Anita Dickens- Style Cocktail Panelist

Anita Dickens was born and raised in  Newark, NJ 1972. She graduated from West Side High School and went on to receive an Associate’s in Science from Essex County College, a BA in Science from New Jersey City University and a Masters in Public Affairs and Administration from Rutgers-Newark.
In addition to her many accomplishments, Anita volunteered her services in the community and elected as a Board member of a local LGBT organization.

Anita Dickens is the founder and Owner of ANĒ formally known as A Girl&Guy Thing that started in 2013. CoOwner of a Fashion and Home Decor Studio located in Newark NJ.

ANĒ is a lifestyle brand that caters to all genders who loves and appreciates classic and vintage fashion including accessories and home decor.

Comic Book X Conversation 01 Founder, Andre Mason

Character diversity in comics books is a long-standing and overdue issue. However, it’s how many of the publishing companies have gone about creating and developing them that’s causing such controversy and backlash.

There’s a hand full of characters or color, gender, and sexual orientation is shown in a limited capacity for decades in mainstream comics. Publishers are navigating new territory by finally adding characters that are representative of today’s society. Unfortunately, this tactic doesn’t seem to be catching on. Several Indie books have shown great strides in this area and the big name publishers can take a cue from them. So how can comic book companies manage diversity and representation in their characters and make it effective for readers and sales?

Our discussion will cover:

  • Legacy vs New: The common pitfalls of inclusion in comic book narratives
  • How comic book publishers can learn from certain missteps
  • Reinforce positive representation for creators and fans and how important is it for the future of comic books

Budgeting For Unexpected Windfalls.

What are Windfalls?

Windfalls are unexpected money that we get. Some examples are a larger tax refund check than expected, hitting a lottery, money gifts from friends or family, e.t.c. Just as you budget for emergency reasons, you should also budget for windfalls. It is natural to get excited when you happen to have more money in your pocket but it is also very important to be able to contain this excitement and focus on priorities.

Windfall budgeting requires focus on three major priorities which are debt, saving and spending!

To read more on why it is important to focus on these three priorities click here

Ways To Manage Your Money.

Money management is one of the most essential tools in life. It is not only about how much you can save, it is about how much you can invest, and how you can multiply your savings.

In this video, personal finance guru and author Ash Cash offers practical and actionable personal finance tips, which you can get a jump on now. His expertise extents to subject like getting the right life insurance, importance of property investments, e.t.c.

Take a look at the video

Skills YOU Need To Become A Successful Entrepreneur.

While discussing what it truly takes to become a successful entrepreneur, one will discover that some very soft skills outweighs book smart. In an interview with black enterprise, Author K. Renee Ward talks about the common overlooked skills needed to turn one’s passion into a paycheck.

One of the overlooked skills happens to be resiliency. Resiliency is the capability to recover quickly from difficulties and toughness. It means bouncing back and becoming better. The ability to bounce back is not as easy as you might think. It requires a positive mind and handwork. Though we try to avoid difficulties or failure, they are bound to happen. It all depends on how you want to deal with this failure, will you let it break you or will you bounce back and never make the same mistake again?

For more overlooked skills and to find out about Ward’s secret sauce to success, click here

 

As an Entrepreneur, do you have the communication skills you need?

Running a business requires countless numbers of skills to keep it up and running. Communication can either make or break your business; therefore, a good communication skill is vital. In this article, Jill Schiefelbein, professional Speaker and Business Communication expert, emphasizes on the biggest communication mistakes entrepreneur tends to make. As humans, mistakes are bound to happen but it is important to learn from those mistakes so they do not happen again. Schiefelbein employs 14 female founders in this article to discuss steps to strengthen one’s communication skills.

Some of the steps are as follows:

1. Making sure your audience understands  YOU, whether it be investors, employees, etc.

2. In person interactions are much more beneficial than texting, emailing, etc. Communicating via email or text does not always answer an individual’s questions or concerns efficiently.

3.  Communicate in general. Do not always rely on yourself to complete tasks; furthermore, try to think as a group because of the more knowledge you add to the table can bring better success.

For the many more steps to strengthen  your communication skills and some common communication mistakes, click here. 

The making of the VC Cheat Sheet

Even after stumbling over the word “positionality”–uncertain of its validity and existence in Webster’s dictionary–Melissa Jackson and her partner, Anthony Frasier, are certain that they have crafted the cheat code needed for small businesses to properly work with venture capitals. Jackson, a program manager for the black and latino tech initiative at Rutgers’ business school, and Frasier, a starter of tech businesses, met with talk show host Karen Hunter to discuss their steps towards entrepreneurial success. As the conversation begins, Jackson reveals the thesis of their conversation: cracking the code on how to raise money for early stage companies.

Jackson attributes the success of her crafted cheat sheet from simply interviewing VCs. She would listen and record the necessary information each VC would provide. Hunter, surprised by Jackson’s simplistic approach, queried the pair’s knowledge on entrepreneurs of color and their success. Frasier, then, chimed in by referencing Porter Braswell, CEO and Co-founder of Jopwell–a liaison company eager to help create a more diverse workforce. As reassurement, he cited Braswell’s credential in amassing four million dollars through VCs. Frasier concluded Braswell’s success seems foreign to other would-be entrepreneurs and startups due to their unfamiliarity in networking with VCs. Jackson, however, believes that their 10 week pre-accelerator, network and cheat sheet will lead towards success for entrepreneurs and their startups–especially those of color.    

 

For more information, click here