Every day is a good day to support black, female owned businesses, but in February, during Black History Month, The BRA Network likes to highlight incredible black owned businesses that set an example and a precedent for all of us. Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. And we know Black women have made enormous contributions to the business world.
WAGE GAP STILL TOO DAMN WIDE
But first, it’s important to know a little about why we must highlight and spotlight these incredible women. According to The National Partnership for Women and Families, Black women in the United States are typically paid just 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Overall, women are typically paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men. So while there is a wage gap for women in general, there is an even wider gap for black women.
THE BRA NETWORK’S MISSION
Here at BRA, we aim to see that wage gap narrow and eventually close. In fact, maybe we’d like to see the damn thing reverse. We’re fine with riding the high side of the wage gap for a bit. We are also here to support, lift, spotlight and help female owned businesses thrive, and today we want to shine a light on three Black women in business who are getting it done and paving the way. One is an incredible entrepreneur we admire from afar, and the other two are powerhouse BRA Members!
MEET PINKY COLE
Have you heard of Pinky Cole? If not, put her on your radar ASAP. Pinky Cole is the founder and owner of Slutty Vegan, a plant-based restaurant chain located in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2023 Pinky was included in the Time Magazine 100 Next list, a list that includes leaders in health, engineering, and business. This list includes people who are engineering new solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
For Pinky, it was her dream to bring vegan options and food awareness to Atlanta, and now she has eleven locations, plus a food truck for events. According to her.com, Pinky’s company grew 50% in 2022, continued to explode in 2023, and is forecasted to experience steady growth this year.
Pinky, a founder, author, speaker and philanthropist, is a formidable force of an entrepreneur and is someone to admire and look up to.
MEET NATASHA MCCREA
Natasha McCrea is the founder of Love CEO Institute and creator of the Love Intelligence Method. She is a multi-passionate coach, speaker, actress and author.
Her most recent adventure is co-founder of Jackson McCrea Whiskey. Her methods are a holistic approach to improving your life satisfaction, connecting to love and designing a career and life that sets your soul on fire.
Since we have the privilege of having Natasha in our network — check out her BRA Member Profile in the Directory — we were able to ask her some questions directly about her mission, her business and what this month means to her!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND MISSION:
My mission in life is to encourage and empower women so they can enjoy the journey while designing the life they want. I do this by calling in everything I want in my life and not denying myself the pleasures that come with it. What that looks like for me is being a multi-passionate entrepreneur. Right now my life includes coaching through my personal development company Love CEO Institute, Acting, Directing, and running a Whiskey brand called Jackson McCrea with a business partner all while incorporating a beautiful self-care plan.
My life is an adventure and I hope women all over the world get an opportunity to live out their wildest dreams as well.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A BLACK FEMALE BUSINESS OWNER?
Being a female black female businesswoman means that my unique fabulousness can never be duplicated. I am paving the way for the many who will come behind me. It means that I take up space that very few get a chance to. It also means some challenges will happen along the way that have nothing to do with the quality of my work, and that reason is none of my business.
DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR YOUNG BLACK FEMALES AND NON-BINARIES WHO MIGHT WANT TO START A BUSINESS SOMEDAY?
Be so fucking good you can’t be denied. Build your own damn table and don’t ask for permission. Don’t take ownership of the collective challenges. You can still stand up for something or recognize something without taking ownership and perpetuating the same experiences. Shit happens, but there are two sides to the statistic. Choose which side of the statistic you want to be your story and focus on that. Control what you think about. Your thoughts are powerful and will shape your experiences. Get a coach who can help you through the journey. Seek out a tribe of like-minded individuals who you can grow with. The most important thing is to take care of yourself. You are the most important piece of this puzzle. Learn who you are, so you can love who you are, so you can live your best. When your cup is full it’s easier to show up the way you want. Always give back no matter what stage of the game you are at.
WHERE CAN WE FOLLOW YOU AND HOW CAN WE WORK WITH YOU?
Instagram: @natashamccrea @jacksonmccreawhiskey
MEET CRYSTAL WHITEAKER
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND MISSION:
Crystal Lily Creative is an inclusive branding and leadership development consulting agency that provides multifaceted branding support to help leaders build genuinely inclusive, human-focused, values-aligned brands and environments.
Clients receive support through 1-on-1 coaching, custom brand consulting, brand photography, as well as branding workshops and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging trainings.
As a founder, my personal mission is to inspire more communication, compassion, and understanding. I want to create space for connection and collective growth that results in safety and belonging for all people.
My vision is to inspire leaders, educators, and disruptors to embody their values and their purpose to create environments that are brave, collaborative, and inclusive.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A BLACK FEMALE BUSINESS OWNER?
The nature of my work as an inclusive branding and leadership development consultant means that my intersectional identity has a significant impact to my business. I’m not just a Black woman. I’m also a bi-racial queer woman. Beyond my personal identity, I’m a partner, colleague, friend, role model, daughter, and sister. I recognize that there is a responsibility that comes with owning a business that centers people and values. For this reason, I often lean on people in my community for support and accountability.
Owning a business gives me agency in ways that aren’t automatically granted in a cis-heteropatriarchy. Simultaneously, because of the nature of my work I often put myself in situations where my emotional and psychological safety isn’t guaranteed. The entire purpose of my work is to help people create brave spaces for others to feel safe enough to be themselves. For that reason, I’m intentional about the way I show up in the world, the relationships I cultivate, and the environments I create. I understand what it feels like to wonder if I belong or if I’m safe in a space. I’m committed to being mindful of my impact on people who engage with me as well as the content and experiences I create. Ideally, people will be inspired to embody a human-focused, values-aligned approach that creates a world where no one has to think about what it means to be a business owner while embodying a historically marginalized identity.
DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR YOUNG BLACK FEMALES AND NON-BINARIES WHO MIGHT WANT TO START A BUSINESS SOMEDAY?
Get rooted in your core values and make sure all of your decisions can be traced back to at least one of them. This will help you ensure that you create a business that you feel like you can be your whole self in to attract clients that don’t make you feel like you have to segment off any parts of who you are in order to work with them.
WHERE CAN WE FOLLOW YOU AND HOW CAN WE WORK WITH YOU?
OTHER INCREDIBLE BRA MEMBERS TO WATCH AND FOLLOW
- Robyn Reynolds of Organize 2 Harmonize – follow her on Instagram HERE.
- Toni Purry, TedX Speaker and author of My Hype Book – follow her on Instagram HERE.
- Aleya Harris, founder of The Evolution Collective Inc. + Radical Rebirth Retreat LLC = follow her on Instagram HERE.
