E31: Building Community Through Female Entrepreneurship: The Ujamaa Collective Story

What makes Tia Baker with Ujamaa Collective a good neighbor?  

Ever wondered what happens when entrepreneurial women come together with purpose? The latest episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast pulls back the curtain on a remarkable organization fostering sisterhood among business-minded women.

Tia Baker introduces us to the Ujamaa Collective, a 15-year-old organization composed of Africana women entrepreneurs who are building their businesses together through intentional relationships and trust. At the core of their work is the Ujamaa Collective Boutique, showcasing an impressive array of member-created products from body care to home goods, poetry to visual art. Through this shared space, members live out their core values of creativity, wellness, fair trade, community, and meaningful work.

Baker's personal journey with the collective began during a challenging period in her life when she attended an event at her mother's invitation. "When I walked into the space, it totally uplifted me," she shares, explaining how the warm, welcoming atmosphere provided exactly what her spirit needed. This chance encounter led to her becoming the boutique manager, deepening her connection to this nurturing community.

What sets Ujamaa apart is their innovative approach to business growth. While targeting Africana women primarily, their customer base spans genders and countries worldwide. They've pioneered "cooperative marketing" where members simultaneously promote on social media during meetings, amplifying their collective reach with cohesive messaging.

The collective is entering an exciting transition with a soft opening at their new location (2512 Wiley Avenue) on August 2nd. They're also conducting a capital campaign to secure a permanent home. Visit ujamaa-collective.org to learn how you can support these entrepreneurial women as they continue building community through business.

To learn more about Ujamaa Collective go to: 

www.ujamaacollective.org

Ujamaa Collective

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you looking for anorganization establishing
sisterhood with like-mindedentrepreneurial women looking to
build community?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
tia Baker, with UjamaaCollective.

(00:33):
Tia, how's it going?
I'm doing well.
How are you?
Very well.
Thanks so much.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your organization,
so please tell us more.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, thank you first of all, for inviting me and
having me on.
I really appreciate that UjamaaCollective is made up of
Africana women who are artists,artisans, business owners,
service providers, and we arecollectively building our
businesses together.
We're building relationships,intentional relationships, right

(01:10):
Building, trust and actuallybuilding and working on our
businesses together.
One of the major ways that wedo that, and what we're most
known for, is our collectiveboutique.
It is the Ujamaa CollectiveBoutique which houses our wares.
Many of the members as I said,everyone is an entrepreneur, so

(01:30):
there are many things that ourmembers make, anywhere from body
care products to home careproducts.
We have poets and artists andyou know, it's made up of many,
many women, and we get topractice our core values in that
space, which are creativity,wellness, fair trade, community

(01:55):
and meaningful work.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
What a special purpose you have in the
community Tia.
How did you get into thisbusiness?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Well, let's see.
So Ujamaa is about 15 or 16years old.
I came around about 15 yearsago when Ujamaa was just
starting, and it was kind of Iwant to say, it was kind of
accidentally, on purpose,because I was introduced to
Ujamaa by my mother, who is afounding member, but it was just

(02:28):
to come.
It was like the opening.
So come and, you know, enjoythe music and all of that I did.
And also at that time in mylife I just was at a low period.
You know, I had some thingsgoing on and when I walked into
the space it totally uplifted me, my spirit was uplifted.
You know, the people were justso warm and welcoming and it's

(02:50):
what I needed at the moment,it's what my spirit needed at
the moment, and that's what Ifound there.
And so, of course, I just sohappened that they were looking
for a boutique manager at thattime and God saw fit that I had
given that I was given thatposition and that's how I was

(03:11):
introduced.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
So, whenever you're looking at who you want to
uplift and finding your targetcustomers, who are these people
that are building up the heartof your business and how do you
attract them to the company?

Speaker 3 (03:26):
So you know our target market.
We like to say that it is, youknow, the black woman, the
Africana woman, but it actuallythat is who we target.
However, we have many, manycustomers.
We have male customers.
We have customers from actuallyall over the world.
Some of the ways that we marketto our customers are traditional

(03:49):
ways.
We have a website, social media, those type things but we also
market in non-traditional waysand it is in the spirit of
cooperative being cooperative,we do something called
cooperative marketing with ourmembers, and so in we may have a
membership meeting and it's aworking meeting where we

(04:09):
actually all of the members onthe call at that very moment do
a live marketing right On oursocial media platform, so that
it's going out to everybody atthe same time from all of our
members, right?
So that's one way that we do it.
There's many, many ways, andthen other members they do it on
their own.
We have a schedule that we cansend out, with a script if need

(04:37):
be, right, depending on what itis that we are marketing, so
that you know everybody is onthe same page and it's a
cohesive message.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Very good.
So outside of work, Tia, whatlights you up?
What do you do for fun?
Oh my goodness, what do?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
I do.
Well, I like to read.
That's one of the things that Ilove to do.
I love comedy shows and music,love hearing live music.
Those things light me up.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Very good.
And how can our listeners learnmore about Ujamaa Collective?

Speaker (05:31):
C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-V-Eorg .
We actually have just moved.
We have a grant, we have a softopening rather happening August
2nd in our new location, whichis 2512 Wiley Avenue and it is
on the first floor.
So please come out August 2ndand support our soft opening.
We are also in the middle of acapital campaign because this is
a temporary location, so we arelooking for our permanent home

(05:52):
and the capital campaign willsupport us in doing that, and
that information is also on ourwebsite.
So please, please, please,assist us in finding a new home.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
Very good.
Well, Tia, I really appreciateyour time today and having you
as a guest on our show.
We wish you and the collectivethe best moving forward.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
Thank you, I really appreciate you businesses to be
featured on the show go toGNPPittsburghcom.
That's GNPPittsburghcom, orcall 412-561-9956.