Blog Posts tagged as: small business

Cosmetic Items

Breaking Barriers, Building Brands: Women in Beauty Entrepreneurship

LaCresha

HistoryAs beauty historian, makeup artist, and entrepreneur Lisa Eldridge notes, the history of cosmetics is deeply intertwined with the history of women. Cosmetics usage by women marks pivotal moments in time as a sacrament, a symbol of social status, a colorful act of rebellion, a subtle sign of seduction, a path to self-care, or a clue to counterculture. From ancient ages until today women adorn themselves in reaction to the societies they live in. The history of cosmetics is also the history of women entrepreneurs. Black hair care guru Madame C.J. Walker was the first woman self-made…

One Minute with George Kong, a 2024 PowerUp Winner!

Danielle

On the evening of November 13th, the Business and Career Center announced the 2024 PowerUP Winners at our Annual Awards Ceremony. Check out the livestream on Youtube if you missed it or want to experience it again.Since 2003, the Business and Career Center has nurtured 10,900 individuals with over 1,800 business plans and awarded more than $650,000 in cash and in-kind gifts to Brooklyn entrepreneurs. Our success stories include more than 100 companies with passion for food and drink, health and wellness, arts and crafts, media and fashion, education, social justice, and cultural…

person looking at their table of pictures and art

The Rule of Three for Neurodivergent Creatives (and for everyone else!)

Justine Clay

 It was early morning and I was sitting by a lake in Maine, a cup of coffee in hand when one of those bolt-from-the-blue moments of clarity struck me. Before I share my a-ha moment, let me give you some context. I am a business coach for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers, dedicating my entire career to helping creative professionals build profitable and successful businesses and careers. I am also a neurotypical parent of a neurodivergent child. Until I had my son, I had no idea how different neurocognitive styles impacted everything from time management and planning to…

PowerUP! to the People 

Djaz

In 2003, the PowerUP! Business Plan Competition launched to support and grow Brooklyn's entrepreneurial spirit and small businesses. Since then, PowerUP! has nurtured 9,000+individuals with 1,200+business plans and awarded more than $500,000 to Brooklyn entrepreneurs. Some of our most notable success stories are the Bogota Latin Bistro, Greenlight Bookstore and Island Pops. Although the pandemic brought many challenges to Brooklyn neighborhoods, and to our city as a whole, PowerUP! continues to be an exciting presence and program supporting local business startups. …

Interview with the Entrepreneur, In Depth: Jamila McGill of Brooklyn Tea - Part 2

Ellen, Business & Career Center

Image: brooklyntea.com
In Part 2 of this two-part interview, I continue the conversation with Jamila McGill, who co-founded, along with Alfonso “Ali” Wright, Bed-Stuy’s Brooklyn Tea, which won $10,000 in Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! Business Plan Competition in 2018. Ellen Mehling: What was the most difficult thing that happened this past year, with the business?  Jamila McGill: The most difficult thing… that's so hard to nail.  I'll name this. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service, and having not [yet] had …

Interview with the Entrepreneur, In Depth: Jamila McGill of Brooklyn Tea - Part 1

Ellen, Business & Career Center

Image: Brooklyn Tea
Jamila McGill and Alfonso “Ali” Wright opened Brooklyn Tea in Bed-Stuy in 2019, not long after winning $10,000 in Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! Business Plan Competition.  In Part 1 of this two-part interview, I talk with Jamila - while we were both drinking tea, of course - about how their business has fared during the pandemic, and… about Shonda Rhimes and Beyoncé too(!) Ellen Mehling: It is now more than one year since everything shut down for all of us. How have you been this past year?…

Interview with the Entrepreneur: Yong Yan (Crystal) Liang and Cynthia Lei of OpportuniTeens

Ellen, Business & Career Center

In our latest in the “Interview with the Entrepreneur” series we are speaking with Yong Yan (Crystal) Liang and Cynthia Lei, seniors at Staten Island Technical High School, who founded OpportuniTeens, a for-teens-by-teens database of internships, volunteering events and other programs compiled by high school students in the United States. It focuses on several career fields such as STEM, Healthcare, and Civil Services.  When did you start OpportuniTeens? The idea of OpportuniTeens was created in December 2019 on a trip to Upstate New York.  What made you decide to start the site…

Interview with the Entrepreneur: Jon and Lisa Suneesa of ONE NYC Shop

Ellen, Business & Career Center

Our second series is “Interview with the Entrepreneur”, in which we talk with small business owners about what it is like to run (and/or start!) a business during a pandemic. Jon and Lisa Suneesa are owners of ONE NYC Shop, which specializes in well-fitting and highly comfortable reusable face masks, and canvas tote bags. Lisa is the interviewee. When did you start ONE NYC Shop? We started ONE NYC shop at the end of April, during the peak of the pandemic. Our first sales were in person in May and our website was launched by the end of June. What made you decide to start this business…