Build a Business
Around Your ART

About 20 years ago, Paul C Brunson took a plane ride to Turkey that would change the course of his life. Just days before the trip, Paul had given a presentation to a group of Turkish dignitaries in Washington D.C, at the Kaplan International Center where he worked acting as its youngest and first African American director.

After he was done speaking to the delegation, an elegant Turkish businessman stood up and proclaimed to the crowd: “One day this man is going to work for me!”

Totally blown away by this man’s confidence, Paul ended up having dinner with him and the two hit it off so well Enver (the man) invited Paul to come meet with him and his associates in Istanbul. Besides his wife and mother, everyone in the world told Paul not to travel to Turkey with this stranger, but he went. And the meeting would change his life. Turns out Enver Yucel and his family owned the largest education group in Europe and were looking for some to help them grow and invest in...

In the female-dominated world of matchmaking, relationship expert Paul C. Brunson is a bit of a unicorn, and he likes it that way. 

Paul, who grew up in Jamaica, Queens, always wanted to be a businessman. Inspired by the rappers from his neighborhood, like Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent, he gravitated towards entrepreneurship and saw how smart business people utilized media to speak to their audience directly and grow their endeavors. 

Following his childhood dream, Paul began his career in finance as an investment banker and equity analyst, getting his CFA and brokerage license and later getting a business degree from Georgetown University. Basically, he was a baller. In fact, he was working for a billionaire in charge of his U.S. assets when Paul spotted the opportunity of a lifetime.

You see, in addition to being a hustler, Paul has always been a helper, (he jokes he’s Jamaican and has to have at least 10 jobs at all time) and in addition to his successful finance...

Successful NFT artists Sam Madhu and Ola Vola brought the goods and insider tips on how to enter or expand—and succeed—in the NFT market. The artists, who sell their NFTs on Nifty Gateway, shared their struggles and lessons learned so that your entry into the NFT world can be smoother.

They also shared their personal experiences and what may be in store for NFT-curious artists should they decide to take the plunge. 

If you missed it, you can always watch the replay. If you tuned in and you’re still considering your NFT options, you can relive the REPLAY here: 

THE ARTISTS:

Originally from India, Sam Madhu is a Berlin-based mixed media digital artist whose work fuses elements from East and West with a side of cyberpunk thrown in. Her futuristic art of dystopian cities draws from temples, gods and demons from the past and reinterprets them into the future. Her work also features dystopian cityscapes, inspired by her time in New York and India. It also...

“Let’s take a moment and appreciate this moment,” says Paul C. Brunson.

The C stands for Carrick and is a nod to his Irish and Scottish ancestry, but it could just as well stand for Confidence, or Charisma, or Consistency, because Paul has all of those in spades.

The moment of gratitude Paul is referring to is his present life. Paul is a millionaire who is considered the most famous and successful matchmaker in the world. He is a serial entrepreneur who received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his bestselling book: It’s Complicated (But It Doesn’t Have to Be): A Modern-Day Guide to Finding and Keeping Love, and was the co-host on Oprah Winfrey Network’s show “Lovetown.”

But his life didn’t always look like this. Paul built this life for himself brick-by-brick with a personal branding strategy he’s developed.

And clearly, it works!  

That is why we are sooo psyched he is hosting a new masterclass for Parsons...

When we met up with Paul Carrick Brunson in his stylish flat in London, he embodied the poster boy for success: handsome millionaire with a gorgeous wife and two adorable sons, friend of Oprah with multiple profitable businesses and projects in the works.

While he may look perfect enough to be annoying, the truth is Paul has earned every bit of his success—and it hasn't always been easy. Growing up with a proud immigrant mother from Jamaica, Paul almost flunked out of high school. With the support of his parents, he turned his life around and graduated college starting his career as a lowly non-paid intern in investment banking, fetching coffees and running errands. But he worked his way up the industry and was soon making bank, with a Rolex and BMW to boot.Even with these external signals of success, Paul still had a stomachache every Sunday night as he dreaded another grueling work week in this cutthroat industry. Trusting his gut, he quit his coveted gig and over the next...

When was the last time you actually looked forward to writing a business plan? 

Uh... Probably NEVER!

The truth is a lot of people put off writing a business plan (and some never actually formalize this vital document) because it's just so intimidating. Like for real—we pursued our creative passions so we wouldn't have to write boring reports and documents, right?!

But, the traditional 20-something page biz plan document isn't the only way. In fact, it can actually be beneficial to start with something WAY more compact (we're talking ONE PAGE BABY!)

Why opt for a one-page business plan?

1. It helps you keep your ideas concise. When starting a business, it's easy to have idea-overload. And while a lot of those ideas might be GREAT, they can dilute a business plan or business idea. (Plus partners, investors, and anyone-who's-anyone in the industry loves a solid, concise pitch.)
2.  You quickly realize where your idea need work. When you're putting together a 20-page-doc, it...

We’ve all probably heard someone mention the concept of “having a seat at the table” at some point, right? It’s a great idea in theory, but in practice, a lot of people get left out. 

But in 2022, we’re building our own tables and expanding the party! That’s what Polly Irungu did when she founded Black Women Photographers in 2020. 

“I didn’t have a seat at the table,” says the photographer and entrepreneur, “And I wanted to create something for us by us to provide that seat at the table.” 

Black Women Photographers has grown into a non-profit and global community of over 1,000 women and non-binary photographers in a little over a year. So far, Black Women Photographers has partnered with a variety of companies and organizations, including Nikon, Phmuseum, Getty, and IWMF, to bestow grant money on talented members of the collective, as well as help them build stellar portfolios, and get amazing job...

Mexican-American CEO Sandra Velasquez is a bona fide, tug-at-your-heart, success story.

She launched her luxe cactus-based botanicals brand during the pandemic (when even her own parents thought she was nuts) and is now slated to bring in a sweet half a million dollars in revenue.

But things weren’t always easy for this single mama and lead singer. Sandra was a longtime musician who was juggling parenting, musical gigs, and her day jobs (PLURAL) when she discovered soapmaking and started dreaming of creating her own bath and body brand. She had her “a-ha” moment back home in San Diego eating her mother’s eggs and nopal (cactus.) Cactus has similar healing properties as aloe vera but was often overlooked—until now. Sandra recognized the power of this native, regenerating, and unsung plant and made it the centerpiece of her bath and body business, Nopalera.

She was ready to launch when the pandemic hit, but she pushed through anyway. And soon, ...

When it comes to growing a business, Brittany Chavez has laser-focused vision. No excuses.

Don’t have a mentor to guide you? Create your own! 

No time or money to do focus groups? No problem! 

Make mistakes along the way? Correct your course.

Don’t know what you’re doing? Ask questions.

Brittany has spent the last five years building Shop Latinx, the first curated e-marketplace for Latinx creative entrepreneurs. Shop Latinx offers offers beauty, skincare, apparel, and lifestyle products to the fastest-growing market in the U.S., Millennial and Gen Z Latinas. She started it as a side-hustle, surveyed potential customers while driving them as a rideshare driver and has since built a team and secured funding. 

She knows what it takes to build a business and the founder and CEO is happy to share her journey so that you can learn from her wins and missteps—and build your own success!

She wants you to know you are not alone. You got this! 

For Julissa Prado, starting a business was a childhood dream - and an act of serving her community. Growing up the Los Angeles native played with natural ingredients, creating concoctions for managing her curly hair and sharing her mixtures with other women in her neighborhood. Years later her company Rizos Curls launched in 2017, urgently addressing the hair care needs of women in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. 

“I love to always say that a business is simply a solution to a problem,” said Julissa during our interview last week. “Rizos Curls was literally my solution to my own personal problem of not knowing what products to use to style my own hair.”

Today Rizos Curls can be found on shelves at Target, Ulta Beauty, and Walmart in 57 countries, generating $1 million within its first year. 

We connected with the entrepreneur and beauty influencer during a live event, where she shared how she built a thriving beauty brand...