THRIVE
Leading Business Magazine for Black Entrepreneurs
Cyber Security
Social Media
Venture Capital
June 2022 www.northernvirginiabcc.org
REGISTER TODAY
Image by Robin McDougal
BE VIBRANT DIVERSITY ADDS DEPTH AND COMPLEXITY TO ANY BIG IDEA
3
Welcome to THRIVE FROM THE EDITOR ROBIN MCDOUGAL VICE-CHAIR, NVBCC EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to bringing our network timely and valuable business information designed for success while reducing our environmental footprint. As a result, we are excited to launch our new digital magazine, THRIVE! The NVBCC THRIVE Magazine is the leading digital magazine dedicated to Black entrepreneurs. We’re committed to providing resources, leadership, and advocacy to promote prosperity within the African American business community. Our goal is to facilitate the economic empowerment of black-owned businesses and their successful development in the region. You can expect trends, insights, and data designed to guide your decisions or support your next BIG idea! THRIVE Magazine is dedicated to your success with carbon-neutral publishing designed to save trees, reduce paper consumption, save energy associated with magazine production, save fuel needed for shipping, and pollution required to dispose of unused magazines. THRIVE Magazine content is designed to be shared within your network with lightning speed. The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce believes in your success and your ability to
THRIVE
Robin 4
It is always tough to get people to believe in your vision, don't give up! Sheila Johnson Hotel Magnate, Film Maker, Sports Team Owner
Image by Robin McDougal
CONTENT
12
CYBERSECURITY TRENDS
23
Podcasting has become the channel your customer loves. Learn more about how you can leverage podcasting in your business.
The COVID pandemic has amplified cybersecurity concerns. Learn about the next wave of threats
18
MEET OUR CEO'S Corey Holeman and Kindra Dionne are CEO leaders who THRIVE!
SOCIAL MEDIA
27
VENTURE CAPITAL What is Venture Capital? Can it take your business to the next level? Who are the players?
6
June 19th
Leaders Who THRIVE!
THRIVE
Samuel Wiggins Chief Operating Officer, Soteryx Chairman, Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce Samuel Wiggins, 2022, Chairman NVBCC is also the Chief Executive Officer for Wiggins Advisory, LLC, and the Chief Operating Officer for Soteryx Corp. He has over 25 years of experience in executive leadership, security, and risk management. His expertise in the management of projects, people, and resources spans both private and government sectors.
Sam’s distinguished career includes extensive government service. He has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was a United States Federal Agent from 2002 to 2017. During that time, he served as the Special Agent in Charge of an executive protection detail for a member of the President’s cabinet; worked with the National Joint Terrorism Taskforce, and served as the Associate Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Homeland Security. His other roles have included: Chairman, Student Housing of America, Inc. Member, Greater Washington Urban League Member, Association of Minority Enterprises New York – Upstate Member, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
8
Leaders Who THRIVE!
THRIVE
Learn More Robin McDougal, CEO e-GLAM, Inc Founder, The Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM Literacy Vice-Chairwomen, Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce Robin McDougal, 2022 Vice-Chairwomen of the NVBCC is also CEO of e-GLAM, Inc. a technology accessories company. Committed to attracting and retaining women/girls in S.T.E.M. careers, especially in aerospace, in 2014 she launched the not-forprofit 501 (c) 3 organization The Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM Literacy ( Home of Interstellar Dreams Space Center)
Our mission is to build a pipeline of next-generation professionals ready for global leadership by removing barriers. Her vision is to increase the presence of women and other underrepresented communities to the commercial aerospace industry. Her other roles have included: Co-Chair of Innovation Council Public Speaker, Author, Product Design Founder of BLAZE, Space Entrepreneurs Accelerator Editor In Chief of COBALT Magazine for Women in Technology
9
“Everyone needs a chance to evolve.” — Jay-Z
Image by Robin McDougal
LEAD SHARE ELITE NETWORKING JUNE 4, 2022 11:30 AM - JUNE 23, 2022 1:30 PM
Join Us!
Register Today
JOIN US AT THE HYATT REGENCY FOR LUNCH AND LEAD WITH NVBCC MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS. LUNCH, FREE PARKING, AND GREAT CONNECTIONS AWAIT YOU. HYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITY AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT 2799 RICHMOND HIGHWAY, ARLINGTON, VA, 22202, UNITED STATES
Cybersecurity Trends Learn More
The COVID pandemic has amplified the cybersecurity risks looming large for all businesses, regardless of their size. Security and risk executives face a critical juncture, as the digital footprint of organizations expands and centralized cybersecurity control becomes obsolete, says Gartner, Inc. in their 2022 trends study.
It is recommended that we understand these seven trends to enable us to be better able to address new risks :
The Gartner research revealed trends we all know, and have been impacted by since the expansion of hybrid work and digital business processes in the cloud. Today's sophisticated ransomware, attacks on the digital supply chain and deeply embedded vulnerabilities have exposed technology gaps and skills shortages.
GARTNER, INC IS TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND CONSULTING FIRM BASED IN STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT
12
Expand To THRIVE! Sheila Dixon, NVBCC Executive Director is an energetic community outreach and marketing advocate driving impact for social justice in our Northern Virginia Community. Throughout her experience in the non-profit sector, she assists organizations to enhance their community engagement objectives. A combination of leadership qualities, fierce determination, and a process-driven, strategic mindset has labeled her as an enterprising change maker in our Northern Virginia Community. Sheila has assisted more than 2,000 business and non-profit business owners in the area through one-to-one consulting, experiential live group training, and mini-mastermind sessions with local experts. Sheila owns a small business and understands as the economy is changing, business models may need a shift to remain relevant. Her team is comprised of gig economists, market force digital professionals, and communication specialists developing business models to help expand brand recognition and business growth.
13
"It takes the same energy to think small as it does to think big. So dream big and think bigger." businessman, investor, television personality, author, and motivational speaker.
THRIVE
A Passion For Helping Others! Tonya M. White is President & CEO of The Write Touch LLC, and her passion is helping others reach their goals. Tonya accomplishes this through writing and by providing other communication services. Her company, The Write Touch LLC, offers Professional Writing, Communication, and Career Management Services to make certain clients’ messages reach their intended audiences and ensure those messages are clear and understood. These skills serve Tonya well as a member of the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce as Tonya fosters a spirit of community success, awareness, and engagement. Tonya’s passion for helping others through written communications developed when she led high-achieving Communications, Training, and Behavioral Analysis teams during her 21-year career with the federal government. She empowered others to find their own passion when she led training programs. Tonya is committed to connecting with her clients and digging deep to ensure she relates with them. Only through those relationships can she provide her clients Professional Writing with a Personal Touch. Tonya personalizes her services to each client by researching their needs and aligning those needs to their organization's values, vision, and mission. When this happens, she will help clients meet their goals for success.
15
Learn More
16
"Make time to refocus your vision to achieve success" Stephanie Vozza
Meet
Corey Holeman
Owner, Holeman Enterprises Past Chair, NVBCC
"I am committed to the growth of small and minority businesses." Corey Holeman has 20 years of business management, entrepreneurial and executive experience in a variety of fields. His business pursuits include the areas of Financial Management, Restaurant Services, Management Consulting, and Event Planning. Corey's early career in the investing industry culminated with him serving as the Portfolio Manager of 5 funds at The Vanguard Group, totaling in $5 billion in assets.
Corey's financial expertise led him to the position of CFO with a management company that owned and operated 25 restaurants. Corey & his wife Courtney later branched out on their own and grew from 1 to 9 restaurants over a 12-year period. In 2008, Corey helped lead the turnaround of National Conferencing, a federal contracting firm that has ranked #2 on the Inc 500's list of the fastest-growing companies in 2013. As a small angel investor, Corey continues to feed his entrepreneurial passion by consulting and investing in business across several fields, including health care, technology, and food distribution companies. Corey is committed to the growth of small minority-owned businesses through operational excellence and financial prudence.
18
Know yourself and what you do best. Find that “thing” that you do best with the least amount of effort. Stay aggressive, ambitious, and persistent. Corey Holeman Quotes From Virginia Black Lifestyle Magazine
Spirit Photo credit: Damon Deckert
SKINCARE ESSENTIALS
LEADER
Meet
Kindra Dionne Wine Company Founder Kindra Dionne is a game-changer. Owner of a Leesburg, Virginia-based wine company, Fifty Leven, Kindra has launched an approachable wine brand offering diverse varietals and blends that range from sweet to off-dry. The name Fifty Leven is all about options. Kindra's mission is to continuously build a collection of sophisticated wines suitable for diverse palates. Harvested and produced in Loudoun County, VA the Fifty Leven wine collection features two white wines, two red wines, and a portstyle wine. Each varietal boasts its own unique flavor profile making it fun to pair with diverse foods. More Detailed Descriptions and Technical Data Available at: www.fiftylevencollection.com
21
Today, I will
(left to right) LeAnn White, Assist.VP FVCbank. Ken Moorman Owner, Jirani Coffeeshouse
The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce (NVBCC) is unique among networking groups targeting black-owned businesses. The Chamber connects members to companies, fellow entrepreneurs, public and private lenders, and others who can help them advance their businesses. We inform key stakeholders about the economic, legal policy, social, cultural, and other factors that impact black-owned businesses. info@northernvirginiabcc.org or Call 703.442.4472.
Become a Member
22
Social Media The Podcast
MICHAEL ANTHONY Michael Anthony is an accomplished Director, Producer, Writer, and Transmedia storyteller. When it comes to storytelling, he believes in understanding the “why.”
Podcasting is a growing market for not only content creators, but for business owners. With technology at our literal fingertips, entrepreneurs can produce their own commercials, advertisements, and marketing, to final distribution. Podcasting is only one layer to a larger strategy, and when used effectively can dramatically improve your bottom line. Podcasts by the numbers: ( data from Buzzsprout statistics) In 2022, 62% of the population 12+ have listened to a podcast Over one-third (104 million) of Americans listen to podcasts regularly. 38% of those ages 12+ in the U.S. are monthly podcast listeners. 43% of listeners ages 35-54 are monthly podcast listeners (the most popular age group for podcast consumption). During Covid, podcasting experienced unprecedented growth 73% listen to podcasts on their smartphone cell phone. 80% of listeners listen to all or most of every podcast episode they start. 30% of podcasts last 20–40 minutes
23
SOICAL MEDIA-PODCAST
Key Components of a Successful Podcast THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT TIPS FOR BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST ARE NICHE CONTENT, EQUIPMENT, RECORDING SOFTWARE, AND A DISTRIBUTION PLAN.
"The reason why any entrepreneur should start producing a podcast is that it makes you a subject-matter expert to your audience and puts your voice around the world." Niche Content: Storytelling matters. What are you talking about and why? How can you cut through all the noise (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok)we are presented with on a daily basis. Niche Content is very focused and specific for an audience.
Equipment: If you are doing just a podcast, which is audio-only, then get a good to great microphone. Take time to research USB Condenser Microphone. Microphones with a USB can incorporate with your computer. Plan to get a good web camera
Pure Flow Productions is a Logitech Partner and can sell and service their suite of products and services.
Recording Software: There are so many software options to choose from. What to consider when thinking about software is how would you like your workflow? Do you want to record and send out, or something that lets you make detailed changes for a well-produced show. The ones that make it easier for the end-user, would be platforms like Anchor, Blog Talk Radio, and Audacity.
Learn More
Distribution Plan. The first thing you have to consider is how often do you want to put out a podcast? Once a week, once a month, every quarter? It all works, but it has to make sense and be consistent. Don't lose momentum and your audience.
24
COMING FALL
2022
www.thepearlprojectinstitute.org
Learn More
STRATEGIC PARTNER THANK
YOU
KENDRA
SCOTT
Mosaic District 2920 District Ave SUITE 125, Fairfax, VA 22031 (571) 253-7355 Mosaicdistrict@Kendrascott.Com
26
Venture Capital 101 What is Venture Capital? learn more
Venture Capital (VC) is funding given to a startup in exchange for equity in the company. Often VC funding is used to take a business from one level to the next, especially to cover an emerging company's expenditures associated with staffing, product development, and/or marketing efforts.
27
Venture Capital Harlem Capital is a venture capital firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years. Founded by four friends, Brandon Bryant, Jarrid Tingle, Henri Pierre-Jacques, and John Henry, they decided to take on the task of funding black and brown founders
Investment Criteria
28
Venture Capital Precursor Ventures was founded in 2015 in San Fransico by Manging Partner, Charles Hudson. with one simple premise. It is our belief that all entrepreneurs, regardless of background, benefit from having an institutional investor to help them scale and grow their company from the very beginning. We have built the entire firm around the premise that helping entrepreneurs get started and scale will be our life’s work. We invest in early-stage companies headquartered in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico). We make 20-25 new investments per year on average. We want to invest in your first institutional round of investment. We do not have requirements for traction or metrics. We are unafraid to back unproven, first-time entrepreneurs; unproven is not the same as incapable. We are committed to investing in founders who represent a wide variety of backgrounds in terms of gender, race, background, academic experience, and life circumstances.
Investment Criteria
29
Venture Capital Investing in underestimated founders is more than good business sense, it’s a deeply held conviction that what we all do together will change the world. "We invest in the very best founders who identify as women, People of Color, or LGBTQ. I personally identify as all three." We invest in overlooked and underestimated startups led by women, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ founders in all industries. We invest in scalable, venture-backable startups whose founders live and breathe their product or service. We look for founders that are destined to be doing what they’re doing. This can be in a variety of industries or business models. Backstage Capital is a venture capital fund and therefore looking for highly scalable companies that can return our investment 10x or more. We invest in Pre-Seed to Series A rounds, and sometimes beyond. The majority of our investments are $100k and can go up from there depending on your round.
Investment Criteria
30
Venture Capital The Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) is focused on providing venture capital for Virginia’s traditionally underrepresented entrepreneurs. Proceeds from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation's (VIPC) successful Virginia Venture Partner (formerly GAP Funds) investment program are being reinvested into the Virginia economy through the VFF, which specifically supports female founders and founders of color developing companies in such sectors as software, hardware, life science, cleantech, and technology-enabled services. Since 2005, the Virginia Venture Partners, formerly CIT GAP Funds, has invested in Virginia’s leading technology, clean tech, and life science start-ups. VVP invests for both impact and ROI, generating significant economic returns for entrepreneurs, co-investors, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Investment Criteria 31
August 2022
"Keep your eyes on the finish line and not on the turmoil around you." Robyn Rihanna Fenty singer, actress, businesswoman.
THRIVE Thank You! contributors
Editor-in-Chief Robin McDougal Creative Advisor Managing Editor Wine & Spirits Contributor Health & Wellness Editor Photography
Michael Anthony Tonya White Kindra Dionne Jocelyn Johnson Robin's Nest Images
EDITORIAL OFFICE 8300 Boone Blvd, Tysons Corner, VA 22182 (571) 298-1187 | info@northernvirginiabcc.org
www.northernvirginiabcc.org
34
THRIVE Thank You! Acknowledgements Robin's Nest Images Michael Anthony Damon Deckert Page Gordon Adobe Stock YouTube Canva
Pages 3,5,10,14,17 Pages 8, 11, 13, 22, 26 Pages 20, 21 Pages 4,9 Pages 1,7,27,32,33 Pages 12, 28, 29,30,31 Pages 6,22,23,24,25,36
EDITORIAL OFFICE 8300 Boone Blvd, Tysons Corner, VA 22182 (571) 298-1187 | info@northernvirginiabcc.org
www.northernvirginiabcc.org
35
Become a Member Network with members Connect with Vendors Attend entrepreneurial Events www.northernvirginiabcc.org
JOIN US!
Share Your Story
THRIVE Magazine
Contributors Invited!
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?
THRIVE Is About You!
THRIVE Magazine is dedicated to bringing our network timely and valuable business information designed for success. We are committed to providing resources, leadership, and advocacy to promote prosperity within the African American Community. We invite you to collaborate with us to facilitate the economic empowerment of black-owned businesses with the latest trends, insights, and data from your area of expertise.
"Your voice is important. Click Here to tell us what our community needs to know." We invite you to share information that will: 1) Amplify the voices of NVBCC members and their services 2) Showcase events, resources, and expertise available to our membership community 3) Inspire and elevate the NVBCC community