Madame Noire | Black Women's Lifestyle Guide | Black Hair | Black Love

Source: Black Enterprise

From Black Enterprise

As Americans become more aware of alarming obesity rates and increased instances of diabetes, many are making more conscious food choices and the food industry has taken notice. Health and wellness is a booming business, and within it, a trend is emerging: juicing. Juicing is exactly what it sounds like: fruits and vegetables pressed to a liquid and many are turning to it for detoxing, weight loss and just incorporating much needed fruits and vegetables into their diets.

Witnesses to the benefit of juicing firsthand are Brooklynite entrepreneurs Carl Foster and Kelly Keelo, who launched their business, Juice Hugger. The duo’s mission was to create tasty beverages that happen to be good for you. The company started as an online business in 2010 delivering juices to each customer individually and selling at festivals, events and corporate functions. They opened their first full scale location, incorporating food items in October and have tripled their sales in the first year.

BlackEnterprise.com: What was the impetus behind starting a business in the heath and wellness field?

Foster: I was fat (laughing). I’d reached 218 pounds on my 5’ 9” frame. I’d gained the weight while working as an auditor; a position with a great deal of travel which led to on the road eating at fast food stops. In 2009 I’d reached my breaking point and wanted desperately to get healthy. I was introduced to the benefits of pressed juices through a great friend. After I started shedding pounds while making my own juices, making better eating choices, and through moderate exercise; my friends started asking me to make juices for them. From there the company grew quite organically. I started researching, talking to nutritionists and personal trainers and taking classes on nutrition and cooking. It became my life mission to help people, like myself, gain access to more healthy beverage choices. Today, I weigh in at 160 pounds.

Check out the rest of their story at Black Enterprise.com.

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From BlackEnterprise.com, by Janell Hazelwood

For many women, a power look doesn’t just end with the right outfit or shoe. It’s a head-to-toe story of branding that tells who they are, what they do and how well they do it.

Putting that best face forward is important, whether they’re closing deals, working with clients, traveling the world or starting that next venture. In today’s image-conscious business world, make-up is no longer just for movie stars and glamour girls, as many working women recognize the importance of presence, accentuating their best features and embracing the power of femininity.

Frank Guyton, celebrity make-up artist and artistic director at Black Opal, helped four professional women tap into their wow factor, with beauty looks that can go from the office to after hours.

Take a look at these before and after make-up makeover shots from these professional power players at Black Enterprise.com.

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Shanta Speller leads a double life. By day, she is an associate director of program manager for TIME.com. By night, she turns her focus to her side business, Bunch of Balloons, logging in over five additional hours after leaving her 9-to-5. It was Speller’s encouraging father who instilled this drive in his daughter early on when he said, “You should always have something to fall back on.” These words stayed with her well into adulthood. “I knew I wanted to do something on my own, ” says Speller, 32. “In high school the idea was planted.”

Read More at Black Enterprise…

Source: Black Enterprise

From Black Enterprise.com

Tasha Smith is the around-the-way girl from Camden, New Jersey, who fans know as the feisty, boisterous, no-nonsense character Angela in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? movie franchise. The 41-year-old actress is unapologetically transparent about her personal struggles, including recovering as a heavy drug abuser. Now, the actress is appearing on television as the leading lady of Tyler Perry’s TBS sitcom For Better or Worse. black enterprise caught up with Smith for a candid conversation about whether she is perpetuating negative stereotypes of black women and what business lessons she has learned.

Check out the interview with Tasha at Black Enterprise.com.

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Source: Black Enterprise.com

Janell Hazelwood for Black Enterprise.com

On the Real Housewives of Atlanta, we’ve all seen the drama and antics of six women interacting both professionally and personally to make must-see TV. But Attorney Phaedra Parks is not your typical reality TV diva. She’s been managing law partner at The Parks Group, P.C., for a decade, and has represented the likes of Bobby Brown, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris, among others.

The mother, entrepreneur, and litigator, was president of the Gate City Bar Association, and actively sits on boards for organizations including the American Bar Association and the University of Georgia. One can’t have all of this under her (designer) belt without knowing a thing — or three— about networking.

On the heels of last night’s episode, Black Enterprise.com caught up with Parks for her quick and dirty quips on making quality connections.

See what Phaedra says you need to know about making connections and getting that job at BlackEnterprise.com.

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At Black Enterprise’s 2012 Women of Power Summit, Valorie Burton—author, speaker and founder of the CAPP Institute–moved a packed audience with her seminar: Successful Women Think Differently, where she shared the nine habits that will make you happier, healthier and more resilient. In this video, Burton talks to BlackEnterprise.com correspondent Tai Beauchamp.

Click here to watch on BlackEnterprise.com! 

Source: Black Enterprise

When news broke that Don Cornelius, the iconic founder of Soul Train, committed suicide on Feb. 1, the nation reacted with shock and an outpouring of grief. Spontaneous Soul Train Lines broke out in New York’s Times Square and condolences flooded social media platforms as his legacy was celebrated. Still, the manner in which Cornelius died is a painful reminder that despite public perception being the opposite, suicide is a mental health issue that is pertinent to the African American community.

“The discussion of Don Cornelius is an opportunity to talk about suicide in the Black community and access to mental health services,” says Sean Joe, the Associate Professor of Social Work and Associate Director of the Program for Research of Black Americans at the University of Michigan.

Read how suicide is affecting the African American community at Black Enterprise.com.

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While blacks might not always have the best representation on the runways, they are definitely making moves in the fashion industry.

Black Enterprise interviewed everyone from photographers, to models to designers about how they got to the industry, advice they picked up along the way and how they do what they do.

Check them out at Black Enterprise.com.

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Every year Black Enterprise encourages and support Black women through their annual Women of Power Summit. While that would be enough, the also honor women of the past with their Legacy Award. The woman pictured above is Jocelyn Elders.

Elders served as the United States Surgeon General from 1993 to 1994 until she was fired behind controversy about some of her views.

You can see what other women Black Enterprise has honored, here.

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Yandy said if there’s a check to be had she’s there, and apparently Black Enterprise has one for her. The “Love and Hip Hop” star and former manager of Jim Jones’ business savvy has landed her a gig as a contributing celebrity blogger for the publication’s website.

Last year, Yandy was featured in an article, “Young Boss Moves: 5 Success Tips from Love & Hip Hop’s Yandy Smith,” and the response was so strong that Black Enterprise decided to bring her on full time. Her blog will feature advice for entrepreneurs and her thoughts on building and maintaining successful careers. Yandy commented on her new role saying:

“I’m a huge fan of Black Enterprise and I respect what they do. I’m very excited and honored to have this opportunity to offer my expertise.”

In addition to this gig, Yandy continues to manage entertainment talent as well as her lifestyle brand, Everything Girls Love. Yandy’s relationship with Jim may have gone sour once she got too personal, but overall, she seems to be a woman about her business. Like she said, at the end of the day, it’s about a check.

What do you think about Yandy’s new job? Would you take business advice from her?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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