hey all! welcome back to another installment of “Just A Girl..”! I’m very excited because this week we have the pleasure of chatting with the founder of Harriet’s Alter Ego, which was a Brooklyn staple, Ngozi Odita!
if you’ve spent anytime in Brooklyn walking and /or shopping, you would have past Harriet’s Alter Ego on Flatbush Ave. an integral part of the neighborhood for over 6 years, Harriet’s was and is known for forward fashion, positively embracing culture and independent designers and artists.
a couple of years ago, I noticed that it wasn’t there anymore 
. heartbroken, I came to find out that…yay!!! they were still around! and guess what?! now we can all support them and their most amazing clothing, accessories and vibes because after closing the physical address of the store, they’re now virtually located at www.societyHAE.com.
Ngozi, as you can imagine is extremely busy, but she took time to bless us with her insights into the world of doing business solely online:
me: I know Harriet’s Alter Ego (HAE) actually had a physical storefront in Brooklyn. What was the driving force behind the decision to move to an exclusively online storefront?
Ngozi Odita: I’m a firm believer that the universe always provides and has a funny way of creating scenarios that place you on the path you’re suppose to be on. In 2008 with the economy being in flux it was becoming increasingly harder to generate the same revenue that we had in previous years, our overhead was going up but customers were spending less. So we found ourselves in a position were it no longer made economical sense to operate a brick and mortar store because our profit margin had decreased significantly. But Harriet’s Alter Ego (HAE) was more than a store, we were a neighborhood fixture for over 6 years, we contributed to the landscape of Brooklyn offering a unique voice for borough residents and the greater NYC community. Our boutique and art gallery was a destination for music, fashion and art enthusiasts, we were able to create a base from which our network grew beyond Brooklyn to include people from across the nation and overseas. So upon closing we decided to create a website, Society HAE (www.societyhae.com), so everyone who came to the store could stay connected. Once we put up the site we quickly realized that it was so much more than just a way for Harriet’s customers to connect. Society HAE resonated with people who had never been to our store but appreciated its artistic and cultural aesthetic. Our intent when we opened Harriet’s Alter Ego Boutique and Art Gallery and when we launched Society HAE was and continues to be to incorporate emerging art of all mediums into the daily lives of the community and encourage people to interact with one another in new and creative ways.
me: As a woman entrepreneur and owner of a business that exists primarily online, how do you manage your time online?
Ngozi Odita: I’m very task orientated. I create a do list the night before and then go through my list and check tasks off as I complete them. I spend the majority of my day on the computer. I start my day at around 3am, this allows me to get the bulk of my writing done uninterrupted before the business days starts. So by 10am when folks are calling me and sending emails that need immediate replies I don’t have to worry about being distracted. I get over 200 emails a day so it pretty easy to get off track and consumed with all those messages. I try and schedule meetings between 11am and 4pm. My day is a wrap by 5pm. I’m generally still online after 5pm but my activity is reading postings on my networks or on websites that I follow. When you work for yourself you really need to be focused because there are so many distractions I find “to do lists” are the best way to keep me focused and on task.
me: Do you have any particular merchant sites or small business sites/tools that you’ve found that have not only made doing business easier, but have actually increased your productivity?
Ngozi Odita: I’m a huge fan of skype. Our featured bloggers/writers live all over the world so we have been able to coordinate conference calls and editorial meetings via skype. My iPhone is indispensable I have all kinds of applications that allow me to be more productive and efficient. I use google calendar and ical to keep track of appointments, project deadlines and my daily tasks list. I use SKYPE for international calls on the go, Analytics Lite to keep up with my website’s traffic stats, MyBudget for managing budgets for different projects and itrans NYC so I never find myself wasting precious minutes on the train platform waiting on a train. I’m also a big fan of Behance who designs products and services to help creative professionals be more organized. I use their Action Method paper products and iphone app.
me: How do you see technology and social networking enhancing the vision you have for Society HAE in the next 5 years?
Ngozi Odita: Technology and social media will play an integral role in the growth of Society HAE. Our vision is to truly be a global brand with the intent of eliminating geographic boundaries and bringing folks together across the globe that share similar interests as it relates to emerging art and culture. Tools like twitter and facebook are allowing us to do this. Social Media allows us amplify our message through our various online networks. I can type 140 characters and instantaneously a 1,000 people can see my message and forward it on to hundreds of their friends. That’s powerful; imagine all the outreach and organizing one can do… Haiti is a perfect example.
There are people all over the world doing amazing things that enhance the cultural landscape of their communities. Society HAE wants to be a point of convergence for these individuals whether you live in Lagos, Nigeria; Austin, TX; Paris, France or Tokyo, Japan you can feel at home on Society HAE and connect with other likeminds. With everything we do our goal is to encourage people to go out and create and let their creative output impact the lives of those around them. Whether what you create is art or film or baked goods we all have the ability to give the gift of creativity and share what we do with others… and so we hope through our website and our events to inspire and empower people to practice our mantra, which is “Change The World, Create Something”
werd. I’m going to have to investigate some of these sites and suggestions myself because the goal is to always find a way to work smarter and not harder, always with the focus on time management, right? right. so shouts out to Ngozi Odita, Harriet’s Alter Ego and SocietyHAE for supporting art, artists and being an example for all independent entrepreneurs!
I hope to see you all next week again and if you’re in NY, make sure and stop by “She’s So Fresh” Showcase IV, The “Freshest on Film” Edition! it’s going down on May 8, 2010 at Centerstage in NYC, 48 West 21st from 2p-6p. we are doing something new and different by turning our focus to the sistas that document our lives, film makers and photographers.
PLEASE NOTE: this is a film event, and as such guests will be required to sit, and so for capacity reasons, only the first 85 people will be allowed in to screening space to see the films. there won’t be performances, but we will have wine, beer and snacks, as well as a Q&A with our film makers and photography display with images available for purchase. so please come through and support these woman artists because they real FRESH!
so, til next week good peoples!! stay up stay strong stay positive and let’s go make differences! have a blessed week,
peaces,
rox.
© 2010 J.A.G. Music and Media
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hi everybody! welcome back to “Just A Girl…”! this week we are stepping outside the realm of music because entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes as do what they are offering the world.
WELCOME TO OYIN HANDMADE.
Jamyla Bennu, ingredient-conscious & generally crafty chick is Grand Mixtress of Oyin Handmade. always having been one for mixing things together and personalizing products for her own needs & preferences, Oyin Handmade was about experimentation, having fun, and feeling in control of what she was using on her body.
when she realized that even some of her favorite ‘natural’ bodycare items tended to use petroleum, mineral oil, corn oil, or other non-nourishing ingredients; she decided she could do just as well by herself, and started working on her own recipes. With research, study, and good old trial & error, Oyin Handmade has strived since its beginning to create products that are not just natural, but nourishing.
born in winter 2001 when Jamyla started sharing her all-natural bodycare products with a small circle of family and friends, from there, Oyin Handmade has moved to fairs and shows, and the inevitable launch of the website in spring of 2003.
joined by her husband and partner Pierre… and over the years by a slowly growing, dedicated, and brilliant team of Oyin HoneyBees… and a somewhat distracting but super fun new HoneyBaby born in 2008, Oyin Handmade is focused on bringing the world love-filled, natural products.
of course being an entrepreneur, wife and mom means a sista is busy to say the least but in watching Oyin Handmade grow, I really wanted to get her take on the contribution the interweb has made to that growth. not too mention that when I first moved to New york, Jamyla and Pierre were two of the first people I met and they took me right in and showed me the most amazing film “Baraka” which if you haven’t seen, you must. so to watch their business become established and expand has been a pleasure, so please also check out their website Exit the Apple. AND Pierre wrote one of the books that I consider to be a major influence on my life as an artist “Bullshit or Fertilizer”, which I think somebody swiped, so I’m prolly gonna ask for another copy after this..;-).
but anyway!
this amazing sista took time out to answer some of my questions:
me: do you feel that you’re online presence has contributed to your sales and growth as a brand?
Jamyla Bennu: our online presence has more or less CREATED our sales and growth as a brand. when oyinhandmade started, it was a collection of stuff i’d experimented and created for my own use, then shared with family and friends. this was in like 2002, 2003, and web 2.0 hadn’t hit with social media and crowdsourcing and community building and such, but i’d been blogging for a few years and was active in a popular natural hair discussion site, nappturality.com. when i created the site for oyin, it was fellow members of that site who tried it first and who spread the word. the internet was 100% responsible for oyin’s growth over the past 7 years — i can count on one hand the number of times we’ve done the ‘traditional vending’ thing.
me: how much time do you spend online promoting your brand?
Jamyla Bennu: i try to check in via twitter at least once or twice a day, blog at least once a week, and create a youtube video and/or podcast once a month. when things are super busy in the production kitchen, that can easily drop to tweeting once every three days and blogging once or twice a month. we are extremely lucky to have a good amount of buzz among our customers, bloggers, youtubers, etc, so even when i’m not doing the online promotion myself, there is usually something being mentioned out there in the interwebs. we are super thankful to all our customers who review and recommend our products!
me: what are some of your fave sites? (i.e. espy.com, etc..)
Jamyla Bennu: nappturality.com is a great resource and community for natural hair and it’ll always have a spot in my heart since it’s where i belonged when oyin was born. naturallycurly.com is another community/resource and they also have an online shop for many different types of hair products, including ours. i love facebook, as a 1-stop shop to keep in touch with my family and friends in a life that is often too busy for its own good. we use amazon.com at least once a week to save ourselves some errand or another – everything from a replacement laptop battery to a copy of God Of War 3.
me: are you using any technology to assist you in building your brand, besides your website?
Jamyla Bennu: we use google voice to route our business calls to whichever oyin honeybee is on customer service duty at the time. that is SUPER handy. but, that’s kind of backend, not brand building, huh. we do a video podcast and are lucky enough to have pierre bennu – a fabulous, award winning filmmaker – on staff to direct and edit our podcasts, commercials, and other media. the oyin brand benefits BIG TIME from his one of a kind film sensibility – it’s helped position us as that goofy, approachable, mom&pop company and we feel it’s helping us connect to our customers in a different way.
me: as entrepreneurs, networking is very important, in person and online. have you found that this is easier with all of the tools available online? or do you prefer the old fashioned method of person to person net working?
Jamyla Bennu: we are hermits and that’s a big part of why we became entrepreneurs in the first place: online all the way!! we are only just now beginning to come out of our ‘virtual business’ shell with the opening of our saturday boutique in baltimore a year ago, and now with multiple bottling parties per month, when we get a chance to meet and work with our wonderful customers and volunteers. so i guess we’re working kind of backwards, starting with the virtual and just getting around to the ‘old fashioned’ way many years after the fact!
hey, it is all good! because that is the beauty of having all of these tools at our disposal, we can start low cost, online and build from there. so shouts to Jamyla Bennu (and Pierre and Honeybaby..lol), as well as all the Honeybees that are supporting Oyin Handmade’s efforts to make us all more beautiful and healthy at the same time! make sure you check out the Oyin Handmade website and if you’re in Baltimore, stop by the shop!
now, as this week past was the interactive portion of SXSW and this is a blog about the different and varied uses of technology for artists and others, I wanted to point you to a great article on abcnews.com that features some of the tech that was presented at this year’s SXSW Interactive. enjoy! and if your in Austin for the music portion of SXSW, def stop by and check out the sistas rocking for Women in Hip Hop at “The Revival” presented by Emergence.
so I’ll check y’all next week, be cool in between, k?
peaces and deuces,
rox
© J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC
Can You Connect The Old School Way?
by Simone Kelly-Brown
Take the Flintstone Challenge
Can You Connect Again Like the Good Old Days?
Or are you stuck in the “Jetson’s Age” forever?
The other day my car had to be serviced due to a leaky part. While seated in the waiting room, I was told that the computers were down and it would be a little longer wait than they expected. The mechanics had to check on my part in their intranet, but of course, they couldn’t find out what parts were available, since the system was down.
The waiting room was peaceful with an imaginary aquarium full of colorful fish, floating high above our heads on the 60 inch screen TV. The soothing sounds of classical music playing in the background relaxed me. Who needs real fish? LOL (Gotta love technology eh?)
Which brings me to my point. The only other person in the room with me flipped through a magazine and looked up to say, “Isn’t it a shame how much we rely on technology? How we can’t do much without it?”
Joseph (I’d soon find out) was waiting for the computers to come back on so he could resume his work in the finance department of the Acura Dealership. We discussed how far we’ve come as a society with technology, yet thought about how much better off we might be without it. It’s one of those Catch 22 situations. Even though technology has made life quicker and easier for us, in many ways it hinders quality communication and building solid relationships from forming.
“We probably would not have even met if weren’t for the computers shutting off”, Joseph joked.
We thought back to the days way before the early 90’s when we were probably just a tad smarter as a society. Well, dare I say a lot smarter.
Ponder this for a moment…
• How many people’s phone numbers do you actually know by heart as compared to before cell phones invaded our lives? (Or for those born before the 80’s…back to when we had to use payphones. ~Yuck, shivers at the thought.~ LOL)
• Or how about when spell-check was something you did with a real live dictionary. Yes, the ones with pages.
I remember saying, “Mom, how do you spell…”
Even if she knew the answer, “Get the dictionary, Simone!,” she’d yell back.
I’d say, “Awh Ma, how can I look it up if I don’t know how to spell it?” …And that my friends made us smarter. We learned a lot from searching didn’t we?
Come on, we must have used just a bit more brain power back then. Have we become lazy, because of technology? Today we’re living the push-button-and-go lifestyle. Are we the JETSONS OR WHAT? Aside from the flying cars, we pretty much have almost all the bells and whistles the cartoonists dreamed about when they created that cartoon from microwaves to video phones…and of course the most incredible IPHONE! ~Just go one. lol~
But, I Remember When…
* Remember when people took the time to write a heart-felt letter instead of a forwarded chain letter to tell you they loved you as a true friend?
* Or when you could drive on the road and the person next to you would be doing just that..DRIVING. Not obsessed multitasking mania: text messaging, putting on mascara, looking at their GPS or yapping on the phone!
* Remember when you would call around to a few friends to find a long lost buddy, instead of going to facebook or myspace. (Okay, okay… this one I gotta admit is a keeper. Found some college and elementary school friends this way! BTW…Add me as a friend! lol)
* Or get this, when you actually KNEW the people that lived next to you. I mean not just a wave, a head nod, but they might even come over for dinner once in a while.
Sorry to say, that gone are the days of quality connections…unless maybe you live in a small town that is. However, there’s still hope. There are a few folks out there holding on and trying to keep real communication going. Folks trying to inspire community in all that they do.
My hats off to you all who take the time to send a hand-written thank you card, who stop and talk to a neighbor for even five minutes. Those who actually call someone back when they call you instead of replying with a rushed text message. To those who call up family members to check up on them instead of waiting until they are on their death bed to pay a visit. ~Ouch! Yes, I went there!~ Hey..you know it’s true!
Sooooo, Mr. Buzzin’ BlackBerry and Ms. I’msoDarnBusy…I got a little test for you. Are you up for The Flintstone Challenge?
Try to take it back to the past. You might feel like you’re in the stone ages, but so what. It’s time to connect on a deeper level with your fellow man.
~ Sappy violin music starts.~ Awh man, somebody get me a Kleenex!
TRY FLINTSTONE CHALLENGE!
PICK AT LEAST ONE THING TO DO IN THE NEXT WEEK AND SEE HOW YOU FEEL!
1. Write a REAL letter (with a pen). Remember the ones that have stamps and envelopes? Let an old friend or significant other know how much you miss them. Give them an update on what’s need and exciting in your life. If you really want to take it back, throw in an old photo of you two together.
2. Be alone with yourself and really enjoy Numero Uno. Spend quiet time on a park bench, in the library, a museum, etc. Journal, read a good book, meditate. Enjoy being in the moment with your thoughts. (No cell phones or T.V. aloud)
3. Try a Mind Cleanse…No TV at ALL. See how long you can do it. If you don’t have the shakes after day one, be a big shot and shoot for three. Lol In exchange…write more and read more. See how much you can actually learn without the boob tube on.
4. Here’s a big one…stop by and visit a neighbor or if you don’t know the neighbor’s name….say, “It’s a shame, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves. My name is Mr. BlackBerry, so good to meet you!”
5. Oh boy, I Iied, THIS is the big one especially for Iphone and BlackBerry addicts. DON’T CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR ……………………wait for it…………..
an ENTIRE DAY! I know, devastating for some of you guys. I actually feel like I’m on vacation when I don’t check my email. LOL It’s great, try it!
6. Be a Goodie Two Shoes and help save the world! Volunteer to teach a class at a local community, help out at an animal shelter, assist the homeless, work in a domestic violence shelter, or help out at a church after school program.
Can you do it? Try and slow down for a few and reconnect with what’s truly important. ~Sappy violin music ends~
Come back here and post your results or your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!
Own Your Power! Yabba Dabba Doooooo!!!!
(Okay that was a bit much, but I couldn’t help myself)
Simone
Simone Kelly Brown, the passionate visionary behind Own Your Power Communications, encourages you to own your business and pursue a holistic lifestyle. Check her community out and connect with like-minds here: http://www.ownyourpower.ning.com
Join us!
(REMEMBER! If you are a MEMBER of The Bloom Effect you get in at only $19!!!! That’s an $80 Savings. Tickets are now $99 without the group discount from our partner. Ask Fiona to send you the li nk if you missed it in your in box this week.)
WHO: Own Your Power Communications (OYPC) founded by Simone Kelly-Brown has been empowering entrepreneurs to take their company and life’s dreams to the next level since 1996. OYP takes a holistic approach to business by offering small business, lifestyle and wellness content on their site and through events. C&G Enterprises, founded by Stacie N.C. Grant is an event planning company which provides Visionary Leadership & Purpose Driven Event Management for Community Based & Non-Profit Organizations.
WHAT: Own Your Power Biz Conference (OYPBC). Business and personal development workshops designed to broaden vision and bring clarity–for your businesses future! The focus is Reinventing Your Business from the Inside Out! The highly anticipated gathering of the minds will include strategic management forums on topics such as Reinventing Your Business in 90 Days with Andrew Morrison, 7 Ultimate Systems To Have Your Business Run With or Without with Simone Kelly-Brown, How to Become a Social Media Superstar panel, and Listening To Your Business breakout sessions with over six experts and much more. For more information on the conference or to register, visit www.ownyourpower.biz/conference/
WHERE: St. John’s University – Queens Campus, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11429. The Queen’s campus is located within easy reach of all the boroughs, allowing attendees convenient traveler access. It is accessible by all public transportation (trains and buses).
Free parking for guests is available entering through Gate 1.
WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2009 – Time: 9:00am-7:00pm
Simone
Read More About Her!:
Purple St. James is an artist who invokes memories of the soul greats of the past. Funky, beautiful and passionate, her sound pushes the envelope at times, while being subtly sexy and familiar at other times.
In her former life, you may have known her as a shooting black star named YahZarah, where you’ve witnessed her performing with Soul legends like Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker and Dave Brubek; or you may have been exposed to her singing alongside some of her contemporaries including Floetry, Musiq Soul Child, Kem, Donnie, Amel Larrieux, Goapele, Talib Kweli, Rahsaan Paterson, Raheem Davaughn, Chaka Kahn, Bilal Oliver, The Roots, Little Brother and the list goes on and on.
A one-time background singer for one of the founders of the neo-soul movement, Erykah Badu, YahZarah released two critically acclaimed musical ventures to date: “Hear Me” (released on the Keo Music label) and “Black Star” (released on the Three Keys label).
Set to release her third project “Yahzarah: Introducing Purple St. James”, Purple St. James has created a unique mold that cannot be replicated. She is one of a kind. She is the confluence of that which is both classic and cutting edge. Hearing Purple St. James elevate from a soul diva to a funk shaman causes your ears and soul to be inundated with a sound that’s part Shirley Caesar and part Sly Stone, with a touch of the Minnie Ripperton. Prepare to be pulled in, and to become hooked on Ms. Purple St. James.
Website(s)/Myspace Page
www.myspace.com/yahzarah
See Purple Performances On U Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_qIt4J1Tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnqX9mRDxyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ5Nl9_ctjc
Well, maybe not save the world, but make a nice big dent in the cause to improve the environment at least! :0) I am a big fan of recycling and my newest thing I love to do is composting. Nothing gets wasted in my house! LOL Did you know that uneaten food now makes up roughly 12 percent of landfill material? My little garden is now blossoming thanks to old fruit peels, tea bags, newspaper clippings, leaves, shredded bills, and papaya skins, just to name a few. I know, sounds scrumptious doesn’t it?
I used to think my mother was NUTS or just a green thumb fanatic. When I would visit her, after I had made breakfast, she would lose it if I threw certain things in the garbage. She would make me put egg shells and tea bags in her gross pile of stuff for her plants. There was a pail she had way in the back yard and when she lifted the cover, it was not nice to see. LOL I had no idea what she was doing, but I did know she did have the greenest garden on the block! You could also live off the land. She had grapefruit, tangerines, tomatoes, peppers, callalou, pineapple, mint, just loads of things growing in her back yard along with beautiful roses and other flowers.
When my husband and I moved into our home with a garden, I started to read up on how you could recycle things in the home with composting. I only knew how to take care of house plants before,however now having a garden made me catch the ‘green thumb’ from my mom. So, I now see Mom wasn’t that crazy 
If you can compost, I suggest you try it out and read up on details of what NOT to compost such as meats, fish, etc… Make sure you get good containers to put them in as well, since the smell is not always that pretty in the very early stages of it. Composting overall cuts out on garbage and it’s a great way to help out the environment and create your own rich soil for your plants.
Good Resources To Browse:
1. Read on here for more on composting.
3. All about Composting and Composters
Now you know that there’s more to recycling than melting down plastic soda bottles to make new plastic soda bottles. These days you can turn medicine bottles into life jackets and old running shoes into new playground surfacing. How’s that for reincarnation? Check out this new little tool I found that helps you get creative with going green!
Keep Livin’ Good!
Simone