Keep Going: Small Business Motivation

“You are not really making a difference with the children that you are working with. Your job is easily replaceable, and you’re always going to be a seat-filler.” These words pierced through Sierra like a knife. She had finally fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher specially trained to work with blind and visually impaired individuals and she was excelling at it. Yet this conversation with her school’s principal made her doubt all of that. But that’s when she had an idea. What if she worked to make a difference in the lives of not only those in her classroom, but others as well? Listen as Sierra shares how she began House of Light, a consulting and training business that specializes in equitable treatment of those who are blind or visually impaired. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Sierra's story here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/sierras-story-house-of-light/

COVID was what pushed Kendrah to start her own business. Or rather, it was fighting for time to recover from COVID that was the last straw. For years, Kendrah had dreamed of starting her own marketing agency. As a former fashion blogger, brand ambassador, and social media influencer, Kendrah had seen the many facets of growing a business. And she particularly loved helping small businesses grow as a marketing freelancer while working at a large marketing agency. So when push came to shove and Kendrah took the leap to start her own business, she was ready. Listen as Kendrah shares what it took to start her own marketing agency: Astira Studio. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Kendrah's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/kendrahs-story-astira-studio/

Naomi was in the car with her young cousins, excited to finally have a break from college and enjoy a day at the park. But Naomi became concerned when her cousin, who was also excited to spend time at the park, wouldn’t leave the car. After some gentle coaxing, Naomi’s young cousin revealed she didn’t want to leave the car because it was a sunny day and she was worried her skin would become darker. From that moment on, Naomi determined she would help BIPOC children around the world unlearn self-hate caused by colorism and embrace their cultures, histories, and identities. And she would do so by creating her own business. Listen as Naomi shares how she began Revolutionary Hearts Industries, a publishing house that specializes in empowering children and adults through educational coloring books. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Naomi's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/naomis-story-revolutionary-hearts-industries/

Ana and Belouka are no strangers to fashion. In fact, Belouka moved from her home in Haiti to New York to begin a modeling career at 19, and Ana sewed clothing pieces for fashion week after also moving from Haiti to the U.S. So when Belouka had an idea for a swimsuit design, she reached out to her friend, Ana. What followed was the beginning of a business that celebrates Haitian culture through colorful and comfortable swimwear. Listen as Ana and Belouka share how they began Imamou. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Ana and Belouka's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/annas-and-beloukas-story-imamou/

Joresa had a question: If she could order a cup of coffee on an app and have it delivered in 30 minutes, why couldn’t she have a dress from a store delivered in the same amount of time? This question is what led Joresa to begin GoFlyy, a company that helps other businesses grow by providing package delivery and tracking services. But starting a logistics company of this scale hasn’t always been easy. Listen as Joresa shares how she overcomes challenges from funding to technology in order to keep her small business going.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Joresa's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/joresas-story-goflyy/

Whenever Marissa—a barista and coffee educator—would ask about coffee beans from Asia, she was always told the same thing: there was only one coffee from Asia and it was bad. This did not sit well with her. And as she researched further into the matter, Marissa found a plethora of Asian coffees, each with their own unique flavors ranging from notes of chocolate to floral and herbaceous flavors. With this knowledge, Marissa decided to show others how, just like how no countries in Asia were the same, neither was their coffee. Listen as Marissa shares how she began her business: Tanbrown Coffee.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Marissa's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/marissas-story-tanbrown-coffee/

Amanda never saw herself working as an occupational therapist assistant, let alone as a martial arts instructor. Yet Amanda was a natural caregiver, having grown up assisting her sister with spinal bifida. And she found herself enjoying the health benefits of mixed martial arts in her adult years. So when an opportunity came for Amanda to teach martial arts to a class of special needs children, she found it to be a perfect combination of her two passions that she could do for the rest of her life. Listen as Amanda shares how she began Amanda’s Adaptive Martial Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching martial arts to children with special needs.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Amanda's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/amandas-story-amandas-adaptive-martial-arts/

When Jamila graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering, she suddenly noticed something. Out of more than a hundred students in her graduating class, only 10 were women. Knowing that this low representation of female engineers extended beyond her graduating class, Jamila wanted to do something about it. So she did something a little unorthodox for a civil engineer; she began a media publishing company. Listen as Jamila shares how her business J.H. Lindo helps encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Jamila's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/jamilas-story-j-h-lindo/

Felicia glanced at the backseat where he son was sitting in his car seat to see every parent’s worst nightmare. He wasn’t breathing. Felicia and her husband pulled over the car and dashed to save their son. But when Felicia finally held her son in her arms, she didn’t remember her CPR training. Fortunately, her husband was able to revive their son. But that moment stayed with Felicia and she wondered if there was something she could do to help others in similar situations. That’s when CPRWrap was born. Listen as Felicia shares how she developed the idea for CPRWrap and how her perseverance led to a partnership with Walmart.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Felicia's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/felicias-story-cpr-wrap/

Mo had been a new mom for only a couple of months when her mother suffered a debilitating stroke. Sandwiched between the monumental task of caring for her infant son and her elderly mother, Mo discovered something. While many companies offered home-delivery services for caregiving supplies, there wasn’t very many delivery services that helped ease the emotional toll of caregiving. So in honor of her mother, Mo decided to start a business that could help with that. Listen as Mo shares how she began Your Grace Collective, a business that provides emotional support to caregivers. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Mo's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/mos-story-your-grace-collective/

Lawrence was on the trip of a lifetime. In a year, he visited all seven continents and more than 30 countries, seeing everything from the canals of Venice to the penguins of Antarctica. Yet, wherever Lawrence went, there was always the question of safety. As a Black traveler, Lawrence wanted to know if some destinations would be safer than others. But even after scouring Google, there didn’t seem to be much information out there for Black travelers. And what little information Lawrence could find was far from centralized. That’s when he came up with the idea that would eventually change the travel industry. Listen as Lawrence shares how he created the first-ever Black travel review website: Green Book Global.  Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Lawrence's story here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/lawrences-story-green-book-global/

Trichology—from the moment Brandi read that word in her cosmetology textbook, she was intrigued. And as she learned its meaning, the study of hair and scalp health, she decided that she would one day become a trichologist to help others recover from hair loss. That day happened much sooner than Brandi anticipated when she woke up one night with the inspiration to go for it. And what resulted was not only a hair clinic that helped clients restore their hair, but it also helped them restore their confidence. Listen as Brandi shares how she began her hair restoration and confidence coaching business: The Hair Clinic Rx.Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Brandi's story here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/brandis-story-the-hair-clinic-rx/

Blake was an all-state high school athlete with a promising future in track and basketball. Sadly, a torn ACL his senior year changed all that. But his love of sports stayed with him, particularly his love of vintage sports apparel. And when he saw the boutique shops share pictures of him wearing vintage jerseys and getting hundreds of likes, he knew he was on to something. Listen as Blake shares how he began his vintage sports apparel business: Fly Vintage 87. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Blake's story here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/blakes-story-fly-vintage-87/

Kamilah always loved talking to people. In fact, her teachers would often complain about her willingness to chat with her peers. So it came to no one's surprise when Kamilah decided to pursue a career in speech pathology. Instead, it was Kamilah's love of working with older patients that often surprised those around her. Yet this love is exactly what led Kamilah to creating a revolutionary app to help her older patients increase their language, speech, and cognitive skills. Listen as Kamilah shares how she created EPICC Technology, an app designed to help individuals with neurological conditions. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Kamilah's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/kamilahs-story-epicc-technology/

It became apparent that Sam was destined for a career in the creative world when her mom discovered Sam carefully constructing earrings from a prized chandelier. But as Sam grew older, the question of: “How do artists make money?” drove her into the corporate world. Yet Sam never gave up her love for crafting jewelry, and when a friend asked if she could buy the earrings Sam made for herself right off of her ears, Sam knew she was on to something. Listen as Sam shares how she created her multi-faceted fashion and jewelry business: New Vintage by Sam. Signup for exclusive "Keep Going" emails here: https://mazumausa.com/keep-going/Find the show notes for Sam's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/sams-story-new-vintage-by-sam

Somewhere between avoiding flying objects being thrown a round her and a nonstop schedule, Nicole decided it was time for a career change. Her job as a pastry chief was quickly burning up her desire to cook, and she was considering leaving the industry all together. Then it happened—Nicole was laid off during the pandemic. But what may have seemed like an obstacle turned into the push Nicole needed to make the career change she always wanted. Listen as Nicole shares how she began Whisked Away, a home food delivery and pickup service. Website: https://www.whiskedawayatl.com/Find the show note for Nicole's "Keep Going" episode here:

When Devin asked his parents what careers he could pursue as an artist, their reply was, “You’re a smart guy; you’ll figure it out.” Although it wasn’t a definitive answer, Devin began by taking his art to a digital medium and designing logos for his contacts on Facebook. But he didn’t stop there. In fact, he incorporated his interests in animation in film to quickly scale his business with multiple services. Listen as Devin shares how he created and scaled his media and design company: Kimoto Studios. Website: kimotostudios.comMobile App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kimoto-studios/id1585102504Find the show notes for Devin's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/devins-story-kimoto-studios/

Apathy, that's what Cindy's daughter feared the most—the feeling of getting too comfortable to care about seeking any further growth. When Cindy learned this, she determined she also feared apathy. And so she went back to college, became a certified Barton tutor, and began her own tutoring business. But even with that success, Cindy pushed herself again to fight against apathy by creating a learning software for her students. A software that would help students with dyslexia find the fun and support they needed to learn. Listen as Cindy shares how she began her business: Trisensory Software. Websites:Trisensory Software: www.trisensorysoftware.comCindy's Barton Website:  www.bartonwithcindy.comConnect with Cindy on LinkedIn: bartonwithcindy@gmail.com.   Find the show notes for Cindy's episode here: https://mazumausa.com/podcast/cindys-story-trisensory-software/

Whether it's mapping out property lines, plots in a cemetery, or creating drones that help first responders, Marcus' business as a drone pilot is anything but boring. But juggling his business with a full-time job brings its own challenges as well. Listen as Marcus shares how he balances both while growing his small business, Aerofire Mapping. Website: https://www.aerofiremapping.com/Find the show notes for this episode here:

Some people may say they love their business, but for Yahmeemah, her business is love. As a social worker, she noticed that some of the girls at her school weren't receiving the support and encouragement they needed to thrive. But rather than turn a blind eye, Yahmeemah began a work of love that would turn into a business. Listen as Yahmeemah shares how she began SELFY My Sister's Keeper, an organization that uplifts and empowers adolescent girls.  Website: https://www.selfymsk.com/Find the show notes for Yahmeemah's story here: