Black Moguls Magazine Fall 2020

www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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Publisher’s Page

The American Dream is still very much alive. Even in the midst of an unstable Presidency and civil unrest, we are still in the best position to seek opportunity by being on American soil.

I think it’s time for our excuse finding and blame placing mentality to morph into personal responsibility and action.

Make a plan, take action, do something about what bothers you.

If someone puts his foot on your neck, you have the choice whether to lay there and take it, or to squirm in resistance trying to eventually make your way up off the ground.

Kanye West says slavery was a choice. It had to be a choice because why else would you allow someone to enslave you for 400+ years? I think that is a fair question. Why did American slavery last so long? Why are we still at the mercy of others for economic dependency? It’s like the life was beaten out of us, with no hope in sight.

I have been publishing this magazine for 6 years. And it was meant to solve a problem. The problem of poor images and false narratives about the community. Giving a platform to remarkable Entrepreneurs who represent the excellence that is rarely told or showcased in the mainstream, legacy, and notoriously fake news media.

And while we spend a great deal of our time profiling American based companies, the fastest growing segment of our readership comes from African countries. Countries like Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa. We have to pay attention to this trend and plan our business accordingly.

The way I see it, we are an international magazine and our content needs to reflect this new level. We are grateful to all who read, glance, share, appear within the pages; and those who grace the covers. Thank you for sharing your stories with our readers. It’s time to go bigger and higher. You ready? We are already there!

Blessings,

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Consider getting store cards.

They may be easier to get for your teen.

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WAYS TO HELP YOUR TEEN BUILD A STELLAR CREDIT HISTORY Your teenager can start building a credit history for their future. You can help by following these tips.

Add your teen as an authorized user on a credit card.

Your credit history with the card will transfer to your teen.

Help your teen open a bank account.

Student bank accounts are popular.

Apply for a credit card geared toward students.

They may have lower limits, but they're usually easier for teens to get.

Check your teen's credit report and score.

It's important to do this on a regular basis, so you can note changes.

It takes time and effort to build a teen's credit history.

However, it's worth it because a positive credit history will benefit your teen for years to come.

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Become a 401(k) Millionaire by Avoiding These Mistakes It’s quite easy to become a 401(k) millionaire if you get started early enough. It’s also important to avoid making costly mistakes. Fewer people are able to retire at 65 than at any time in recent history. 30.8% of those over the age of 65 are working to make ends meet. With a 401(k) and some diligence, you can avoid becoming one those forced to work in your senior years.

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Become a 401(k) millionaire by following a few simple rules: 1. Get the full company match. Every company is different. Some match 50% of the first 4% of your income contributed to the 401(k) plan. Others might match dollar for dollar on the first 5%. Ensure that you’re at least getting the full match amount. It’s free money, so ensure that you get it.

2. Maintain your job. It can take a few years to be fully vested. So the money that your company contributed to your 401(k) in the last couple of years probably won’t be yours if you leave for another company. Of course, if a new job provides a greater income, a lower cost of living, or a more generous 401(k) program, it’s worth considering.

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Pull out your calculator and do the math before you take a position with another company. Take everything into account.

3. Time is the deciding factor. There’s a limit to how much you can invest in a 401(k) each month. And unless you have a high income, it’s unlikely you can reach the contribution limit of $18,000 or $24,000 if you’re over age 50.

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That means that getting started early is important. Becoming a 401(k) millionaire is a piece of cake if you start at age 25. It’s far more challenging if you start at age 45.

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Compare: Two employees work for the same company and have the same salary. We’ll assume that both make $50,000 per year and receive a 2% raise each year. Their employer matches 50% up to 6% of salary. The annual return is a theoretical 8%. Both contribute 10% of their income and retire at age 65. One employee is 25 years old. The other is 45.

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The 25-year old employee will retire with $2,204,825. The employee contributed a total of $308,050 and the employer contributed $92,415.

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The 45-year old employee will retire with $358,688. The employee contributed $123,917. The employer contributed $37,175.

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Time can make all the difference in the world!

4. Leave your 401(k) account alone. Avoid taking any money out of your account. It can be tempting to pull out money to purchase a home or to pay for a nice vacation. It is possible to borrow money from your 401(k) and pay it back, but will you? Allow the money to stay in your account and grow.

5. Contribute as much as you can. The more you save, the more you’ll have at retirement. It can be challenging to save at first. However, get in the habit.

Even if it’s just a few percent of your income. When you get a raise, apply as much as you can to your 401(k). You’ve lived without that raise, you can continue to do so.

The biggest mistake is waiting to get started. When you’re first starting out, your income might not seem sufficient to save significantly. But it’s important to begin as soon as possible. Every dollar matters. Start saving for your retirement as soon as possible. Time and a small monthly contribution are all that’s necessary to become a 401(k) millionaire. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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10 Great Ways to Invest $1,000 A thousand dollars doesn’t seem like a lot of money these days, but you can still get a lot of value from it if you spend it wisely. While you could go purchase Gucci bag or a few pairs of nice shoes with your stimulus check, there are other alternatives that can make a more positive difference in your life.

1. Get a physical. Many middle aged and older folks haven’t had a thorough physical in many years.

While it’s not a fun way to spend your $1,000, it has the potential to save you much more over the long haul by correcting and preventing physical ailments before they cost you much more than $1,000.

• The long-term savings from medical expenses can be significant.

2. Invest in an adventure. Have you ever wanted to go skydiving, whitewater rafting, or visit the ruins in Guatemala? Now might be the perfect time to finally do something adventurous that you’ll remember forever. Your new perspectives can carry over to many areas of your life.

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3. Make a micro-loan. There are many websites that will allow you to make small loans to people all over the world. You get the wonderful feeling of helping someone realize their dream or help them out of tragedy.

You receive regular progress reports as your money is being repaid.

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You can make money and enjoy the feeling of helping someone else.

4. Invest in your career. A professional certification might be just what you need to take your career to the next level. A public speaking course or class at the local university might be another option.

5. Consider a low-risk mutual fund.

There are mutual funds that only invest in companies with the lowest volatility over the previous 12 months. These funds tend to do as well as the market overall with much less risk.

• Most of the stocks held by this type of fund pay dividends. If your portfolio is a little heavy with risk, this can be a good way to have a lower-risk investment.

6. Get in shape. When was the last time you really considered yourself to be in shape? When was the last time you were proud to walk around in your bathing suit at the pool or beach? Let this be the year that you finally get your weight and conditioning under control.

• Studies have shown that you’re less likely to get sick or die if you’re in good shape. You’ll save on medical bills many times over.

7. Weatherproof your home. Replace the weather-stripping around your windows and doors or maybe you need new windows altogether. The payoff can be great over the next several years.

8. Support your local museum or symphony. Not only can you help to support your local sources of culture, but you can also make great connections to take your career or business to the next level.

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These types of organizations can be magnets for the “who’s who” of your local area. In many cases, it really is about who you know.

Investing in relationships can be just as important as any other type of investment.

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Take your spouse out for a date once a month.

• Even if you’re not married, getting out of the house on a regular basis is important for your happiness and emotional health.

• Take a cruise they are dirt cheap after the pandemic subsides 10. Get a new computer. Is your computer several years old? Does it seem to be a lot slower than it should be?

Is it crashing every other day? It might be time for a new computer.

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You’ll not only be more productive, but you’ll also be much less likely to lose your hard work when the hard drive dies on your old computer.

There are many ways to invest $1,000. Consider these ideas or make your own list. Even a relatively small amount of money can make a big difference in your life if you invest it wisely.

9. Set the money aside for a family vacation or special date.

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7 Commonly Missed Tax Deductions That Can Save You Money Is the IRS on your gift list? You might not think so, but if you don’t take all the tax deductions that you’re entitled to, then you’re just giving your money away.

There are many tax deductions and credits that are not well known. Is the IRS on your gift list? You might not think so, but if you don’t take all the tax deductions that you’re entitled to, then you’re just giving your money away. There are many tax deductions and credits that are not well known.

How much money are you giving to the IRS that could be happily filling your wallet instead?

Consider these commonly missed tax deductions: 1. Non-cash donations to charities. We all know to deduct the checks we write to our favorite charity, but most of us forget to deduct other things. Items like automobiles, clothing, food, furniture, and more are all deductible.

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You’ll need to show receipts if you get audited, so be sure to collect your receipts.

2. Mortgage refinancing points. If you’ve refinanced your mortgage, you can deduct those points. In many cases, they have to be deducted over the life of the mortgage.

So if the mortgage is for 15 years, you can deduct 1/15 per year. It’s not much each year, but it adds up.

3. Medical insurance premiums. If you spent more than 7.5% of your income on medical expenses, you can likely deduct the cost of your medical insurance premiums.

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If you’re self-employed, you can deduct 100% of your medical insurance premiums without meeting the 7.5% requirement.

4. Energy savings home improvement. You can get a 30% credit for any energy saving improvements you make to your home. This is a credit, not a deduction. So you not only get to take 30% of the cost of the improvements directly off your tax bill, but you also get to save money on your utilities. You win both ways.

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Retirement tax credit.

Contributions to retirement plans are typically untaxed at the time of the contribution.

If your income falls below a certain level, you can also get up to a 50% tax credit to boot!

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6. Disaster. If your area was officially declared a disaster area, you can deduct your losses.

7. Tax and investment expenses. The total cost of these expenses must exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income before taking this write-off. These include things like tax preparation, any legal advice on tax matters, and all your investing expenses. Investing expenses include: •

Your fees and other costs for the investments

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The mileage to drive and see your investment guru

• The cost of publications and subscriptions for investment research, like investment-oriented magazines and The Wall Street Journal.

Taxes are likely your biggest expense each year, so spend some time to familiarize yourself with tax deductions. How many of these deductions apply to you? See your tax professional if you’re unsure if you qualify.

Keep as much of your money as possible. After all, you probably worked pretty hard to earn it.

If your financial situation is complicated, it would be wise to find a real expert. Don’t try to wade through all the tax changes every year by yourself. The extra money you save on taxes can be well worth your time. Contact the National Association of Black Accountants for members near you that can help. https://www.nabainc.org/

7 Social Media Mistakes That Can Harm Your Business & Career Many courts have upheld the right of employers to see everything in your social media accounts. Employers even study the social media accounts of prospective new employees before they’re hired! You can even be forced to log in and provide full access! Same with your business should you end up in a legal matter.

Avoid making social media mistakes that could result in the loss of your business or income.

Use social media platforms wisely by avoiding these mistakes: 1. Posting about controversial topics. Public comments regarding emotionally charged topics is always risky.

You might not like the idea of same-sex marriage or have strong opinions about religion, but you never know whom you might offend with your stance. Proceed at your own risk.

2. Discussing work, interview opportunities, or job offers.

Does it seem smart to post to the world that you just had a great job interview with another company? You might be excited about the opportunity down the street, but it would be prudent not to announce your enthusiasm in a public forum.

• Until you’ve accepted an offer and submitted your resignation, be discrete.

3. Failing to understand the concept of “zombie” content.

While it may seem that you have the option of quickly deleting any inappropriate content, that’s rarely the case.

Once it’s out on the web, it’s there forever. It can keep coming back to haunt your future like a zombie rising from the dead.

• That inappropriate picture or post may show up at the most inappropriate time. Perhaps right before an important job interview or offer.

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Avoid ever posting anything you wouldn’t want your boss or mother to see.

4. Posting content while you claim to be sick or injured.

There have been several instances of employees calling into work sick, only to post photos of themselves at ballgames, the beach, or a party.

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All it takes is for your work nemesis to see it. You can be sure your boss will be informed quickly.

5. Combining personal and business contacts unskillfully.

It’s likely your personal contacts will be bored with your posts regarding work. It’s also likely that many of the posts your personal contacts would find interesting aren’t appropriate for a work audience.

• Your old college buddies might be impressed that you can still stand on your head and drink from a keg.

But your boss might wonder if you’re the right person to negotiate a contract with a European supplier.

6. Adding content at the improper time. We all slow down a little at 3:00PM, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good time to post to your social media accounts. Your boss and coworkers think you should be working. At best, your boss will decide you need a little more work to do. At worst, your boss will suggest that you find another job with another company.

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Posting too much can be nearly as bad as posting at the wrong time. What message are you sending if you post continuously on your time off? That’s not the type of person that’s given greater levels of responsibility in a professional capacity.

7. Profanity, poor grammar, and nudity. While the use of colorful language can help to get your point across, reconsider. Poor grammar can also send the wrong message. Modesty is usually the best policy when it comes to clothing.

The various social media platforms provide an effective way to communicate others. Use these tools to your advantage!

Unfortunately, social media also can also cause a lot of harm to your career. Be careful of the image you present to the world. Take control of your social media presence. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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Building Business Credit Even If Your Personal Credit Sucks!

Building your business credit is one of the most important tasks for any Entrepreneur or Business owner because it allows you to leverage credit over cash! In the long run, this could preserve capital and help you grow and weather any future storms or pandemics. When building the right way, you can get $50,000 in business credit in 90 days. And up to $500,000 in 6-12 months. All based on your EIN and not your social or personal credit. These building business credits fundamentals will guide your way!

1. Build the correct credit Foundation of Your Business When it comes to building business credit, the perception vendors, credit issuers, and lenders have of your business is essential. This is why you need to build a strong, credible image. To do that, your business needs to become a separate entity, meaning Corporate or LLC, if you want your business credit to be separate from your personal credit.

You’ll also need a Federal Tax ID Number, whether you have employees or not, and you must use it to open a bank account and start creating a credit profile for your business. You must have a physical address for your business as well NOT a PO Box or a UPS address. Your business must have a dedicated phone number, a website, an email address, and a business license if required; this will make it legit.

2. Check Your Business Credit Reports Before you start building your business credit you need to get a copy of your business credit reports. Monitoring your business credit is key because you need to know what’s going on at all times and make sure everything is being reported.

Checking your business credit reports will allow you to address any mistakes right away and save your business any trouble.

3. Take Advantage of Starter Vendors Starter vendors are those who will provide initial credit even if your business doesn’t yet have credit, score, or trade lines to show. Vendor credit tier will allow you to create a credit profile and score, so you can then obtain store credit. Don’t attempt to get store credit before building your credit profile and score because it won’t work. This step is mission critical.

4. Jump Into Retail Credit Once you’ve established 5 trade lines of vendor credit done the right way, you can obtain retail credit tier accounts, which are cards that have certain terms applied. So, as a business owner, you’ll be able to use those cards with the goal of

paying the full balance each month. Getting these types of credit lines established are very important before you qualify to get cards such as Visa, Amex, MasterCard, etc.

5. Step Into Fleet Credit The next step is to jump into fleet credit once you have 8 to 10 accounts reporting. Fleet credit can be used to buy, repair, and maintain cars, and you’ll want to apply with your EIN instead of your Social Security number.

6. Apply for Cash Credit Once you have 10 accounts on your credit report, you can apply for cash credit, which means you’ll get Visa, MasterCard, or Amex credit. The approval amounts for cash credit will be equivalent to the highest credit limit account on your business report. So, try to have at least one account on your credit report with a $10.000 high limit.

Building your business credit is more complex than building consumer credit. However, it’s a very straightforward process once you know what you need to do! Visit www.MyBossNation. com to learn the Insider Secrets To Building Business Credit.

And join an intimate community of other entrepreneurs where you can explore free business coaching tools and resources.

And understand how to get up to $500,000 in business credit over the next 6-12 months for your new or established business. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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A Guide to the USDA’s No-MoneyDown Programs The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) mission is to foster rural development and build stronger communities in these areas. To this end, the USDA offers a couple of nomoney-down mortgage programs designed to help lowincome and middle-income families purchase a property in a rural area.

Taking advantage of one of the programs offered by the USDA is an excellent option if you’re interested in moving to a rural area and cannot afford a down payment. You’ll have to meet a few requirements in order to qualify for a loan, but the USDA offers a straightforward financing process and many helpful resources on their official website at usda.gov.

• You have to prove that you’ll be able to pay the loan back. The USDA will look at documentation of your income, assets, and existing debt to determine how much you can afford to spend on monthly loan payments.

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2. Requirements for the property you purchase: •

This is what you need to know about the USDA programs before you get started.

The USDA offers two different financing options: 1. Single family housing direct home loans. These loans are issues by the USDA and are actually considered as subsidies. You can use this type of loan to buy a property, repair, or relocate a home or install utilities. These loans have a low fixed interest rate and you can take between 33 and 38 years to pay it back, depending on your income.

2. Single family housing guaranteed loan program. If you qualify for this program, the USDA will issue you a note for 90% of the value of the property you are interested in. You can then take this note to an approved lender and use the money to buy, repair, or relocate a home or to refinancing an existing loan or install utilities.

The USDA will issue you a loan or a note you can take to a lender as long as you meet these criteria: 1. Income. Your income is one of the main things the USDA looks at to determine if you qualify for one of their programs.

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The USDA has set income limits by state and county.

Your income has to be below a certain level in order for you to qualify as a low income or very low income applicant. Check income requirements by state and county on the official USDA website.

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Additional requirement. You must be able to prove that you don’t have access to proper housing on your current income and that you don’t qualify for financing through other institutions.

Location. The property has to be located in an area covered by this program. The USDA typically issues loans or notes for properties located in remote rural areas.

• Value. The property should be modest by local standards. You won’t be able to purchase a home if its value exceeds the loan limit set by the USDA for this area.

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Other requirements. The property must be your main residence. It cannot have an in-ground swimming pool. And it cannot be designed for the owner to run a business from it.

There are a few downsides to financing a home through a USDA program. The home you want to buy might not qualify for one of these programs. Also, the guidelines set by the USDA limit what you can do with the money you borrow.

However, these two programs are excellent options if your income has made it difficult to consider home ownership. It’s a great way to buy property and grow fresh food that many need in an urban food desert. These programs go rarely tapped by people of color. Share this article and information with someone you know who could benefit from this information.

Visit the official USDA website https://eligibility.sc.egov. usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do to learn more about the rural areas covered by these programs and find out whether or not you might be eligible for a loan.

brief bio or background information your contact information including your mobile phone one social media page a link to your audition video

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In 2020 Commit to Buying the House of Your Dreams Even with a Low Credit Score It’s reassuring to know that the large sum of money you’re putting towards where you call home each month is going towards an investment. And, if you’re a renter, your money is certainly going towards an investment - your landlord’s investment, that is!

If you’re tired of paying someone else’s mortgage, it’s time to look into purchasing a home of your own. And, contrary to common belief, you don’t need stellar credit in order to be approved for a mortgage. Though it helps, it’s far from necessary.

If your credit score is low, try these strategies to help you purchase the home of your dreams: 1. FHA mortgage. The Federal Housing Administration doesn’t directly administer loans to buyers. Rather, they act as a liaison between buyers and private lenders by insuring the loan through the government.

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Since the government-.252. Seller Financing. When a seller finances a home, he agrees to allow the buyer to pay the seller directly over time for the home, instead of seeking financing through a traditional lending institution. This can be an attractive option for some sellers who are dealing with an overly saturated real estate market that yields few qualified buyers, and even fewer offers.

• Seller financing is becoming increasingly popular because lenders are tightening up their requirements and making unconventional borrowers jump through insurmountable hoops.

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More often than not, a seller that is offering financing will ask for a larger down payment in order to lower his risk. It isn’t uncommon for a seller to request 30% to 50% of the purchase price as a down payment. The good news is all you generally need is the money.

No credit. No hoops. No drama. No 1st born child or paying off old creditors to satisfy a bank.

Be aware, sellers will still charge you interest on the home. Get everything in writing. And make sure the seller is not in any trouble with their mortgage that you have not been made fully aware of.

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• If a seller is motivated because they are under financial stress, consider offering a little more for the home if they are willing to finance it for you.

For example, if the home is listed at $300,000, you can offer $325,000. This will only cost you a couple of hundred dollars extra per month, but is a large enticement to the seller.

• No Time? Employ the services of a Realtor as they’ll be familiar with this complicated process. An experienced real estate agent will be able to guide both you and the seller through the necessary paperwork, escrow account, and promissory note details. Realtors can also help locating certain properties and special homebuyer programs to help you get the most house for your situation.

3. Improve your credit score. Though it’s understandable that you want to buy a home right now, it might make more financial sense for your family to wait a while. Take a year off of your home searching and focus on improving your credit score. Typically, all it takes is a year to see a significant difference in your score.

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Increase your credit score by disputing errors on your credit report. Try to keep the inquiries to a minimum, though no inquiries would be ideal. And of course, pay all of your bills on time, especially your credit cards, student loans and car payments.

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Pay down the balance on your credit cards. Generally, lenders like to see that you use less than 30% of your available credit.

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Rather than deactivating older credit cards that you rarely use, keep them. Not only do they give you more available credit (which lenders love to see), but also, the older your credit history, the less of a gamble you’ll be perceived as.

Whether your credit score is 589 or 620, you can buy a home.

You may not be able to receive the keys to your kingdom at this very moment. But if you’re willing to choose a less conventional approach to home buying or you’re dedicated to improving your credit score throughout the next 12 months, you can move into your new place in no time at all.

TIPS On How to Take Advantage of Pandemic FEAR to Start a Profitable Business At first thought you might be tempted to think that a pandemic or recession is the worst possible time to start a business. This certainly isn’t the case! Some very profitable businesses were launched during times of recession because they took advantage of some key factors.

With some smart and creative thinking, you can have your business launched in no time. If you have a clear plan, you can make this happen regardless of the state of the economy.

These tips can help you take advantage of the recession to get your business off to a great start: 1. Start up costs can be lower. It’s less expensive to start a business online than at other times. This is because other businesses are offering deals left and right. You might be able to get lower advertising rates as well as deals on supplies, inventory, services, and more.

5. Excellent employees. During a time of recession, you may find some excellent candidates when it comes time to do your hiring. Because of other companies’ downsizing, you can snatch up some appreciative and loyal people that are knowledgeable and well qualified.

2. Take advantage of lower costs to advertise. In addition to lower ad costs, avenues like TV and Radio are falling out of the sky. This is a good time to take advantage of rates at an all time low.

6. Getting a head start. When you start your business during a recession, you’ll get a good head start over other businesses that may be waiting for a “better” time to launch.

This means that by the time they do launch, you’ll be that much further ahead of the game.

3. Provide excellent customer service. Excellent customer service matters. Between two businesses, with all things equal, the company with the better customer service always wins. After all, people always desire to be treated well especially after being locked down for months.

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In a pandemic, it’s possible that your competition has cut back on their customer service efforts. This gives you the opportunity to come in with top-notch service.

4. Offer bonuses. In a recession pandemic, people are more likely to pay serious attention to the businesses that are giving greater offers. You can open your new business with a bang by beating out your competitors with an excellent deal.

7. Be frugal. Starting in times of recession forces you to be frugal about your business activities. Because of the recession, you’ll make it a point to search for the best prices and the most efficient ways of conducting business.

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You may do it this way simply because you have to, but in the long run, you’ll learn a very important lesson that can enable you to run a profitable business for years to come.

If you can launch and operate a successful business during a recession, just think of what you can accomplish once the economy booms again! Instead of waiting for the “right” time, take action today. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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Health Alert: Safety and Effectiveness of CBD Oil CBD oil is very popular right now. CBD oil is made by extracting cannabidiol from the cannabis plant and diluting it in carrier oil, often coconut or hemp seed oil. As marijuana and marijuana-related products are becoming legal and more socially acceptable, CBD oil is becoming more popular and affordable.

But is CBD oil safe? Is it effective?

Let’s take a look.

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CBD oil does have possible side effects for people who are allergic to hemp. These include: • Dry mouth • Reduced appetite • Fatigue • Drowsiness • Diarrhea • Increase in liver enzymes • It can also interact negatively with certain medications.

Beyond the potential allergic reactions, overall, CBD oil is quite safe and is not addictive. And most of the possible side effects are quite mild. However, if you are experiencing shortness of breath and heart palpitations, you may have a severe reaction and should stop taking CBD and see a healthcare provider immediately.

If you are taking other medications, consult a healthcare provider to discuss the potential of CBD to enhance your current medications and their effectiveness. Or to determine if CBD should be eliminated from your routine.

All of the possible drug interactions haven’t been tested yet. Taking too much CBD oil can also raise liver enzymes, which suggests the possibility that the liver is being stressed. As with all new supplements, less is more. And do your research. Remember, the medical industry is incentivized by pharmaceutical companies to promote their medications. No matter the condition, find what works best for your body.

No two bodies are the same.

As with any medicinal product, it would be wise to consult with your physician before using it.

There have been several benefits tied to CBD oil use: 1. Chemotherapy. CBD oil can reduce nausea, vomiting, and pain in those receiving chemotherapy treatment.

• Many people with cancer claim the treatment is worse than the cancer itself. CBD oil can make chemo a lot more tolerable.

2. Pain relief. Records show that cannabis has been used to treat pain for nearly 5,000 years. CBD is one of the primary components of cannabis that soothes pain.

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CBD oil has been found to reduce pain in several studies. Given that many traditional pain medications have many negative side effects and are addictive, CBD oil is very attractive for treating chronic pain.

3. Hypertension. One study showed that CBD oil lowers blood pressure and may reduce the likelihood of stroke and heart attack.

4. Anxiety relief. CBD oil has been found to be

effective in treating anxiety. This is great news, because CBD oil isn’t addictive.

• Many anxiety medications are addictive and often produce undesirable side effects, such as insomnia, agitation, drowsiness, and sexual dysfunction.

5. Acne reduction. The anti-inflammatory effects of CBD oil are believed to be responsible for the reduction of acne in regular consumers of CBD oil. It’s also believed that CBD oil reduces sebum production.

6. Diabetes and cancer. Studies in animals suggest that CBD oil could be effective in treating and preventing both cancer and diabetes. This benefit, however, is still being researched.

• Tumors grow more slowly, and cancer spreads throughout the body more slowly in rats that are given CBD oil.

•

CBD oil also reduces the incidence of diabetes in rats by over 50% when CBD oil is ingested.

You might be concerned that CBD oil might get you high since it’s a cannabis-related product. The short answer is “no,” it will not. The legal market of CBD oil contains cannabidiol, and trace amounts of THC. THC is the compound that produces the “high” in cannabis. In fact, CBD oil products with more than 0.3% THC are illegal in many states.

One of the issues with CBD oil is dosing and consistency. CBD oil production is largely unregulated. One manufacturer’s product might have significantly more or less CBD than another’s. A product from the same manufacturer might have consistency issues from one batch to the next.

If you decide to use CBD oil, consider the source before you purchase.

CBD oil has a lot of benefits and provides a minimal amount of risk for most people.

It’s important to do the necessary research and talk to your physician. CBD oil might be a great choice for you but be sure to make a well-informed decision.

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Public Relations 101 By: Rahru R. Arceneaux

Public Relations (PR) helps build and maintain positive public image of your business to the public. At the heart of this form of communication lies effective dialogue. It includes gaining exposure to audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payments.

Across America thousands of small- and mediumsized businesses conduct PR campaigns every day with little investments. Whether you’re a smallbusiness owner or an entrepreneur, PR can help level the playing field between you and your bigger competition. For you to excel in PR you will need to sharpen a set of practical skills and strategies designed to enhance your company’s reputation.

If done right PR can help you achieve your marketing objectives at a fraction of the cost of paid advertising.

The key to success in PR is to be creative in your messaging. In a nutshell your PR tasks should be newsworthy and communicate the marketing message.

This is achieved through a planned and sustained set of activities.

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PR Vs Marketing Public Relations is a business tool that often gets confused with marketing or advertising. Though the two are related they are very distinct activities. There are four key differences between PR and marketing. These are appeal, control, credibility and repetition.

Appeal Your publicity effort should have an angle. The messaging should appeal to the media, the intended public and customers at large. Ads appeal to only one audience which are sales prospects and do not reach a broader audience.

Control When you advertise, you have almost total control over the content, format, timing, and size of your message. You specify how big your ad is and when it runs. With public relations however you have almost no control over the content, format, timing, and size of your message as it appears in the media. Though you can write anything you want in a press release, you can’t dictate to the newspaper how it is printed or used.

Credibility People are ever more skeptical of advertising. They tend to

take advertisements with a grain of salt when it comes to believing the claims. However, people might be inclined to believe what they hear on radio, see on TV, or read in the paper. They come with the belief that if it runs in the news it must be true. This is because publicity is promotion masquerading as editorial, feature, or news.

Repetition Advertising is repeatable while PR is not. The same advertisement can run repeatedly as many times as you want it. Conversely, with PR, a media source will run a given press release or cover a publicity event only once.

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Below are some effective public relations strategies that will help guide you to success.

1. Know Your Audiences For your message to reach the impact that you want, you will need to first understand and segment your audiences. Remember that not all audiences are the same. You can reach some through events, others through social media and yet others through networking events. Whatever content you generate should have your audiences in mind.

2. Get Organized PR is achieved through a planned, sustained set of activities. You will need a calendar to organize your outreach activities. You must also start generating a contact list of media, opinion leaders, personalities, customers and likeminded companies to engage and collaborate with.

3. Think like a reporter Your press release should be interesting and to the point with a sprinkle of insightful quotes in it. A brief company history at the end can help too and don’t forget to include your contact details. The goal here is to ensnare the right editor on the right title with an interesting press release that grabs their attention.

The more you can think like a reporter, the better it gets.

4. Do your Research There are no substitutes for research and careful planning in your PR work. Research is an essential part of public relations management as it allows you to be strategic. This ensures the communication is specifically targeted to audiences who want, need, or care about the information. Study PR campaigns that you would like to take inspiration from. See what the competition is up to and think about outmaneuvering them.

5. Work with a Team First off you will need to set up a dedicated team for your PR efforts. If you have a staffer who is great in graphics, writes witty copy or simply takes good pictures then get them to your team. Your team will help you add value to your messaging, provide feedback and help you distribute your messages. A team can help ensure that any messages you convey are by design rather than an accident.

6. Enhances Your Online Presence In this world where everyone is digitally connected you need an online presence to reach to your customers. Facebook, Instagram, twitter are great mediums to reach your public. You can use them to make announcements, make connections and publish content.

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7. Know your Competition The key to any successive business is to strengthen your comparative competitiveness. Your business, and every team within it, must have a source of competitive advantage. Understanding, identifying, creating, and sustaining a competitive advantage is at the heart of a good strategy.

8. Create compelling content Public relations is about sharing the right information to the right places and people. This helps build your brand and brand reputation. You need to learn your target language, desires, things that resonate with them, and the things they don’t like. Choose the right topic for your content. Compelling content should include elements of curiosity, urgency, relevancy, value and emotion.

9. Think like your Audience Remember to design your campaign from the public’s point of view, not your own. Subtlety is key here! As a business you will need to use wording that conveys a solidly positive image, forcing opponents to take up the negative stance. Run by your message with friends and family to see what they think of the messaging before sending it out.

10. Define Goals and Objectives Knowing what you want to achieve and how you want to get there can help bring clarity to your approach. This will help in determining which audiences you need to reach, and which messages and tactics are most likely to help you achieve your goals.

11. Establish a working Strategy Choose the right PR strategy to suit your business needs. You will need to distinguish between public relations strategies and PR tactics. Strategies fall under the realm of general approaches to achieving objectives. While tactics are the day-to-day activities a business implements to carry out each strategy.

The ultimate goal of public relations is to be seen and heard through great storytelling. While the discipline is constantly evolving, there are fundamentals for achieving this goal that companies and brands must understand and implement when positioning news to target audiences.

Rahru R. Arceneaux is public relations professional, brand strategist, author, and producer. She is the owner of Haute Choc’lat Multimedia Group and Eclips Studio Productions. A hybrid PR & Digital Marketing Agency and Production Company. She has twenty years’ experience with clients in entertainment, lifestyle, education, non-profit in tech. Catch her on social media @ hautechoclatpr or reach out www.linktr.ee/HauteChoclatPR.

Staying healthy during Covid-19: Food Insecurity and Fitness What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity is a health equity issue. Whether you are vegan or omnivore, wealthy or poor, “access to adequate food and safe drinking water” is a basic concern. Extreme poverty (referred to as Z-Codes in medical coding) is often referred to as the primary cause of food insecurity but with ‘Rona running rampant even those with ample resources find it hard to maintain balanced nutrition. Nationwide reports of shuttered grocers, bare water shelves, and limited access to staples and culturally relevant foods continue to grow.

Structural factors including economic policy, racism, and public investment in communities determine the overall prevalence and specific distribution of food insecurity.

Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) have long been disconnected from food as medicine from fertile ground. As a culture, we aren’t eating right and our fitness is failing as a result.

It was especially important to write this article now as my community and loved ones have seen a rapid decline in physical and mental health due to COVID-19 and lack of access to vital resources: Today, we specifically discuss food disparity. I experienced a mental health crisis due to poor eating habits while traveling, loss of routine, and trauma. Here are a few tips my team and I have gathered and put into practice to help myself and several young (and young at heart) professionals recover and maintain their wellness. Food, fitness, finances, faith, and family – let’s get Fully In Tune and Master our Healing to Educate our loved ones!

These past few weeks have been exhausting, to say the least! Whether you’re an essential worker or entrepreneur everyone seems to be feeling the stress of COVID-19 and the lifestyle changes the pandemic has brought upon us. Many of us have put on a few pounds during the quarantine and others have lost more than weight. The mask debate has caused the loss of friendships, isolation has caused a loss of confidence; depression and anxiety are at an all-time high. Many have taken to stress eating or not eating at all.

Worse still, the restrictions on businesses and transportation have increased food insecurity.

Food Deserts & Instability An area that has limited access to affordable nutritious food is called a Food Desert. A Food Oasis, in contrast, is an area with higher access to supermarkets or fresh foods. The type and quality of food as well as the size and proximity of the population to the food retailers are considered. Healthy foods are typically more expensive than unhealthy foods, particularly in food deserts. For example, between 1989 and 2005 the overall price of fruits and veggies rose by almost 75% while the price of fatty foods dropped by more than 26% during the same period. During this pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in long-term unemployment claims and employment in general. More Americans are being forced to choose between meals and other necessities such as medicine or paying the mortgage. Eating unhealthy has farreaching consequences that affect more than just the wallet. Low income and BIPOC populations suffer from statistically higher rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other nutrition-related conditions than the general public; higher rates of chronic illness due to food instability.

Food deserts include; Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City. If you live in a food desert, you can start by educating others on what this means and ways to make a change. Options include growing your food (look into growing from scraps), working with local retailers to sell healthy, affordable foods, and bringing your concerns to policymakers at the city, state, and national levels.

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Food Insecurity & Chronic Disease The American Diabetes Association States that Diabetes was among the top 10 chronic conditions of Medicare Beneficiaries with Z-Codes in 2017 (27%). Now I’m sure you’re thinking, “I don’t suffer from extreme poverty, how does this apply to me?” One, there’s almost certainly someone in your circle of influence that is poverty-stricken that you can share this information with. Two, you know you need to eat better and Three, Who knows when this pandemic will end?

Do you or someone you know have a chronic illness like Diabetes, Heart Disease, or Chronic Kidney Disease? Six in ten Americans live with at least one chronic disease and they are the leading cause of death and disability in America, with African Americans being largely affected. These conditions often also require specialized meal planning such as a renal live-it (why DIE-it?), gluten-free, and drug interaction friendly (many Coumadin takers are advised to avoid green vegetables for instance).

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How can I recover or maintain my health?

•

Keep track of your meals: Get to know what you’re eating and how it makes you feel. Monitor your water, sugar and caffeine intake.

•

Get a checkup: Connect with your physician in person or virtually to establish your baseline health. Be sure to request full bloodwork including blood type, A1C, and PSA (for males). When requesting testing, if refused, ask the doctor to note it in your chart. Educate yourself on your health conditions, treatment options, and optimal meal plans.

•

Establish a goal: Whether that be to gain/lose weight, lower blood pressure/ cholesterol, reduce dependence on medication or just to have an overall improved quality of life - set a goal and date.

•

Create a plan: How can you eat optimally for your lifestyle? Consider meal delivery

clubs such as Purple Carrot or Home Chef.

What simple adjustments can you make?

Fresh instead of frozen or canned to lower sodium and cooking in as opposed to eating out for example. Check your local farmer’s market for two-for-one deals, senior days, and double SNAP benefits.

Stay safe, use delivery, or curbside pickup whenever possible. Eat local and organic as often as possible. Join a local co-op. Put down the potato chips, roast some sweet potatoes. Avoid processed food like crowds of 10.

•

Hydrate: The ability to properly flush toxins is just as important as getting the nutrients in. Many chronic diseases stem from chronic dehydration as well. Grab a case of water or two from your local club store or grab some friends and head to the nearest naturally alkaline spring! Get it in!

•

Hold yourself accountable: Connect with like-minded individuals for support, suggestions, and celebration! Meet-Up and Facebook groups abound! Whether your goal is general fitness, chronic disease management, to get your finances in order by spending less on food, or mental health there is a group for you.

sensitive to their capacity and funding. Start at feedingamerica.com/find-your-localfoodbank to identify local food pantries, mobile food distribution (volunteer why don’t you), and learn how to prepare emergency food kits for yourself and loved ones.

3. Encourage the shift towards fruits and vegetables as available and recommended by a healthcare provider. Be an example.

What does all this have to do with COVID-19?

No one has to tell you how this pandemic has changed your world, the evidence is surely sitting somewhere nearby in the form of some sugar or sodium heavy snack wrapper. Every time you turn on the news there is a new record set for most coronavirus cases in a single day or loss of life from complications of the chronic diseases COVID-19 exacerbates. Stay safe: •

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick.

•

Follow CDC & Local Guidelines for covering most and nose in public.

•

Listen for instructions from your local government about curfews and quarantines.

•

Wash your hands often with soap and water. Avoid touching your face (eyes, nose, mouth).

1. Connect without judgment: Actively listen to understand their needs and concerns.

Share information in private or via social media to reduce the risk of embarrassment and shame.

•

Stay 6ft from others.

•

Disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home and in your office.

•

Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow.

2. Identify resources: Develop genuine collaborations with people and organizations that provide resources. Be

•

Get adequate sleep, 30 minutes of sun & exercise daily, and high-quality meals.

How can I help with Food Insecurity?

You can make sure your community and loved ones are getting proper nutrition.

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o Drink half your body weight in water. (Ex. If you weigh 200 lbs, set your intake goal as 100 oz of water) Water-rich foods such as celery, cucumber, and watermelon can help with water intake by being eaten directly or infused in water. o Keep a 2-week to 30 day supply of (preferably fresh) canned or frozen fruit, vegetables, and meat. o Eat the rainbow. Treat yourself to immune-boosting nutrients to restore and actively maintain your health and wellness.

• Grapefruit, oranges, tangerines - Vitamin C to increase white blood cell production.

• Carrots - Beta Carotene - anti-inflammatory • Nuts, seeds, avocado - Vitamin E - supports immune function • Salmon, egg, yogurt - Vitamin D - essential to immune function • Garlic - can reduce stress hormones • Hummus, cold water fish - Vitamin B6 - aids in the lymphatic system. o Other items to keep on hand: • Dry cereals, oatmeal or granola.

• Peanut butter or nuts • Protein or fruit bars • Pasta, bread, rice, crackers, and other grains • Canned beans • Chicken broth, canned potatoes, jarred pasta sauce • Cooking oil • Flour, natural sugars (honey, molasses, stevia)

•

Coffee, tea, canned milk, canned juices (homemade is better) • Bottled Water • Canned or jarred baby food and formula • Pet food • Household supplies like bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, body soap & household cleaner. o Medical & Health Supplies to have on hand: • Prescription medicine • Prescription medical supplies (nebulizer, glucose monitor, blood pressure monitor, etc.)

• Fever & Pain medicine (allopathic: acetaminophen) (naturopathic: essential oils such as peppermint for headache) • Cough & Cold medicine (elderberry syrup & fire cider are examples of natural products) • Antidiarrheal medication (good ole’ ginger tea) • Thermometer • Fluids with Electrolytes • Soap & alcohol-based hand sanitizer • Tissue, toilet paper, disposable diapers, women’s sanitary supplies • Zinc. Our bodies do not store or produce zinc, which is a mineral required for immune system cells to function as intended. High content can be found in seafood, red meat & beans.

Stock up, sit back, and take note of how you’re feeling.

Gather the tools you need to improve the life of yourself and others during this pandemic. Create your new normal.

Resources: feedingamerica.com/find-your-local-foodbank nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/covid-19-resources-page foodispower.org cdc.gov Check out Taiasha Montez’s profile on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/taiasha Taiasha Montez is an upcoming Podcaster, Community Health worker certified in Diabetes Management, MS MAVIM student, Violet Flame Reiki Master, Published Editor & Writer, Mom of 6; lover of coffee, fitness, nature and all things creative. CPTSD Warrior. MASTERING my HEALING to EDUCATE others on how to do the same. #masterhealingeducator I bring together families with high-quality natural remedies and time-tested personalized protocols so I can help alleviate chronic illness in my community.

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BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND & BECOMING AN INFLUENCER A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE Chapter 1: What Is a Personal Brand?

•

A personal brand is much more than a flashy logo or a color palette. A personal brand goes far beyond having a nice-looking business card. A personal brand is not just about having a website with your name on it, although that’s certainly part of it.

•

Your personal brand is how you present yourself, both online and online, to your ideal audience. Your personal brand is the image you put forth. It’s what you stand for. Your values. What you’re all about. The core of who you are as a person. It’s the combination of your values, unique skills, experiences, stories, personality, and image, all presented authentically to your audience.

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•

Every person is now a brand. Everyone can constantly put themselves out in front of their audience. Everyone can add value to their audience. Everyone can communicate their message loud and clear. With everything you share with your audience, you’re building your brand.

•

The question is whether you’re actively taking control of your brand. Do you want your brand to develop on its own, with no guidance from you, or do you want to be actively in control of the process? It’s always best to be the one in control of your personal brand.

Chapter 2: Why You Need to Build a Personal Brand •

•

Every entrepreneur, coach, consultant, freelancer, etc. should be building their own brand. If you are trying to build a business of any sort, it’s important to build your own personal brand.

Personal branding allows you to stand out from the competition.

Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to over.

You’re unique. Only you are you.

You have unique experiences, strengths, beliefs, perspectives, skills, and insights that set you apart from everyone else. Building your personal brand allows you highlight your strengths.

•

Personal branding allows you to charge a premium price. Because you bring unique value to the table - value that no one else overs - you can charge a premium price for your services.

the expert. It also generates more referrals from others in your field. And it allows you to charge a premium price.

•

Personal brand building ensures that you’re the one forming people’s ideas and opinions about you. You’re in control of the story.

•

Personal branding highlights your expertise. A significant amount of personal branding involves the content that you share with the world. The more valuable the content you share, the more you demonstrate that you’re an expert who should be trusted.

With every piece of content that you share, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. The more you show that you’re an expert, the more people will trust you.

•

Personal branding allows you to attract your ideal audience. When you’re an expert, you attract those who need your help the most. They want help from you because you’re

Personal branding increases your visibility. As you build your personal brand, you’ll become more visible. You’ll attract more fans on social media, who will share your content with their tribes, which will then attract more fans.

You’ll also be featured in more media outlets since they’re always looking for experts. And you’ll be invited to speak at more places. As you build your brand, your platform will also grow.

•

When you craft a strong personal brand, you can charge a higher price for your products and services because they’re exclusive to you.

•

Personal branding puts you in charge of the narrative.

Your personal brand will evolve, whether you want it to or not. If you use social media, have an email list, write a blog, or speak to groups, you’re already building your personal brand. The question is whether you’re building the brand intentionally.

Personal branding shapes the content you share.

Without a personal brand, you have nothing guiding you in terms of what content you should be sharing with your audience.

Personal branding gives you guidelines as to what you should share with your audience. You should only share things that are in line with your brand. Anything offbrand shouldn’t be shared.

•

Personal branding connects you more with individuals.

People connect better with other people than they do with companies. The more you work to build your brand, the more individuals you’ll attract. They’ll be attracted to your values, personality, and insights.

The more individuals you attract, the more you’ll build your overall business.

•

Personal branding allows you to become an influencer.

An influencer is someone who significantly shapes the opinions of their followers and has a big influence on how they behave. There are some significant benefits to being an influencer.

Big brands want to work with influencers, which can generate revenue for you. You often receive free things from companies who are interested in partnering with you. And you frequently get requests from the media to speak or just to attend events.

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Chapter 3: How to Build a Personal Brand Step #1: Determine who you really are. Building your personal brand is about sharing your authentic self with the world.

Ask yourself: What unique skills do I have? What are my core values? What am I most passionate about? What unique experiences have shaped who I am? How can I most effectively serve my core audience? What do I have to over that no one else does?

Step #2: Determine what you want to accomplish. Once you’ve identified the core of who you are, it’s time to think about what you want to accomplish with your personal brand.

Ask yourself: What would I like to accomplish, both personally and professionally? What do I want to be known for? If I could be the world’s foremost expert on a topic, what would it be? What key message do I want to communicate? If I could only give one piece of advice, what would it be? What is the “personality” of my brand?

Step #3: Identify your target audience. There is a core demographic of people who will resonate deeply with you, your brand, and what you over. This core demographic is your target audience.

To identify your core audience, ask these questions: Who can I most effectively help? Who will benefit most from my skill set and knowledge? Who am I most passionate about serving? Who will resonate most with me and my brand?

It can also be helpful to create a persona for your ideal client.

This should include demographic information, desires and aspirations, as well as pain points and challenges that they face.

Step #4: Determine your Unique Service Proposition. Your USP is simply your brand summed up into a single, powerful compelling statement that describes exactly what you do for your audience.

A USP typically looks something like this: I help (target person) to (achieve X) so that they can (outcome). Your USP doesn’t have to say everything about your brand, but it should get right to the heart of who you are and how you help your audience. It may help to give your USP a unique name that will stick in people’s mind.

Don’t skimp on this step. Creating your USP gives you a high degree of clarity about what your brand is all about.

Step #5: Start treating yourself as a brand. In every communication with your audience, whether a blog post, email, podcast, social media post, etc., you stay true to your brand message. You constantly speak about the problems you solve, constantly encourage your audience, constantly voice the message of your brand.

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It also means creating a strong, compelling website to serve as your home base for all your online activities. It means creating a media page or media kit on your site for media inquiries. It could mean not answering emails yourself, but having an assistant answer them.

Step #6: Optimize your website. Your website functions as your “home base” of sorts. It is one of the primary places people get to know who you are and what you do. Your website also functions as one of the primary ways you turn visitors into paying clients.

Optimizing your website includes: having a professional logo designed, showing off your USP, using professional photos, using testimonials, presenting a clear call-to- action, creating a compelling “About” page, creating a services page, giving away free resources, creating a contact page.

Step #7: Develop your content strategy. The primary way you’re going to build your brand is by creating strategic content, such as blog posts, videos, social media posts, emails, affirmations, and podcasts. Each piece of content you share with your audience should serve to build your brand.

We recommend the “Pillar Method” for your content. The Pillar Method involves creating longer pieces of content that function as pillars, of sorts. These pillars pieces are then cut up into smaller pieces of content that are shared across a variety of social media platforms. Using this method allows you to repurpose a single piece of content in a variety of ways.

Step #8: Constantly add value to your audience. It’s essential that you constantly give value to your audience without asking for anything in return. The main thing people should take away when interacting with your brand is how much value you provide.

There will be times when you ask for a sale or ask someone to become a new client. The main emphasis, however, should be on adding value to your audience.

Step #9: Build a community. One of the best ways to build your brand is to build a community of people who can share ideas, support each other, and reach out to you directly. You create a tribe of passionate people who care about the same things you do.

Some simple ways to build a community include starting a private Facebook group where people can encourage each other and share ideas, hosting live events where you can interact personally with your tribe, or creating a membership site where people can get exclusive access to you.

Compliments of www.MyBossNation.com visit for more tools and resources to help you build your business swag.

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Food Startup Checklist This might be the best time in history to start a food business. Depending on your approach. In the past, aspiring restaurant owners could easily expect to invest their life savings before ever serving the first glass of free water. Even fully funded concepts have a failure rate of about 60 percent within their first 3 years according to a study done by Ohio State. Are you still willing to place a bet on your Aunt Bea’s BlackBerry Cobbler or Uncle Freddie’s Blue Crab Boil in spite of the odds? If so, you are self determining. You are a risk taker. You are ready to win.

You are an entrepreneur.

You have an amazing product so let’s for increase you chances of staying in business long enough for people to try it!

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So what if it taste good!

Who’s going to buy it? Market Research is absolutely necessary. It doesn’t have to feel like homework either.

Use any of the common research analysis tools to gain a deeper understanding of your customers, competitors and market trends.

It might not be fun but it’s better than bankruptcy.

Don’t skip the financials. You will need a Balance sheet Income statement Cash flow statement

Business Model Canvas The business model canvas is a shared language for describing, visualizing, assessing and changing business models. It describes the rational of how an organization creates, delivers and captures value.

SOAR Analysis A strength, opportunities, aspirations, results (SOAR) analysis is a stragegic planning tool that focuses an organization on its current strengths and vision of the future for developing its strategic goals.

These documents will give you an honest snapshot of your business.

Start off right Obtain the required licensees and permits.

Employer Identification Number.

Business License. …

Insurance Secretary of State Food Managers Permit Health Department Permit. ...

SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a technique used to determine and define your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

PESTEL Analysis It a strategic corporate and business strategy guide. It focuses on Political, Economic, Social, Technological factors one that includes additional assessment of the Environmental and Legal factors that can impact a business.

Don’t be scared to ask for help.

There are many resources available to business owners.

Many which are free and easily accessed via the internet ttps://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety ttps://www.sba.gov/business-guide/ h ttps://www.fmi.org/ ttp://condimentmarketing.com ttps://www.usda.gov/topics/rural/cooperativeresearchthttps://www.cdc.gov/food s afety ttps://www.sba.gov/business-guide/ h ttps://www.fmi.org/ ttp://condimentmarketing.com ttps://www.usda.gov/topics/rural/cooperative-research

Department of Agriculture Permit FDA Permit The post Covid19 food business landscape is rapidly changing and it’s to your advantage if you are willing to shift your perspective and adapt.

Low cost shared production kitchens, online delivery, ghost kitchens and other to-go only options like food trucks have lowered the cost of market entry and drastically reduced operating cost. Whether you have a full Cajun menu, a dry BBQ rub or frozen glutenfree muffins, there are established distribution channels available to help you connect people that will love your product.

Keitra Bates is an Atlanta based entrepreneur. She is the founder of Marddy’s, a Social Enterprise whose mission is to Preserve and Promote Culinary Culture.

Their vision is to transform the health and wealth of communities through traditional food.

Ig @Marddys

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Wealth Perspectives: Leveraging Life Insurannce

Creating Generational Wealth At Any Age After 60 years of combined marriages and the loss of our spouses, as couples who were friends, we decided to come together as a husband/wife team of entrepreneurs and film and stage producers six years ago. We wanted to build and grow our social and political activism. In August 2017 we co-founded On The Spot Edutainment Corporation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We produced plays and a documentary film on bullying.

Under our parent company, LALI Productions LLC, we were taking our play Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman: Having Their Say to various schools in Lake County Florida. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We put our heads together and decided to venture into the insurance and annuities business with the ultimate goal of assisting families in obtaining generational wealth.

Being senior citizens does not mean giving up on life, a healthy lifestyle, a higher quality of life, or taking on a new and/or additional career or income stream “to supplement” one’s retirement. We were not going to sit idly and not take advantage of the opportunities to diversify our income streams. We are not rocking chair seniors. We know that a mind is a terrible thing to waste and we are not about to waste ours.

In June 2019, we were blessed to have a new home built in Florida. We set up an appointment with an agent. After careful review of our life insurance policies, we both realized that we were not being protected at all. The only ones being protected were the insurance companies.

So, this agent set about designing polices that include Mortgage Protection, Long Term Illness Protection, Income Protection (in case our businesses were interrupted), Retirement Protection, and Accelerated Living Benefits in case of a long term or a critical Illness. We are now well protected. Our hope is to help others who realize that an insurance policy is supposed to benefit THEM as well as the insurance company that services them.

by Muhammad (MJ)& Lauretta Ali Molette-Abdullah

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SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED FOR EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS and BUSINESS OWNERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC During this transformative period of record layoffs in America and throughout the world as well as a domestic economy in recession, many important questions should be arising among working people, and especially small business owners, in the midst of this pandemic: Should I review my life insurance policies to see what

type of coverage I own and if it is adequate to meet my needs in this 21st century economy?

Am I passing on a legacy of generational wealth or generational poverty to my children and loved ones in my family tree? What happens if I lose my job or business? How will I survive? Is the protection on my job adequate?

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Does the protection end if I’m laid off, suspended, or fired from my job? Is my designated family members or loved ones the beneficiary on my employer policy or is my employer the beneficiary? What happens if I contract the COVID-19 corona virus or terminal cancer? What happens if I become disabled and/or unable to care for myself at any age? What happens if my kidneys malfunction? What is available to me if I, my spouse, partner, or a key employee suffer a major stroke, heart attack or is involved in an accident onor-off the job? Do I have a plan? Do I know really know what is in my policy, or just believe what my agent has told me? Is my agent still available, or no longer with my insurance company?

premiums back once the term ends?

Are all Term policies the same? Is Cash Value insurance policies better than Term policies? Is my policy worthless when I need it the most in times of a terminal illness or death? Have I read and fully understood the fine print?

Should I keep same policy/policies for life or review them periodically as my health, income, and investment needs increase or decrease etc.? One must not wait until a critical moment occurs and then become reactive. If I have pre-existing conditions or been turned down for insurance, does that mean that no company will insure me? We had the answers to these questions and more provided to us by our insurance agent.

How much insurance do I truly need?

Can I access the cash in my policy before I die, and not have to pay it back with interest? If so, what percentage, and under what conditions? How long does it take the cash value in my policy to grow? Are there Term policies available where I can get all my

There are numerous stories that we have heard of and witnessed about families and individuals who were devastated when an untimely accident, a long-term illness, a disability, loss of employment, a terminal illness, or a death occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic should be a wakeup call!

People are dying by the tens-of -thousands! A close friend’s wife, who was only 56 years old, was in good health, and suffered a major stroke (without a warning sign), two weeks ago. She had to be airlifted to the hospital and now her husband of 30 years with two grown children and a teenage granddaughter, has to figure out how to replace her income, pay her bills, (especially the medical bills), and may lose his home because they didn’t have enough coverage to pay off the mortgage, replace her income, and the human value she had to him as his life partner. This happens every day in America.

Too many families, especially among the working poor descendants of African slaves, Native Americans, peopleof-color, and many poor Caucasian families, can share hundreds-of-thousands of stories of those who trusted their insurance agents, investment bankers, stock brokers, mortgage companies and when faced with the untimely death, critical or terminal illness, or a long term hospital stay and when they checked their policies found that they were unable to survive.

Too many don’t have enough money for burial expenses and have to get help and support from family members, relatives, loved ones or have to seek support from their synagogues, temples, churches, mosques or spiritual communities, Too many are forced to sell their homes, faced foreclosure, can’t pay their medical bills and other monthly expenses which oftentimes leads to bankruptcy. Too many are forced to

dwindle down their savings, retirement plans, or emergency funds just to make ends meet. And yes sadly, many with families end up homeless after losing the “Bread Winner.”

With a strategic plan, the right type of coverage and annuities plan, we can help individuals and families reverse “the cycle of poverty” in their family trees for generations to come.

We felt that in order for us not to be put in a desperate situation (like so many unprepared, unemployed, laid off workers and small business owners whose futures are uncertain), we should choose a growing and necessary industry which is “recession proof”(such as the insurance industry and financial services) which always adjusts to the up-and-down volatility in the economy, both domestically and globally. So, we took an online course after being appointed by Symmetry Financial Group, in order to acquire a Florida State license as brokers in Life Insurance and Annuities policies.

Remember as you consider if this opportunity for an additional income stream is for you or not: INSURANCE COMPANIES OWN BANKS! Banks do NOT own insurance companies. Insurance companies are the richest industries in the world, bar none. Everything one can think of must have some form of insurance, from the-cradle-to-the-grave.

So why are there not more young people, and people in general, in this industry? Because this is not taught in elementary school, high school, or in most colleges. It is not difficult to pass the course, pass the State exam and to get a business license. If we can do it at 68 years young, anyone can do it!

Therefore, we are urging all our family members, neighbors, friends, loved ones and the general public to have your insurance policies reviewed as soon as possible. Now is the time!

We are available to assist you as your broker agents. Symmetry Financial Group offers excellent training to agents across the country who are willing to learn this industry. The industry is booming! They cannot hire agents fast enough! Our national Mentor Trainer is one of the best in the country. He and his wife are a husband/wife team who are committed to sharing their keys to success with us and all those who are genuinely interested in the financial services field.

If you are interested in more information, please e-mail us at eaglevisionmktg7@ gmail.com or call us today at 678-5085958. Serious inquiries only. Your future belongs to you!

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Hair Boss!

What Hair Professionals Need To Know To Thrive Beyond The Pandemic I built my empire and the coronavirus tried to steal my joy. Never in my lifetime have I, or any of us seen anything like Covid-19. The beauty industry, along with many other service industries suddenly found ourselves shut down due to the need for “social distancing”. Social distancing is not exactly conducive to getting a wash and set or having your nails manicured. The beauty industry is in a state of emergency. The drastic and abrupt changes in how we do business has changed our industry forever.

I have been in the beauty industry for the better part of 30 years. I operate a boutique salon, Glam Galore, catering to affluent clients in suburban Virginia. Precovid my business was flourishing with hundreds of clients weekly. As the pandemic hit Governor Northam of Virginia ordered all “non-essential” businesses closed.

Let’s think about that for a moment; that word, “nonessential”. At first we were told it would only be a few weeks, then a few weeks turned into a month and then, months. Our once thriving business was pushed to the brink of disaster.

Now that the State of Virginia has managed to beat back the challenge of this dreaded disease, we find ourselves servicing half of the clientele we once had, but we are thankful for the loyalty of our regular customers. Unfortunately, due to the fear associated with Coronavirus, we are faced with the prospect of never recovering the level of clientele we once had. But here are things we are doing to help relieve our clients’ fears and to push my business forward.

Strict Sanitation State Boards of Cosmetology require us to practice very strict sanitation and disinfecting practices. Prior to COVID, we always made sure stations were well sanitized and clean; now we are almost hypervigilant about it. After each client we thoroughly clear and disinfect all surface areas and equipment according to CDC guidelines and make sure our customers and workers are safe.

Modified Bookings to help with social distancing. We modified our appointment scheduling to a staggered schedule, thus the reason our daily clientele count has been altered by about half capacity. This will happen to your business as well, but managing a consistent client flow, will help you keep your business moving forward.

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LaTonya Reeves

The future? I don’t see this situation changing anytime soon, as this is something that is not an event that we can specifically control. Unless and until there is some vaccine available, we must adapt to this protocol if we’re going to survive.

Putting Things Into Perspective Sharday Haley, one of the stylist at team Glam Galore, depends on me keeping my doors open. We both experienced rough upbringings and an equal number of tough times; for the two of us this business of ours has been a saving grace. Hairstyling isn’t just a work to us, its life to us; it gives our lives meaning and purpose. I can’t honestly say I had any of this in mind when I jumped into the hair industry head first. I also have to be transparent and tell you that I made some questionable choices in my past. And sometimes those choices ended badly. The hair industry provided me with the discipline and focus I needed. It became a refuge for me, for both of us.

The therapeutic nature of this business is such that I couldn’t begin to quantify what counseling would cost me. This is why we will do whatever it takes to keep our doors open.

Preparing Your Customers Customers returning to their salons should be prepared for radically different experience. It used to be where a group of friends could be together at the salon and make a day, or night of it, complete with the beverages and music of their choice. Mani-pedi’s take on a whole new feel when there’s someone asking you to wait in your car for your appointment, and then walking into a modified salon space complete with masked people everywhere and plexiglass partitions. While you can still sit and chat with your stylist about your live life, you may now have to speak a little louder, leaving you a little more vulnerable and exposed because you have to talk through a mask.

We Love Our Customer But It’s Still A Business Due to our prior success, we’ve been fortunate to keep our prices at pre-COVID levels; however, many salons and barber shops have raised their prices to compensate for the loss of business over a period of nearly half a year! Some are adding additional fees to the cost of service to cover cleaning and disinfecting and additional materials such as masks.

In some instances, you may require clients to wash their hair before coming in for an appointment. Walk ins are an impossibility. Also, as I alluded to earlier, make sure you have your customers to pack snacks in the car because the cheese and wine we are used to providing high-end clients is absolutely a no can do.

Assume your salon is just going to be different and embrace it.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “How bad can this really be?”

A stylist in Missouri was recently highlighted that may have

infected up to 140 people. Do the math…140 people, going in 140 different directions, to 140 or more different families, and then all of those people coming in contact with so many others. THIS my friends is why this disease is so insidious and almost impossible to stop…but we will if we do the simple things like wear a mask and follow the CDC guidelines for sanitizing and social distancing.

Somewhere between one half to two-thirds of the salons in the U.S. are back in service; however, a segment of the business that is not readily being serviced is the most vulnerable of clients, the elderly.

Social Impact of Covid-19 And The Business of Hair As a community, our elderly clients often become Momma, Auntie and in some cases, Grandma, and they used to come with hugs, warm words of encouragement and a strong sense of family that permeated every aspect of the business.

Much to our collective misfortune, so many of our elderly clients have not returned. They are staying away because they may be susceptible to Coronavirus, and that is most heart breaking.

At Glam Galore, we have reopened to welcoming and waiting clients because we provided high levels of service and sanitation since our opening. We have built a network that is beyond business. And we have relationships which have translated into a degree of love and support that I cannot begin to describe. We are grateful that we have managed to survive this storm.

Black Salons Must Work Together Our industry once had the reputation of being a little cutthroat; stylists competing for clients, and stealing clients, but for now, things are changing for the better. Instead of the “me” mentality, the realization of “we” and “us” is becoming more of a reality. We are in collective understanding that we truly are in this together and together, we will get through this…with style. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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Defund the Police a Precursor to Reparations

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The year is 2020 and we still pick and choose which truths we believe to be self-evident. The world once again, has heard the cry of the people.

Organic protests across the United States and sporadically across the globe arose in a solidarity against inhumane practices. Isn’t it ironic when everyone around the world is putting on masks as a protection against a global pandemic, America is finally removing the mask that hides its obvious imperfections? These imperfections are the same moral debts that Ta-Nehisi Coates sought to describe in, “The Case for Reparations”. There is plenty of work to do before we could begin to have a conversation about reparations as the height of protests polarizes headline phrases such as Justice for ____ , Black Lives Matter, Defund the Police, Blue Lives Matter, No Justice No Peace and All Lives Matter just to name a few. Amongst the confusing banter a few things are clear; America’s policing dilemma is a symptom of an overall governance problem; a lack of leadership is obvious and several cling to an intrinsic value assigned to symbols rather than being brave enough to truly embody all that America Claims to represent.

With the recent passing of Juneteenth, America has continued with a revisionist history that has only served to further the divide in what we would like to believe is a grouping of “united” states. Police brutality is only America’s migraine. It is a reoccurring event; it is a chronic ill that informs us that we have broken systems. These systems are not only seen on a spectrum of race and class but also disability, sexual orientation, gender identity just to name a few. In honor of such a holiday it is not surprising that a conversation about reparations would be reignited. America currently lacks a maturity to have a transparent and actionable conversation concerning Reparations.

Instead I would like to appeal to what may be on the heart of the masses and deliberately contemplating how the funding of a system which “we control”.

Before I begin, we have to take some time to disarm the cycle of semantics, while the meaning of something is important, we must admit that it is a commonly used snare to hinder progress and often start quarrels and divisions amongst parties, even those who have the same understanding.

The most simplistic start to the reparations conversation the righting of said wrongs I would think is taking deliberate action to apologize. Unfortunately, that means that some action items must take place before mass payouts and/or other apologetic gestures. I am suggesting that we call for equitable actions. The first equitable action that exemplifies meeting the people where they are is Defunding the Police. When this notion was first introduced, people imagined a world of crime and mayhem. What do you think of when you heard the phrase Defund the Police? It is interesting how a simple term like defund would also require policing, apparently the word “defund” is radical. Many shared the thinking that police need to be transformed, reimagined, reformed, rebuilt, retrained all less abrasive terminology. So why is “defund” radical? In the context of our capitalist driven society the removal or reallocation of funds has a chain reaction that could attempt to disrupt the profit margins and bottom lines of many.

Moreover, this is an action of the people demanding to use their rights to structure systems in a context that would be thought www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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to better serve them. Imagine if that radical thinking was used to disrupt other governing systems such as the legislative branch or restructuring how the lobbying process worked. in contrast to semantics, the plight of the opposition is also to focused on who leads the charge when making these demands.

Eloquently explained in a conservative podcast called SpeakEasy the call to defund police is not a new concept. So, whether we focus on Black Lives Matter using the term or ponder how the Black Panther’s Ten Point Program might be applicable today we

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cannot alienate a movement just because of the color of the skin and the ethnicity of the people who choose to lead it. Let’s get unstuck! Often the proposed change is inclusive of all oppressed people and the true makeup of who benefits from these changes are not just Black people but a diverse following.

I would like to propose a social program that addresses all wars of aggression. When that tenant was written the focus was our stance in foreign relations but with the giving trajectory it might be necessary to prevent a race war, and/ or other civil and economic

unrest domestically. Being truly for the people means claiming the majority. If we focus on all the oppressed people granting them “freedom” a right which is suggestively inherent; then when we evaluate policing the enforcement of any law, agreement or treaty should no longer be a detriment to the Black and other oppressed people.

Freedom implies that these laws protect the very people it serves rather than glorifying a profession, militarizing them with our own tax dollars and rewarding murders and other acts of excessive force through political, monetary and judicial empowerment.

Notably, this freedom must be paid for because remember we live in a capitalist dominant society. Reallocation of funds will allow us to fully control institutions which exist in our communities. This includes making sure every Black and oppressed person has their decent needs met such as housing, healthcare and employment.

If we control the institutions where we live, we can also control who facilitates the management and daily operations of these entities. These institutions should be able to educate the masses across every aspect of the life. Using the various dichotomies to expose the very nature of America’s past and present transgressions. The new majority can envision how to implement needed solutions through legal reforms and legislation along with the appointment of those who represent and embody their ideals.

relevant categories. We are allowed to shape an equitable landscape that that serves all Americans and in the event that the current structure falls short of the very liberty that was entrusted we are given permission to dismantle, rearrange and transform It is time for us to decide how radical of a change is needed if we continue to chase representations of who America is with its mask on.

BIO Evan McCullough is the founder of Students Talking Out Problems a non-profit entity focused on creating youth lead solutions to end various forms of oppression. Programing offered includes entrepreneurship, STEM and anti-bullying.

Social Media Link: http://linkedin.com/in/ evmccullough

The final platform component for your consideration is calling for “AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF BLACK PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.” Those opposed to the concept of defunding the police expose a vantage point of privilege, they are confident that punishing the corporate body as a whole, endangers the very people that it is meant to protect. Compelling evidence provided by the media daily proves the inverse. While minorities continued to be slaughtered in the streets even those who chose to deny how prevalent police brutality find themselves being made as an example.

In conclusion, the intent is not for you to bandwagon defunding the police however it is to inspire challenging the status quo by having you to create or join a movement that is not passive in thought. This is the path to true freedom. We must expose injustices in contexts that captures attention, highlights on-going hypocrisy and shifts momentum across all social-economic www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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Election 2020 WHERE My Acres & A Mule?

Publisher’s Words

Black America as a whole is missing an opportunity to flex. We did not need the current Presidency to know our strength. But I think the current political climate has been one “woke” call. Both Democrats and Republicans have sounded the alarm against the Trump administration. His economic policy only serves massive corporations. His social policy is a disaster. His foreign policy is a disaster.

His policy on criminal justice reform gets major passing grades. His pandemic response has been a disaster.

His domestic policy a disaster. His throwing the Black community a few bones gets big brownie points. His passing of the Hemp Farm Bill gets raving points. But his tax reforms have not trickled down to small businesses in urban America nor middle America. That would give him a grade of C-minus. Not really someone you want to re-elect. But who is he running up against? The Bonnie and Clyde of “lock ‘em up”. The mood in the nation at the present moment is one big clusterfuck. But what have WE as a community learned from any of this?

The murdering of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor became the catalyst to set it off! I guess one too many Black folks being shot dead by cops was what we needed to get large groups of white people mad as hell and protesting in the streets. But where is the Black outrage? I see the facebook posts and the Instagram memes, but are you as angry as your fellow white protestors?Many major white corporations are expressing solidarity with the Black community, but I have not heard a peep from major Black corporations. They are just keeping their lips tight and their eyes forward.

I guess we will need white folks to free us til the end because a large amount of the populous will not even care enough to take the day off or stay out the clubs. Even a pandemic won’t keep us out these streets. But a protest can’t even get us in the streets. But I digress.

Terry Crews made some valid points about the protesting and the side eyes that need to be given to Black Lives

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Matter (the so-called movement). Where Terry went wrong is when he started bootlicking and lying about Hollywood’s diversity. Don’t coon Terry. Don’t coon.

I don’t know what people really think they gone get from either of these candidates for President. But as long as you have proper expectation, then vote your conscious. Just a few weeks ago Democratic National Committee delegates voted 105-60 against placing cannabis legalization on the party’s platform this year in 2020. This is just how out of step with true criminal justice reform the Democrats are...you still have a bunch of old white guys who call you “gal” running things.

Next, Donald Trump is a vindictive madman who abuses his power and polarizes the entire nation. But has made some good moves towards policies that promote Black interests.

You still gotta ask yourself...if President Obama had this same kind of power to issue Executive Orders...why the hell didn’t he use it when Republicans blocked his legislation? Boy the shit you learn about this system and how you really are being

played from the left and the right.

Kamala Harris has a horrendous record when it comes to criminal justice. But the woman was paid to do a job and she was damn good at it. Unfortunately, that was damaging to people of color. I guess that is the devil in the details when you move up the ranks in a system not intended to bring justice to people of color...but you are ambitious and want to be among the top brass. She has changed her tune because her ambitions have changed. But I personally like her and will give her some grace as she has done some karma cleansing. But what about the 2000 people she locked up for marijuana charges? You build your career off the backs of poor black and brown people. If you REALLY think about it, it’s sad where we stand as a community and a country. But my question is who is going to deliver my 40 acres and a mule? Is anybody talking about that?

Donald Trump appeals to people because he is a rogue in favor of the outsider. People don’t like the snotty elitism of career politicians who really have given us crumbs over the

years when they could have done a lot more. Trump calls out the media for being fake. Yes, it completely smacks in the face of journalism, but this is the reap and sow of how foul and slanted mainstream media has been. Trump appeals to the evangelicals who want to make America a theocracy and bible thump policies and remove constitutional freedoms using faulty religious dogma. Trump appeals to poor whites and outside white people who feel their country is being taken from them by people who want to remove white culture from the mainstream and replace it with anything other. Trump is a masterful salesman. One of the best. He commands a loyalty because he financially rewards it. That is some shit the best companies are made of...it is American theater on steroids. Entertaining...par for the course. Trump is a character who name calls and bullies people and his supporters find it funny and will indeed support every part of him because he delivers what each of those groups want separately....that is masterful! Not to mention...the economy pre-covid. He will get credit although we know it was the previous administration that handed him the slate primed www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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But something crucial to keep in mind this election is the Supreme Court of the United States. There are not enough of the right kind of Black folks in Trump’s ear for him to have a balanced supreme court... and I believe for that reason alone his re-election will lead to generational suicide. I just cannot stomach that notion. I find Trump hilarious and dangerous and funny and crazy and entertaining and a tyrant and a moron and appealing all at the same time. And the next President will surely have 2- 3 supreme court appointees.... so maybe that is enough for the Democrats to get a win.

Democrats can also use all of the losses and the absolute criminal mishandling of the pandemic towards their win. But they don’t have them kind of balls. They too busy trying to be politically correct for that. Trump has those balls and would blame sleepy Joe if he could. It’s a war...but only one team is TRYING to win versus one team HOPING to win. for a great economic upswing. But you see...some part of every little segmented groups emotional needs are being met under Trump including that segment of Black folks who are evangelicals and who want to overlook slavery, racism, sexism, homophobia and the like. How do you beat that??

Not with a no agenda having-we just want Trump out-lost Democratic Party. See the difference (and) what you do not allow to sink in your head...is you ain’t getting shit from Biden and Harris. They haven’t even promised you shit, but good jobs and clean energy. They just rolling off of your emotions to beat Trump. For the record, this is not unbiased journalism and I am not a Democrat and never have been.

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Can we get 40 acres and a mule added to anybody’s platform? This is the only point of critical mass in our lifetime where the Black vote will be the swing vote in an election and we are about to blow it! Can we get focused on what we want in this moment of our history? Black Democrats say we still need to overcome. Black Republicans say we done already overcame. Both are right. But I guess all some want is to either beat Trump or to kiss his ring finger. Why is he the focus? I suppose Freedom is off the table in 2020. Can we get them 40 acres plus a mule this time no matter who wins?

You get our vote in exchange for 40 acres and a mule. How hard is that? God bless our spiraling community. And God bless our country.

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THE CASE FOR REPARATIONS IN 2020 Robert Johnson, the Founder of BET, has calculated that America owes $14 Trillion Dollars to the living American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS). By estimation, that is roughly $370,000 each in cash. Whose going to by Executive Order write the checks? Where did the idea of reparations come from anyway? Why do we need to make these payments to Black Americans or African-Americans in the first place? Here’s some of the history so that you may place appropriate demands on the next President of the United States.

When Union forces captured the South in 1865 and put a formal end to slavery and its cruel and degrading practices, President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) and the federal government focused on restitution and reconstruction. The earliest reparations plan offered each freed slave 40 acres of land and a mule to work this land.

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Under the auspices of this plan, General William Sherman (1820-1891) “set aside tracts of land in the sea islands around Charleston, exclusively for freed slaves. Within a short time, about “40,000 freed slaves [had been] settled on 400,000 acres in Georgia and South Carolina However, when President Lincoln was assassinated, his successor, Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), a southerner from North Carolina, rescinded the federal government’s promise and reversed the reparations program. Former slaves were then evicted from their new lands that reverted to white ownership. Despite Johnson’s opposition, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) made a feeble attempt in 1867 proposing an unsuccessful bill that again called for distributing land to freed slaves.

Ten years later, when reconstruction ended followed by the passage of repressive, restrictive laws (e.g. Jim Crow) and the formation of white terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the south, plans to address “the atrocities of slavery” and compensate its victims were forgotten.

Afterward, African-Americans saw little justice, were denied their constitutional rights, and subjected to terrorism (e.g. the entire town of Rosewood, FL was destroyed in January 1923 by white mobs while local officials are sworn to uphold the law watched and even participated, leaving up to 80 black men, women, and children dead) and illegal lynching for nearly 100 years until the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s finally liberated them.

By the time Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” was implemented through force, four million Africans and their descendants had been enslaved in the U.S. and its colonies from 1619 to 1865, which played an integral role in leading to and accelerating America’s rise in becoming the “most prosperous country.” With this fact, the original promise implemented by General Sherman, calculations of the “total of the worth of all the Black labor stolen through means of slavery, segregation, and contemporary discrimination” ranging from $5 to $24 trillion, and estimates of the original plots given to and then stolen from freed slaves being valued at about $1.5 million each, the time for slave reparations is past overdue when the concept of “unjust enrichment” is pursued as advocated by Randall Robinson, the author of “The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks.”

Accordingly, despite many obstacles, including legal and low support among whites, the slavery reparations movement has been revived and is “gaining momentum. In 1989, Congressman John Conyers (b. 1929) introduced H.R. 40 “to examine the effects [that slavery and its remnants –] Jim Crow has had on African-Americans since emancipation,” which to date lacks the necessary support required for passage.

Next in 2000, based on careful research by Deadria FarmerPaellmann (b. 1965), an Adjunct Professor of Law at Southern New England School of Law, who discovered evidence that Aetna wrote “policies on the lives of enslaved Africans with slave owners as the beneficiaries,” the company issued an “unprecedented apology” giving birth to the “corporate restitution movement.”

By 2002, nine lawsuits had been filed, the most notable in the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, NY against FleetBoston Financial, CSX (a major railways firm), and Aetna for direct involvement in the slave trade. Currently, cases are pending “against 20 companies from the banking, insurance, textile, railroad, and tobacco industries.” At the same time, California and twelve other states have enacted disclosure laws requiring insurance companies doing business within their boundaries to reveal “their role in slavery,” while boycotts are being staged against firms named in the Farmer-Paellmann litigation that are challenging restitution demands.

Despite critics, the case for slavery reparations is convincing and strong: The disparity between African Americans and Whites ($6000 vs. $88,000 net worth) would have been significantly smaller had President Johnson not rescinded Lincoln’s original promise or if the 1867 Reparations bill would have passed giving freed slaves “an economic foothold before waves of European immigrants poured into the U.S. during the latter decades of the 1800s.

The United States has already given land away in its 230year history. Approximately 246 million acres of “productive” land was given to about 1.5 million people through the Homestead Act. Ironically out of the 1.5 million beneficiaries that included many white immigrants, there were only 4000 native African Americans.

Internationally, land has also been awarded to compensate victims of injustices. The most notable example is the creation of Israel, which has benefited countless Holocaust (1938-1945) victims and their families.

Precedents also exist for monetary payments to victims of injustices. Since 1952, the German government and corporations (along with those of Austria and Switzerland, to name others) have paid more than $120 billion to fund early Israeli projects and compensate Holocaust survivors.

Presently about 120,000 Holocaust survivors (once about 275,000) are still receiving lifetime reparation payments. At the same time, “Japanese-Americans interned during World War II are receiving reparation for their loss of property and liberty during that period” after filing a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which “waives the government’s ‘sovereign immunity’ in some situations,” and American Indian tribes have and continue to receive compensation for “lands ceded to the U.S. by them in various treaties.”

Many ask, “Would reparations for slavery be just?” arguing that the practice was originally legal.

The cost of tracing lineages to slaves would be unbearable, the process next to impossible, “no one alive today owned slaves,” and that “payments based on race alone would be perceived… as a monstrous injustice… setting back race relations” without healing “the ills of the black community.”

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Considering that, while every slave and his/her direct family are deceased, African Americans continued to suffer disproportionately from segregation, discrimination, and barbaric attacks into the late 20th century, and at times continue to be the victims of bias (e.g. racial profiling when it comes to jobs, shopping, law enforcement, and voting despite equal opportunity and equal protection laws and the 1964 Civil Rights Act), remain disproportionately disenfranchised when it comes to net worth and homeownership and still suffer from a sense of a lack of selfworth versus today’s black immigrants, slavery reparations are not only just but necessary.

Holocaust reparations continue to be paid even though the genocide that murdered more than 7 million, predominantly Jews along with opponents of Adolf Hitler’s (1889-1945) regime and other “non-Aryans” (persons with fair skin, light hair, and blue eyes), was legal under the democratically elected Third Reich (1933-1945) government. Thus, arguments that corporations should not be punished for “legal” acts are baseless. In reality, slavery was as morally repugnant as the Holocaust and “corporations that benefited from staling people, from stealing labor, from

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forced breeding, from torture, from committing numerous horrendous acts,” in the words of Farmer-Paellmann “should [not] be able to hold onto assets they acquired through such horrendous acts.”

Back in 1999, more than 50 years after the end of the Holocaust, Jewish groups seeking at least $20 billion in new reparations called a $3.3 billion offer made by a German delegation representing the country’s government and corporations “disgusting.” They later agreed on a $5.2 billion “Nazi slave [compensation] fund” that was approved by the German Parliament in 2000. However, while these negotiations were being held, “the World Council of Orthodox Jewish Communities filed a[nother] lawsuit in the U.S. against Deutsche Bank, Germany’s second-largest bank, alleging that it funded and profited from Nazi atrocities.”

Based on these two cases alone, the passage of time and existing “legalities” of the prevailing era, are irrelevant when it comes to redressing inhuman acts like the Holocaust and slavery if justice is to be served. “Slavery harmed slaves and thus, indirectly, their descendants.” Furthermore, as there is no statute of limitations when it comes to the Holocaust, it

can also be argued that none should exist when it comes to slavery especially since “African Americans were not allowed access to the courts in any meaningful way – even long after the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was passed [in December 1865].” Also, consistent with California’s legislation that revised existing statutes of limitations to ensure that “certain Holocaust suits would not be timebarred, legislation can also provide extensions to African Americans so as not to perpetuate past injustices that were every bit as evil as those committed by the Third Reich.

Therefore, arguments that slavery reparations are illogical and “that tax dollars [and corporate holdings] should not be used for [this] compensation” are equally as “disgusting.” Per Dr. Martin Luther King (1929-1968), the only practical route is for “all citizens [to] engage as full participants in a dialogue examining what is the cost of repairing our society to make it equally accessible to everyone” rather than dismissing and denying the need for past due reparations to the African American community.

Also, the commentary offered during the 1999 Holocaust compensation fight regarding monetary payments is as appropriate to slavery reparations as it was during these negotiations when it was started, “how to quantify this in financial terms is a difficult question… Money itself cannot bring back the dead, nor can it erase the memory of years of forced labor, but those seeking compensation say it may be the best system there is.” While no amount of money nor steps can redress the sins of slavery, such reparations with a formal national condemnation of and apology for the practice can bring justice and healing, boost the selfesteem of African Americans, reduce current racial net worth and private property ownership gaps, improve standards of life for black Americans, and provide them with new opportunities that might otherwise remain unattainable for generations to come.

Although it may be impossible to give direct compensation to most slave descendants, every effort should be made to locate and compensate those with confirmed direct lineages and to African Americans who had suffered under segregation. Also, slavery reparations funds should contribute to black foundations, black scholarships, and black community projects aimed at improving infrastructure and standards of life, especially since precedents already exist for the latter. When Germany began Holocaust reparations payments, Bonn “funded about a third of the total investment in Israel’s electrical system… and nearly half the total investment in [Israel’s] railways, [consisting of] diesel engines, cars, tracks, and signaling equipment [along with] equipment for [agriculture, construction, expanding the country’s] water supply, for oil drilling, and for operating the [country’s] copper mines.”

Based on the examples of national corporate and government contributions to Holocaust reparations funds, it is not impractical, nor unfeasible for the governments and corporations of the United States, United Kingdom,

and other European states that benefited from slavery to make payments to slavery reparations funds. When the United States is considered, many of the named firms that have directly and/or indirectly benefited from slavery have sufficient assets and annual profits while the national government has millions of acres of federal land and holdings to utilize for slavery reparations.

Furthermore, the federal government could add a line underneath the “Presidential Election Campaign” section that reads “Slavery and Civil Rights Reparations – Check here if you, or your spouse if filing jointly, want $3 to go to this fund” on every federal tax return while states, especially those in the south that benefited the most from the slave trade and labor, most of which already have contribution lines for causes ranging from breast cancer research to wildlife, could also add such a line.

In conclusion, the African American community and advocates for justice must stand united and demand slavery reparations as stridently as the Jewish community and advocates for justice have for Holocaust compensation. Both abominations require reparations and redress since they share great similarities – morally repugnant brutal treatment and forced labor considered legal in their respective times under ruling governments that perpetrated and encouraged them, and each has cost millions of lives. As the BBC states in “The long fight for Holocaust compensation” reparations are “particularly pertinent for a generation that has little direct memory of the Holocaust [since these financial payments are] akin to acknowledging the horrors of the past and the responsibility of the present generation for ensuring that it does not happen again” such payments are equally applicable for the past practice of slavery.

In the accurate and eloquent words of Kimberley Jane Wilson, “American slavery was a sin… The principles of liberty, justice, and equality didn’t apply to the millions of Africans brought to America against their will. Our history is full of racial ironies. When Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote, ‘All men are created equal,’ he owned 187 slaves.

Patrick Henry (1736-1799) owned over 90 slaves when he shouted the famous words, ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ Union General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) fought the Confederacy, but didn’t free his slaves until Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Even after slavery ended, America – the beacon of freedom to people all over the world – still treated black Americans with indignity and, on occasion, savage cruelty.”

Accordingly, the long wait and many denials must end so that accruing damages can be mitigated and healing can begin. Slavery reparations must be made as soon as possible to establish greater unity with improved standards of life for all, including African Americans. Only then can racism, even if predominantly de facto in nature, be extinguished for once and for all.

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America’s Top 10 Black CBD Business Moguls 2020 As a publication, we do several annual lists. This is our first list focused primarily on CBD and the American “greenrush”. The CBD industry has a projected growth value of over $25 Billion Dollars by 2025. The market for products and CBD related services is growing faster than anyone can truly calculate.

People of color must find ways to get involved in this new gold rush by any reasonable and viable means necessary.

And to that end more often than not, Black entrepreneurs have to bootstrap their enterprises by finding creative ways to raise capital and market their products. For this we salute all of the following.

The primary criterion used to compile this first ever coveted list was the predominant ownership of more

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than a global majority of the company must be Black. And the promotion of said companies and their products is for the healthy and helpful benefits of CBD as a viable healing modality for mind, body, and spirit; along-side of providing education to Black consumers and others. It is better to put good into the world than to sell your soul and your people out for a fist full of dollars. CBD can change the health of our people, but failure to gain proper education and solid information keeps many from experiencing the benefits of CBD products and services.

Keep this list as a handy reference tool. And be sure to support these rising moguls so that we may continue recirculating dollars, jobs, and economic resources back into the community. Only we can solve OUR problems. Now go spend some money and look them up on social media!

Chef Swan Simpson

Founder\Canna Bistro in Atlanta, Georgia.

Canna Bistro is a culinary CBD food & beverage brand with infused restaurant locations in the Southeast.

Raven Faber

Founder\EngErotics in Denver CO EngErotics is a CBD body care and intimate products line.

Andrena Mackins

Chef Paul Booker

Canna Babes is an online CBD retailer that educates the community on CBD wellness products at affordable prices. Her profile image is attached along with the others.

Satan’s Breath is an award winning CBD infused hot sauce brand.

Evan McCullough and King Adams

Malaika Jones-Kebede

Founder Canna Babes, Atlanta, Georgia.

Founders\ReLeaf in Atlanta, Georgia.

ReLeaf is a hemp-based CBD retailer and wellness life-style brand.

The Hollingsworth Family Founders\Elio in Seattle

WA Elio is a family owned farm and business producing sustainable and high quality hemp CBD products.

Nico Marley (grandson of Bob Marley) Founder\Lion X Wellness in Washington, DC.

Lion X Wellness has a full line of CBD products for pain management and wellness.

Founder\Satan’s Breath in Charlotte, NC.

Founders\Brown Girl Jane in Washington, DC. Brown Girl Jane is an infused tincture and skin care company.

Brandon Terrell

Founder\Treehab in Atlanta, Georgia Treehab has become synonymous with CBD business expos and educational events.

Tanganyika Daniel

Founder\Jayn Green in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jayn Green produces an array of CBD skin and body care products.

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Canna Bistro’s Rise In CBD Wellness

by Chef/Coach SWAN SIMPSON

I have always been an advocate for legalizing marijuana.

Never saw the need to make a plant illegal. Before I started in the cannabis industry, I felt like something was wrong with this picture. The media and the government painted “weed” as dangerous. The Nixon Administration gave it a villainous name that sounded like something straight out of Mexico. This just stoked the fears of white people in middle America who are constantly being inundate with messages of fear towards anyone black or brown. We have both a duty to educate people about the plant. And to revolutionize the thinking of middle America.

My journey into cannabis has been straight up medicinal.

I have never even smoked a joint. Drugs were just not my thing. But for some reason, I was drawn to the potential of marijuana as medicine and needed to do some research to back up my curiosities.

In 2005, I found myself in a huge fight with big pharma after they murdered my mom by way of asthma medications that have since been banned in the market. My mom passed just shy of Christmas from a severe asthma attack that eventually sent her into an irreversible cardiac arrest.

“A wise man learns from his own experiences.

But a genius learns from the experience of others.”

Chef/Coach Swan Simpson has been a keynote speaker and panelist at some of the largest Cannabis Conferences in Georgia. She hosts the Women Who CAN podcast. And is the Founder & Chairperson of Women Who CANnabis.

Canna Bistro currently operates a hemp CBD infused restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, offers catering to some of the biggest CBD and Cannabis events in the Southeast. The company manufactures and sells its own herbalist formulated organic CBD products online. And has expanded to include an annual business event called Women Who CAN(nabis) Business Expo, private coaching, online classes, and will open additional restaurant locations in 2021. www.CannaBistroAtlanta.com www.CoachSwanSimpson.com www.WomenWhoCannabis.org

@CoachSwanSimpson

@CannaBistroAtlanta

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Just over a year later, my 31 year old brother and only sibling tested positive for the AIDS virus and passed shortly after his “official” diagnosis. I am of the belief that the AIDS virus and HIV are genetically targeted biological weapons used in population control of black and brown people. This weapon was used on gay white men in trials to determine its potential for destruction of the human immune system. This is how it went from a gay white male disease to a gay black male disease to the #1 killer of heterosexual black women in its evolution. I believe that was the end game. Target locked and loaded.

With the deaths of my mom and brother and years before the loss of my best friend to AIDS, I had had enough of sitting on the sidelines feeling helpless and finding no justice or peace in either case. So, I turned my pain into my passion.

And built Canna Bistro on the foundation of leading the world to wellness by letting food be your medicine.

I quietly researched CBD. Working in the background, I was experimenting and trying feverously to make connections in the industry. All with the hopes of creating something spectacular to serve my tribe. A tribe who wants an alternative to poisons found in prescription medications.

A tribe who believes nature provides us all the answers to issues going on in the human body. Even those that we potentially man-made.

In 2018, I launched Canna Bistro in the hotel room where I was staying after relocating back to Atlanta from Las Vegas.

I learned how CBD was extracted and used CBD to make my infused high-end edibles. I combined my training as a self-taught vegan and vegetarian Chef of more than 30 years with my background in herbology as an herbalist, along with my successful sales experience and created an entire new category of “culinary CBD” products.

I opened the doors of Canna Bistro in a shared kitchen selling $5 smoothies. The company has grown into its own space and has expanded to over 10 products including seasonal favorites.

When I first embarked upon the cannabis industry, doors were slammed in my face. People whispered about me being an unknown and they laughed at my opening the 1st infused café in the Southeast. Opening up in a shared kitchen wasn’t sexy to cannabis elites. Critics talked about our meager beginnings and said we wouldn’t last 6 months in the game. I didn’t have the major connections, the large pockets of capital, nor the contacts of some of the other people of color that had been “backed” in the industry at that time. But when you are a visionary with consistency and a plan, that is a recipe for success.

4.

Trust your gut. Intuition is your inner GPS.

5.

Find a great coach to hold you accountable. Buy the books, go to the free seminars, watch the videos until you get the funds to pay for their services. But have a goal to hire them personally. I have business coaches…

Gary Vee and Tony Robbins. I spent a lot of time with their free content before I was able to make any purchases. I still have a goal to get into Tony Robbins platinum circle.

Every good business person has a Coach or mentor. And every good coach has a coach. Sometimes we may call ourselves self-made, but no one gets anywhere completely alone. As humans we just aren’t wired to be an island. CBD Business Coaching is one of the most exciting things that I do within my business. No one wanted to help me and with that I made a tremendous amount of costly mistakes. I find it deeply fulfilling when I am able to help someone else with my own experiences. There is a saying that I love to quote… ”A wise man learns from his own experiences. But a genius learns from the experience of others.“ That’s why I call my mastermind coaching program “GENIUS” coaching. I help entrepreneur who are committed to building legacy brands.

I built my tribe and my brand amongst the people I wanted to serve. I did not concern myself with anything else. In 2019, about a year after launching we had a valuation of nearly $5 million dollars as a brand. There were and continue to be stumbles and setbacks. My old business associate raided the bank account after a disagreement leaving me with zero funds. Landlord issues and being roped into situations that were not conducive to good business. Other business situations and relationships with companies and people not wanting to see us succeed and creating obstacles to slow us down. Employee theft. And then the pandemic.

Fortunately for Canna Bistro in late 2019 we won the first ever i2accelerator. The accelerator connected us to a Top 14 Cannabis Venture Capital Firm, Merida Capital Partners.

Merida invited me to their Manhattan offices to pitch them my business model. Then later in October of 2019, Merida purchased a stake in Canna Bistro. Our brand’s pre-covid valuation stood at around $10 million dollars.

The 5 pieces of advice that can serve as a blueprint for anyone wanting to start a successful CBD brand: 1.

Surround yourself with people who are going where you want to go or who have already arrived. Read books and watch youtube videos of those people if you do not know them personally. People can mentor you from afar.

2.

Offer the absolute best products you can produce or manufacture.

3.

Joint Ventures and Partnerships go far in this industry.

Create some. www.BlackMogulsMagazine.com

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