Black to Business

Name: Attorney Ticora Davis Current Title: Founder and CEO of The Creators Law Firm Location: North Carolina Educational Background: B.S. Biological Sciences   About Ticora: Attorney, author, and speaker, Ticora Davis is recognized as one of the most prominent voices advocating for more holistic, inclusive, and ethical legal representation for Black women and creatives of color. The founder and CE...

Name: Michelle Dalzon Current Title: CEO of The Black-Owned Market (theBOM) Location: Boston, MA Educational Background: Umass Amherst 2010 - BA Communications     About Michelle: As the descendant of small business owners, I envision a world where Black brands THRIVE. I had the pleasure of watching my parents run a successful business with limited resources and exposure and still rise. I've spent...

Name: Shaquanna(Ms. Business) Brooks Current Title: CEO and Founder of Brooks Alliance Location: Brooklyn, NY Educational Background: Certified Public Accountant   About Shaquanna: Ms. Business brings more than just 7 years in diverse tax, finance, business formation, and consulting experience to her role as a Certified Public Accountant. Some of her expertise include choosing the correct business...

Name: Ify Ifebi Current Title: Founder of Vendorspace Location: Atlanta, GA Educational Background: Marketing BBA, Howard University   About Ify: Ify Ifebi is an event producer, mompreneur and founder at Vendorspace, a marketplace that connects vendors with event organizers and event opportunities. With over 13 years of entertainment and event production experience, she has a passion for bringing...

Name: Rose Désauguste Current Title: CEO of Nectar Digital Group Location: New York City Educational Background: Masters   About Rose: Rose Désauguste is an entrepreneur and the founder of Nectar Digital Group, an agency that brands companies and helps them better represent themselves, market their services, and automate their marketing digitally. Rose has been guiding companies, big and small, on...

Name: Jeremy Brown Current Title: Founder at Startups Give Back Location: San Francisco Bay Area   About Jeremy: Jeremy Brown is the Founder of Startups Give Back, an organization on a mission to make philanthropy a top priority for startups, and Changemaker Studios, a parent organization that creates and manages a portfolio of impact brands. He's also an angel investor, a marketer in the tech ind...

Name: Chido Samantha Mbavarira Age: 36 Current Title: Online Business Strategist Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada Educational Background: Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS — International development (Hons)- 2008 An interdisciplinary program with a strong foundation in the political economy of development and globalization. Digital Wellness Certificate- 2020 Digital Wellness promotes optimal h...

Rashod grew up as an athlete and a musician. He thought his life would take him into the music industry. But he ended up falling in love with inspiring other people and exposing his peers to a lifestyle that was only seen on television. He wanted to find a way to use his voice to uplift others. That became the mission of SUAVV.  SUAVV Magazine was started out of frustration while shopping for read...

Style blogger, social media specialist and digital media maven Christina S. Brown is a New York native and the founder of fast-growing lifestyle destination LoveBrownSugar.com . Recognized everywhere from The New York Times to Essence Magazine as a top lifestyle blog, LoveBrownSugar.com focuses on fashion and beauty for multicultural women with an emphasis on self-empowerment. DURING THIS EPISODE...

  Frederick is the CEO and founder of Pigeonly, a platform that makes it easy for people to search, find and communicate with an incarcerated loved one. A born entrepreneur, Frederick launched and sold his first business at the age of 19. His desire to attain the American dream on his terms took him down the wrong path and at 23, he was indicted for distributing 3,000 kg of marijuana. It was durin...

Johnny Bailey is a Social Entrepreneur and Executive Director of The ShineHard Family, a 501(c)3 organization based in Washington DC. ShineHard's mission is to recognize and connect the nation's top black millennial leaders, then unify them to educate and inspire the next generation of young black leaders. The ShineHard Family is comprised of entrepreneurs, artists, and corporate innovators from c...

In a post-Obama era where Blacks Americans are proclaiming their blackness now more than ever, it's disappointing to see Black-owned businesses shy away from serving their own people. What mainstream brands do so intently with Eurocentric brand messaging and imagery - Black businesses steer clear of for fear of "limiting themselves" if they focus solely on Black audiences. Storyteller Amber Willia...

Michell began exploring social media out of necessity, when he was stuck on campus as a cadet at the United States Military Academy. Michell was expelled from the academy in 2012. The days leading to his expulsion forced him to stand up for himself when no one else would. The days after his expulsion challenged him to choose new life goals for himself. Michell finished school at Virginia Commonwea...

The Ambassador of LA, CEO, a Marketing/Branding Genius, and an inspiration to her community; Miss Diddy has earned every title and more! A true leader of her generation, Miss Diddy has broken through barriers in a male driven industry from the moment she figured out it was lacking something... Her! She currently sits as the Only Woman Promoter in Hollywood, CA. The capital of the most important fo...

Jay Colby is a writer, journalist and founder of The Black Detour. Jay has dedicated his life to not only change the negative perception of Black people in mainstream media but to join the growing movement in America to empower Black people all across the United States. A quote by Malcolm X keeps Jay inspired to continue his work "I've had enough of someone else's propaganda. I'm for truth, no mat...

Launching his career as assistant to the Jonas Brothers, Benoni Tagoe quickly became a part of the band's day-to-day management team and developed a keen sense of entrepreneurship. Since then, Tagoe has produced content for both TV and New Media on platforms that have collectively garnered over 20 million views. In his current role, Tagoe is the head of business development for Issa Rae Production...

George Olokun is a global change agent that is connected to the core of humanity, a socially conscious humanitarian, entrepreneur, globally recognized and nationally ranked speaker, and life trainer and best-selling author. He's one of America's leading millennial trailblazers and impacts the way those creating change live their lives. George is the Founder and Executive Director of the Next Big T...

While in law school, Jeffery founded The MusicianShip , a non-profit organization that facilitates music lessons, experiences and opportunities for at-risk youth. Under Jeffery's direction as CEO, The MusicianShip has grown from serving 2 students in 2009, to, in 2018, serving 1000 youth in Washington, DC and 200 youth in Pretoria, South Africa.  The MusicianShip has a budget of over a half-millio...

Guinean-born, NYC-raised strategist, obsessed with all things branding and public relations,  Fatou is best known for helping fellow millennials gain clarity around the "who, what, why" of their visual brands. Barry encourages the building of authentic and strategic brands while positioning clients for success in their respective markets. Fatou's client list includes high-profile influencers, crea...

Monique T. Marshall is an Entrepreneur, Thought-Leader, and Influencer.  As the Chief in Charge of Black to Business, a platform providing resources and connections to aspiring Black entrepreneurs. She is on a mission to increase the number of successful Black startups. Monique has also furthered this mission through her podcast, speaking engagements, and workshops. During this episode Monique dis...

At 5, Arabia envisioned herself becoming a doctor. At 17, she became a teen mom to a baby boy, whose life was tragically taken away at four months. Her youngest sister was shot and killed while riding in a friend's car just a few years later. Both tragedies caused her to persevere. She didn't have any money for medical school. She studied at Hunter College. She was later awarded a scholarship to s...

Malcolm "MJ" Harris is an internationally recognized financial services CEO and motivational success teacher whose rise began when he started an insurance agency - at his dining room table as a side business - while working as a Management Consultant for a "Big 4" firm. Through sharing his story with the world on social media about overcoming personal and financial trials, the business quickly gre...

A steadfast dedication to the betterment of people truly constitutes Ms. Wilmer's personal mission statement, and ultimately that same dedication has fueled her career as a highly decorated human resources leader. Over the past two decades, she's built an impressive rapport at companies including CBRE, Caesars Entertainment, American Red Cross, Toyota and Citigroup. While at Caesars Entertainment'...

Ashley is an award-winning financial advisor who has helped her clients save and invest over $1.5M. She is an expert in her field as a Financial Education Specialist who founded the company Empify.   Empify an education- based organization created to help both adults and children understand financial literacy. After graduating with honors from Howard University, Ashley moved to New York City to be...

Amber Dee is an online business and social media marketing expert for individuals that are tired of living paycheck to paycheck and ready to create their own wealth simply by living out their passion. Her focus is to help entrepreneurs get better results in less time by implementing effective marketing strategies. She is an author, licensed professional counselor, and the host of The Exception Eff...