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Side Hustle Pro

Side Hustle Pro spotlights bold black women entrepreneurs who have scaled from side hustle to profitable business. Join Chief Side Hustler turned full-time entrepreneur Nicaila Matthews Okome for your weekly installment of Side Hustle Pro and learn actionable strategies to start small and get going–wherever and whoever you are. Side Hustle Pro features interviews with inspiring Black women entrepreneurs who started out as side hustlers, including interviews with Myleik Teele, Morgan DeBaun, Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche, and more!
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Now displaying: April, 2020
Apr 29, 2020

Imagine being neighbors with the same person in multiple cities for the majority of your life. Well, that’s the story of the women behind Neighborly Paper—Robin Beck and Carmelle Kendall. Neighborly Paper is a paper goods brand dedicated to, in the founders’ own words, serving all the realness for all the occasions.

Carmelle is an art director, illustrator, and filmmaker. She now resides in Atlanta where she’s working as an art director and growing the Neighborly business. And Robin is the writer behind Neighborly Paper cards. In the daytime, she creates content for Salesforce and at night, it’s all about Neighborly. These ladies took their experience in the workplace and used it to create a business together that is successful and thriving. Take a listen to how these lifelong friends became business partners, and are taking over the greeting card business in such a #BlackGirlMagic way!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher

This episode is brought to you by:

ACUITY

For a limited time, only, you can get 45 days of Acuity Scheduling free by going to acuityscheduling.com/hustlepro. No credit card required. 

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Send questions to “Ask Nicaila”

You can now send questions for the new “Ask Nicaila” segment that’s coming to Side Hustle Pro. Once I get a critical mass of questions, I can start rolling out this segment. Just email hi@sidehustlepro.co and put hashtag #AskNicaila in the subject. 

Social Media Info

Neighborly Paper (Instagram) – @neighborlypaper

Neighborly Paper (Facebook) – @neighborlypaper

Neighborly Paper (Twitter) – @neighborlypaper

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

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Apr 22, 2020

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair, we welcome Monique Greenwood, owner and CEO (Chief Enjoyment Officer) of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, a collection of upscale B&Bs in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; Philadelphia, PA and a boutique resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. 

After graduating from Howard University, Greenwood became a fashion journalist, eventually becoming an intrapreneur while working for Women’s Wear Daily by launching her own magazine about children’s fashion. And after a six-year stretch at Essence, leading her to Editor-in-Chief, Monique took on her side hustle, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, and made it her main source of income. After 25 years, she’s expanded, now, with five locations, and hasn’t looked back since. In addition to talking about her journey to being a successful entrepreneur, we also talk about her journey from experiencing early professional success in magazine publishing and overcoming difficult moments like opening a Bed & Breakfast property in New Orleans right before Hurricane Katrina hit, how she’s tackling the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, and more.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher

This episode is brought to you by:

CAUSEBOX

Go to causebox.com/hustlepro and use the code HUSTLEPRO to get your first box for 30% off.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Send questions to “Ask Nicaila”

You can now send questions for the new “Ask Nicaila” segment that’s coming to Side Hustle Pro. Once I get a critical mass of questions, I can start rolling out this segment. Just email hi@sidehustlepro.co and put hashtag #AskNicaila in the subject. 

Social Media Info

Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns (Instagram) – @akwaabainns

Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns (Facebook) – @akwaabainns

Monique Greenwood (Twitter) – @moniqueakwaaba

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

Did you like this episode? If you did give it a 5 star rating and share it with your friends.

Apr 15, 2020

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair is Dionna M. Dorsey, a gifted designer and brand development strategist and the creator of apparel line DISTRICT of CLOTHING. 

After graduating from Villanova University in 2002, Dionna moved to Italy to study fashion design and pursue a job in the fashion industry. 

She ended up relocating to New York City and designed outerwear for Oscar de la Renta and men's apparel for several other licenses. After rocky times hit the retail industry, she was eventually laid off from her job. She applied for job after job, but no one would hire her, so she made a decision to hire herself. 

She went on to open Dionna Dorsey Design, a design boutique that specializes in being creative – from graphic design to art direction, brand strategy, and website development. Then, she launched DISTRICT of CLOTHING, a signature apparel line developed with the conventional and avant-garde dreamers and doers in mind. The rest is HERstory.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.  

This episode is brought to you by:

Acuity

For a limited time only, you can get 45 days of Acuity Scheduling absolutely free - no credit card required - by going to acuityscheduling.com/hustlepro

Skillshare

Get 2 free months of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/sidehustlepro

 Links mentioned in this episode

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Send questions to “Ask Nicaila”

You can now send questions for the new “Ask Nicaila” segment that’s coming to Side Hustle Pro. Once I get a critical mass of questions, I can start rolling out this segment. Just email hi@sidehustlepro.co and put hashtag #AskNicaila in the subject. 

Social Media Info

Dionna Dorsey (Instagram) - @dionnadorsey 

Dionna Dorsey (Twitter) - @dionnadorsey

DISTRICT of CLOTHING (Instagram) - @districtofclothing

DISTRICT of CLOTHING (Facebook) - @districtofclothingco

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

Apr 8, 2020

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair we welcome Lorraine West, the Founder of Lorraine West Jewelry.

Lorraine developed an affinity for creating and donning unique jewelry at a young age and says she’s been an artist since she was in the 1st grade. Her mother's love for ornate pieces was the inspiration for her to delve into jewelry design while studying Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

After teaching herself how to manipulate various metals into beautiful original jewelry pieces, and with the increasing demand from family and friends to create custom designs, Lorraine West Jewelry was conceived. Understanding that she needed a steady income to support herself as she grew her business, she worked for 4 years as a full-time employee then another 6 years freelancing as an illustrator, as an assistant fashion and prop stylist on video shoots and through other part time gigs besides selling her own work on the side. She became a full-time entrepreneur in 2010.

Lorraine met Erykah Badu, early in her career, who attended the same poetry event as her. Lorraine’s work spoke for itself and she was commissioned to make pieces for Erykah Badu, Andre 3000, Common, among many other artists.  

As a full-time entrepreneur, Lorraine started bringing in consistent income by selling her jewelry at the Brooklyn Flea from 2010-2014, launched her brand e-commerce website in 2015, launched the custom fine jewelry division in 2011 which grew the business exponentially since.

In episode 195 of Side Hustle Pro, Lorraine shares:

  • What led her to start selling her jewelry
  • How she came to design custom pieces for artists like Erykah Badu, Common, and more
  • How she side hustled before she could work on her jewelry business full-time

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher & sidehustlepro.co/lorrainewestjewelry

This episode is brought to you by:

Causebox 

Go to causebox.com/hustlepro and use the code HUSTLEPRO to get your first box for 30% off

Blinkist 

Go to blinkist.com/hustlepro to try it FREE for 7 days AND save 25% off your new subscription.

 Links mentioned in this episode

 

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

 

Send questions to “Ask Nicaila”

You can now send questions for the new “Ask Nicaila” segment that’s coming to Side Hustle Pro. Once I get a critical mass of questions, I can start rolling out this segment. Just email hi@sidehustlepro.co and put hashtag #AskNicaila in the subject. 

Social Media Info

Lorraine West Jewelry (Instagram) - @lorrainewestjewelry 

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

Apr 1, 2020

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair, we welcome Petrushka Bazin Larsen, the Co-Founder of Sugar Hill Creamery in Harlem, NY. Sugar Hill Creamery is Harlem's only family-owned neighborhood ice cream shop. 

Petrushka’s Co-Founder is her husband, Nicholas, and prior to opening the shop, she worked as Vice President for Programs & Education at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Program Director at the Laundromat Project. Even with her successful career, she had dreams of being an entrepreneur that started when she was in the 3rd grade and those dreams remained with her as she got older. 

The opportunity for entrepreneurship eventually presented itself when her husband unexpectedly lost his job in the culinary industry. They began thinking about how to develop a business based on foods they love, and it was an experience at a pop-up ice cream shop while on a trip in Washington, DC, that sparked the idea to open an ice shop in Harlem. Petrushka and her husband went all in and found a location, secured a loan, got permits, and opened Sugar Hill Creamery in only 10 months! 

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher

This episode is brought to you by:

Skillshare

Get 2 free months of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/sidehustlepro

 Links mentioned in this episode

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Send questions to “Ask Nicaila”

You can now send questions for the new “Ask Nicaila” segment that’s coming to Side Hustle Pro. Once I get a critical mass of questions, I can start rolling out this segment. Just email hi@sidehustlepro.co and put hashtag #AskNicaila in the subject. 

Social Media Info

Sugar Hill Creamery (Instagram) - @sugarhillicecream 

Sugar Hill Creamery (Facebook) - @sugarhillicecream

Sugar Hill Creamery (Twitter) - @sugarhillcream

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

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