About Us... CulSire is where #BlackLifeStories are told. Your home for the narrative that describes living with melanin. A place that encompasses all aspects of our journey - celebrating our accomplishments and offering solutions for our shortcomings. Exposing our potential and providing a blueprint for future generations, while following the examples of our ancestors. Good, bad or indifferent, CulSire is where #BlackLifeLives.
WWW.CULSIRE.COM CulSire brings awareness and preservation of Black
The Slogan - Where Culture Meets Desire:
culture to the masses while nurturing the desire for more social, economic and community prosperity. We
CulSire is the intersection of our Black culture and
provide an online forum for all matters relating to
our desire to prosper. The combination of
business, nance, employment, news, politics, history,
understanding our heritage (who we are), our origin
health, education and much more. CulSire shines a
(where we come from), and what we want for the
positive and inspiring light on our successes which
future. The crossing of our resilience, our struggle, our
tend to go unnoticed in mainstream media.
hustle, and our strength as a people with the desire to obtain the rights to everything that has already been
We strive to be the largest online network of entrepreneurs, businesses, resources, services, and
fought for (equality, prosperity, education, employment, etc.).
information impacting Black people across the nation and around the world. CulSire is the ultimate merger
CulSire - Where Culture Meets Desire
of networks providing access to knowledge that influences a broader audience. We also highlight resources promoting Black organizations, conferences/conventions, networking opportunities
Mission
The mission of CulSire is to be the ultimate search
and events helping to provide professional and
engine for the Black community, by taking the
personal growth.
vastness of the global world and scaling it down to information that impacts our communities across the
But it starts with YOU!
nation. We strive to educate, elevate, and empower people of color by providing a collision between our
Utilize our resources, add to them, share with your
cultural distinction and our desire for continuous
family, friends, and colleagues, and then watch as WE
excellence.
grow... together.
Founder's Letter Happy New Year...
A new year is upon us. Another year of life and an opportunity to get it right. More time to work on making changes to better this world, better our community, better our family, and change generational curses that are handed down from one to another. A new year resets the clock for communicating the date, but not the clock that resets your time here on earth. A new year, lets you
In 2017, I pray that as you level up in this year that you think about, not only yourself, but those around you that you can take on the journey with you. With our new President Elect, it's going to be paramount that we start to work together, love on each other, heal, and unite as a community. Not just for the first couple of months of the new year, but all year long. We must be our brother and sister's keeper, and look to each other to be the answer to our problems. By supporting each other, supporting our businesses, supporting our initiatives, supporting our media, supporting our community and supporting our families we can have our desires met.
Say "I do" al fresco! Read to find out if this setting is for you.
know how much closer you are to completing your time
GARDEN WEDDING
here on earth and asks you, "what are you going to do
with the time you have left?" That's why each new year there are resolutions to do better, everyone is a new them, and new behaviors are in the air.
It's a time of change and leveling up.
This moment in time can belong to us, if we come together and realize there is an US and we're stronger when we work together.
e ĂŠ N a L
Our Team ANJELA CHILDS Anjela M. Childs, Founder and President of Virtually Unstoppable Assistants, is CulSire’s Chief Operation Officer/Managing Editor. As a highly skilled Virtual Assistant, she handles everything from executive level of office support to project management keeping the organization on track. Born and raised in Boston, MA, Anjela always had dreams of being a lawyer so she studied Criminal Justice and English but her entrepreneurial spirit took over. In 2006 she was reading an article in Black Enterprise Magazine about a virtual assistant and she knew she finally found her calling. Before she could finish the last paragraph, she was already mapping out her next business venture.
JAMIE ROBINSON Jamie Robinson is a highly regarded marketing strategist who has been breathing new life into old brands for over 15 years. Jamie’s passion for the marketing industry fuels her desire for continued growth, leaving her ahead of the curve as marketing technology expands. Her consumer-focused approach leaves customers delighted and increases her clients’ ROI. Equipped with over a decade of experience branding, promoting and strategically positioning companies for success, Jamie is CulSire’s Chief Marketing Officer. She’s recently expanded her marketing company increasing her business by threefold and in 2013 she started a mentoring company for Black business owners called Black Owned Marketing.
In This Issue 06
The Black Manifesto Our public declaration of principle challenges to provoke change.
12
Purchase Black is Closed Purchase Black LLC, after 3 years of dedication to Black owned business, has ceased operations. Find out why...
18
Nielsen 2016 Report: Young, Connected & Black This latest report highlights AfricanAmericans’ economic and cultural gains.
30
How to Advertise in the Black Business Catalog Want to get your business in the catalog for the next publication? Find out how.
Black Manifesto We, declare that this public declaration is our bold, somewhat rebellious call to action. This statement of principles challenges our assumptions, fosters our commitment, and provokes change.
The future of our people depends on what we do this very moment. It’s no longer fashionable to be indifferent to poor (or brown) people suffering. It’s no longer fashionable to be indifferent to injustice and oppression. It’s no longer fashionable to be indifferent to the blood shed on our streets. It’s no longer fashionable to be indifferent to global white supremacy. It’s no longer fashionable.
1. The Black Family
The family is the staple of the Black community and the most valuable asset we possess. Rebuilding our families is imperative to the forward movement of the community. The Black Family consists of two or more people who are committed to love, appreciate and support each member of the group. Dedicated to the concerted effort to build, uplift and unify within the nucleus - strengthening the core which expands beyond the family and into the community. As members of a Black Family, we manifest: To restore the Black man to his rightful place as the King of the household, husband to his Queen and father of his children - securing positive imagery and an example for future generations. To view Black women as the Queens they are, with integrity, perseverance and a sass that no other woman walking the face of the earth has. To fight negative stereotypes in our community and around the world which is fueled by reality television and mainstream media. To strengthen relationships through conversation, understanding and open dialogue about the issues that keep us apart. To provide solutions and strategies that will help build the bridge that will help us and our way back to each other.
4. Education
Knowledge is power and the truth overrides all other matters of storytelling. Knowledge tells us who we are as a people. Truth shared by community elders and professional educators teaches our youth about their ancestors who were royalty, inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and beyond giving our community, and the world, a true representation of who we are. Sharing this truth with society, our youth and future generations will create strong legacies. As individuals dedicated to the 2. The Black Community
The Black community has traditionally been referred to and operated as a harmonious village. It is a group of individuals linked by lineage. The village is responsible for growth, leverage and legacy; passing on wisdom and pushing for prosperity. As members of the Black community, we manifest: To work together as a united group to rebuild our
transfer of knowledge and truth, we manifest: To educate from a historical perspective To encourage ownership, as opposed to an employee mentality, and ll in the gaps that will prepare our youth for success To mentor whenever possible To challenge mainstream academia and encourage creative thinking from our youth
community to mirror the example of successful Black communities of our past. Coming together as
5. Black Wellness
individuals and organizations to see our community
The ongoing effort to educate and empower each other
be successful, strong and thriving.
from birth to the grave through information that restores
To set aside differences and self-serving agendas.
and heals our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.
To internalize the mantra, “all for one, and one for
Black wellness is the foundation of our effectiveness.
all.�
We must be WELL to love, grow, prosper and educate.
To develop an undeniable oneness with the
As individuals dedicated to living well, we manifest:
community.
To educate ourselves about the pros and cons of what we ingest
3. Black Economics
Black economics is the process of procuring assets in an effort to declare REAL independence and ensure a safe and secure environment for future generations. As Black innovators, business owners, workers and consumers, we manifest: To build businesses and create jobs in our community to promote community development To lower our unemployment rate To increase the average median household income To support the growth and expansion of business in our community To buy property To save our historical sites To donate to the campaigns of political figures that represent us To support Black businesses To raise financially conscious children Live beneath my means to build savings for the future.
To getting annual check-ups and well-woman/wellman appointments with a health professional To exercise regularly To get an understanding of our family’s health history and pass that information on to our children
PURCHASEBLACK Is Closed
This is Brian AM Williams, founder of Purchase Black LLC. It ’ s true, after 3 years of dedication to Black - owned business, I have decided that PurchaseBlack.com will cease operations and close. I know that this business represents something bigger than itself. I am aware that there were many who believed in the core mission and who wanted to see the positivity it was built to create. However, in business, there has to be not only potential, but the right circumstances, resources, partnerships, value, and more to truly turn a good opportunity into a thriving reality. From the beginning, the goal of the business was to make a large, self - sustaining, positive impact on the African American community. I wanted to rebuild trust between Black customers & Black businesses. I wanted to give everyone, regardless of their race, a place where anyone could easily buy Black. It was never about making money. Making money was ( and is ) necessary to make the difference. The difference was always the true goal. I sincerely mean that. So why close? As the business gained traction, I found that many drivers to reaching the real, true goal were significantly out of reach, given the level of resources needed to make it a reality. I found that many of my assumptions about the market, potential partners & investors, customer preferences and more were just far enough out of reach to make closing PurchaseBlack a decision that makes more sense than staying open. Frankly, we simply don ’ t have enough businesses making enough things in the Black community that match the things Black people have expressed they want to buy. Black companies over - index in hair care, skin care, cosmetics, handmade jewelry & apparel, but grossly under - index in most other areas. As our goal wasn ’ t to find just any Black business, but just the highest quality companies, we must have a larger pool of companies to select from in order to have a scalable company capable of growing to achieve our original mission. Unfortunately the Black community does not yet have that diversity of industry with enough depth to support true scalability. No amount of marketing, social media, capital, employees, products, or investors could have changed that. There ’ s the elephant in the room, and I have been living with it for years. Black people, simply, are not very motivated to support Black owned businesses. We see it as a “ favor ” sometimes, something that ’ s novel to do, but not apart of our cultural existence. Buying Black is not apart of who we are as Black people. We make excuses that do not make sense given the fact that many of us know that no one except us are going to support our communities. We can ’ t take a bad experience at a Black company, and blame every Black company for it. Having interacted with hundreds of Black companies, I can say that we, Black people, are failing to take care of ourselves with regard to how we treat our businesses. We are all guilty. But we don ’ t have to continue to be. To continue is a choice, and I hope that we will soon choose differently. We have the power to create real change that no one can take away from our community, but we have to want that more than we want to spend our money elsewhere, or we will never actually get it. I believe in Black people, and I believe we will eventually make the right choices. I just hope it happens soon.
It ’ s not easy to close PurchaseBlack, but it is easy to be proud of what has been done. I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people & leaders of national organizations. I have won national championships, made tens of thousands of dollars for Black owned companies nationwide, and I ’ ve released the best Black multi vendor mobile application to date. I have a laundry list of television, radio, online, magazine, and even international publications. I created something that gave a community something to believe in, and I am grateful for every single second of it. It has come to define me, and I fully carry the label of a true believer in Black people, Black business, and Black progress in America. This was difficult. This cost me well over $ 150,000 of my own personal money without a single financial equity investor of any kind ( and believe me, I tried to get investors ) . I don ’ t, nor have I ever had that kind of money, so I poured all that I could into making PurchaseBlack happen, piece by piece. Other than prizes and a small crowdfunding campaign, PurchaseBlack came completely from my own soul and pocket. Now that it ’ s closing, I have some distance to travel. So, I am doing a few things. First, I am making a list of every single Black business I have found over the last 3 years into a PDF that I am giving away in exchange for donations. Second, I am offering my final product, a “ Blessed ” sweatshirt, because that ’ s how I feel. It will only come in one color. Black. Last, I am making the PurchaseBlack page a “ Thank You ” donation page. Im not asking any of you to give anything, but it is certainly appreciated if you do. I know that this effort meant something important, and Im hoping that meaning extends to more than just me. This Has Been A Blessing to My Life. As a Black Man, as a Black Person, There is Nothing I Could Have Experienced That Makes Me Love Being Black More Than What I ’ ve Gained From PurchaseBlack.com Thank you seems to not be enough to show how much I appreciate all of you. In those inevitable long working nights, your positivity was the fuel that kept me going. I stood upon the shoulders of all that have come before me to make something that I believe could take the community even one small step forward. Although PurchaseBlack will no longer be around, I am thankful to be both an inspiration, and inspired by you. My supporters were not all Black. They were not all American. But they all were believers in making a difference. Proud is not a big enough word to capture how I truly feel. I have you to thank for that. I am still proud. I am still inspired. I am still motivated. I always will be. –
To an America that is as good as its promise.
Brian
I felt that the meaning of PurchaseBlack.com was too great for me to just close and leave it to everyone to figure out why. Out of respect for you, I want you to know the true reasons.
JANUARY 1 31, 2017 -
Learn How to Live Life #LikeAMogul Have you been living a subpar business life? A continuing never-ending cycle of mediocrity? You’ve invested your time, energy, and money into your dreams, but you’re not experiencing any growth. Again and again you've said, "this is my year," only for it to have come and gone without all your goals accomplished. I’ve come across entrepreneurs just like you. In fact, I WAS you.
Mogul:
A very powerful and influential person in a business or industry; Power derived from experience and skill, not popularity
31 Days Like A Mogul series is for serious men and women looking to TRULY make THIS year their BEST year! I'm LaNée Javet, Mogul Motivator. I help entrepreneurs discover their utmost potential and become innovative, thought-provoking, intentional moguls. During our 31 days together I'll show you how to cease merely existing in life and business, and fantastically thrive in it!
I'll reveal my personal trials, tribulations, successes and wins as an entrepreneur: How I transitioned from corporate to full-time entrepreneur How to save money as a startup, learn from my $8,500 mistake How to build a team with no money How to grow your social media network and monetize it How I raised $10,000 in crowdfunding on Kickstarter How to live life like a mogul TODAY, with little to no money
"Turn idle into industrious, and mediocrity into mogulvation." LEARN MORE
19
Young, Connected and Black” continues a dialogue started in the 2015 Diverse Intelligence Series report—“Increasingly Affluent, Educated and Diverse, AfricanAmerican Consumers: The Untold Story.” This latest report highlights African-Americans’ economic and cultural gains and continues to shine a spotlight on how African-American Millennials are forging ahead in their use of technology and social media to raise awareness and evoke a national discussion on civic and political issues. African-American Millennials are expanding the use of mobile devices (particularly smartphones with a 91% penetration rate for all AfricanAmericans), expanding their shopping carts with fresh foods and contributing to the diversification of mainstream primetime television viewership—forging a significant increase in advertising dollars focused on African-American audiences.
Click for the full 56-page report: 2016 African-American Consumer Report
SUPPORT by LaNĂŠe Javet, CulSire Founder
Why is it so hard to
Hopefully you downloaded the full 2016 Nielsen African-American Consumer
support our own? With
Report to look at how and where we spend our money. We are not a broke
the closing of Purchase
community. We just give away our money, and ultimately our power to
Black, and many other
others.
small Black owned businesses, I think it's
How can we help Black-owned businesses do better, grow, compete and be
important that we have
successful if we don't support them? Now, I understand there are some bad
this discussion. Do the
businesses out there, and not every business deserves our support. But the
stereotypes keep us from
ones that are trying to do right by us, we should do right by them. Small
supporting each other?
businesses don't have the means to invest in education, advertising,
Are all Black businesses
marketing, customer service, employees, or scaling if we don't support them.
really that bad? Is it that we don't have the
We give other businesses, multiple opportunities to treat us wrong, and yet
products to sustain Black
we give Black businesses one opportunity to get it right! There is a lot of
America with daily
money on the table, that we are giving away to others.
purchases? There are
corporations that do not care about us, when we could be giving it to a
over 2 million Black
small owned business, that has a family to support right in our local
owned businesses, and
community. Some of these business owners are in your very own family!
We give money to
46.3 million Black Americans (14% of the US population) and yet we still cannot seem to garner enough support to see the businesses in our community flourish and be successful, to the point that we can employ others and still turn a profit. Why is that?
I believe that we can do better and be intentional about who we spend our money with. Even if it's not with every purchase, if we commit to spending 10 - 20% more with Black owned businesses that will make a huge difference. We have to start somewhere.
BLACK COLLEGE EXPO
Our mission is to curtail the high school dropout rate and increase degree and/or certificate enrollment among underserved and underrepresented youth. Our goal is to get students excited about education and provide the pathways and resources for students to make positive career choices.
BLACK COLLEGE EXPO
The 18th Annual Black College Expo Returns 2017 with new information and resources to help students succeed! Black College Expo features a very informative and exciting college fair, known as an “Infotainment� college fair, showcasing well over 50 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and educational organizations and programs.