Side Hustle Pro: Women Entrepreneurs | Black Women Business Owners | Solopreneurs

Yelitsa Jean Charles has gone from not knowing how to do her own hair at the age 21 to teaching young girls all about their own. While in her Junior year studying Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, Yelitsa redesigned the fairy tale Character Rapunzel as a brown girl with beautiful kinky hair. After speaking with classmates and friends. she saw the opportunity to address the demonstrated need for more diverse toys and representation in children’s publishing.With a grant from of the Brown University Social Innovation Fellowship, support from the RISD E’Ship Program, Masschallenge Accelerator program and 674 dedicated Kickstarter backers, Healthy Roots was born.She was most recently recognized on Essence’s 2017 50 Founders to watch list and won the Startup Stampede as well as the New Voices Fund Pitch competition. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Healthy Roots Dolls Build-A-Bear Founder Venture for America Build, Brand + Launch F

Have you ever been in the airport, walked into a store or restaurant, and wondered who owns it or how that particular store got such prime real estate? Well, today’s guest will shed light on an industry I personally knew very little about. And I promise you you will never look at an airport news, gift shop, or restaurant the same way again. Her name is Mary Morgan and she is the President of Morgan Group Ventures, Inc. Mary entered the airport arena initially as a consultant to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority which sparked an interest in airport concessions. After five years of management consulting, Mary decided she wanted to focus solely on concessions and obtained her first inline retail location (Pen & Prose Boutique), which she continues to operate today. Following five years of retail operations, Mary entered a partnership with HMSHost where she has been able to jointly bid, win and operate food and beverage and news and gift locations within airports. Today, Mary operates independentl

Today in the guest chair is Janice Bryant Howroyd, entrepreneur, educator, ambassador, businesswoman, author, and mentor. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of The ActOne Group, the largest privately held, woman owned workforce solutions company founded in the U.S. The ActOne Group also holds a Minority ownership status, and is a multibillion-dollar (USD) award-winning international Talent and Talent Technology enterprise with multiple divisions operating in 19 countries with over 17,000 clients and 2,600 employees worldwide.  On today’s episode, you will learn how Janice grew to be the first African American woman to operate a company that generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Act-1 Group National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Women Business Enterprise Network (WBENC) Women President's Organization (WPO) WEConnect International The Strangest Secret   Click here to subscrib

I’m back with another solo episode. I have been promising you a Q&A for months now. And I actually love doing these so I am happy to jump in an answer your Q&As. For those of you wondering how to send me questions or how I choose these questions, I usually ask on my IG story or in my Facebook group and some people email me questions directly. So if you would like to be on the next Q&A episode make sure you’re following me on IG at sidehustlepro, or a member of the Side Hustle Pro FB community or email me at hi@sidehustlepro.co. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode MASTERCLASS: How to Build A 5-Figure Podcast Goal Getter Action Plan Healthcare.gov The Slight Edge How to Start A Podcast with No Experience Zoom Zencastr Small Business Administration Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to

Today in the guest chair we have Luam, celebrity choreographer and creative director. Luam has worked with artists and projects such as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Nike, Rihanna, Kelly, Kanye, Reebok, Janelle Monae, X Factor, American Idol, America's Got Talent, the list goes on. She has obtained cult popularity among the dance community all over the world with her teachings and passion for spreading inspiration.Funny enough, Luam got her start dancing in the very same dance troupe that I danced with in college at UPenn, African Rhythms Drum and Dance Troupe. Though we were years apart, I relate to her as a creative spirit who finally allowed herself to be led by her soul and her natural talents and calling. Through her work, teachings and mentoring in the entertainment industry and beyond, Luam works to promote spiritual resilience and resistance and advocates for those overcoming all obstacles to do so.If there’s one thing I hope you get from this episode, it’s that you can be an artist and still thrive as an ent

Today in the guest chair, we have Lindsey Day, the co-founder & Editor-In-Chief of CRWN Magazine; a premium, independent print publication about natural hair and the women who wear it. Through beautiful content, thoughtful commentary, hair inspiration and resources; CRWN exists to edify and empower Black women across the globe. Since its inception, CRWN has been featured by Forbes, Newsweek, NBC New York, Girlboss, and more; and has partnered with brands and advertisers like Cadillac, Toyota, and a number of beauty brands. In 2017, Day was featured by HuffPost as one of 7 Black Innovators Who Are Creating A Better Tomorrow and Essence Magazine named her one of their 50 Founders to Watch. Through CRWN, Day is on a mission to create the most honest and beautiful representation of Black women in the history of print.   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode CRWN Mag Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challeng

Today in the guest chair, we have Candice Idehen, the Founder and CEO of York City's Bed of Nails - Nail Bar, an unconventional co-ed salon offering designer nail products, a chic atmosphere and unwavering quality manicures. Mesmerized by art and beauty since childhood, Candice has utilized her passion and education to not only become a successful freelance celebrity manicurist, but also a driven entrepreneur. Her business and contracted nail services have been commissioned by the beauty and entertainment's most prestigious brands, from commercial photo shoots to Fashion Week. She’s been featured by some of pop culture’s favorite websites, including ESSENCE, Refinery29, and Harper’s Bazaar. Candice was also named a Tory Burch Fellows Finalist and Education Program participant. What I love about Candice is she is not only ambitious but relentless. Once she set her mind to open Bed of Nails, there was no stopping her, and she opened a prime location in bustling and expensive Harlem, New York at the young age of

Tina Wells is the CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group, a marketing agency that creates strategies for clients within the beauty, entertainment, fashion, financial, and lifestyle sectors. For more than two decades, Tina has connected thousands of influencers and consumers to brand clients. Through its network of 30,000 buzzSpotters® and 7,000 momSpotters®, Buzz Marketing Group delivers data and digital strategies that drive the marketing approach for clients  like Dell, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and American Eagle Outfitters. Tina sits on numerous boards, including the Young Entrepreneurs Council and  The Franklin Institute , and THINX. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she is a member of the 2017 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute and the Academic Director (Practicum) of Wharton’s Leadership in the Business World program at the University of Pennsylvania. It’s no wonder her list of honors include, Cosmopolitan’s Fun Fearless Phenom Award, Es

Today in the guest chair, we have a certified boss. If you don’t already know this woman, this is a name you need to jot down and follow. Her name is Ebony Pope and she is the Director of US Ventures at Village Capital. She oversees Village Capital’s work in finding and supporting US start-ups in the five sectors that receive investment from Vilcap Investments. Ebony graduated with her MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 2015, focusing on strategy and entrepreneurship. While at Ross, she traveled to Tanzania, where she developed and taught a business curriculum for agriculture technology entrepreneurs as an Enterprise Consultant for Land O’Lakes. Additionally, she was Education Circle Director for the Ross’s Social Venture Fund. Prior to Ross, Ebony worked at New Urban Learning, a charter education management company focused on preparing Detroit students to successfully graduate from four-year colleges and universities. She is also a former Googler and holds a B.B.A in Finance fro

On today’s show, we will hear from a woman who actually got laid off as a result of her hustle. Her name is Tela Holcomb, she is a stocks and options trader, investor and serial entrepreneur. In her own words, she’s financially free and living a life she loves!But, it wasn’t always that way. Like many of us, she had to side hustle, and was dependent on her 9 to 5 to pay the bills. And although she got paid very well it just… her heart wasn’t quite in it. So in 2009, she started learning about trading stocks. She learned a system of trading and investing that had the potential of replacing her paycheck but didn't require her to be behind a computer 8 hours a day. But then, she lost her job. So she got to focused on replacing that income. On today’s episode, she will share how she traded her 9 to 5 and how you can too. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Tela Holcomb Investopedia The Complete Turtle Trader   Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-

Today in the guest chair is Amy Anaiz. Amy is a New York City-based intimate editorial wedding and portrait photographer. Her professional journey began as a talent agent for New York City’s top still-life and beauty photographers where she learned the ins-and-outs of advertising and commercial photography and was surrounded by beautiful images on a daily basis. While representing these top talent photographers, she masterfully integrated this knowledge and experience into her own business and refined her skills as a photographer and was able to grow from side hustler to full time entrepreneur. Today, her work has been featured in Inside Weddings, The New York Times, Brides, Huffington Post, NY Weddings, The Knot, Dropbox, VH1, E!, HBO, TLC, Essence, Munaluchi Bride, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, Grace Ormonde, and Style Me Pretty amongst others. On today’s episode, Amy shares how she carefully and thoughtfully, planned her journey from doing photography on the side to owning her own business. Listen on Apple Podcasts,

Today in the guest chair is Angelina Darrisaw Cheeks. Angelina is a social entrepreneur, an international business and career coach and a digital media strategist. As the founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, a career-coaching platform that provides accessible professional development resources to diverse working professionals, Angelina collaborates with employers to create business solutions that empower and educate teams, as well as retain and engage diverse employees. She also facilitates transformative career workshops and experiences that have reached over 4,000 working and aspiring professionals. Angelina’s company C-Suite Coach has a growing global client footprint with companies and individual entrepreneurs and across the United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, and more. C-Suite Coach has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, Essence, and more. Angelina also services small businesses as a Google Digital Coach, joining Google in bridging the digital di

Charreah K. Jackson joins me in the guest chair today to discuss how to thrive in your career and side hustle (without getting fired). Charreah and I first crossed paths in NYC when we were both recent grads, trying to make our way in the crazy world of media. She was always super supportive of other women, always willing to share her knowledge and resources with me and that’s why I have always routed for her. When you see someone who you knew “back when” it’s truly so inspiring to know how far they’ve come and how much more they are capable of and how they are going to keep taking the world by storm. Charreah is an international speaker, coach and you may know her best for her role as ESSENCE Senior Editor, empowering the brand's global audience of 13 million. She’s been featured on CNN, The CW, ABC News, Fortune and TIME and if you saw the movie Girls Trip, you definitely saw a cameo of Charreah on the big screen. She’s also earned a Hearst Award in journalism and has interviewed newsmakers such as Vice Pre

Up until this year, the last quarter of every year always felt like the most stressful for me. This year is the first year that that's not the case for me. This year, I got better at getting things done, even under pressure. In this episode I’m sharing some of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started out side hustling and what I've learned from them. It’s important that you understand where I and most successful side hustlers went wrong and what I did to turn it around. These mistakes could have easily been avoided if I had only known how to create a realistic goals setting system. Now, I've mastered the "less talk, more hustle" approach, and it’s what has gotten me results. I spend less time thinking and talking about what I'm going to do and more time actually doing it. I learned to cut out all the fluff that makes you FEEL like you're doing something (to-do lists, buying fancy planners, well organized trello boards) and get down to business. By making these mistakes, I also learned some key lessons

Today’s REWIND guest is Nailah Ellis-Brown. I first heard about Nailah from my roommates, Nydia and Stefanie at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. They supported her business as part of the MBAs Across America program that they participated in (and you’ll hear more about this in the episode). I’ve been fascinated by Nailah every since. A Black Woman from Detroit with Jamaican roots, Ellis-Brown has made a name for herself as part of the Detroit manufacturing renaissance. Her distinctive hibiscus Ellis Island Tea, based on a family recipe and bottled in an urban 4,000 square foot plant, has expanded sales into six airports and locations across 12 Midwestern states along with shelf space in regional retailer Meijer, Whole Foods and most recently Sam Club stores. She’s been named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30, has been featured on MSNBC for a small business makeover, and she’s only getting started. Her plan was to go to school, work on wall street then quit and be an entrepreneur. But when she r

On this REWIND edition of Side Hustle Pro, I share my experience "meeting" Michelle Obama, launching the newest cohort of my Podcast Moguls training program, then get into this best of edition of Side Hustle Pro with Myleik Teele.  Myleik has revolutionized the way women address their curly hair needs. As the founder of curlBOX, an exclusive monthly subscription box full of amazing products, she has garnered partnerships with Procter & Gamble, Carol’s Daughter, Walmart, Target, SheaMoisture and more. Before creating curlBOX, Myleik honed her talents for a decade in public relations, working with brands such as The Grammy Awards, American Idol and Nike, as well as music artists like the late Prince. Now, as the creator of the premier hair sampling box, she has developed a loyal following of savvy women. She is very much like a virtual big sister, dishing out spot­ on entrepreneurial advice. We all have our thing that #MyTaughtUs, but one thing I learned from her, is to intentionally put myself in the place

It’s Nicaila here with another special REWIND edition of Side Hustle Pro. Take a listen to this best of episode with Courtney Sanders. This is one of my favorite episodes because Courtney is so thorough! She is an entrepreneur who started making money online by packaging her expertise in productivity systems and goal achievement and has impacted thousands of people. But, even though she was starting to make 4 then 5 figures monthly in her business, she didn’t just quit her job. She planned it out, she was prepared and she really set a high standard for herself of what she needed to achieve before she would allow herself to quit. So Courtney’s episode is one that I came back to many, many times in 2017. I would literally re-listen to it over and over again as I prepared to leave my job. 1) Because it was like talking to a life coach and 2) It was a reminder that I could not just quit impulsively and expect success, I needed to establish a plan. In this this episode, Courtney breaks down: The inspiration for T

It's a special REWIND edition of Side Hustle Pro. Side Hustle Pro is on a brief hiatus in May and I’ll be back in June with fresh new episodes. I can assure you, this is no vacation for me. Behind the scenes I am cooking up something great. In the meantime, I’ll be checking in each week with a quick update at the top of each REWIND episode. So you’ll still here from me. Now take a listen to this best of episode with Maya Elious. Maya is the first ever coach that I purchased an online course from and I continue to benefit from her teachings. Since this episode, it’s been amazing to watch her evolve even further with her content strategy, placing a particular focus on helping other coaches and consultants to use the power of content to make an impact with their brand. This is one that I re-listen to when I need to recenter and refocus.    On this episode, Maya shares: Her journey from designing MySpace pages to leaving college to become an entrepreneur How she earns money today as a content strategist and coac

Today in the guest chair is the legendary Brandice Daniel, the Founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row. Harlem's Fashion Row is the most prestigious platform for multicultural fashion designers. Founded in 2007, Harlem's Fashion Row began as a project of passion, aiming to fill the void for multicultural fashion designers and high profile professionals in the industry. Today, HFR’s mission is to partner with designers to build profitable and sustainable businesses that will leave a legacy for generations to come.HFR hosts an annual September Style Awards and Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week which has been covered by New York Times, NY Magazine, Elle, ESSENCE, and the Wall Street Journal.On today’s episode, Brandice shares show she went from literally painting the runway an hour before HFR’s first fashion show to getting major brands to pay for her events.   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Harlem’s Fashion Row E-Myth Revisted by Michael Gerb

Today in the guest chair we have self described accidental entrepreneurs Chioma and Uchenna, the Founders of Cee Cee's Closet NYC. What started with selling cute clutches that were brought back from Nigeria has expanded into a full fledged business incorporating products like headwraps, backpacks, and leather goods. Being a black-women-owned business to them meant having an opportunity to create highly functional products that tap into their Nigerian cultural heritage and specific needs. This is especially true when you think about their silk-lined headwraps. As two naturalistas, they wanted to remove the step of having to wear a bonnet or silk scarf underneath our headwraps to protect their hair. Therefore, they created a product that addressed that particular need. Most importantly, Chioma and Uchenna view Cee Cee's Closet NYC as an opportunity to have a positive economic impact on Nigeria. All of their products are made locally in Nigeria. They are making an impact and building a legacy at the same time.