Black in Business...the dopest

Inspiration can quite literally come from anywhere. Inspiration can come from anyone at any time. I love to write. I have been writing stories and poems since I was ten years old. It has always been a dream of mine to be an author. I want people to know who I am, and to read, know and love my work. I'm working on it! One day a few weeks ago, I was doing what I always do, I was simply scrolling social media. I saw a page advertising something called "vocal". Curious, I clicked the link to check it out and to see what it was. As the saying goes, "the rest was history." I created my profile and started writing. I write so fast and grip the pen so tight that my hand hurts and my fingers lock up. I just stop for a second or two and then get back to it. I told myself that by this time next year, people are going to know my name and they will be BEGGING for my next story. I believe things happen how and when they are supposed to. I am trying to make the best use of social media to promote myself. I post a video or photo with my vocal link attached. I am starting from scratch. Progress is slow but it is steady. I am grateful...

As a child, I lived in the city. My parents have a semi-detached single family home. My childhood was pretty good. My parents are married. They have been married my whole life. My brother and I grew up in the 90s, so our childhood was before the internet. We spent our time outside. We rode bikes. We played tag. Life was simple. Life was good. Three doors down from us was a really nice couple. They were black like us. I mean, not that it mattered though. Our neighbors on the other side were white and we played with their grand kids every chance we got! The couple had a niece. She was my age. Every time she visited, we would play together. We became fast friends. As I said, life was good. The couple ended up moving away. As i mentioned, this was in the 90s so there was no social media or cell phones. Once her house number changed, we lost touch. I didn't forget her though. Fast forward twenty-some years and a couple social media pages and we are both adults. We are both moms. She has a boutique that she started from scratch. She built it all herself. She does her own promotion. She handles her own sales. She interacts personally with every customer. Every. Single. One. She had a dream, and she brought it to life. She named is Jesse's Chest Boutique LLC. Jesse is her brother that sadly passed away some time ago. She is keeping his memory alive through her work while simultaneously chasing her dream. She works hard. She also uses social media to her advantage. She does live broadcasts across multiple platforms to reach out to current and potential customers. She makes use of photographs and print media as well. She has a huge smile whenever you see her. I have been watching her and learning as well as admiring and she didn't even know it! She knows now though lol. Melissa Robeson Derisca is her name. If you are reading these words, first I say thank you for your support. Every read counts. Secondly, if you are reading this, I invite you to check out Jesse's Chest Boutique for yourself. Her boutique has purses, glasses, hats, shoes...the list goes on! Not only am I an admirer, I am also a REPEAT customer honey!

oftentimes people complain that black owned businesses are too expensive or the staff/owner is unprofessional. I unfortunately have experienced thsat before. Not with her though boo! So shoutout to you Ms Melissa girl! Keep moving forward. It's only a matter of time before we see her (and mine) name in lights. Melanin is definitely poppin' as we spread our black girl magic so watch out now! We are on our way!!!