BLACK OWNED
WHAT’S THE 411? ID’ING BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES JUST GOT EASIER BY RUTHIE HAWKINS
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he Black 411™ relaunched in May and they are signing up new businesses now. They also have new features and new pricing plans to meet all customer needs. The Black 411™ is a “Targeted Information Service” that allows consumers to use their smart phone to find and locate Black-owned businesses instantly across the country. In the past, Black consumers could not easily find Black-owned businesses. That caused a tremendous imbalance in how we spend the $1.5 trillion we earn. In this climate of Black Lives Matter, and Black Dollars Matter, The Black 411™ provides an easy and cost-effective tool to help consumers search for the businesses. How does the service work? With The Black 411 you simply text or call and they do it all. A user simply texts the type of business, product, or service they are looking for to the access number, along with the city or state, and The Black 411™ will instantly (within 5 seconds) provide the listings of Black-owned business matches. Black Excellence Technology Group has done several upgrades to The Black 411. Users now can receive reports on how many businesses were referred and get contact information for future marketing initiatives. Users may pay per lead instead of signing up for an annual plan. These are all new features. The Black 411™ is currently free for consumers to use. Ashley Spear, Chief Marketing Officer said, “What makes the service great is that we help connect consumers and businesses at the point of sale and interest. Ashley continued, “The Black 411 will provide consumers a simple, fast and immediate tool to find a business when they are looking to purchase a specific
product or service. Business owners will reach their potential customers when that consumer is looking to buy and asking for that type of business.” The Black 411 will change the economic climate of this country. According to Nielsen’s African American Consumer report, Black consumers spend over $1.5 trillion dollars each year and less than 3% of that goes to Black-owned businesses. The Black 411 will help to provide a more targeted way to spend those dollars with Black-owned businesses. Black Excellence Technology Group
YOUNGEST BLACK CEO SNAGS DEAL WITH WALMART
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ix-year-old entrepreneur Lily Adeleye has become the youngest Black CEO of a major company and she now has a deal with Walmart. That’s right, she’s only 6! Her company, Lily Frilly, was started three years ago with an emphasis on hair bows, but apparel and accessories have since been added. What started as a creative outlet turned into a business after Adeleye showed some of her designs to her mother’s social media followers. Four styles of her hair bows are being sold. This is the second major retailer that she has made inroads with for distribution. Last year Lily Frilly was introduced at Target. The mother-daughter team hopes that the Walmart Inc. deal will inspire the next generation of girl-run start-ups. The Cutest Executive Officer (CEO) is the daughter of beauty and lifestyle entrepreneur Courtney Adeleye, who built The Mane Choice, a multimillion-dollar hair care business. A registered nurse and a University of Michigan graduate, Courtney took a science-based approach to developing natural hair care products. She has a range of products made for all ethnicities and has
generated more than $100 million in sales in the past seven years. According to Courtney, “Lily Frilly started out as a brand my daughter Lily and myself created, as I have always believed it’s important to let your children follow their passions, whether that be art, sports or in this case, growing a business.” She continued, “Now, Lily Frilly has become so much more than just that – it’s become a brand children love, as well as a symbol of inspiration and confidence for young girls as well as for the black community. It’s amazing to see what kids can do, and we’re so glad Walmart is providing this platform to give Lily Frilly the room and attention it warrants.” BlackDoctor.org ONYX MAGAZINE 31
