News — Black Business

“Basketball was my creative outlet,” said Michael Robinson, who played basketball from high school through to college. He said he loved “the way the crowd reacts” when one scores a basket and the feeling it brings. Since he retired from the game and started working, he said he has never felt anything like that though he admits that making soda is now the closest thing to scoring in a basketball game.

At a time when craft breweries were springing up everywhere, Robinson took interest and experimented with his own craft beer but failed and transitioned into soda making. 

He started Bingo-Bango Fresh Fruit Soda Co. in 2018, which specializes in all-natural, fresh fruit soda handcrafted in Winston-Salem North Carolina. His first attempt at selling went sour, he said. “At my first flea market I didn’t have a tent, I didn’t have anything, and it was horrible,” Robinson told YES! Weekly. “It was sugar and water in a keg, and I was freshly squeezing lemons into a cup. I only sold one cup, so I made $2. I put one dollar on my fridge, and gave one dollar to my mom.”

“There were so many trials, and so many fails. My wife hated it. She would come visit and the floors would be sticky. Everything would be sticky,” he added. Despite the shaky beginning, Robinson persevered and created new flavors such as strawberry lemonade and blueberry muscadine.

He took them to a couple of festivals and people enjoyed them. “Folks really liked it, to my surprise,” Robinson said. “They were asking for it by the bottle and the growler.”

“The [Bingo Bango] flavor really pops into your mouth. It’s like you’re biting into a fruit.” Robinson said. “And what I noticed with others was that we tend to get complacent with the flavor of the drink. If you have a peach-flavored Fanta, then your mind then perceives that as peach.”

Since then, the popularity of the drink has increased, including the addition of more flavors such as pineapple apple, apple ginger and lemon peach pomegranate.

Bingo Bango Soda Co. is now a thriving local business, selling nearly 20,000 bottles and showing great potential for growth largely because of the craft beer mentality Robinson brought to the non-alcoholic soda industry.

Robinson recognizes competition from giants in the industry but is hopeful of growing beyond his company’s current sales record. Also, he wants the company to grow organically, that way, he is able to nurture loyal customers.

“I kind of take what’s left,” Robinson told journalnow. “Just like the craft breweries do, people have an understanding for craftsmanship of beer and wine. … I just let the taste speak for itself. I think the company can grow without me having to fight and push. We all can exist, small companies and the giants. There’s plenty of room.”

Robinson, before getting introduced to craft beer, worked as a bartender at his brother’s establishment, Carolina Vineyards and Hops. He graduated with a public relations degree in 2012. Now into soda making, he hopes to distribute nationally soon.

Finding an attorney to represent you in court can sometimes be hectic and costly, particularly among small business owners, where many cannot afford legal services. An estimated 80 percent of small businesses in Africa cannot afford a lawyer.

To break the barrier, a group of Zimbabwean entrepreneurs have created online legal services that allow you to get instant legal assistance from dozens of lawyers at a reduced rate through low cost add-on legal protection insurance products which are delivered and marketed through established insurance companies. LawBasket provides a new way of financing and delivering legal value to small businesses in Africa.

LawBasket also works with co-working spaces, tech accelerators and hubs across Africa to deliver free in-person and online law clinics using a network of lawyers who deliver practical legal content to help startups grow, it says on its website. Through its lawyer-on-demand platform, LawBasket also enables small businesses and startups to hire lawyers at a predictable price when they need them.

The company was founded in December 2018 by a group of entrepreneurs who had previously run Lexware Inc, a local tech company. The founding team has two lawyers, each with four years of experience in top Zimbabwean law firms, a finance person and a software engineer.

“LawBasket presents a credible alternative to traditional law firms, providing solutions to getting legal help for the ever-increasing crusade of small businesses and start-ups in Africa,” co-founder Nyasha Makamba told NewsDay. “Through LawBasket payments, the company also declutters the process of creating and managing bills for lawyers, as well as provide a simple portal to process multi-jurisdictional payments for legal services.”

Although LawBasket originally started in Zimbabwe, it is also available in 15 other African countries. In fact, the majority of the lawyers on the platform are from Nigeria, a development Makamba finds exciting. On its websites, LawBasket says its lawyers have expertise in areas like intellectual property, motor vehicle accidents and real estate.

“What we are doing is to create a virtual law firm which anyone can access from anywhere in the world through one platform,” the founders told Tech In Africa. “It’s a business that is exciting to scale, and our journey so far has shown that we can scale the business.”

The growth of the company has been organic, Makamba said in a 2019 interview, adding that they were exploring the option of further expanding their footprint though they would need some funding. “We have been talking to organizations across Africa and in the US, and we are confident that we will raise the funding we need to this on a larger and profitable scale,” Makamba told Tech In Africa.

A Black-owned bakery was forced to close its shop after a number of racially charged threats targeted the business this past weekend. 

The co-owner of Bake Me Happy in Columbus, Ohio, says out of an abundance of safety for her employees, the business closed its doors. The decision came after someone called in several times inquiring about the gluten-free bakery and then preceded to go on a violent and racially charged tirade, saying people need to get out of the building.

Letha Pugh, the bakery’s co-founder explained to affiliate NBC affiliate WCMH–TV, “That’s a threat, essentially,” she said. “I called the number back and the person answered the phone and just kind of went into saying a bunch of racial slurs.”

Pugh alerted police and decided to talk to the Columbus City Council. According to Black leaders, the incident is just one of several they have noticed in the area.

“It is incomprehensible that respected entrepreneurs and community activists felt it necessary to close their beloved business because of threats from an extremist racist demagogue,” Stephanie Hightower, president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League, said in a statement. “What’s just as unbelievable is that other Black business owners reportedly also are receiving similar threats. Federal, state and local authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate these issues, protect the intended victims and ensure that swift and sure prosecution is pursued against these criminal acts.”

Hightower went on to say, “As we witnessed during the debacle in our nation’s Capitol last week, we should never underestimate the capacity for violence by those who appear to be the 2021 version of a lynch mob.”

Word circulated about the incident on social media, generating an outpouring of community support.

“The staff was freaked out,” Pugh said. “We’re trying to figure out what our next steps are, but I’m not into predicting what people are going to do these days. So we’re going to close it down, regroup.”

The bakery says it plans to reopen on Tuesday.

GNC will be featuring G.O.A.T. Fuel’s line of health-focused energy drinks in select locations across the United States. G.O.A.T. Fuel is available in Blueberry Lemonade, Tropical Berry, Peach Pineapple, and Pink Candy. It is now available to be purchased at GNC.com, goatfuel.com, and in addition to GNC stores nationwide.

“GNC is one of the world’s leading brands in sports nutrition (or health and fitness) which makes them the perfect partner for G.O.A.T Fuel,” Rice said in a written statement. “I’m very passionate about what I put into my body and share the same core values and beliefs as GNC to inspire others to Live Well by consuming health-forward products like G.O.A.T Fuel. We can’t wait to bring G.O.A.T Fuel to the world and motivate our community to become the greatest of all time.”

The energy drink is powered by cordyceps mushrooms, which is known to provide athletes with increased oxygen performance and a clean boost of energy. G.O.A.T. Fuel is powered with natural caffeine and green tea as well as branch-chained amino acids and 10 essential vitamins to improve recovery. The energy drink has no sugar and no preservatives. The drink is enjoyed by hip-hop mogul Snoop Dogg, NFL Legend Deion Sanders, NBA rising star Tyler Herro, and many more.

“GNC is thrilled to partner with Jerry Rice and the G.O.A.T. Fuel team to provide our consumers with the clean boost of energy they need to reach peak performance and work towards their wellness goals,” said Josh Burris, president of GNC. “For us, it’s not just about the results of a product, it’s also about what’s inside–and we’re confident through G.O.A.T. Fuel’s unique, healthy ingredients that we’re delivering the highest standards of quality and efficacy to our consumers.”

The coronavirus pandemic lockdown was a blessing in disguise for many even though there were a few others who did not find that period favorable. Some lost relatives to the virus while others lost their jobs.

London Warrick decided to send positive vibes to her family, neighbors and friends with every cake she baked during the lockdown period.

The 11-year-old kidpreneur discovered her love for baking during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. So, on Mother’s Day, she baked lots of cakes and wrapped up huge slices for mothers in her neighborhood to bring some cheer to them.

Little did she know seven months ago that she had just sent out samples of what will be her new cake business, Lovely London Delights.

“I started baking in May for Mother’s Day. I made a whole cake and I sliced it and I delivered it to mothers to make them happy,” the Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, native told local news outlet WPVI.

The cake was so lovely that many mothers wanted to order whole cakes after they tasted the slices. “When I got back home, they were asking for whole cakes,” she added.

London rose to the challenge but her mother, Tramaine Warrick, was worried people might not want to go through with their orders if they knew an 11-year-old baked their cakes.

Interestingly, that was not a deterrent as, according to Traimaine, people began hitting her family up for more cakes. “I explained to them that London is 11 and they said, ‘We don’t care. We just want a cake!'” said Tramaine

Just like that, news of the new cake sensation spread by word of mouth and recommendations. “From there so many people we didn’t know were finding out from other people, and they just started to ask us to order cakes,” she added.

The classic Bundt cake with two secret ingredients has been the best seller since the business started and she has sold over 200 cakes and counting. The Upper Moreland Intermediate School fifth-grader makes multitasking look so easy. She has good time management skills and has allocated weekends and school breaks for her budding baking business.

“I do my cakes on the weekend and when I’m on break,” London said.

London still has time to do little girls’ stuff like her other hobby, dancing. She also takes classes very seriously, with math being her favorite subject. She already has her eyes set on Lincoln University and with her tenacity, it will be no surprise that she gets in.

According to ABC6, the kidpreneur is also philanthropic at heart. London donates proceeds from her sales to Gift of Life to honor her grandfather, who had lung disease.

It was a journey that started as a hobby for Semhal Guesh. While in the university training as an architect, she started making hand bracelets from leather waste which later led her to start Kabana Leather, a firm that produces a wide range of bags mainly targeting foreign markets.

“My hobby became a business when I employed someone and saw the impact it made on their life. I quit my job at an architectural firm to run Kabana full-time,” she told.

Guesh produces under her own brand and also has a division that produces for international labels. Since the establishment of the firm in 2017, it has focused on the international market. However, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm made adjustments so as to focus on the local market in a bid to water down the effect of the pandemic on its business operations.

In addition to producing leather bags, Kabana leather now produces PPEs and other preventive materials with support from the MasterCard Foundation albeit temporarily.

The bulk of its products are sold in the U.S. and Europe and a small consignment sold in Rwanda and South Africa. Guesh said her brand tries to have launches twice a year. “Design starts with a mood board with colors, material concepts and design. Usually, I work with my team to develop patterns and designs. We make samples and get feedback on these. We then manufacture our selection for the launches,” Guesh said.

The architect-turned manufacturer attributes the success of her firm to its niche for functional bags made locally instead of concentrating on seasonal or fashionable products. “We focus on training and investing in our team, so we have close to zero staff turnover,” she said. What’s more, 80 percent of the workforce are women.

Also, Guesh’s business has largely grown as a result of recommendations from satisfied customers. “We have not spent a lot on marketing. We have also found some level of success at trade fairs,” she added.

However, there are some challenges she occasionally deals with. One of the challenges is sourcing quality leather and accessories for the bags. She also struggles to access finance which limits her working capital and makes it hard to move from a small to a medium enterprise or expand operations.

The effect of COVID-19 was another challenge she had to confront head-on. Initially, she laid off some of her temporary staff but with support from the Mastercard Foundation, the firm has recovered and saved some workers.

Guesh, in her spare time, trains young women and girls living on the streets of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. These young women, many of whom are refugees from South Sudan and Somalia, do join Guesh at her company. Others go on to start their own businesses, she said in an interview. “Nothing is more satisfying for me than seeing former employees or the women I’ve trained spread their own wings and start their own businesses,” said Guesh, who grew up hearing a phrase many young girls did not: “You can do whatever you want.”

 “Growing up, I didn’t see any Black contractors,” says David Moody, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of C.D. Moody Construction Company, Inc., a Black Enterprise BE 100s listed company for several consecutive years.

From his bedroom, he started his construction firm in the 1980s when he was in debt and was financially constrained to the point that he could barely feed his family. His wife went back to nursing school to become a registered nurse so they could have a steady income as he struggles to ensure the company succeeds.

With determination and hard work, his company is thriving and has undertaken over 200 commercial projects valued at $3 billion. Also, he is responsible for some of the iconic buildings in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I worked for some small construction companies and a very large construction company and this might sound strange, but it just kind of happened. I had reached a point where my wife and I said we don’t have anything to lose, so let’s give it a try. That is how it all happened. Our first office was our bedroom,” Moody tells shoppeblack about his beginning.

The success of his company happened together with the regional growth and his contribution to the building of 21st century Atlanta cannot be overemphasized as its emergence helped fuel Moody’s success. He is also giving back to his community by mentoring the next business leaders and inculcating in Atlanta kids the habit of saving.

What is rewarding for Moody is the fact that what started as a dream is now the source of livelihood for many others. “Giving back to help others is a great feeling,” he says. He attributes the success of his company to God and the fact that God used him to help others turn trauma into triumph.

“The other reasons are my wife and I have never had an expensive lifestyle and I have loved architecture and construction since I was a child,” he says, adding that: “I am living a dream that I didn’t think would happen for me.”

One of his latest commercial ventures was in 2019 when he joined as a 49% partner on a $650 million mix of affordable and market-rate housing, restaurants, retail, offices, and a performing arts center.

Moody advises young entrepreneurs to have a passion for whatever they do and not to be motivated by money. He stressed that once they are able to hone their craft, the money will follow. “…Don’t cut corners and honor your word. Never lie and let honesty guide your steps,” he adds.

Moody was born in Chicago, Illinois before relocating to Michigan when he was only 14 years old to stay with his dad who was employed at the University of Michigan. He attended Huron High School and obtained his B.S. in Psychology from Morehouse College in 1978.

By 1981, he had received his Bachelor of Architecture and five-year professional degree from Howard University. He worked as an architect/field engineer for Bechtel Power Corporation. He later taught structural design and mechanical systems at Washtenaw Community College.

Intending to inspire and help capitalize future Black entrepreneurs and innovators, the popular soda brand Mountain Dew is launching a $1 million ideas pitch competition.

Gaining access to capital remains is one of the biggest challenges for Black Americans wanting to start or expand a business. So the contest’s timing is perhaps fitting for those individuals and others.

Called the MTN DEW Real Change Opportunity Fund, the contest is an ideas pitch competition offering the $1 million prize pool annually with an expected initial commitment of five years. Mountain Dew just announced it is teaming with Howard University, Hampton University and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) linked with its parent company PepsiCo.

The contest comes after PepsiCo announced, in June, its plans to invest over $400 million in the next five years to uplift Black communities across America. The contest is separate from that pledge.

The Real Change Ideas Pitch Competition will offer students and recent alumni of Howard, Hampton and other HBCUs a chance to win cash. The Top 10 finalists will compete for a piece of the $1 million prize pool, with their respective schools also getting an award fund.

The competition will provide resources, programming and funding to future Black Entrepreneurs. The goal is to encourage and empower HBCU students to go out and “Do,” meaning convert their ideas into real action. Those interested in applying and getting more entry details can go here.

A  panel of experienced “Doers,” including seasoned entrepreneurs, will pick the top 50 applicants. Those applicants will be invited to a round of virtual pitches with an all-star panel beginning January 18, 2021. Ten finalists will emerge and can pitch their ideas in front of a Real Change panel. The 10 finalists will compete during a virtually streamed finale in February 2021.

Mountain Dew is partnering with media powerhouses, including BET, Blavity, iHeartMedia and ViacomCBS to highlight the journeys of the finalists and their paths to the ideas pitch finale. Mountain Dew will select the winners and the schools will not be involved in that process.

White billionaires have doubled in America in the past quarter-century, according to the Washington Post. This reflects the widening economic gulf and racial disparity as the percentage of Blacks and other minority households worth more than $1 million remains below 2% since 1992.

The trend of Whites accumulating wealth is set to continue and will continue to outperform Blacks and Hispanics in key indicators of wealth: homeownership and equity, investments, and inheritance, according to data cited by the Washington Post.

On the corporate ladder, Black CEOs make up less than one percent of Fortune 500 CEOs and around three percent in senior management positions, a report by the Center for Talent Innovation said. Brian Lee, a digital ad executive, wants to change that by offering a platform that aims at increasing the number of Black millionaires in the next decade.

Lee is the founder of Black Health & Wealth and has a passion for entrepreneurship and healthy living. He’s responsible for digital advertising campaigns for some of the largest brands in the United States. Black Health & Wealth was created to amplify Black wealth and economic opportunity and in the process, create more Black millionaires.

One of the ways of achieving this is to partner corporate institutions to commit to their diversity policy, Lee said. “There has been a lot of talk from corporate America about standing with the black community, but now it is time for action. Black professionals would like to see investment directly into black talent and black suppliers. They also want professional development and to see diverse people in company board seats and in the C-Suite,” the business executive was quoted by Black Business.

As a seasoned ad executive, Lee has worked for renowned brands like Verizon, Microsoft, and many more. Black Health & Wealth was inspired by his own struggles through the corporate ladder. Coming from a humble background, he aspires to create one million Black millionaires in the next 10 years thereby creating a modern-day Black Wall Street.

He however believes that building Black Wall Streets globally will start with a digital approach, hence his platform is “building the technology” to power communities.

In effect, Lee’s plan to increase the number of Black millionaires will be executed in two phases. The first phase will see Lee provide education and professional development to professionals within the network while phase two will centralize Black businesses to have access to each other while committing major corporations to their diversity policies, according to We Buy Black.

Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria was founded by three Tennessee friends in 2017: Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed. The restaurant initially began in their native state, Tennessee, serving artisan pizzas in “underserved communities and more.”

Three years on, the pizza and beer restaurant chain is offering delivery services nationwide. According to Black Business, the firm is partnering with Gold Belly, a national shipping service, to achieve this latest business operation, which will offer everything from frozen pizzas to cinnamon rolls right to the doorsteps of customers nationwide.

Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria is a fast-casual and gourmet pizza joint serving up artisan pizzas and unique cinnamon rolls made with locally sourced ingredients, a statement on its website says, adding that its menu is inspired by hip hop and R&B.

The three Nashville natives behind the joint “aim to invigorate less touched areas of the community through employment opportunities and accessible dining experiences.”

With its latest business partnership, Slim and Husky’s, despite having operations in Tennessee, Georgia and California, will now reach more customers in all 50 states to have pizza delivered to them.

Gray, Reed and Moore are expanding their business at a time when the pandemic has negatively impacted Black-owned businesses. Besides Black businesses being negatively impacted, in Memphis, 110,000 eateries have closed permanently this year due to COVID-19. According to the National Restaurant Association, 10,000 eateries have closed within the past three months alone.

“The confidence of the consumer has dropped tremendously,” Derrick Moore, Slim and Husky’s Chief Development Officer, was quoted by FOX13. “They don’t know if it’s going to be shut down or opened up all the way, 50 percent, 25 percent to zero.”

“I would just encourage people to push through but be smart about it because it is capital intense and you have to have your funds right and the structure of your business sound,” he added.

Each Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria is constructed with the community’s culture and dynamics in mind, according to Gary, who serves as the brand’s chief marketing officer. He said each restaurant begins with the desire to provide jobs, capacity building and other development opportunities for people in a community.

From a humble beginning, Slim and Husky’s pizza is one of the most sought after in the U.S. Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria has been featured on the 101 Best Pizzas in America, ranking 5th.

Before starting Slim and Husky’s, the three friends ran one business together — Green Truck Moving Co. They sold it in 2017 for $1.25 million.

The appraisal value of the estate of deceased rapper and entrepreneur, Nipsey Hussle sets his fortune at around $4 million. Per legal documents obtained by TMZ, the Crenshaw rapper’s net worth is valued at approximately $4,169,088.57.

A significant portion of Nipsey’s fortune reportedly comes from his trademark portfolio, shares he has in companies he owned, and personal valuables including Rolex watches and gold jewelry.

Breaking it down further, TMZ reported the Grammy award-winner owned a 25% share of stock (worth $271,000) in his Slauson Avenue-located Marathon Clothing Store as well as a 100% interest in his record label, All Money In No Money Out Inc. – which is valued at around $2 million. He also has some $913,000 coming from his trademark portfolio. This includes his name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness on or in products, merchandise or goods.

Born Ermias Davidson Asghedom to an Eritrean father and an African-American mother, Nipsey was fatally shot multiple times in front of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31, 2019. Following his death, the store became a mecca for fans and sympathizers who thronged the location to pay their last respect to the 33-year-old. The store also reportedly made over $10 million in sales following his death.

Outside music, the Grammy-nominated rapper was widely known for his philanthropic works and entrepreneurial savviness. He owned several businesses along the block he was shot, including his Marathon Clothing Store — which he opened in 2017, a burger restaurant, a barbershop and a fish market.

In an interview with Forbes in 2019, the rapper revealed he had purchased the plaza the Marathon Clothing store runs alongside a business partner in a multi-million dollar deal with plans of building an apartment complex on the property.

“Before we was renting here, I was hustling in this parking lot. It’s just always been a hub for local entrepreneurs,” he said. “Within 18 months or so, they’ll knock everything down and rebuild it as a six-story residential building atop a commercial plaza where a revamped Marathon store will be the anchor tenant.”

Following his death, the store’s management announced the commencement of the construction of the Nipsey Hussle Tower on the plaza to “commemorate and honor the life and legacy” of the slain rapper. When complete, the mixed-use development would also house a museum.