Posts tagged with "small business"

Vic Mensa – 93 BOYZ

Chicago rapper, actor, and activist Vic Mensa has unveiled his new brand 93 Boyz, an equity-focused cannabis company which is the first Black owned and led in the state of Illinois. One of his first community initiatives involved heading back to his hometown – the Southside of Chicago. Vic rolled up to the BP Gas Station on 47th & Woodlawn around the corner from his mother’s house and with the help of 93 Boyz Vic was able to surprise 200 cars with $10,000 in free gas. The story was first picked up by TMZ which shared a heartfelt video of an elderly woman explaining how she originally only had $5 to put in her tank and was taken aback by the generosity. The gas giveaway was caught on tape and became a 60 second clip full of showing love and black humor. Vic says, “To celebrate the launch of 93BOYZ, the first black cannabis brand in Chicago, we went to the gas station on the block where I grew up and gave away $10,000 of free gas. At a time when many people are struggling to fill their tank, it felt good to be able to help the community in a real way.”

As Chicago’s first Black-owned cannabis brand, at the core of 93 Boyz’ mission is a reinvestment in the communities and individuals that have been historically and disproportionately affected by outdated laws, prejudices, and assumptions regarding cannabis consumption, elevating the underserved while also lifting spirits via the headiest product available in the state. Among the community-based initiatives that the brand will be undertaking is a partnership with Books Before Bars, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing books to underserved Illinois prison libraries, providing inmates with potentially transformative resources.

Speaking on the development and launch of 93 Boyz, Vic Mensa says: “Selling weed was my first hustle. It taught me work ethic, entrepreneurship, and funded all of my first music projects. As someone with a lifelong experience of anxiety and depression, it’s amazing to be able to help people facing those and other issues while working with something I love. The war on drugs has had a devastating impact on my community, and yet our representation in the cannabis industry is less than 2%. 93BOYZ is changing that narrative while combining high quality, tastemaker weed with socially conscious initiatives.”

In its pursuit to become a company focused on holistic good, 93 Boyz has joined forces with aeriz, the largest aeroponic cannabis cultivator in the world, to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly products from plant to person (aeroponics is a cultivation method to grow product without the use of soil or an aggregate medium). The product line includes premium flower eighths, premium preroll, and strain-specific vape cartridges, encompassing a range of different options from sativa to indica to custom hybrid blends.

Founded in collaboration with SaveMoneySaveLife, Mensa’s long running nonprofit organization that uplifts and empowers BIPOC individuals through facilitated experiences that integrate contemporary cultural art, traditional knowledge, and community service, 93 Boyz turns its focus specifically to initiatives aimed at prison reform and equity in the cannabis space.

For more information on 93 Boyz initiatives and products, visit HERE.

NÜR SAN FRANCISCO

“The light between the heavens and the earth.”

After witnessing product discoloration and encountering rashes caused by allergies, Afghan-American Nilo established NÜR.

Thanks to the PVD, NÜR has been able to produce without many issues. At an affordable price point, this ethical, sustainable fine jewelry can stand the test of time. Hypoallergenic yet rustproof ornaments pair well with lesser eco-friendly options to create a stylish look.

After putting a necklace to its limits: long baths, extended steam room sessions coupled with prolonged wearing, the 18k plating did not permit oxidation. In addition, even as a wild sleeper, the global construction prevented kinks.

Upon delivery, if an item does not properly fit or was damaged while being shipped, the customer has a two-week replacement window. Moreover, all products are free of metal allergens (nickel, copper and zinc) and are plated onto a surgical grade of stainless steel. Lastly, the polishing adds a protective layer, intensifying its durability; and thus, increasing its longevity.

Visit NÜR site HERE.

Article × Photo: Vaughn Lowery

How To Slow Down a Fast-Paced Way of Life

Do you feel like you’re always running and never slowing down? Is your life a perpetual whirlwind of activity that leaves you with no time to catch a breath? This is how many Americans are living today in the quest to improve they and their families’ standard of living. Experts have termed this endless quest for faster acquisition of money, power or career progress a speed addiction.

While you may be able to reward yourself with the finer things in life thanks to your relentless grind, living this fast-paced lifestyle takes a toll over the years. People from school-going kids to adults heading to retirement are dealing with mental health issues emanating from stress. The anxiety and depression they suffer also translate into obesity, hypertension and other life-threatening illnesses.

When To Slow Down

So, how do you tell if you’re on this slippery slope to self-destruction? Do you find yourself unable to focus on one task, constantly distracted by alerts of incoming messages on your phone? Or are you constantly scrolling through your social media timelines looking for an interesting post or clever comment?

If you take stock, you will realize that this zombie-like reliance on your smartphone has not only diminished you attention span but it has also eroded your creativity. Instead of taking the time to think up solutions by yourself, you will look for a quick fix on Google or from the people you follow on Twitter.

You may think that quickly jumping from one task to another or multitasking is enhancing your productivity. The reality is that you will accomplish much more if you concentrate on one task and complete it before moving to the next. Trying to mind many irons in the fire will decrease your efficiency and compromise the quality of your output.

It will also get you worked up physically and emotionally. This is why you may find yourself prone to mood swings and stress. Depression and anxiety will creep into your mind if you’re constantly thinking about the glamorous images you see on Instagram and how plain your life seems in comparison.

Your relationships with your family and friends may suffer as a result of your speed addiction. Sending a quick text or pushing a ‘like’ button is much more convenient than making a phone call or taking the time to see someone face to face.

Just the Right Speed

So how do you recalibrate your life to avoid the burnout, stress and mental health disorders that speed addiction brings? How can you snap out of that zombie-like existence and reignite your creativity? Here are some ideas.

Work vs Personal

Strive to create a healthy work-life balance. Work-time is work-time, family time is family time and me-time should remain me-time. Allocate adequate time for each and maintain clear boundaries between them. Putting in more hours in the office does not mean you’re being more productive. But it does mean you’re devoting less of yourself to other important aspects of your wellbeing.

Peer Pressure

One of the most powerful drivers pushing you to live a fast life is peer pressure. Though this phenomenon is commonly associated with teens, it applies to adults too. If you find yourself in a group that is constantly trying to outdo each other, you may need to think about changing your friends.

Unsubscribe from Influences

In the same vein, you need to unfollow social media handles that tempt you to live a fast life, or take a break from your phone altogether. You can fill your spare time with activities that help you relax while releasing your creative juices. Take a walk in the park or find a quiet place to read a book.

Health First

Prioritize your health over the exigencies of today’s fast life. Instead of putting in extra hours at work, or trying to finish an assignment at home, get some rest and attack the task with a fresh mind the following day. Giving your eyes a break from the glare from your screen might reduce your need for premium progressive lenses.

Ensure you take time every once in a while to get away from familiar surroundings to revitalize your body and reset your mind. Try to resist the temptation to take your laptop with you or check your work emails.

Hit the Pause Button

If you feel your life is moving too fast and that you’re not getting the most out of it, you need to hit the pause button. Ask yourself if the price you’re paying to ‘get ahead’ is really worth it. Think about the things that matter to you and your family’s well-being and prioritize accordingly.

Combat Unproductive Meetings w/ Enhanced Scheduling

Typical tips on meeting productivity include sharing the agenda beforehand, starting your meeting on time, keeping the conversation going, and asking questions.

Although those are great tips that will make any meeting more productive, it’s easy to forget the one thing that can make or break meeting productivity: the scheduling.

If scheduling a meeting sounds like a horror film title, it’s because it is. For most of us, at least.

From checking in on each and every attendee, one by one, to emailing them back-and-forth until you can find a time that works for them…and then having to do it all over again, because — surprises, surprise — they won’t be able to attend the meeting at the scheduled time.

If you’re currently operating like that, you shouldn’t be surprised that it takes hours or even days for you to schedule a single meeting.

You shouldn’t blame yourself for developing a toxic relationship with meetings, either. If just scheduling them drains all of your energy, the meeting prep and the actual meetings will always feel like exhausting work.

You can follow every meeting productivity tip to a T. Unless you have a scheduling platform that helps you do your job, your meetings will remain the same.

With that in mind, here are today’s best productivity tips for meetings:

Schedule your meetings with one email. No more, no less.
Find the best time for every attendee without emailing them back-and-forth.
Schedule and organize your meetings inside your inbox, instead of switching to multiple tabs.

Do you often feel unproductive online meetings? It’s not your fault.

If you’ve been trying to get this online meeting thing right for a couple years now, you’ve probably struggled with at least one of the following situations:

The pain of scheduling and setting up meetings on a bunch of different platforms.
Emailing guests back-and-forth until you can, by some miracle, settle on a time slot that works for them.
Organizing unproductive meetings that bring up “this could’ve been an email” jokes.

The blame (and the joke) is on the platform you’re using.

‍But, the truth is, everyone is wrestling with the same online meeting issues you are. Every. Single. Day. Yes, even though they might look like they’re experts at it.

Here’s why:

Because the seemingly simple task of scheduling emails takes us days, when it should take us seconds.And we all know that it’s virtually impossible to plan an effective meeting when we’ve spent half of our planning time on haphazard scheduling. You don’t need a better agenda. Not necessarily. What you need is a scheduling platform that respects your time!

About Letsmeet

Letsmeet allows businesses to eliminate back and forth email correspondence regarding meeting scheduling, and offers a simple solution to book meetings in just one click. Scheduling meetings is a recurring and universal pain point, and thirty percent of emails are about scheduling itself. With 55 million meetings occurring every day in the United States, scheduling is often a complicated and time-consuming daily task. The Letsmeet network solves this relevant issue by evaluating all of the participants’ calendars, and suggesting the open time slots that work for all parties.

For more information, please visit HERE.

About The Author

Letsmeet is led by CEO and Founder Gilles Raymond. Raymond is a three time startup CEO and Founder, who also created In-Fusio and News Republic, acquired by Bytedance. Additionally, Raymond is the Founder and President of The Signals Foundation, an organization that protects and supports whistleblowers.

Article: Gilles Raymond, CEO and Founder of Letsmeet

‍

Vinay Shahani

Vice President – Head of Marketing at Lexus, Toyota Motor North America

*Listen to Vinay Shahani’s full conversation with Vaughn Lowery on the 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

As a crowded child growing up in and around Detroit, Vinay Shahani was exposed to the motor industry at a very young age. He started working at the Ford Motor Company when his father (of Sindhi descent) emigrated from India to the United States in the 1960s. Vinay became a car lover under the influence of his father: “He was in the car business, and I was also in the car business because I was his son, and I loved that.” Once he moved to Michigan, Vinay earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Currently, Vinay lives in the Dallas area.

Vinay is Vice President of Marketing for Lexus, a Japanese high-end car brand created by Toyota Inc., a position he has held since January 2021. He is responsible for Lexus’ marketing activities, including advertising campaigns, media and digital, product marketing and lifecycle management, auto shows, incentive and experiential marketing, and motorsports. He creates a “speak up” environment to make the opinions of all members of his team visible (agency partners and internal staff). Identifying social and commercial values helps expand the brand to various groups of consumers who may not align with the preferences of the Asian population, such as Walton Isaacson (black, Hispanic, and LGBTIQ community) and the IW group.

In addition, he oversees motorsports, engagement marketing, car shows, and other consumer events throughout the United States. Vasser Sullivan is a race team, with worldwide competitors such as Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, that Lexus empowers with some of the best drivers – “We definitely want to win, and we have a winning team.” Meanwhile, Lexus also helps improve consumers’ skills in car track by providing the opportunity to study professionally at Performance Driving School.

Since the brand is determined to treat consumers as valued guests, one of Vinay’s top initiatives iis Lexus Hospitality, as it is inspired by the Japanese spirit of hospitality and is committed to providing excellence in customer service.

Another dimension within the marketing field is monitoring and analyzing the results after experimenting with the Lexus IS 500 model and the Lexus RC F Track Edition.

Under the massive influence of the metaverse today, Vinay mentions that Lexus is creating its own Mark Netscape plus Upstream to figure out what the role of Lexus is as a brand in the metaverse. In addition, they are in talks with global partners like Lexus International to find out what is being sought out in Japan while identifying markets in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. Based on the diverse target audience of Lexus in the United States, Vinay seeks to use digital media and the National Brand Day to show brand culture and emotion, even

creating a TikTok account to get closer to younger audiences.

As a high environment-friendly brand, by 2035, Vinay plans for Lexus to be a ‘global 100% battery electric’ vehicle brand to reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions. With these measures, it’s great to see the carbon footprint will be reduced thanks to the company’s shift.

Finally, Vinay adds that “it is important that we know who we are as a brand from a strategic perspective.” With this, they are trying to add attractive and technological accessories to their vehicles that give the driver great confidence in the handling and control of their car. “Maintaining a love for performance cars gets your heart rate up, it excites you, and that’s something we definitely want to associate with different brands.”

Article:

Andrea Esteban, Vaughn Lowery, Krishan Narsinghani, Armon Hayes

Resources:

Lexus & Toyota Motor North America

Links to the 2023 product announcements: Toyota New Product Showcase and

Lexus New Product Showcase

RZ images can be found within the 2023 Lexus RZ album on this page.

Link to each brand’s Livestream press conference:

Toyota | Lexus

Link to Toyota Connected ‘Cabin Awareness’ Concept press release

Links to the final PDFs of the speaker support slides for each presentation:

Toyota , Lexus × Sequoia First Drive

Follow Vinay Shahani: Instagram | LinkedIn

Israel Tourism

The Israel Ministry of Tourism continues to help the local tourism industry, to increase the accommodation supply to lower prices. The Investment Administration in the Tourism Ministry has recently received 107 applications from entrepreneurs seeking grants to build and expand hotels.

Investors, who are optimistic about the rehabilitation of Israel’s incoming tourism industry, are seeking to establish and convert existing buildings to hotels and expand existing buildings or restore them to their original purpose. 70 applications were submitted in the building permit tracking, 22 requests as part of a track to restore buildings to hotel use and convert existing buildings into hotels, and 15 applications were submitted in the implementation track by companies who have a building permit. This year’s grant budget stands at NIS 165 million. The directives of the Investment Administration for 2022 were published last April and the deadline for applications to be submitted was mid-May 2022.

The Israel Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov spoke about Israels current tourism opportunities, “There is a great deal of optimism and interest among the tourism industry. This year, we broke the record for the number of grant requests for opening new hotels in Israel, with over one hundred applications submitted. The Israel Ministry of Tourism continues to invest vast efforts in increasing incoming tourism traffic to Israel and shortening the amount of time it takes to build hotels. This will inject billions of shekels into the state coffers.”

As is well known, the corona crisis interrupted the upward growth trend in incoming tourism, which culminated in record figures in 2019 of over 4.5 million tourists. During the crisis, the Ministry of Tourism focused on preserving and nurturing the tourism infrastructure and continued assistance to entrepreneurs. This is to prepare for the return of growth. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the tourism industry’s annual contribution to the economy (before the pandemic) stood at about NIS 40 billion. The ministry is working to restore incoming tourism traffic to Israel and for the industry’s recovery following the crisis.

Despite the effects of the pandemic, progress has been registered in both planning new hotel projects and in building projects that were planned before the outbreak of the pandemic. The ministry continues to work to realize the potential inherent in hotel investments, to increase the number of tourists, and, as a result, to increase revenue from tourism to the economy.

JULIE LAMB

NFT-VIP: Bridge to Reality

Julie Lamb, the CEO, Founder, and Executive Producer of How-To with Julie Sue, is a problem solver, storyteller, digital content creator, and economy connector. She is a collector of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum and is passionate about helping brands build their identity using current tools and a highly selected network of virtual agents to develop the entrepreneurial capacity of brands. She has already collaborated with multiple popular brands such as iHome, Disney, KidDesigns, Hasbro, CES, KeaBabies, Michael Todd Beauty, and Crown Goose USA.

Listen to Julie Lamb’s full conversation with Vaughn Lowery on the 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

While studying music, Julie went to Europe and started working on fashion collections. She finally settled in New York, where Julie has 30 years of experience working as a model. By highlighting the activity with Brunello Cucinelli on Saks Fifth Avenue, Julie mentioned that her creative confidence was greatly inspired after moving from a small Southwestern town to the Big Apple, New York City.

Julie has long loved the worlds of tech, digital, and speed: ‘I like being able to share things digitally.’ At the forefront of the crypto wave in 2017, she bought Ethereum, a digital platform used to make smart contracts, allowing entrepreneurs to create decentralized applications, as in the case of Julie.

Immersed in the realm of cryptocurrencies, the trailblazer supports projects like Non-Fungible Token (NFT). As a rapidly developing industry, NFT is becoming an increasingly popular way to buy and sell digital art, spanning industries like sports, music, fashion, film, games, etc. The annual NFT conference, held in multiple cities (including New York City and Los Angeles) around the United States, attracts hundreds of guests from various fields who speak about exponential growth and future trends in different verticals and how the digital landscape can incorporate this new tradeable product.

As an NFT-VIP (in which 360 MAGAZINE will serve as one of the media sponsor), Julie’s mission is to shape the NFT industry into diverse communities made of global thought leaders who share like-minded values and beliefs. Last April, she attended the Miami NFT week and served as its Executive Producer, where she focused on igniting new dialogue amongst attendees and tastemakers on topics related to technology, creative installations, immersive art, and performance. Julie can be recognized as an economy connector for providing the space for several minority-owned businesses in this conference to discuss the present and future of the meta-universe and how it affects them.

Although the attendance was underrepresented and some representative minority-owned businesses felt left out, Julie declared her conditional support for the voice of women and the LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, this kind of offline meeting takes highly digital products further into reality, narrowing the society’s discrimination against aging. In addition, she is fascinated by using Web3.0 and its implementation with artists in the fields of music, fashion, and the token economy.

An example of this is that the international brand Gucci has started a multi-directional exploration to embrace the digital world, which associates a luxury brand with emerging technologies through a series of avatar experiences; i.e. exhibitions of Gucci art, mini-games, and digital item purchases.

Julie is now preparing a private event in New York City with NFT VIP sponsorships from June 19th-22nd at Margaritaville Resort Times Square, owned by the real estate and investment firm Soho Properties. Surprise celebrities will be attending that directly tie in with her message and bring new inspiration to the community. Sponsorship opportunities available for this four-day event.

In the field of cryptocurrencies, that features multiple sponsors, will have an additional sponsor called the crypto coin concierge. They will cover the luxury travel for the most elite global clients in the world of cryptocurrencies and with payment through these. Julie tells us that her company has also partnered with iHeartRadio on Crypto Radio in the marketing industry.

Speakers:

Julie Lamb

CryptoMondays: Andrew Yang, Lou Kerner × TJ Stone

Article:

Andrea Esteban, Armon Hayes, Krishan Narsinghani, Vaughn Lowery

Resources:

Inter Creative Media

How-To With Julie Sue

Follow Julie Lamb:

Twitter

Instagram

360 MAGAZINE named media sponsor for Julie Lamb's NFT VIP in NYC

Mugzy McFly

Fashion Designer × Stylist

New York City designer and entrepreneur Jevaughn Williams, widely known as Mugzy McFly, has made his childhood dream come to fruition with Signed By McFly. This fad guru has worked with celebrities like Maino, Doja Cat and Post Malone. Moreover, the GRAMMY Awards hand-picked him to participate in this year’s festivities via gift bags. Furthermore, he constantly produces immersive pop-ups to highlight other minority-owned entities, becoming an arbiter on style and current affairs within his community.

Born and raised in The Bronx, Mugzy grew up with a great deal of inspiration and flare for fashion. At 13, he experienced his first steps with creative design and began fabricating pieces which he could pair his favorite sneakers. Between 2011-12, he started brand brainstorming. In 2013, he launched it. Graphic tees were the label’s inaugural drop. With no financial investors, he handled all aspects of the collection–production, marketing, promotions and account management. This first-hand knowledge inspired the tagline: More Dreams, Less Dream. Since inception, the line has been unisex.

Lastly, Mugzy explains his intuition behind last season’s bestselling collegiate-like jacket with patchwork. It’s color compass was persuaded by his immediate environment. In fact, he never meant to conjure a rainbow-esque theme, its prismatic effect resulted from the orange and blue linked to the Knicks and Mets. While his Afro-Carribean heritage emitted red and green hues, he confirms admiration for gray, ‘It’s like a high taste level to me.’

After 9 years in business, McFly has been featured in various media outlets. Contrary to what one would expect, much of his recent success has been attributed to the pandemic, allowing more time to meticulously delve into overall presentation and client relationships. Thus, he predicts seasonal trends will incorporate comfort, quality yet sustainable ensembles in both vivid and earth tones paired with ecletic sneakers. Jeans will be replaced with nicely constructed joggers and thigh high shorts.

McFly’s advice to budding enterprisers, choose the right moment to launch genderless garments. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and do it because you enjoy the process. Don’t do it just for money. Finally, lend your brand’s visibility through well-documented, innovative promotional affairs while maintaining professional contacts.

Article: Andrea Esteban × Vaughn Lowery

Watch him on 360TV.

Listen to his 360 MAG Podcast.

As seen in Essence Magazine.

Featured in The Bronx Magazine.

Shop Signed By McFly.

NGLCC Winner!

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nglccNY Biz of the Month: 360

This May, nglccNY is proud to spotlight 360 MAGAZINE as their second nglccNY Biz of the Month! They spoke with Vaughn Lowery (he/him/his) about 360 MAGAZINE’S services and what makes his business unique. Read their Q&A with Lowery below:

What is your business?

360 MAGAZINE is an award-winning international publishing popular culture and design. We showcase state-of-the-art brands, entities and trends to creators of global tastes within their respective communities. Our founding members possess more than 30 years of collective experience both as notable talent and uber-professionals in the fields of art, music, fashion, auto, travel, spirits and entertainment. We are not just journalists, but represent an advocacy and social change movement.

What is unique about your business?

In 2009, we came up with an organization that embraced POC, women and the LGBTQIA+ community. Our mission was to extend the microphone to their once unheard-of voices. To date, the platform has continued to grow and feed neglected communities through mainstream media.

How has being a Certified LGBTBE® impacted your business? Why did you join nglccNY?

We particularly turned to nglccNY for its historical connections and maternalistic approach to boutique brands with similar perspectives. We are extremely fortunate, as are the possibilities that flow from that.

What is your favorite part about the nglccNY community?

The most intriguing component of the chapter is fellowship, consistently engaging with individuals and entities who celebrate their uniqueness as we do.

What does it mean to you to be an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur?

Being an LGBTQ+ enterpriser has enabled us to thrive and prosper in these dark times. We have expanded our volumes to include politics and tech; launched our NFT Animal Series on OpenSea; introduced 360 MAG Podcast on Apple and Spotify and published the first installment of our Move Like Water × Be Fluid series – a youthful self-help book, marketing manifest with heart wrenching testimonials. Indeed, with our certification announcement, I have become a more confident leader in a ketsado, pushing for limitless inclusion.

Connect with Lowery and 360 Magazine on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

*A letter to our potential partners.