While providing all-natural alternative solutions, Kanuni Brown joins a longstanding heritage of Black hair care, also influenced by Brown’s grandmother. “Her legacy is a testament to the importance of Black culture, where hair is not just a part of one’s appearance, but a form of self-expression and identity,” Brown says.Eager to keep growing her business, Brown participated in dozens of small business expert coaching sessions and free, self-paced courses from Verizon Small Business Digital Ready. She learned foundational financial skills, such as sales forecasting and how to prepare profit and loss statements. She created her own marketing plan, built brand awareness through email and social media, and, crucially, learned to measure success.Brown credits the program with teaching her essential business acumen. “Digital Ready gave me a great foundation to get my business off the ground by gaining some much-needed knowledge and skills,” she says. “We saw a 15% rise in new customers, a 25% boost in repeat purchases and a 31% increase in gross sales in just a few months of applying what I learned.”Now, Brown is working on expanding her company’s reach, with a focus on increasing distribution, building strategic partnerships, and continuing to educate and empower women about the importance of healthy hair care. Iesha Murry redefines comfort food with plant-based ingredientsWhat started as a personal health journey for Iesha Murry and her husband, Jason, has evolved into a flourishing business in Indianapolis, Indiana. The couple’s commitment to plant-based eating led them to create Mrs. Murry’s Naturals, a vegan food service that offers grab-and-go meals through local markets and cafes and caters events.Seeing a gap in the market for flavorful and accessible plant-based meals, Iesha became passionate about creating healthier versions of dishes that would still appeal to every palate. Both Iesha and Jason made career changes to invest in their new business. Iesha attended culinary school to receive formal training in vegan cuisine. “We tailor everything to match what you’re used to eating,” Iesha says. “We just took out the animal products.”When it comes to her food, Iesha incorporates the traditions and flavors that have defined Black cuisine for generations. By recreating classic comfort foods like sweet potato pie, pineapple upside-down cake and pot pie using plant-based ingredients, Mrs. Murry’s Naturals is able to connect deeply with their customers, many of whom are experiencing vegan cuisine for the first time. “We get a lot of customers who say, ‘If I knew vegan food tasted this good, I would’ve tried it a long time ago,’” Iesha says. “Vegan doesn’t mean bland or boring.”



Source link