BBN Collab: Women-Owned Pop-Up Shop Recap

Am I alone in feeling like the holiday spirit is running a little behind? I still don’t have a Christmas tree up, but I surely have been shopping! Luckily, there have been pop-ups galore, which have allowed me to support some wonderful small businesses in my community. The latest one I attended was hosted by The Boss Babe Network. Mariah and crew’s events are always a premium experience so I couldn’t miss out on the invitation!

The Women-Owned Holiday Extravaganza was hosted at the 10 East Arts Hub on the Near Eastside of Indy. This was my first time at this venue and it was perfect! There were boss women lined up throughout the space, a bar setup in the back (more on that in a minute), plus DJ Grapevine was holding it down on the ones and twos. It was a WHOLE vibe vup in there! Now let’s getting into the damage!

There was such a wide diversity of products available at this event. Sometimes larger pop-ups intimidate me because there will be five candle sellers, four boutiques, two turtle doves. You get what I mean. This had a manageable volume of merch as a shopper where I could truly support almost everyone there based on who I was shopping for or at least learn about their businesses. (Tip: Even if you don’t make a purchase, shout the business out if they had something that caught your eye. Someone else may purchase!)

My Haul

1. Repurposed Black Enamel Channel necklace from Small Batch No. 3

2. Black Girl Joy Notebook Print by Faith Blackwell Photography (featuring the lovely Idalia!)

3. The infamous Rich Bitch Oil from Bohemian Virtue (It has real dollar shreds in it!)

4. Stemless Wine Glass from Boss Babe Network

5. Crown Care Hydrating Hair Tea by Naturally Adira (Check out my #BrittBuysBlack post here.)

6. Two-piece Dream Come TRUE set by My TRUE Brand (It’s so comfy, y’all!)

7. Cute Christmas Socks from Bella Curve Clothing Boutique (BSquared is an ambassador!)

8. Signature Body Butter from ROJOrganics (So good that I met up that week to get a bigger one!)

9. Protect Candle and Ascend Bath Salt from Three Dope Souls (They both smelled so great!)

10. The ABCs of HBCUs book sold by Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore

Now everything pictured above isn’t it! Bella Bee-tique was in the building with her fabulous outfits—and ring light on deck! There was also custom resin creations from Jazz Creatrix! A beautiful chill scene created by Poshnic Experience. On top of that, there were food and beverage vendors! Sip and Share Wines was in the house. Ruby (a boss in her own right) poured me a lovely glass of the Manifest chardonnay created by her aunt to enjoy while I shopped. Taste Budz Indy also pulled up on us with her food truck. Oh, and there was a gift wrap station powered by Mariah’s cute little helpers! Literally, what else do you need in a shopping experience? This was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Thanks again Boss Babe Network for hosting another event that amplifies Black-owned and women-owned businesses! My stocking is surely stuffed, and this helped me spend my Black dollars in my own community for the holidays!

‘Tis the Season to #ShopSmall and #BuyBlack!

Britt

Britt Buys Black: Naturally Adira

I’m keeping my theme about hair care going, so of course I’m going to shout out a Black-owned product I love. In April 2020, I attended the Boss Babe Brunch (more info here) and as the event was wrapping up, I met this woman who had on a dope short suit and was rocking a beautiful fro. In my true power-networker fashion, I introduced myself and was delighted to learned that Denasiha was a YouTuber and she focused on her natural hair experience.

Quick backstory, I’ve spent a large chunk of my late adolescence/adulthood binging YouTube beauty and lifestyle videos. It’s a past-time that I think only young millennials truly understand.

Anyway, I looked her up right after the event and I’ve been subscribed to Adira Kalon ever since. Definitely enjoy her videos on natural hair care tips and routines. I’m so inspired by her plunge to dye her hair purple! I’m also a smidge jealous of her commitment to the gym (LOL). She’s adding more vlogs in the mix too, and that’s been fun content to watch as well.

Another extension of Naturally Adira’s brand is the her product lines. One is Crowned Apparel and the other is the Crown Care Collection. In the collection she currently sells three homemade products, a moisture/growth serum, a scalp treatment oil and a refresher spray. It’s so cool because she makes these products herself with carefully curated ingredients to promote healthy scalp and hair for growth (which you can see from her channel and Instagram).

I personally struggle with maintaining maximum hydration, so I picked up the Moisture Rescue product in the collection. I apply it as a part of my regular weekly maintenance directly to my scalp, and have been using it since last year. Honestly, I feel like this serum was the perfect boost to my long healthy hair journey. My hair has gained inches rapidly. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. For so long I used oils and products that were filled with so many additives and chemicals I couldn’t pronounce. Adira’s hand-crafted oils have simple ingredients and are carefully infused to bring out the herbs full benefits.

Also, I'd like to add a quick note that the packaging is super cute. I haven’t had any spilled product upon delivery. Plus, she includes the cutest care card and bonus affirmation card with your order.

If you’re looking for new natural hair products, I highly recommend! I also can’t wait to order the Hydrating Hair Tea refresher spray for my summer braids when it’s back in stock. Subscribe to her YouTube and follow her on IG to get more tips and product updates. Plus, you get to see the funny things her pup Sir does on a weekly basis.

Stay tuned for a few more posts I have about hair care coming up!

Queens, let’s fix each other’s crowns!

Britt

Britt Buys Black: Nadéjiah Towns--Put Me in Coach!

Fun fact about me: I was a university career coach for three and a half years. I really enjoyed helping my students connect to what they love, and showing them how to position themselves for their next opportunity. They have gone on to do amazing things, embark on cool careers, and many of them make more money than I do. I still provide advice here and there, and definitely have tried to practice what I've preached in my own searches and exploration. But what happens when the coach needs a coach? Over time I've learned that I can't do it all, and that even includes doing things for myself. I decided that this year I was going to get some assistance in unlocking my path into better clarity and alignment professionally. 

This month’s Britt Buys Black feature is Nadéjiah Towns. I recently finished up her Career Alignment Accelerator program because I wanted to enter the mid-stage of my professional career with greater intention and better understanding of my value because I'm still chasing these coins as I approach 30.  Not only was I seeking clarity on how to align my skills with my financial worth, but also getting a better grasp on the strengths that I have and the skills that I enjoy using on a day-to-day basis. She was tremendously helpful in coaching me as I sorted out my own stuff and really uncovered what was going to be important to me in my next move. 

Nadéjiah helps women of color “reclaim power over their careers and vocalize their value to increase their income.” (Period!) She recently transitioned to coaching full-time after spending the early stages of her business as a resume writer while juggling a full-time higher education position. She was in reslife y’all. That ish is no joke! She has a very laid back, yet accountable style that makes you feel like you’re working through this with one of your girlfriends--except she knows even more of what she’s talking about. Over the six weeks, I was gathered in a loving way and set straight on a path to preparing for moves I actually want, not just what happens to pop up. I’ve already began revisiting assignments to help me on this journey. 

Now, getting a coach is an investment into your future. If you could do it alone, you would have by now. Here are some other tips I have to help you tap in:

Follow that coach on social media to get their vibe. Do you even like what they’re talking about? How about their messaging style? Do they have some shared experiences or identities that resonate with you. Study them first. See if they have freebies to get a taste of their programs.

Make small investments in yourself. You have to get in a habit of investing in personal development. For me that first step was buying courses and programs. Start to put some change aside for a personal development fund. More often than not the investment will pay for itself and then some. 

Get your mind right. Successful coaching experiences also depend on you being coachable. That looked like going through therapy first for me. I had to sort out other mental blockages before I could take on new info. Your consultation session can help you both determine if you’re ready. These sessions will only work as hard as you do.

Follow Nadéjiah on Instagram linked here. Also, we’ll be doing an IG Live session on March 3 at 5p EST to discuss my experience in the program. Catch us live or on the replay!

Tap in!

Britt

Boss Babe Brunch Recap

A few Sundays ago (I’m working on consistency y’all), I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Boss Babe Brunch hosted by Mariah Oliver owner of Behind the Scenes Marketing. It was my first brunch event since the city had started opening up, and honestly it felt so good to be out again. I put on my new dress from my latest New York & Company clearance haul, co-washed my hair—I even wore heels, y’all! The purpose of this event was to bring together women entrepreneurs across Central Indiana to network and be inspired (plus the added bonus of bottomless mimosas). I had an opportunity to meet women who had blogs (Here and Here), were launching podcasts, starting nonprofits and a wonderful baker who established her business in honor of her mom. I even had the pleasure of attending with my own boss bestie, Brittany from SnapsxStyles Media. When I tell you there was nothing but good vibes swirling around the room from start to finish. We enjoyed being around one another to learn and affirm each others’ passions. There was even an enlightening moment where we caught ourselves playing small with our endeavors. It’s crazy how women can become conditioned to humble brag. It showed me I need to be more confident in telling folks I’m a blogger. I blog, so there you go.

The Boss Behind the Brunch and Myself

BSquared

Brittany of SnapsxStyles and myself
at the photo booth.

One of my favorite elements of the event were the fabulous speakers that were there. They truly are phenomenal women in their own ways, and I appreciated them being vulnerable about their journeys and providing powerful advice to help us all continue forward as bosses. Jeannie Lee Lake is the only Black woman running for Congress in the state of Indiana. She shared the power of trusting God to provide for what He’s calling you too. He will blow your mind with the gifts He’ll give you to overcome the challenges you face. Shayla Pinner insight affirmed that it’s ok to walk away from the present work if you’re not passionate anymore and explore a career change, even if others don’t understand you journey. Angela Freeman is a powerhouse who you can tell lives freely as her authentic self in professional spaces, and I loved her energy. She was a microbiologist turned patent lawyer (wow), who is the epitome of what grind looks like, all the while emphasizing the power of networks. Last but surely not least was Sonal Sheth Zawahri. Through her life transitions and experiences she spoke the importance of standing on what you know is right, and not staying down when difficulties arise. She also introduced us to her framework of STRETCH (can’t wait to get her workbook). Plus, she’s a very energizing and motivational speaker. Long story short—these women had me in the feels, positively.

I know times are scary right now, but don’t close yourself off from networking with folks who could potentially put you in the position to live your dreams or better yet you provide a needed resource for someone else. I’m grateful that Mariah stayed with her vision and things calmed down just enough to make this event possible. It was definitely the encouragement I needed to keep up with my boss swag.