Chats with BOB

We speak to four black queens from the Detroit Doula Collective. We discuss the role they play as a doula & the importance of their role in the birthing process- whether it be natural or with medical assistance.The role of doulas in the black community is literally life changing & life saving. Currently in the US black women are 4 times more likely to die from "pregnancy related complications" than white women. Doulas are educating , supporting , & advocating for black lives within the health care system. Their very presence lessens the mistreatment & interventions imposed on black moms. FOR MORE INFORMATION: FOLLOW @DETROITDOULACOLLECTIVE OR EMAIL DETROITDOULACOLLECTIVE@GMAIL.COM

Berhan is a family owned & operated business that sources its products exclusively from Africa. The company has a huge commitment to working with & providing income opportunities for farmers from the continent. As of right now they mainly sell non gmo teff flour. We speak to the co-founders' son,  Emmanuel and get his perspective of running a family owned business. He shares with us his familys' humble beginnings and explains how real estate & ownership played a huge role in changing the trajectory of the  family's personal life & created a stepping stone for the inception of their business. Emmanuel addresses the black community as a whole to unite in order to strengthen the black dollar. How you can find Berhan & their products: website- https://berhan.co/ instagram- @berhanteff Noteable mentions by guest: @blackfoodie.co Viledge Shoppe Black List-  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zwsfsk6aVCoEtluwnYVau9xBbdCHnIHjAFmyyn2Dr_M/edit#gid=1488820063

Sam is serving his purpose through his black owned business Black Real Estate Dialogue. He has started a podcast that educates & connects the black community to the power of real estate investing while sharing his journey and many successful black investors' experiences. Sam shares how he has monetized this one man show into a viable business; and gives a few tips to new investors & podcasters.

We deep dive into some sweet topics with Vicky Cakes, This ain't your Aunt Jemima's pancakes,its actually Black owned & produced. Pun intended. We talk to Christian Sargent, co-owner of Vickey Cakes. Christian shares her love and passion for what she does as an entrepreneur & all of the wisdom she has gained from starting her business with just $14 and  growing her business into a now 6 figure company in a short period of time.  Mentions by the guess:  1. Epac Packaging Solutions 2. @summerorchidcrats 3. Rescon Customer Support

We chat with Krystal Lexima, MS, BCBA, the black female owner of Bridges Behavioral Therapy & soon to be mom of two. With a diverse team including black & hispanic working professionals Bridges Behavioral Therapy,  collaborates with families, teachers, and other clinicians to ensure & Encourage children with autism & related disabilities to exceed their fullest potential. We discuss what sparked the idea of entrepreneurship for Krystal, How mentorship & outsourcing plays a vital role in scaling her business up & how she got to employ Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Registered Behavior Technicians  of color. Through her ownership of Bridges Behavioral Therapy she is creating jobs & mentorship opportunities that will hopefully inspire working professionals of color to do the same . How you can find her & services: Krystal Lexima, MS, BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst instagram: @BridgesBehavioralTherapy website: www.bridgesbehavioraltherapy.com/ Here are some great take aways from this episode for entrepreneurs of color : 1. Find a mentor with someone who is field-specific that has the time to pour into you & your career. The best mentorships are the ones where you establish & provide value for your mentor. Lets face it, if your potential mentor is successful, chances are that individual is extremely busy. You are one of the many people looking to benefit from that individual’s time. How can you help that individual make time out of their busy schedule to help you? 2. Take your time, it isn’t a sprint. It is a marathon. You want to be well equipped for the journey. Learn as much as you can, build great relationships with employers, cohorts & clients. 3. Do not be afraid to spend the necessary funds to outsource working professionals. It will make you more money in the long run, so whatever it costs spend it, once your business is established and can afford to do so. 4. With the guidance of a CPA, incorporate your business to reap the tax benefits of being a business. 5. Always try to think of how you can incorporate other black owned businesses or services into the daily functions of your business. It can be as small as buying black owned cleaning supplies for your offices or as big as hiring a black CPA.

Today we talk to Imani a teacher from Compton, California, who now is the business owner of Nature’s Thirst Trap. As a vegan for 3 years she realized how her hometown was & is a food dessert. March of last year Imani decided to be a part of the solution by making & delivering her delicious fruit & vegetable juices in multiple cities in southern California. Join us in hearing about her journey into entrepreneurship through servicing her community with a healthier food option.

Despite the pandemic, Business owner, Lindsay Tufts, of IN X OUT Apparel has scaled her business up tremendously in a short period of time due to hiring the right people, seeking & paying for consultation from black owned business, EKS Consulting & transitioning her business from in person to being available online as of this year. We discuss what sparked the idea of entrepreneurship for her. Explore the inception of her business. Discussed The important role her team plays in her business. And Lindsay talks about Collaborations with other black owned businesses & how she help scale up business for a jeweler from Africa by adding her as a vendor to her product line. Through her ownership of IN X OUT apparel she creates & hold space for other black owned brands like Mella’s Body Jam, because as a black entrepreneur she understands this is bigger than her. How you can find her & products: IN X OUT instagram: @inoutapparel website logo: inoutapparel.com email logo: info@inoutapparel.com Black Business Professionals mentioned in the show: EKS Consulting Instagram: @eks_consulting Website: eksconsulting.co Mella’s Body Jam Instagram: @mellas_body_jam Website: mellasbodyjam.com

Meet Gabby, Teen CEO, of GaBBY Bows. She created a successful business out of solving a small common problem within our community in regard to styling our girls hair. Her hair products can be found in Target stores, online and in some local black owned stores. Gabby shares her story of gaining confidence in her journey of being a young business owner. Gabby explains how grit & determination helped her business product get into Target stores after being rejected twice. Through her business, Gabby Bows, she is employing & collaborating with several black business owners. From doing business with a black female owned manufacturing company to receiving accounting services from a black CPA she is flowing more dollars into our community and creating a legacy. How you can find her & products: IG- @gabbybows Shop at www.gabbybows.com Black Business Professionals GaBBY mentioned in the show: Black Enterprise- Patented Services IG- @blackenterprise Gagne Associates- CPAs who G.E.T Business (Business Tax services) IG- @gagne_nyabc Website- www.gagne-associates.com Traffics Sales and Profit with Lamar Tyler (great Facebook group) Phone#  800-479-2695 Email- customerservice@tylernewmedia.com  Get a FREE paperback copy of their new book Traffic Sales & Profit here: https://bit.ly/2VVNmWT VIEW THEIR FREE FILM: They have a FREE documentary on online entrepreneurship along with tons of video resources, tutorials and interviews on the TSP YouTube page. View them here: https://www.youtube.com/trafficsalesandprofit?sub_confirmation=1 Beauty Manufacturing manufactures our hair products