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Creating a diverse workplace has been a much-discussed issue in Corporate America, but some companies complain they can’t find qualified candidates. Responding to that claim, a new micro job site called Black Girl Group, founded by freelance SEO copywriter and columnist Stephanie Caudle, serves to perfectly match diversity seeking employers with a wide range of candidates.

Black Girl Group was born just eight months ago in November 2016 but already Caudle has major plans for how the platform will help create diverse workplaces. Here, Caudle tells us how she turned her literal dream into a reality.

MadameNoire (MN): Why did you start Black Girl Group?

Stephanie Caudle (SC): Black Girl Group literally came from a dream. I remember it very clearly. I was working at a super stressful job in PR that commanded more than 12 hours of my time each day. I remember going to bed that night asking God how I was ever going to be able to survive in this workplace and balance being a mom and a wife. That night I dreamed the words Black Girl Group and had no clue what it meant. I remember writing it down and saying if the domain was available then I was going to buy it and hold on to it until I figured out what it meant. Sure enough, the domain was available so I took a leap of faith and purchased it. That night, I asked God if this was really a dream from him I needed to know what Black Girl Group meant and literally the next day I dreamed the entire picture which revealed it as “Black Girl Group Where Black Girls Create” and saw the entire vision unfolded. It was in that dream that I saw that it was a Micro Job Site.

As a part-time freelancer myself at the time creating the site felt like I was giving back to a community that had done so much for me. As fate would have it, literally two weeks after launching the site I received the shocking news that I was being laid off from my stressful job in PR. I know God foresaw that I was going to lose my job soon and allowed Black Girl Group to become one of my sole motivations for pushing through my job loss.

MN: How does Black Girl Group work?

SC: It’s a micro job site. A micro job site is a temporary, task-type job of all types, often booked through the Internet. Work may include online or in-person jobs, such as writing blogs, virtual assistant, handyman, nanny, website design, dog boarding or errands, etc. My site specifically connects Black women freelancers with companies struggling to hire diverse talent. It works two ways. If you are a freelancer you simply sign up and create a profile that showcases your expertise (i.e. writer, designer, developer, etc.). Once your profile is complete, companies who need your expertise will have the chance to hire you for any of their open jobs.

On the employer side, you sign up and post a project/job and instantly a call will be sent out to our plethora of freelancers to ensure you receive the best freelance talent at a rate that is mutually beneficial to the employer and also the freelancer. The employer will pay the freelancer directly through the site so neither the employer or the freelancer has to worry about a client flaking on them without paying (which is definitely a major problem in the freelance community).

MN: What can your service offer job hunters that they can not find elsewhere?

SC: For employers, my site offers the opportunity to connect directly with Black women freelancers without having to ask for race/ethnicity which I think is a super awkward question to ask on a job application.

For job hunters, it allows them to: a) no longer have to fear they are going to be turned down for a job because they are African American;  b) they don’t have to worry about discrimination as a freelancer because employers know what they are signing up for; c) my rates are guaranteed to be  mutually beneficial. I will not accept any employers on my site who are coming just to nickel and dime freelancers for hard-earned work like many sites sadly do; and d) a community for Black freelancers to vent and help each other out!

MN: What were some challenges you faced in building the site?

SC: Some people felt that the site was “racist” because it was called Black Girl Group. Once they saw that it was actually inclusive and also a great way to promote diversity they became more open-minded. My other challenge is obviously like many other startups, I struggle with locating funding.

MN: So, how did you fund the startup?

SC: Right now, I am fully funding my start-up myself. I also won a pitch competition sponsored by my church and local government which actually helped me a lot with my new website development.

MN: Why do you feel companies are having a hard time finding Black female employees?

SC: I think companies are having a hard time hiring freelancers because they aren’t trying hard enough. The Black women freelancers are out there, employers just have to open their eyes and realize that they have a lack of diversity problem.

MN: What do you feel is the biggest obstacle facing Black women looking for jobs?

SC: In full transparency, I think there is a misconception that Black women aren’t hard workers. I don’t know how many Black women I have heard being turned down for jobs once employers find out they are African American. I’ve heard even more horror stories since the election of our most recent president. Not to say it’s his fault, but I think the current state of America makes it easier for employers to be more openly discriminative.

MN: What do feel is the biggest mistake Black female job hunters make?

SC: Not knowing their worth. I’ve been there. In my early days of freelancing, I literally used to write a 500-word article for $5 because I thought that’s all people could pay me. During those days, I stayed up all night and day just trying to make ends meet. It wasn’t until a freelance friend of me pulled me to the side to say “Girl, you’re worth so much more” that I realized that I could be making almost $200-300 more per article. Since that day I’ve never turned back.

MN: You are juggling two jobs, how do you?

SC: So right now I am juggling Black Girl Group and full-time freelancing writing. I often find myself preaching the message that freelance isn’t free because so many assume that freelancing means I don’t work at all. In fact, on most days I work more than anyone I know. Freelancing literally means you work contract to contract or on a need-basis which can be a gift and a curse. There are some days I can barely swim above water because I have so much client work to do. On other days, I may be spending my entire day refreshing my emails hoping a new assignment will come through.

Sometimes juggling both is hard because I provide a service for people who are literally wearing the same shoes I wear every day. It can be overwhelming in my freelance business but I have to remind myself that God put me in this position so that I could be a true blessing to the freelancers on Black Girl Group.

Sometimes the only way you can help people is to get on their level and I see losing my job as God putting me on another level so that I can adequately serve those who need my service the most.

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