Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i ScoopVizion

CHANGING NARRATIVE For people who are already in business or who plan on starting a business shortly in Philadelphia, they all received good news on Monday, April 15, 2024. Mayor Cherelle Parker and her team came to the Allegheny West Foundation Business and Community Resource Center at 2850 N. 22nd Street to visit the Allegheny West business corridor and share some good news. She announced that the Parker Administration is making it easier for people who want to legitimately be in business in our city. In short, Mayor Parker is going to see to it that some of the red tape is cut. That’s wonderful news. Philadelphia businesses are the economic heartbeat of our city, and their success is a win for us all. Mayor Parker shared her commitment to…

ARLINGTON, WASH. (AP) — When Washington state opened some of the nation's first legal marijuana stores in 2014, Sam Ward Jr. was on electronic home detention in Spokane, where he had been indicted on federal drug charges. He would soon be off to prison to serve the lion's share of a four-year sentence. A decade later, Ward, who is Black, recently posed in a blue-and-gold throne used for photo ops at his new cannabis store, Cloud 9 Cannabis. He greeted customers walking in for early 4/20 deals. And he reflected on being one of the first beneficiaries of a Washington program to make the overwhelmingly white industry more accessible to people harmed by the war on drugs. "It feels great to know that I'm the CEO of a store, with…

CHARLOTTE, NC, April 2024—If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re used to doing hard things. So why do you struggle with saying NO? Whether you need to turn down a prospective client, reject a misguided employee idea, or decline the invitation to chair a committee at a professional organization, why does that two-letter word get stuck in your throat? Julie Bee says, for one thing, entrepreneurs are human. It doesn’t feel good to anyone to let someone else down. But there’s more to the story than that, she says. “I think entrepreneurs in particular struggle with this because we tend to be growth-focused and are always on the lookout for new opportunities,” says Bee, author of Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success (Matt Holt, June 2024, ISBN: 978-1-6377449-0-1).…

So often, as elders we’ll resist new ideas, stifle the visions of our young people, and discount the power of their visions for the future because it’s beyond our realm of possibility…you know there’s quite a bit of truth to the adage about becoming set in our ways as we age. I distinctly recall speaking with and watching brilliant young playwright, author, filmmaker, motivational speaker, and director Tiona Brown at the beginning of her journey putting this project together. I remember thinking it was cool, but I didn’t think it would amount to a major box office hit. Still, I was excited about it because she seemed so excited about it. The movie titled “Who” is a love story that touches on some very weighty subject matters such as HIV,…

In the realm of leadership, where strategy and vision often take precedence, the concept of leading with love may seem unconventional. However, embracing a leadership style rooted in compassion, empathy, and connection can have a profound impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. Today, we will explore the principles of leading with love, its practical applications in the workplace, and the transformative power it can unleash. Understanding Heart-Centered Leadership: At its core, heart-centered leadership is about leading with compassion, empathy, and authenticity. This approach prioritizes the well-being and growth of individuals, fosters a culture of trust and collaboration, and inspires a shared sense of purpose and belonging. Cultivating Emotional Intelligence: Leading with love requires a high level of emotional intelligence – the ability to understand and manage emotions--both in oneself and…

CHICAGO (AP) — London-based model Alexsandrah has a twin, but not in the way you'd expect: Her counterpart is made of pixels instead of flesh and blood. The virtual twin was generated by artificial intelligence and has already appeared as a stand-in for the real-life Alexsandrah in a photo shoot. Alexsandrah, who goes by her first name professionally, in turn, receives credit and compensation whenever the AI version of herself gets used — just like a human model. Alexsandrah says she and her alter-ego mirror each other "even down to the baby hairs." And it is yet another example of how AI is transforming creative industries — and the way humans may or may not be compensated. Proponents say the growing use of AI in fashion modeling showcases diversity in…

CHICAGO, IL, March 28, 2024–The BOSS Network, an online community of professional and entrepreneurial women who support each other through digital content, programs, and event-based networking, and Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, announced the 25 awardees of the 2024 Invest in Progress Grant to support black women entrepreneurs in their first five years of business. The BOSS Network and Sage’s “Invest in Progress” grant is a three-year, $1.5 million commitment via the Sage Foundation to support the BOSS Impact Fund, which is focused on raising investment funding for 500+ black women-led businesses and preparing entrepreneurs to build scalable, growth aggressive companies. In January 2024, participants were invited to apply for the “Invest in Progress” grant – which offered 25 Black…