Kandia Johnson

Shine co-founders, Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey are just two of a small few women of color who have received VC funding — let alone raise over $10 million in venture capital. Embracing their power as unicorns at the intersection of venture capital, wellness, and technology, the dynamic duo is committed to cultivating relatable self-care experiences for a diverse group of people. With a community of four million across 189 countries and an award-winning iOS and Android app, the Shine app provides support around your mental and emotional health. From accessing a community for support and searching a library of audio meditations to listening to a pep talk — the Shine app is your all-in-one self-care companion. While people of color are severely underrepresented in the wellness space, Shine is committed to letting users connect with other Shine members to share tips, motivation, and support from others who are working on being their most authentic selves. Recognized as 2018 Women’s...

When Victor Anyirah arrived at AfroTech 2018, he had no clue a conversation with friends about finding the next move after the conference, would lead to the start of a business. Often, “I hear the phrase ‘finding the next move.’ At that time, I sat in the back of the car with my friends trying to figure out what exactly determined the ‘move,’” said Anyirah. “Was it the most popular event? Was it the event that had the most people? I realized the ‘move’ was the place our community congregates. Some platforms do allow you to find experiences based on your location, mood or musical taste. However, none helped you find experiences based on your community or the communities that matter to you. That was the birth of the Movement.fm.” Launched in May 2019, Movement.fm is an event platform curating everything from brunches to art shows and nightlife events for Black millennials. Now, Anyirah along with his co-founder, Tyler Bell and Kara Reeves, the head of the curation, are making plans to...

The Square One Startup School is flipping the script from just bringing more diversity into the tech industry to making the tech business a viable option for generating wealth in the Black community. Behind the movement to shift culture and conversation is Justin McLeod. McLeod is no stranger to creating opportunities and raising capital for founders of color who are often overlooked and underestimated. While working at Atlanta Tech Village, McLeod created his own position as the D&I Program Manager reportedly helping startups led by women and people of color raise over $860,000 in seed investments and generate over $2.5 million in revenue. Now, through his work at Surthrive and Square One Startup School , his marathon continues to train and support first-time founders on their path to product-market fit. In an interview below, McLeod talks about challenges for first-time founders and his plans to bridge the gap between training and readiness for investment. This interview has been...

Let’s face it, at first, getting a negative review can leave you feeling humiliated and demotivated with no energy to show up at work the next day. But here’s the thing. Whatever success looks like for you, making mistakes are an integral part of the journey to achieving your goals. Ultimately, the measure of your success isn’t determined by your mistakes, it’s determined by the way you respond to those mistakes. Throughout my career of developing and training leaders, I’ve met many professionals who transformed negative feedback into an opportunity for growth. Sometimes, negative feedback led them to innovate their offerings. For others, it helped them develop deeper relationships with their customers and colleagues. Whichever route they decided to take, the decision started with their belief that mistakes are inevitable and necessary for growth. It all depends on how you look at things. Give Yourself Time to Process Your Emotions Often times, the difference between successful...

As a start-up founder, finding ways to raise capital is probably one of the top three challenges keeping you up at night. Whether you’re trying to convince a family member or Silicon Valley investor to give you money, one key element for success is being prepared to clearly communicate your value and plans for growth and profitability. So in the words of Will Smith, “If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.”  Here are a few questions to guide you in clearly communicating your value: In 60 seconds or less, how can you convey the unique value proposition of your startup’s product or service? For an investor who’s pitched often, time is of the essence. Prepare and practice a 1-2 sentence compelling story which highlights: The problem you solve. The benefits that make this product or service stand out from the crowd. The key to winning a person over with this statement is to entice them to want to learn more. Most importantly, avoid catchy phrases and buzzwords. For instance, ...

Transitioning from a solopreneur to a leader of a team can be a sign you’re on your way to building an empire. However, don’t get it twisted; while you may have built a solid reputation as a one-person show, poor team management can ruin it in seconds. When running a one-person business, you may be able to risk certain things like keeping all of your standard operating procedures in your head or waiting until the last minute to file your taxes. However, when you’re leading a team, who ultimately becomes the face of your business, you can’t leave anything to chance. Planning, identifying best practices, and maintaining documentation is key. One of the best ways to start documenting your processes and clarifying what you expect is to ask yourself: “If I went on a vacation for two weeks with limited or no access to the Internet, what would someone do each day to operate my business? ” Where would they find tools and resources to assist them with their day-to-day tasks? How would I...

At some point during your entrepreneurial journey, second-guessing yourself, procrastinating and feelings of not being good enough will take control of the thoughts in your mind. Welcome to the world of self-doubt. But believe it or not, self-doubt is natural. Self-doubt doesn’t mean you’re incompetent. It doesn’t mean you should stop what you’re doing. A lot of times self-doubt and feelings of anxiety comes from our desire to want to control everything.  Friendly reminder, you can’t control outcomes, you can only control your effort. It’s only when you allow self-doubt to push you into hiding from marketing yourself or sharing your work, resolving a conflict between team members or making business decisions that it becomes problematic. Even over-researching an idea and not asking for help is a sign self-doubt is getting in your way. Here’s the thing.  Sometimes when you have a desire to do something new, your thoughts of “What if?” paralyzes you from taking action. The reality is...

Sisters Roderica and Francina James transformed an 18th-century mansion into The Cochrane House , a luxury historic boutique bed & breakfast located in Detroit’s historic Brush Park neighborhood. From chic and cultured art pieces, and modern furniture to an evening Wine & Cheese Hour, The Cochrane House is changing the conversation about access to a high living experience in the heart of Detroit. Beyond providing five-star guest services, the founders have also welcomed in-house live music events as well as opportunities to give back to their community. Since opening in May 2018, both sisters recall their proudest moments were talking to and inspiring youth of color about entrepreneurship. “We’ve had opportunities to share our story of triumphs and obstacles to youth who look just like us. It’s a connection that we hope will encourage the youth, and reassure them that, if we can do it, so can you,” Roderica said. While Roderica and Francina are experiencing growth and opportunities...

While most parents think about starting a business to create a family legacy and have their kids work for them, imagine being a parent who works for their 19-year-old’s million-dollar business. At just 9-years-old, Zandra Cunningham started Zandra Beauty a plant-based skincare company with products in Target, Costco, Wholefoods, Wegman’s, and more. Now, with her mom, dad, two brothers, and nana working behind her, the beauty executive is also an author, a speaker, and change-maker using her career as a platform to teach other teen girls how to own and operate their businesses. Below, her mom Tamara Zantell talks about the steps she took to build and maintain trust with her daughter as a business owner and the family policy for navigating conflict. AfroTech: Regardless of a family’s level of success, disagreements about business matters will occur. What’s one piece of advice you would give someone for starting a family-owned business? Tamara Zantell: The advice I would give a family...

For many of us, making a change, sharing our work, or trying to reach new levels of success comes with thoughts of “I’m not qualified enough. Why would anyone pay to hear what I have to say?” Even if you avoid not giving an opinion during a meeting, because you have a nagging feeling you don’t belong, have the experience or right to speak up, it’s a sign of the impostor lurking within you. Coined by Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance, impostor syndrome is a series of thoughts and feelings of inadequacy that relate to self-doubt and a fear of being outed as a fraud. Despite your accomplishments, you downplay your achievements, and can’t escape the feeling that one-day people are going to find out you’re a fraud. “Maybe I Don’t Deserve Success” Even highly successful people like Viola Davis and Maya Angelou have talked about their struggles with impostor syndrome. Angelou once said: “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run...

Finding a dedicated program for entrepreneurs not only helps you grow your business but maintain your sanity in the process. While it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can run, manage, and scale a business on your own; a business can’t grow without support. Beyond day-to-day funding support, at some point, you’ll need strategic guidance and direction — especially when you’re ready to scale. What got you here won’t get you there. Feelings of hopelessness and isolation are also prevalent for entrepreneurs. Should I quit or stay in the game? I’ve tried everything, and nothing is working. To help you avoid burnout, find resources and uncover the blind spots preventing you from reaching the next level of success, a diverse professional network is crucial. Even founder of FUBU and “Shark Tank” investor, Daymond John, said: “Mentors are one of the main reasons why people are successful.” If you’re an entrepreneur or aspiring business owner located in or around Detroit, you’re in...

Whether you’re part of a team of two or twenty people, at some point you’ll have to deliver bad news. Maybe you’re a manager who has to talk to your employees about upcoming layoffs or you’re a consultant who has to tell a client the project is behind schedule. These types of conversations are uncomfortable and downright awkward — especially if you don’t agree with the decision. The harsh reality is it’s an unfortunate cost of doing business. Let’s say you’re a VP of a company with a team of 15 people. You have to deliver bad news to a client about a project delay. While you believe your team had enough time to meet the deadline, someone made a mistake and failed to process the order. You want to try using a new supplier to expedite the process, but your CEO prefers to use the same supplier so you don’t risk quality. Before you communicate the news to the client, here are five steps to consider: 1. Avoid  Miscommunication Though the decision to extend the deadline might be what’s...

Meetings are not just meetings. Meetings are an opportunity to form bonds with your colleagues and even position yourself as a leader, regardless of your job title. While most of us probably spend way too much time attending agenda-less meetings that distract us from getting the work done, speaking up during a meeting has its advantages. When you speak up during a meeting, it shows you’re capable of sharing ideas and opinions, and having difficult conversations with people when necessary. Whether you’re planning to have conversations with team members or current or potential clients, here are a few ways to communicate with confidence and get your point across:   Prepare to contribute to the conversation. If you struggle with a fear of looking stupid or saying the wrong things, this is a friendly reminder; you were hired to bring your experience. This includes sharing your unique point of view during the discussion. It doesn’t matter if your perspective is not well received by people...

Over the last few years, Detroit evolved from the birthplace of music and auto-manufacturing to an emerging leader of technology and innovation. The city has also been host to a few heavy hitters in the tech arena, such as AfroTech Detroit, TechTown Detroit and, Backstage Capital Detroit startup accelerator, to name a few. Even better, a 2019 Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report revealed an increasing network of resources for founders, creative entrepreneurs, and investors. “As entrepreneurs are growing their businesses, they have access to a network of resources including mentors, research institutions for product development and funding to reach their next critical company milestone,” according to the report . Now, you might be asking, “How do I connect and build relationships with who’s who in the city?” Whether you’re a Detroit native, new to the city, or planning a visit, here are a few ways to find your tech tribe in Detroit: Join the Online Conversation Trying to use...

In case you didn’t get the memo yet, leadership is no longer about your position. Leadership is about your ability to serve. Whether your ultimate goal is to reach more customers or become known as the most innovative company in the world, your success as a leader depends on a team. So how are you serving your employees? Are Your Actions Aligned With Your Vision? Regardless of your role, every day when you show up for work, you have one thing in common with all employees: working towards your company vision. Like John C. Maxwell once said, “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” As a leader, sometimes your presence and behavior are counterproductive to the company vision. From the energy people feel you bring into the room to the quality of resources employees have on hand to do their job — it can affect an employee’s ability to work towards achieving the company vision. Regularly asking your team for feedback allows you to strengthen your presence as a leader,...