Rebuilding cities

   Rebuildingcities

On Friday our founder Medina Citi had a panel about being a tech-enabled company. He had the pleasure of being on the panel with Chris Taylor  ( C.M.O of Word Press), Aisha Glover ( President of Newark CEDC) and Jeffery Robison (Professor a Rutgers business) . Tech is great to have in business but a lot of small business in Newark are not connected to the world.

75 % of small business in Newark are not connected to the internet.

There is no way these businesses could connect to anything or anyone outside of word of mouth. Being online can improve the image of your store/company. Citi Medina, Founder of =SPACE (EqualSpace),  stated that we need more of our Newark businesses to get with the program and connected to their community and the rest of the world.

 

Stats on social media and small business

Outside of Newark, most businesses need social media. 44% of business owners said they depend on social media to generate brand awareness; 41% of said they depend on it to drive revenue. 90% of local business owners said that their social marketing efforts have increased exposure for their business and 75 percent said that they’ve increased traffic, according to smallbiztrends.com.  50% of business owners that have been implementing social media marketing tactics for two years have reported improved sales. Social media marketing truly helps to push your brand out!

Ways To Manage Your Money.

Money management is one of the most essential tools in life. It is not only about how much you can save, it is about how much you can invest, and how you can multiply your savings.

In this video, personal finance guru and author Ash Cash offers practical and actionable personal finance tips, which you can get a jump on now. His expertise extents to subject like getting the right life insurance, importance of property investments, e.t.c.

Take a look at the video

Skills YOU Need To Become A Successful Entrepreneur.

While discussing what it truly takes to become a successful entrepreneur, one will discover that some very soft skills outweighs book smart. In an interview with black enterprise, Author K. Renee Ward talks about the common overlooked skills needed to turn one’s passion into a paycheck.

One of the overlooked skills happens to be resiliency. Resiliency is the capability to recover quickly from difficulties and toughness. It means bouncing back and becoming better. The ability to bounce back is not as easy as you might think. It requires a positive mind and handwork. Though we try to avoid difficulties or failure, they are bound to happen. It all depends on how you want to deal with this failure, will you let it break you or will you bounce back and never make the same mistake again?

For more overlooked skills and to find out about Ward’s secret sauce to success, click here

 

As an Entrepreneur, do you have the communication skills you need?

Running a business requires countless numbers of skills to keep it up and running. Communication can either make or break your business; therefore, a good communication skill is vital. In this article, Jill Schiefelbein, professional Speaker and Business Communication expert, emphasizes on the biggest communication mistakes entrepreneur tends to make. As humans, mistakes are bound to happen but it is important to learn from those mistakes so they do not happen again. Schiefelbein employs 14 female founders in this article to discuss steps to strengthen one’s communication skills.

Some of the steps are as follows:

1. Making sure your audience understands  YOU, whether it be investors, employees, etc.

2. In person interactions are much more beneficial than texting, emailing, etc. Communicating via email or text does not always answer an individual’s questions or concerns efficiently.

3.  Communicate in general. Do not always rely on yourself to complete tasks; furthermore, try to think as a group because of the more knowledge you add to the table can bring better success.

For the many more steps to strengthen  your communication skills and some common communication mistakes, click here. 

The making of the VC Cheat Sheet

Even after stumbling over the word “positionality”–uncertain of its validity and existence in Webster’s dictionary–Melissa Jackson and her partner, Anthony Frasier, are certain that they have crafted the cheat code needed for small businesses to properly work with venture capitals. Jackson, a program manager for the black and latino tech initiative at Rutgers’ business school, and Frasier, a starter of tech businesses, met with talk show host Karen Hunter to discuss their steps towards entrepreneurial success. As the conversation begins, Jackson reveals the thesis of their conversation: cracking the code on how to raise money for early stage companies.

Jackson attributes the success of her crafted cheat sheet from simply interviewing VCs. She would listen and record the necessary information each VC would provide. Hunter, surprised by Jackson’s simplistic approach, queried the pair’s knowledge on entrepreneurs of color and their success. Frasier, then, chimed in by referencing Porter Braswell, CEO and Co-founder of Jopwell–a liaison company eager to help create a more diverse workforce. As reassurement, he cited Braswell’s credential in amassing four million dollars through VCs. Frasier concluded Braswell’s success seems foreign to other would-be entrepreneurs and startups due to their unfamiliarity in networking with VCs. Jackson, however, believes that their 10 week pre-accelerator, network and cheat sheet will lead towards success for entrepreneurs and their startups–especially those of color.    

 

For more information, click here

Calixtech News Podcast (Episode 3)

Calixtech News is your one way stop for all things tech, from new gadget & movie reviews to podcasts with innovative and technologically advanced leaders.

Check out episode 3 of Calixtech News Podcast with, technology founder of mobile dating site Cheekd, Lori Cheek and Calixtech News founder, Reginald Calixte!!

Click here to listen in!

The Business & You

Since the founding of successful businesses such as Google, Apple, and Ford Industries, people have wondered how to create their own business closely related to their success. There are plenty of self-help programs and business plans to help one gain their own business, but that seems to be the extent of knowledge ever offered to a person. While it is important to note how to start up one’s own business, knowing how to maintain it is more important. The ability to maintain a company falls to the creator of said company/business. A company is only as strong as its’ foundation, with that being said some elaboration is due. The simple fact is, no business plan or inspirational seminar seems to ask one career-breaking question; looking through the eyes of a consumer, would I buy my own product?

If you are able to honestly answer that question with a firm yes, then you are halfway to success. A person must be willing to admit their faults and say with certainty if they are proud of their product. Starting a company is difficult, yet looks easy especially with online start-up and “self-startup” programs advertised almost daily. With all this in mind, it is important to remember all of the business plans or online assistants in the world will not matter until one is ready to ask, would I run a good business & am I ready to climb up the mountain of pain and struggle?

(If you are ready to climb that mountain, click here).

Calixtech News with our Founder Medina

CTN Podcast Episode 1 – Featuring Citi Medina Founder of Equal Space & Jhamar Youngblood Founder of Blast Chat.
Discussing Diversity in Tech, The City of Newark, And Education

June Calendar

We are committed to connecting with the community on a deeper level and building bridges for others to cross. That is the mission of this calendar, to remind everyone of the beauties and opportunities that Newark offers. Enjoy EqualSpace Monthly, give us your time and we will give you the latest and greatest in Newark SPACE(r)!