The Kickback With Keri: Black Entrepreneurship & Business Spotlights

Tired of coming out of pocket to fund your business?

Grant funding is one of the most overlooked income sources for small businesses and solopreneurs. Most grants offer a way to fund your business without going into debt.

This bonus episode highlights five platforms that offer grant funding opportunities and resources to help your business grow.

Platforms:

• Capital Klub
• Hello Alice
• The Well Work
• For All Things Digital
• Black Tech Satur...

#38: Creators have the power and Hollywood is taking notice. KevOnStage's new deal with Tubi proves it.

There was a time when shows couldn't get the green light without studio backing. These days, creators aren't waiting for an industry to validate them.

Instead, they are creating their own content and building their audiences and studios and streaming platforms are knocking on their door.

This week we’re breaking down comedian ...

We’re all trying to make healthier food choices; shopping organic, buying local, and choosing more plant-based options. But what if “plant-based” doesn’t automatically mean healthy?

In this hot take, Chunky Vegan founder Camille Hardy unpacks common myths about plant-based foods, the rise of processed ingredients in foods many of us grew up eating, and why spending more on organic food could actually save you...

#37: She had the idea that would change her life and did nothing with it for three years.

Angelique Warner was in the middle of nursing with a house of 18 kids when a vision came to her. A baby carrier designed to support breastfeeding, postpartum mobility, and mother-child bonding.

She saw it clearly. Then let it pass.

It wasn't until her youngest was starting preschool that she finally put pen to paper and turned that vision into a ...

#36: After testing 30 brands of human and synthetic hair, there was only one brand that tested negative for heavy metals.

Only one. Dosso Beauty.

Consumer Reports recently released a second braiding hair report.

Not only were the brands tested human and synthetic hair. Some of them were labeled as “non-toxic.”

At a time when so many women are looking for healthier beauty options, we trust that if a brand says they are non-t...

#35: Ownership is the real currency.

When it’s yours they can’t take it away from you.

In this week's Kickback Briefing episode, we’re breaking down BET’s new creator partnership with media entrepreneur JASON LEE, Fear of God’s surprising company reset and what The Doux's latest investment deal reveals about scaling a Black-owned business. This episode we discuss:

• The blueprint for content creator own...

As a business owner or someone who juggles multiple hats, if you’re not careful, you’ll run yourself into the ground. In this Hot Take, Kobi Co. owners Kobi Gregory and Tasha Harris share the self care practices that keep them grounded as well as lessons learned about boundaries when working with family.

Listen to the full episode here.

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#34: In this episode, Keri kicks back with Adrienne Randle, creator Evryday Black Magazine, shares why she ended her popular Black-owned shopping guide to launch an indie bi-monthly magazine that centers everyday Black people, not celebrities. Adrienne opens up about her lifelong dream of running a magazine, the unexpected pivot that began with a holiday shopping guide after pausing her product business and the real challenges of p...

#33: Nicole Murphy is a tech founder, speaker, and advocate for collaborative entrepreneurship. She is the Founder and CEO of Barter Black®, a membership-based bartering platform built for Black entrepreneurs to exchange products and services.

In this episode, we break down how entrepreneurs can use bartering and community to start, grow and scale their businesses without relying solely on cash. She shares how she turned an idea bor...

#32: In this episode we’re talking about the controversy surrounding Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Trick Daddy, Cardi B’s sold-out hair care launch, and Issa Rae’s latest move into TikTok micro-series. Each story teaches powerful lessons in branding and marketing.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the AKAs booking Trick Daddy was a failure
• The importance of knowing your audience and brand alignment
• Why Cardi B...

When it comes to your skincare, you could be doing more harm than good. In this hot take, licensed esthetician Cameron Cooper breaks down some of the most common skincare mistakes people make every day. From expensive eye creams to overly complicated routines, he reveals the myths that might actually be harming your skin instead of helping it. We discuss why sunscreen isn’t seasonal, why skincare marketing often leaves men ou...

#31: Did you know that 75% of beauty products marketed to Black women contain harmful chemicals?

Clean Beauty for Black Girls founder Hannah McCall shares staggering truths about our favorite skincare, haircare and makeup products, how to switch to non-toxic beauty options without overhauling your entire routine and the legislation that could change the US beauty industry for the better.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The tw...

#30: If you’ve recently been laid off, or you’re thinking about leaving corporate, this episode will teach you how to turn your experience into a profitable consulting business.

In this episode, marketing strategist and messaging expert Candice Jackson Long shares how she went from a devastating layoff to building a thriving consulting business, and how you can too.

Whether you're starting from scratch or trying to attrac...

#29: In this episode of The Kickback Briefing, Keri breaks down three major stories shaping business and culture right now; from the ongoing Target boycott to a beloved Black-owned fashion brand pausing production, and the controversial legacy of America’s Next Top Model. Along the way, she shares powerful lessons on brand trust, communication in business, and why staying true to your mission matters when building a brand.

Thi...

#28: Anna Cobb almost lost her life to a synthetic energy supplement. That experience made her to rethink what she was consuming and ultimately led to her creating the first okra sparkling water on the market.

In this episode, Anna shares the story behind building O’kra, the wellness beverage brand that went from an idea to being on the shelves at 11 Erewhon luxury grocery stores in California and a nationwide launch in Sprout...

#27: What do you do when you can’t find a Mother’s Day card for your friends?

For Krystal Henry, founder of Around the Way Parchment, that simple frustration turned into a growing stationery brand built with intention, representation, and community at its core.

Krystal shares how she went from blogging about motherhood to launching a greeting card company, winning nearly $45,000 in grants and pitch competitions, and creat...

There comes a point in many of our careers when pushing through no longer feels like strength; it feels like survival.

Nutrition coach, pharmacist, and fitness instructor Melanie Smith shares what it looked like to navigate burnout, workplace microaggressions, and the quiet signs that something wasn’t right. We talk about the emotional toll of staying too long, the clarity that came through therapy, and how she ultimately prep...

#26: Welcome to the first episode of The Kickback Briefing, a new format breaking down the latest wins, challenges, and stories shaping business and culture and the lessons we can learn from them.

This week we discuss:

• The latest update in the Uncle Nearest $108M loan lawsuit
• Whether the brand could be forced into a sale
• Nike’s MLK “Honor the King” sneaker controversy
• The difference between brand intent vs. cultura...

What do you do when you feel like you’re being called to go in a different direction? Don’t ignore the whisper. In this hot take, former celebrity makeup artist Brittany Ingram shares the one piece of advice she leaned into when she felt that she was being called to leave her thriving Hollywood career behind for a life as a stay at home mom, military wife and a more purposeful lifestyle in Japan.

Listen to the full epis...