I really wish that we, Black people, would start addressing the “work freedom” question in more nuanced ways, simply because there is more than one path to economic wokeness. I’m a firm believer that we worship Entrepreneurs as the saviors of Black economics entirely too much. Not everyone is born an Entrepreneur or even enjoys […]
Quick Thoughts: Taking Advantage Of Big Business Mistakes: Mashable
If there’s a marketing song I’d sing from the mountain tops, it’s that big brands have zero idea what they’re doing when it comes to products that appeal to minorities. I’m still not sure if it’s ignorance, malice, apathy or allowing people who are a nasty combo of those things to run rampant in content […]
Quick Thoughts: The De-punking Of Afropunk…It’s Not Just The Music
“Black people with a lot of piercings always throw me off.” This statement came from a heavily tattooed, bi-racial, White-acculturated friend of mine whose visual presence meshes easily with an Afropunk aesthetic. In response I mentioned the eponymous festival and my plans to go. He had no clue what it was. See I’d wanted to […]
You Don’t Need Experience To Get Experience.
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! The catch-22 of needing experience to get experience is not a conundrum. It’s not a puzzle designed to frustrate new entrants or test for the most plucky or driven. It’s a signal. […]
Should I Go Back To The Steady Paycheck?
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the BlackFreelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! My transition to freelancing was a relatively easy one. While I didn’t make the smooth transition of building a side income slowly while fully employed (though I was building solo-employment skills), I did have […]
The Cost of Being the “Good” Black Worker
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the BlackFreelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! I freelance because I’m Black. I’m not saying that freelancing is universally great for Black people…it works differently for everybody. What I am saying, is that my experiences in racialized workplaces were a […]
Things I Don’t Care About As A Black Business Person
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! “The Hustle” A “normal” career Being an MBA (very different from having an MBA) “Networking” Being an “Entrepreneur” Events/Panels Being a CEO (or a C-anything) Being Busy Looking Busy Having my picture on […]
Marketing Your Freelance Services To Black Businesses
Let me start this off by saying this is not my area of expertise. I work with B2B companies in a standardized industry, but want to help further a deeper conversation around marketing, and help you sell your services at the same time. I’m not a procrastinator. I’m the opposite…I over-prepare and pre-prepare, and […]
Q&A: Race And The Mysterious, Disappearing Job Prospect
Those of us with White-passing names know this story all too well…you build up a stellar resume, send out applications to multiple positions, go in for interviews and somehow…none pan out. Strangely, people who were excited and enthusiastic to meet you on the phone seem cold and detached in person. I have too many of […]
10 Ways Freelancing Liberated My Life
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! Working for myself as a freelancer has brought me freedom in more ways than I ever would’ve thought. Every freelancers says that, but it’s one of those things people say because it’s true. […]