Down 2 Business

Send us Fan Mail For as long as she can remember Melanie has always had a love for shoes, particularly anything that she can throw on to glam an outfit up or down. This love was translated into a business venture when she was given the task of pouring her life out in an essay in order to get into college. At the time, Melanie wrote about a boutique that would specialize in women's shoes and s...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever left a car wash dissatisfied after having spent a good amount of money? For Isaiah, after the answer was yes too many times he came to the conclusion that no one could clean his car the way he could. He took it a step further and began offering the service to those in the Philadelphia area. This past summer, Zetailed was born as a luxury car detailing service and thi...

Send us Fan Mail Brionna's journey as a self-taught seamstress dates all the way back to 7th grade when she first started experimenting with sewing machines. As time went on, it was an activity that was pushed to the wayside but the passion was never lost. It didn't take long for Brionna to hone in on the art of sewing, from binge watching YouTube videos for hours to experimenting with o...

Send us Fan Mail It's one thing to run your own business, but for Magi it's a completely different feeling when you can run a business with your family as well. Magi and her siblings noticed that her mother's recipes for various skin and hair care products were all hits from the smell to the feeling. So what did they decide to do? Order supplies for her and take matters into their o...

Send us Fan Mail Brianna Taylor's business involvement dates all the way back to 2016 when she first started selling mink lashes in Philadelphia. Being that this particular industry wasn't as populated as it is now, Brianna was one of the few business owners specializing in this product and was able to see success from it. But some years and a new mindset later, Brianna's approach t...

Send us Fan Mail Being from Uganda, Celina was able to see first-hand the disparities and lack of resources that are impacting African countries all throughout the continent. On top of that, with knowing everything about the government in Africa, she was able to see that it isn't designed to benefit its citizens. With the help of some connections in Uganda, Celina was able to take matters int...

Send us Fan Mail At a time where she needed direction from God, Janae Carlee decided to put all the faith in Him. As a result, she was led on a spiritual journey unlike any other that is still continuing to this day. From temporary positions to even feeling like time was running out Janae never lost hope and continued to always put her best foot forward in whatever she embarked on. Her interest in...

Send us Fan Mail Keylynne always had a passion for dance but it was taken to greater heights once she started noticing the positive and long-lasting effect it can have on others. Joining FAME Modeling Troupe in college strengthened this passion and eventually inspired her to open her own studio dedicated to women of color. However, the process of securing and opening the studio was far from easy....

Send us Fan Mail Starting a business may not always go the way we would like it to in the beginning, but instead of letting that deter you from your end goal take some time to sit down and truly develop a plan. This hits home for Briana Hayes of Bello Bach because coming into business in 2015 she had a totally different mindset revolving around fashion and wanting to get things out there. However,...

Send us Fan Mail When you hear the word radiant, what comes to mind? Do you think of a light shining through the darkness no matter what? For Boom, that was exactly his thought process in developing his brand, Proven Radiant in 2019. Boom combined his love for fashion with the mindset that we all have trials and tribulations that we must overcome throughout the course of our life. Proven Radiant i...

Send us Fan Mail Jalae Simpson, or JB branded herself early on and originally started in graphic design just as a way to get additional practice. On top of that, she also was able to add hair, makeup and lashes to her skill set. Over time JB began to receive a lot of inquiries from friends and others because of the quality of her work. As a result, she truly began to hone in on her skills and even...

Send us Fan Mail Kendrick Harris accompanied us on this episode for our FIRST ever live interview in which he details his company, For The People LLC. Originally, it started as a bail bonding company, but Kendrick didn't want his services to stop there because the community needs more. As a result, power washing came about along with landscaping and transportation services. Kendrick was never...

Send us Fan Mail Jewel Payton Goldsmith's involvement in the dog business dates all the way back to 2018 where she worked at different vet offices and clinics. However, as of February 2020 she officially embarked on her own business journey where she started Barks for Biscuits SC. Based out of S. Carolina, Jewel's company provides homemade, organic dog treats for ALL dogs, no matter size...

Send us Fan Mail When you have multiple avenues that you would like to pursue in life, how do you go about getting things off the ground? For Jordan Rawlings, the motivation and drive that he developed from sports was all he needed to take matters into his own hands. Fitness, sports and photography are just some of the main things that Jordan decided to dabble in, but the creativity doesn't s...

Send us Fan Mail Inspiration can come in many forms when you really sit down and think about it. For Xavier Brodie the inspiration to make music came during an early age from his mother and paying close attention to the genres and artists that she listened to. Then, after becoming an artist he received inspiration from J. Cole to make his stage name XBrodie. For XBrodie, making music is more than...

Send us Fan Mail From drawing clothes as a kid to pursuing graphic design for his undergraduate studies, Naquan Jackson has always had the idea for developing his own brand. Originally, it started out as 'Jayweather' which was a nickname he made for himself but then later was revamped to 'NJacks & Co.' because of the majority of his family having either the letter 'N&a...

Send us Fan Mail Monet Miller recognized the power and importance of social media early on and decided to use that to her advantage when it came to public relations and marketing. She realized that her friends even listened to her when it came to her advice for posting and promoting their own content. As a result, Monet Kasseen & Co. was started as a way to provide public relation services alo...

Send us Fan Mail The creative process is unique to everyone and can come in many different forms. For Maso Moon, it comes in the form of art but it isn't just about shapes and colors on a piece of paper...but rather truly understanding a language. Artist Plug Creative Group, LLC serves as way to assist people when it comes to exploring their creative nature, provides events such as 'Sip...

Send us Fan Mail Now I'm sure the majority of us have watched a beer commercial, witnessed beer being consumed at events or even had a can or two ourselves from time to time. However, have you ever thought about what it actually takes to make the beverage? For Erick Worthington, this is what he lives on a daily basis and his love for beer prompted him to start his own brewing company, Monkey...

Send us Fan Mail When you hear the word grind, what comes to mind? For Azaveus Dickens, starting 'Grind or Go Home' was not only about bettering himself, but making sure everyone is striving to reach their full potential. From unkept promises to never settling for less, Azaveus was able to bring a vision to life that simply started as an idea with some friends at East Carolina University...

Send us Fan Mail Mikala Williamson started Celeste Essentials as a way to not only educate the masses on products we use in our everyday lives, but to also provide quality homemade, organic products that will revitalize the hair and skin. Did we mention that they're EDIBLE? Yes, you read that right! Being in business for over 3 years has allowed Mikala to diversify her products from loc-bombs...

Send us Fan Mail Miana Bryant started The Mental Elephant as a way to ensure that no one out there would have to go through what she went through during her collegiate career and if they did, she wanted to serve as a resource in whatever capacity she could. Miana was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and after many trials and tribulations can share the story of her journey through it all. T...

Send us Fan Mail Zaire Franklin wears many hats, one being the linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts. However, even through all the crowds, lights and attention that comes with it he has never abandoned his roots. Losing two women near and dear to his heart only fueled him to want to make an impact on his community, and that is when Shelice's Angels was born. What started as a trip to the Goo...

Send us Fan Mail Think you have what it takes to be the #1 cosmetics brand in the world? Well, you haven't met Whitney Taylor, owner of W Cosmetics who is on track to achieving that goal. Whitney started her company in 2013, took some time off to work on things and hit the ground running harder than ever during her comeback in 2017. W Cosmetics stands out from a lot of other brands that preac...

Send us Fan Mail From selling hoodies and other merchandise in high school to aspirations of wanting to get involved with music, Tre Ahmad has always had plans to have his own business. Once he came to East Carolina University, those dreams became a reality when he met up with some fellow colleagues to form the group now known as Hoodies. However, with selling anything there can be some problems a...