My greatest inspiration in life is seeing black-owned business owners thrive. I feel as though the best way to empower society is through education and business. That sentiment holds even more weight in black and brown communities across the globe. I've been able to see this first hand. Shortly after I graduated high school in 2017, I started working at an architecture and interior design firm here in my city. It was my first real job and I took it seriously. I got to see people of my brown complexion who owned their business and made an impact day in and day out. About a year afterward I started a new job at a black-owned startup business. It was a home-based business at the time, and being able to be a part of a team that would then go on to make 1 million dollars in sales 2 years later was a mindblowing experience. It was at that time, that I understood that business ownership and chasing your dream as an entrepreneur was possible. You could write your own story, whether it be as an architect designing hospitals in the city, or as a bustling startup paving their own way with no handouts. I recently started my own business, now at twenty-two years of age, providing digital marketing help to other small businesses in my city. I've learned so many invaluable lessons already: the importance of killing self-doubt, the importance of balance and self-care, and understanding that nothing worth it is built overnight. I'm motivated to stay true to my passion and break the mental shackles a lot of POC individuals have, that a comfortable lifestyle can only be built on a 9-to-5 lifestyle. I'm motivated to be one of the few in my family that is self-made, with a business and schedule that allows me to take control of my life and how I spend my time. To me, I can only empower others and my future family by feeling empowered myself.

The best way to empower society is through education and business. I've been able to see this first hand. Shortly after I graduated high school in 2017, I started working at an architecture and interior design firm here in my city. It was my first real job and I took it seriously. I got to see people of my brown complexion who owned their business and made an impact day in and day out. About a year afterward I started a new job at a black-owned startup business. It was a home-based business at the time, and being able to be a part of a team that would then go on to make 1 million dollars in sales 2 years later was a mindblowing experience. It was at that time, that I understood that business ownership and chasing your dream as an entrepreneur was possible. You could write your own story, whether it be as an architect designing hospitals in the city, or as a bustling startup paving their own way with no handouts. I recently started my own business, now at twenty-two years of age, providing digital marketing help to other small businesses in my city. I've learned so many invaluable lessons already: the importance of killing self-doubt, the importance of balance and self-care, and understanding that nothing worth it is built overnight. I'm motivated to stay true to my passion and break the mental shackles a lot of POC individuals have, that a comfortable lifestyle can only be built on a 9-to-5 lifestyle. I'm motivated to be one of the few in my family that is self-made, with a business and schedule that allows me to take control of my life and how I spend my time. To me, I can only empower others and my future family by feeling empowered myself.

"Black-owned businesses don't need funding, they need support." I heard those words for the first time at the Village Market, an Atlanta-based marketplace founded by a black woman, to encourage the black spending dollar. The year was 2019 and I had been working as a creative director and social media strategist for a company by the name of Evan Alexander Grooming. Throughout that weekend, I got to see so many amazing black-owned businesses thriving and garnering support through the community. It was truly empowering to say the least. The diversity and mission statements that they all embodied were powerful. Not only that but to see the overwhelming support from other black (or POC) customers that weekend was also encouraging. At that moment I felt like pursuing your dreams as a black person was possible. I saw hundreds of people pursuing their dreams that turned into entrepreneurship and business ownership. Later on that year into 2020 the startup business I was with full-time (Evan Alexander Grooming) went on to acquire their own warehouse space to expand, recruit a bigger team, and scale. This was after starting as a home-based business just two years prior. We documented everything, the mistakes, accomplishments, and periods of doubt. After seeing my bosses, who turned into more of a family, go through that process up close and personal, on top of the experience I had at the Village Market, it motivated me to take my own business goals seriously. Assessing my situation, there were times where self-doubt snuck in. I had dropped out in my freshman year of college in 2018, after mounting family duties and stress coupled with the fact that I was pursuing a degree that wasn't aligned with my interests, all took a toll on me. College was also something my immediate family didn't necessarily support due to growing up in an extremely religious household. I was supporting myself financially on my own and I knew I was taking a risk by betting on my dreams. However, after a few months of planning, I finally did it. In April of this year, I quit the full-time job that I loved dearly, got accepted into my dream school, and started my own business all in the same month. My goal is to help other black-owned businesses tell their story authentically and organically to improve their exposure online and scale their business. I realized a lot of business owners run off passion, and although that is great in the beginning, a marketing strategy along with support from their customers is so important. Being able to be that guide and help amplify their stories in a way that connects with their audience and community is my passion. In the end, empowering black business owners helps to empower families, which then go on to empower communities.