“Other than raising my son, I sometimes wondered what’s my purpose in life.  I started Customer 1st Marketing because I wanted to be on my own and really wanted to take everything I learned about marketing in a corporate environment to start-ups and small businesses. I’ve been blessed to do that for the last 8 years. Really blessed and thank you for all the referrals that have helped me feed my son! “

Me

That quote is from my Maisha’s Lemonade Stand’s newsletter. I would love for you to get on my list, http://eepurl.com/hadRO9 But, I would really love for you to sign up for my new site and the motivation for today’s post, KUUBOB.

THE STORY

One day I searched for a comforter by a Black-Owned business and couldn’t find one (a new idea is in the works). So I decided to start a Black-Owned Brand marketplace called www.KUUBOB.com. My vision is to be the FAIRE, but for consumers, of Black Owned Brands.

The name comes from the principles of Kwanzaa, Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), and Black-Owned Brand (BOBs). 

And just like this blob met my moment at the time, so does KUUBOB.

I feel like my dream of being an entrepreneur and marketing black businesses AND creating a legacy of wealth all come together into this moment!

THE ENERGY

The moment! It’s that exciting time when you know you are going to do whatever it takes to take an idea to reality. You can feel it in your body. It makes you wake up early. It doesn’t allow you to sleep at night. This is how I’ve felt since I started thinking about what would become, KUUBOB.

Does anyone else feel this way? Whenever I get a new client, project, opportunity, or a new business opportunity like KUUBOB I get sooooo energized. It happened with my travel business too. Maybe all of us feel this way. I remember my first client, Sylvia Sydney, and kept the dollar from her check. (I hope Manetain gets on KUUBOB.)

This energy, this feeling of being unstoppable is one of the reasons entrepreneurs are the most effective, positive, and optimistic people on the earth. Yes, I did the Google Search for you. It’s both anecdotal and based on facts. But, it has to be true. Don’t you feel it?

THE OPTIMISM

Entrepreneurs start off with an idea. And either we do two things. We get started or we start to plan. Or if you’re like me, it’s a hybrid. Kuubob, my new website started off with market research. And yes, I found competitors that have the same idea and are more mature but that’s where the differentiation and branding starts. See, that’s optimism. 🙂

My bigger question is “How can I make money AND accomplish my mission of helping entrepreneurs, especially African Americans, make money?”. I believe that passion can help you make money but I have a Senior in high school that is going to college. I need dough now! So that’s me in the doing, make it happen, stage.

I’m also in the doing stage because I can’t help myself. No matter how many times I talk and propose about the importance of a marketing plan, I totally understand why clients don’t want to wait for me to write one. When you’re excited about something you work on it. It’s what’s all the quotes are about.

“It’s not work, if you love it”. “Don’t limit yourself”. “You can do it” and the list goes on. I found a few more quotes for you too.

Obligatory Quotes on Optimism

So I am back to waking up early to get stuff done. Back to worrying if I’m going to gain another 10 pounds because I forget to exercise since I’m so busy. Back to hoping my son doesn’t notice that I’m not as present as I should be. But really I’m back with the energy, optimism of meeting this moment, and hoping that in another year or two, I will have built KUUBOB to a multi-million dollar level.