Q: Susu, What Do You Do?

Susu, what do you do?

a:

IGNITE THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT 

Susu TRAINS and ASSISTS local entrepreneurs.

Vendor Market Certification is a business development course for creative and cultural entrepreneurs to launch product and skill into a market vendor business.

Young Entrepreneur Program is a business skill and social entrepreneur project based training and apprenticeship for youth to launch new business.

Susu PARTNERS with local entrepreneurs and community to practice cooperative economics.

Cooperative Vending– Incubator members negotiate vending opportunities as a collective unit

New Business Project Management Services to launch new business projects

Susu Economics workshops, Susu Banker services, Micro-Investment Opportunities

Ongoing Vendor Markets

Vendor Participant: Shaunte McMillan

Guest Vendor: Rhianna Mack True Artist Brand

Teen Vendor Nerayah Maat

It is our goal to BUILD GOOD and STRONG business in our neighborhoods (and global neighborhoods like it) as a vital piece of infrastructure in securing the health of our communities.

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Strong Business = Strong Community

We are on a mission to ride the wave of re-urbanization by investing in the rich experience of the local entrepreneur to add remedy to displacement, food insecurity, low income and bad fashion!  We mean it! We are on a mission to contribute to the global movement to preserve the cultural history of our neighborhoods and nurture business that in turn nurtures the community.

Our target area is Oak Cliff Texas, a low-to-mid income area in the Dallas.  It is our goal to open healthy business hubs in our neighborhoods to meet the demands for SPACE  :

• For Local entrepreneurs to develop, produce and sell their goods and services
• For community to access fresh foods, safe business hubs/public space, and quality goods
• to build a welcome bridge between global creative and cultural communities and local artisans

Contact Susu Cultural Business Incubator for more information, workshops, vendor markets, and other opportunities: susuVendor@gmail.com

Check SUSU FB Page for more info!

Thank you for your support.  Feel free to leave a comment.  We LOVE hearing from you.

CBI Definition

‘…introduce yoself, represent yoself….

Defining CBI

The mission of the Cultural Business Incubator & Co-op, CBI, is to launch and support socially responsible business clusters in low-to-mid income neighborhoods that promote community development through supporting local ownership and practicing cooperative economics.  The Cultural Business Incubator and Co-Op is a platform to collectively develop business solutions that revitalize neighborhoods.   CBI’s goals are realized through modules that specifically develop youth entrepreneurship, apprentice programs, start-up and established businesses and community micro finance practices.  

So, what does all of this mean?  Here’s a quick reference guide defining key phrases in CBI’s mission:  

 

What is a business incubator? 

The idea of a business incubator is to provide resources (office space, training, networks,) that develop businesses.  CBI supports start-up companies and community members with workshops and training, space and equipment and accelerator programs.  CBI supports building the capacity of established businesses by facilitating expansion projects.  CBI also aims to facilitate community susu circles and other cooperative economics initiatives.

What is a co-op?

The co-op model is community working at its finest.  Co-ops allow a space for pooled resources, shared work and shared wealth.  Co-op’s can work a few different ways.  At its core, co-op members are also owners and profits are shared by the members instead of external investors.  Members of the co-op share resources, services and the work.  Members are the voice in business decisions.  CBI will assist in forming local co-ops as a vital part of the Cultural Business Hubs. This will include member and business co-op models.

What is a socially responsible business cluster or hub?

It means businesses with a vested interest in the health of the community in which it exists.  The current strips with the liquor store, pay day loan, food chain, high priced / low quality grocery store is not a socially responsible hub.  A model such as a locally owned juice bar, cultural retail shop, natural hair salon, food co-op and resource center is the hub model option that CBI aims to create.  CBI is committed to nurturing businesses that in turn nurture the community.

Why are socially responsible business clusters important in the hood?

One: low income neighborhoods need and deserve healthy options and settings.  We like smoothies, affordable organic produce and safe places to gather.  Can we take that row of abandoned buildings and put those needs into business there?

Two: low income neighborhoods can build a stronger economic foundation that improves community conditions and positions the people of the neighborhood to assist similar communities to do the same.  This changes ‘underserved’ communities to ‘self-served’ community networks.

Three: businesses clusters or hubs create community ‘strongholds’ or zones of goodness in which the businesses can support each other and serve the neighborhood in a ‘sweet spot’ or active example of the benefits of collective work and responsibility- Ujima.

What do you mean ‘cultural’ business?

The creative and cultural industry… It is our niche.

“…those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation.” If you want to read more about the global dialogue on creative and cultural industry,you will enjoy exploring the work and research from this link: Creative Cities.

The Susu Cultural Business incubator focuses on the following sectors:  Cultural Retail, Crafts, Design(graphic, fashion, interior, landscape), Gastronomy/Ethnic Food/Health Food, Health & Wellness, Performing and Visual Arts, Cultural Aesthetics.   

Questions? Want to get involved?

Leave a comment below or email: susuVendor@gmail.com

Launching A Launch Pad

Greetings! Welcome to SusuEco blog post!

WHO ARE WE?

I am Tisha Crear and I will be posting about the journey of launching projects through the Cultural Business Incubator & Co-op (CBI).  CBI is a community development platform to collectively cultivate business solutions that address economic disparity and poor quality of life in low to mid income neighborhoods.  The mission of CBI is to launch and support socially responsible business hubs in low to mid income neighborhoods that promote community development through local ownership and cooperative economics.

I’m talking building better business in the hood baby!

HOOD BUSINESS AND HEALTH

If we wonder where the jobs are, there is plenty of work to be done in our neighborhoods.  When one reads: “low to mid income neighborhood” What images come to mind? What types of businesses do you think of?  The corner store, liquor store, gas station combo? or the check cashing, pawn shop, dollar store, car wash model? or the beauty supply, chicken chain, tobacco shop, club/bar cluster?

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some good businesses in our neighborhoods and i’m not knocking the Ma and Paw’s.  However, the current condition of business and access to quality is lacking tremendously. And there is plenty of suffering because of it…

Look at the woes that come with the businesses listed above. Many of our neighborhoods are considered food deserts (Check this food desert locator) meaning there is a shortage of access to fresh food.  That’s not good. One does not need a study to understand the relationship between fresh food access  and diet-related diseases  like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Many can just look at our family members or the child eating hot chips from the local store for breakfast.  And, not only our physical health but, our fiscal health? The ‘Pay Day Loan’ and ‘Title Loan’ option is a money trap!  We would do much better forming susu circles and practicing ujamaa or cooperative economics.  (Thus, the subtitle for this blog susu, ujamaa and nem.  I will post more on these old African systems of collectively building wealth.)

IN THE SPIRIT OF OUR ANCESTORS

So i know we can create better businesses in our neighborhoods.  I know that these businesses can be quality.  I know that if we owned more of our neighborhood businesses then we could knock a dent in a few severe issues like employment and access to healthy options. The idea is not at all new.   And it is true that there have been systematic events set in place to derail the path to economic participation and stability for the Black and African community

read about Black Wall Street

In a period spanning fewer than 12 hours, a once thriving 36-black business district in northern Tulsa lay smoldering-A model community destroyed, and a major Africa-American economic movement resoundingly defused. 

PRINCIPLE AND PRACTICE

Here, we will discuss how the Cultural Business Incubator and Co-op will test America in this era of Obama and green thinking and social entrepreneurship. History tells us that there are surely obstacles waiting.  With that being said, there is no choice other than to practice

Kuumba: Do all that we can, in the way that we can, to leave it better than we found it. 

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

– Tea