Unfortunately a really good business concept, has to close down, and go out of business.
She’s woman owned and operated. A Black woman at that.
I would hate for that to happen to me with Monarch Connections.
I feel for the entrepreneur and black business owner, because people consumed her social media content but did not buy her products. Now, that’s not entirely true, but I wanted to leave my first thought here. I want to ponder this societical process.
Consumption at a cost.
The cost of the Black entrepreneur.
This kind of news should make us all bow our heads with a fowl reaction.
It should make us all upset, and sad, and bothered. It should change you.
I often see myself in her hustle becuase as an solopreneur, her and I alike are doing many roles, all the time. We create the thing (event/course/product), promote it (word of mouth, social, newsletters, email list), ship it, and it my case, host it (pay for monthly products like Canva, Zoom, and internet services, technology), communicate with everyone (being meticulous at email), getting to each individual questions, following up and so on.
What is devastating to me that we all will scroll through Instagram & other social sites, to consume and get “high”-like feelings as we double tap, and swipe. A person can consume information, enjoy something they read, but not even credit beyond a name drop, for the business owner in return who dropped such knowledge that you used to transform something in your world.
Now, here is another truth to ponder in this thought process.
She had to have been doing a few things incorrectly, or catering to the wrong kind of customer. In business, you have to know your audience, and speak to them.
However, as an entrepreneur, you have to take risks and experiement.
Obviously, people did by her products, and people were changed by her business. But one big issue her and I share in common is that, part of our business caters to a population of people that rarely have to admit that they need to change something, which is everyone, but in this case, white adoptive parents, and white folks in proximity to Black and other BIPOC people.
You say you know your Black neighbors because your in proximity and the occaisal “how are you?,” interactions happens, but you refuse to pay the Black entrepreneur on your feed for her skin care products, handmade jewelry, or conversation centered around race. In most cases, white folks like that consume in ways that comforts them.
While holding power, and getting more pay, it is not helpful only to speak about reading a book about race or saying you live/lived in a minority majority community. And the worst, “I work for an organization that does x, y, z, for at risk/underserved youth, families” or something closely related, and think that’s going to mean something — NO.
So yeah, actually be sad about Black owned and Black women owned going out of business, or being emotionally exhusted from vultures. Be sad about that.
My biggest promotional statement right now in selling my Transracial Adoption 201 course is “if you live in proximity/work with/work to “better the lives” to Black, Brown, Asian, LatinX, Indigenous, Mixed race or other people of color, adoptees, foster youth, or a BIPOC person in your family, you need to make a lifelong commitment toward racial change.”
Whether you attend Transracial Adoption 201 because you have an adoptee in your house, your care as a foster parent, or simply noted, you are someone in the world who has proximity to an adoptee and wants to know how to be a more supportive and loving as a person, as an ally, you will definitely hear and work through some unique topics that most likely have not heard of or really dissected.
You have to want to change.
As I have said to my Unpacking Whiteness event, to the folks who bravely attended it, you have to self identify as white person when we do introductions, because if you really take this work seriously, you have to be able to see your privilege in how that elevates you (by never having to say it) as superior/better.
You were likely raised without the proximity and real ability to have a Black friend, so now you need to listen and learn from many. White men and white women all too often get pass after pass to cry, to make mistakes, and say something like “I’ll be an ally” and fall short with no consequences.
Me?
Her?
Not the same reaction.
Unfollows,
slower consumption and slower sales.
We get voted out as bad, angry, or unprofessional. I’m over it. I’m sad for us.
If you read all the way down and showed interest in the course or want to attend with a friend or family member — I have a gift for you.
$20 off TRA 201 today - Friday. And your friends can get $20 off with this code too (code inside the form)
If you are a non white person and enjoy this content, connect for real! :) I recently added a page of “connection points” at Monarch-Connections.com so please check it out. More ways to connect with Monarch Connections
If you are a religious person, someone who finds conversations around faith interesting, or simply want to hear what adoptees think about a specific topic, come and engage with adoptees and our thoughts about how Christians need to hear from us.
The Church and Adoption (anyone is welcome)
I hope you are well and I want to hear from you. Please leave a comment, question, thought, or restack this newsletter. Longer thoughts, shoot me an email: molly@monarch-connections.com.
✌🏽 Molly w/Monarch Connections