Black drummers have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments in music history. From their very beginnings, they have pushed boundaries and set the tone for many genres, inspiring everyone to become a better musician.

From natural improvisers who can keep time on any beat to technical wizards with a knack for rhythm, Black drummers are without a doubt some of the greatest contributors to music history.

Max Roach

Jazz drummer and composer Max Roach was born in New York on January 10, 1924. Max Roach was brought up in a musical family by his mother, a gospel singer. He played the bugle in parades from an early age and started playing the drums in gospel bands at the age of 10.

The bebop movement’s founder, Max Roach, collaborated with many of the top names in the field, including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Along with being a leader of his own successful ensembles throughout his career, he was a member of the groundbreaking band The Jazz Messengers.

Along with his career as a musician, Roach was a renowned composer who produced a number of works that had a significant impact, such as the ground-breaking album “Freedom Now Suite.” The early 2000s saw a downturn in Max Roach’s health as a result of hydrocephalus problems. Despite this, he continued to be active up until early on August 16, 2007, when he succumbed to dementia and Alzheimer’s in Manhattan.

In addition to having a distinguished career as a jazz drummer and conductor, Roach will be recognized for his original and influential playing style.

Art Blakey

Pittsburgh was the birthplace of jazz drummer and bandleader Arthur Blakey in 1919. At addition to teaching himself, Art Blakey had some piano lessons in school. He started performing music professionally in seventh grade, was learning how to be a band leader, and was starting to assume more adult duties.

He may have started playing the drums in the early 1930s, although the exact year is unknown. There is a widespread rumor that Blakey was coerced by a club owner to move to the drums at gunpoint in order for Erroll Garner to play the piano, although the truth of this rumor is in question.

Chick Webb, Sid Catlett, and Ray Bauduc were some of the drummers that inspired Blakey, and his style of drumming was forceful swing. Blakey was a vital player in the creation of hard bop and performed with many of the biggest names in jazz, like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk.

In addition to his accomplishments as a soloist, Blakey was the founder and leader of the Jazz Messengers, a significant hard-bop band. The Jazz Messengers, which launched many young artists including Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard, were renowned for their exuberant concerts. The last concerts of Blakey took place in July 1990. He passed away from lung cancer on October 16th.

Tony Williams

Jazz drummer Tony Williams was born in Chicago in 1945. Early training with drummer Alan Dawson led to his first professional gig with saxophonist Sam Rivers when he was just 13 years old. Williams became well-known in the 1960s while playing with Miles Davis’ band, where he contributed to numerous important records and the development of the jazz fusion style.

Williams collaborated with several other well-known artists, including Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin, in addition to recording more than 50 albums. After undergoing a gall bladder operation, Williams passed away three days later at the age of 51 due to a heart attack. 

Kenny Clarke

In 1914, Pennsylvania saw the birth of jazz drummer and bandleader Kenny Clarke Spearman. He was around five old when he became orphaned, and a teacher at the orphanage encouraged him to start playing the drums when he was eight or nine.

As a leader of the bebop movement, Clarke collaborated with many of the greatest musicians in the field, including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Additionally, he was a part of the Modern Jazz Quartet, a significant ensemble that fused jazz and classical music.

In addition to leading his own successful ensembles and releasing multiple records as a leader, Clarke also worked with the Modern Jazz Quartet. He was well-known for his flexibility and his ability to perform in a wide range of styles. Kenny Clarke suffered a heart attack in 1975, underwent recovery, and didn’t resume performing at jazz festivals in Europe until 1983.

In December 1984, he gave his final appearances during a five-night-per-week engagement. He had a second heart attack at home and passed away on January 26, 1985, at the age of 71..

Clyde Stubblefield

Funk drummer Clyde Austin Stubblefield was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in April 1943. He was a self-taught musician who was influenced by the sounds of the surrounding natural rhythms. The most well-known of Stubblefield’s accomplishments is his work with James Brown, for whose band he was the drummer for many years.

The “funky drummer” beat, which has been extensively imitated and is now a standard of funk and hip-hop music, is ascribed to him as its originator. Stubblefield not only collaborated with James Brown but also with George Clinton and the J.B.’s, among many other well-known musicians.

He was well-known for his capacity to invent catchy rhythms, and his contributions to the art of funk drumming have left a lasting impression on the genre. On February 18, 2017, Stubblefield passed away from kidney failure. He battled kidney disease since 2002 after overcoming cancer in 2000.

Sheila E.

Sheila Cecilia Escovedo aka Sheila E., a drummer, and percussionist, was born in December 1957 in Oakland, California. She started her career in the mid-1970s as a vocalist and drummer with The George Duke Band. She became well-known for both her charismatic stage presence and impressive drumming abilities.

In the 1980s Sheila E. played in Prince’s band and contributed to some of the musician’s most popular albums and tours. Sheila E. has collaborated with other well-known performers, including Jennifer Lopez and Gloria Estefan, in addition to her work with Prince. She has also made a number of successful solo albums.

She is renowned for her ability to play a variety of percussion instruments as well as for her vivacious stage presence. She is still active today, contributing drums film soundtracks, and more. She directed a Prince tribute at the 2016 BET Awards and unveiled a new song in his honor.

Sheila E. played prominent percussion on the soundtrack to the movie The Boss Baby in 2017. She also makes an appearance in Fred Armisen’s 2018 Stand Up for Drummer comedy special on Netflix, and she contributes percussion to numerous songs on Gary Clark Jr.’s album This Land. Sheila E. performed at the Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince and the performance oversaw the music and dropped the single “Lemon Cake” in 2020.

Chick Webb

Baltimore, Maryland, was the birthplace of jazz drummer and bandleader William Henry “Chick” Webb in February 1905. When he was three years old, he started banging rhythms on pots and pans, and as he got older, he started doing the same on marble stairs and iron railings as he moved through his East Baltimore neighborhood.

Webb was able to purchase drum equipment and start playing with neighborhood musicians thanks to the money he made working as a newspaper employee. As the bandleader of his own group, Webb became well-known in the 1930s and is credited with helping to popularize swing music.

He performed with many of the greatest jazz musicians, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman, and was renowned for his ability to produce rhythms that were contagious and danceable. Webb was a successful bandleader in addition to his career as a musician and released multiple records as a leader.

His innovations in jazz band direction and drumming left a lasting impression on the genre. Although Webb’s health started to deteriorate in November 1938, he continued to perform for a while, refusing to stop traveling so that his band could continue to make money during the Great Depression.

He ignored his own discomfort and physical tiredness, which frequently resulted in him collapsing after complete sets due to exhaustion. In 1939, he underwent a major procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The Pott disease claimed Webb’s life on June 16, 1939, in Baltimore.

Uriel Jones

Drummer Uriel Jones was born in Detroit in 1934 and played jazz and R&B. He started playing the drums at an early age and became well-known for his proficient and adaptable playing style. Motown superstars like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder were among the top names Jones shared the stage with.

He was renowned for his versatility as a musician and for significantly impacting the creation of the Motown sound. Jones was a successful session drummer in addition to his work as a musician and recorded numerous albums as a leader. His contributions to the drumming of jazz and R&B have had a lasting impression on the music business.

Jones passed away at the age of 74 from complications related to a heart attack at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

Cozy Cole

On 17 October 1909, William Randolph “Cozy” Cole, a jazz and R&B drummer, was born in East Orange, New Jersey. He played with musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton, Blanche Calloway, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Stuff Smith, and Cab Calloway after landing his first music gig with Wilbur Sweatman in 1928.

He was employed by CBS Radio’s music director Raymond Scott in 1942 to be a member of the network’s first all-black orchestra. He then joined Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars to perform. In the 1930s and 1940s, Cole became well-known for his work with large bands and his popular solo records.

He collaborated with many of the biggest names in the music business, like Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman, and was renowned for his versatility. Many modern rock drummers, notably Cozy Powell, who adopted Cole’s moniker “Cozy,” credit Cole as an inspiration. He passed away in Columbus, Ohio, from cancer in 1981.

Duke Ellington

In 1899, jazz musician and composer Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born in Washington, D.C. He started playing the piano at an early age and became well-known for his creative and accomplished playing. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was headed by Ellington for many years.

He is most recognized for his work as a pianist and composer. Although Ellington is largely recognized for his work as a pianist, he was also a talented drummer who performed in his own band, The Duke Ellington Orchestra. His contributions to jazz piano and composition have had a long-lasting influence on the genre, notably “Mood Indigo” and “Satin Doll,” two of the notable songs he wrote and recorded.

Ellington lived out his final years in a townhouse in Manhattan. His sister Ruth, who managed his publishing company, also lived there, and his son Mercer lived next door. After his death in May 1974, West 106th Street was officially renamed Duke Ellington Boulevard.

Ready to build a website from scratch? Start strong with this 10-step guide to website building! Get started and transform your brand today.

Website building can seem like a daunting task, but with the right plan and skill set in place, it doesn’t have to be. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll have a functioning website up and running in no time. Get ready to learn the basics of web development and transform your brand today!

Understand Your Purpose and Audience.

Before you start building your website, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the purpose and audience you are trying to reach. Think about who you are looking to target with your website, what products or services will be offered, and what action you want visitors to take when they visit your site. Consider these factors as you make decisions about features, layout, content, and design.

Research Domains and Hosting Solutions.

Now that you’ve decided on the purpose and goals of your website, it’s time to find an appropriate domain name and hosting solution. Take some time to research options and narrow down the selection. Consider different hosting companies review their features and find one that fits your overall objectives. Once you have selected a domain name and host, it’s important to set up DNS records so visitors can be directed to the correct location when they visit your site.

Gather Content Before Designing a Layout.

When beginning a website project, it’s essential to have a plan for the content that needs to be included. Knowing the type of content and format will help you decide how best to lay out the site. Gather all relevant text, images, video, and audio clips and store them in an accessible location so that they can be used during the design process. Make sure to also create any key pages such as ‘About’ and ‘Contact’ ahead of time as well. Armed with all your planned content, you can now start designing your website layout with confidence.

Choose a Web Design Platform for Beginners.

Platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix provide simple-to-use tools for designing your website. They come equipped with customizable themes, layouts, and drag-and-drop editors to make the process easier for both beginners and those more experienced in web development. Take the time to research which platform is the best fit for your particular needs before you begin so that you can take advantage of their features at every step of the design process.

Consider the User Experience of Your Website.

Once you have chosen the web platform and you are ready to begin building your website, consider the user experience. This includes the design of the website, its navigability, ease of use, and speed. Think about the types of people who will be using your website, from those simply looking for information to potential customers who may view it on their smartphone while they’re out and about. All these considerations should be taken into account when designing your website.

Include Optimized Content for SEO and User Experience.

Developing website copy and content should include two different elements. One is optimization for search engine rankings, optimized by adding the right keywords in the right places on your site. You don’t need to overstuff pages with too many keywords, but make sure you’re using them just enough so that users and search engines can identify what your page is about. Second is optimizing for user experience, which means making sure the text is written for easy understanding for every visitor. Aim to write in plain language and use descriptive words that explain your message without sounding sales-y or complicated.

Prioritize Mobile-friendliness

As the majority of website traffic now comes via mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure your website is designed with mobile-friendliness in mind. This means taking a mobile-first approach to design in order to create a user experience that works seamlessly across all devices. Create a layout that is responsive, meaning it will automatically adjust its appearance based on the device used to access it. Mobile optimization also extends beyond the design itself, including loading times and performance tracking tools.

Utilize a Quality Content Management System

Choosing a quality content management system (CMS) is key to creating a user-friendly website. A CMS will provide you with the tools needed to manage, edit, and update your website. We recommend looking for a CMS that is easy to use with features such as drag-and-drop design tools and plug-ins that help customize your site’s look and feel. Additionally, it should allow you to integrate social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube so you can expand your reach.

Optimize For Speed

It is important to optimize your website for speed since no one likes a slow-loading page! To make sure your web pages load quickly, be sure to compress images before you upload them to the server. Additionally, consider using a content delivery network (CDN) which helps deliver the website’s content faster. With the help of these two measures, you will be able to drastically increase the speed of your website and create an enjoyable user experience.

Utilize Responsive Web Design Principles

Utilizing responsive web design principles is essential for making sure your website looks great across all devices and resolutions. Responsive design also helps ensure that visitors have a good user experience no matter what device they are using to access your website. Begin by looking at the pages on your website and determine which aspects need to be adjusted based on the size of the screen each visitor is using. Consider how text, images, videos, and more should look when viewed on desktop, tablet, or mobile phone screens.

Over the past few years, I have had to take inventory every year to look at the ways that I was not only spending my money but also my time, which I have learned IS money. What I have come across, more times than I care to remember, are the things that garnered income but were costing me way too much time.

Ideally, you want to be in a position where the effort is either less effort/greater income or equal effort/equal income at best but try to avoid greater effort/greater money. You may ask why that is.

Well, because as business owners, we have to consistently be on top of many things, including growth, and if we are stuck in consistently doing, what will become mundane tasks to stay afloat, it will come back to haunt us in the worst way in the near future.

We will miss opportunities, we will be frustrated in the process by repeatedly doing something we will eventually dislike, and we will feel trapped and held hostage by doing that one thing that, in our imaginations, is keeping the business alive. How will we ever know if we can increase our income if we never try anything new?

Reconsider the Thing that Requires the Most Work to Make the Most Money

I’d like to use myself for an example. My main site https://radiofacts.com is a news site on Facebook. So when we report news, and it goes viral, the income potential is great.

Now that may sound like a no-brainer, but there are many catylists to this job. The first one is I seem to be the only one who knows how to write titles that are (I’m not ashamed to say) “clickbait.”

I have tried endlessly to hire other writers to take over this job but to no avail. I have wasted a lot of time and a LOT of money hiring people who copied posts from other sites verbatim, even when they were told not to.

I’ve hired people who didn’t follow instructions and posted whenever they felt like it, which is a detriment to the news because it gets old fast. I had to hear excuses on a consistent basis, but the truth was they were working several other gigs. It is no wonder so many companies are having such a hard time hiring.

To that end, it was costing me more in time and effort and hiring and posting on job sites than I was making when I had a great day with a viral story. In addition, getting into the news space was outrageously competitive.

EVERYBODY posts news. Either I was going to do it and take 3 or 4 hours out of my day while RUNNING a company, or I needed to look for other ways where there was less work, stress, competition, and frustration. So I had to stop doing it because I constantly ended up doing it myself anyway.

Colleges don’t teach students how to use WordPress, so I found myself teaching people how to do that too. I was paying people to train them, and they would leave with their new skill set and make more money somewhere else. You can blame the people I hired, that is actually pretty smart, but I’m a business, not a school.

Finally, the GenZ’ers and Millenials know their (at times inflated) value, and they are not loyal to any one brand, so it became a great waste of my time and effort to train people who would end up leaving in a month or two or less. The entire process was just not worth the effort.

Find Other Ways to Garner Income

I had to look at ways where I could be unique in the process and do Less work/Earn More, and once you have been in business for a while, your experience (and equity) will afford you that opportunity. For me, it was finding holes in my industry and deciding if I wanted to fill them. An entrepreneur’s job is to fix a problem, not create a problem for himself.

As the last man standing doing a Black-Owned trade magazine in my industry, I had to ask myself, who is my target, and who is my client.

Many times they won’t be the same. Your job is to focus on the CLIENT and who THEY are targeting. Many times the scope is much wider than a single target. Hone in on that and ask them how you can provide a greater service to them.

Stop Wasting Time

I truly wish I had understood the value of TIME much sooner in my career. Then I would not have wasted so much of it. You can get a LOT accomplished when you use your time wisely, and you are surrounded by the right people.

MANY times those people will not look like you. One of the greatest mistakes we make as Black-Owned businesses is our extreme dedication to hiring other Black people.

We can certainly serve the Black community with our businesses. Still, unless you are in the food or hair business as a Black business owner, I will GUARANTEE that you will have an incredibly hard time finding qualified, hard-working, dedicated Black employees. Sad but true.

Mostly because we don’t respect Black-Owned businesses as a community. So why are you dedicated to hiring people who don’t care about you or your business? ALWAYS hire the BEST PERSON for the job. Be dedicated to hard workers FIRST. You will get the most out of them.

Meet New Contacts and Clients on Linkedin

I personally find Facebook depressing and I freely try to stay off of it. There are constant death announcements, gofundmes, people asking for prayers, people stuck ln who they used to be and people bitching nad griping about politics or news. It has become a portal for negativity and I try my best to stay off of it.

Linkedin on the other hand is MUCH better and much more enlightening. People who are about NOW and making corporate moves, starting their own businesses and making positive announcements. It took me a while but I realized Linkedin is much better than Facebook for entrepreneurs and business owners. I have also met several contacts om Linked in for business.

It’s Not What You Make; It’s What You Keep

This could literally be the entire story. I did an entire post here about this subject. Just once a month, take a look at all of your bank statements and look on PayPal for subscription charges and delete what you don’t use. You could literally be spending thousands of dollars a year on things you never use.

Writing Daily Goals Down at Night Before Bed and Why

This actually works because it’s the last thing that you see before you go to bed and the first think that you will see in the morning. As you accomplish each thing, cross it off. There are times when you will not be able to complete everything on your list, things consistently pop up during the day, that’s OK put it on tomorrow’s list.

Adhere to Those 3am Ideas

Many of the greatest hit songs and many of the best ideas came to people at 3am in the morning. It’s when you are in your deepest sleep and your most creative mind and there are times that an idea that is so great will hit you that you can’t go back to sleep. Keep a notepad on your nightstand or record the idea or thought into your phone. You will most certainly totally forget the idea when you wake up in the morning if you don’t.

Hiring OUTSIDE the US

Quite often, a Black business owner’s greatest pitfall is being dedicated to hiring Black people in the US, that may sound pretty horrible but the truth is, as a race, we do not respect Black-owned businesses outside of hair care and food businesses. Two businesses that cannot be altered, faked duplicated or stole by people outside the community.

Other than that we have a HUGE problem finding dedicated and supportive workers in the community for other businesses that we run. I have been there and I know many other black entrepreneurs who have been there too.

Its not only hard it’s almost impossible to find qualified, hard working other Black people to work in your business. The answer is to stop being dedicated and married to things that want to divorce you and your business. It will stifle your growth and desecrate your business by eating up all of your time training people who won’t last and you will waste money. It’s not impossible to find hard working Black people but don’t limited yourself or your business. Hire the BEST people possible.

Always Ask for MORE Than You Need (Pricing)

Sometimes we offer discounts to make our brands more appealing but the opposite happens, you look desperate and it actually HURTS your brand. In addition the people that you give discounts to will tell others. It is much better to have someone say you are not cheap than to say your desperate for business.

Set a price that is higher than you need and still with it. When I say higher. If you charge $1000 for a service and once you look at your time and operating costs, you are only profiting $150 of that, charge $1300.

There will be people who come to you and will want a discount but there will also be people who come to you and think you are not charging enough (believe it or not) depending on the perception and quality of your brand. Don’t sell yourself short. Remember the people that you give a discount to WILL tell other people.

Take Care of yourself FIRST.

If you can find a way to exercise first thing in the morning before you check one single email or look at your phone. There is a good chance that once you start to get into your day, you will not have time to work out later on. Get it done first thing in the morning to get it out of the way. Also, meditate first thing in the morning to set the tone for your day.

Approach New Clients

At some point you will need to expand your reach and target new clients. I always have the thought in my mind that my clients are being bombarded with work and other people who are asking for their limited budgets and for the longest time I didn’t want to be just another person bugging them.

That was until I realized that there were people who were offering less and did not have the value that I have with my brand getting some of these people to support them . The difference was not only their lack of value but it was that they were getting on the phone and actually reaschout out to the potential clients I was ignoring.

They were developing a relationship that I should have had nad in the music industry EVERYTHING is about relationships.

A Self-Employed Trip Turns into a Greater Education on Business Development

In 2017 I took a 1-week trip to help out a few family members. In the process, I managed to find several great coffee shops that were much less burdensome than major marking cash cow shops.

I got SO much accomplished and learned a great deal about business development in that one week I decided to extend my trip and ended up staying for 8 months.

In the process of visiting the coffee shop, and a few others I always managed to be sitting near others having a business meeting.

Usually, owners aim to be successful black entrepreneurs with someone soliciting them for their business or them interviewing someone for a job.

I was not eavesdropping as much as I was overhearing the conversations (OK, maybe I was eavesdropping).

I’ve made some of the very mistakes that the owners were talking about and about to dive in and get a hard lesson themselves.

Without disclosing who said what here are some of the things I heard…

GROW Your Business – Avoid These Typical Business Owner Mistakes That make Life HELL!

There are certain things that we may not be aware of that could be hurting our business. Here are a few tips to help you along the way. I wouldn’t say that being a business owner is hard work as much as I would say it can be challenging.

As we all know if you love what you do and you do what you love it’s never “work” But I can certainly take a lot out of you.

Nevertheless, there are certain things that can get in the way of your progress some of which can literally make you not want to work for the rest of the day But on the other end of that spectrum, there are things that we do that we’re not aware of the make people not want to work with us.

There are certain things that you should avoid and At the same time, Should not allow others to do when it affects business On both sides.

But Let’s focus on you And your business for the story – Here are some tips that I’ve learned over the years that can make your business run a lot smoother here and hope these steps help.

DISRESPECTFUL: DON’T BRING AN ASSISTANT OR ANYONE ELSE TO A PLANNED BUSINESS MEETING WITHOUT TELLING THE OTHER PARTY.

I’ve had this happen on a couple of occasions and while others may not mind I find it to be very rude and inconsiderate.

If you’re going to bring someone else to a lunch meeting or dinner meeting be considerate enough to let the other self-employed business person know. Respect their time.

They may want to discuss something with you that is not privy to other people or they may have questions for you. As you sit at the table with another business person as an equal it is disrespectful and off-putting to bring your assistant or someone else to take notes or to join in on the conversation as an equal.

The bottom line is at least give the other person the option to say no I want to talk to you alone by letting them know in advance.

It comes off as grandstanding and very diva-like. Nobody is that busy and if you are you shouldn’t have lunch with another businessperson.

CHEAPSKATE: DON’T ASK FOR FREE OR DISCOUNT SERVICES, PUT YOURSELF IN THE OTHER PERSON’S POSITION

What I find most amazing about people who ask for discounts is that they are also often the same ones that overcharge other people When it comes to their own services and they want premium rates but they want to pay self-employed people peanuts.

It is incredibly selfish to ask somebody who works hard for what they have to cut their rates for you and try to make them feel obligated like they owe you something.

In the black community, which is what I most experience with, we have this thing with entitlement when it comes to business that says you’re supposed to hook me up.

No matter how you look at it, that’s exactly the way it comes off. If I work hard for what I have and I’m providing a great service then you need to PAY the price like everybody else and shut the hell up.

Know that if you allow someone a discount or free service, it is absolutely very possible they’re going to tell other people. Which in essence is going to destroy your business and make YOU ask for discounts and hookups in order to pay your own bills.

You will never grow in a circle that continues subtracting from each other’s business esteem.

Once you get corporate clients and you see that they’re willing to pay for your services full price, it’s very hard to go back to doing welfare business and offering discounts or giving your services away for free.

There is just some business that you need to walk away from free and clear. In order to grow you have to let some things GO.

BULLYING: DON’T BRING UP THINGS YOU DID FOR SOMEONE IN THE PAST

There are people who will do business with you or introduce you to a new client and expect you to give them something free for the tenure of your entire business which means that you pay them back 20 to 1000 times over.

Whenever somebody does you a favor or something in business that helps your business that involves a third party, send them a thank you card take them to lunch or do something to wrap the situation IMMEDIATELY so that the situation does not linger.

Watch out for the “favor sharks” Who will do you a “favor” and make you pay for the rest of your life Their interest rate is much too high so simply walk away.

As the old saying goes there is no such thing as a free lunch. I would dare to even say that the price is HIGHER for a “free lunch” because there is an agenda.

In addition, notice that these are also the same people who want to continue to play the middleman and never introduce you to the source.

Your goal is to meet the source so that YOU can develop the relationship. If someone is TRULY trying to help you out, there is no reason for them to get in the way after the initial deal is done and they get a cut. Don’t feel guilty or obligated.

PIMP: DON’T PIMP SOMEONE’S BUSINESS OUT BY PLAYING THE “HELPFUL” BUT GREEDY MIDDLEMAN

.. this kind of goes with the last thing. There are people out there who will try to pimp your business out the bring you some business but the money has to go through them as the middleman or ‘business pimp’ I was having a conversation with someone yesterday who was talking about how badly black people treat each other in business and that we don’t support each other and I damn near dropped the phone.

This is the SAME person on who this entire story is based (lol). He is guilty of everything that I am writing about.

He’s the middleman who never introduces you to the main person with the purse drinks and the money has to come to him from the contact and he sends you a check from HIS business. Right?

Who can’t see what’s going on here? What he is doing is collecting a huge percentage for himself and then paying you the 10 to 20% that HE should be earning instead.

Make sure you find a way to talk to the people with the money. This is what I love about bitcoin and the direction of the new media concepts. Eliminating the middleman.

Whenever you hear about stars going broke and this is not to say they don’t make a lot of financial mistakes but it is often the middleman, someone they trusted who took advantage and bankrupts them.

In most cases, they consistently overcharge For their services. Middlemen don’t care about your well-being as much as they do their own. Know that because you are leaving a LOT of money on the table.

DISNEYLAND IS CLOSED: DON’T ALLOW ANYONE TO INTERRUPT YOUR DAY WHILE YOU ARE WORKING AND BUILDING A BUSINESS – TIME IS YOUR GREATEST ASSET

For some odd reason, many people think that black entrepreneurs do nothing but sit around and twiddle their thumbs and wait for tons of money to come in. they are really under the impression that because we do what we love, we’re not working.

And part of that is correct, we’re not working but we’re always busy and we never sleep. A phone call from your mother or family member or anyone else calling with drama in the middle of your busy workday can blow off your entire rhythm.

And we all know how long it takes to catch up. Weeks sometimes months if we lose our focus.

Make sure that you let everyone know, including family, (ESPECIALLY FAMILY) that you are not to receive calls or texts for eight hours while you work. Let them know that you will talk to them afterward but do not allow them to disrupt your day.

I do not feel guilty about sending someone directly to voicemail if they break the rule. You can send them a text and ask them is everything OK.

If you’re busy constantly tell them you’re busy eventually they’ll get the message.

I would also suggest buying a second phone using one for business and one for work on a family plan with most services it’s pretty cheap.

I used to wonder why people had two phones, Now I know. You may actually have to turn off your personal phone while you work.

BOLD IN YOUR APPROACH: ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT OR TAKE WHAT YOU GET WHICH IS USUALLY MUCH LESS

As the old saying goes, It’s better to aim high and miss than to aim low and achieve. There are times that you think that someone supporting you is so important that you don’t ask for anything in return. Bull! If they’re coming to you, The ball is in your court, they need you TOO and they see your value.

The question is do YOU see it? Ask for what you want. As a matter of fact ask for MORE than you want and don’t feel guilty about it. If they negotiate down, and they certainly will, you’re still ahead of where you started.

WASTING MONEY: KEEP A KEEN EYE ON YOUR BANK, CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS, AND BILLS

At the end of the year or around tax time you’re probably looking at what you’ve earned an asking yourself where in the hell did the money go? I can tell you one place it goes that we don’t pay enough attention to.

You would be AMAZED at how many mistakes, erroneous charges, and subscriptions that you never use are on your bills and your credit card report each month but we are not paying enough attention.

These things could add up to hundreds of dollars a month and thousands of dollars a year. If your money is not MAKING money you’re WASTING money. I will soon do a story about investing.

We really get taken by online services. They give you 30 days free, and of course, if you forget to cancel then they lock you into a one-year contract and if you cancel after those 30 days, they charge you for the rest of the year.

I would strongly suggest two things; Immediately put an entry into your calendar with an alarm to cancel the service on the 28th or 29th day before the month is up.

Do this right after you pay or sign-up for the service and this way you get a warning on the day before you cancel.

Use PayPal for your exchanges. You can connect the PayPal account to your bank account but the people that you’re paying get very limited information about you.

They don’t have your credit card number and PayPal is excellent for helping to get your money back in many situations you can cancel subscriptions through the PayPal site anytime.

The other thing that I really love about PayPal is that they are an extremely powerful online money service that a majority of these companies are afraid of.

They don’t want to get struck by PayPal and possibly lose their ability to accept money from PayPal.

So they’re often more than willing to give you your money back even with just a threat of reporting it to PayPal.

I ordered a hosting service after the company lured me away from the service that I use now. They SWORE they could be a better job for half the price.

They also told me if I didn’t like the service there was a 30-day money-back guarantee. I tried it, it didn’t work and a week later I asked for my money back. They said no.

They didn’t do refunds and that I would have to pay for the entire year if I canceled. I called PayPal and the company sent me an email a week later and offered to pay me my money back if I canceled the complaint with PayPal.

I told them no. My money was refunded and they got a strike. Unfortunately, they are probably accustomed to ripping people off and people paying the price without complaining.

Make sure you think twice about getting services that you don’t need. Just take a few minutes to do research instead of buying apps that may be completely free from another company.

NOT HAVING IT: WHEN PEOPLE DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT FROM YOU, THEY ATTACK AND FIGHT BACK WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR BUSINESS

Business Development:

There are times when people don’t get what they want from you they will downgrade your business. This is a bullying tactic.

They try to make you feel bad about not helping them and they’ll say something to you like nobody’s interested in your business or you’re dated or you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. Then why in the hell are you coming to me?

That psychology is them putting you down because you didn’t give them what they want. Don’t believe that there was no value in your business otherwise, you would not BE in business.

And stop keeping company with people like that Even if they are family members. Don’t let anybody disrupt the flow of your vision and business.

MUST READ: GET PAID “CBD” CASH BEFORE DELIVERY FROM SMALL CLIENTS

Chasing money is not only NOT fun, but it also creates tension in new business relationships. You have people and bills to pay, you have completed the work and you trusted that someone would pay you after you have completed the job.

You were probably thinking that this would help to establish trust from the new client WRONG. I don’t give a fk WHO it is, if it’s a new client and even well into your business relationship with them COLLECT UP FRONT.

Via PayPal, Zelle, or even your bank. DON’T EXTEND CREDIT TO NEW CLIENTS WHO ARE NOT MAJOR CORPORATIONS … NEVER!!!!!

Let’s be realistic, once you have done the job how will it benefit them to pay you?

The ball is not in their court and they can say things like: “It wasn’t effective,” “I didn’t like it” or “I will pay you a discount rate.” and that doesn’t count the long amount of time you will spend chasing the money and getting frustrated.

As the old saying goes: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!. GET PAID NOW!!! Keep the ball is in YOUR court so that YOU have the power.

GET PAID BEFORE YOU DO THE JOB. I can’t stress it enough. You will be chasing them for money like a damn crack addict for crack after a while and then you will feel disrespected and then THEY will point the finger at YOU making YOU the bad guy with excuses like “I’ve been very busy” if that has anything to do with you.

In case you don’t get what I’m saying, I will say it one more time NEVER, NEVER, NEVER extend credit to new clients who are not MAJOR corporations like Sony, Viacom etc.

The other benefit of making them pay upfront is YOU establish the terms and you can keep those terms for all future business RESPECT YOUR BUSINESS FIRST. You can also charge them more and tell them you will give them a discount if they pay upfront.

Whatever you have to do but if you don’t hear anything else I’m telling you here READ THIS. PLEASE – COD ONLY or I would even say CBD (cash BEFORE delivery).

I have lost a lot of money trusting people who I thought would come through and all it takes is one. I will pass business up in order to avoid a headache. CBD

EDUCATE YOURSELF: USE THE TIME YOU TALK ABOUT NOTHING ON THE PHONE WITH FRIENDS TO GO TO A LOCAL BUSINESS LUNCHEON OR EVENT

It would behoove you to do yourself a huge favor and constantly learn about your business and what direction you should be going in.

There is no doubt that things will change over time and you don’t want to be caught in a position where you don’t know what you’re doing or you are perceived as dated.

I know many businesses that have dated concepts because they never learn anything new or they are afraid to transfer the power to someone younger and more knowledgeable of current trends.

They also live off tenure which in today’s fast-paced industry is a joke. It’s almost better if you LIE about how long you have been in business and shorten the time.

HIRE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO WHAT YOU NEED AND WHO KNOW MORE THAN YOU

We will not always be on top of what we’re doing as we are now but that is why you surround yourself with people of all ages WHO KNOW MORE THAN YOU. Many of us do just the opposite so that we can maintain control.

We hire people who know less than us and that stunts our growth. Training them will eat your most valuable asset TIME.

Especially when they don’t work out. HIRE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO WHAT YOU NEED. You still know how to do something that they don’t know and that is how to do RUN the business and They don’t have your relationships.

You don’t want to look dated and you don’t want to have someone walk into your office and you have dated furniture or dated concepts that no longer work.

Not transferring the power in time could literally destroy your business I’ve seen it happen repeatedly, especially with black businesses. We have a tendency to hold on until we die.

At some point, before it’s destroyed you will be disrespected and looked at as a failure or even worse the old man in the room. There is NO recovery from that except to build a whole new house doing something else. Time is of the essence.

ME DAY, FREE DAY

You absolutely must and I emphasize MUST take care of yourself. As black entrepreneurs, we run ourselves ragged and work while we are sick. Running a business is an addiction, make no mistake, if you are successful at what you do in business you are a self-employed addict.

Why else would you put in the hours and the effort like you do? It’s a good addiction as long we keep an eye on it. We are married to what we do but we can’t let what we do … do us IN!

By the time you get through working and putting your time in and making your money and doing your sales and looking over the entire business you are probably exhausted and want to go straight to bed, you must make time to go to the gym and get a good workout and hire a trainer.

You also must find the time to eat right and take care of yourself I know plenty of black entrepreneurs who don’t take care of themselves and they are ill and they are literally walking around in bad physical spiritual and mental shape while they struggle to continue to make their businesses work.

I’ve also seen business owners commit suicide, get divorced, or drop dead from a heart attack or stroke being a great business owner is a SKILL.

At some point, you HAVE to walk away from the day-to-day and handle everything else that’s a full-time job. Sales, taxes, accounting, hiring, events, etc. What good is your business if you’re not here to do it?

DON’T KILL YOURSELF

There is only so much that you can do. You have to face it and deal with it. The demands of your business paying your bills your taxes staying on top of things traveling family and everything else can take its toll on you.

Work hard AND PLAY HARD. Have a social and personal life. DO NOT WORK YOURSELF TO DEATH. I’ve seen it WAY too many times. Take the WHOLE weekend off.

Write out a list of things to do each day and do what’s most important first and whatever else you can when you can.

I know about “the circle” that’s what I like to call it when you sit down to do one thing and 5 other things keep popping up and before you know it, the entire day is shot.

I’m SURE you know what I’m talking about. Delegate the things that you can to other people.

Don’t neglect your children. It is extremely paramount that you make those baseball and football games and other games along with any kind of recitals as these are the things kids NEVER forget and that shape a child’s entire life they need you and if you miss them you could regret it for the rest of your life and they may never forgive you. Always support your kids

NEVER HIRE FRIENDS

I’m not saying that it’s impossible to do and perhaps some people can’t do this but I’ve never had a lot of good luck doing it.

Hiring friends is always a problem. They think that you’re obligated to help them and they treat you that way.

They give you excuses they take their time getting the work done and they want you to do extra favors like drop off the money at their bank and other things that you don’t have the time to do.

In addition, they ignore instructions and take it upon themselves to do things their way then give you a side eye when you complain?

It’s just too have one friend that I hired who was really good at what she does but she wants me to always drop money off at the banks and then stand in line and give her account number because she doesn’t have PayPal (because of the fees) and refuses to get it so I’m supposed to be obligated to go and stand in line and wait and then pay her money to her in another state?

I finally told her to get a PayPal account or set up Zeele with her bank account or wait for a check in the mail two weeks to a month from now. You have to draw the line at making things convenient and with friends, they don’t like those lines.

KEEP YOUR BUSINESS PLANS TO YOURSELF

There are times we do very well and we want to brag about it we want our friends to be supportive of us but truth be told it’s not a good idea. Keep your mouth shut, you never know who may go back and say something to the person who is doing business with you or may sabotage what you’re trying to do even if it’s not intentional.

The less they know the better. Talk about it when it’s done but do not talk about it when it’s in the process of being done. There are a lot of other things you can talk about besides with you are doing in your business. It is just not a good idea to discuss business with other black entrepreneurs.

TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN BUT KNOW YOUR LIMITS: YOU ARE NOT A CONTAINER FOR NEGATIVITY

The great Maya Angelou once said: “When people show you who they are belieeeeeeeeeve them!” she was right. Negative people will drain you to death. I got rid of EVERYBODY who was negative in my life and wanted to use me like a trash container for their sh. Get a therapist.

BTW that’s not a bad idea for black entrepreneurs either to talk about their trials and tribulations but don’t be a container for someone’s spiritual and mental dung bricks.

For more tips and inspiration follow me and Instagram @biz tipper. or on twitter @biz tipper. My best and business. Please like and share, follow us and respond to any comments below

Are you looking for the best place to grab a coffee, tea, handcrafted beverages, snacks, and access to free money coaching programs? Whether you’re looking for a place to unwind or drop in for a quick bite, Capital One Café’s offering goes beyond just an ordinary beverage shop and a traditional bank branch. 

Capital One Café combines a coffee shop and a bank branch services leveraging the rising coffee culture and the fading face-to-face human connections that most customers are still unwilling to relinquish in the banking sector to offer outstanding customer services at their brick-and-mortar facilities located in major cities across the United States. 

With its first location launched in 2019, Capital One Café pioneered the bank-coffee shop model, disrupting traditional retail banking. Capital One has reimagined baking by offering a café experience at their locations in an era when the number of customers visiting brick-and-mortar banking facilities is rapidly declining. 

Capital One Cafés allows you to manage your finances in a casual environment full of fun and a lot more benefits. The cafés are associated with a diverse menu, fun, learning, and networking opportunities, offering a blast to tons of millennials and Gen-Zers, who were already skeptical of the traditional banking system. 

So, why Capital One Cafés, and where can you get one? Let’s explore the diverse services you can get in any of these cafés. 

Services Offered at Capital One Cafés

Whether you’re looking to refresh, attend local events, network, collaborate with colleagues, work remotely, or access one-on-one financial advice, Capital One Café has the best for you. 

In addition to the exciting menu items and cozy spaces, having a Café ambassador at the premises to respond to your questions makes the experience even more thrilling and fulfilling. 

Let’s delve into the unique services and perks you can enjoy at any Capital One Café, regardless of whether or not you are a Capital One Bank customer. 

A Wide Range of Stimulating Beverages and Snacks

Capital One partners with Peet’s Coffee, a famous national coffee chain, to serve their customers high-quality traditional coffee, expresso, pastries, handcrafted beverages, sandwiches, and light fare. 

Even though the cafes’ primary goal was to offer coffee, all Capital One Cafes offer a wide range of sandwiches and snacks alongside coffee and tea. In short, it’s a place for everyone to recharge and unwind without being bombarded with sales pitches. 

Whether you’re just dropping in for a quick bite, enjoying your preferred beverage, chatting with friends, plugging into Wi-Fi outlets to get some work done, or accessing financial coaching services, there is enough food to keep you full for the time you will be in the café.

Menu Items at Capital One Café

Some of the menu items you can choose from at Capital One Cafés include:

• Coffee— drip coffee, French press, ice-cold brew, and Peet’s-to-Go.
• Cappuccino
• Espresso— Americano, single, double, or triple espresso.
• Latte—Caramel macchiato, Mocha latte, Regular latte, Vanilla latte, White chocolate mocha latte.
• Brewed tea—green, black, green, herbal
• Signature beverages

• Blended Iced (caramel, matcha, or mocha)
• Cold Brew Oat Latte (horchata or original)
• Cold Brew Black Tie (chicory, sweetened condensed milk, half and half)
• Fruit Tea Shakers

• Tea latte—Chai, Matcha.
• On tap— Nitro cold brew, Revive Kombucha.

While you can enjoy what the café offers—whether or not you are banking with Capital One, customers get 50% off on handcrafted beverages purchased using Capital One credit or debit cards. 

Free Access to Money & Life Programs, Events

All services at Capital One Cafés are tailored to cater to both individual customers and the community at large. While Capital One customers can enjoy bank-related and coffee shop benefits at one stop, non-members can also enjoy a range of free services the café offers, including local events and complimentary Money & Life Program sessions without having to register or open banking accounts with Capital One.

Formerly known as “Money Coaching,” Capital One’s Money & Life Program covers many personal finance aspects to help you plan your life goals and develop worthwhile financial behaviors in line with your goals. Services you can opt for under this program include:

• Money & Life Mentoring—You get to meet face-to-face with a Capital One Money& life mentor who helps you to figure out how money fits into your life and develop good behavior that enables you to achieve your goals. Anyone who gets to Capital One Cafés gets access to up to three free 60-minute sessions regardless of whether they are Capital One customers or not.
• Money & Life Exercises—This service allows access to self-guided  Money & Life Exercises to help you understand how, where, and why financial stress is getting into your life and how to exercise effective control. The exercises take 10 minutes to complete online. 
• Money & Life Workshops— these types of workshops are run conducted by professional money mentors online as well as in Cafés. The Money & Life Workshops workshops are free to attend alone or with friends and family. 

While events such as workshops always offer a perfect opportunity to learn more about good personal finance habits and tips, you can always use the on-demand content and online workshops if there’s no ongoing event near you. You can also use the in-café tablets to interact with personal financial trivia and fun quizzes, spicing up your experience at the Cafés.

Capital One Café allows customers to get answers to their questions and manage their finances more casually in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Optimized Spaces for Groups and Remote Work

Each Capital One Café is equipped with a free community room for use by registered non-profits, student clubs, alumni organizations, and semi-private nooks —all equipped with free Wi-Fi, charging stations, and outlets. 

In the rapidly growing hybrid and remote work era, the cafés are also equipped with office spaces and workstations, which offer unique opportunities for remote work, planned collaborations, mentorship, and innovations.

Capital One spaces are usually bright, cozy, airy, and attractive. They feature mid-century to modern design, décor elements, and aesthetically appealing furniture, providing a suitable environment for meetings, workshops, and fun. 

As quoted by the Financial Brand, Ryan Laudenbach, Seattle Market Lead for Capital One Cafés, explained that the café’s expansive open layout was designed to promote hospitality, discovery, education, community events, and facilitate conversions. 

Since the company values maintaining human connections that could soon become relics of the past in the digital age, it aims to build new customer relationships through face-to-face interactions while maintaining existing ones. Perhaps, that’s what inspires the company to keep opening more locations when other banks are on the brink of closing down some of their branches to cut on the operation cost. 

Capital One Locations 

Capital One has set up at least 50 cafés in at least 16 states across the U.S., with California having the highest number so far. Below is the list of states with current Capital One Cafés locations. 

Arizona

Scottsdale Fashion Square Café, Scottsdale.

California

California has 12 Capital One Cafes: Westfield Topanga Café (Canoga Park), Glendale Café (Glendale), Irvine Spectrum Café (Irvine), Downtown LA Café and Hollywood Café (Los Angeles), Victoria Gardens Café (Rancho Cucamonga), Westfield Galleria at Roseville Café (Roseville), Westfield UTC Café (San Diego), Union Square Café (San Francisco), Westfield Valley Fair Café  (Santa Clara), Santa Monica Café (Santa Monica), and Walnut Creek Café (Walnut Creek). 

District of Columbia

Anacostia Café, Chinatown Café, and Georgetown Café in Washington D.C. 

Florida

Florida has seven cafés, the second-highest number of Capital One Cafes after California. They include Miracle Mile Café (Coral Gables), Delray Beach Café (Delray Beach), Ft. Lauderdale Café (Fort Lauderdale), Brickell Café (Miami), Miami Beach Café (Miami Beach), Tampa Café (Tampa), and West Palm Beach Café (West Palm Beach).

Georgia

Lenox Square Café, Atlanta.

Illinois

There are four Capital One Cafés located in Chicago: Hyde Park Café, Lincoln Park Café,  Southport Café, and State Street Café. 

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, there are five Capital one Café locations: Back Bay Café, Ink Block Café, Seaport Café in Boston, Harvard Square Café (Cambridge), and Assembly Row Café (Somerville)

Michigan

Downtown Detroit Café, Detroit. 

Minnesota

Mall of America Café, Bloomington.

Oregon

Pioneer Courthouse Square Café, Portland.

Nevada

Fashion Show Café, Las Vegas.

New York

Union Square Flagship Café, New York City. 

Ohio

There are two locations in Ohio: Kenwood Towne Centre Café (Cincinnati) and Easton Town Center Café (Columbus). 

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has only two locations: King of Prussia Café (King of Prussia) and Rittenhouse Café (Philadelphia). 

Texas

Capital One has four cafés in Texas: Domain Café, Downtown Austin Café (Austin), Cafe at Houston Galleria Café (Houston), and La Cantera Café (San Antonio). 

Virginia

Carytown Café and Short Pump Café in Richmond. 

Washington

Bellevue Café in Bellevue and South Lake Union Café in Seattle. 

You can use the Capital One Location Finder to find the nearest branch. 

Conclusion

Capital One Café is more than just any ordinary coffee shop. While the main idea was to get customers to go for coffee and snacks, you can enjoy a host of services at the café without necessarily being a Capital One customer. 

Combining a café with on-demand banking services in a casual and relaxed atmosphere, Capital One Cafe has reimagined traditional brick-and-mortar banking services, allowing the café to offer customers a wide range of services on their terms.

And with perks such as free Wi-Fi, charging stations, a community room for non-profits, semi-private nooks, and access to free financial and lifestyle coaching sessions and on-demand materials, you can enjoy your favorite handcrafted beverage, coffee, tea, snacks, banking services, and collaborate with colleagues at comfort. 

I honestly believe that by revealing my positive and negative experiences over three decades of working in the industry, there is a good chance that I can save someone time and create value for their careers or decision-making.

Being incredibly blessed to have my first business succeed in the industry, I feel it is my job to give something back and to be honest about it.

I’ve run Radio Facts for 28 years and recently wrote 7 things that I know for sure about the industry. Then I realized there were many more things that I could share. This story is about the things that the industry has taught me about LIFE.

If I was a statistician, I would honestly say I have had an amazing population and sample populations from that to work with and to have a greater understanding of not only the black business community but the entire industry as well. Enjoy, and feel free to comment …

Evil Has a Payday

I have been incredibly blessed to have a majority of good experiences working in the industry over the years.

At the same time, there have only been a couple of people who have done me dead wrong. At this juncture of my industry life, I have come to understand the importance of focusing on the positive instead of the negative.

Foolishly, I spent way too much time focused on those negative experiences and those people who were not deserving of my time or efforts. I was not understanding of the Biblical saying is absolute “Vengence is mine, sayeth the Lord.”

In the end, by going after those people, I was attacking my own level of creativity and success, bringing both to a screeching halt. It is not our job to get even as much as it is to let things go.

The universe does not bless evil. It takes notes. I was the one who looked like the person with a problem because while there were others who had the same experiences with those people and they could attest to what I was saying, there were a greater amount of other people whose experiences with those persons were not the same as mines.

While it may seem incredibly unfair and unjust, I have learned It is not our job to get even, but it is our job to keep moving in a positive direction. From this perspective, some of the meanest and most vile people in the industry, I can honestly tell you, PAY THE PRICE.

I’ve witnessed it happening to them. You may not know it or see it but know that they do pay for their evil deeds.

Always Aim Higher

There are times that we get stuck, and we like to blame the world and the circumstances for our inability to progress, but the truth is, like the old adage, the world doesn’t owe us a damn thing. It’s (largely) our fault.

We hold ourselves, prisoners, to shitty situations and stay in them, thinking that the situation will change to our benefit, and that’s just bad math.

Why would you wait for something that you CAN’T control instead of doing you CAN control?  It’s as simple as moving.

If you gamble on someone else creating the life that you want and deserve, you are playing a losing hand. Get your lazy ass up and get it yourself.

I took several jobs where I was promised greater pay after ‘proving myself.’ That’s why it’s rather ironic that radio is now on the opposite end of that spectrum with Millenials and Gen Z’ers who call the shots on THEM.

Many people have a bad perception of Millenials because they don’t dedicate themselves to things that don’t work for them. Please help me to understand what’s wrong with that?

I had one Millennial working for me who I gave an assignment who told me, “I’m not interested in doing that!” I had to laugh because he reminded me of myself and the reason I started my own business. I could appreciate his honesty and hope that he can appreciate that I will not hire him for any more projects any time soon, but I still respect him.

I’d rather have him tell me that than do a shitty job of putting the project together because he has a phone cell bill to pay.

When a job is poorly done, it is evident, and there are a TON of people who only do the job for a check instead of a passion for the project.

I would venture to say Millenials, in their thinking, are right, and WE are wrong. Many of us allowed ourselves to stay in situations for years that we knew the first year wasn’t in our favor. Completely wasted time.

Goals are Like Breakfast

If you have a goal to eat breakfast, you are either going to make it yourself, ask someone to make it for you, or go and eat someplace, but you are going to accomplish that goal this morning.

You’re not going to wait for someone to offer you breakfast or hope someone knocks on your door with breakfast. Why? Because you are hungry, and you’re going to feed that hunger without anyone’s permission.

You have the permission that you need, and you don’t have to ask anybody. Your mother taught you to feed yourself, and you are going to do it.

This is a simple example that speaks volumes for the bigger picture. If you are hungry for something, feed that hunger yourself or wait for someone else to feed it, and there is a good chance you will starve.

Develop a Support System

Go where you are loved and supported, not used and neglected, and a target for someone else’s misery.  Unfortunately, it’s not always going to come from people who only look like you.

There are some great quality people out there from all walks of life who will support you in business. There are also people who will ask you for hookups and, believe it or not, those who tell you that you don’t charge enough for your services.

Which one you keep company with will determine how far you go. They both may believe in you, but only one of them is taking advantage of you. Know who that person is and deal with them accordingly … perhaps from a distance (lol).

Catch the next flight as far away as possible from people who complain and refuse to change. It’s rarely the world. It’s almost always THEM.

You Can Lead a Horse to Water …

Your job is to make sure YOU’RE not thirsty.

Over the years, I have been adamant about helping people who look like me, and unfortunately, there have been times I have been disappointed and have suffered the consequences.

Not always, but more times than I care to remember. Production has been halted for important projects; I paid writers who copied stories from major industry sites to my platforms, then I had to delete ALL their posts when I found out (sometimes up to 100 posts). There was no return on my investment of time and money. 

This is something I told them not to do when they were hired, but they did it anyway. I could have been sued.

I have been the father, mother, preacher, uncle, bank, counselor, chauffeur, you name it to my own people, just to get them to do a job, and I understand our consistent need, but by the same token, this is why many black businesses fail. Hire the Black BEST candidate.

We often have a very poor perception of black-owned businesses and tend to reward white-owned corporations as more valid.

Over the years, I have broken HUGE stories, and like clockwork, it never fails. When I look on social media, people who are on my mailing list and got the story from me first will always post a link to the white publications on their social media pages (lol). I never say anything because I understand structured subliminal programming. it’s just the cooler ice.

Know Your Value

This is THE most important lesson of all. We don’t always come from the best childhoods and circumstances, and we have a lot to contend with coming up.

Racism is inevitable, but the pain is daunting when rejection comes from your own people.

When I was younger, I never understood jealousy because I was never jealous of anyone. I always had great confidence in my own talents, but I didn’t always have the best self-esteem.

I can honestly say that I do now, but contrary to popular belief, self-esteem and confidence are two totally different things: Self-esteem is a belief in who you are, and Confidence is a belief in what you can do.

Your Greatest Asset is Not Money – Currency is Currently

Your most important asset is not money. It’s TIME. Spend it LIKE money, wisely. Invest it properly and know that with time there are rarely do-overs. The industry couldn’t care less about who you were. The emphasis is on who you ARE!!! Value usually diminishes over time unless it’s evergreen, like a great painting but a career? It’s easier to create than to recreate, but it’s not impossible. What can you do NOW? Digital tech has given people over 40 a great gift to keep going if you have great ideas and concepts. When your current life is about the past, you are no longer living in the present or the future and the industry is like a race; the focus is on the finish line, not the sideline.

Know what works and what doesn’t work, and always invest your time in the best way possible. It is the only thing you can never get back.

Over the years, I have been amazed at how some people are misled by counterfiet concepts about how black entrepreneurs live and work. Most people are very comfortable with the stability they have on a job they may hate but get paid every 2 weeks.

They look at the benefits, pay, vacation time, etc. The first difference between Entrepreneurs and the 9 to 5 workers is we understand the benefits AND the limits of working for other people. Working in the music industry, I always HATED politics, butt-kissing, and people literally getting screamed at when they don’t do their job.

I have seen it time and again, and I am not cut out to take that, but I liked working in the industry, so the ONLY way for me to do it was to own my own business. If you are thinking about making the switch to being a black entrepreneur, there are a few things you should know off the bat. Please consider these things BEFORE you make the leap.

We Make a lot of Money

Ideally, you can, but not initially. You are learning how the operation works, hiring and firing, organizing, getting your taxes in order buying supplies, finding clients, and getting everything in order. For the first two to five years, unless you have a BRILLIANT idea and funding, you will probably struggle for a while, but all is not lost.

The benefit and the “high” of working for yourself are worth it if you can hang in there. Typically, the rules for minority black entrepreneurs are different.

We don’t often have a lot of financial resources, and if we make the leap to being a black entrepreneur, the last thing we want is investors breathing down our necks but there are some ideas where you MUST get investors involved.

As the old saying goes, when you start-up uses OTHER people’s money instead of your own or your family’s.

We Do Nothing All Day

Yeah, nothing all day but WORK. Don’t I wish? Eventually, you do get to a point where you learn the rhythm, but I know many black entrepreneurs that work 8 to 18-hour days.  

The wise ones ALWAYS keep an eye on the bottom line even if they are able to work less and have people in place to watch over their businesses, but we work, and we work a LOT.

Once again, the high of knowing the business belongs to you and the fact that you are doing what you really WANT to do makes the time go by VERY fast.

Anyone can be an Entrepreneur

Not so. It takes a lot of discipline, patience, creativity, flexibility, money shifting, savvy, selling, control, relationship building, and determination. Few people can do all those things and still find a way to pay the bills when a client is and will always be late payment.

You Set Your Own Schedule

Yes and no, it all depends on what you do and how you do it. Eventually, you can, but not initially; the business sets your schedule for you.

You Only do One Job and Hire Other People to do the other ones

In a perfect black entrepreneur world… absolutely in the real world, HELL NO. You do ALL the jobs for the first couple of years and there are certainly some things you are not going to be good at and hate but they have to get done.

The first couple of years is the true test for the black entrepreneur to see what you are made of. If you can do all the work and still reach your bottom line, you are where you need to be.

Great Entrepreneur Think of Ways to Make Money First

Nope, those are usually the ones who fail miserably. If you are in the business of buying and selling businesses, then yes, this will work.

If you are in the business of keeping a business for at least 5 to 7 years (the realistic amount of time you should grow, maintain then sell a business to accumulate wealth), then no, thinking of money first won’t work. So what makes for a successful business?  

The key is PASSION… plain and simple. You can’t make a great cheesecake and run a bakery if you don’t have a passion for baking. The end result will be a disgusting cheesecake.

There is the old saying, do what you love, and the money will come. Some people say, “Do what you love and find a way to make money with it.” I agree more with the first one. When you do what you love, people will see it and, if they like it, offer you money for it.

If you are doing something right now and people are willing to pay you for it, you have a potential small business.

You Can Create a logo, and you are an Entrepreneur

These kinds of people actually make it hard for legitimate black entrepreneurs. It takes a LOT more than that. Getting an email with a gmail.com extension is NOT a foray into being a black entrepreneur.

A complete presentation is key, and if you don’t take the time to get your presentation in order, you are not legitimate.

If you are a beginner and you have a great idea, and you are making money, every bit of that money (and you may still have to work for someone else in the process) should go into building your business, not new shoes or a new car.

Getting a professional site done, registering on all the social networks, having a professional logo, etc all add up to you having a successful business.

Some Entrepreneurs Fail

MOST do. They are not prepared for the amount of work that goes into it. They don’t plan, they don’t grow, etc. The black entrepreneurs who succeed are always ahead of the 8-ball, learning new skills and technology and maintaining relationships with clients and/or customers.

There are also those who “sustain” this is where they are neutral in their success, but if they get sick or something happens to them, the business could literally fold.

They are the ones who never hire anyone to help, and they keep every penny to themselves.

You eliminate stress when you work for yourself.

Yes and no. It depends on how you determine what Stress is. I think stress is doing what I don’t want to do for work and even owning my own business. There are parts of it I don’t like doing, but I realize they have to be done.

Others may be stressed out because they can’t pay their rent on time if they work for themselves. Initially, that will happen.

Being an Entrepreneur is Always Fun

It can be, and it SHOULD BE, but many of us take ourselves too seriously, and we don’t enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Time is very limited, and if you are in a relationship or married, it’s even more difficult to balance your time and energy, but for the most part, yes, it is fun because you are repeatedly investing in yourself sans permission, politics, and BS.

Quite often, as black-owned entrepreneurs, we find ourselves operating in a vacuum. We have SO many jobs that it’s often difficult, even impossible at times to find good help. There are some mistakes that we often make that could make our lives so much easier.

First and foremost, we must adapt to today’s market and digital resources. We can still win, but we must be willing to adapt and change our previous concepts.

For example, there is no need to hire full-time or even part-time employees for many jobs anymore. You will save a ton of time, money, and agony hiring someone per project.

The benefit is you can test people out now, and if they do well, keep hiring them or let them work their way into full-time. Here are a few tips to make work life easier for you.

Finding Good Help

PROBLEM: This has got to be one of the absolute greatest challenges for MOST black entrepreneurs. From my own personal experience, many of today’s younger workers are all about instant gratification, and they have agendas, thanks to social media, to build their own brands.

They couldn’t care less about paying dues or climbing the ladder because they don’t have to. Unfortunately for them, they don’t understand that nothing will ever replace “relationships,” and you never develop them by walking over people.

On the other end of the spectrum, from my experience, older workers tend to be very stern and stuck in their ways, they can come to the table expecting to be well paid and treated with the utmost respect based on their previous tenure, but they have not worked in years. At times BOTH can present themselves as if they are doing YOU a favor.

SOLUTION: Go against the grain and seek help in the gray areas. Hire people who DON’T have excellent social media likes and numbers because they are going to need the job the most, and they will be the most hungry.

There are also MANY job services for former people who have been caught up in the system and have been challenged and have a great desire to get into the workforce.

Also, let’s face it, times have changed. If you are looking for someone with a great social media following, instead of hiring them to work for you, why not hire them to specifically get YOU great social media numbers as a consultant?.

I hire people who may not have the best social media stats to cover events that I am not able to go to who post images on Instagram, which is automatically connected to Twitter and Facebook, and it looks like my brand is everywhere.

Not to mention it goes a long way with clients and potential clients, but I specifically hire these people to ONLY do social networking. I suggest getting someone with so-so social media numbers so that they represent your brand instead of themselves.

In addition, they get an added bonus by meeting people in my industry. Make sure you have specifics in writing before they do an assignment.

No posting of badges and passes, no posting on their own social media outlets without hashtagging your brand link, and no plus ones, you want them focused on doing YOUR brand the favor, not impressing one of their friends or a date.

Balancing Time

PROBLEM: Whoever said, “To whom much is given, much is expected,” was right on point. As you read this, I am in Buffalo, New York, right now, taking care of some much-needed family business, and I had to literally move my business via laptop to Buffalo for several weeks and uproot my life from LA. (which is not that hard to do. I am not a big fan of Los Angeles).

You will get hit with some of the most unexpected things from time to time. Before I left LA, I did a magazine that was mailed late via the post office, and there was nothing that I could do about it but learn from the experience and not make the same mistake again.

There are times as black entrepreneurs that we feel that ALL that we DO is work, and I know MANY black entrepreneurs who are single because the demand to be dedicated to a successful business can outweigh a romantic relationship that takes up even more time.

SOLUTION: Start by taking one day off. What is your absolute slowest day? Perhaps you should consider using that day to pamper yourself.

I LOVE the fact that I can go in stores, drive around and go to the museum or even sell real estate in the middle of the day when everybody else is working. Treat yourself to lunch or even a weekend vacation but don’t just WORK …. LIVE.

Collecting Money

PROBLEM: This USED to be a problem for me until I came up with several solutions. Look at doing business like a date:

It is painstaking to watch bills come in and not have the cash flow to pay them. If you let them, a client will use your business like a one-night stand; they get what they want and then leave you stranded. Why not get wined and dined first?

Then you BOTH get what you want. Stop GIVING your valuable experience and tenure away. Make them pay upfront instead of whoring out your business.

Stop bending over backward and treating them like gold so that they will come back because the more that you respect your business, the more they respect YOU.

SOLUTION: First, ask your repeat clients if they can do direct deposits. It would benefit you to have a PayPal or Quickbooks account to accomplish this or if it’s a corporation, ask how you can set it up. This will kill a TON of wasted time.

Next, offer a discount for an upfront payment. Realize the most important thing: THEY CAME TO YOU! When this is the case, the ball is in your court. Don’t sell yourself short by extending them credit, doing the work then having to chase them for months for the money.

At the end of the day, they will get pissed at YOU for bugging them and will probably not do business with you again as if YOU are the bad guy for getting on their nerves. All of this could have been avoided by respecting yourself and your business from the gate and asking for your money upfront.

Paying Employees

PROBLEM: People want to be paid instantly for their work, even if it means you depositing money in their bank accounts.

SOLUTION: NO! I know another black entrepreneur who doesn’t see the problems with this but I do. First of all, your business is not a money tree or a welfare agency.

This is the problem when people can talk directly to the person who holds the purse strings. I have heard every sob story you can imagine, but I have found two things to be true:

When you pay people too soon, the quality of the work is diminished because their focus is more on getting paid. Second, if you have to leave your computer to pay someone by going to your bank, then their bank, standing in line and depositing money, that is NOT your job.

Designate two paydays, for example, the first and the 15th, and let them know that they will be receiving a check or a payment via PayPal or Quickbooks on those dates.

If they have Paypal, while it’s up to you, you should NOT pay the fees. Getting paid via PayPay is to the contractor’s benefit, NOT YOURS. It’s an option for convenience. They can avoid the fees by getting a check in the mail.

You do not have time to hear sob stories or to help other people with their financial problems you are running a business. It will hurt the esteem of your business and your ability to grow, taking on that added and unnecessary burden. Remember, growth is the key, NOT stagnation.

I consult a few businesses each week. I was talking to a client about his business in California, where he sells health products.

He is outrageously passionate about what he sells.  His customers love him, and he is very dedicated. He is successful, but he is also exhausted. He has hired two employees to work under him, who he states do not have the same passion that he does, and he is frustrated by that.  

He has complained about paying them great money and not getting the results. I have heard other black entrepreneurs complain about the same thing.

I explained to him that employees will never be as passionate about your business as you are, and you can’t get mad at them for not having that same passion.  

They have their own lives, problems, and passions. I suggested to him, as I do the other clients in this situation, to get a manager to duplicate themselves instead of hiring employees.

This way, you kill two birds with one stone. When you repeatedly hire employees, and you train them, and they don’t work out, you are wasting valuable time over and over again. Why not get one person by taking the two salaries from the employees and pay the one employee 70% of the 100% you are paying those two employees and teach him or her how to duplicate you.  

Let them follow you around for a week or two and watch how you operate. In other words, hire them as a manager instead of an employee, considering they are qualified.

Someone that you hire as a manager is prone to take the job more seriously, and it will free you up to figure out ways to make more money for the company, which in turn will generate more revenue to hire those two employees down the road.

It is better to have one person you can depend on instead of two people who have no interest.

One of the other important suggestions that I have for clients in the situation is to write down what you are teaching new employees. This is rarely done, which is what causes frustration. What you are doing is creating a manual that you can give them to read, and they can refer to it first before they come to you if they have questions.

This will also help prevent you from having to do the exact same thing repeatedly when employees or managers don’t work out.  Ask them to go over the manual when you first hire them and to ask any questions they may have off the bat.

This client also complained to me that he was exhausted from working 16-hour days. But instead of finding a way to cut his hours down, he opened an additional store which actually increased his hours. I often see this mistake as well.

We think that changing the environment or making additions instead of subtractions, it will make us like what we do more instead of understanding that it may be time to make some drastic changes instead.  He has taken my advice and is now training a new manager.  Thus far, he is happy with the results, and he has put the employees on notice. He states they are working much harder and paying more attention.

Are you working hard to build robust savings? The answer is simple: open a high-yield savings account with one of the top banks.

Unfortunately, the national average APY on a standard savings account is a mere 0.30%, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). But better options are available.

In this piece, we’ll discuss the top 10 banks with the highest yield savings accounts, so you are equipped with the knowledge to get the most out of your money. Consumers have numerous things to consider in a savings account, including:

• The growth rate of your money
• Withdrawal restrictions
• Stability of APYs (based on account age, balance, etc.)
• ATM access
• Transfer times
  

Consumers enjoy high-yield savings accounts from top banks because of their features and ability to help lessen the adverse effects of inflation on hard-earned dollars. So, let’s dig into some of the best options in the market. Bank online open accounts.

Savings Accounts from Bask Bank

Boasting an APY of 4.03% as of Q4 2022, Bask Bank has savings accounts with nearly 15x the national average yield. The two savings vehicles available from Bask Bank are the Mileage Savings Account & Interest Savings accounts.

Customers who open an Interest Savings Account can take advantage of a competitive rate, no minimum balance limitations, and no monthly maintenance fees. One consideration is keeping the account open requires an initial deposit within 60 days.

In addition, Bask Bank has a Mileage Savings Account that, depending on the monthly value, enables account holders to gain American Airlines miles. Another benefit is free transfers or withdrawals up to six times each statement cycle.

Those comfortable with tech-first solutions will be glad to see this online-only top bank on our list.

Citizens Bank Online Savings Account

Earning 12.5x the .30% national average APY will please customers looking to grow their savings. A 3.75% annual yield with the Citizens Online Savings Account will help grow your money for an emergency fund, down payment, or whatever you choose. Citizens is a strong competitor as a top bank to host your savings with that high APY and no fees. 

Customers can open and manage savings accounts entirely online. This account carries no service fees or minimum amounts to open. In addition, FDIC protection means your money is insured to at least $250,000 for all deposit types held at the bank.

People who won’t need a brick-and-mortar option or checking account will appreciate this.

Lending Club Bank

Consistently earn one of the nation’s best rates of 3.60% APY on your entire balance with Lending Club Bank. In addition, after the startup deposit of $100, this high-yield savings account has no minimum balance requirements. 

The convenience factor associated with mobile and online banking allows an effortless experience for members who opt for this high-yield savings account. You have complete control over your funds from anywhere, anytime, making it possible to deposit money instantly or withdraw whenever necessary – even when managing cash. 

Plus, Lending Club offers competitive rates on savings accounts as well as certificates of deposit. Customers also have the option to make simple cash deposits at some ATMs.

The online savings account at LendingClub Bank doesn’t charge a monthly service fee and supports high-interest rates on your money. Clients receive an ATM card for depositing or withdrawing money. These features have found this top bank home on our list.

CIT Bank Savings Connect Account

3.85% APY with a Savings Connect account from CIT bank means your savings will have a healthy growth rate. In about five minutes, you can create an account online for free. Competitive rates and no monthly fees mean keeping more of your money while it grows.

In addition, a Savings Connect account allows quick transfers and check deposits using the CIT Bank mobile app. As a customer of CIT Bank, you can take advantage of their high-yield savings account from the comfort of your home. Additionally, service value to those who bank with them has consistently held a high rating among customers who choose the CIT Bank Savings Connect Account. 

SoFi Savings Account

For customers, the SoFi Savings Account offers competitive interest rates of 3.50% APY 

with direct deposit. A more modest 1.20% APY is available on all balances if you don’t have direct deposit. In addition, the account includes free overdraft coverage and no monthly fees when you meet the requirement.

Users can access more than 55,000 Allpoint ATMs and may receive payments two days early when using direct deposit. Potential users should know cash deposits are only available from independent merchants and can cost up to $4.95.

UFB Direct

While UFB Direct offers additional products such as mortgages, the 4.11% APY UFB Best Savings account is the financial product that is gaining attention. 

No minimum deposits are required, no monthly maintenance fees and unlimited transfers mean a more straightforward savings experience. So, no matter how much money you deposit, you’ll get the same high return. UFB Direct is an online-only bank that is a part of Axos Bank. This online presence works well for younger savers and those who are tech-friendly. Customers also receive an ATM card for 24/7 access. 

The bank also offers a variety of additional products and services, such as mortgages and money market accounts. UFB Direct is always looking for ways to provide financial instruments to its customers. Growing wealth and reaching money goals certainly requires bold financial solutions.

With UFB Direct’s high-yield savings accounts, you can earn more on your hard-earned money while keeping it safe and secure, thanks to FDIC insurance. UFB Direct is another top bank to make our list for those looking to get more out of their savings.

Cornerstone Money Market Savings Account from Vio Bank

The Cornerstone Money Market Savings Account from Vio Bank provides favorable yields at 4.01% APY. There are no monthly fees, a minimum deposit requirement of $100, and all balances earn the same yield. No minimum balance is terrific if you start small and don’t meet the minimum balance of some other high-yield savings accounts. 

Vio Bank is a worthwhile contender for customers who are comfortable banking online and looking to earn competitive returns on savings accounts. Customers should know there is a $5 monthly fee if they opt for paper statements and no peer-to-peer pay tool.

The Vio Bank mobile app offers standard digital banking functions, including mobile check deposit, account alerts, and statement access. Still, it needs to include more advanced capabilities like Zelle-type peer-to-peer payments.

The software receives a favorable rating in the Apple App Store. However, Google Play ratings from Android users are less optimistic. Customers of Vio Bank can contact a bank representative Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central time, Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., also on Sunday from noon to 4. 

eOne Savings from Salem Five District Bank

Salem Five District Bank provides competitive annual percentage yields (APYs) on its eOne Savings Account. However, eligibility is limited to consumers who apply online and who don’t have an existing checking or savings account with Salem Five Bank at the time of the application.

With an APY of 4.10% on daily balances of $0.01–$1,000,000, you are at the higher end of top banks with high-yield savings accounts. However, there is a minimum opening deposit of $10.

Fortunately, this account carries no fees and no minimum balance. 

As a result, Salem Five District Bank is another highly capable choice for savers looking for one of the top banks offering high-yield savings accounts.

Discover Online Savings with Discover Bank

Discover Banks Online Savings Account provides reliable high-yield savings account with a 3.30% APY. The fact that Discover is an online-only institution is a challenge for some customers. However, Discover makes up for it with its extensive network of more than 60,000 ATMs across all 50 states. 

On top of that, customers can enjoy their paychecks up to two days earlier with direct deposit. Some may also be considering the certificates of deposit from Discover Bank, which carry a 4.15% APY. Discover Bank is a balanced option for those looking for a high-yield savings account at one of the top banks with high-rated customer service as well.

Marcus: by Goldman Sachs

One of the heavyweights in the category of high-yield savings accounts is Marcus: by Goldman Sachs. Sporting a 3.30% APY gives it an edge over your standard savings account. In addition, there are no minimum balance requirements or monthly service charges for savings accounts.

No hidden fees lurking in the wings with this account. Even their certificates of deposit have a modest minimum deposit of $500.

This account also provides Marcus Insights, which helps users track and optimize their finances. Mobile and online access mean your money is within reach 24/7. A round-the-clock customer support line is another draw for this high-yield savings account.

According to Marcus’ website, there are no costs associated with wire transfers into and out of your bank account.

For online and automated clearing house transfers, the bank has a limit of $125,000 for external payments. The maximum wire transfer amount per statement cycle is $50,000.

With a top bank like Marcus offering such competitive rates, it is easier than ever to take advantage of these opportunities. Not only will you earn higher interest on your balance, but you’ll also be able to access your money anytime, with the ease of access and customer service numerous people enjoy. With all of its features in mind, Marcus by Goldman Sachs is another excellent choice for savings goals.

Conclusion

So, how much interest will you earn on $10,000 after a year? A $10,000 savings deposit would earn more than $400 after a year with a 4% APY. Your balance will increase more quickly without any more work on your end if your money is in an account earning a high rate.

This return may seem modest until you realize that an account paying the national average of 0.30% APY would yield roughly $30. Therefore, it is essential to research and compare offers from each bank to make an informed decision when selecting a high-yield savings account.

High-yield savings accounts tend to have lower fees and minimum balance requirements, making them more accessible for people with smaller balances. Additionally, high-yield savings accounts are FDIC-insured, providing security for savers. Overall, these accounts are an excellent choice for anyone looking to maximize their savings and earn more on their hard-earned money.