News — black in business

Bianca S. Robinson was already a successful career consultant before she made the grand leap to digitize her business. Now, she’s a “business architect,” as she calls her service, teaching SMB owners, entrepreneurs, and CEOs how to structure recurring sales pipelines using information products. In 2020, she helped her clients to earn a collective $2.1 million in revenues on digital channels alone.

Running Your Business Should Be Fun

Emotionally exhausted from years of grinding it out, consulting one client at a time, Robinson realized that she could both make more money and help more clients by pivoting to digital products.

Having digitally transformed her own business, she uses her experience to teach other SMBs how to digitally transform theirs for more revenue and work-life balance. Robinson is passionate about the ways that digital transformation can make service-based businesses more profitable and more fun to run.

 “Our mission here is to teach service providers how to fall back in love with their business, by getting their time, freedom back, but also making the money that they deserve based on a lifestyle that they want to have,” Robinson explains. “And so I’m really big about that because when we start these businesses, we have the vision in mind but we get so busy working in the business that we don’t work on it.”

Robinson’s company, Cayden Cay Consulting, does all the heavy lifting for clients. She helps them produce training courses, build landing pages, marketing and sales funnels for digital assets, run webinars, and more. That’s why she’s the “business architect.”

COVID-19 as a ‘Blessing in Disguise’

All this was long before COVID-19 hit, but Robinson didn’t sit idle when there were SMBs looking for help. She redoubled her efforts to help business owners diversify their revenue streams and make more money without dedicating their entire lives to work.

“Even though COVID has happened and business is different, we’re just now creating digital streams of income in our client’s business model, and so a lot of them have been able to make more money since we’ve created this stream,” she says.

Robinson doesn’t accept excuses, insisting that COVID-19 can be an opportunity for SMB owners to focus on digital transformation. “It’s time for you to get cute, put on a shirt, do this Zoom and give this presentation,” she says. “It’s time for you to build up your YouTube, it’s time for you to build up your IGTV and do your Facebook Lives and your Instagram Stories. It’s time for that, and so a lot of my clients, even though they were doing it, they had other things that wasn’t allowing them to be consistent with going live.”

You can see Robinson walks the walk. She’s only expanded operations during the pandemic, adding more training resources and more support staff. “We went from one employee to four employees in a matter of six months, and so I’ve really been putting the time, energy, and effort to handle the flux of clients that are going to come in, but also to have really good customer service.”

The Tools of the Trade

Robinson isn’t shy about giving credit to vcita for helping her build her business. That’s the tool she used to start accepting bookings on her website and add more services, and she says it gave her the confidence to keep moving forward. “Well, vcita had this thing where you could make your scheduling site into a website, and it just gave me the confidence to have the look and the feel of like I was a real corporation and I had real clients and I was making real money, and so it gave me that ability to be confident in my business.”

She’s quick to share the tools for her success, too. As a vcita reseller, Robinson uses the platform to set up all her clients’ email marketing sequences and contact management systems on their behalf. Because she’s thoroughly familiar with how all the systems work, it’s easy for her to help when clients are struggling with a task.

“They don’t really care how it works,” she says. “They just want to be able to use the system, and so for me to be able to go in there and to give them all of the functionalities that they need, and just to set it up for them, and then to show them actually how to do it, it’s been a game-changer for my business and my clients.”

Robinson’s final words of advice to SMB owners? The opportunity is out there if you’re strategic about it: “In a social media, digital age, you can get on your computer like this and reach all of these people, but you have to have the plan in place.”

Kevin Livingston is the Founder and CEO of 100 Suits for 100 Men. Founded in 2011, the organization was created to serve the needs of men and women in need of business attire in New York City.

In 2015, the organization obtained 501 (c)(3) non-profit status and expanded its programs beyond suits. 100 Suits has tackled socio-economic issues and has been an integral part of the communities they serve. Recently, the organization shifted to food delivery work to support seniors and others in need during the pandemic.

“No one could have told me that when I started the senior delivery in the first week of March…that it would turn into a Cutlery program,” says Livingston. “And we would hire several young people from our community people to run it. Truly amazing!”

100 Suits Supporting Families During Pandemic

When the pandemic hit in March 2020,  millions of Americans were faced with unexpected challenges. Livingston decided to step up to the plate, organize a team of individuals, and make a difference where it was needed most.

On March 6th, Livingston created a senior delivery program to help those most vulnerable to the woes of the pandemic. Since March, 100 Suits has delivered over 22,000 home groceries and meals to seniors in Queens, New York. Through the 100 Soups Program, the organization provided weekly home-cooked soups to families in homeless shelters. The organization also developed the #Feed500 initiative to provide fresh produce boxes.

Livingston created a culinary program for youth to fuel these initiatives. During the summer, the youth came together and cooked meals to be delivered to seniors. This program created 12 new jobs for youth who were impacted by the cancellation of traditional jobs.

100 Suits was also there to provide personal protective equipment (PPE). The team distributed 30,000 PPE which included masks and sanitizer.

Building the Next Generation of Leaders

100 Suits has been on the move since the pandemic started. The organization has been able to help the most marginalized individuals in Queens, ranging from underprivileged youth to seniors.

“As I look back we have done a lot and one of the proudest moments I have is our senior program is supervised by an 18 yr old,” says Livingston in an email to Black Enterprise. “I love my team because they along with myself put our lives on the line to help others.”

Even during the pandemic, 100 Suits has stayed true to its core mission: providing resources that create employment opportunities. Before the pandemic, this outreach came in the form of suits, free haircuts, and salon referrals. Colin Kaepernick has been an instrumental supporter, donating custom suits to prepare more men and women for job interviews.

Now, the organization has been a part of the job creation process. 100 Suits provided 10 jobs to formerly incarcerated men and women to become Social Distance Community Ambassadors. The team handed out PPE masks and sanitizers, They also encouraged testing to ensure the safety of residents.

“Children, young men, and men of color need to see people like themselves represented in a positive light by “ordinary” people. Furthermore, it provides a framework for them to understand that dreams coupled with hard work lead to success and empowerment. It speaks to possibility, demonstrates hope, and has the capacity to spur someone else to pursue their dreams despite the lack of initial support.”

Siebert Williams Shank & Co.‘s(SWS) Clear Vision Impact Fund announced Thursday it will begin making small loans to small businesses that are either minority-owned and operated or serve underperforming communities that experienced a lack of support.

The Clear Vision impact Fund was started last year by the financial services firm and received capital commitments from Microsoft, Apple, Comcast, eBay, and Constellation Brands. Each brand has made a significant financial commitment to advance racial equity and economic opportunities.

The funds will go toward small businesses that employ, train, and serve minority and underserved communities and the people that live and work in those communities. The effort will not only help businesses in these communities thrive by partnering them with their community. It will also help by growing those businesses from the closest proximity to them outwards into other areas.

Mike Cavanagh, the chief financial officer for Comcast, said in a statement that the Clear Vision Impact Fund provided an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

“Suzanne Shank, Chris Williams, and team have created an incredible platform to provide minority-owned
businesses operating in underserved markets with immediate and much-needed capital at a
critical time,” Cavanagh said in a release. “We hope that our $25 million investment in the Clear Vision Impact Fund and ongoing great partnership with Siebert Williams Shank & Co. will have a meaningful impact on diverse communities nationwide, as our company continues to accelerate its efforts to address systemic
inequality and create a more equitable society.”

Small business owners that qualify can apply for a grant at contact@clearvisionimpact.com.

Apple Vice President and Corporate Treasurer Gary Wipfler said the Clear Vision Impact Fund will provide multiple windows of opportunity for those who have great ideas but do not have the capital to see them through.

“Providing capital to minority-owned businesses is critical to ensuring economic growth and job
opportunities for the future across communities nationwide,” Wipfler said. “Apple is proud to be part of the Clear Vision Impact Fund and support their work to address inequality by expanding access to economic
opportunity.”

Flutterwave was not the first of its kind in Africa when it was started in 2016 by Nigerian technologists and former bankers. But perhaps, the point of its success can be attributed to the fact it was a financial tech platform that had a lot of input from those in finance.

Often, the process of technological innovation can seem like a developer’s license to play to the gallery. The app or whatever is developed could therefore lose its ergonomic utility. Flutterwave turned out differently and by 2018, it was a market leader in sub-Saharan Africa.

A digital payment app known for being seamless and secure, Flutterwave continues to be the choice for small to medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

Founder and CEO, Olugbenga Agboola said via social media that plan was always to “build a payments technology infrastructure that connects Africa to the global economy by making local and international payments seamless.”

Flutterwave’s website says the app is available in 11 countries, however, it will soon be 20. This is thanks to a Series C funding that was announced on Wednesday to much funfair in Nigeria and across Africa.

The $170 million secured means in the third round of funding means that the fintech start-up is now a unicorn – a startup worth over $1 billion. This is the first time an indigenous African fintech is valued at that amount.

“We’re grateful for our People, Customers, Investors, Partners, Regulators, the people at @EndeavorNigeria and well-wishers. Through your support, we have empowered millions to start their journey to economic freedom, wherever they are, knowing that the world is their market,” Agboola continued in a series of tweets.

But signs show that this could only be the beginning of a lot of good for Flutterwave. Currently, the app hosts more than 1,000 African SMEs that sell their wares on the platform.

Apart from that, individual users of Flutterwave are in their hundreds of thousands but growing. There are now intentions to expand the company’s services to North Africa as well.

Victor Asemota, a Nigerian venture capitalist, believes the success of Flutterwaves will have a positive impact on other tech start-ups across the continent.

“The panic this Flutterwave raise had created in certainly [sic] circles means that Africa was severely underrated both externally and internally. Look, we have done Telco payments all over Africa and this is the tip of the iceberg. Flutterwave will list [sic] and be a greater success,” Asemota said via Twitter.

Gretta Jackson took a job as a part-time server job at an Outback in Southfield almost two decades ago to put some extra money in her pocket. She worked her way up to become the first Black woman in the Detroit area to own her own location.

She announced the news on her Facebook page:

“On this day 19 years ago I began my journey with OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE as a part time server… What started off as a Hustle would quickly become my career…. fast forward to today MY 19TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY with this company and I NOW OWN MY VERY OWN OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE!!!  BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE MANAGING PARTNER FOR OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE IN THE DETROIT MARKET!!

GOD IS AMAZING…THANKING AND PRAISING HIM FOR IT ALL 

NOW HIRING FOR ALL POSITIONS

“

Jackson can now say she’s the managing partner of an Outback Steakhouse restaurant in Roseville.

After posting to her social media page, Jackson told Fox 2 Detroit how people randomly stopped by the restaurant to show her support.

“What started off as what I thought was just a simple post to celebrate a milestone in my life quickly turned into something else,” she said. “I could never imagined so many people would come to say hi and thank you and congratulations to me in person. I’ve had people send gifts, flowers, Edible Arrangements to the restaurant for me. Just an overwhelming amount of love and support.”

The majority of Blacks and other minority groups are underserved and underbanked in America. The situation has been attributed to the fact that few banks operate in Black communities. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in a report noted that Black and Hispanic households are more likely to be unbanked or underbanked. 

It found that more than 15 million colored people did not use America’s formal banking system in a survey published in 2015. However, according to the Center for Financial Services Innovation, underserved people in 2016 spent $173 billion in interest and fees. 

Two Black entrepreneurs have set out to address this challenge. Darnell Parker, founder of Ingenious Financial, and Derek Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of Ingenious Financial, have announced plans to raise $200 million to purchase an existing bank to serve underserved and underbanked communities.

Parker and Taylor say the rationale for wanting to purchase an existing bank is to avoid the strict regulations and other challenges that come with starting a bank from scratch.

“When larger financial institutions absorbed some of the minority deposit institutions banks, they left a tremendous void for these banks, who previously served minority communities by providing small to medium-sized business loans,” Parker says.

Minority banks have long been considered innovators in the banking industry, Parker says, adding that they play a significant role in the economic empowerment of minority groups. “But in recent years, they have not always managed to keep up with technological advances,” he said.

The new acquisition will be named Bank of Ingenious and its primary focus will be on supporting underserved retail and business customers who need loans, specifically targeting independent physicians, dentists, veterinarians and similar professional services providers.

Additional details of the bank’s operation include operating with a small physical presence and setting up branches at institutions that are needed. Its operations will also be migrated online to meet current demands and dynamics.

Parker and Taylor plan to complete the acquisition of their first bank by the end of the third quarter and acquire more in the fourth quarter and in 2021. So far, they are meeting prospective targets and are looking for a bank within a metropolitan area with between $50 million and $600 million in assets.

“We hope that this investment will sustain African American financial institutions in the American history, foster popular, engaging workflows, and bring innovation to every client, customer and community we serve,” Parker says.

Jay-Z has sold half of his Champagne brand Armand de Brignac to Moët Hennessy, the luxury wines and spirits division of luxury giant LVMH. The acquisition was through a partnership with the rap legend which is anchored on equal stake and a global distribution agreement.

“The 50%-50% structure is an essential element of this alliance and ensures that each of the two partners wants to bring its strengths and expertise,” Moet Hennessy announced in a statement.

According to CNN, the deal comes at a time when LVMH, which owns Moët Hennessy, is working to reach out to diverse customers in the wake of racial criticism against top industry players. In the statement, Moët Hennessy said Armand de Brignac appeals to a global and diverse luxury consumer.

The deal also comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has affected the sale of Champagnes due to reduced parties and events across the world. According to CNN, Champagne shipment fell 18% in 2020 compared to 2019. And according to CNBC, this translates into some $1.2 billion of revenue loss.

Armand de Brignac, sometimes referred to as “Ace of Spades”, is popular in North America, Asia, and Europe, with over 500 000 bottles sold in 2019.

“Today, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with them and believe that the combination of our Champagne experience and international network coupled with Shawn JAY-Z Carter’s vision, the strength of the Armand de Brignac brand and quality of its range of prestige cuvées will allow us to take the business to new heights across the world,” said Philippe Schaus, President & CEO of Moët Hennessy.

Neither side disclosed the amount involved in the deal, but Jay-Z intimated on a rap verse on What’s Free by Meek Mill that Armand de Brignac was valued in 2018 at $250 million.

“It is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time. We are confident that the sheer power of the Moët Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further,” Jay-Z said.

The rapper revealed in an interview with CNBC that the deal was started in 2019 when he hosted a lunch at his house for Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s founder and chairman, and Alexandre Arnault. “It just started out in a place of respect and built from there pretty quickly,” he said.

Jay-Z’s first connection with a Champagne brand was Cristal in 2016. He fell out with the company after its CEO made some racial remarks in an interview with The Economist. That same year, he bought 50% stake in Armand de Brignac with a partner. He later acquired the remaining stake.

Former NBA player and entrepreneur Chris Webber has announced that he is launching a $100 million private equity cannabis fund in partnership with Jason Wild and JW Asset Management L.L.C. (“JW”). This fund will invest in companies that are led by entrepreneurs of color who are pursuing careers in the cannabis sector.

“As our country moves closer to federal legalization, I believe it is more important than ever to empower the next generation of cannabis leaders in a tangible way,” said Webber in a written statement. “I’m thrilled to team up with Jason on this endeavor—he’s a visionary in this industry and understands the urgency of supporting minority business leaders in this space.”

The collaboration between Webber’s Webber Wellness and Wild’s JW Asset Management will work to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. The partnership will provide them with an ecosystem of resources for the businesses that will facilitate research and development (R&D), cultivation, retail licensing, distribution, branding, and marketing. JW has been actively investing in the cannabis industry since 2014 with more than $2 billion in assets under management. They have also invested in numerous industry leaders spanning multistate operators, technology, and retail companies.

“It’s crucial that we diversify leadership within the cannabis industry and level the playing field for people from our communities,” said Webber. “For far too long, minorities have been excessively punished and incarcerated for cannabis while others profited. Working with JW, we will equip underrepresented entrepreneurs with the financial resources and industry knowledge to build businesses and thrive.”

“The legal cannabis industry can only grow to its full potential when all stakeholders have a seat at the table, and I feel that it is my responsibility to play an active role in eliminating barriers to entry for individuals that have been disproportionately targeted by the War on Drugs,” said Wild, founder and chief investment officer of JW Asset Management. “I look forward to partnering with Chris and his team to elevate talented entrepreneurs and build a more inclusive industry.”

Tech investor Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are on a mission to make bitcoin (BTC) the internet’s currency. The two billionaires are investing 500 bitcoin into a new endowment called ₿trust. With the rapid rise of bitcoin in the last few weeks, the 500 bitcoin investment is currently worth over $23 million.

Dorsey shared the news on Twitter Friday, announcing that the investment would be used to fund bitcoin development in Africa and India. He noted that the endowment will be set up as a “blind irrevocable trust” and have “zero direction” from himself and Jay-Z.

The duo is searching for three board members to help oversee the endowment. Dorsey shared a board member application with three simple inputs: email address, name, and proof of work.

Two Investors Join Forces

Jay-Z is widely known as a music mogul but he’s no stranger to the investing scene. He’s the co-founder of Marcy Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on consumer brands. Last year, the company raised $85 million and had already invested in six companies.

Since 2015, Dorsey has served as the CEO of both Twitter and Square. A few months ago, Square invested $50 million in Bitcoin. The company believes that cryptocurrency is “an instrument of economic empowerment and provides a way to participate in a global monetary system”.

What is Bitcoin?

Founded in 2009, bitcoin is the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency. It is also the largest cryptocurrency in the world based on market capitalization. Bitcoin provides an efficient and cost-effective way to make financial transactions.

Proponents of bitcoin favor this digital currency because it works without the use of intermediaries like banks and governments. This is all powered by blockchain — a powerful piece of technology that allows uses to exchange value on a public ledger. Many believe that blockchain has the power to transform the world.

Bitcoin is Gaining More Attention

According to CNBC, Tesla bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin and plans to accept it as a payment method. This week, Mastercard announced that it would start supporting a select group of cryptocurrencies on their network.

Major investors have already started jumping on the cryptocurrency train. Top investors Paul Tudor Jones and Stanley Druckenmiller are investing in cryptocurrency to protect their portfolio against inflation.

Several factors affect Black businesses. The common factors known among many people are access to capital and racism. Various publications have reported Black businesses having access to less than 9% of venture funding. Many Black businesses are also relatively unknown because they do not have the capital to expand their operations or run ads.

Meanwhile, Google trends show global searches for ‘Black-owned’ jumped from late May to June of 2020. It has fallen since then but has remained at a higher level than during the 10 years prior.

To promote Black businesses in a sustainable way, a Canadian entrepreneur has launched an online store and database to help people easily find Black-owned businesses in the city of Toronto. Founded by Kerin John, Black Owned Toronto allows Black businesses to enlist for the purposes of business promotion.

“I found I wasn’t putting enough money in my own community,” John told Daily Hive. “Many Black-owned businesses don’t have storefronts—they’re home-based chefs, bakers, clothing designers, in e-commerce—so when you google search or Google maps it, not a lot comes up.”

“I decided to make it a passion project, by contacting people and asking if they knew anyone I could put on the page.”

John first started promoting Black businesses using her Instagram page and she decided to push her initiative higher by founding Black Owned Toronto. John believes her new venture would be a better way for people to find Black businesses instead of just scrolling her Instagram page.

“Wherever you are in Canada, you’ll be able to go on the website and find what’s around you that’s Black-owned,” John told CBC. So far, she has over 20 companies listed and hopes to increase her capacity to about 1,000 companies listing.

John’s page came to light after many people began searching for Black businesses to support following the murder of George Floyd. The period saw her Instagram following rise to about 75,000.

One of the businesses that have listed on Black Owned Toronto is Chantelle Lewis-Walters, the founder of Melanin Martha, a lifestyle store that provides witty Caribbean-inspired kitchen towels, drinkware, socks among others. Lewis-Walters said she was able to see a 300% increase in her business sales and a 20% increase in her social media following.

“More importantly, I was able to see the need to continue to keep sharing my business and represent my culture proudly,” she told Daily Hive.

It costs business owners $50 to join Black Owned Canada. However, according to John, the challenge now is to sustain interest in Black businesses. She is nonetheless optimistic that her venture will help Black-owned businesses to overcome their financial challenges.

At 29, Theo Baloyi has a made name for himself in South Africa as one of the thriving young entrepreneurs. His journey started when he met a French businessman with a shop at Durban Airport a few years ago. In a long conversation, the two of them talked about entrepreneurship and culture.

That was when the interest to go into entrepreneurship started for Baloyi. He told himself if he wanted to make an impact, he needed to take calculated risks. He then decided to venture into the footwear industry after noticing a market gap.

Through his research, he noticed that most of the sneakers on the continent were imported brands. And so he wanted to design something with an African touch. Initially, he wanted to import the sneakers from established brands but later decided against it.

In the process, Baloyi co-founded Bathu, a South African township slang for ‘shoes’, in 2015. His brand of sneakers is designed with a distinctive mesh fabric and thick white soles.

“I did 18 months of research and development, which included coming up with a proof of concept, quality testing and quality assurance,” Baloyi explained in an interview with Howwemadeitinafrica. Baloyi’s accounting experience helped in this regard. “I’ve been fortunate to have extensive experience with business and finance modelling in a corporate environment.”

According to him, he settled on the name Bathu because his business is about uniting people. “It doesn’t matter where you go, whether it’s a place filled with isiXhoa, isiZulu or Sepedi speaking people, South Africa know what it means. It unites us, and that’s what the business is about- uniting people,” he told news24.

Today, his shoe business makes a turnover of over $1 million. The company also has four cars, two stores at Gauteng, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. 

South Africa is one of the unestablished markets for sneakers and so for most designs, manufacturing companies do not have the right equipment for it. And in some cases, the companies have to source the right equipment, by which time the designs submitted would have been outmoded.

“In South Africa, you need about eight months to manufacture a new shoe. In the East, this usually takes four weeks. While South African factories can buy expensive equipment to manufacture according to specific requirements, the trends and styles may no longer be current when the product is completed,” Baloyi told Howwemadeitinafrica.

Through his network, he found a manufacturer for his first 100 Bathu sneakers. “A colleague at PwC whose friend’s family owned a factory… So, I got to work,” he said. In 2017, he managed to release 1000 pairs of Mesh Edition sneakers through a collaboration with an incubation hub in Johannesburg.

Baloyi said his success even surprised him. “The rewards were are reaping now are pleasures I thought we’d only see a couple of years from now,” he said. “But through the hard work and perseverance of my team, we’ve come this far in just three years.”

According to the entrepreneur, he reinvested profit from his business in order to make it a sustainable venture. “Five years later, this is where we are: 15,000 pairs per month and it’s growing,” he said.

Currently, there are 12 Bathu retail outlets across the country, aside from the online store. The company employs 103 people.

While it seemed everyone rushed to stock up on toilet paper at the start of the pandemic, a group of Black men saw it as an opportunity to launch a startup that brings a new toilet tissue line to the market.

Five Black men from Ohio, who call themselves “mogul minds,” created a toilet paper brand called “Leafy.” With the company motto, “Go Green, Stay Clean,” Leafy is an eco-friendly brand that focuses on the betterment of the environment through the benefits of bamboo.

According to the company website, the founders say, “We look to educate and elevate consumers to be more socially conscious through the use of biodegradable paper products. We partner with organizations centered on environmental solutions and organizations that elevate underserved communities to build sustainability.”

In addition to being good for the environment, the brand is intended to benefit local communities.

“We wanted to bring in a product that would have a direct impact on the community, co-founder D’Andre Martin told WBNS. “Proceeds from our toilet paper company are going back to minority communities,” added co-founder Charles Peaks.

While the group launched the business only a few months ago, Leafy is already thriving. The brand can be found in local grocery stores in Ohio, the Hyatt, and on the company’s website.

“We feel amazing about it,” Marvin Green, another of the founders, told WSYX. “It’s exciting, we look forward to watching it grow.”

Leafy now joins a short nationwide list of Black-owned paper product brands and is the first in the state of Ohio. In fact, the state of Ohio is reporting that 2020 was a record year for new businesses in the state, with around 160,000 new businesses that launched.

While the founders say they enjoy the success so far, it’s about more than making money.

“We’re not even thinking about money right. It’s about growing our communities, being able to help, educate people, and get them more aware of what they’re using,” the group told WSYX.