SUTHERLAND GOES GLOBAL

Rosealee Sutherland (Left) and Deven Sutherland (Right)

Transforming oneself into a successful entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, one must be brave enough to bring their inner visions to life, possessing the courage, stamina and the creative witts to make something from nothing or to see what no one else sees or understands in the market place then bring it to life. This week we highlight Devene Sutherland one whom we believe embodies all of the above.

Devene Sutherland; owner of "House of Deva Bandeau", Miss Sutherland wears many hats as a teacher, debate coach, dance coordinator, student and mother of two children. She started her business in 2014 designing and making hair accessories, she found success with her staple product, satin hair bonnets which is her best seller.

“The love I have for my hair first sparked my entrepreneurial dream which spawned House of Deva Bandeau. (HDB) consist of an array of custom made hair accessories. The greatest thing about HDB bonnets is that my customers get to customize their own accessories, choosing the style, color, and print they feel represents them best. Customer service is the most important thing to us ensuring that our customers are 100% satisfied in our aim to please".

Making the decision to start her own business along with her mother was not an easy task considering; she is a mother of two pursuing a masters degree. Miss Sutherland speaks of sleepless nights caring for her two young children while sewing, studying and more. The contemplation of giving up crossed her mind many times as she pushes forward hoping for a silver lining at the end of what was

HDB Product

becoming a dark tunnel, but with supportive parents that offered a simple gesture of helping, hands became the extra strength needed to accomplish her goals.

"I’ve had many instances in which I’ve wanted to throw in the towel, but God and family gave everything I needed to stay afloat. Through hard work I gained a customer base which is like family, my customers have supported me since day one they are playing a pivotal role in motivating me I've been blessed by getting new customers every day. The road to success is far from being easy. There are many ups and downs. I can remember just a year ago I announced on social media that HDB will be closing down and received an overwhelming amount of support from people around the world in support of me and my business. I also remember waking up the next morning to see more messages than I could read from people whom I have never met me. I was encouraged and inspired to go on. Believe this was the moment I realized the key to my success was. I created each piece with love and it came back to me when I truly needed it. Today (HDB) is stronger than ever my dreams come true"

Customers

With a new sense of devotion, she began creating new customer-inspired products sparking new social media followers and customers and now receives orders from Trinidad, England, and the United States. With this increase, she realized the power of the brand, she now has plans of expanding her brand creating physical locations by 2020, while shipping to more global destinations around the world.

This young entrepreneur has overcome many obstacles coming out on top creating that much-needed balance between work and family life to achieve her goals and aspirations. Miss Sutherland remembers these powerful word from her father who is also a businessman “The quality of your mind determines the quality of your life” stay focused.

12 YEAR OLD "GIRL BOSS"

Kheris Rogers likes sparkles. A lot. “I like anything with sparkles. Anything. Literally anything,” she tells CNBC Make It from her mother’s house in Los Angeles.

That’s not surprising. Rogers just turned 12 — she was 11 when speaking to CNBC Make It, an age when many girls gravitate toward sparkly things. It’s one way in which Rogers is a typical (soon-to-be), a seventh grader. In other ways, however, she is very different from other kids her age.

That’s because Rogers started her own fashion business when she was just 10 years old, and it’s thriving. Called Flexin’ In My Complexion, items of clothing in her line bear the namesake phrase, a call to encourage confidence and combat racism. Rogers was bullied for her dark skin as a child, so her older half-sister Taylor Pollard, now 23, posted a photo of Rogers on twitter with the hashtag ”#FlexinInHerComplexion,” an expression her grandmother,

Bettie Pollard used to encourage the sisters to feel beautiful. The tweet went viral and the clothing line was the sisters’ response. Since launching in April 2017, the business has brought in $191,000 in sales. It’s also gotten the attention of rapper Snoop Dogg; actress, producer and screenwriter Lena Waithe; Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Alicia Keys; actress Lupita Nyong’o; comedian and television host Steve Harvey and landed Rogers in a Nike ad campaign. Rogers also walked in Harlem Fashion Week in New York City in September 2017.  “This is a dream come true for anybody,” she said.

If you have a dream, you should just go for it. Just go running towards it.

Rogers, who with Pollard, runs the business out of their mother’s garage, shares this advice with CNBC Make It: “If you have a dream, you should just go for it. Just go running towards it .... Just always have to believe in your dreams.”

How do you do that? “If you want to be anything, just be it. You have the opportunity to do it. Just look into things, research about it and figure out what you really want to be so you can chase your dreams,” Rogers says.

Indeed, Rogers and her sister Pollard didn’t have much guidance in launching Flexin’ In My Complexion. Pollard had started another small business (Taylor Made Pastries), but other than that they just figured out themselves what they needed to do to launch their clothing line.

The sisters say they “were playing it by ear,” using the few resources they had to create a successful business. Their mom Erika, a social worker, gave them about $100 to start the company, remembers Pollard. Pollard, who studied art at the University of California Riverside (“I wanted to start something on my own and I knew that I could start that with creativity,” she says) just Google-searched “how to make a website” to set that up, she tells CNBC Make It.

When things took off, Rogers was a bit agog at her own success. “I was like, ‘Wow. I just started a clothing line at 10 years old!’”

But Pollard says the sisters didn’t launch Flexin’ In My Complexion to fatten their wallets.

“The goal wasn’t to make this much money ... it really was just to touch people,” says Pollard. “So for me, it was just more so about being able to touch other people and to be able to help people.” Launching the business has grown Rogers’ confidence from a “negative one” to “10 million,” she says. And she’s following her own advice about rushing after her dreams.

“When I get older, I know I want to be a fashion designer, a businesswoman, a dancer, an actress,” says Rogers. “Anything you can think of, I want to be it. Because I am always chasing my dreams. Anything I can be, I am going to go for it because if I have the opportunity right then and there, I am going to do it.”

Article by: CNBC Make It

SOPHIA BROWN CRYING OUT FOR "CHANGES"

We all know her name and we love to hear her sing, it's Reggae songstress Sophia Brown. Sophia is making it known in her latest collaboration featuring Ginjah that they are both ready to see some "changes" in our country.  

Even though this is a very emotional song which speaks to the times we are in, it was very easy for Sophia Brown to write mainly because of all the hurt and pain our brothers and sisters are currently experiencing, so she felt a sense of responsibility to represent for them by giving a voice to those who may consider themselves voiceless. 

"There are so many things I would like to see change. The way human beings treat each other is very big on my list. The youths to have better leadership from their home manners is lacking in the way we are raising our children. More jobs for young people, so we don't have to see so many of them rubbing out their hand middle day by day and drinking, feeling like that, is their only solution" Said, Brown.

In addition Brown also had this to say;  "Education needs to be more accessible for the youths the vision of our leaders should be inspired by our young people in mind. Because they will soon become the victim without vision. without proper systems in place for us to overcome the challenges, there will be no changes". 

Sophia Brown wants all her supporters to know that she is back and better than before. Brown took 18 months away from her music as a result of a car accident she experienced back in 2017 "I am ready again to make this work my business my life all over again 

So expect to see the work from me as I am ready to go one hundred %".

"Changes" is now available on all major digital platforms distributed by Zojak worldwide I also have very high hopes for the song reaching international heights. To keep up with Sophia Brown follow her on all her social media platforms. 

IT'S A "SPICEY" WORLD

Known for her verbal assaults, on and off the rhythm, the metaphoric genius dominates stages worldwide.

Grace "Spice" Hamilton is a modern female force to be reckoned with. Since her first major hits "So mi like it" and the unforgettable collaboration with Vybz Kartel "Romping Shop", which allowed her to tour the world gaining millions of fans worldwide, out of respect for her hard work and dedication to the dancehall gave away to natural progression dubbing her the new Queen of Dancehall.


She then took dancehall to primetime television joining the cast of the hit reality TV show Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, exposing dancehall to more than 5.3 million viewers per week, as the new Queen of dancehall she has set the bar higher than any before her in this age of new media. Whether you understand the power of new media or not queen Spice does and has been using this power to build an empire.

Grace like others did not come from much; and had to fight through hunger, homelessness,

heartbreak, racism, tragedy and more only to become an alpha entrepreneur rising against all odds. Beaten but, not broken young Grace started selling candies at school which soon became lunch money and taxi fare she even managed to open a small restaurant soon after. Determined to win Grace opened her successful woman's apparel "Spicey Couture" in Kingston in 2009, followed by a sports bar in 2010 in her hometown of Portmore. Just when most thought she was done she used her world visibility to launched her own brand of Moscato (wine) "Sperone".

Never forgetting her people, spice understood the challenges of life; In 2018 she launched the "Grace Hamilton Women Empowerment Foundation". The foundation mission is geared at uplifting young women sharing keys to success, understanding how to see and execute on opportunities through education and grooming them towards success. At the launch of the foundation, she was supported by powerful women from all walks of life. Through the foundation, Spice has already begun to assist a young woman in the goal to attend college.


With success, this diamond in the rough despite all odds has made her name a house whole name with no signs of slowing down.