On Saturday April 6, 2019, we were thrilled to be in attendance at the Soar Empowerment conference put on by T.D. Jakes and Black Enterprise.

The speakers were excellent and the messaging was timely and on point.  Everyone we came in contact with were excited about the information being shared by the presenters.

They are looking to expand the Soar concept and from what we experienced on their inaugural event, we think it will be a great addition to their event lineup.
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To learn more about the conference visit: www.BlackEnterprise.com/soar 

Blog Post - On Monday, January 28, 2019, a select group of Black business owners who are members of the AEI Startup Factory in Stonecrest, GA. organized a lunch to strategize on collaboration for 2019.  The group was comprised of  premium members of the fast growing co-working space and incubator.  

The lunch served as a way for the members to get to know each other better and to understand how they may be able to use each others skills and talents to increase their individual businesses in 2019.

Mr. Lucester Allen, owner of the AEI Startup Factory, as well as the management team of the AEI Startup Factory were present to give advice and share their plans for the upcoming year.

Businesses represented included:  Blake Vision Entertainment, Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company, BBLTV.net, BBLAdnetwork.com, True Mechanical, Inc., AA Financial Services, Fresh Start Financial Services, and Urban Home Entertainment, Faithwerks, BlackBusinessList.Com and more.

There was a spirit of cooperation and unity felt by all who attended.  Food was provided by the catering staff of the facility.

Many new collaborations and initiatives were launched as a result of the meeting.  Stay tuned for exciting developments coming from this powerful group of entrepreneurs.  We'll keep you posted on their progress.

To learn more, visit:  www.AEIStartupFactory.com

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Press Release

Sheryl Underwood, Founder of Pack Rat Foundation For Education (PRFFE), is pleased to announce the addition of radio personality and motivational speaker Warren Ballentine to the team as a consultant to the foundation.

Pack Rat Foundation For Education, (a California 501(c)3 organization), founded by philanthropist and Emmy award winning entertainer Sheryl Underwood, raises awareness and funds for all 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is focused on initiatives that support HBCUs.

Erna Foushee, Executive Director of PRFFE says, “It’s a pleasure to welcome someone as dynamic and talented as Warren Ballentine to the PRFFE team. Together, I believe we will make a tremendous impact on HBCUs all across the country.”

According to Underwood, “HBCUs have always provided access to the dream of a college education to underserved students. We all need to do our part to help these schools not only survive, but thrive, because there are young people that need what HBCUs offer, which is an excellent academic education in a culturally relevant environment.”

Ballentine says, “I’m so excited to be working with such a wonderful foundation! The vision of the foundation, and the genuine love we all have for its founder, is the same as mine. I look forward to all the work we will do and to helping and being a bridge to the foundation.” 

Warren Ballentine, a Chicago native, is an attorney, political activist and radio talk show host, who has used his platform as host of “The Warren Ballentine Show” and contributor to Sheryl Underwood Radio to be an advocate and champion for causes that impact African Americans. Ballentine is a thought-leader who has been featured in Ebony, JET magazine, The Atlanta Business Journal and the New York Times.

For more information on Pack Rat Foundation For Education call (818) 386-9485 or email: contactus@packratproductionsinc.com.

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About Sheryl Underwood

Sheryl Underwood, an Emmy-award winner for her role as co-host of THE TALK on CBS television, is viewed daily by nearly 3 million daytime viewers. With Sheryl at THE TALK table, the show garnered its first six Emmy nominations and a subsequent win for “Best Daytime Talk Show.” 

Sheryl has over 14 million listeners by the combined reach of the signals strength of 299 Sheryl Underwood Radio affiliates; has over 1 million social media followers and was voted one of the 10 most influential people on social media.

Underwood is CEO of Pack Rat Productions, Inc, a media and entertainment company; Founder and CEO of Pack Rat Foundation For Education, a California 501c3 organization focused on initiatives that support Historically Black Colleges and Universities and she is the 23rd International President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a national Greek-letter organization that has a membership of over 100,000 engaged women. 

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Contact:

Rhue Still, Inc.

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

How engaged are your employees at your company?  Are they vested in your company's success?  Do they feel valued as employees?  Research shows that employees that are given the freedom to be creative are more likely to make decisions that can help your business succeed. 

Employees that are restricted and are forced to follow rules without little change are more likely to upset customers and clients.  I'll give you an example.  Have you ever called a cable company for service?  What was the experience like?  I remember calling the cable companies on many occasions and having all of the employees that I speak with tell me the same company issued line about my complaint.  It was frustrating to speak with people at the company who didn't seem to be able to help me.  I thought, maybe if I can get a manager on the phone that the manager could make a decision that's different from the regular agents.  This is common in customer service.  "May I speak to your manager" is uttered on a daily basis. 

But what if the agents were given a list of things that they could do in order to take care of the customers?  What if you never had ask for the manager.  I think that your customers would be ecstatic that they could get their issue taken care of with the first person that they speak with.

Outstanding customer experiences can only happen if employees are given the freedom to take care of the customer and give extraordinary service.

Company leaders should foster an environment where employees are given opportunities to offer suggestions on how to solve problems or improve your business operations.  This will let them know that you value their opinions.  This will give them better job satisfaction and you will have higher employee engagement.  No one wants to work for tyrants who don't take suggestions.  If you don't give your employees freedom to be creative you can pretty much guarantee that they will be constantly on their phones or computers looking for another job.  Your customers will be able to tell if your employees are happy or not and it will affect how the customer feels about your business.

Do yourself a favor and research different ways in which you can make your employees feel valued.

Here are a few links:

​https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-simple-ways-to-make-your-employees-feel-valued

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8152-employee-appreciation-tips.html

What are YOUR thoughts?  Do you give your employees freedom to be creative?  Are you an employee who feels restricted at work?  Leave a comment and let's talk about it.

Until tomorrow... Go Be Great!

Stephen Wicks
Founder / CEO
BlackBusinessList.Com
​swicks@blackbusinesslist.com