Harris-Oguzor Magazine

HARRIS-OGUZOR Fall 2021 Issue 4

Harris-Oguzor Magazine: Fall 2021. Copyright 2021 by Spice Publishing & Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved worldwide. No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote briefly in a review. Published by Spice Publishing & Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.

Editors Notes

I'm happy to publish this fall and fourth issue of the Harris-Oguzor magazine. This is the last issue of the 2021year and I am glad to share it once more in hopes of inspiring business owners to really go all in for their business dreams. When I decided to create a magazine focused on business owners experiences in business I hoped it would be more than a long commercial and instead a motivator for entrepreneurs to continue their business pursuits.

Date Night In By: Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

Do Karaoke Together Karaoke is a fun activity that you and your significant other can do together.

For this activity you'll need: Music Lyrics Willingness to get loose

Developing Leaders By: Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor Grow with Alleysha is a leadership and organization development consultancy that hosts a variety of workshops on professional development topics like confronting your comfort zone and discovering your strengths, and also offers leadership coaching. The goal is to “help professionals to be more authentically you” at work. The company is run and founded by Alleysha Mullen, a Detroiter (Detroit, Michigan) by way of San Francisco.

Mullen has been doing her craft for 11 years. Her leadership skills becan in college when she worked as a supervisor and found herself struggling with it. She tried various leadership strategies and found that nothing fit her personal style and values. She then decided to learn more about how to lead. She changed her major from journalism to organizational leadership. You could say that her education and her life prepared her for her craft.

Mullen currently works with the University of California remotely but wanted to launch her company to better involve herself in her community. She knew that there were people who would benefit from it. She enjoys working in both areas and feels that she is doing what she does best. At her workshops she is told that she is doing what she’s made for and that she's good at what she does.

For some people entrepreneurship is a daunting thing, for Mullen she was only hesitant about balancing family life and work. She says that the only setback she’s had in her business deals with balancing life and delegation.

She does not always know when to do things herself or delegate tasks to others to do for her. She shared that for a while she did not have a website and did not have the skills to develop it herself. She had to finally hire someone to create a website for her. She has learned that hiring people for tasks that she doesn’t have the expertise in keeps her stress down and helps her get things done faster. She encourages readers to ask for help saying, “don’t be afraid to delegate.”

Our conversation transitioned to teambuilding and it’s importance. Mullen expressed that teams were very important despite not currently having one. She says that her husband is the next best thing to being her team because he supports her and works with her in the business. She explains that he helps with the technical aspects of her business and helps to find people to assist with the administrative tasks.

Mullen feels blessed by being able to help and support people who need her services. She recalls her routine. Before each of her workshops, she prays to touch one person's mind and how they think about their workplaces. Her goal is to change the hearts of the leaders that she speaks to. She continued to express that people spend so much time at work and many people hate it or feel oppressed in their workspaces. She often thinks to herself that, “If I can change the hearts and mind of the leaders I can change their leadership and impact the whole workplace.”

Mullen above

Mullen has learned two things about herself. She has continued to learn about her talent and interest in her field and how it is constantly growing.

She explained that in most people’s early 20’s they go on one track and stick to it the rest of their lives. She continued to express, “For many we don't see how we change as we live our lives.” Unlike others, Mullen feels that she’s still learning herself.

She hasn’t stopped growing & changing and is still narrowing her interest down. She's learning that she struggles with perfectionism and that perfection is not a standard but a deterrent. It stops innovation, vulnerability and her from making mistakes. She encourages readers that, “It’s ok to be flawed and let people see the humanity in you and being vulnerable in that way.” We concluded the interview speaking about her 5 year plan for her business. Mullen would like to, “land a contract with a bigger business or a government entity like the city of Detroit.”

More Than Afros Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor Belinda Williams is the owner of CJ Beauty Me Supply. This Chicago native discovered, when living in Iowa, that there was a lack of hair product diversity in her town and decided to do something about it. Named after her mother Carolyn Jean, Williams took the initiative to create a beauty supply store that would sell hair care products for all textures of hair. She got fed up one day with the 40 mile drive to the only local hair care store and the fact that it did not carry nearly enough hair supplies for her and the other Afrotextured hair wearers in her state. As an educator she knew that there must be a solution to her problem so she devised a plan to change things.

She was asked if she was hesitant about opening her store and she was not. She recalls always having a go getter mindset. She acquired her degrees with the same mentality and knew she would equally succeed in her business. Most businesses have setbacks when opening new businesses and CJ Beauty Me Supply was no different. Williams struggled with getting her business name out there to her public, marketing and arranging funds in her business.

I asked about the importance of a team when doing business and Williams said that it’s, “Very important because you cannot be everywhere...they come back to you with information...you need your team to encourage you as well.”

She credits her sisters and niece with supporting her and being there to help with getting an Instagram account and Snapchat. They helped to create videos showcasing the use of facial and other products.

Speaking of products, Williams added that beauty supply owners and those that aspire to own beauty supply stores need to know how to inventory and categorize products sold so that you will know if you had a profit or loss for the month. She added that owners should try not to buy too much product and sell what is on hand before purchasing more products. When it comes to funding and loans she advises business owners to start off small and expect some losses. She warns, “Things happen...you might have a setback.” You have to find out where you can make cuts to keep your business going.

Williams is most proud of herself for having her business open three months and she has learned that she can negotiate well and listens to the needs of her customers. She shared that she uses the products she sells and can better recommend them that way. In the next five years she is looking forward to having a brick and mortar store and advises new and current business owners to be resilient because there will be ups and downs in business. She encourages, “The moment you run into trouble don't run away from it.” She plans on continuing to market the business and trademark her business.

W s l ho r i G

Dream

By: Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor Girls Who Dream is a mentoring program for Michigan female youth, created by Detroit Michigan native Samandria Crowther.

She founded the Girls Who Dream program 10 years ago after working with programs like Girl Scouts and Big Brother Big Sister.

She found that those programs were missing some necessary lessons in helping the children develop life skills. Crowther has taught for over 15 years as a special education specialist and is currently a Detroit Public School educator.

Rebecca Karlstad is also a Detroiter who is a mentor with the Girls Who Dream program. She initially started her own program at the school that she taught at with the school's principal to bring about change, then heard of Crowther’s program and began to mentor with her. Prior to joining the Girls Who Dream program Karlstad mentored with a similar program called Sister to Sister. She is also a master teacher at Detroit Public Schools and part-time professor at Wayne State University.

Tisha Smith Their goal is is another to give their mentor program with the attendees Girls Who self esteem Dream. She by affirming started out them and with her letting them own know that program for they are 5th graders beautiful and inside and transitioned out. Girls into Who Dream working serves with the students program from when she kindergarte had extra n to middle time to do school so. Smith is currently currently an but is set assistant up to also principal at serve high a Detroit school aged Public students.

School.

You may be asking yourself what exactly this mentoring consists of. It involves mentors working with girls in sessions (similar to school classes) to discuss topics from etiquette and healthy eating to important social skills like how to begin small talk. After each session is completed they have tea parties for mothers and daughters.

When the program first began Crowther was unsure of whether or not parents would put their children in a small program like hers when there were bigger programs like Pretty Brown Girl and Girl Scouts out there. Soon her fears and hesitancy dissolved as the students at the school where she taught began to join her program. She believes her program is successful because she and her team of mentors are involved in the schools and community that they serve. A setback occurred when the pandemic happened and they had to have virtual class sessions. It was not always easy but despite the virtual teaching they still had participation.

When it comes to creating a program, I asked how important a team was and Crowther said that, “You have to have the right team that is supportive and encouraging…” She continued to explain that her team was more than mouth support, “ they put in work...we hold each other accountable, we can share ideas... and are here for the cause.” Our conversation transitioned into speaking of goals for the program and where it might be in five years. Crowther expressed her wishes to have the program impact girls throughout Detroit and metro Detroit. Smith added that parents are able and should enroll their girls if they are going through things and the mentors at the program can assist them through their issues.

I concluded the interview by asking the group about what they were most proud of about the program, Crowther said she’s proud of the impact she’s making in the girls' lives. Karlstad is most proud of her team because they do what they do out of love. Smith says the biggest reward is, “being able to empower the girls and to guide & bold their minds and see how they develop.”

MAKE PASSIVE INCCOME WHILE BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS

SONYA HARRIS-OGUZOR IS NOT AN REAL ESTATE AGENT OR EXPERT ON RENTAL PROPERTIES. PLEASE USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT ON HOW YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY.

Make money with your property

By Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

1 Go to your bank or credit union's mortgage section and ask for the documents needed in order to get approved for a mortgage.

3 Find a real estate broker who can find deals instead of listings for you to buy a property. Purchase a property.

2 Or go to NACA.com and start their homeowning process Or check out FHA's program for down payments.

Or go to a home auction website

4 Once you have a property acquire a section 8 tenant to ensure regular and on time rent payments from the government.

MAKE PASSIVE INCOME

Find a topic you are familiar with, create an outline, write your story, make it a PDF, market your book and make sells.

SELLING EBOOKS

Create a dropshipping store. Make sells in your sleep.

Find a facility to open a med spa, salon or barber shop, file the necessary paperwork, get permits, rent out booths, hire a maintenance team and watch the money flow in.

Create a course! Teach someone something that you are knowledgeable about. You can record your teachings and sell them.

There are several ways to make passive income, all you need is creativity.

Here's some tips to get you started.

BUILDING A ONLINE STORE By: Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

So you want to have a online store?

START WHERE YOU ARE

Find a product or service to sell.

Create a business name, get a EIN and DUNs number for your business (also a seller's permit) Register your business name Create a basic business plan Find a platform to host your store and website.

Edit your store and website Upload pictures Create social media pages

1) .First things first, what will you sell?

Knowing what service you will provide and or what product you will sell is needed in order to create a business around it. It is exciting to create a business but what actually do you want to accomplish? When finding what to sell you must think of the demand for that product or service. Look at the things you and many others purchase regularly to get a sense of what to sell.

2.)Next you'll want to choose a unique name for your business that others have not used already. You want to register that name with your state, acquire a free EIN (from IRS.gov) and DUNs number (from DNB.com).

3.) Create a plan, detailed or basic. Having a simple plan in place will help you achieve goals and stay consistent.

4.) Create a shipping strategy for those selling products. List items you'll need to purchase in order to ship items from your online store like bubble mailers, laser label printers, foam peanuts, boxes, postcards etc.

5.) Find a platform to host your store. There is no online business if you don't have a platform to sell from. Some recommended platforms include Shopify, Square space, WIX, and GoDaddy.

Platforms host your store for a fee and allow you to accept çredit cards for purchases, collect emails of buyers, track sales and other business needs.

6.) Edit your store by creating what you want your customers to see on your website. Upload images of your product or images that represent your service. Make sure it looks like somewhere you would purchase from. This includes purchasing a domain for your website URL. 7.) Add prices or sliding scale on the website so that your customers know what to expect.

8.) Create social media pages that reflect your business quality.

Creative Solutions Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

De Arenque Creations is a company created by Shanell De Arenque . From Farmville, North Carolina, De Arenque's business does all things from logo creation and decals, to websites and brochures. De Arenque's eye for graphic design began when she was in middle school and flourished after starting a photography business. She worked most of her life but never quite found the right vibe as an employee. She shared that she always wanted to move up in her field but felt that she would always get the short end of the stick and be stuck in her same position. That made her no longer want to be an employee but a self employed person.

When starting the business she used word of mouth as her form of marketing and had few setbacks. Perhaps it was her business plan that helped her avoid issues most businesses face or maybe it was her support system that kept her business from facing issues. We may never know, however, we do know that she has had a lot of support and thanks her boyfriend, Shalamar Thompson, and a group of her friends for supporting her and her business. Her mentors Pamela Stone, Mamie Sounders, and big sister Danielle D Smith are also big supporters of her business and possibly the secret sauce to her business success.

In order to start a business some business owners use loans and other methods to fund their businesses, De Arenque chose to avoid debt and use her last two paychecks from her job to fund her business. She advises new and current entrepreneurs to always do their research in order to avoid falling for scammers.

She stresses that business Shanell De Arenque above owners find trustworthy sources.

De Arenque feels blessed to De Arenque advises future and have many clientele. She current entrepreneurs to have sees her clients as friends goals and plans set. Regularly she that she gets to help. Being a encourages them to stay focused business owner has taught on the business, don't get her to become more discouraged when they don't get determined than usual and clients and promote their caused her to stop doubting business. She reminds business herself. She cherishes the owners to get their name out moments she has now and there and shares that, “You don't takes things one day at a have to work 24/7, you can take time. In five years she plans two to three days off so you do to be all the way up as far as not stress. You can learn more her business can go and she about De Arenque Creations on looks forward to connecting Instagram at DearnqueCreations with big firms and celebrities. and on Tiktok DearnqueCreations.

Bundle Up In Style Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

Jessica McCoy is a Tupelo Mississippi native who has opened a clothing store in the midst of the pandemic. She credits her business with being self taught and influenced by her best friend.

Her company is Shades of Brown Boutique. It sells apparel for women and toddlers. The clothing includes inspirational T-shirts, pants, dresses and swimwear. McCoy was inspired to create her business prior to the pandemic but was not ready until after the pandemic began. She also discovered that she was expecting a baby and wanted to have the business launched before she delivered.

McCoy decided to create a business in the fashion industry because she likes fashion and feels everyone should look nice. She previously created a travel agency and knew that she wanted to try her hand at something else. She also wanted to do something that she would not mind doing for free if she had to. She was a bit hesitant about opening a store because there is a lot of competition but she believes now that her business is different and will stand out.

When initially starting her business, McCoy had issues finding and interacting with vendors. She soon overcame them and set up her business. It was asked if she had a business when creating her business, she answered that she had a general business plan, nothing too specific, a logo, website, and business checking account. When transitioning into speaking about teams and their importance.

She expressed that team importance depends on the type of business one is running. Her business is better online and requires only her to run it for now. A storefront would require team members to help it function. Securing funds to open a business is usually difficult but McCoy had little issues doing so because she used her tax refund money to open her store online. She said that she did not want to take out a loan to avoid getting into debt.

McCoy is most proud to have created and opened her store on her own and she says, “For us as a people...” because her store is dedicated to Black people though it is for every race. She mentioned that her store is not just your everyday boutique because it promotes self love. While running her business she has learned that she’s patient, a go-getter and loves people. In the future she plans on being a household name and being able to give back to her community.

She lastly advises new and future entrepreneurs to, “Stay focused, take your time and once started don't give up. There will be times when you get no sales and people may return things. You don't have to have a perfect business plan but have something written down. Be legit. Get licensed, get the name. Get a business checking account. Don’t stop.”

Be Bold

Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

Tiffany Slade is a Reidsville, North Carolina resident who owns Birthing Boldly: Birth, Lactation and Women’s Health. She has worked in healthcare since 2007 and with women and children since 2009 at her local hospital. She later pursued and was trained in lactation and doula work. Currently she is a Lactation Consultant, CLE, Doula and Nurse Tech.

To become savvy about her work and business she took business courses and did a lot of research. She believes that, “...you never know everything so you prepare as best as you can and learn as you go making corrections when you need to.” Her company provides care to families beginning with fertility and continue care through pregnancy and postpartum.

They also provide full spectrum doula services, lactation/nutrition counseling and mental health therapy. Birthing Boldy has classes and breastpump and birth tub rentals.

Tiffany Slade above.

Slade’s passion for helping families and loving all things birth and lactation-related helped increase her drive for creating her business. Her community also had a lack of continuity of care for women during their child birthing years paired with high rates of maternal-infant death rates and she wanted to change that. She felt like no one would understand her passion and go hard for it the way that she would want it to be. She knew that she had to own her own business in order to make that impact and see the change occur in the manner she chose.

As a child Slade’s grandmother would let all the kids take turns watching TV and Slade’s favorite show to watch was A Baby Story on TLC. Her cousins hated watching the show but Slade didn’t care. Later in life Slade began to volunteer at a hospital on the birthing floor, demonstrating her passion has not been altered all of these years. She has always wanted to be a midwife and will be starting that journey soon.

Slade believes in giving her families the care that she would want to receive and build lasting relationships because of it. She was fearful in the beginning of starting her business and had self doubt but prayed it away.

She knew that God was calling her to do birth work and open her business so she made up her mind and went for it. So far, the Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest setback in her business. It has made attending hospital births, having in person events, and classes difficult.

They’ve gone virtual to accommodate their families.

In the beginning Slade wrote up a detailed business plan and uses it to this day to ensure she's staying on track.

She created a team of people because for her, “It was very important to have a team because I wanted to offer services that I couldn’t provide.”

She continued to explain that she wanted to, “find genuine like minded individuals that provide great care and mesh well together.” She thanks her family for being her support system. She says, “My family has definitely bee my biggest supporters and encouraging throughout this process.” She recognizes her close friends and business relationships as well.

In regards to funding her business Slade feels it is an important aspect of opening a business. She personally financed her business and saved money to pursue her dreams. She encourages business owners to seek funding from various sources available to reduce the strain put on them and allow the focus to be on the clients. She notes to use loans as a last result. She’s proud to say that her business is the first in her community to provide all the services she does and continues to impact families in a positive way.

She has learned from being a business owner that she’s persistent and will not give up on making her vision flourish.

Within the next five years, she will have a freestanding birth center and expand her services. She encourages other entrepreneurs, “Don’t give up! Being a business owner has its ups and downs but stay persistent even when you're not sure people are watching. Pray over your business and let God lead you before making decisions. Also research every aspect of your business before adjusting your plans as needed to fit your business model. It’s hard work but worth it to see your business flourish!”

Flavorful Products Sonya N. Harris-Oguzor

Roger's shown above

Demetrius Rogers is a Texas native who has been working on her craft since 2014. She created the company Asili Creations, a company that handmakes plant based hair care products. These products do a slew of things from providing nourishment to hydration all in order to create the recipe for healthy hair.

I'm always curious as to why people start businesses so I asked Roger's her reasoning. She answered that she had a ten year career that hit a wall. That wall was a horrible experience that gave her two choices: resign or be demoted. With innate leadership abilities growing inside of her daily, she affirmed herself that she could do more and serve millions of people. Ultimately starting her business.

Like other business owners she was fearful about leaping into the unknown but she knew that she had to try. She wanted to know her capabilities as a business owner.

Initially, she had issues finding funding like a lot of small business owners. Marketing her business was tough as well but her self confidence was a setback that she didn't expect.

Journeying through the business world was an adventure that left her with doubts.

I inquired more about the motivation for Roger's business and products, why hair? She told me that one day she got fed up with her chronic dry scalp. She recalled going into her kitchen and pulling out herbs and oils and butters. She mixed a little of this and that until she found a formula that relieved her scalp issues. She immediately knew that other women would benefit from her recipe and thus the idea for her company was created. She did not have a business plan but had goals written down for various time periods.

We began speaking about teamwork and effort. I asked about the importance of teamwork in a business. She said that teams, "offer creativeness, solidarity, support and 100% buy in the business mission. It's great to have a team that feels like family!"

Speaking of supporters she says her biggest supporters are her family members, friends and a member of her local Black Chamber of Commerce. Weekly business classes helped her learn about economics, how to do business with the government and assisted her with securing business opportunities.

She advised anyone who wants to go into business to set up their business entity, get a EIN, and bank account. She recommends trademarking your business name, work with a banking institution for funding and get in an environment where knowledgeable people can be resources to information. Lastly, she advised to always do your own research.

I concluded the interview by asking about what about Asili Creations made her most proud. Roger's answered that her customers like her products and they make their daughter feel confident enough to wear styles like afros to school or a formerly relaxed woman love her natural hair. "We are changing lives by instilling confidence one jar at a time!" She has learned that not it is not easy being a business owner but well worth the journey and that "The impact we have around the world is so positive...we are proud to add more... to the planet."