May 9-15, 2018 • michiganchronicle.com • Page B-4
small business spotlight
A daughter, a mother, a grandmother and a candle company: the inspiration behind 12th and Viv candles
Three years ago, Darian Cook was tired of spending money on cheap candles from Dollar Tree and could not afford to keep buying the more expensive candles from Bath & Body Works. So, she went to Michaels, bought a kit on how to make candles and some other supplies, and used Pinterest and YouTube to learn how to make her own candles.
“It started off pretty bad. The candles didn’t really smell like anything and it took me some time to get them right. Eventually, I got them together and after perfecting them, I decided to start my own business and make a living off of it.” Cook named her new business 12th and Viv: 12 for her favorite number and Viv to honor her grandmother Vivian Cook. The company’s name may seem simple, but the meaning behind it all is the fuel that keeps the flame burning. Vivian Cook took in her granddaughter after she ran away from her mother’s home. The elder Cook is 81-years-old and has been battling with her health for some time now. But she raised her granddaughter as if she were her own, leaving an everlasting impact on her life. “I wanted to name my business after her because she motivated me a lot,” Cook said of her grandmother. “My grandmother and I are pretty close. She took me in at one point and I appreciate her for that. I grew a deeper bond with her after that point and it inspired me to honor her. She still calls me to this day to ask how my business is doing.” Cook’s business partner is her mother, Regina Walton. She invested money in 12th and Viv and began to takeover full operation of the business while her daughter was pregnant and worked. She now makes candles and runs the social media and website for 12th and Viv. Cook’s relationship with her mother is great now but it was not always like that. Walton is a Jehovah’s Witness and does not even celebrate Mother’s Day. The household was
Effort also leverages the financial expertise of more than 400 Citizens bankers who volunteer with local nonprofits to teach consumers how to manage their money better. As part of its ongoing commitment to give consumers the confidence and tools they need to reach their potential, Citizens Bank announced today that six nonprofit organizations in Michigan will receive $110,000 in contributions as part of the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money financial literacy initiative. Citizens Bank will provide $1.5 million in grants in nine states including Michigan that will help people obtain a better understanding of financial topics ranging from the basics of checking accounts and household budgeting to the intricacies of starting or building a business and long-term financial planning. During Financial Literacy Month and throughout the year, Citizens wants to help individuals and businesses in achieving their financial goals, and the tools they need to budget, save, invest and be fiscally healthy.
By Branden Hunter
“I had just moved into a new place and I constantly kept buying candles weekly,” said Cook. “I had an entire cabinet stacked with candles and I thought it would be cost effective if I learned how to make them myself.”
Citizens Bank announces $110,000 in financial literacy charitable contributions to non-profits in Michigan
The yearlong effort will support financial literacy programming for small business owners, entrepreneurs, homebuyers, students and other consumers throughout the communities it serves. A significant piece of funding in Michigan is going to Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.
strict for Cook growing up, like not being able to go to parties and homecomings, which put a strain on the relationship between Cook, her mother and her mother’s husband. Cook did not want to be a Jehovah’s Witness and once she was 18, decided to go live with her grandmother. “It took us a couple of years to back to a friendship level,” Cook said of her mother. “We didn’t speak for months after I left home. It was really hard on us, but I think we got closer once I had my daughter. I got to see the softer side of her after that and we became really good friends again.” “Not having your mom around can be really hard. And I’m glad she is back in my because I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without her. My business would not be where it is now if it wasn’t for her supporting and helping me. For her to drop everything for me, gave me an appreciation that I thought I’d never have for my mom.” Signature soy candles are what 12th and Viv is known for, available in a dozen scents, handmade, hand poured and freshly crafted in small batches with the best quality ingredients. But they also make and sell lip butter, room sprays, body polish, body butter, and foam hand soap. With the inspiration of Cook’s grandmother and the help of her mother, 12th and Viv has grown since its inception and encompasses a wide range of organic and unique products that are safe, healthy and make you feel good physically and mentally. “I would love to get my business into some major retails stores,” said Cook. “We are trying to get stores to stock our product and get our name out here more. Our goal is for our candles and other products to be known around the world.”
“The grant from Citizens Bank allows us to better equip Detroit’s small business community with the financial literacy tools they need to succeed,” said Michelle Richards. “Business failure rates in Michigan are at 66% for companies 10 years old, according to the SBA. A large reason for this is inadequate financial education and resources. With the help of the Citizens financial literacy grant, our CEED Detroit Loan Program provides microloans up to $50,000 at 5% for 5 years, along with extensive hands-on technical assistance. Weekly loan orientations and financial literacy sessions are also held weekly for approximately 200 participants annually.” The following are the funding recipients in Michigan and how the money will be used: • Accounting Aid Society of Metropolitan Detroit – To support the 2018 Tax Assistance and Financial Education Program to increase and expand economic security and financial literacy for low-to-moderate income households. • Detroit Land Bank Community Development Corporation – To support the Home Buyer Counseling Program to improve financial literacy and prevent foreclosure.
Van Dyke Horn From page B-3 “Van Dyke Horn strong believes in having a team that reflect the clients and communities we serve. While we are proud of our deep bench strength of professional expertise, we also recognize how important it is to have a diverse team of consultants, in gender, culture, race and age,” said Van
• Great Lakes Women’s Business Council – To address the need for affordable financing, financial literacy, and technical assistance for women and minority-owned businesses in Detroit neighborhoods. • Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan – To support the JA Financial Literacy for Youth program to prepare students to proactively manage their finances through age-appropriate instruction. • Southwest Economic Solutions - To build the capacity for integrated financial coaching services across diverse programming, specifically ProsperUS. • Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency - To improve the economic well-being of fellow citizens by increasing financial capabilities and assets. In addition to the financial literacy grants, Citizens Bank offers helpful
tips on its website for consumers to learn how to budget and save as well as advice on how to save to buy a home, seek identity protection and more. The bank is also inviting those interested in learning more about money management to follow along on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, throughout the month of April to learn and share tips about topics such as goal-setting, saving and managing credit. The bank’s Community Ambassadors— colleagues trained to deliver the FDIC’s MoneySmart curriculum to consumers— will offer their real-world tips on saving and money management. “At Citizens, we believe that becoming financially savvy is a skill that benefits everyone. Learning the basics is the first step in achieving your financial goals and getting on the path to financial security,” said Rick Hampson, President, Citizens Bank, Michigan. “With Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, more than 400 Citizens Bank colleagues will provide members of our communities with the knowledge, confidence and resources they need to budget, save, invest and be fiscally healthy.” Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money is part of the bank’s broader Citizens Helping Citizens program, which addresses three key areas: hunger, financial education and strengthening communities.
Dyke. “In a nutshell: we don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk,” he said. Van Dyke Horn’s mission is to not only serve its clients, but to serve the communities in which it does business. In Detroit, Van Dyke Horn sponsors the Berg Muirhead Scholarship for Public Relations Student Advancement in honor of the firm’s founders, as well as supports the
Michigan Humane Society, Detroit Public Theatre and the Coleman A. Young Foundation. Van Dyke Horn currently serves approximately 40 clients across a broad spectrum of sectors, including automotive, government, energy, education, coalitions, hospitality, non-profits, foundations and associations, real estate development and utilities.
5 Reasons deskside meetings should be a bigger part of your PR strategy By Sakita Holley
less opportunity for you to get them interested in whatever it is you’re selling.
Earlier this week I set up a full day of deskside meetings for one of my clients.
3. Opportunity for thought leadership.
Essentially, desksides are one-on-one meetings with reporters at media outlets where a brand or executive wants to get coverage. We typically look to book a deskside appointment when a client is launching a new product, making an announcement that warrants the one-on-one or simply to introduce an executive or brand to a particular outlet and/or reporter.
Unlike email or phone outreach, face-to-face meetings really give you a better chance to demonstrate your passion, enthusiasm and expertise for your product or story, which can help you position yourself as an expert source or thought leader for a particular topic.
These meetings, which can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour (longer meetings are rare), are an important part of our firm’s media relations strategy because they greatly increase opportunities for coverage, especially for some of our lesser known clients.
At any given time you could be pitching different stories or projects for the same client to 3 to 5 different reporters or editors at a publication. For example, you could be working with the print team on a feature that will run a few months down the road, a blogger who needs images for a post that’s going up tomorrow or a video/visual content team to go over script ideas for an upcoming video series.
If you’re not scheduling face time with the reporters who cover your client’s industry; start now. Here are some of the benefits that deskside meetings provide: 1. In person meetings are gold when it comes to building familiarity and trust. Even with all of the technological advances we have that keep us connected 24/7, there is still nothing that beats faceto-face communication when
4. You can meet more than one editor or reporter at a time.
Sakita Holley you’re looking to build meaningful relationships or connections. Pitch emails and phone interviews are great, but in-person meetings allow you to build familiarity and trust a lot quicker and can help cement your place on a reporter’s radar. Newsroom staff cuts and increased coverage responsibility also eat up a good amount of a reporter’s time, so if you notice that they decline invitations to events or pressers often, don’t hesitate to bring the show di-
rectly to them. 2. You can guarantee that for a set amount of time, the reporter is focused only on you and/or your product. Calls can be sent to voicemail, emails can be neglected or discarded and packages with products can sit unopened for days or weeks. A deskside appointment affords you the chance to have a reporter’s undivided attention for a set period of time which can be a price-
Deskside appointments are a great way to bring everyone together at once (FYI, you always want to be transparent when you’re pitching more than one person at an outlet) to establish a rapport with the client and to discuss the best way to leverage the content across platforms, etc. 5. If the reporter leaves the
publication, you won’t have to restart the relationship. Lately, there’s been a ton of turnover in the media industry with reporters jumping from publication to publication, getting promoted up the masthead or leaving to start their own media ventures. If you’ve been focused on building relationships all along this won’t be such a big deal because you’ll have a connection or an “in” with that person no matter where they go. Placing a high priority on building relationships has paid off handsomely for our clients in the past, especially when people get promoted to decision-making roles because they’ll remember who took the time to get to know them and will often contact you first if there’s a relevant opportunity. Ultimately, scheduling some one-on-one time with your clients and the writers that cover their industry can drastically increase your chances of getting media coverage. So, the next time, you feel like you’re getting nowhere with your current pitch strategy, reach out to a reporter and request a deskside meeting. Sakita Holley is the Founder/CEO of House of Success PR and the host of the Hashtags and Stilettos Podcast. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MissSuccess.