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This mother-daughter duo is sharing their love of traveling with the world! Serena Minott and Asha Gore are the real-life stories behind “The Amazing Adventures of Aya & Pete,” an amazing children’s travel book series that shows the adventures of a little girl in some of her favorite cities alongside her stuffed sloth, Pete. Completely self-published and owned and operated by Minott and Gore, these new children’s books were designed after they witnessed a lack of representation in the market when it comes to children’s travel books. Since her daughter Asha, 7, has attended school on three different continents and traveled to over 23 countries, they wanted to share her story to inspire other families who want to show their children different parts of the world. Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo Minott sat down with AfroTech to discuss the vision behind the new books, how she’s using these stories to teach her daughter the value of ownership and their recent journey to landing in...
Sisters Roderica and Francina James transformed an 18th-century mansion into The Cochrane House , a luxury historic boutique bed & breakfast located in Detroit’s historic Brush Park neighborhood. From chic and cultured art pieces, and modern furniture to an evening Wine & Cheese Hour, The Cochrane House is changing the conversation about access to a high living experience in the heart of Detroit. Beyond providing five-star guest services, the founders have also welcomed in-house live music events as well as opportunities to give back to their community. Since opening in May 2018, both sisters recall their proudest moments were talking to and inspiring youth of color about entrepreneurship. “We’ve had opportunities to share our story of triumphs and obstacles to youth who look just like us. It’s a connection that we hope will encourage the youth, and reassure them that, if we can do it, so can you,” Roderica said. While Roderica and Francina are experiencing growth and opportunities...
While most parents think about starting a business to create a family legacy and have their kids work for them, imagine being a parent who works for their 19-year-old’s million-dollar business. At just 9-years-old, Zandra Cunningham started Zandra Beauty a plant-based skincare company with products in Target, Costco, Wholefoods, Wegman’s, and more. Now, with her mom, dad, two brothers, and nana working behind her, the beauty executive is also an author, a speaker, and change-maker using her career as a platform to teach other teen girls how to own and operate their businesses. Below, her mom Tamara Zantell talks about the steps she took to build and maintain trust with her daughter as a business owner and the family policy for navigating conflict. AfroTech: Regardless of a family’s level of success, disagreements about business matters will occur. What’s one piece of advice you would give someone for starting a family-owned business? Tamara Zantell: The advice I would give a family...