The most wonderful time of the year is here, and we’re thrilled to bring you our Holiday Newsletter! Packed with inspiration and practical tips, this edition is designed to help you end the year strong and step into the next with confidence. We’ve got you covered, from money tips to feel-good reflections and a sprinkle of holiday cheer. Grab a cozy drink, settle in, and dive into this issue! Here’s to a season of growth, gratitude, and joy!
Happy Holidays, The 24/7 Blac Family
ProjectHome Classes return in 2025— empowering futures and building stronger communities!
Follow 24/7 blac for new dates
Holiday Spending Hacks: Smart ways to stay festive without breaking the bank.
Year-End Planning: Tips for closing out 2024 on a high note and setting goals for the new year.
Board Member Spotlight: Meet the leader making a difference behind the scenes.
Fixing Your Credit Score: Easy steps to take control of your finances.
Gratitude Journaling: Simple practices to keep your heart full this season.
The Importance of Finding a Business Mentor for New Business Owners
Holiday Recipe: The Soul of Mac and Cheese in African American Tradition
Timothy Klinghammer: Redefining Fashion with “We Eatin On’Em”
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The holidays are here, and with them come all the joys, and challenges of the season. Between gifts, gatherings, and skyrocketing energy bills, it’s easy for your wallet to feel stretched thinner than a strand of tinsel. But fear not! With a little planning, you can keep the season festive and financially fabulous. Here’s how:
Before diving into the holiday madness, take a good, hard look at your finances. Think of it as a holiday gift to yourself—no wrapping required. If your budget could use a little TLC, consider chatting with a financial planner. They can help you set goals for saving, investing, and tackling debt so you’re ready to hit the ground running in the new year.
If your credit cards are already groaning, don’t add more weight! Set a realistic budget for holiday spending and commit to it. The earlier in the year you start planning, the better, but if you’re just starting now, don’t sweat it. Decide how much you can comfortably spend and make it work.
Holidays are like cookie platters, it’s okay to sneak a treat, but don’t overindulge. Allow yourself small splurges but draw the line on unplanned purchases over a certain amount (say, $25). That way, you can enjoy guilt-free holiday cheer without a financial hangover.
Does every adult on your list really need a present? Maybe not. Propose a gift exchange, set spending
limits, or skip the gifts altogether and trade them for quality time. How about dinner, a game night, or tackling a home project together? It’s the thought and time together that counts.
Start jotting down gift ideas for next year now. Pay attention to hints your loved ones drop throughout the year and snag great deals long before the holiday rush. Not only will this save you cash, but it also spares you the stress of crowded malls and parking wars.
Browsing online? Use tools like Capital One Shopping to compare prices and score the best deals. Once you’ve got a list, call local stores to see if they can beat or match those prices, save money and gas!
Want to give back? Decide how much you can donate to your favorite causes before shopping season kicks off. Some employers even match donations, doubling your impact. For a tax-savvy twist, consider gifting appreciated stocks instead of cash.
With a dash of planning and a sprinkle of creativity, you can have a joyous holiday season and keep your finances in check. So go ahead, deck the halls, sip that cocoa, and celebrate knowing you’ve got the new year under control!
As the year draws to a close, businesses must turn their focus to strategic year-end planning—a process essential for assessing past performance, setting future goals, and ensuring continued growth. A well-structured plan not only builds on successes but also prepares organizations for upcoming challenges and opportunities.
Key Steps in Strategic Year-End Planning
Start by evaluating the past year’s performance against your set goals. Analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across departments—sales, marketing, operations, and finance. Identify where your business excelled and pinpoint areas for improvement. Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to gain insights into internal capabilities and external market dynamics.
2.
Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals that align with your business vision. Prioritize these objectives based on their potential impact and importance to the overall strategy.
3.
Develop actionable strategies tailored to achieving your goals. Factor in market trends, competitor activities, and customer feedback to craft effective tactics. Allocate resources judiciously to support these initiatives and maximize their success.
Prepare a detailed budget for the upcoming year, incorporating expected revenues, expenses, and capital investments. Use financial projections to monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed throughout the year.
5. Communication and Alignment
Share the strategic plan and its objectives across your organization. Ensure that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities in achieving the outlined goals.
Anticipate potential risks and challenges that could derail your plans. Develop contingency strategies to adapt swiftly to unexpected circumstances.
• Customer Focus: Leverage customer feedback to enhance acquisition, retention, and satisfaction.
• Innovation: Explore new products, services, or technologies to drive growth.
• Technology Adoption: Assess and implement upgrades to improve efficiency.
• Talent Management: Plan for staffing needs, talent acquisition, and employee development.
By following this structured approach, businesses can confidently transition into the new year, equipped with clear goals, actionable strategies, and the flexibility to navigate evolving market conditions.
Keyaira K. Miller has been an integral member of 24/7 Blac, an organization dedicated to empowering underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized communities for nearly two years. Keyaira’s decision to join 24/7 Blac was fueled by a personal and professional mission: providing tools, resources, and opportunities to drive positive change. With extensive experience serving on local and national boards, Keyaira describes 24/7 Blac as the most impactful organization she’s been part of, crediting its ability to build a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurs and create tangible change.
Keyaira cites the people, the board members, and those they serve as her favorite part of being a member. Surrounded by like-minded individuals who share a collective commitment to enhancing lives, she finds both personal and professional motivation in the shared mission. “We commit, we disagree, but we do it all with a common goal: to enhance the lives of the people in our communities and beyond,” she explains.
A selfless volunteer at heart, Keyaira believes deeply in the value of service. “Volunteering one’s time is such a selfless act,” she shares. “To know you are striving to enrich something or someone through your time is priceless.” Her professional role as Director of Product Operations for Target’s Apparel & Accessories division reflects this principle. She leads a team of project managers overseeing end-to-end processes that support Target’s Owned Brands, aligning priorities and driving operational excellence.
Keyaira’s involvement with 24/7 Blac has profoundly impacted her personal and professional growth. It has reinforced the importance of seizing opportunities and embracing bold ideas without hesitation, a lesson she imparts to the entrepreneurs she mentors. “We tell our entrepreneurs to be ready and prepared for opportunities because you don’t know when they will come,” she emphasizes.
The best career advice Keyaira has ever received, “Always be on offense,” resonates with her drive to make things happen rather than reacting passively. She also finds inspiration in a quote from rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z: “Nobody’s built like you, you design yourself.” For Keyaira, this wisdom reaffirms the power of leaning
into one’s unique strengths to drive impact and change. Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, Keyaira graduated from West High School in 2002. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Business from the University of Northern Iowa in 2006. She later completed a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Global Sourcing. Her journey is deeply influenced by her late husband, Marquellos Miller, whose determination and legacy inspire her to strive for excellence.
Keyaira’s advice to new business owners is practical and encouraging: “Give yourself grace. Find a mentor to help make the ride less bumpy. Be honest about your business, where you’re excelling, where you’re failing, and when you need to pivot. And lastly, you got this!”
With her dedication to service, leadership, and community impact, Keyaira embodies 24/7 Blac’s transformative spirit and inspires all who aspire to create meaningful change.
a Mentor!
Starting a business is an exciting journey but often comes with a steep learning curve. For new business owners, finding a mentor can make the difference
between thriving and merely surviving. A business mentor offers guidance, support, and invaluable insights during the early stages of entrepreneurship.
One key benefit of having a mentor is access to experience. Mentors have often navigated challenges similar to those faced by new entrepreneurs. Their advice can help avoid costly mistakes and identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. Additionally, a mentor provides a fresh perspective, offering honest feedback on business strategies and plans.
Mentorship is also about building a network. Seasoned business professionals often have connections that can help open doors to partnerships, investors, or other resources. This network can significantly accelerate growth and establish credibility in the industry.
Equally important, a mentor offers emotional support. Entrepreneurship can be isolating, and having someone to lean on during difficult times can help maintain focus and confidence.
Finding the right mentor takes effort, but the longterm benefits make it a worthwhile investment. For new business owners, a mentor isn’t just a guide; it’s a partner in achieving success.
How to Start Journaling
It’s that time of the year when families come together to celebrate the holiday season with lights, food, and laughter. The holidays are mainly about spending time making memories with those you love and enjoy, but it can be stressful for some. Statistics show that with the stresses of the holiday season, 69% of people feel stressed from lack of time, 69% feel stress from a lack of money, and 51% feel stress over the pressure of exchanging gifts.
Try living in gratitude this holiday season and learn to pay attention to the good things we might otherwise
take for granted. Start your pursuit to becoming stressfree by keeping a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal opens us up to becoming more attuned to sources of pleasures around us which can shift the emotional tone of our life in profound ways.
The holidays aren’t just for gifting, they’re also the perfect time to give yourself the gift of better credit! With nearly one-third of Americans navigating subprime credit scores (typically below 670), rebuilding your credit might feel like trying to untangle a string of holiday lights. But with a little planning and responsibility, it’s entirely doable.
A subprime credit score can limit your access to loans and credit cards, making it harder to achieve financial goals. The good news? By adopting responsible financial habits, you can improve your creditworthiness and make yourself more appealing to lenders. Think of it as setting up a financial sleigh ride for success!
Short-term improvements can start showing results in as little as 30 to 45 days, like seeing your first holiday cookies baking perfectly. But long-term credit rebuilding, like crafting the perfect gingerbread house, takes patience, often months or even years of consistent effort.
Start by checking your credit reports with the three major bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and through AnnualCreditReport.com. Spot errors?
Dispute them to clean up your score faster than holiday decorations come down.
Late payments haunt your credit history. Use reminders or auto-pay to stay on track – think of it as a New Year’s resolution you can actually keep.
Behind on payments? Contact lenders to negotiate a payment plan. They may be more flexible than your post-Thanksgiving pants.
A secured credit card or becoming an authorized user on someone else’s account can give your credit profile a festive boost.
Keep your credit usage below 30% of your available limit. Picture it like your dessert plate – moderation is key.
Rebuilding credit isn’t an overnight gift, but with these strategies, you’ll be unwrapping better financial opportunities in no time. So, grab a cup of cocoa, check that credit score, and sleigh your way to financial success!
The roots of Southern baked mac and cheese trace back to the era of U.S. chattel slavery. Thomas Jefferson, while serving as president, brought his enslaved chef James Hemings to France, where Hemings trained under master chefs and caterers. Renowned for his culinary expertise, Hemings impressed European royalty and brought those refined skills back to the U.S.
Hemings adapted a European-style cheesy pasta dish, creating what he called a “pie made of macaroni,” which became a favorite at Jefferson’s dinner parties and among the Southern elite. To support this culinary innovation, Jefferson acquired a macaroni extruder for Hemings’ use.
After securing his freedom, Hemings, as per Jefferson’s condition, passed his knowledge to another cook, ensuring the recipe’s survival. Over time, enslaved cooks and their descendants carried this dish into the broader Black community. Post-Emancipation, baked mac and cheese became a cherished celebration dish, solidifying its place as a cultural and culinary staple in African American households.
• 1 tbsp butter for buttering the pan
• 16 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 6 cups chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon)
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz colby jack cheese, shredded
• 8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz American cheese, cubed
• 4 oz cream cheese warmed in the microwave for 30 sec
• 1 cup half & half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1-2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• 2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter an 8 by 11 or 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Fill a large stockpot or dutch oven halfway with chicken broth (or water if you don’t have broth), and bring to a boil. Add in elbow macaroni and cook until just under al dente, according to package directions. Do not fully cook or overcook the macaroni pasta. Once just under al dente, drain the pasta.
While the pasta boils, use a wooden spoon to mix the half and half, heavy cream, half of the cheddar cheese, half of the Colby jack cheese, all of the mozzarella cheese, all of the American cheese, and all of the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and some kosher salt and pepper, stirring well and tasting the mixture to ensure there is a good flavor. Do not add too much
salt, since cheese is pretty salty and will add saltiness as it bakes. Once satisfied with the seasoning, stir in the cooked macaroni and eggs until well incorporated with the cheese.
Pour the macaroni mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly. Top the macaroni and cheese generously with the rest of the cheddar cheese and colby jack cheese. Sprinkle the top with a little more smoked paprika, if desired.
Bake the mac and cheese for 35 minutes or until the cheese crust is bubbly and nicely browned. Do not over-bake or the macaroni pasta will become mushy and the cheese mixture will become dry. Let the baked macaroni and cheese cool for about 5 minutes or until just cool enough to serve. Serve hot so the cheese is nice and creamy.
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Westbrook, E. (2024, October 28). Soul Food Southern Baked Mac and cheese. Sweet Tea + Thyme. https://www.sweetteaandthyme.com/southern-baked-macaroni-cheese-soul-food/#recipe Website https://www.sweetteaandthyme.com/southern-baked-macaroni-cheese-soul-food/#recipe
Waterloo, Iowa native Timothy Klinghammer is making waves in the fashion industry with his luxury sustainable clothing brand, We Eatin On’Em. A proud alumnus of the Business & Entrepreneur Accelerator (BBEA) program, Timothy’s passion for ethically crafted, one-ofa-kind designs stems from his upbringing in a singleparent household where his grandmother introduced him to the world of high-end fashion.
As the CEO and creator of We Eatin On’Em, Timothy blends artistry and environmental responsibility. His custom clothing line incorporates sewing, embroidery, DTF printing, sublimation, and screen printing. Using sustainable materials such as 100% cotton, organic cotton, and recycled fabrics, Timothy transforms waste into luxurious resources, including his meticulously tailored jeans. This commitment to sustainability reduces carbon footprints and redefines what it means to create ethical fashion.
Timothy’s motto, “We Eatin On’Em,” embodies his drive to persevere through life’s challenges and celebrate triumphs. Inspired by Tupac Shakur’s quote, “I am a reflection of my community,” Timothy has built a brand that reflects his passion, resilience, and dedication to high-quality craftsmanship. Each piece he creates merges timeless style with unparalleled luxury, setting his brand apart from others in Iowa and beyond.
Starting We Eatin On’Em wasn’t without its hurdles. Overcoming the stigma of being a entrepreneur in the fashion industry, Timothy invested in his dream by securing an LLC, opening a retail location, and pursuing higher education at the University of Northern Iowa’s textiles and apparel program. Through the BBEA program, he gained invaluable knowledge about business planning, networking, and securing seed funding, which allowed him to expand his vision.
This holiday season, support Timothy Klinghammer and his mission to bring ethically made, sustainable luxury fashion to the world. When you step into his store, expect unparalleled creativity, top-quality fabrics, and designs that tell a story of perseverance and excellence.
We Eatin On’Em
Address: 621 1/2 Sycamore St. Waterloo Iowa Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am to 6pm
https://weeatinonem.square.site/ https://www.weeatinonem.com/