Author: kevin

What are the values of black culture?

When it comes to cultural appropriation, it appears that Black people are the only ones who say the least and get ripped off the most. It seems that every other culture is highly protective of everything from their fashions to the food to the music.

Still, if you look around, you’ll see that black culture is utilized in most other cultures free and clear and it is even, in some cases, stolen as an aspect of different cultures who claim origination. Here are ten reasons why this often happens.

Black People are Peaceful

Contrary to popular belief, for the most part, black people are peaceful. We love competitive sports, and we love to dance and sing and celebrate. As David Banner said, we are the GREATEST threat to each other instead of everyone else. Nevertheless, we and society by news sources and media have been fooled into thinking that we are threatening and deviant and that we are to be feared as predatory (predominantly black men) instead of worthy.

We’ve also been fooled into thinking that it’s not ok for us to fight against oppression as in it’s not good to be the ABW or the ABM (angry black woman or angry black man)

Whenever we, in the black culture, stand up for ourselves or our beliefs, we are often regarded as the “angry black man” or the “angry black woman.” That often makes us the target of unfair criticism and shameful stares from the white race.

We are looked at as if our emotions are out of place and insufficient or not worthy of notice, attention, or confronting bias. Unfortunately, we often acquiesce to the lies and believe that we are wrong for standing up for ourselves so we often opt to say and do little or nothing when racist events present to us.

We’re Too Trusting

When it comes to black culture, we foolishly believe that others have our best interest at heart, and we are too trusting of people outside the culture who often take advantage of us and our money. Once you give away a recipe for a killer dish in a restaurant, you no longer own the restaurant, now someone else does. There is a reason patents and copyrights exist.

This is what makes a business successful: we can do something better than other people can. We all know the (his)story of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Kentucky Fried Chicken; even Paula Deen stole dishes from Black people and then claimed them as their own. They made millions and the black person was paid either a paltry wage or nothing at all. They weren’t educated and they didn’t know but they were used and taken advantage of because they didn’t understand business or friendships.

We Depend on Recommendations from the People We Trust Outside of Black Culture

If I am a black celebrity and I have a white manager, chances are I will also have a white agent and a white real estate agent, and a white attorney, mainly because the people that we have in our circle often are the ones who recommend others to us … from their circles. This is why the sports industry is riddled with racism. There are few power players in the top positions who can utilize their black resources to help others OR they don’t have black resources either. We are not exactly innocent of having our culture stolen either.

Cultural Appropriation Exists Because We Don’t Trust Each Other

We are remarkably trusting of other cultures but not our own black culture we don’t often trust each other. We are constantly under the impression that we are out to hurt each other and to take what we have earned from each other but that is not often the same insight that we have when it comes to different cultures infiltrating black culture. We call each other haters and jealous, manipulators and thieves and we were taught to think this way by the people we trust.

Cultural Appropriation Exists Because Most of us remain silent

… even those often in power. It takes harsh circumstances for us to unify and stand up against oppression, such as the George Floyd situation but when the culture comes together for a cause, we get much more accomplished

Cultural Appropriation Exists Because Our Comraderie is Forbidden

We don’t read enough, and we don’t believe in contracts and signing agreements. We believe in handshakes and gentleman’s agreements that often mislead us and allow other people to make a lot more money off of us in the black culture than we make ourselves.

As mentioned in several of the segments, looking out for ourselves or each other is often a threat to those outside of the community and we are under the feigned assumption that by helping each other or loving each other it is selfish and inconsiderate and we are even racist (look at all the commercials and ads with interracial couples).

These concepts cause us shame and guilt as if we are wrong for looking out for ourselves. Black camaraderie is viewed by all, including us, as the enemy of success. which makes no sense; it’s a game that is played on us but allows other people to steal our culture and our money.

We Ask For Just Enough Instead Of More Than We Need Or What We Deserve

It is evident in business as well as in our dealings with each other that we short-sell ourselves, asking for just enough to get by and then asking for discounts from each other when we help support black businesses within black culture.

We have a ‘hook a brother up’ concept but will pay premium top prices for products at white retailers without a complaint. This speaks volumes as to how we think of ourselves and the value that we see in our culture in addition, paying top dollar to everyone but black business owners, it is an indication of what we often deem as approval.

Cultural Appropriation Exists Because We Don’t Support Black Businesses Enough.

There are certain types of black businesses that are undeniable, like barbershops and beauty salons, and soul food restaurants. We’re only going to get traditional black culture from those places and that is what we are looking for.

But when it comes to everything else, we’d rather shop at other places for the most part and not support each other even when we own the business; there is often a tendency to hire people outside the culture to work there.

I used to think that this was on the black business owner until I realized that we don’t have a lot of support and trust of black businesses as a culture, so if we think we should only hire black people, it’s not impossible. Still, you will be looking for a VERY long time to survive and thrive.

Cultural Appropriation Exists Because We Don’t Promote What WE Are Doing Enough

Our black culture sits idly by many times and we don’t often promote what we do enough for fear of ruffling white feathers. Thus leaving room for others to enjoy the benefit of appropriating black culture.

Even when we are promoted, and our contributions are appreciated, we’d rather leave it up to the corporation or the business to promote us being promoted. We look at promoting ourselves as bragging and putting our futures in jeopardy as if we don’t deserve the promotion, the adulation or the recognition.

Black people make incredible strides, but our accomplishments are often short-lived because we don’t take credit for what we do enough. If you look at some of the comments on social media after black people celebrate what we do it’s often very negative, and coming from black people it’s even worse.

We Are Trained to Think WE Are Racists When It Comes to Black Pride

Whenever we complain about racism or being mistreated, we are often looked down upon in an ad as the racist ourselves but what is even worse is when we talk about black pride and loving ourselves, it’s STILL viewed as racist.

We Need to Have a Better Understanding of How Business Works

At the end of the day, we wouldn’t be taken advantage of if we truly understood how business works. Agreements, signatures, documents, and contracts are all the things that it takes to make sure that we don’t get ripped off we leave in the hands of others, and what happens? We get ripped off.

Here are 10 small business grants for black-owned businesses along with their respective websites:

National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Business Consortium Fund: https://www.nmsdc.org/programs/business-consortium-fund/

African American Empowerment Fund: https://www.aaefund.org/

Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Grants: https://www.mbda.gov/businesses/grants

The Amber Grant for Women: https://ambergrantsforwomen.com/

FedEx Small Business Grant Contest: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/small-business/grant-contest.html

National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Growth Grants: https://www.nase.org/business-help/grants

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs: https://www.sbir.gov/

Black Girl Ventures Foundation: https://www.blackgirlventures.org/

Minority Business Development Institute (MBDI): https://www.mbdiusa.org/

National Urban League Entrepreneurship Center Program: https://nul.org/entrepreneurship-center-program

Please note that grant availability, eligibility criteria, and application deadlines may vary. It’s advisable to visit the respective websites for detailed information on each grant and their application processes.

10 Best Places to Donate a Car for Charity Places

An easy and efficient way to get rid of an old vehicle or one no longer in use while still reaping tax benefits would be to donate it to charity. It has been documented that charities make quite a bunch of money from recycling the vehicles that do not work and selling their scrap parts. If the car is well functioning, the charity will even be able to make more money as they often auction them ranging from as low as three hundred dollars to as high as three thousand five hundred dollars.

Key pointers to look out for when deciding where to donate your car

Although donating your car helps you escape the torturous hassle of the process of selling a car, you have to be careful as to which charity you use for donation. Some things you can look out for include:

• Cases of scamming are prevalent in this specific industry of donating cars. Scammers impersonate the auction houses that charities would go to and then deduct very high expenses from the sales of the cars, leaving the charity houses with little to nothing.
• You should get to know before turning in your vehicle what exactly your charity of choice accepts. There are some charities that accept all kinds of donations related to vehicles from campers, to motorcycles, jet skis, and even snowmobiles while other charities do not.
• You should factor in the fact that there will be fees that arise during the process of donation that will probably have an effect on your tax deduction such as dismantling fees and towing costs.

The best places to donate a car are:

Charitable Adult Rides and Services – Donate a Car for Charity

CARS is a donation service that is non-profit and serves other charities. For this reason, it is both a charitable organization as well as a car sales service. This service gives you the opportunity to donate your vehicle to your charity of choice whether or not the service works with them. After donation, CARS will sell it by working with over 400 vendors that are all over the US, whether it is through salvage yards or auctions. The service then picks the best outlet, that is the choice that will end up giving you the highest tax deduction, to sell the car. To get started you can call them at 855-500-RIDE(7433).

The Arc – Donate a Car for Charity

This is the largest organization that is community-based nationally. It advocates as well as serves those with developmental and intellectual disabilities across all ages as well as their families. Melwood runs their vehicle donation program and it, therefore, handles the whole process from contact with the donors to disbursement to the charity. You can contact them on 877-MELWOOD (877-635-9663) for you to be able to arrange a convenient pickup time. After the car gets picked, you will receive receipts from the towing company, Melwod after receiving the car, and after the sale of your car.

Volunteers of America – Donate a Car for Charity

This organization supports people with disabilities, the youth who are at risk, individuals who are homeless as well as people who have been affected by natural disasters. It also provides services aimed at mental health and even abuse of substances. You can get in touch with them at 833-300-5737, and in thirty days you will be able to receive your tax deduction.

National Kidney Foundation – Donate a Car for Charity

This foundation aims at increasing people’s awareness of kidney disease as well as providing support as well as guiding those who are fighting the disease together with their families. In donating your car, you enable the foundation to sell it and get money to continue funding its operations. You can reach them at 800-488-CARS (2277) and they will pick up your car in the next twenty-four hours. They will send you a letter proving your donation within two weeks of you making your donation and you will be able to receive your tax return in the following thirty days.

Habitat for Humanity – Donate a Car for Charity

This is a non-profit organization that offers affordable housing to not only the residents in the US but to people worldwide. These car donations help the foundation afford the materials that they need to not only build but also repair the homes of the families that fall under the low-income bracket. The organization uses Car Donation Wizard for the reselling of the donated cars and the cars that can not be sold get compressed in salvage yards to make steel beams that are used in house construction. You can reach them at 877-277-4344 and thirty days from when they pick up the car, you will receive a letter showing how much you will be able to file your tax returns.

Donate A Car – Donate a Car for Charity

This is a vehicle donation service that partners with charities such as Red Cross, Animal Charities, and even those that support people with specific illnesses such as lupus and diabetes. You can reach them on 800-273-5714. After your car gets picked up, you will be mailed a receipt and in thirty days you will be able to get a Form 1098-C if at all your car was able to sell for more than five hundred dollars.

Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program – Donate a Car for Charity

This program supports the local NPR station. NPR is simply a media organization that is nonprofit and that seeks to find local and international human-interest stories. You can contact them on 877-215-0227 and you will be able to schedule a pickup date. Depending on how much your car sells, you will be able to receive a sales receipt.

American Diabetes Association – Donate a Car for Charity

This organization has its aim of not only preventing and curing diabetes but also improving the lives of the individuals living with the illness. You can reach them at 800-ADA-6570 (800-232-6570) and you will be called to set up a pick up date in three to four days. If your car is able to sell for more than 500 dollars, you will receive an acknowledgment letter that will contain the total proceeds and everything about the car.

Wheels For Wishes – Donate a Car for Charity

This organization benefits yet another foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, which seeks to bring to life the wishes of children who get diagnosed with chronic illnesses. This helps to bring some hope and strength for the families during such hard times. You can reach them at 855-278-9474 and you will be able to schedule whatever pickup time would be convenient for you. In thirty days, you will be able to get your tax deductions.

TOP TO BLACK MALE SINGING GROUPS

Goodwill – Donate a Car for Charity

Goodwill is one of the largest places where people donate household goods. Other than that, it also receives any kind of vehicle. You can reach them by calling 866-233-8586 and you will be able to arrange a pickup time. Within thirty days of the sale, you will be able to get your tax deduction.

Donating a  car is not a walk in the park but in contacting your charity of choice and doing research, you will be able to understand all that you need to know. You will also be contributing to a good cause which is honorary.

What Elon Musk’s $44B Buyout of Twitter Means for The Popular Social Media Platform

So Elon Musk bought Twitter, now what?

After only a week of being Twitter’s largest shareholder, the multi-billionaire and CEO and chief of SpaceX, Elon Musk, decided to outright buy the company for $44 billion and break the internet in one fell swoop.

What the billionaire may do to the social media platform is anyone’s guess, but based on a statement released after the deal was reached where Musk called Twitter “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated” and said he looks forward to tapping into the company’s “tremendous potential,” it’s reasonable to gather that there the Twitter we now know is no longer.

Here’s an idea of Musk’s new Twitter:

Twitter is Likely Going Private

In the recent past, Musks has shared that the changes that Twitter needs to make can only be done if the platform is privatized. In agreement with Musk’s view is Jack Dorsey, the co-founder, and ex-CEO of the platform, who Tweeted on Monday that it “has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model.” He followed that up by saying that going private “is the correct first step.” 

Despite the sale going through with Twitter’s board, it still needs approval by shareholders and is subject to a regulatory review. CEO Parag Agrawal said he expects the deal will close in the next three to six months.

Whether Musks gets approval from shareholders mainly depends on whether his offer and plans for the company are the best they can get.

If they accept Musk’s buyout offer, they will be able to sell their shares for $54.20 each.

Twitter Will Become a Free Speech Zone

Musk’s main intention behind buying Twitter was to provide a platform that ensures “free speech.” There’s no word as of yet on how he wants to put this idea into practice, but he has been notably critical of the platform’s censorship.

 He has suggested that there would be changes to Twitter’s content moderation policies and that he would lessen efforts to remove individuals who violate the service’s guidelines. Musk has also said that he hopes his acquirement of the platform doesn’t cause anyone to leave. 

In addition to content moderation, the billionaire has also noted that he would like to:

• Add an edit button, which Twitter says is currently in the works. 
• Have Twitter Blue subscribers pay with his favorite cryptocurrency: dogecoin. 

No Layoffs… Yet.

At a company-wide town hall, Agrawal  said that no layoffs are currently planned; however, “once the deal closes, we don’t know which direction the platform will go.”

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5 Best Negotiation Tactics For All Entrepreneurs (New and Old)

Negotiation is the bread and butter for all entrepreneurs.

Negotiation involves tact, active listening skills, assertiveness, and, most importantly, research. It’s an art form frequently used by business owners, freelancers, artists, and more to settle disputes and to achieve a desirable resolution for both parties involved in an agreement.

For some, negotiating comes naturally. They speak, and people listen and want to agree with them. However, for others (including myself), negotiation is learned. Below are the top 5 tactics to use when negotiating to achieve the best results.

Understand Who You’re Negotiating With

The most common reason why most negotiations don’t go people’s way is that they don’t understand the other party’s position: what they want, why they want it, and who they are. Understanding these three facts can ensure that you’re negotiating from a place of knowledge of and respect for the other party. 

It can also prevent unnecessary arguments and misunderstandings since you’ll be aware of what you and the individual you’re communicating with want. 

Gather All Pertinent Facts

While gathering information on the other party, it’s of the utmost importance to prepare for the negotiation at hand; this looks like setting up an agreed-upon time and place where both parties can meet and understanding who will attend the meeting.

This step also involves understanding your own position as well. How much do you want, how much are you willing to settle for, and what alternatives you’re willing to provide.

(Pro tip: Setting up an end-time for the meeting will save you and the other party unnecessary time and effort spent arguing if an agreement can’t be made.)

Make Your Case

A common mistake many entrepreneurs make when negotiating is jumping straight into discussing their price and product value. As mentioned previously, negotiating is an art. It’s a dance in which both parties just want to go home happy. Therefore, try to build a rapport with the other individual. Say your ‘hellos’, talk about your days, and then move into discussing pricing (this part may seem tedious, but it’s important to show the other person who you are, so they recognize that they’re speaking to another person just like them that has their own needs and wants.)

Now, once you start talking shop, be prepared to demonstrate your value to the other individual, whether that’s your value as a unique artist, a skilled writer, or whatever. And what will really show you as a credible business person is bringing a portfolio of your work. Having visual evidence of what you’re capable of can show the other party that you’re worth the money.

Build Emotional Resilience

Between marketing yourself, doing quarterly taxes, and building your brand, negotiating is probably one of the most emotionally taxing projects done by an entrepreneur. It can be frustrating, tedious, and seemingly even a waste of time. But remember that things you learn negotiating in your professional life will go a long way in your private life when you have to compromise and prove your worth to others.

And now that you know the emotionality of negotiating be prepared to think and communicate clearly while under stress. It’s easy to lose control and insult the other party when they devalue you, but refrain from reducing this conversation to an argument. Express your knowledge and what you want, and listen to the other person. And if it comes down to it, accept the lower value and move on.

Maintain Your Personal Integrity

At the end of the day, you have to live with yourself. If you don’t make this sale, there will be others. However, if you make this sale through nefarious means, such as lying or stealing the work or ideas of others, you will have to hold the knowledge of these deceitful acts for the rest of your life.

7 Free Hacks on How To Receive Free Crypto

Generational trauma, also called intergenerational trauma, is a concept used to explain the transmission of challenges within families. It has become a hot topic in recent years due to the focus on redefining mental health and due to the need for accessible and adequate mental health services.

However, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic or the ‘new normal,’ it seems as if the cycle of passed down trauma has finally broken.

According to a 2021 Future of Work Abroad survey, Americans who live and work abroad are happier. Nomadism enables entrepreneurs to live free of the restrictions of capitalism, and it also provides African Americans with the opportunity to explore more inclusive environments.

Benefits of Location Independence

One of the many benefits of this digital nomadism is the escape from many of the inequities historically faced by African Americans in America, such as health disparities, particularly those seen as a result of Covid-19, and the challenges of growing a business in a systematically racist society as a black business owner.

What author and freelance writer, Kimanzi Constable, has recognized while working abroad is that “Black entrepreneurs are not limited to building a business where they may have grown up.” Rather, we, as entrepreneurs, more than ever can utilize alternative forms of business, such as relying solely on our online business or a product-based business that delivers products through third parties.

A Unique Perspective on Generational Trauma

Other black entrepreneurs, like Hervé Da Costa, a French man that studied and worked in America’s Silicon Valley for 16 years, held similar feelings about the prejudice he faced as a black man in the United States versus abroad:

“I got tired of the societal roadblocks in the United States as a Black career professional. I wanted to start a business but kept running into hurdles as an aspiring black entrepreneur. It felt like my skin color was seen before I was given an opportunity to show what I had to offer.”

Hervé has since returned to his native country and has been back there for the last seventeen years. He works as a coach and consultant who trains leadership teams at some of the world’s largest corporations.

“I came back to France, and almost immediately felt welcomed. It was as if people in France were color-blind. That may not be the case but it’s what I’ve felt. My skin color is not a barrier here,” he says.

Why American Prejudice is Incomparable

However, this is not to say that racism and prejudice do not exist in Europe, but rather that the systems in place in America that propagate generational trauma—such as gerrymandering to keep legacy politicians and leaders in positions of power and the refusal to incorporate Critical Race Theory in syllabi and thereby educate younger generations on theories of race and prejudice— exist to a lesser extent abroad.

With that said, African American entrepreneurs who’ve chosen location independence and escaped from the generational trauma they’ve experienced in the states have thrived while living abroad. Constable even notes that “In Europe, I personally haven’t experienced outright prejudice or expressions of racism. It feels as if there’s an effort to understand different people and cultures and see humans as humans.”

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Dame Dash may not be the most loved entrepreneur, but he does spit facts.

On a new episode of Fox Sport’s Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe and Dame Dash covered various topics from Dash’s childhood, his success in the industry, and his feelings on Kanye West and Kevin Hart’s accolades. As an outspoken entrepreneur, he gave what most people expected: his raw, insightful, and honest thoughts on the music industry.

Many respond to death through the normal grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, when Sharpe asked about his response to his mother’s death, Dame Dash notes that her death made him more robust:

(Dash) “Made me a beast, it made me an animal. It made me fearless. My worst nightmare was losing my mother and it happened to me fairly young, so what else did I have to be scared of? And then my friends started to become killers and I knew that I would have to become one because it was part of the game and I was becoming a product of my environment. My mother worked too hard for me not to have to do that. So I put myself in boarding school. Self Care – I played football, lacrosse, and basketball.”

His relationship with his mother and with her death was one of many shocking; yet, inspiring things said in the sit-down interview. But what caught most people’s attention was Dash’s thoughts on Kanye West’s rise to fame:

(Sharpe) “When you first met Kanye, when you heard his sound, did you know he would be what he became?”

(Dash) “No, I never expected that in a billion years … I didn’t expect it. I expected other people that were in my crew to be Kanye. I expected someone to do those things, but I didn’t know it would be him. But the reason why it was him is because he had the most respect for me. He’s the only one that listened completely. And still does – on certain levels.”

Make a note of that, one of the most successful and talked about artists today may have become successful due to simply listening. As entrepreneurs, we sometimes feel like we have to do everything ourselves, but sometimes taking help from somebody else and hearing them out can be what changes everything for us.

Sharpe also asked Dame Dash to consider his reasons for putting Kevin Hart in movies:

(Dash) “I was confident in the fact that I thought he was funny. … the role I needed, he fit the role. I needed a little dude that was funny that could make fun of himself. He fit the bill. And he just took the opportunity – like I give a lot of people the same opportunities and I see potential in a lot of people that don’t realize them. Effort, and again as a professional athlete, you know, you can be good but not have the discipline and you end up going nowhere. So Kevin was just one of those people that had the work ethic and took the opportunity.

In the early hours of the morning, the popular stock and crypto trading giant Robinhood quietly added a few more tokens to its offerings, rounding it out to 11.

Included in the new offerings are the ever-progressing innovator Solana (SOL), the Ethereum-based token and technological platform Polygon (MATIC), the beloved, dog-themed meme-coin Shiba Inu (SHIB), and the original defi token Compound (COMP).

Robinhood’s support of these 4 tokens has had an immediate effect on stocks, with SHIB rising almost 25% an hour (5:00 AM EST) following the news and the others rising just as rapidly.

Robinhood Making Crypto Moves in Miami

At the Bitcoin 2022 Conference in Miami, Robinhood announced that it would be adding a new feature to its platform, Lightning Network, to allow for speedier BTC transactions, meaning instant payments, lower costs, and off-chain transactions.

The announcement comes only 6 months after the trading giant shared that a wallet feature, enabling users to deposit and withdraw crypto assets, was in the works. Most recently, though, a beta of the wallet launched in January, allowing select users to transfer major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and another well-beloved meme coin, Dogecoin.

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From Rags to Riches: How Nigerian-Born Tope Awotona Became One of America’s Richest and Most Savvy Immigrants with a 1.4B Networth

Calendly, a scheduling platform for the modern man, has solved the logistical nightmare that setting up a meeting can be.

The Calendly website advertises it as something that takes, “the busywork of scheduling off your to-do list so you can get more done. Thousands of teams across the globe use Calendly to make millions of 1-click meetings every week. Coordinate, connect, and nurture relationships all in one meeting lifecycle platform.” But, essentially, Calendly is the perfect virtual assistant. Need reminder emails or thank you notes? Calendly has them prepped and ready to go.

Today, the company has a $3B net worth and hosts a whopping 10 million user interface. Included in its customer base are countless household names like Lyft, La-Z-Boy, and Ancestry.com. Nevertheless, this multimillionaire dollar platform like all great enterprises started off as an idea, and the man who thought of it was then 28-year old Tope Awotona.

Awotona, now worth $1.4B, had a modest upbringing.

He was born into a middle-class family in Lagos, Nigeria. His father was a microbiologist and entrepreneur, and his mother worked at the central bank. Despite being one of Nigeria’s smallest states, Lagos has one of the highest urban populations (27.4% of the national estimate). And in such a densely populated city, his family came across a few unsavory types, one of which ended up taking Awotona’s father away from him at the young age of 12. “There was a part of me, from a very early age, that wanted to redeem him,” he said.

Moving to the states, helped him do just that. In 1996, at the age of 15, he and his family moved to Atlanta. After graduating high school, he began studying Business and Management Information at the University of Georgia and later stepped into the professional world of entrepreneurship.

His burgeoning potential as a businessman was shown throughout his ventures selling software for tech companies, like Perceptive Software, Vertafore, and EMC (since acquired by Dell). He also built a few enterprises of his own, including his own version of Match.com and one company that sold projectors, and another that sold garden tools. And while those three ultimately failed, they brought him closer to his moneyball.

Calendly was born out of Tope Awotona’s own frustrations as a salesman trying to set up multiple meetings for buyers—a task that involved numerous setbacks and countless hours of back and forth. His feelings on the matter were clear, “The obvious idea to me was that scheduling is broken,” and in response, In 2013, he launched Calendly from Atlanta Tech Village, a coworking space for entrepreneurs.

To fund it, he poured his life savings of $200,000 and maxed out his credit cards. “It could’ve gone really badly,” he says. “With my previous businesses, I hedged my bets a little bit and gave myself a way out. With Calendly I flew into a war zone and put in every cent I had. If you’re going to do something, you have to go all in.”

However, despite overcoming one hurdle, he was not out of the woods yet. By 2013, after receiving programming help from the Ukrainian firm Railsware, he had no more cash to burn to keep the Calendly train running. David Cummings, founder of Atlanta Ventures, came to Tope Awotona’s rescue and led a $550,000 seed investment in his company.

In the world of business scheduling, Calendly is not alone. Square, Microsoft, and Zurich-based Doodle offer competing products. But Calendly has made itself unique with its user-friendly design and its freemium pricing strategy that attracts paying customers with no marketing, and its growth internationally.

Now, amid the war (which has been popularly dubbed WW3), Calendly has helped relocate its 10 Ukraine-based contract developers at Railsware and has also financially supported them and their families.

Tope Awotona is also moving towards international expansion beyond the war, recognizing that the struggle of scheduling is experienced across all countries and cultures, “The opportunity to make each meeting efficient and achieve its stated purpose is what we’re about,” says Awotona, who confesses to spending 25 hours in meetings in an average week. “We see scheduling as an opportunity to set the meeting up for success—how you schedule the meeting, simplified preparation and follow-up. That is our grand vision.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orTyCwDaago

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EBONY Media, the leading voice of the Black American experience committed to “Moving Black Forward,” has announced the launch of EBONY Studios, a new all-inclusive full-service production platform that will span categories across film, television, audio & digital programs.

Under EBONY’s new leadership, EBONY Studios will develop and produce multiplatform premium content that explores the diverse and rich spectrum of Black culture. Following its relaunch last year as a digital-first brand, the multimedia studio is an integral part of EBONY’s rebirth and strategic expansion in the social media age.

“The EBONY name is synonymous with Black culture amassing over 75 years of history chronicling Black life and the Black perspective. With the launch of EBONY Studios, we are well positioned to harness those attributes that are organically a significant part of the brand’s identity, allowing us to create a home for Black creators and a diverse universe of content for the marketplace in a fresh, exciting and very real way,” said Michele Ghee, CEO of Ebony Media Group.

EBONY Studios will leverage the indelible history of the brand’s archival content as an initial anchor and honor the core elements of its DNA through bold, compelling, and innovative storytelling that illuminates the Black perspective. In addition, EBONY Studios will produce contemporary content that reflects the current Black experience.

Media industry veteran Ty Cameron has been appointed President of EBONY Studios. In this role, Mr. Cameron is responsible for the overall management, oversight, business development and growth and strategy of the studio. Cameron will report to EBONY CEO Ghee.

Under this new division, EBONY endeavors to amplify the voices of both established and emerging creatives of color to become the home of choice for premiere creators in the industry. It will also provide the brand the ability to deepen engagement with core and new audiences as well as to generate opportunities in licensing, distribution, advertising, branded entertainment, original programming, e-commerce, development partnerships, and various production arrangements. 

One of the inaugural projects for EBONY Studios is the feature length documentary film entitled Sincerely, Los Angeles, directed by Patrick Green and produced in conjunction with Falkon Entertainment and Someone Great Pictures. The film chronicles the period during the immediate aftermath of Kobe Bryant’s death, when images of the Laker Legend’s storybook life began showing up across Los Angeles in the form of elaborate memorials that started as a movement throughout the city which now stretches across the world. Sincerely, Los Angeles is about how everyday people turned tragedy into triumph by tapping into their inner Mamba Mentality to inspire their neighbors, help each other deal with the challenges of 2020, and continue his legacy, while honoring the lives lost on 1/26/20. The film features Kobe muralists, art historians, familiar faces from sports and entertainment, LA Culture icons, and ordinary Angelenos who’re honoring Kobe by becoming better versions of themselves, whether they be athletes, artists, or just “girl dads”. Along with EBONY Studios, Falkon’s Dexton Deboree and Wondwossen Dikran are producing, with Patrick Green and James Armstrong producing for Someone Great Pictures.

“I am thrilled to bring Ty and the incredible wealth of experience he brings with him on board to steer the brand forward. This new initiative represents an amazing opportunity to broaden our market expansion and to further position EBONY as a leader in the content creation space,” continued Ghee.

Prior to joining EBONY, Cameron was the Head of Distribution of Uninterrupted, LLC, a sports media company & athlete empowerment brand founded by LeBron James. With over 20 years’ experience as a senior media executive and dealmaker, Cameron has served in leadership roles in sales, content and brand partnerships, and business development across traditional and emerging media, having worked at major media companies including CBS Television and BET Networks.

Cameron has tapped Nathaniel Calloway as Senior Creative Executive at EBONY Studios. Calloway will be responsible for all development efforts at EBONY Studios, which include podcasts, documentaries, scripted series and features.

“I am deeply honored to be working with such a legendary brand and so excited to get started on this journey with the launch of EBONY Studios. I look forward to ideating and collaborating with our creative partners to bring stories from our community to life,” said Cameron. “Although the launch of EBONY Studios marks a new frontier and a new model for the company, EBONY has always been and still stands as the authentic voice of Black life. I can promise that we will stay true to those fundamental ideals, creating premium content that is relatable to all but viewed from the Black perspective.”