New Amazon grocery store in Woodland Hills, CA. photo: Kevin Ross

It was rather surprising a couple of months ago when Amazon had announced they were doing a partnership with Whole Foods. It was even a little bit comical that Whole Foods was offering discounts … something that most people do not associate with the Whole Foods name.

The partnership was very short. The Amazon prime and Amazon connection failed miserably. So what does a company like Amazon do when they make a mistake like that? Disassemble the relationship and open their own damn grocery stores, that’s what (lol).

Here’s one opening in my neighborhood that supposed to be top-secret but in having a conversation with one of the workers he told me what it will be.  It will be very interesting to see how the store does.

I’ve always told several black entrepreneur friends that Amazon was going to end up doing this. They were going to crush the brick and mortar concept and then once they did that, the were going to redo it all over again with their name on it, damn near owning everything.

Don’t be surprised if you see Amazon clothing stores Amazon furniture stores Amazon shoe stores and more and I’m sure they will probably tie in those pick-up lockers where you can pick up your Amazon items from the stores too WHILE you shop. Pretty damn brilliant.

The greatest and most effective way to create wealth is by creating passive income. But creating it is not enough. You have to change the way you spend your money FIRST or you will be (temporarily) rich but still broke. I was shocked when I saw a new “financial advisor” on the Steve Harvey show recently who was suggesting that passive income was all about having as many jobs as possible. My jaw dropped. Nothing could be further from the truth. Having as many jobs as possible will KILL you. That’s not “passive income” it’s suicide. Passive income is NOT working yourself to death, it’s putting your money to work FOR you and you might be amazed how easy it can be. It all boils down to the way we THINK about money. Let’s just say in the Black community, we have a LOT to learn. You MUST commit yourself to a plan to save which after about a month, will become a habit, otherwise, you will go right back to wasting money over and over again. I’d like to share with you some of the things that I have learned over the years when it comes to saving your OWN money that surprisingly, many people don’t know about and/or don’t practice.

When it comes to money, it’s incredibly easy to live paycheck to paycheck which most of us do. Many of us have no idea where our money is going and at the end of the day, we all could be one or two paychecks away from being homeless no matter how much we make. If you don’t have at least a year’s worth of living expenses in an INTEREST BEARING ACCOUNT (NOT a savings account at a bank where they are making the most money off of YOU) then you ARE in debt.

Giving money to a financial advisor or beliving the big barrel of horse dung that commercial banks consistently push on consumers about being the best bank is almost comical. Have you noticed they sell “service” more than anything else? That’s because they are all sucking your savings dry with fees. If your money is just sitting in a bank, you’re leaving money on the table.

It’s Not What You Make, it’s What You Keep … AND WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU KEEP!!!

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Bank Statements – You Don’t Get What You Don’t Ask For

You can keep your money in a savings account all day but if it’s not bearing interest, you are only making money for the bank. Here are a few ways to KEEP more of the money that you earn AND ADD TO IT.

Did you know that most banks will refund all, most or some of your returned check item fees once a year just by calling them and asking for it? Especially if you have been a good steady customer.

Many people opt out each month on reading their credit cards and bank statements. After all, we are too busy arent we? Many of us have opted out of getting the paper version and because of this, we are not aware of what’s coming in and what’s going out. Seeing a detailed list of this can help to keep track of your money. You would be amazed at how much money you waste on fees, overdraft charges, and subscriptions you never use or forgot that you signed up for. Too busy to do that? The good news is there’s an app for that… (click next to see the next segment)

Clarity Money App

There are MANY apps out there like YNAB (You Need a Budget), Trim, Mint (a Quickbooks free service with a LOT of credit card ads) and more that help you keep track of all of your accounts in one place. While some people may not be comfortable about giving their bank info to an app, you will be glad to know that when you open your bank account and you sign all those papers where the clerk is telling you what each page means? (NEVER fall for that READ WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING) you are giving the bank permission to sell your info when you sign those papers anyway … and they do. This is part of the reason you are getting so many solicitation calls. Yes, commercial banks are selling your information and making an additional profit off of you and you give them permission to do it.

I would recommend, out of all the apps, Clarity Money. Why? Because it not only keeps track of all of your accounts but it also keeps track of how you are wasting money like unused subscriptions that eat away at your budget year after year that we keep forgetting to cancel. Some Gyms, for example, not only charge a monthly fee but they also charge a yearly fee that is much more than the monthly fee, they call it a “cleaning fee” and you may not even be using the membership. The Clarity app has an option to simply cancel the subscription by taping “Cancel” and you don’t have to go through the hassle of signing into the bank account to do it. Clarity also sends you reminder about paying your bills a few days in advance.  (click NEXT for next segment)

Capital NONE: Cash Back Credit Cards, Worth it or Not?

Never be fooled by credit cards that offer cash back for what they REALLY do. Yes, you can get cash back BUT their goal is to get you to use the card as much as possible to the point that you can NOT pay the entire balance before 30 days is up. What happens then? You get hit with a very high-interest charge and lose all the cashback and pay additional costs for every month that you don’t pay the entire card off which makes the “cash back” amount a joke. Credit card companies LOVE to lure uneducated consumers who like to waste money, it’s how they stay rich.

If you HAVE to use credit cards, NEVER overextend yourself with cash back cards. Make sure you can pay the entire balance back within 30 days. That’s the only way that YOU benefit. At the end of the day, the money that you make or the points that you get may not even be worth the stress of trying to keep up with all the blackouts and how to use the card. Read on for better ways to keep your own money

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Reduce Interest

Call your credit card company and ask them to reduce the interest on your credit card. It’s that simple. If you are a good customer, most will do it without a problem. The problem is, most people never ask.

Better than Amazon PRIME

I am not a big fan of Amazon Prime for a couple of reasons, they charge you a $100 plus fee at the beginning of the year or a $14.00 monthly fee then they send you your ordered items withing two days postage for free. But it’s NOT free.  If you explore the same item from other sellers, where Prime is not attached, you will see that Amazon hikes the price up for many Prime items to build the shipping costs into the price of the item. In addition, many retailers like Walmart actully DO offer free shipping and they DON’T hike up the price on a lot of THE SAME items without yearly fees. Save your money

Rakuten

One of the greatest joys in life is seeing that message on your phone that says “A direct deposit has been made into your account.” ESPECIALLY when you didn’t expect it and here is another way that can happen with YOUR OWN MONEY.

I don’t know about you but I love getting cash back, which is better than just saving money when the purchase price remains the same or is discounted which is why I love Rakuten.

Rakuten (formerly eBates) is a site (or you can get a chrome extension that pops up when you shop online) to let you know if you can get cash back with certain items or companies. I just got 12% cash back for a hotel room that I booked and it’s enough to pay my internet bill. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this app a 10. The other thing I like about Rakuten over sites like Booking.com or Travelocity is it takes you directly to the merchant’s site to purchase so you should get your hotel points too. If you use your cash back card you get another benefit. While Capital One offers a great cash back card called “Spark” know that there is a $95.00 fee each year for it.

You don’t get points when you shop for a hotel room from a 3rd party site BTW. Find out more about Rakuten

Acorns

My brother is very proud of the fact he has always rounded out his change from his spending and saved a ton of money. I was telling him not only is there an app for that it ALSO INVESTS the money for you. You can decide how you want to invest it, be it light investing or with more risk. It’s like having your own financial advisor but with fewer fees. They charge a small fee for the service but you don’t even miss the change and you would be amazed at how it grows so quickly. You have to submit the credit cards that you want to round off and it does the rest of the work for you. This is one of my favorite apps. Find out more about Acorns.

Robinhood

If you want to play around and learn how to invest on your own, Robin Hood is your best source. There are no fees for trades like all the other online sites and the site design and information is less constipated than sites like Etrade, it’s easy to read the latest news, analysts’ reports, recommendations and trends. There are no minimum deposit requirements and you can fund your account directly from your bank. Find out more about Robinhood

Air Travel

I’m not sure how many people know that airlines not only change prices daily, they change them several times a day. If you have at least a month before your trip takes place, log the information into Google Flights with alerts, and you will be notified every time the price changes.

Hotels

There are MANY apps that can help you save on hotels like Hotels.com, Booking.com etc but at the end of the day, you would be surprised to learn that the prices on the hotels’ actual site are not much different and the benefit it, you get points when you book on the hotels actual site. Go to Rakuten and find out if the hotel is offering cash back as an added bonus.

It’s better to get the money you were going to spend BACK then to get a fake discount that is the same price across all platforms INCLUDING the actual hotel booking site. Be careful when booking a hotel room from the hotel booking site. Some 3rd parties companies are unscrupulous in creating duplicate sites and pages where you THINK you are booking from, for example, “IHG Hotels” but you are actually booking from Expedia. You can resolve this issue easily by looking at the domain name of the site that you are on and what it says after “https.”

Airport Parking

One of my mentees was shocked when I told him that using Uber or Lyft for the airport is a complete waste of money. He said self-parking was the same fee but it’s actually not. It’s MUCH less in most cities by simply doing one thing. Book in advance at my favorite site Rakuten, simply type in “Parking reservations” after you go to https://rakuten.com and you will you pay anywhere from $7 to $20 a day at parking facilities very close to LAX, for example, you also get cash back for your purchase. If you drive up on the day of your trip you are not only risking the lot will be full, you are also going to pay the most money which is what most people do. While Uber and Lyft have their advantages it can also be an incredible waste of money. A ride to the airport can cost you close to $200 back and forth for a 5-day trip that could actually cost you $50.00 to park on your own. Book your parking in advance.

Ditch Audible for …

I used to use Audible as I am an audiobook junkie, but I realized I was paying $14.00 a month for one book that may actually cost $10.00. F that, I discovered Scribd.com and I pay $8.99 for UNLIMITED books both audio and text. You can also download the audio and textbooks. Check out Scribd

Please feel free to share and comment.

It was certainly a star-studded event for Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. I can’t remember when I’ve seen so many black stars in one space. I would not be surprised if Tyler starts doing a black movie and music awards on the campus. Super congrats to him. Rodney Ho covers the red carpet at the event.

JACQUE AYE’S NIGERIAN MAGICAL GIRL TALE ‘ADORNED BY CHI’ SIGNS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH MWM UNIVERSE

Dallas-based black entrepreneur Jacque Aye, creator of “Adorned by Chi,” the anime and manga-inspired Nigerian Magical Girl franchise/universe, has signed with MWM and its MWM Universe division, Morgan Kruger & Diana Williams of MWMu announced today. Aye’s “Adorned by Chi,” tells the tale of Adaeze, a painfully shy college student who discovers she has Goddess-like powers and must, reluctantly, lead a team of young warriors to defeat an apocalyptic monster that threatens to destroy humanity and save the world. MWM Universe and Aye are developing the story across multiple platforms including animation, comic book/literary, merchandise and film/tv.

“Adorned by Chi” is inspired by the Japanese Magical Girl genre and series like “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” “Puella Magi Madoka Magica,” and “Sailor Moon.” The story also takes inspiration from elements of Igbo culture & lore, including Goddesses like Ala, Uhamiri and more.

“Jacque Aye’s fresh and nerdy approach to expanding Manga and celebrating diversity is more important than ever,” said Kruger, EVP of Operations & Williams, EVP of Creative at MWMu. “Her ability to weave a story and characters that resonate with both women and men in the shifting Anime genre is impressive. As one of the top e-commerce black entrepreneurs in creative, she understands how stories need multiple touchpoints with today’s audiences and how young women – especially those of color – need to see themselves reflected in the genre in empowering ways.”

Aye quote, “I set out to create ‘Adorned by Chi’ because I wanted to see myself, a young Nigerian-American woman, reflected in the genre I and many others enjoyed so much growing up. It’s been a joy crafting this world and I look forward to expanding my vision with the help of MWM in not only the current merchandise but animation, comics and more!”

Aye will be appearing at New York Comic Con on October 5th. Be sure to follow @AdornedByChi for updates on when and where. Enter the world of Adorned by Chi by grabbing free pdf manga, merchandise and more: https://shop.adornedbychi.com/collections/comics

PERFORMANCES BY NAUGHTY BY NATURE, KEKE WYATT, KELLY PRICE, 702, LE’ANDRIA JOHNSON, MAJOR. AND MORE

(CHICAGO, IL) – September 4, 2019 – R&B singer Tamia will receive the Soul Music Icon Award during the 4th Annual Black Music Honors award show in Atlanta, GA. The sultry vocal powerhouse will be recognized for her decades of chart-topping songs during the taping on Thursday, September 5th at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Tamia joins fellow honorees Xscape, Yolanda Adams, Arrested Development, and Freddie Jackson. Hosted by television and radio personality Rickey Smiley and Grammy® Award-Winner and actress LeToya Luckett, the two-hour television special will celebrate artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to the African American culture and American music worldwide.

Tickets are available at www.blackmusichonors.com and www.ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. and taping begins at 7 p.m. The show will air Sunday, October 20 at noon EST on Bounce TV, and in national syndication, September 14 – October 20. The broadcast schedule is available at www.blackmusichonors.com.

The 2019 Black Music Honors show is sponsored by State Farm and AT&T, executive produced by Don Jackson with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as producer, and Michael A. Johnson as producer and director.

For more information on Black Music Honors, please visit www.blackmusichonors.com and connect on social media @blackmusichonors and #blackmusichonors.

 

 

ABOUT BLACK MUSIC HONORS

Black Music Honors is an annual two-hour event that acknowledges the legendary African American artists who have influenced and made significant musical contributions to African American culture and American music worldwide. Produced by Chicago-based production company Central City Productions (CCP) and hosted by Rickey Smiley, television and radio personality, and Grammy Award-winner and actress, LeToya Luckett. For more information visit www.blackmusichonors.com

ABOUT CENTRAL CITY PRODUCTIONS

Founded in 1970 by Don Jackson, Chicago-based Central City Productions, Inc. is a distributor of original targeted programming to television and cable networks. CCP’s award-winning television programs include The Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Stellar Tribute to the Holidays, Stellar Sunday, The Black College Quiz Show Series, and Mentoring Kings, among many others. For more information, visit www.stellartv.com.

Platform for Buying and Selling Small Businesses Launched

BizBenNetwork.com has created an innovative alternative to classified-based business for sale websites.

 BizBen.com has recently launched a new platform for buying and selling businesses nationwide – BizBenNetwork.com. The new website is an innovation on traditional classified platforms by including features such as automatic matching of business buyer and seller and other online tools that increase user interaction and transactions.

BizBen.com, the first original online platform for buying and selling small businesses, built BizBenNetwork.com upon the insight from the studies and surveys it has conducted over 25 years. The main insight gathered from its research was that current users on classified websites experienced diminishing marginal returns with every increase in effort. BizBenNetwork.com was created with proprietary TruMatch technology (online auto matching of business buyers & sellers), and social-promotional tools that help users buy and sell small businesses within a three months’ time period.

“BizBenNetwork’s TruMatch technology automatically matches members selling businesses with members interested in buying those businesses,” says Peter Siegel, MBA, CEO of BizBenNetwork.com. “Matched members can then communicate easily through the platform’s direct messaging, making deals quicker.”

Along with tools that support making individual deals happen more quickly, BizBenNetwork.com has a blog and discussions section where members can create content to promote themselves and attract more business. Blogs and discussions can be found at the bottom of relevant postings, efficiently spreading helpful information along with rewarding members that contribute content.

Utilizing BizBenNetwork’s features and new network-based model makes it possible to buy or sell a US-based small business in a dramatically shorter period of time.

Founder & CEO Keisha Smith-Jeremie, also seen on Shark Tank, disrupts the applesauce industry with gluten-free sanaía, the re-imagination of childhood treats for adults. sanaía is the first company to recognize that millions of adults still love applesauce.

While the rest of the category was focused on kids, Keisha seized the opportunity to cater to adults who wanted to enjoy applesauce without being subjected to pouches or uninspired flavors.

Growing up in the Bahamas, Keisha fell in love with fruits. Her favorite childhood pastime was climbing the fruit trees in her backyard, stuffing her little pockets with the sun-sweetened treasures of each season. While attending the University of Virginia, she missed the flavors of home. It was there that Keisha created her own version of applesauce using Granny Smith’s green apples.

Currently, a $900M market with 99% of the spending focused on children, Keisha believes that applesauce is ready for the kind of disruption that grew yogurt from an 8BN category to the 125BN category that it is today – and that sanaía is the brand that will lead the way. Her hunch that the applesauce category was ripe for disruption has been affirmed in so many ways along this journey. The most exciting manifestation of this journey has been the sanaía launch in 800 Walmart stores across the country.

Infused with plant-based ingredients and exotic fruits like guava, ginger, tamarind, and lavender, sanaía is made with whole Granny Smith green apple wedges and has all the makings of the next 1BN entrant to the adult snacking category. She developed sanaía with the goal of creating a healthy snack that proves what she has long known to be true – fruits are nature’s most delectable desserts.

sanaía applesauce is the perfect snack for vegan and kosher palettes and for adults that are craving snack options that are non-GMO, low sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free that taste delicious and is only 60-80 calories per serving. Keisha shares: “I created sanaía because I believe that what we eat provides us with the fuel we need to live the life we want.” sanaía APPLESAUCE, reimagined for everybody.

Keisha’s journey as a small business owner has been truly transformational. Her first time pitching sanaía to investors happened to be on ABC’s Shark Tank! Not only did she secure an investment offer from investor and business mogul Mark Cuban, but her episode went viral sparking conversations: “Being a black entrepreneur while maintaining a corporate job has been challenging and rewarding. For some of us, quitting the day job is not an option for many black entrepreneurs, particularly black entrepreneurs of color who tend to be the first of their generation to ‘make it.”

Founder & CEO Keisha Smith-Jeremie, also seen on Shark Tank, disrupts the applesauce industry with gluten-free sanaía, the re-imagination of childhood treats for adults. sanaía is the first company to recognize that millions of adults still love applesauce.

While the rest of the category was focused on kids, Keisha seized the opportunity to cater to adults who wanted to enjoy applesauce without being subjected to pouches or uninspired flavors.

Growing up in the Bahamas, Keisha fell in love with fruits. Her favorite childhood pastime was climbing the fruit trees in her backyard, stuffing her little pockets with the sun-sweetened treasures of each season. While attending the University of Virginia, she missed the flavors of home. It was there that Keisha created her own version of applesauce using Granny Smith’s green apples.

Currently, a $900M market with 99% of the spending focused on children, Keisha believes that applesauce is ready for the kind of disruption that grew yogurt from an 8BN category to the 125BN category that it is today – and that sanaía is the brand that will lead the way. Her hunch that the applesauce category was ripe for disruption has been affirmed in so many ways along this journey. The most exciting manifestation of this journey has been the sanaía launch in 800 Walmart stores across the country.

Infused with plant-based ingredients and exotic fruits like guava, ginger, tamarind, and lavender, sanaía is made with whole Granny Smith green apple wedges and has all the makings of the next 1BN entrant to the adult snacking category. She developed sanaía with the goal of creating a healthy snack that proves what she has long known to be true – fruits are nature’s most delectable desserts.

sanaía applesauce is the perfect snack for vegan and kosher palettes and for adults that are craving snack options that are non-GMO, low sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free that taste delicious and is only 60-80 calories per serving. Keisha shares: “I created sanaía because I believe that what we eat provides us with the fuel we need to live the life we want.” sanaía APPLESAUCE, reimagined for everybody.

Keisha’s journey as a small business owner has been truly transformational. Her first time pitching sanaía to investors happened to be on ABC’s Shark Tank! Not only did she secure an investment offer from investor and business mogul Mark Cuban, but her episode went viral sparking conversations: “Being a black entrepreneur while maintaining a corporate job has been challenging and rewarding. For some of us, quitting the day job is not an option for many black entrepreneurs, particularly black entrepreneurs of color who tend to be the first of their generation to ‘make it.”

 The Guns and God coalition just received a major endorsement from Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

“As someone very involved in the Tea Party movement, I have seen firsthand the impact that grassroots Americans can have when they come together, organize and speak out. I applaud the efforts of Guns & God Appreciation Day organizers and encourage lovers of Liberty to get involved,” The Senator remarked.

Rand Paul is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, limited government, and the rights of the people to petition their government.

Regarding this major endorsement, Larry Ward, President of the Constitutional Rights PAC and coalition organizer, said, “Senator Paul has been a great supporter of liberty and he has dedicated his career in the U.S. Senate to fighting to protect our constitutional rights.”

Constitutional Rights PAC is urging supporters to peacefully come out on the 14th of September to participate in this nationwide petition for the protection of the 2nd Amendment.

Coalition organizers are asking demonstrators to peacefully show up en masse to gun stores, gun ranges, state capitals and town squares across the country to celebrate our God-given Second Amendment Rights and protest against the government’s attempts to undermine them.

We encourage participants to be prayerful about returning our nation to God as the only solution to the hatred and mass murder plaguing our blessed nation. 

The Guns & God website can be found here.

Shaquille O’Neal Enters the Coffee Space with FORTO
The Hall of Famer Gives Coffee A Shot, Becomes an Investor and Brand Ambassador

FORTO Coffee, maker of the World’s 1st Coffee Shot and America’s #1 Organic Ready-to-Drink Coffee, today announced that Hall of Famer and businessman Shaquille O’Neal will become a co-owner of the company and the new face of the FORTO brand.

The alignment with Shaq, coupled with a $20 million investment last year, including $15 million investement.

“I can enjoy a FORTO Coffee Shot anytime, anywhere,” said O’Neal. “Plus, it’s organic, tastes great, and best of all, it fits in my pocket. These coffee shots have given me the energy to stay active and I’m excited to be at the forefront of the future of coffee.”

As FORTO’s global ambassador, Shaq will headline the brand’s multi-channel marketing campaign, which launches across TV, out of home, in-store, digital and social media in the coming year. Shaq has had unprecedented success as an investor, business owner and black entrepreneur. FORTO Coffee Shots are the perfect fit for Shaq’s busy lifestyle, providing him with fast-acting and great-tasting energy that lasts all day long.

“Shaq embodies what FORTO is all about: fast-acting, positive energy,” says Neel Premkumar, Founder and CEO of FORTO Coffee. “He’s a living example of how FORTO can help people get the most out of their days from a coffee drink that they can feel good about.”

FORTO Coffee Shots are available in more than 50,000 retail locations nationwide, as well as online on Amazon and at www.FORTOcoffee.com. They come in a variety of delicious flavors, including Vanilla Latte, Chocolate Latte, and more.

About FORTO
FORTO is the #1 Coffee Shot, a ready-to-drink beverage providing the equivalent energy of two cups of coffee in a 2-ounce shot. Fast-acting and made with 100% organic coffee, FORTO is leading a new wave of ready-to-drink coffees that are changing the way people get their daily energy boost. FORTO is owned by Dyla Brands, one of the fastest-growing beverage manufacturers in America. FORTO is sold in over 50,000 retail locations nationally, on Amazon, and at FORTOCoffee.com. To learn more about FORTO, visit FORTOcoffee.com.