the) bodies, and to sit there and think about your child in flames? It’s mind-boggling. It could drive you insane.”
The sisters’ mother, Marguerita Robinson, drove in from Ohio. Her grandchildren are slowly coping with their mother’s death.
“It hit them, but it ain’t hit them yet,” she said. “It’s starting to get them. That’s what my daughter lived for. All she did was work and take care of her kids, and she decided this one time to go out.”
How This Mom Paid Off $137,000 Using Debt Snowball Method
From student loans and car payments to medical bills and credit cards, wife and mother Brandyn Rodriguez discovered a way to tackle $137,000 of debt despite life’s curveballs.
“Growing up, I wasn’t taught not to go into debt or use a credit card responsibly, or anything like that. I didn’t have financial literacy,” the mother of two from Cibolo, Texas, told Good Morning America.
Her eye-opening journey to debt freedom began when she was a single mother and decided to take a class. She recalled wanting to take matters into her own hands, but it didn’t last long.
In 2014, Rodriguez married her husband, DJ. Two years, later the couple welcomed their second daughter. Motivated by their children, the duo teamed up to follow the debt snowball method and a zero-based budget.
(Photo courtesy of Brandyn Rodriguez)
The Debt Snowball Method
The “snowball method,” simply put, means paying off the smallest of all your loans as quickly as possible. This method gains the momentum to knock out each remaining balance. According to RamseySolutions,
Step 1: List your debts from smallest to largest regardless of interest rate.
Step 2: Make minimum payments on all your debts except the smallest.
Step 3: Pay as much as possible on your smallest debt.
Step 4: Repeat until each debt is paid in full.
“We had 25-plus debts that were listed at the time.…When we started the journey, we were at $90,000 in debt and again, life happens, so we accrued more debt. In the end, we completed $137,000 over 59 months,” Rodriguez explained as she recalled tracking each goal and maintaining realistic throughout the journey.
During this time, the family also focused on zero-based budgeting—income minus your expenses equals zero.
Determined to pay more debt down, Rodriguez worked as a restaurant server, in addition to her day job at the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. Meanwhile, her husband, who works full-time in the energy industry, picked up a second job at a Home Depot.
“It was a lot of tag-teaming, a lot of teamwork to do it,” she explained.
Achieving Student Loan Debt Freedom
Maintaining her momentum, Rodriguez was able to quit her restaurant job after 11 months and 2 weeks. In 2020, the 38-year-old celebrated paying off all of her student loan debt.
“When I hit submit on that final payment, I had ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” playing, and my family was recording me and I danced,” Rodriguez recalled.
Through social media, Rodriguez continues to share her debt-free journey along with tips and advice.
“It can be done and I would say dropping the negative mindset around money was the biggest thing for me…Once you drop that mindset and make a plan of action, you can take care of it,” Rodriguez advised.
Michael B. Jordan Teams Up With Will Smith for ‘I Am Legend’ Sequel
From the look of the Will Smith-led movie I Am Legend, it appeared it was a one-and-done deal based on what was shown at the conclusion of the film. But, lo and behold, according to Deadline, there will be a sequel to the post-apocalyptic adventure thriller.
The sequel is in the works as another major movie star is attached to join the recent SAG Award-winning Smith. Black Panther‘s Michael B. Jordan is not only starring in the sequel but he has signed on as a producer along with Smith. This will be the first time the two actors will be working together onscreen and behind the scenes.
A social media post revealed a photo showing an eerie scene on a city street. The Instagram post was shown on both profiles of Smith and Jordan.
Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman will return as the writer and will produce the movie as well. Goldsman wrote the screenplay for the original 2007 movie which was based on Richard Matheson’s novel.
Jordan and his business partner, Elizabeth Raposo are producing the project through their Outlier Society company. Smith and Westbrook Studios Co-President/Head of Motion Pictures Jon Mone is doing so with Ryan Shimazaki on behalf of Westbrook Studios. The executive producer will be James Lassiter while Goldsman and Greg Lessans will also produce via their Weed Road Pictures.
The script hasn’t been written and there is no plot for the continuation of I Am Legend. The first movie starred Smith in a deserted post-apocalyptic New York City among the living dead. The box office receipts for the opening weekend of the movie totaled $77.2M. The domestic total brought in $256.4M and $585.4M worldwide.
Smith is having a great start to 2022.
The “Fresh Prince” recently won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, father of tennis pros Serena and Venus, in the film King Richard.
Simone Biles Says Yes To The Dresses — Finds Her Wedding Gowns Less Than A Month After Engagement
Simone Biles, USA Olympic champion and gymnastics powerhouse, confirmed that she said yes to more than one dress for her anticipated beach wedding.
The recently engaged bride-to-be took to Instagram to let her followers know that she found the looks of her dreams, thanks to Galia Lahav, just less than a month after her partner, Jonathan Owens, proposed to her on Valentine’s Day.
“Said yes to the dress(es),” the 24-year-old wrote in the caption while hinting at multiple looks for the special occasion.
Although she didn’t post any of her final selections, the couture fashion house snapped a couple of photos of Biles trying on dresses during her visit at the Los Angeles flagship.
Lahav is renowned for it’s high-end fabrications, meticulous sewing techniques, and floor-sweeping custom couture gowns. The work is demonstrated in the dresses Biles modeled in:
Courtesy of Galia Lahav
Biles and NFL player Owens, have been together for two years, and she recalled accepting his proposal “the easiest yes.” The couple’s pandemic-set love story led the groom-to-be on one knee with a stunning oval engagement ring from Houston jeweler ZoFrost & Co, per PopSugar.
Courtesy of Galia Lahav
Last month, the duo reflected on what it was like to navigate a relationship during the pandemic.
“We clicked really really well in the beginning because we’re athletes and we have the same busy schedules,” Biles revealed to Today. “But other than that, since it was kind of a COVID relationship. We’re with each other 24/7, so I feel like now when we’re not with each other, it’s almost weird. We’re always texting or calling each other. It’s kind of gross in a way.”
Owens added, “My dog [Zeus] really loved her. I could kind of see his face, like, whenever I would pick my bookbag up in my apartment, he would think we’re leaving to go to her place, so he would sprint to the front door. And I’d be like, ‘Huh, you really like her!’”
Celebrity Style Experts Teach Disney Dreamers How to Develop Their Brands
Acclaimed stylist Misa Hylton, who has worked with a roster of top-tier entertainers like Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and others, spoke on the Know Your Brand – Image Makeover forum at the Disney Dreamers Academy.
Fashion designer Jerome Lamar was a guest, and style and beauty expert Mikki Taylor served as the panel moderator.
The three style aficionados discussed the importance of developing a personal brand during the segment.
“It’s important for any brand to know their brand story and how it shows up; imaging is your billboard. Certainly for yours truly, I know my style persona is classic with a twist; it represents my brand as a creative, it represents my brand as an author, speaker, and executive producer, and I really use it as a framework so that I’m never out of my lane,” said Taylor.
She continued: “That is the crux of the message we were sharing today with the dreamers that’s part of knowing your brand; it’s packaging the whole persona.”
One poignant moment occurred when Disney Dreamer Cadence Brown said that she lives with chronic depression and anxiety in a video recording. Hylton and Lamar completely remade the brand and persona of the aspiring singer and actress. When she sashayed on the stage to show off her makeover, her outfit visibly lifted her confidence and spirit.
Disney Dreamer Cadence Brown takes to the runway in the Image Makeover branding session at the landmark 15th year of Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
As the Black community continues to speak about mental health awareness, BLACK ENTERPRISE asked Hylton to talk about how fashion and looking one’s best can positively improve an individual’s mental health.
Stylist speaks about how how looking your best helps with one’s mental health. pic.twitter.com/6JnMnsl1Vn
“Fashion and looking your best can help a person’s mental health first; when you feel good on the inside, you feel good on the outside, but sometimes you have to feel good on the outside and let it come into the inside,” Hylton explained.
She added: “We don’t talk about that a lot, sometimes it’s the reverse, and sometimes it’s a reminder, reflection, and mirroring of who you really are, sometimes all you can really do when you are not feeling your best is get it together on the outside for now, and that’s a start. Then you see yourself, and you are like, ‘yes, this is who I am, I remember who I am,’ and that is what we saw Cadence experience.”
Judge Approves Amendment To NFL Concussion Deal Over ‘Race-Norming’
A new plan finalized Friday will allow retired Black players who were denied money for dementia claims to resubmit those claims, tapping into a pool of funds from the NFL’s concussion settlement.
The New York Times reports a Philadelphia judge approved the plan Friday, which could give thousands of retired Black NFL players a $600,000 relief payment through the NFL’s $1 billion concussion settlement.
The NFL was accused of systemic racism over the use of its ‘race-norming‘ in its dementia testing, which gave Black players lower cognitive scores, which made dementia harder to prove and resulted in hundreds of Black players dealing with their medical issues alone.
Kevin Henry, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was one of the players who sued the NFL for racial discrimination, was previously denied a relief claim despite suffering from mild to moderate dementia and said he felt deceived by the league.
“They come out with all these slogans like ‘We Care’ and ‘Black Lives Matter,'” Henry told The Hill last year. “And I’m sitting there, like, you’re lying. You’re lying out of your teeth. It’s so painful to sit there and watch, knowing that you know something totally different.”
Last October, the league announced that it halted the practice of ‘race-norming’ amid growing outrage. The NFL has paid out $800 million through the settlement and is expected to add another $100 million to the account under the new plan after the judge’s approval.
Head-related injuries have impacted numerous former NFL players years after their playing days were over, with caretaking duties falling on their wives and other loved ones.
Tia McNeill, whose husband Fred played for the Minnesota Vikings for 11 years, in 2013 told NBC News her husband struggled to remember people who attended their wedding. Tanya Bradley said in the same story her husband, Henry, who played for the Cleveland Browns, now stammers, shakes, loses his temper, and struggles to walk and sit.
Amazon Highlights Achievements of Black Female Entrepreneurs on International Women’s Day
Obia Ewah has been disrupting the personal care products industry with Obia Naturals, a manufacturer of vegan-based natural hair and skin care products sold in more than 21 countries.
(Courtesy Obia Ewah)
Another Black female entrepreneur, Eunique Jones Gibson, has found success through brisk sales of her creation #CultureTags, the popular trivia card game inspired by Black culture and played by people of various races and backgrounds.
http://www.ashleighbingphotography.com/
Ewah and Jones Gibson represent two diverse female entrepreneurs being saluted today by Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, as part of International Women’s Day (IWD) and throughout Women’s History Month (WHM) over the next few weeks. Amazon reportedly invests billions each year to help drive seller success through launching their products in its store, helping them scale and reach new customers, and build brands. Amazon says in 2021, the company and third-party lending partners provided more than $800 million to invest in the growth of small businesses throughout the nation.
Through its IWD and WHM efforts, Amazon is connecting customers to a wide range of products of women-owned small businesses they can discover and purchase. This thrust includes allowing customers to read stories about inspirational entrepreneurs and shop thousands of products from nearly 200 women-owned small businesses at http://www.amazon.com/WHM2022.
Ewah and Jones Gibson are included as subjects for its “Women-Owned Small Businesses | Amazon Conversation Series,” a collection of video chats between influencers like actress Keke Palmer, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and style blogger Chriselle Lim and other female Amazon sellers. Today, Palmer, an entrepreneur in her own right, highlights the experiences and champions the diverse leadership displayed by Ewah and Gibson for today’s segment, “Redefining who gets to be a business success story.”
Finding Success In The Personal Care Space
For Obia Naturals, the journey began in 2012 when its founder and CEO Ewah used her dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology to launch the product line to address her own sensitive skin needs. A chemist for private label cosmetic manufacturers, Ewah filled a void in the market with her formulas that used natural ingredients. She says: “In a few short years, what started out as botanical blends for friends and family blossomed into a global business.”
Due to lack of capital access, the determined entrepreneur started her venture with a $1,000 personal investment. She used a mix of reinvested revenue and personal loans from family and friends to stay in business. “When we first launched into a major retailer, we were able to accomplish that with just a $25,000 personal loan.”
She gained new customers for Dallas-based Obia Naturals in 2020 from people who supported Black-owned businesses, and its revenues rose 20% within a year, despite supply chain issues tied to the pandemic. Ewah says 2022 has started as an exceptional year and projects annual revenue of more than $1 million.
Ewah’s business was further bolstered through her participation in Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator (BBA). Amazon launched this $150 million, four-year effort last year, providing access to capital, strategic guidance, mentorship, marketing, and more to help Black entrepreneurs with physical, consumer products grow their companies and maximize selling opportunities in Amazon’s store.
Through Amazon, Obia Naturals expects to reach thousands of new customers by going global. Says Ewah: “We plan to expand to Amazon markets in Canada, France, and United Kingdom within the next year.”
Reaching Customers Through Multiple Platforms
As CEO and Chief Creative Officer at Culture Brands, Jones Gibson is making a huge splash in the marketing arena. She says her company exists to authentically celebrate, reflect, and represent African Americans in media. As such, Culture Brands has multiple platforms, including Because of Them We Can and CultureTags, which she describes as a “spirited guessing game that will test how well you know hashtags and the culture.” Other holdings for the Hyattsville, Maryland-based company include Because of Them We Can Box (Just For Kids) – and Dream Village.
After launching BOTWC four years earlier, she formed Culture Brands in 2017 to provide the infrastructure to scale the operation, enabling it to work “alongside socially conscious brands and organizations to create and amplify culturally relevant, and affirming, campaigns and products.”
Securing startup capital was no easy task, though. Jones Gibson explains: “Like most entrepreneurs who bootstrapped their companies, I leveraged personal funds, personal credit, and the assistance of family members to fund my business in the beginning.”
She developed CultureTags in late 2019 after “seeing acronyms posted online followed by hilarious commentary, and I knew that it was a game. Especially since my group chats were being overtaken by acronyms and abbreviations to express quick thoughts or sayings,” Gibson told black enterprise via email.
Elevating The Card Game With Amazon
She started a Kickstarter campaign to finance the game in late January 2020 and funded it the same day. “Altogether, we raised $35,000, which was more than double our original goal.” Citing that revenue has doubled each year, Jones Gibson is excited about the game’s growth prospects. She says her firm is creating a way for people to play CultureTags daily through a new website it plans to release this month. “We also have plans for additional expansion packs and versions, with some coming out as early as May this year.”
She maintains selling the game through Amazon “boosted sales by over 25%, and we’re just getting started. The opportunity on Amazon is massive, considering how many people engage with their site on a daily basis. I’m marching toward a goal of 1 million new customers through Amazon.” Jones Gibson says Culture Brands has been selling in Amazon’s store for the past 10 months.
So how is Amazon helping Gibson attract new customers and untapped markets? Jones Gibson says, “We are currently expanding our SKUs on Amazon, which will allow us to continue to grow our brand there as we build out our store and presence.” SKU, or stock keeping unit, represents an item used by retailers to identify and monitor inventory.
Jones Gibson says Culture Brands will continue to develop campaigns, content, and products that celebrate and honor Black culture. As another boon, the company secured another huge win last year when it was chosen by Hyundai to help boost the automaker’s brand presence. She asserts: “The significance of the deal with Hyundai is that we are their first African American marketing agency of record. They recognize the importance of their customers’ unique experiences and in the opportunity to ensure they are seen, represented, and celebrated along their journey.
Kandi Burruss Talks ‘Kandi & The Gang’ Spin-Off, Diversity at Bravo, and More
With 13 seasons of The Real Housewives of Atlanta under her belt, singer/songwriter and TV star Kandi Burruss is ready to introduce her life as the owner of her OLG restaurant through her new spin-off series Kandi and The Gang.
The new show follows Kandi, husband Todd Tucker, and their staff of family and friends at Atlanta’s own OLG (Old Lady Gang) restaurant as they work to overcome the drama that often challenges them from getting the work done.
Speaking with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Kandi dishes on her new spin-off and how her staff responded to appearing on reality television. The boss and TV star also dished on which of her employees she thinks will be the standout among viewers.
Between Shawndreka Robinson’s attitude towards the new General Manager Phillip Frempong, Brandon Black spending more time flirting with Dom’Unique Variety than actually working, and Brian Redmond returning to work as a bartender while promoting his own food business, Kandi and Todd have their hands full.
Not to forget, Kandi’s outspoken Mama Joyce and her two boisterous sisters Aunt Nora Wilcox and Aunt Bertha Jones who also bring their own drama. Kandi explains how she got Bravo on board with the idea of a show around one of her many businesses.
The network is no stranger to giving Kandi spin-off specials. But she is the first Black housewife to secure a spin-off following her business. Kandi explains how she pitched the show to the network and the early development of Kandi and The Gang.
Kandi takes pride in the “transparent” storylines her staff brings to the show and the diversity. Between Brian sharing his journey to sobriety and Kandi’s real-life family drama that spilled into the show, viewers will be able to walk away with new perspectives as well as tea!
With Kandi’s new spin-off adding to the much-needed diversity on Bravo, the Grammy award-winning songwriter explained how she reached out to the network to petition them about adding more people of color to executive roles. Her words didn’t go unnoticed, and Kandi was able to bring about groundbreaking change at Bravo.
Kandi is also set to appear in The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 14 and dished on what filming was like with the new cast. Kandi explains why Sheree Whitfield returned and took full ownership of her reigning OG title and how much Marlo Hampton showed out now that she has become a full-time housewife. Kandi also touched on the heated exchange she got into with Marlo and how they were able to work out their differences and remain friends.
On top of making music, appearing on two reality TV shows, acting in The Chi, and touring as part of her group Xscape, Kandi is also a busy mother of three who shares her mommy mistakes on Instagram. Speaking on her life as a working mom, Kandi explains how she manages all of the important roles in her life.
She also teased the creative projects she is looking to embark on despite how full her plate already is. Press play below to get Kandi’s take on her new show, the new season of RHOA, and being a full-time Boss Mom.
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