Pitch Black Magazine - Issue 5 (The #BlackHistoryMonth Special Issue)

The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine Issue 5. £Priceless. Autumn 2022.

Celebrating. Cheering. Challenging.

3

Entrepreneurs of the Past.

Entrepreneurs of the Present.

Entrepreneurs of the Future.

10

Mindset Wellness Faith Entrepreneurship Money Education Politics

People. Products.

Pages. Places.

Eric Collins Permission The

Black History Month Issue

Bold. Beautiful. Black. British.

The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine

Publisher’s

W

e are one!

Yup, it’s already been one year since we launched our first issue and started to create a narrative that was more reflective of who we are by celebrating us, cheering us on & challenging us to become everything that we as a community were intended to be; contributing positively to our families, our communities and our country!

celebrating, while they change our story and our lives for the better!

The Exposure section again shines a spotlight on another 10 People to follow, 10 Products to buy & to try, 10 Pages to read, as well as 10 Places to visit.

Make sure you join us on our social media pages @PitchBlackMagUK as we post and cheer on a new spotlight each day! We’d love you to join our community and share your This anniversary is even more special thoughts. as we get to celebrate it with you this Black History Month.

In our Expression section, hear from our thought leaders across 7 Happy Birthday to us, The UK’s Black areas of Mindset, Wellness, Faith, Enterprise & Experience Magazine of Entrepreneurship, Money, choice!

Education & Politics.

This new issue celebrates in style and substance.

In our Experience section we bring you an exceptionally engaging and enlightening interview with the one and only Eric Collins.

A HUGE THANK YOU as always for your incredible response to our previous issues and continued support.

Please do share the magazine with your family and friends as we continue to highlight our He’s a businessman, serial experience, host our entrepreneur, technology expert and exposure and herald our former President Obama appointee. expression of a better We chat about his work as CEO of future for generations to Impact X Capital and his new book, come.

We Don’t Need Permission, How Black Business Can Change Our Enjoy this issue & World. please have an excellent Black You will want to read the cover story History Month! and watch the full video interview.

Trust me!

We also celebrate and introduce you to 3 entrepreneurs from our past, 3 from our present and 3 for the future. That’s 9 people who we want Share your Thoughts you to join us in @PitchBlackMagUK

Our Experience Eric Collins

At a time when half of Black households in the UK live in persistent poverty - over twice as many as their white counterparts - Eric, in his new book We Don't Need Permission, argues that investing in Black and under-represented entrepreneurs in order to create successful businesses is the surest, fastest socio-economic gamechanger there is. As the CEO of Impact X Capital, he puts his money where his mouth is and we are already seeing tangible results.

Pitch Black on The Scene

We say thank you & farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and welcome King Charles III as the new monarch of the United Kingdom and ask a few questions about what might now happen around some contentious issues.

Oh yeah, and we talk about a few other things happening in the UK.

Celebrating 3 x 3

We highlight and celebrate 3 entrepreneurs of our past who helped us to tell our story and build our own narrative, 3 entrepreneurs of our present who are helping us believe in unicorns and 3 entrepreneurs of the our future who will be impacting our future in yet untold ways.

Exposure

10 People to Follow

We introduce you to another 10 people to follow. 10 people who are making great strides and doing us proud.

10 Products to Buy

Here are another 10 Products that you will want to buy & to try. We share what they are, who’s behind it, how much & where you can get it.

10 Pages to Read

All non fiction, many biographical, some instructional but all beneficial, here are another 10 to provide you with exposure & expand your thinking.

10 Places to Visit

We explore 10 countries who have their independence days during this quarter & highlight their capitals.

Expression Mindset

What is your Dream?

With so many people looking for ways to cope with the cost of living crisis, Alex Gordon asks you the most pertinent question to anchor your life, business & career.

Wellness

Mouthpeace Positive affirmations may make some people feel awkward. However Judy Tomlin argues that it is exactly what is needed now for others and especially for yourself.

Faith

How did we get Here?

How we overcame!

As we celebrate Black History Month this year, Denis Wade asks two very important questions that will put things in context while exploring the role faith played in getting us to where we are.

Entrepreneurship

An Entrepreneur’s Story.

Vicktesha Cunningham shares her experience and how it led her to starting her business and she also shares her expertise with 4 Simple Steps to repair damaged hair follicles.

Money

Mini Budget Headlines 2022 Delving into the new Chancellor’s mini budget which was dubbed ‘Growth Plan 2022’ Colin Tomlin pulls out that main headlines and what they mean for you and our country.

Education

A Tale of Two University Students One is a final year student trying to work out what to do after university. The other is just starting his first year and trying to find his way. Leah & Reuben Tomlin share their stories.

Politics

Three-Line Whip?

Remarking on the makeup of the new UK Government Cabinet Colin Tomlin explores the journey to being represented at the highest levels of UK Politics and whether it is a cause for celebration or a cause for concern.

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Our Vicktesha Cunningham Vicktesha is a social entrepreneur who, as the CEO of Vtessia Cosmetics is a passionate advocate of self love, a mission that intensified following her own personal battle with post partum alopecia.

Connect with Vicktesha’s @ vtessia.co.uk

Alex Gordon Alex is a Certified World Class Speaking Coach and helps business owners, coaches and consultants to pitch, present and perform their stories with clarity, confidence and conviction.

Access Alex’s services and connect with him @ masteryourmessage.co.uk

Judy Lynch-Tomlin Judy is an educator, psychologist, author and entrepreneur with over 30 years in schools and practices across the country. Passionate about the convergence of wellness, education and enterprise she has set a social enterprise that uses business as a tool to engage young people to learn valuable life skills.

Connect with Judy @ judy@experiencegrowth.online

Leah Tomlin

Leah is a final year undergraduate at Lincoln University studying Psychology with Clinical Psychology.

While at university, she has been flexing her entrepreneurial muscles running a nail bar from her dorm and at home during the holidays.

After university, Leah’s intention is to work between the NHS & private practice.

Connect with Leah @

leah@experiencegrowth.online

Reuben Tomlin

Reuben is a first year Architecture undergraduate at Gonville & Caius College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

Her also serves as the Artistic Director of experience growth Online’s magazine and other printed products.

Connect with Reuben @

reuben@experiencegrowth.online

Denis Wade With over 30 years of experience in senior corporate management and community work, Denis has a passion to see people of all abilities achieve their desired levels of success. He has excelled in a number of successful companies and businesses, and has served as a senior sales manager, regional sales manager, senior church Pastor, community leader and artist manager.

Connect with Denis @ micah.org.uk

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Interview Eric Collins

Permission

I

n Spring 2018, as Eric was getting ready to board a flight from the South Terminal of London Gatwick Airport, he received a call that would change the trajectory of his life.

Already a very successful technology entrepreneur and used to travelling between the United States where he hails from, and the United Kingdom, his new home, this was nothing unusual. What was unusual was the content of the call.

Eric was invited by Tom Ilube to a meeting of the Black Hand Gang, a group of influential Black Brits including Sir Lenny Henry, who wanted to make change.

Four years later, Impact X Capital, of which he is CEO, and one of the primary outputs of that meeting, is already on the road to making tangible, sustainable and generational change.

We caught up with Eric about his new book, ‘We Don’t Need Permission: How Black Business Can Change Our World’ and his version of The Promised Land.

So first of all, Eric, please tell us a little bit about your early influences and your early life.

EC: I'm an American who, unlike many people here in the UK, I came from the American South.

So, my family hails from the place that Jim Crow existed and segregation and slavery existed.

That's where the Collins family was imported, and then we lived for centuries.

In that part of the world I was born in the very Deep South in Alabama and on a historically Black university campus

Travelling between the United States where he hails from, and the United Kingdom, his new home, this was nothing unusual. What was unusual was the content of the call. called Tuskegee.

I was born during the civil rights movement, during a time when there was a switch coming in the United States.

Between sort of laws that kept Black people in their place and in their space, and there is a growing freedom.

And in fact, I like to tell everyone I'm the first person in my family that was born with the right to vote in the United States and guaranteed the right to vote as a Black person.

So, we were sort of an underdog in that respect, but coming from a family who didn't think of themselves as underdogs, who felt that our job was, if we had education, if we had capital was social change and to make our

way in the world not just for ourselves, but for everyone else who look like us and who identified with us.

They didn't have to be Black, they didn't have to be from the South, they didn't have to be, you know, agricultural in terms of their base, but they needed to be some people who felt the world could be a better place.

And the influences that I had?

Well, I had to pick up from various places.

Sometimes you could see The Supremes on television or sometimes the Richard Pryor in a very tame set.

And one thing that I did was I read a lot.

And some of the things that I read were things that encouraged me in my blackness, and that was Ebony magazine and Black Enterprise.

I thought that those were seminal pieces of creating my worldview and making the person that I am, which is why I'm so happy talking to you that you all have a magazine, that you have a forum in which you're

depicting, and you're presenting these sort of images and these sorts of opportunities to talk about where we are accurately, and then what we can be aspirationally.

That's all very important.

Who were your early role models?

EC: My early inspiration was very close to home.

I have an older brother who's three years older than me. He's three grades ahead of me in school, so it was always Bradley, the first child.

He was the prince and heir to the throne. And then there's me, sort of a secondary character.

And then there's my sister below, who's a princess. So I'm sort of stuck in the middle.

I could imitate and emulate everything that Bradley did because he did so many fascinating things.

And then I had parents, who made a conscious decision about how they were going to raise their children. They raised us in the Deep South during the time of segregation, and then moved us outside of New York City, but then moved us again down to the South, to Greensboro, North Carolina.

Greensboro is where the ‘sit in’ movement, started with students sitting in a Woolworth lunch counter.

They moved us from a very leafy and very progressive suburb outside New York City where you could drive into the city, and took us down to a place that was another hotbed of change because my parents felt that that was their job and so they were always these disruptors.

So, the first people in my personal life, are my parents, Henry and Adeline Collins, to whom I dedicated the book and I called them my personal investors because that's what they did. They invested a huge amount of themselves, all of their resources and aspirations, into us.

My father had a PhD, my mother had a masters degree.

Dad was a professor at a university and then he went to a Swiss chemical company as an executive.

So, I had a bit of a different life, but part of

So, I had a bit of a different life, but part of what they were doing was trying to create a disruptive path.

Until I went away to university, I lived in a 100% Black neighbourhood from the time I was born. I always lived in black neighbourhoods where there was safety, where there was affirmation. what they were doing was trying to create a disruptive path.

They were saying that you didn't have to be a doctor or a lawyer to be successful as a Black person. You can be within these other sort of contexts, in these other environments and you can make a change there and you can make it different.

And so I followed that.

Dad was going back and forth to Switzerland in the 70’s and here I am, living in the UK doing things across the across the pond.

What was your initial exposure to Black business around that time and how did that help to shape some of your thinking now?

EC: One of the great

things about living as I did during a time where segregation was giving way to integration in the United States, was that you had this legacy of black institutions, 100+ historically Black colleges and universities that existed in the US. From Howard University, which everyone heard of, to Fisk University, to Hampton University, Spelman.

All of those existed and were producing people who are doing all sorts of things, from artists to surgeons to engineers. People were getting their start educationally there.

Then you also had Black insurance companies, you had Black banks, you had Black doctors and lawyers and law firms and dentists.

These are the sort of places in which we existed.

Until I went away to university, I lived in a 100% Black neighbourhood from the time I was born. I always lived in black neighbourhoods where there was safety, where there was affirmation and all sorts of things.

There were all of the people who served us, the people kept

me healthy, the people who made sure that we were buying the right car, the people who built our house, the people who did everything.

It's as if we're living in Wakanda right?

Everyone was serving the needs, and if I had an issue; I need to interview somebody, I need to find out something, I needed to get a connection to, all of those things happened in the black community.

North Carolina Mutual, which is a very large Black insurance company, was in North Carolina. So I was exposed to those things.

The Black newspaper, for us it was the not the Greensboro News and Record, but there was The Peacemaker was the newspaper that we actually read. There was a local newspaper for a Black audience.

It was down the street from Bennett College, the oldest Black women university in the United States and down the street from A&T State University.

I didn't think of it as strange. It was not exceptional. That's who I'd expect. And it's the same thing I have today. If I need a lawyer.

I'd expect to be a black woman. If I need an accountant, I expect it to be a Black woman.

Tell us about Impact X Capital and your double bottom line approach...

EC: When you think about what you're going to achieve as an investor, you've got to lay out the thesis and we have some goals.

One goal is certainly that we can create wealth for the people who invest in us.

So, we have as our primary focus and our first bottom line returning capital.

And in our first fund, 100% of the investors are Black people either from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States, from the UK, or from France.

We are very pleased to return their capital.

I would not have thought that the way to get better service is that the person would be racially different or would live in a different sort of a neighbourhood and have had different sort of experiences.

We've only been in business for three years and at the moment we're returning 4.5 times what they put in.

So, that's the experience that I had of Black business from an early age.

Beyond that, we think that it's absolutely necessary, if we're going to have social change, not to just put money in the hands of a few

I was immersed in it.

And it's the same thing I have today. If I need a lawyer. I'd expect to be a Black woman. If I need an accountant, I expect it to be a Black woman. people.

We believe it's necessary to create opportunities called jobs.

If you create organizations, those organizations create jobs, people can grow in the organization and move up the ladder.

They can actually go on to another organization and at that other organization help to colonize and then finally they're also in a position to be able to start their own organizations with the right background.

You know, people who came out of Meta or Facebook years ago, you hear about them in all sorts of organizations again, they colonize other organizations, but then they start a lot of organizations.

That's an important piece to us because we know that one of those or some of those or

many of those are going to exit. And when they exit, the thing that happens is a lot of wealth is distributed.

And that wealth can then be used for philanthropic reasons. Paying off your student loans, buying a house, all those things are fine. But it will also be used to seed the next generation, those individuals who are coming after you, who have similar aspirations.

Not only do we have Impact X’s money going into and creating this double bottom line, but then we have other people going in.

Therefore, we create a bigger, bigger opportunity and a faster and faster moving flywheel and so you get better and better results and we can build our ecosystem that's necessary, faster.

Can I give you one example?

We have an organization that we invested in called Marshmallow, which is an Insurtech company started by twins here in London.

The story of them is very famous because people found out in 2021 that they had become a Unicorn, meaning they were valued at a billion dollars we invested when they were

The bottom line piece is that they've doubled in terms of the amount of employees year after year and they still maintain 50% women, which is almost twice as much as in most technology companies and 20% Black people. worth $30 million and 18 months after we invest, they’re worth $1.2 billion.

Can you imagine how much wealth is created from the investment that we made and we were able to work with the organization. We have a tiny piece of the business but it's worth a lot of money and so that is a fantastic opportunity.

The bottom line piece is that they've doubled in terms of the amount of employees year after year and they still maintain 50% women, which is almost twice as much as in most technology companies and 20% Black people, people of colour.

And these are key positions, not just, in entry level positions, not in training programmes, but in key decision making positions within the organization, not just in Treasury, not just in HR, but throughout the organization, including the technology organization, in the C-Suite.

That is the kind of change that we wish to make. That's the double bottom line that we wish to have happened and it's been for us a fantastic example of what Impact X seeks to accomplish.

When somebody picks up your book and is reading it, what kind of transformation do you want to see?

What kind of thinking do you want

them to start having? And what viewpoints you want them to change?

Excellent question. I want them to become less local and I want them to become much more deliberate and understand that they are an agent of change today and that they can, with just a little bit of a flip in their thinking, become a deliberate utilizer of the resources that they have.

And those resources should be pointed in places that support them and advance their communities. That's what we want to do.

Stop giving your money to places, stop investing in places, stop spending time with people, who are undermining your very existence and believe that the white supremacy should keep you right where you are.

So, that's the first thing,

everyone should get that message, even if you're not a business person.

And the second message is, if you are a business person, I need you to think bigger. All economies are driven by small businesses.

If you're a Black business, the median income is £25,000 a year, which, if you live in London, it’s just above the liveable wage. So, you are just replacing a liveable wage, you're not going to be able to employ other people, and you’re really not going to be able to buy a house in London with that kind of an income.

I need people to think a little bit bigger and I don't need people just to think about lifestyle and I want to be able to afford an Audi E Tron or I want to be able to afford a Maserati, what I want them to be thinking about is that I can be a global organisation; how I can make this not just relevant in my neighbourhood, but how I can make it relevant in my region.

How I can then make it relevant in my country.

How I can make it relevant in this territory called Europe. How I can make it relevant in the world.

How do I become that competitive?

The idea is not, can I afford a little bit more so I can take a better vacation. It's, can I create more jobs? Can I create 10,000 jobs?

If you can create 1,000 jobs, 10,000 jobs or even 100 jobs, that is very different and such a vehicle for societal change. That's what I want people to take from this.

And so, you can take an individual lesson even if you're not in the business of, starting businesses and growing businesses.

But if you are in the business, I challenge you to think bigger and to think more globally.

Jeff Bezos named his company Amazon, because it's the biggest river in the world by far. It's the biggest thing going. He didn't

I believe that there are Black women who can change the world and actually have the necessary lived experience and the foresight as to what is useful in the world to create the companies that will rival all of these and be the ones we're talking about within a generation.

name it Mississippi. He named it after his aspiration. And he had a global vision, and a vision that was extreme in terms of its size and scope, because he believes that he can change the world.

And I believe that there are Black women who can change the world and actually have the necessary lived experience and have the foresight as to what is useful in the world to actually create the companies that will rival all of these and be the ones we're talking about within a generation, because it's a business that can happen in a generation.

Other things take more time.

Business can happen in the generation.

We can go from nothing to dominance in a very short period of time.

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Entrepreneurs of the Past.

Entrepreneurs of the Present.

Entrepreneurs of the Future.

Entrepreneurs of the Past.

1. Barbara Blake-Hannah The UK’s First Black TV Journalist Barbara is a Jamaican author a journalist who, in 1968 became the first Black person to be on TV as a reporter and interviewer. She was sacked less than a year later when, Thames Television received complaints from viewers about having a Black person on screen.

Barbara, we celebrate you!

2. Margaret Busby CBE The UK’s First Black Female Publisher Margaret was the youngest and first Black female publisher, when in 1967 she set up Allison & Busby alongside her publishing partner Clive Allison. She received a Society of Young Publishers Award 3 years later.

Margaret, we celebrate you!

3. Val McCalla Publisher of the UK’s First Black Newspaper, The Voice, After leaving Jamaica with plans to join the RAF, a perforated eardrum ultimately saw Val leading a group of businessmen and journalists to creating Black Britons’ first mouthpiece and reference point.

Let’s celebrate Val!

Entrepreneurs of the Present.

1. Ismail Ahmed Founder of UK’s First Black Unicorn Ismail is the Founder & Executive Chairman of World Remit, the company he founded in 2010 that pioneered a mobile approach to money transfer that now covers over 130 countries and over 70 currencies. The company is now worth over £5 Billion.

Ismail, we celebrate you!

2. Pat McGrath DBE World’s Most Influential Makeup Artist Working in fashion and beauty for the last 25 years has seen her become the world’s most influential Make up Artist and in 2018 Pat McGrath Labs, her company was worth £1 Billion.

Pat, we celebrate you!

3. Oliver & Alexander Kent-Braham, Founders of UK’s Second Black Unicorn

With 100,000+ customers and a valuation of over £1 Billion, Marshamallow, an insurtech company founded by identical twins is disrupting the insurance industry.

Oliver & Alexander, we celebrate you!

Entrepreneurs of the Future.

1. Timothy Armoo Founder of Fanbytes At 17, he built and sold his first business called Entrepreneur Express which was a great stepping stone to Fanbytes; helping brands connect with Gen Z audiences. The company was recently bought by Brainlabs and he’s created a fund that invests in Black influencer campaigns.

Timothy, we’re cheering you on!

2. Joyann Boyce Founder of The Social Detail A fierce advocate for diversity within Marketing and Technology spaces, she launched a company that helps small businesses and charities to maximize their impact through social media.

Joyann, we’re cheering you on!

3. Kalkidan Legesse Founder of Sancho’s & Shwap Kalkidan is a social entrepreneur who is all about creating a fairer society through the power of business. To that end she runs Sancho’s, an ethical clothing brand and Shwap, a fashion app. She also shares her belief as a speaker, consultant & adviser.

Kalkidan, we’re cheering you on!

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it.

3. Lt Col Nana Kofi TwumasiAnkrah MVO, Her Late Majesty’s Equerry If you were one of the tens of millions who watched the queen’s funeral, you can’t have missed the presence of Nana walking beside the coffin throughout the procession along the streets.

His father was the Head of Military Intelligence in the Ghanaian Army and so, the army life was not new to him. He is an officer of the Household Cavalry and is a veteran of the Afghanistan & Iraq wars.

In 2017, the queen appointed him as her equerry, one of the most important and senior roles in the royal household and the first Black person in that role.

3. Cr1b (Tonka+ Tobacco Flower Candles) WHO & WHAT?

CR1B was born in the summer of 2019, due to founder, Larelle’s love for burning candles and creating different moods in the home. It is a solo female owned homeware and lifestyle brand with an eco conscious and natural ingredient focus, stemming from Larelle’s own struggles with the artificially scented paraffin wax candles. The products are handcrafted ceramics, all natural scented candles and reed diffusers – made with sustainably sourced ingredients which are vegan, toxin free and cruelty free .

HOW MUCH? £28.00 FOLLOW on Social Media: Instagram: @cr1b__

WHERE? cr1b.co.uk

8. Swapped

(Sustainable Fashion Tech app)

WHO & WHAT? Founded by Mya Gooding-Springer, Swapped is a sustainable fashion-tech app, allowing users to swap their preloved occasionwear items. Customers can fashion without breaking the bank, as well as reducing the harm to the environment as they swipe left and right to select items that would otherwise end up in landfill. Swapped also helps their customers to consume clothing in a more conscious and circular way, while creating a mindset shift on how often they consume new clothing items. Their mission is to eliminate the 92 million tonnes of clothes that go to landfills each year!

HOW MUCH? From £4.99/month for 5 swaps FOLLOW on Social Media: Instagram: @weareswapped WHERE? weareswapped.com

3. How They Made A Million: The Dyke & Dryden Story Tony Wade

Overview

This book is a celebration of hard work and steadfastness, fortified with the dogged determination to succeed.

The Dyke & Dryden Story tells of an unswerving belief in self worth and community pride in the struggle to overcome discrimination and prejudice.

It is the story of the rise of Black Britain’s biggest company and spells out loud and clear the dynamism of self help, self reliance and just how resourcefulness can overcome barriers to progress.

“Dyke & Dryden were masters of the enterprise culture. Britain’s African Caribbean community’s track record in business successwas pioneered by them,” was how Herman Ouseley, Chairman of the Caribbean Advisory Group and former Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.

6. The Little Black Book A Toolkit for Working Women

Otegha Uwagba Overview

This is the modern career guide every creative woman needs, whether you’re just starting out or already have years of experience. Packed with fresh ideas and no-nonsense practical advice, this travelsized career handbook is guaranteed to become your go-to resource when it comes to building the career

you want. Writer Otegha Uwagba (one of Forbes European 30 Under 30) takes you through everything you need to build a successful self-made career, from how to negotiate a payrise to building a killer personal brand, via a crash course in networking like a pro, and tips for overcoming creative block.

It’s full of indispensable advice on how to thrive as a freelancer, and an entire chapter dedicated to helping you master the tricky art of public speaking. With contributions from trailblazing creative women including acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Refinery29 co-founder Piera Gelardi, The Gentlewoman's Editor in Chief Penny Martin, and many more, Little Black Book is a curation of essential wisdom and hard-won career insights. Whether you’re a thinker, a maker, an artist or an entrepreneur, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your working life here.

9. Atomic Habits

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results James Clear

Overview

People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way.

He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions: doing two pushups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

Times best-selling author John C. Maxwell knows that building and maintaining a successful team is no simple task. Even people who have taken their teams to the highest level in their field have difficulty re-creating what accounted for their successes.

So in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, Maxwell shares the vital principles of team building that are necessary for success in any type of organization.

10. The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork Embrace Them & Empower Your Team John C Maxwell

Overview Leadership

expert

and

New

York

Building a successful team has plagued leaders since the beginning of time.

Is the key a strong work ethic?

Is it “chemistry”?

The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork will empower you - whether coach or player, teacher or student, CEO or nonprofit volunteer - with the “how-tos“ and attitudes for building a successful team.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clear reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter.

Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.

These small changes will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships, and your life.

The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine

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3. Maseru, Lesotho Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho, a landlocked country encircled by South Africa. The city is on the Caledon River. Traditional crafts feature at the coneshaped Basotho Hat, a shop and information center. On the Thaba Bosiu plateau, east of the city, are ruins dating from the 19th-century reign of King Moshoeshoe.

Thaba Bosiu overlooks Mount Qiloane, a conical mountain that is one of the nation's symbols.

7. Kingstown, St Vincent & The Grenadines Kingstown is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The port city is known for its Botanical Gardens, founded in 1765 and home to tropical plants and aviaries.

On a ridge above the bay, the 1806 Fort Charlotte offers panoramic views of the archipelago. The city center has 19th-century churches such as St. Mary’s Cathedral. The lively Kingstown Market sells local produce. Popular Villa Beach is nearby.

Mindset

What is your

?

Dream

by

Alex Gordon

I

t was 1.30pm on Saturday and I had there and then. just finished my lunch. The conference so far was good but I was not my At 2.15pm I was directed to the workshop normal upbeat excited self. room where attendees were making themselves comfortable. There were two What was I expecting? women and eight men in the room. Hardly a mass audience. I walked straight to the front I grabbed my bag and started making my of the room and introduced my self. I could way to the exit. There were some very feel their icy eyes piercing right through my interesting people there who I had great back. It was as if they were speaking loudly conversation with but it was time to go. in silence. Who is this guy? Where is the scheduled speaker, I hope From the back of the room I heard, “Alex, you’re not leaving, are you?”, err, may be. “I would like you to run one of the workshops, my speaker cancelled last minute”, said Pete.

Pete was the visionary conference organiser who I had met a few years back at a youth conference in London. We connected and made time to have coffee. This turned into an intense mentoring session in 2019 which sharpened his focus. His heart was overflowing with ideas of how to help his generation become better leaders. He now runs leadership development seminars for emerging leaders under 40 years of age.

What do you want me to speak on? “Your specialty, Alex, communication”, said Pete.

I sat back down, took out my iPad and pencil and mapped out a 45 minute session

he’s good.

I opened my mouth walked across the front of the room to catch their attention and with the whiteboard, asked, “What is your dream?”

You could feel the tension in the room. The ladies broke the ice and started to talk, but I pulled it back, “ I want to know what you are carrying in your minds, the life you want for yourself, the career and the business, what you want. Be selfish, make

“I want to know what you are carrying in your minds, the life you want for yourself, the career and the business, what you want.”

about you.”

it

All hell broke loose, suddenly they wanted to speak, hands were going up. I asked them to stand up and address the room. It was a great way to get the minds present and participating in the room.

After 25 years of leading groups and developing people I am a strong believer that we carry a model in our hands of the life we want for ourselves.

we want to become.

Your current state of mind and life is not it.

You invest now, in learning and developing the future self.

Personal growth only comes from developing the future self now. We are pulled forward by the future we anticipate and work towards.

I learned through coaching we live in a state of wanting things. The more things you have or the more toys you buy , the better you feel about yourself.

I call it the future state of being. The person This is a temporary fix because it never

really stops, the more you see, the more you want to have. This leads you into being so busy doing just to have more. Do more hours to earn more, do more hours to please more people. You’re on treadmill of doing to have.

What about the person you’re meant to become. That person you’re meant to be will be able to have and do all the things you’re talking about.

This is the Be, Do and Have cycle. Which way are you approaching it.

The participants got so excited talking about themselves and the organizations they were building to help more people. One participant said, “Alex, we have never really given it any thought”.

Where there is no vision people are stuck and they do perish. Their spirit give up the fight, the mind and body deteriorates, they lose focus.

hope. Hope is one of those instruments that will keep you focused, propelled in a certain direction, an essential part of life. A growth mindset is driven by hope and faith in oneself to achieve what is being pursued.

Think about it, 80% of people are driven by fear of what happened yesterday while 20% are driven by their perception of future outcomes. Who would you rather be?

What is the opposite of having no dreams?

No vision of the future. No hope for tomorrow, so you’re stuck in your current state. Your fixed mindset accepts life as it is with no striving forward. The living dead.

Your current state does not have to determine your future. As long as you’re working, investing in yourself today, the future you will be a success. You’re writing the script.

Who would you take advice from, your 96 year old future self with all the wisdom, lessons learned or your current self today?

So, what is your dream?

Dreams ignite

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You’ve got to Speak Up Even Though You’re Nervous and Feel Like An Introvert Have you ever considered, that what you know, what you’ve been through, your truth, is enough reason for people to listen to you speak, to be heard?

Find Out More https://theunforgettablespeaker.com

Wellness

piecepeace by

Judy Lynch- Tomlin

H

ow are you?

You alright?

What’s up?

Peace!

These are some of the greetings commonly used as people meet and interact with each other during the course of each day. The intent is often a quick pleasantry in passing [ain’t nothing wrong with that!] and the response is equally brief... ‘Not bad, you know’.

Time given to listen to someone who deviates from this script [for example, ‘I’m not in such a good place right now’], is limited, hurried or avoided as so many other pressing ‘to do’s’ make demands on us. The time we take to check ourselves against the same question is equally limited and often worse for the busy entrepreneur.

So, how well are you really doing?

Well-being is concerned with our quality of life, a sense of health coming from and reinforced by our experiences, thoughts, emotions and actions, understanding the place of peace is an essential part of this.

Depending on which study you read, the number of identified elements to a quality life will vary, but usually include physical, career, financial, social and community wellbeing among others. A lack of peace in our personal and mental well-being destabilizes our holistic experience of living well.

So, what can we do to gain, restore, and maintain peace?

Use your mouth! Speak peace to yourself and others.

Positive affirmations - speaking positive statements and declarations to oneself, may make some people feel very awkward.

Others may frown on the commercial, layperson or sometimes gimmicky presentation, and doubt whether there is any evidenced scientific basis for the practice. However, as part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive affirmations can support individuals to examine and accept their reality and align their statements with a more rational perspective.

So, why utilize CBT to speak peace?

CBT is a psychological treatment or talking therapy which has demonstrated effectiveness for a range of difficulties including, but not limited to depression, anxiety, marital issues, alcohol and drug use problems. CBT involves the teaching of strategies and coping skills for dealing with different problems.

It focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and actions.

Words spoken to us, about us, by others and ourselves, influence and impact our value systems and mindsets.

So, what might a CBT affirmation of peace look like?

Here are a few pointers.

Find support appropriate to you (self-help book, trusted friend, therapist, support organization, faith-based), then, from a rational perspective: 

Explore the issue/s thought and beliefs that disturb or threaten your peace.

What are they?

Piece: a part of a set, a part of a whole or an artistic creation such as music, dance, or a painting.

Peace: freedom from war and disturbance; an

instruction to remain silent, an exclaimed greeting.

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Peace to you! 

Address those that are within your control. Acknowledge and use your strengths.



Let go of/ find the appropriate facility for those outside your control. Check and set boundaries. Utilise support.

Seek help.



Be kind to yourself. Rest. Are you sleeping well, eating well?



Speak peace to yourself. It’s OK not to be OK and work towards a better day. It’s OK to say yes to yourself (put your life vest on first). Write peace statements applicable to your individual circumstance.



Connect with and speak peace to others. If and when you are in a good place, extend support.

Peace stealing anxiety is often accompanied by feelings of panic, stress, hesitation and mistrust of one’s own abilities. Affirmations of peace from a rational perspective can help to nullify this.

Take a breath in; calm, measured and slow…. and let that breath out.

If you can do that, you are alive, if you are alive… then there is hope.

Peace to you!

If you are experiencing or witness abusive mental or physical threat, please get help and support...

Mind signposting and Infoline: 0300 123 3393 National Domestic Abuse Helpline number: 0808 2000 247 and associated online support Advice for Men: 0808 801 0327 | info@mensadviceline.org.uk

TLC: Therapeutic Life Coaching with Judy Lynch-Tomlin: Enquire about session availability by emailing communitea21@gmail.com

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Take Control NOW 34 | experience growth Magazine | Autumn 2020

Faith

did we get

?

Here How We Overcame!

by

Denis Wade

A

s we celebrate Black History month this year and look forward to the year ahead, I think it is also fitting that we look back over our history and ask two important questions: How did we get here? How did we overcome?

When I look at some aspects of our history and some prominent black leaders, particularly from within the diaspora, there is one thought that keeps coming back to me: despite the many obstacles and hurdles, the many setbacks and failures that they had to navigate, it was their enduring faith in God and His power to deliver them, that has got them through time and time again.

If you are from a black heritage, I don’t need to remind you of the many challenges that we’ve had to overcome.

Whether we have achieved in science, business, politics, education, the arts, sports or entertainment, many would testify that it was our faith that has often been at the centre of our hopes, inspiration and successes.

As I reflect on our historical journey, the numerous characters, testimonials

and biographies, I’m convinced that our enduring faith has helped many of us overcome the ravages of slavery and the many limitations imposed on us through colonialism, racism and prejudice.

In fact, I am convinced that without the faith in God displayed by the likes of Sojourner Truth or Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, for example, we’d be looking at a very different Black history.

Yes, I believe it’s been our faith that has kept us, our faith that has inspired us, our faith that has encouraged us, and our faith that has preserved us!

So, as we plan, learn, work, and press our way forwards to a greater future, with all its great possibilities, let us not forget the importance of our faith in God and our historical reliance on prayer. If it has served us so well for so many decades before now, it can surely continue to be a source of hope and Inspiration for many years and decades to come.

It is my earnest prayer that we all find the faith we need in good times and in troubled times, and that can help us stay the course of our good and noble convictions.

Happy Black History Month to you all.

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I am convinced that without the faith in God displayed by the likes of Sojourner Truth or Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, for example, we’d be looking at a very different Black history.

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Entrepreneurship

An

’

Story Vtessia Cosmetics by

Vicktesha Cunningham

I

am Vicktesha Cunningham a social entrepreneur and an advocate for self-love based in East London, but originally from Jamaica.

From my noble beginnings in Jamaica, I always had a strong desire journey hasn’t been smooth, because I‘d and passion to help others, thanks to my received lots of closed doors, rejections family strong Christian roots. and criticisms.

But, this desire became more of a mission in 2019 after my personal battle with postpartum alopecia. I had no idea what it was and the causes. But, what was apparent was the affect it had on my confidence. I also struggled to find a natural solution that was effective.

Furthermore, there was also times in which I wanted to quit due to various constraints, but despite all the obstacles, I kept going because my main aim is to help women embrace their natural beauty with confidence.

The brand provides luxury naturally derived products for women with dry, thinning, and damaged hair.

The world is waiting on your innovation.

So, if you are reading this, I would like to In 2019, I yearned to find a solution, so encourage you to pursue your dreams I decided to create my own brand Vtessia and never let fear, family and life Cosmetics. constraints suffocate your dreams.

Despite, the successful launch, the

See you on top!

4 Damaged Hair Follicles

A Complete Guide

S

hocking statistics reveal many of us don't even realise when our hair follicles are extensively damaged. The signs of damaged hair follicles include excessive dryness, inflammation, dandruff, irritation and hair loss. If you experience any of the above symptoms then chances are you're follicles are already damaged.

However, don't give up just yet. The

long term health of any here solely depends on a good treatment routine.

It might be hard to understand in the beginning, but once you discover exactly how you keep your hair follicles healthy there is no going back.

Here are our four simple steps on how to repair damaged hair follicles in the shortest time possible.

1. Eat a Balanced Diet

Did you know that one of the aims of the hair follicles is to absorb the nutrients then feed them to your hair?

The cells in the follicle are specifically designed to fulfil this aim. That's why you need to focus on providing the right nutrients to your hair.

Make sure you get all the right nutrients by having a diet of whole grains, protein, iron, zinc, vegetables and fruits.

this result. It has amazing hair loving benefits that can help repair damaged hair follicles.

Once you do this massage routine consistently, your hair follicles will start repairing in no time.

4. Reduce Stress Levels

This isn't easy, but it's necessary. Stress is one of the most common causes of hair loss: Telogen effluvium

All these rich nutrients will be transported through your follicles to where it's needed to remain healthy. In Telogen effluvium occurs when the the long run, your hair will stay luscious anagen (growth) phrase of the hair cycle is reduced; Resulting in excess and thick with the right diet. shedding. Furthermore, stress also causes physiological damages. For example, stress affects your digestion and the way your body absorbs essential If you want to effectively learn how to nutrients; In order to reduce hair repair damaged hair follicles, you need damage. That is why it is important to to stop over using blow dries and avoid an reduce stress factors in your straighteners. Doing so will reduce heat life. If you lead a busy life, then take damages. Besides that, applying heat to some time and slow down to regain your hair can cause your strands to be your ground. weak and brittle. That is why you should always keep heat to a minimum Managing stress is one of the best so that your follicles can regain things you can do for your health and strength. the health of your hair.

2. Reduce The Heat

3. Massage Your Scalp Regularly

When your scalp doesn't receive enough blood circulation, your hair follicles will weaken. That is why you need to massage your scalp regularly, so that your follicles can receive the circulation it needs.

You can massage your head by using any hair oil that is natural and non comedogenic. Better yet, our vtessia ultra repair oil is tailored to give you

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We love it when...

you

@PitchBlackMagUK

it.

Money

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O

n the 6th of September, Kwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng was appointed as the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.

Seventeen days later on the 23rd September, with much anticipation, he stepped to the dispatch box in the House of Commons and delivered what the government dubbed The Growth Plan 2022 speech.

Here’s how he concluded that speech..

“Mr Speaker, For too long in this country, we have indulged in a fight over redistribution.

Now, we need to focus on growth, not just how we tax and spend.

We won’t apologise for managing the economy in a way that increases prosperity and living standards.

Our entire focus is on making Britain more globally competitive - not losing out to our competitors abroad.

The Prime Minister promised that this would be a tax-cutting government.

Today, we have cut stamp duty.

We have allowed businesses to keep more of their own money to invest, to innovate, and to grow.

We have cut income tax and national insurance for millions of workers.

And we are securing our place in a fiercely competitive global economy… …with lower rates of corporation tax… …and lower rates of personal tax.

We promised to prioritise growth.

We promised a new approach for a new era.

We promised, Mr Speaker, to release the enormous potential of this country.

Our Growth Plan has delivered all those promises and more.

And I commend it to the House.”

The response to the mini budget was not as enthusiastic as The Prime Minister & Chancellor would have hoped.

The markets, The Bank of England and the international community have decided that this mini budget was less than commendable with the IMF, going as far as

to recommend a rethink of his approach.

jobs, raise wages or pay dividends...’

The BMJ (British Medical Journal) has suggested that prior to the mini budget, the UK had the second highest level of income inequality in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Their assessment was that this mini budget may take it to the top spot.

•

So, what does it all mean and what are the headlines?

•

Stamp Duty threshold doubled from £125k to £250k.

•

Stamp duty for first time buyers to increase from £300k to £425k.

•

Maximum property value qualifying for relief for first time buyers to increase from £500k to £625k.

•

Planned increase in duty for beer, wine and cider to be cancelled.

1. Income Tax •

The highest earners in the UK will now pay the 40% tax rate on earnings, rather than the current 45%.

•

The planned cut to the basic rate of income tax, meaning the current 20% rate will be cut to 19% from April 2023. One year early.

2. National Insurance •

The national insurance rise of 1.25%, introduced earlier this year, will be cancelled from November 6th.

3. Stamp Duty & Other Duty

4. Bankers’ Bonus •

Bankers Bonus cap will be cancelled.

•

Will ‘reaffirm’ the UK’s status as a leading financial centre.

3. Corporation Tax •

•

The plan increase of business tax from 19% to 25% will be cancelled.

The intended impact is for companies to ‘reinvest, create

Adds £19bn a year to our economy.

5. Public Finances •

A focus on planned growth of 2.5% per year resulting from the tax cuts.

•

Energy Support Scheme to cost £60bn, funded through borrowing.

6. Infrastructure & Investment Zones •

List of infrastructure projects to be prioritized and brought forward.

•

Almost 4o investment zones to be created with tax breaks for businesses.

7. Strike Legislation •

Legislation requiring unions to put all pay offers to a member vote.

•

Measure intended to tackle ‘militant trade unions’.

Closing Thought

This mini budget is intended to be a ‘new approach for a new era’.

With the less than stellar reaction, it remains to be seen whether the full budget builds on this or introduces measures to calm the financial markets, the Bank of England and the international community.

Hold on to your purses & wallets!

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Education

A Tale of 2

by

Leah & Reuben Tomlin

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I

had a unique university experience because I had the pleasure of starting my first year during the COVID lockdown.

I moved in October 11th, the day before my birthday, nervous but still excited.

However, my first week was an eye opener.

It took me a while to adjust to university being 100% online. I didn’t know what my lecturers looked like or who my coursemates were because my classes were spent in my room looking at a blank screen where everyone had their cameras off during lectures which was quite lonely.

University in lockdown was hard on everyone. Lecturers took longer to grade assignments and according to those who

students faked attendance that the admin team for my course had to change the way attendance was registered.

However, by the second semester of second year, I started to get a sense of what university should have been like.

I finally had access to all of the university resources, including a new library, exclusively for medical and psychology courses. Despite this, when exam season came, people petitioned for exams to be done online, like in first year because people didn’t know what to expect for in person exams.

Exam season didn’t turn out how we hoped though. Students couldn’t access questions, exams would crash and some were even password protected, but you only had a few seconds to receive the

I finally had access to all of the university resources, including a new library, exclusively for medical and psychology courses. had repeated the year or knew people in other years, the feedback was harsher.

There was a general lack of motivation and people noticed that lectures were being copied straight from textbooks. As a result, people’s attendance dropped.

Students ignored lectures and seminars and only accessed lecture slides when doing assessments.

By the second year, the students in my year had developed severe anxiety about going to lectures in person because we hadn’t had the same exposure as other years.

We didn’t know our way around campus or how to use the now-available resources so we were often late to classes and our grade average as a year slipped. So many

password from the examiner and enter it.

End of year resits were at an all-time high, with extra resit dates added in to accommodate all the students.

I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to resit but I have quite a few friends who have to retake the year.

Now that I’m days away from third year, I have high hopes that these issues have been ironed out and resolved.

I look forward to using the new medical library to pull some all-nighters, bang out some essays and get the grades I need to start a career in therapy.

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M

y first week at Cambridge has been such a surreal experience.

I arrived with apprehension about whether I was going to fit in, whether I deserved to be there, and how adaptable I was to shift from sixth form to a university format of education.

The move in process was made simple thanks to the college porters, and took about an hour to fully move in and unpack because my room is on the ground floor – to my Dad’s relief.

After a quick grocery shop, I said goodbye to my family and joined a friendly group of freshers led by second-

which will take some getting used to on my part.

As well as evening activities, the mornings of fresher’s week so far have been full of informative talks and presentations on key aspects of student life at Cambridge; budgeting, support maintenance/housekeeping, student union.

I’m still figuring out how to fill my time in the long periods of free time this week has offered me, and I’ve learnt although it’s great to go into town with collegemates or explore the accommodation facilities, having a quiet afternoon in my room is the best way to recharge my social battery.

However, I’m well aware this spare time

My college – Gonville and Caius – has been great at getting freshers to mingle with each other, through events like the pub quiz on the first day, game night and more traditional occasions, such as formal hall dinner in the Old Court, which will take some getting used to on my part. years on their way to Sainsbury’s.

will be eaten into once term starts.

I didn’t actually need anything but it was a great way to meet other people in the same boat as me, even after we got lost on the way back.

Overall, it’s been an extremely positive first few days (though it feels so much longer) and I am excited to see what the future holds.

My college – Gonville and Caius – has been great at getting freshers to mingle with each other, through events like the pub quiz on the first day, game night and more traditional occasions, such as formal hall dinner in the Old Court,

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Politics

Three-Line

? by

Colin Tomlin

T

ony Blair’s Labour Party scored a hat-trick and made history on the 29th May 2002, when Paul Boateng was appointed as the first Black Cabinet Minister, the first Black Government Minister and the first British born Black Privy Council

member; a body of advisors appointed by the king or queen of the United Kingdom.

Twenty years later, on the 6th of September 2022, we had another

For the first time in history, all of the great offices of state were occupied by Black people.

Reason to celebrate right?

hat trick of sorts, this time scored by the Conservative Party.

We had our first Black Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, our first Black Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly and our first Black Secretary of State, Kemi Badenoch.

For the first time in British history, three of the great Offices of State were occupied by Black people.

Reason to celebrate right?

The Conservative Party has

historically not been seen as the party Black people and other people of colour readily gravitate to.

With David Cameron’s initiative (more on that later) bearing such fruit and ‘representation matters’ being of such importance, in the way that it now does, The Labour Party seems to have been found wanting on the equality, diversity and inclusion scales.

As far as the Labour Party’s representation credibility goes, David Lammy is the

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only Black Shadow Cabinet Minister on the Labour front bench.

seats deemed as ‘winnable seats’ to choose from this list.

However, is all what it seems?

The third step was to ensure that it included equal numbers of men and women and a ‘significant proportion’ of UK minority ethnic candidates and people with disabilities.

One of the quantum leaps was David Cameron introducing what was called, the A-list, a system he promoted as a way of getting more Black, Asian and other UK minority ethnic backgrounds represented in government.

The aim was simple as it was profound.

The first step was to cull a list of around 500 candidates into a list of up to 150 ‘priority’ candidates.

The second step was for local Conservative Associations for

At that time there were only 2 UK minority ethnic candidates elected as members, both of whom were men.

The result?

Some 17 years on from the A-list, The Conservative Party’s optics have changed beyond all recognition.

In the 2019 general election, 12% were elected from Black or other UK minority ethnic backgrounds.

In that time Conservative members’ representation had gone from 2 members of parliament to about 65.

This surely is David Cameron’s enduring legacy.

Alongside that of Brexit, of course!

So, is the fight for Representation, Diversity & Inclusion over?

Sadly, no!

At the Labour Party Conference in September 2022, a few days after the new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget, many people were less than enthusiastic about the absence of specific measures for Black & UK minority ethnic communities.

They were very focal in their opposition to the mini budget.

In fact, one Member of Parliament for the opposition went as far as describing the chancellor as being ‘superficially Black’.

That suggests that there are some members of our society who have an expectation of a homogenous Black community.

That may well have been the case in the 1950’s/60’s and 70’s.

However, times have changed and it’s becoming clearer that there are indeed many shades of Black!

However, times have changed and it’s becoming clearer that there are indeed many shades of Black!

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