![]() It was an opportunity of a lifetime and Beatrice Dixon took it. Target agreed to stock their shelves with her plant-based feminine hygiene products, The Honey Pot. What makes this even more of a significant triumph is that Bea Dixon is a black woman and The Honey Pot is 100% black-owned. In February 2020, Target released a television commercial featuring Bea and The Honey Pot products. This commercial was strategically released in honor of Black History Month. In the commercial, Bea states that the reason it is important for The Honey Pot to do well is “So the next black girl that comes up with a great idea, she can have a better opportunity.” After the commercial aired, the floodgates of hate opened. On one particular consumer review website, Trust Pilot, nasty, derogatory, racists comments were made about Bea and her products in the form of reviews. The reviewers called Bea a racist; used the “n” word; and vowed to never purchase her product, or never purchase it again…… all because she expressed that she wanted to be an inspiration to girls who looked like her, who will likely face some of the same struggles as she did when trying to bring her product to mainstream, and who have historically been discriminated against in general and in particular, the retail space and funding space. Oh, did I mention that it was a commercial that was intended to align with Black History month? That means “blackness” will be highlighted. That means the achievements of black people will be recognized and highlighted. I personally believe it’s pretty sad that we even have to have one month of the year to do this. It should be all year long, just like it is for every other race. The people who authored those reviews are the real racists, in my opinion. It seems as though some people from other races cannot stand to see black people have a moment of cultural elevation but they do it all the time. It’s a problem when we uplift our own race. They are quick to throw the reverse-racism card out there instead of understanding that there is some pretty ugly history that has facilitated the need for black people to do things to recognize our own race because we still don’t get the proper credit, recognition and respect we deserve from mainstream. In a perfect world, there would be no need for us to create platforms specifically to address our needs because it would automatically be done by the masses, just like with every other race. If those reviewers were honest with themselves and would strip themselves of the denial of the injustices minorities face, they would have never took offense to her message and would have understood exactly where she was coming from. Just because Bea is excited about being an inspiration to girls of her own race does not mean she is a racist. It does not mean that she does not wish girls of other races the best. It does not mean she is praying for the downfall of the startups of other fabulous women who are not black. Those people who left those reviews are the kind of people that look for excuses to say “see, black people are racist too”. This accusation of racism against Bea can NEVER be seriously compared to the real and true racism that black people have and still experience. I’m sure some of those who were already using the product would have stopped purchasing it whether she made that statement or not once they found out the company was black-owned. That’s my opinion. But…….. what was meant to do Beatrice Dixon and her company harm worked out for her good….. and I love it! The company was already doing well before this commercial was aired according to statistics that were reported, however, it outperformed previous sales numbers by 50% once black women caught wind of the foolishness that was happening on the Trust Pilot website and on Target’s social media platforms. Almost instantaneously, black women rose to the occasion to have our sister’s back and supported her by buying her products. Target responded to the backlash with this statement given by one of it’s spokespersons: “We’re proud to work with Bea Dixon and The Honey Pot team to highlight Bea’s journey to build her brand and bring her products to Target. We’re aware of some negative comments about the campaign, which aren’t in line with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from guests who love and have been inspired by Bea’s story.” I have respect for Target for not folding under pressure due to the threats of those hateful people. This is what the response to this situation proved to me: Women are powerful…..period, when we leverage our strengths the right way. In this case, our power was in our wallets and bank accounts. We can make significant changes to important issues if we stood together and united the way we did for Bea and The Honey Pot brand. African American women respond in strong numbers to things that directly influence them. Although only roughly 14% of the total female population, African American women are very influential with cultural trends and spend more on health and beauty products. We are a consumer market with a combined buying power in the trillions, according to data reported by Nielsen. This situation has also proved to me that African American women can be the key to growing very successful small businesses, if the same energy that was used to come to the defense of The Honey Pot brand is used on a regular basis. If we used our power, our money, and resources to support women owned businesses every day, without a crisis playing out, do you know what kind of impact that would make? Our money is just as powerful as our vote! What if we used that same determination to ensure that businesses of women we actually know are successful the same way we did for The Honey Pot, a black-owned business, whom we have no personal relationship with the owner? What if we did that for quality, reputable female-owned businesses who have not yet made it to the shelves of a major retailer, but instead operates their businesses online and trying to grow their businesses? I learned that when black women get fired up about something, we will pay whatever the cost to prove a point. The Honey Pot’s price point is higher than some of their feminine hygiene brand competitors, but we came together and paid that price. We are willing to pay higher prices for what we believe in. Do you believe that all black women (and women in general) deserve to have successful businesses, whether their brand is stocked in a major retailer’s store or not? If so, how often do you patronize their businesses? If not, why? I also learned that we have the ability to help female-owned businesses flourish, but we have not done such a great job. If we had been, there would be more women-owned small businesses who would not have to close their doors within 5 years of opening them. There would be more black, female-owned businesses that are profitable, not just breaking even. When we showed up at Target stores all over the country and emptied their shelves of The Honey Pot products and when we made so many online purchases that some of the products will be out of stock for at least 2 weeks, according to the company’s Facebook page, it was proven that we have the economic power to build strong black-woman owned businesses, and women-owned businesses in general. We made a reactive stand to this unwarranted backlash but it would be more significant if we were intentional and proactive about purchasing products and services from black women-owned businesses. What this incident with The Honey Pot proved to me is that we can break barriers, we can move mountains, and we can really be our sister’s keeper, if only we were committed to the advancement and growth of women-owned businesses and that we provide continuous support for these business, not just when something pisses us off, but all the time. My hope is that many other women have observed what I have, see the impact we made, and will make it their business to keep the momentum going by spending their money with other women. I already believed all of this was possible, but the outpouring of support proved it. Ladies, we have the power! Jackie Robinson is the founder of SheBoss Unlimited and is an advocate for the advancement of women in career and business.
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3 Quick Steps to Revive Productivity When You're Doubting Your Side Hustle By: Vanessa Zamy3/6/2020 ![]() Having a side hustle has become more of a necessity, not exclusively for the self-proclaimed entrepreneurs any longer. In 2019, 43% of full-time employees reported having a side job in order to make ends meet, reported by Bankrate. Launching an entrepreneurial endeavor can be rewarding and invigorating, yet they require an intense amount of time and energy. Often, entrepreneurs don’t see the results they desire and end up losing confidence and letting things slip by. “Your life is supposed to be fun, and doing something on your terms, like a side hustle, is meant to be enjoyable,” says Susie Moore, author of What If It Does Work Out? How a Side Hustle Can Change Your Life. Moore is steering us in the right direction, but that’s not always the case as more than 30% of entrepreneurs are reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety which are consequences of burnout. Whether you’re launching a side hustle or have already started, burnout is a risk for you and it could be detrimental to your side hustle success. Before you burst into flames, take the time to read the 3 steps to turning your burnout into a breakthrough! 1. Reflect 2. Plan 3. Adjust Reflection Take the time to reflect on what’s happened in your life and business over the last quarter to give yourself a solid view of what’s been going on. If you haven’t done a reflection session in over a year, then I’d suggest going back a year to get a more complete view of your life and business. When it comes to reflection, asking the right questions is key to getting quality answers. Questions that you may want to include in your reflection session are: What impacted my business the most over the past quarter/ year?
Once you’ve answered the question, design the vision for what’s next. Take the time to imagine what your life will look like by the time you complete your next reflection. Be as detailed and specific as possible and take the time to envision what’s going on. This will be the beginning pieces of the plan you’ll craft. Plan The plan of execution is the most essential portion of your project. When you craft a plan, you can see what is coming up, how it will affect you and prepare for avoiding and handling it. You discovered what was working and what was not during the reflection session. This is where you’ll take that information and craft it into a strategy for getting back on track. As part of your plan, you should be including metrics to track and milestones to hit and celebrate. Track metrics that align with your goals. If your goal is to generate more revenue, track your conversion rates, click rate, and page visitors. Don’t spend time tracking the followers on your social media if your focus is not there. Milestones are achievement markers as you complete your goals. To create a milestone, choose what will trigger the milestone and the reward. Having a milestone will encourage you to push forward in your goal to reach it, and when you receive your reward you’ll be even more excited to continue forward. To break it down: Goal: Generate $5K in a month with a side hustle, without losing any footing at current job and maintaining a social life. Reward: purchase those tickets to the women’s conference you want to attend. Milestone 1 triggers: $2K collected, didn’t miss a day of work, scheduled dinner with a friend. Milestone 2 triggers: $4K collected, didn’t miss a day of work, scheduled dinner with a friend Goal Complete: Generated $5K in a 30-day span with a side hustle, maintained status at current job and social status The last step of the plan, now that you’ve created your tasks is to schedule time in your calendar to complete the tasks. Schedule the time to work on your business or it won’t get done. Adopt a habit of putting any event, meeting, or other requests into your calendar or checking your calendar before responding yes. A great way to start managing your time is with time blocking. When you time block, you take a task or group of the same task and designate a block of time to complete them. Grab this free workbook for mapping your priorities and managing your calendar effectively. Don’t let your time management be the reason that your plan falls behind. Use the worksheet to get clarity on what’s important, what’s urgent and what you can leave behind. Adjust Now that your plan is built, put it in action. The next step is to take action on what happens once you realign. Every plan needs adjusting, with no exceptions. Flexibility in your business will allow you to make any changes necessary as they come up. Questions to ask yourself when adjusting: What is working? What is not working? Where and how can I improve what I’m currently doing? What do I need to move forward? You may need resources, team members, or even a break. Be as specific as you can when answering these questions, and record the answers for future reference. You may find this information useful for setting your goals for the next time-span. Take all of the ideas, notes, and information that you’ve gathered and craft your next. Create another plan using step 2 and keep pushing forward. Make time to work on your business too, it needs some TLC, just like you. These steps will help you to regroup if you start falling off track or if you’ve already done so. Vanessa Zamy is a best-selling author and high-performance coach for entrepreneurs overwhelmed with building profitable side hustles while working 9-to-5. If you’re curious about how to optimize your time, you can check out her book, FINISH: The Solopreneur’s Guide to Getting Stuff Done, here. Photo Credit: energepic.com ![]() Our hormones and mindset have a strong influence on our level of confidence and impacts how we manage stress. It has been reported, based on research, that strong and effective leaders have lower cortisol levels and higher testosterone levels (yes, women carry the testosterone hormone too). But… did you know that your body language affects both of these hormones? Research conducted by body language experts shows that striking a “power pose” can alter these hormones to a degree that increases your level of confidence and curbs your reaction to stressful situations. Remember when your mother used to remind you to sit up straight? I think they knew this all along, even though they didn’t know what to call it. My favorite super hero as a kid was Wonder Woman. I loved everything about her; her outfit, her pretty eyes, and beautiful hair. Most importantly, I liked how she was a woman and she was just as powerful as the Bionic Man and the Incredible Hulk. She made me feel like I could be powerful too. I even have a collector’s doll of her, still in the box. One of the most recognized “power poses” is the Wonder Woman pose. It’s demonstrated with feet spread apart, head held high, chest out, and hands on both hips with elbows extended. There is something about that pose that makes people feel strong, confident and powerful. Even if you don’t really feel that way, if someone catches a glimpse of you posed in that manner, they are likely to perceive you as a confident person. Some may argue that something as simple as a pose couldn’t possibly be as effective as it’s claimed to be. Mindset most definitely plays a part in how you judge anything. If you strongly disagree with something, with or without reason, you are sure to prove yourself right (self-fulfilling prophecy). I’m a strong believer in the power of thoughts and mentality (mindset). If striking a power pose mentally takes you to a place of confidence, go for it! If posing in a position of power helps you to release stress, do it! Make power posing a part of your routine on a daily basis, before important meetings, before a keynote address or presentation, or whenever you need to channel your energy and turn your confidence dial up. Whether it is a sitting or standing pose, if you think of that pose as your confidence booster, then that’s what it will do for you. The same way athletes use personal rituals before games to boost their confidence and get them charged up, you can use a power pose the same way. It’s a matter of the mind and your personal expectations and beliefs. We can train our minds to believe what we want it to believe. As for me, I’m going to channel my favorite superhero, Wonder Women, and show up with confidence when it really counts. Go ahead girl! Strike a pose and be confident in YOU! Follow me on: Instagram: @she_boss_ultd Twitter: SheBossU |
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