January 2014 Edition of Jackson Expose' Magazine

Jackson Expose’ January 2014

Magazine

Exclusive interview with

JANITAR. STEWART SBA DISTRICT DIRECTOR

Plus

jAVONTA YOUNG ACTOR

tips for Entrepreneurs!

U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ST. CROIX

jANITA R. STEWART’S MESSAGE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES!

Expose’ Magazine of Jackson Terri Lynn Publisher of Jackson Expose’ This is a freely distributed online magazine that primarily focuses on the Metro Jackson area.

Thank you for choosing Jackson Expose’ Magazine!

Get your free subscription at:

www.JacksonExpose.com

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CONTENTS

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Mrs. Janita R. Stewart

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LaVonta Young

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Evelyn Lozada

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U. S. Virgin Islands

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SBA District Director

Actor, Musician, Photragrapher

Entertainment News

St. Croix

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Laces

by Lexi

Where Elegance Meets Sophistication

Shannon Brown Owner

Upscale Lingerie and Shoe Boutique Ophelia King Lounge Wear Collection from New Zealand U. K. Designer Hosiery

Private Bridal Showers - Book on Sundays Wild Bleu Hot Flash Sleepwear Sizes Range from Teen - Plus Sizes Private Showings After Hours with Appt.

111Colony Crossings Way Suite #270 Madison, MS 4

www.ExposeMagazineOfJackson.com

601.605.8200 Monday - Saturday

10 :00 a.m - 6:00 p.m

The Silver Gallery

Jewelry & Gift Sets Sterling Silver Jewelry Beautiful Costume Jewerly Assessories Handbags Tiaras Birthstone Rings Emobroidery Services

Stephanie Donaldson Owner of Silver Gallery

PHONE: 601- 952-0525

ADDRESS: 6380 RIDEWOOD COURT DIRVE

JACKSON, MS 39211

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Where Elegance Meets Sophistication

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THE TOP

5 C

tips & tricks to make your New Year’s Resolution a Success!

hances are you have had a New Year’s Resolution at some point in your life that you were not able to keep. If you have decided to make a new one this year, check out these 5 simple steps to make your New Year’s Resolution a success!

these tips will help you tremendously

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Set Realistic or Acheivable Goals

The lack of setting realistic goals is probably the main reason why most New Year’s Resolutions fail.

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Break your goal into smaller parts to make it easier to achieve

The principle behind this tip is called the Law of Incremental Acheivements.

For example, if your goal is to loose 40 pounds this year, you could break that goal into 12 monthly subgoals to loose x number of pounds per month.

When you break big goals into to smaller ones, you can eliminate the overwhelm that sabotages many noble New Year’s Resolutions.

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Develope a Plan of Action to Accomplish Your Goals

In order to guarantee your success you can do what Tim Ferris says in his book Social Triggers: How to Master Anything in 6 Months, in which he suggest that you start off with the easiest task first. The reasoning behind this trick is to lesson the failure points at the beginning of the process. If you were to have a the positive experience of success in the beginning,

you are more likely to master your goal.

Mr. Ferris also recommends that you put the most challenging part of your goal at the end of the process so that your failure points are at the end.

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Accoutablity During The Process

For example, if your goal is to loose weight, a system of accountability could be in the form of a weight loss buddy who would check in with you on a daily basis to see how you are sticking with your diet plan.

Another form of accountability could be in the form of a journal.

You could make daily entries in your journal about the challenges you

faced that day in sticking to your diet plan or your difficulty with sticking with your exercise plan.

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A System of Rewards for Achievements Along the Way

Your reward system could be an incremental system of rewards whereby you reward yourself along the way for sticking to your plan of action.

The biggest reward of course is accomplishing your goal!

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INTERVIEW with

sba district director Mrs. Janita R. Stewart SBA DISTRICT DIRECTOR

Janita R. Stewart, SBA District Director for the State of Mississippi, is one of the most kindest and most humblest people you will ever meet. She is very much as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside!

JE: Mrs. Stewart, where did you grow up and what was life like growing up there?

Director Stewart: I am a native Mississippian and life was good, simple and safe growing up, born and raised in Vicksburg. I was blessed to have a wonderful upbringing there with a great foundation of Catholic school education up until the 6th grade, and then went onto attend public school for junior high right when school integration began to take place. Afterwards, I went to Vicksburg High School where I graduated. Although I’m an only-child, I had lots of love and care from my mother and father who were divorced, coupled with my maternal grandparents who also played a key role in raising me. On top of that, I was fortunate enough to have my aunt and uncle who had 10

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in the federal government contracting and small business arena which I gladly accepted. This was the beginning of a long and fruitful career of service with the federal government.

JE: What are the essential things that you would advise someone who is thinking of going into business and what advice would you offer to small business owners today?

I worked for the Vicksburg Corps and was further promoted to JE: Tell us about your journey to becoming the top SBA official for a position with the Corps in the State of Mississippi, and how Louisiana. With an interest in long have you held that position? learning more about small business development, I moved onto Mrs. Stewart: While at Vicksburg work for the U. S. Small Business High in the 11th and 12th grades, Administration (SBA) in Louisiana and was later blessed to be able I also worked after school in the to circle and come back home to afternoons and during the sumMississippi with SBA. Along with mers and holidays when school about 250 other applicants nationwas not in session as a Student Aide at the U. S. Department of the wide, I applied for and was accepted into SBA’s District Director Army, Corps of Engineers (Corps), Candidate Development Program Vicksburg District. While at the University of Southern Mississippi and was among only 4 who were accepted into this program. I (USM) in Hattiesburg, I pargained first-hand experience from ticipated in an excellent program called the “Cooperative Education the District Director Mentor I Program”. Admission into this pro- was assigned to, working at the North Carolina and Georgia SBA gram requires that you alternate offices. In April 1995, I was selectgoing to school a semester and ed to become the SBA District work a semester at an organization that was linked to the univer- Director in my own home state of Mississippi. sity through this developmental program until graduation. Upon graduation from USM, the Corps offered me a permanent position

Director Stweart: For aspiring entrepreneurs: You need to determine whether entrepreneurship is for you. Going into business brings on risk, but your chances of achieving success will be improved with careful planning and preparation.

You need to be a self-starter and have the ability to get along well with different types of personalities in and outside of your entity.

Furthermore, you have to be good at making decisions, have the physical and emotional stamina to run a business, be a good planner, and you must be organized. Strong consideration should be given as to how starting and operating a business will affect your family or would you be better off working a job.

kids – 5 boys and 5 girls – my first cousins, which was something like having brothers and sisters. After high school and college, I later married my high school sweetheart, whom I’ve known since about the 4th grade.

For existing small businesses: Network – network – network.

Make as many contacts as you possibly can. Sometimes opportunities come about merely as a result of contacts you’ve made. Know your competition and capitalize on

SBA Mississippi 2013 Small Business Week Awards’ (Mrs. Stewart is 2nd from Left.)

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Mrs. Janita R. Stewart is standing the 7th Person from the Left.

what they are lacking. Reduce your overhead and eliminate unnecessary costs. Advertise and market and provide or deliver your product or service to your customers in accordance with the specifications, in a timely manner and within budget. Also, make full use of each and every single resource available to you, much of which is free of charge, for example, utilize the services offered by the SBA as well as SBA funded resource partners in Mississippi including SCORE, the Small Business Development Centers,

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and CLIMB, LLC Women’s Business Center. On top of that there are a host of other resources available, including the Mississippi Development Authority; Mississippi Department of Transportation; the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers; Chambers of Commerce and various economic and business development organizations. Seek them out and utilize their services.

Also, don’t overlook opportunities to do business with other small businesses, major prime contractors and directly with the

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federal government. The federal government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, to the tune of some $400 - $500 Billion annually. For more information, please visit www.sba.gov/ms; www.sam.gov and www.fbo.gov.

JE: What are the top reasons most businesses fail and what can be done about it?

Director Stewart: Basically, lack of planning, mismanagement, and insufficient capitalization, all of which need to be cured in

“...SBA offers Entrepreneurs and Small Business...the 3 Cs.....

In fulfilling this critical mission and purpose, SBA offers entrepreneurs and small businesses a wide array of entrepreneurial development, financial assistance, and contracting programs – referred to as the “3 Cs”: Counseling, Capital and Contracts. SBA’s mission also includes providing disaster recovery assistance to individuals, home owners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and nonprofit organizations during times of federally declared natural disasters. Exporting and international trade is a key initiative of SBA as well.

For more detailed information, please visit www.sba.gov/ms or call the SBA Mississippi District or Gulfport Branch Offices at 601-965-4378 or 228-863-4449.

order for a business to have a reasonable chance of success.

Janita R. Stewart attends seminar provided by the Small Business Administration.

JE: How can SBA assist small businesses and entrepreneurs?

Mrs. Stewart: SBA is an independent federal agency created to help people get into business, grow and succeed. There’s at least one SBA field office in each state and U.S. territory.

In Mississippi, the SBA District Office is located in Jackson and services the upper 70 counties, and the Branch Office located in Gulfport services the southernmost 12 counties.

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Meet Javonta Young

Actor, Musician and all around Entertainer

JE: When did you decide to pursue an acting career?

Javonta: I’ve been interested in acting for a very long time. I’ve always dreamed of being an entertainer.

From singing outside of my grandmothers house as a kid, to recording my first “Christian Rap” track as a 10 year old child, to making people laugh on a daily basis.

In 8th grade I actually had a character patterned after me in the movie “The Long Shots”, the character was played by Malcolm Phillips and was named “Manny”.

Malcolm Philips was a very good friend of mine and also a fellow football teammate that played along side of me. Malcolm studied me by being around me on a daily basis, observing how I made people laugh, being a class clown, and being a pretty good football player.

In fact, I didn’t even know that he was actually patterning his character after me until I saw it in the News Paper. The one of the characteristics that “Manny” had in the movie was being “cocky”, so of course at that time I was a very cock,

arrogant individual when it came to sports but I usually backed it up in some way.

A lot of humbling events afterwards have humbled me a lot and I almost look at that part of my life as a bad side of my past for being so arrogant. The movie I was speaking about was called “The Long shots” and it starred KeKe Palmer and Ice Cube, it was directed by “Fred Durst” and had several producers including “Ice Cube”.

JE: When was your first movie role?

JaVonta: My first movie role came about when I was an extra in the movie “When The Game Stands Tall” which was another football movie. I shot the movie in July but the movie isn’t set to be released in theaters until fall of 2014.

There’s no guarantee that I will be shown beeing that extras and scenes are cut all the time. But I’m pretty sure I won’t be cut simply because I’m in two vital parts of the movie - The “food fight” scene and the “fighting” scene.

This movie is starring Alexander Ludwig from the popular movie “The Hunger

Games”, it was directed by Thomas Carter who also directed “Save The last Dance”, and “Coach Carter”.

I’ve also been inspired by music. In fact, that was my first love before acting, sports, photography..... anything. As a little boy my mom was a choir director, and my God-mom was an organist/pianist. I remember singing and dancing along in church or rehearsals that my mom would bring me to. I remember watching 106 and Park and TRL and shows like that with my older siblings and running around the house trying to moonwalk in my socks like Micheal Jackson as ‘throw back’ videos played on the TV. As time progressed, I started writing music which eventually led to me singing a little and rapping a lot. At the age of nine I performed my first Christian rap song in the same church that I used to watch my mom direct when I was a kid. This was kind of controversial at the time seeing that this was before “Lecrae” and “Tedashi” and “Andy Mineo” was popular.

At this time people looked at “Rap” as being “worldly” and secular and something that shouldn’t have been

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My tend that shouldn’t have been brought in the church, especially at a very strict church that stayed true to their beliefs. After performing it, that opened up the doors to a lot of local Christian rappers being accepted in churches today. I actually recorded it at the age of 10 along side a life long friend of mine. After that I laid off music for about 5 years.

That is when I began playing piano and God has blessed me to be be able to share my gift to literally thousands and play for some Great names like Carvena Jones, Dathan Thigpen, and Benjamin Cone and I’ve met some really great people like Tye Tribbet, Kim Burrell, and “The Walls group”.

JE: When is your next role 16

coming up?

Javonta: The next play I’m going to be in is by Alvin Moore. It probably won’t be half as big as “Forbidden Fruit”. But, it is important to me as an actor, simply because I’ll be able to work with Alvin Moore and that could possibly open up bigger opportunities. Beeing that the play we are remaking had an original cast of big names like “Clifton Powell”, “Lloyd”, and “Raquel Robinson” (From The Steve Harvey show and The game”. ). This play is set to debut in in the summer of 2014. I’ll actually be playing “Lloyd’s” part as “Kenneth”.

That’s actually all I know right now, I actually haven’t even watched the play before, simply because I don’t

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want to watch it and end up emulating exactly what Lloyd did, I want to make the character my own.

JE: Do you have an agent right now?

Jesus is my agent at the moment lol. Everything that’s been given to me has been caused by the favor of God. Because I don’t even have an agent right now, I’m a living example of someone walking on faith and standing on the word because Forbidden Fruit, the Driving Sober commercial (set to show over the holidays) and the movie were all acts of God because no one really pointed me in the direction to go in.

Don’t get me wrong, although God has been good

with role for

JE: edu

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a stud Col taki pur In F ing (I w non lean tale

JE: brin

JaV

first year of college, I atded USM, (where I was JE:

h supplying me with acting es and gigs, I’m also looking an agent.

Are you pursuing your ucation at this time?

aVonta: I’m currently a dent as Hinds Cummunity llege, but I’m considering ing off a semester or two to rsue my dreams as an actor.

February I will began workwith a great acting coach would like to keep his name n-disclosed) out of New Orns, hopefully this takes my ent to an even greater level!

Tell me about your upnging.

Vonta: I’m the fourth of five

kids, lived in Clinton, Mississippi my entire life. My parents kept us in church, and as time progressed I began playing the piano. I started to be paid to play. I’ve played at Word of faith (Faith 4 life), The Word Center, Piney Grove Missionary Baptist church (in Petal) and now I’m currently at a small church called “The gathering place.”

I grew up in school being a class clown and I was an athlete. I mainly participated in Football and Basket.

I loved making people smile and laugh and that’s probably a part of the reason why I also do photography. I often incorporate music into my photography. This often creates the best shots of people!

JE: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

JaVonta: I’ve always told people that by 27 if I’m not a millionaire then it’s probably because Jesus has come back lol. So in 5 years I see myself being successful enough to be able to give back. And not give back on a small level but give back on a life changing level. I just have a heart for giving and bringing joy to people’s heart.

That may be part of the reason why one of the Jackson Free Press Awards that I’m nominated for is “Best Urban Warrior”. I’ve done everything from going to the retirement home and playing for cancer patients to helping with tornado relief.

So in 5 years, I do see myself as being a well known entertainer, but being in good enough financial shape to help others!

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JaVonta’s Photo Collage

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

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velyn Lozada, Basket Ball Wives Reality Star is Newly Divorced, Pregnant and Engaged to Baseball Superstar Not long ago Evelyn was happily married to Football Superstar Chad ‘Ochocingo’ Johnson who courted her for about a year on the show. Then the shocking fight happen which he alledgely left Lazardo physically and emotionally.

She and Chad’s divorce was finalized just 41 days after it started.

Chad’s football career was apparantly destroyed by the scandal.

[Evelyn and Chad pictured to the right] 20

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Ms. Lozada shows off baby bump on instagram

Above: Evelyn poses with Fiance’ Below is here 10 Carat engagment ring.

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Virgin Islands

St. Croix I

f you are thinking of taking a Caribbean vacation without the hassle of getting a Passport, the U. S. Virgin Islands could be perfect for you!

The U. S. Virgin Islands is primarily made up of 3 Islands: St. Croix, St. John, and Stl Thomas.

For the month of January we will feature St. Croix. Next month we will feature St. John.

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Sunset Jazz in Frederiksted Each and every third Friday of the month people of all ages can soak in the sounds of local and international jazz musicians. Best of all, admission is FREE!

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Canoeing in St. Croix

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Experience the caribbean cuisine Many visitors like to enjoy the ambience of the Island via small outdoor cafes.

Some come to St. Croix to exchange ther very special vows!

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Are you ready for ma

2014?

The first Madi Gras parade of 2014 will be be the The Krewe of Bilge, which is a waterway parade that will be held in Sliddel. LA at noon on February 15th. Later that same day, there will be another parade in the French Quarter, Krewe du Vieux, at 6:30 p.m.

You can see the entire parade route and scedule by visiting: http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html The culmination of the Madi Gras Parades will be on March 4th. There will be several parades scheduled throughout the day.

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maudi gras

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business directory Elite Healthcare 350 N. Mart Plaza Suite B Jackson, MS 39206 301-987-0067 Dixon’s Party Rentals 769-798-4466

Gifted Hands Hair Salon 3039 Medgar Evers Blvd Jackson, MS 39213 601.362.8896 Kreatyve Karactorz 4125 W. Northside Drive Jackson, MS 39213 601.487.6563

Elizabeth’s Boutique 4612 Medar Evers Blvd.

601.819.5827

GET LISTED!

Tree House Academy

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4630 Terry Rd. Jackson, MS 39212 601.373.6605 Daphne Trigg , Director

CLICK HERE TO ADVERTISE! Elite Healthcare Alliance Chiropractor 350 N. Mart Plaza Suite B Jackson, MS 39206 601-987-0067