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Spelman College graduates who were friends first and then founders seconds are taking their nail bar to new heights. Kelli M. Coleman and Anika J. Odegbo are the founders of The TEN, marketed as Detroit, MI’s first modern nail bar. The two shared a common goal of embarking on an entrepreneurial journey to build wealth, which they brought to life in 2016. “So, Anika and I are friends and Spelman sisters. We ultimately met when we found out that both of us intended to attend. We decided to room together, and the rest is history, as they say. Both Detroit natives, I grew up in Southfield, and Anika grew up in Detroit proper. We come from entrepreneurial families; we really understand the power of entrepreneurship to create generational wealth. It was always our respective goals to own businesses of our own in addition to carrying on our family’s entrepreneurial legacy. That’s sort of the origin of how we know each other, and that’s how The TEN came to be,” Coleman told the Michigan...
The future is bright for top high school prospect Anicet “AJ” Dybantsa Jr. The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa has already caught the attention of NBA great Kevin Durant , who is impressed by his skill set and has no doubt he will one day be drafted into the NBA. “I got to know him two summers ago between his sophomore and junior year in high school. He came to work out with us. I was impressed by his size and fluidity as a player, his ballhandling. He was shooting jump shots well. He’s got the body type to become a pro in this league for 20 years. It is good to be around him. He has a lot of energy, too,” Durant told Andscape. While there appears to be a foreseeable path towards the pros, Dybantsa will first be taking his talents to college. According to The Athletic, he has committed to Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, UT. He also is the school’s first 5-star recruit, notes KUTV 2 News in Salt Lake City. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
Taking into consideration its network of entrepreneurs, T.D. Jakes Enterprises has launched an accessible marketplace. In 2023, the social impact holding company set out to support underrepresented entrepreneurs by addressing a critical gap. Despite the efforts of stakeholders driving meaningful change, there were no centralized systems or platforms to provide comprehensive resources. This need inspired the launch of the Good Soil Movement in April 2023. “What we didn’t find was one centralized space where entrepreneurs can not only network but actually get access to capital, access to back office support, legal help, accounting support, business plan development, understanding where they fall on the capital continuum… So out of that, we created Good Soil,” Michael Phillips, chief operations officer of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, told AFROTECH™. Nourysh Good Soil has set an ambitious goal: to empower 1 million small business owners to generate $1 million in revenue each. To advance this...
A Black-owned pharmacy has opened in Toledo, OH. After seeing health disparities within communities during his residency with Kroger, pharmacist Anthony Pattin was driven to provide better access to underserved citizens. At the time, Pattin had already completed an undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a PharmD from the University of Toledo, Toledo Blade reports. “One of my first projects was looking at African-Americans’ perceptions of vaccines,” he told the outlet. “I learned a lot. One thing is, not everyone feels the same way. I had a group of people who wanted vaccines but said ‘As a matter of fact, when I go to the pharmacy, they don’t offer it,’ and that’s how I found out that there are some pharmacies, even in their community, that didn’t offer that service. So that was a disparity — that you were saying that maybe they don’t want the service, but they don’t have it available.” While Pattin took note, the idea for a pharmacy was catalyzed by an elderly neighbor...
Being in the right place at the right time paid off for Jade C. Williams. Williams, a product leader, says the technology sector found her. A proud Howard University alumna with a bachelor’s degree in economics, she originally aspired to become a business owner and CEO. However, her career took an unexpected turn when Deloitte, a consulting firm, reached out to her. In 2014, she joined the company as a business technology analyst and, within two years, earned a promotion to product management consultant. “That was my first exposure into tech and I did more tech advisory work on the business side for Deloitte. So that was the entry point to me for me doing product management and product advisory work across like Fortune 100 companies in the federal government,” she said during an interview with AFROTECH™. Williams earned two additional promotions before leaving after six years. Her following job opportunities would result from attending and being present at the AFROTECH™ Conference....
Kwame Christian leverages his expertise to inspire and equip professionals with the tools to succeed. Christian’s journey can be traced back to Tiffin, OH, where he was raised as a first-generation Caribbean American, often standing out as the only Black student in his classes. A defining moment in sixth grade shaped his path: being rejected and ostracized by peers on the playground. This experience ignited a deep desire for connection and acceptance. By high school, he channeled that drive into leadership, rising to become the captain of both the basketball and tennis teams. Reflecting on his journey in an interview with AFROTECH™, Christian admitted he adopted a “people pleaser” mentality, often prioritizing others’ approval over his authentic self. “I wasn’t my authentic self in many ways,” he said. “I still had really great connections, but when it came to difficult situations and difficult conversations, I would always agree, even if I disagreed, I wouldn’t speak up if I didn’t...
Several salon owners have been awarded a grant from Beyoncé. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the singer’s BeyGood foundation, in collaboration with her newly launched haircare line, Cécred, established a $500,000 annual fund. The initiative supports hairstylists in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and New Jersey who meet specified criteria: They must be licensed for at least two years; have been in business for a minimum of one year; lease or own a suite, booth, or chair; and face financial hardship, according to the foundation’s website. Additionally, the fund includes a $10,000 scholarship opportunity for five cosmetology schools in the aforementioned markets. “Fostering talent, promoting professionalism, and supporting entrepreneurship within the hair industry is deeply important to us,” BeyGood commented on its website. “That’s why we’re partnering with Cécred to create the Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund, which celebrates the influence professional stylists have...
Despite releasing three albums, Common found himself struggling to sustain his music career. The rapper’s career took off in Chicago, IL, in the ’90s. He released three albums during this decade: “Can I Borrow a Dollar?” (1992); “Resurrection” (1994); and “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” (1997). Common explains that his first album received limited attention and credits his second album with putting him on the radar of some of the industry’s greats. “I remember Biggie doing one of those promos for me, being like ‘Yo this I wish this kid was from Brooklyn.’ I remember seeing Nas, and he was like ‘Keep doing your thing,” Common recalled on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast hosted by Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings. The rapper also opened up about the challenges he faced in the music industry early in his career, which caused him to question whether it was a sustainable path. “It was hard being in Chicago and trying to get even signed or get heard… I still wasn’t planted in the industry. I...
Seasoned tech executive Omar Johnson is leveraging his experience to revolutionize how brands market themselves. Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Johnson’s exposure to technology was initially limited to video games and consumer electronics. However, his inquisitiveness grew and ultimately helped him secure roles with major tech giants. “A lot of my curiosity was sort of like self-driven,” he told AFROTECH™ in an interview. Tech Journey Johnson’s interests also lay in marketing, leading him to earn an MBA from Emory University in 2004. Following a brief stint at Campbell Soup Company as an associate brand manager, he transitioned to roles with brands such as Coca-Cola and Nike. At the latter, he began as an assistant brand manager before being promoted to content manager of advising and innovation, which remained his focus. “Find the most important things that the company is betting on for the future and work on those things,” Johnson explained. “I always had that sort of lean when I was at...
Despite earning millions, Lil Baby did not pay taxes for his first two years in the music industry. The Atlanta, GA-born rapper, known for chart-topping hits like “Drip Too Hard” and “We Paid,” appeared on the “A Safe Place Podcast,” hosted by Yachty, and discussed the financial learning curve. While he acknowledged having some understanding of investing and saving, he was unaware of the importance of taxes when he first entered the industry. His debut album, released in 2018 under Quality Control Music, marked the beginning of his rise to stardom. “I done got over $100 million from labels and deals. Not one time nobody still haven’t told me how to pay my taxes. Nobody even never told me pay my taxes,” Lil Baby explained on the podcast. “I always knew from growing up, like from being around, I heard people have tax problems, people don’t pay their taxes. I was doing it so wrong, my first tax bills was so high ’cause I was on some hustling sh-t like saving all my money. The more...
Popular streamer IShowSpeed isn’t afraid to turn down lucrative deals. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, IShowSpeed is a dedicated streamer who made various sacrifices to focus on his craft. One of those sacrifices included moving into his father’s home after receiving an ultimatum from his mother: quit streaming or leave her home. “Once I start something, I’m not stopping,” he mentioned on “Club Shay Shay” at the time. The decision has paid off, and the streamer holds no ill feelings toward his mother. In fact, he later bought a home for her after earning his first $1 million at 16. Today, IShowSpeed has 33.8 million subscribers on one of his YouTube channels alone, as well as an additional 27 million followers on Instagram (at the time of this writing). He also just won Streamer of the Year at the Streamer Awards 2024. While it is unclear what his exact earnings are, he confirmed on Complex’s “360 With Speedy (Morman)” that the $10 million net worth that comes up in a Google...
Damian Lillard just received back-to-back victories. The eight-time All-Star is currently on the roster of the Milwaukee Bucks following a three-team trade in November 2023, a news release mentioned. It has not taken long for the team to reach a major milestone. On Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, the Milwaukee Bucks were announced as champions over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the annual in-season NBA Cup, which is in its second year. What’s more, players on the team with standard contracts will be awarded $514,971 each for the victory, notes WGN-9 TV. “I’ve had a lot of experience individually where I’ve had accomplishments and stuff,” Lillard said, according to AP News. “But to have some team success and win something and be the last team standing in this tournament, it feels great.” Giannis Antetokounmpo, power forward and teammate, commented: “I’m so happy for Dame that we got our first trophy together. This is just the beginning. We have to keep on improving and getting better, and we...
Shaw-naé Dixon is behind a popular soul food restaurant in Staten Island, NY. Dixon’s interest in cooking dates back to her time in the kitchen with her grandmother, her website reads. She would continue to nurture her skills at church and a local soup kitchen. “My grandmother was a dietician for over 40 years, and I know that my grandmother taught me a lot of different recipes when I was growing u p,” Dixon said during an interview with Bon Appétit . “ And it wasn’t necessarily about the recipes and the food, it was about the technique and making sure that I could feed a lot of people at one time. “ In her adult years, Dixon first pursued a career in education. For over a decade, she was a teacher. However, she was pushed into her true calling of becoming a restaurateur after spending time in a coma. “Following a very, I won’t say difficult time, but a pivotal time in my life when I was in a coma, when I woke up, I said, ‘ Chase your legacy and not the luxury.’ Opening up a...
GloRilla has paid it forward to her former high school. The Memphis, TN, rapper, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, made an appearance at Melrose High School on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. She graduated from the school in 2017 and has returned as a Grammy-nominated artist with hit songs such as “Yeah Glo!” and “Tomorrow 2.” During her visit, she donated $25,000 to the school, which will be used to build a media center, Commercial Appeal reports. “The fact that I have the ability to do it now warms my heart,” she expressed, according to the outlet. The center will “offer students the chance to engage with technology that enhances their learning, provide a comfortable, safe space to study with flexible seating, and promote literacy for both Melrose High School and the surrounding Orange Mound community.” The outlet also shared that the space will be named the Gloria H. Woods Media Center in her honor, pointing to “GloRilla’s representation as a Golden Wildcat alumna and her continued...
South Africa’s first Black-owned bank has hit unicorn status, POCIT reports. Tyme Group, founded in 2019, is majority-owned by billionaire Patrice Motsepe, notes Bloomberg. The platform was designed to make digital banking more affordable and accessible, and it has been an overwhelming success with online and physical banks throughout South Africa and the Philippines. According to TechCrunch, it has attracted 10 million users since its inception and reached an additional 5 million users through its Philippine brand, GoTyme. GoTyme allows users to create an account via its bank app. Customers can then receive an ATM debit card instantly and retrieve it at a kiosk. Tyme Group says it has allocated $600 million in financing to support small businesses and has raised $400 million in customer deposits. Now it is seeking to extend its reach in new markets, which include Vietnam and Indonesia by 2025. This will be made possible in light of a $250 million round led by digital bank Nu...