LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For a long time entrepreneurs have been motivators for inspiration and innovation within their communities. For black business owners and entrepreneurs, the importance of catalyzing change and giving back has helped with the progression of strengthening many black communities. This is why Attract has interviewed several black entrepreneurs to take a look at the enduring roadblocks these motivating individuals have faced, and how they have been able to achieve success while giving back to their communities.
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Daymond John (@thesharkdaymond)
Daymond John is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has a long history of success in the fashion industry. Daymond has been successful with his FUBU clothing line that he started back in 1989. He also co-founded the House of Mamba, a sports management company, as well as The Shark Group, a global marketing, and branding agency for celebrities. In 2009, Daymond was asked to join ABC's new reality business show Shark Tank which gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their businesses to investors or "Sharks" in hopes of receiving an investment.
Daymond has been a motivational and business speaker for over thirty years. He has given speeches at the Harvard Business School, Yale University, Howard University, and many others about entrepreneurship in various industries including fashion and technology.
Daymond is also a philanthropist who was made aware of his responsibility to give back after having achieved success with FUBU. John's philanthropy work includes working with Make-A-Wish Foundation, donating clothes to the homeless, and encouraging other entrepreneurs to do the same.
Abbigale Comfort (@bogcdesigns)
In 2014, Abbigale opened her digital doors and launched Be of Good Comfort Designs, a premium boutique branding and web design agency that focuses on enhancing the visual presence of women-led brands. Since then, she has helped numerous female bosses to create impactful visual experiences that increase their credibility, visibility, and income through strategic branding and web design.
"Be of Good Comfort Designs was created with a vision and purpose to serve those who are already serving. My clients inspire me and I aim to help them inspire others."
Since the start of 2021, Abbigale and her team at Be of Good Comfort Designs have been working on an exciting project in collaboration with Pitch Better Canada and FoundHers. Together with an amazing team of all black female professionals across Canada, they have teamed up to deliver the first-ever national survey to gather qualitative and quantitative data that will identify the barriers Black Woman entrepreneurs across Canada experience. "Research is important, data informs policy, and policy creates change! If we want to see real change, we must be part of that change by contributing".
Abbigale and her team at Be of Good Comfort Designs will develop an interactive dashboard map showcasing Black Women-led business and organizations across Canada, serving as an entry point for investors and venture capitalists who are looking to invest in Canadian Black Women-led business and organizations. Abbigale believes that when you create products and services that make a real difference in people’s lives, you separate yourself from everyone else.
Taylar Hagan-Colyar (@_queenteee)
Sip Shop Eat is an experiential platform designed to gather, connect and discover all the best in food, style, and drinks through IRL and virtual experiences. Through their digital membership, SSE Entrepreneur provides education for budding entrepreneurs providing them with the tools they need to reach their business goals. SSE is not a normal marketplace or pop-up, it’s filled with vibrant installations, delectable drinks, and opportunities to connect with makers. Each element is intentionally designed to inspire shoppers and serve the entrepreneurs behind the brands they support.
At its core, SSE is designed to increase visibility for marginalized small business owners. While there are hundreds of craft fairs and trade shows in the industry, not all craft fairs, marketplaces, or trade shows are created equal. Many are inherently inaccessible, designed with several barriers to entry including cost, selection criteria, and general support. At Sip Shop Eat, they’ve removed these barriers by creating affordable pricing for their community and finding creative ways to add value to the brands they serve. Taylar Hagan-Colyar’s, Founder & CEO of SSE, advice to achieve success is - “Never give up. Keep going!”
Brendon Robinson (@brsboardroom)
BR's Boardroom is a business coaching & consulting firm specializing in helping businesses scale by optimizing their operating cycles & internal resources. The firm is unique as they have over 50 years of combined Business Banking experience, spread across a multitude of industries.
BR’s Boardroom positively impacts the community through the Non-Profit leg of their organization, The Brendon Robinson Foundation. The Brendon Robinson Foundation was implemented to help at-risk youth in disenfranchised communities. They recruit kids from around the country and invite them to try out for their basketball program. During their time in the program, they are placed in a financial literacy & business development program. These programs are built to teach these young men how to be leaders, invest, write a resume, start a business, open a business, and so much more. Currently, they are looking for sponsors who want to make a difference in the community and be a part of something that is literally going to reshape the future of many.
The President and CEO of BR’s Boardroom Brendon Robinson, himself lost his father to the federal prison system. Despite this crushing experience, Brendon still managed to find his passion and charge after it. He worked for several Fortune 500 companies in the banking industry and became the #1 Business Sales Director in the entire country. For Brendon, his advice is to think big, go big and never give up!
Angela Benton (@abenton)
Angela Benton is an African-American woman who has been involved in the tech industry for over two decades. She was one of the first African-Americans to break into Silicon Valley as a programmer, and she witnessed firsthand how difficult it can be to get funding when you are not white or Asian. In 2011, she founded NewME which is now one of the most successful minority-led startup accelerators in America.
In 2018, Angela Benton founded Streamlytics, a machine learning, and data analytics platform, to help companies make better decisions about their marketing efforts. The company is the market leader for an emerging data category, coined community-driven data, which places data ownership into the hands of the consumers that create it. Streamlytics is an analytics tool that focuses on using data to better represent people of color and help them earn money by sharing their usage patterns.
Angela has always believed that technology can level out racial inequalities if we put our minds to it so she spends her time mentoring students from underrepresented communities at Stanford University and helping more minorities enter the tech field. "I really want to give back by helping the next generation of minority-led software startups get started."
Michael Lewis (@mikesspencer)
Eye to Heaven LLC was established with the vision of others in mind. Their immediate goal is to obtain at least 40000 smiles, be it through customer purchase or social impact. Aside from their cosmetic goals, Michael Lewis, the Chief Executive Manager of Eye to Heaven LLC, has also created a podcast called Changing Our Lives that is focused on getting to know ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The podcast educates under-resourced groups, specifically African Americans, on ways they can find emotional, spiritual and/or financial freedom in the modern world.
“Entrepreneurship is as much about service as it is about capitalism.” Michael feels that in order to be successful, you must recognize what you are capable of doing on your own and what you can achieve with others. Collaboration is a major factor in business, and once you’ve determined your business process, it’s important to collaborate with like-minded individuals.
Malika Humphrey (@l_phree)
As the founder of Humphrey House Studios, Malika specializes in both photography and videography for black and brown clients in the Sacramento area. Malika enjoys using her storytelling and portraiture to bring social issues in our community to the forefront. Often ignored in traditional photographers’ portfolios, Malika has studied the unique nuances of dark skin and has developed a method to highlight shadows, curves, and features to bring out the best in her clients. She has successfully developed a unique vision to embrace and celebrate the beauty and diversity of black and brown people and brands. Additionally, Malika Co-founded @rootedinsac with @thefashionwelder, a black space with the mission to empower and grow urban creatives and entrepreneurs.
Currently, Malika is producing a docu-series about Black women welders which focuses on the daily challenges, systemic racism, and sexism faced by a group of black women welders and how welding has helped them to turn their lives around.
For Malika, her advice is to keep going, network, build a team, and seek community. Push beyond fear, push beyond imposter syndrome, and push beyond hate. Do everything with love. “You have to be willing to do the hard work and put in the hours. Nothing in life is free so invest in your evolution and your business.”
Toni Quest (@toniquest1)
The Energy Stoners Cafe Podcast is a place to relax, listen, enjoy and learn. Owner Toni Quest likes to encourage her audience to treat themselves to a beverage and kick back with her for 45 minutes. “What an incredible pleasure it is to share the intriguing experiences of individuals who are on exceptional paths.” Toni’s intention is to reach the diverse global community. Her guests range from artists and authors to physicians and hypnotherapists. For Toni, “podcasting has enabled me to virtually bring the world to my hometown and yours.”
With the help of her Director, James H. Brooks, Energy Stoners continues to evolve as most of the featured guests are noticed for their passions. Toni believes having a global reach brings positive attention to local communities, which has been especially true for the artists, authors, and philanthropic entities she has interviewed. Toni has learned how maintaining a broad view of individuals somehow creates a most brilliant focus.
To continue following along with their success stories, please be sure to follow each of these motivating black entrepreneurs, as they continue to creatively give back to their communities and showcase the importance of black-owned businesses. Each of their Instagram accounts has been directly linked here. Finally, we would like to thank Attract for taking the time to put this article together.
Attract is a Los Angeles based PR and marketing agency that is on a mission to elevate the platform of socially conscious entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Attract has worked with hundreds of leading names in the online coaching industry, becoming the go-to agency for entrepreneurs seeking to scale their reach and impact online.
For more information, visit attractgrowth.com and follow on Instagram @attract.
CONTACT: Taylan Alpan
COMPANY: Attract
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