Imagine earning a living doing something that you actually love to do! As the founder of her very own business, Lara Adekoya doesn’t have to imagine, she’s living the dream. Fleurs et Sel is a baking company that was launched by Adekoya during the pandemic and combines her two favorite things — flowers and salt. Adekoya spent most of her teenage years living in France, so Paris became a second home to her. With the French language holding a special place in her heart, it was only right that it influenced the name of her brand too. Adekoya’s vision for Fleurs et Sel came from a hobby that she revisited during the height of the pandemic to keep her spirits lifted and bring back some of the joy she felt during her childhood. “I wasn’t working the typical corporate job when the pandemic hit, I actually worked at Nordstrom and so when the stay-at-home orders kicked in, my day looked very different from my sister and boyfriend who spent a lot of their time on Zoom calls and meetings all...
This Black-woman took a side hustle and made it into a fruitful career! Judi Henderson-Townsend is the founder and CEO of Mannequin Madness, a company that recycles mannequins from major retail chains when they close and remodels and resells them at discount prices. The best part? She’s making millions of dollars by doing so. Based out of Oakland, CA, Mannequin Madness — the only Black-owned mannequin company in the country — is made up of a team of employees and contractors and Judi has made such a name for herself that people in the industry often refer to her as “The Mannequin Queen.” “My clients include everybody from struggling fashion students to high-end department stores,” said Judi in an interview with Curious Business. “I’m the Jay-Z of Mannequins.” After receiving her degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, she went on to gain over 20 years of experience working at Fortune 500 companies and notes that she never envisioned herself as an...
Every day is Friday thanks to Ice Cube’s new line of cannabis products! The rapper, born O’Shea Jackson, has announced his own line of cannabis called Fryday Kush, inspired by his cult-classic movie “Friday.” “Fryday Kush is made with that good stuff,” wrote the “Today Was A Good Day,” rapper in an Instagram post. Now available in Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and California — Ice Cube has partnered with the company Caviar Gold to produce his new line of kush. “From the man that needs no introduction — these infused cones & high potency buds are the strongest nugs on the market, personally developed by Ice Cube,” reads the description for the product on Caviar’s website. Ice Cube’s new strain contains 46.2 percent THC and 10.78 percent CBD and according to its website, Caviar is the only brand in the marijuana industry to have a patented production process. “I partnered with Caviar Gold, so you know Fryday Kush is the best,” Ice Cube said in a tweet. “Caviar Gold is the original...
Magic Johnson just teamed up with Cigna to tackle the effects of the global pandemic on LatinX, Black, and woman-owned businesses. According to the LA Sentinel , the basketball legend and president of the U.S. Commercial Business at Cigna, Mike Triplett will lead the conversation on the effects of the pandemic through a roundtable discussion. The collaboration for change seeks to make a ripple effect across the county and eventually the nation. Johnson shares there should be no surprise when it comes to the major differences in impact among ethnicities. “We lost 41% of the members of Black business owners since the pandemic, and 32% decline in Hispanic businesses and then [a] 25% decline in women-owned businesses,” said Johnson. “It’s so important that we first try to keep the doors open for women-owned, Black-owned, and Hispanic-owned businesses.” Cigna’s Triplett also shared his thoughts on the mission of his organization. “As a global health service company, Cigna’s mission is to...
Chef Andrea Drummer has used her love for cooking and desire to focus on generational wealth to open the doors of America’s first weed-infused cafe. South Florida native, Drummer originally had the idea to create a business that was a farm-to-table restaurant before she decided to pair different meals with various weed strains. Now she’s opened Cannabis Cafe — located in West Hollywood Hills — where she serves as both Executive Chef and head partner. Her vision to incorporate this idea started about four years ago as an executive producer on a project she worked on with Spotify. “I was executive producing a project with Spotify called, the Breaking Bread series . They would compile a group of characters to sit around a table and consume a four- to six-course [cannabis-infused] menu that I would prepare for them. I noticed that a lot of them were all industry guys, and had very high tolerance,” Drummer said in an interview with XONecole . “I wanted to find a product that aligned with...
The city of Los Angeles announced its Safer at Home emergency order Thursday during a news conference. The order requires all non-essential businesses such as indoor shopping malls, playgrounds, and shopping centers to close. According to The New York Post, the order took effect Thursday at midnight and will last until April 19. Among those allowed to remain in operation are grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores, governmental services, laundromats, and cannabis dispensaries. However, these essential businesses must adhere to social distancing regulations which include no more than 10 people in one location. According to the LA coronavirus FAQ page and the official order, cannabis dispensaries are listed as essential healthcare services and are exempt from the restrictive provisions of the order. Click here for more information and to view the order in its entirety.