{"id":6854,"date":"2025-03-03T15:51:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T15:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6854"},"modified":"2025-03-03T15:51:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T15:51:24","slug":"black-entrepreneurs-redefine-success-of-wealth-and-wellness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6854","title":{"rendered":"Black Entrepreneurs Redefine Success of Wealth and Wellness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0<span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/jadaingleton\/\">Jada Ingleton<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Despite continuous legislative attempts to avert economic equity, Black business owners are steadfast in shaping the professional and social landscape, pioneering entities that challenge societal norms and aim to propel Black leadership in various sectors.<\/p>\n<p>From D.C.\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/unionmarketdc.com\/tenants\/plant-magic-bottle-shop\/\">Plant Magic Bottle Shop<\/a>\u00a0and Travis LeFlore\u2019s Smoothie King in Maryland to self-starter Mick Hunt\u2019s leadership in South Carolina, Black entrepreneurs across the nation are leveraging health education, professional development and a commitment to community building to ensure generational wealth and redefine the legacy of Black trailblazers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlack excellence isn\u2019t new. It\u2019s just been under-reported,\u201d said Hunt, modern leadership expert and founder of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/mickunplugged.com\/\">Mick Unplugged<\/a>.\u201d \u201cWe don\u2019t need permission. We don\u2019t need validation, we don\u2019t need a corporate initiative to succeed. The future belongs to those who own their narrative, who control their opportunities, and who move with intelligence, strategy and execution.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-1 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-caf9af3267-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h2 id=\"h-plant-magic-bottle-shop-more-than-a-mocktail-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Plant Magic Bottle Shop: More Than A Mocktail\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Black businesses demonstrate a 22.2% year-by-year increase, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lendingtree.com\/business\/small\/black-owned-businesses-study\/#:~:text=For%20the%20third%20year%20in,it%20ranked%20first%20both%20years.\">Lending Tree<\/a>, and local enterprises like Plant Magic Bottle Shop and LeFlore\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/locations.smoothieking.com\/ll\/us\/md\/forestville\/3550-donnell-drive\/\">Smoothie King<\/a>\u00a0are counted among the novel businesses, working to revitalize the community one beverage at a time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe long-term impact is to really raise the vibration of humanity, getting people [to have] clarity in their life, and then feeling healthy and good,\u201d said Anahata (formerly Jamie Sabat), owner of D.C.\u2019s Plant Magic Bottle Shop. \u201cThe more we can do that, and be this beacon of light here in Washington, D.C., I really think we can make a better world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Discovering the medicinal benefits of essential oils in natural birth, Anahata became inspired by the healing power of herbs and plants. This realization sparked the vision for the pioneering bottle shop that now thrives in the Union Market District.<\/p>\n<p>Plant Magic Bottle Shop, a non-alcoholic wellness boutique, opened for business in Northeast, D.C., on Jan. 2, launching a platform for thoughtfully crafted products made of holistic, plant-based remedies, such as lion\u2019s mane, ashwagandha, and CBD.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlants really are medicine and we can use them as a tool and as an ally to support us on our wellness journey,\u201d Anahata said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-2 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-2bd992b9b0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>With health-benefiting alternatives like euphorics, nootropics, and adaptogens, consumers still reap the benefits of mood enhancement, mental clarity, and relaxation without the aftereffects of alcohol consumption or other unhealthy dependencies.<\/p>\n<p>Drinks like \u201cChili Margarita\u201d are infused with vitamins and suntheanine, which naturally stimulates brain activity; while \u201cSpill the Tea, Long Island\u201d \u2013 comprised of liver protectant antioxidants and gut health ingredients \u2013 provide focus and a sense of tranquility, all the while hinting the base taste of an alcoholic beverage.<\/p>\n<p>According to Anahata, part of the job includes channeling her background as a certified coach and Reiki Master to \u201cprescribe\u201d customers the necessary product(s) to achieve a functional and enhanced lifestyle and mindset.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s more than a mocktail, it\u2019s a medicine,\u201d said the wellness leader. \u201c[You] drink this with intention.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-leflore-puts-his-all-into-local-community-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>LeFlore Puts His All into Local Community\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>LeFlore, who owns the Smoothie King at 3550 Donnell Drive in Forestville, Maryland, prioritizes a similar approach to building a relationship with customers.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-3 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-dc2e0e383b-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>As a former track athlete, with a personal understanding of the intricacies of health, LeFlore has made it his mission to uplift wellness and the future of leadership through direct engagement with the local community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have guests that\u2026I remember when they first came in, they were telling me about some of the issues they\u2019re dealing with health-wise. With us directing them to a certain kind of smoothie, that little change has changed so many people just over the last nine, 10 months that we\u2019ve been open,\u201d LeFlore told The Informer.<\/p>\n<p>Like Anahata, LeFlore\u2019s background in wellness stems from familial health crises that drove the Michigan native towards a need for better food options, or the lack thereof, in marginalized communities.<\/p>\n<p>He set his sights on the popular smoothie shop in April 2024, with hopes to increase wellness and nutrition value in the DMV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComing from inner city Detroit\u2026just growing up, you see what\u2019s around you, and what healthy options are there, and where I grew up, there\u2019s very little healthy options,\u201d LeFlore said. \u201cEven now, coming to Maryland and D.C., it\u2019s the same thing where you have a predominantly Black community that has these fast food chains all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-4 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-ca419f6974-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In less than a year, the store has nearly hit $1 million in sales, a benchmark achievement that takes most franchises a full year to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing that\u2019s where we were at the end of [last] year, that was obviously a great feeling. But for me, it\u2019s really [about] the impact that we\u2019ve made up to this point,\u201d said the Smoothie King owner. \u201cThat\u2019s really been the driving point: being here every day, putting our all into the business, into our employees, and into the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-black-entrepreneurs-tout-vitality-leadership-future-of-youth\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Black Entrepreneurs Tout Vitality, Leadership, Future of Youth<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Further, these entrepreneurs leverage their businesses and personal experiences to affect change beyond sales and local exposure.<\/p>\n<p>For LeFlore and Hunt, a business visionary in South Carolina, championing economic prosperity means fostering relationships with the next class of Black founders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn our communities, we don\u2019t have a lot of people who these kids look up to. They don\u2019t see people that look like them, that are in the community, working and [owning] businesses,\u201d LeFlore explained.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-5 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-45854c9b0e-0\">The novel entrepreneur travels to local high schools like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kippdc.org\/\">KIPP DC<\/a>\u00a0to teach students about the franchise industry and how to build upon their passions and goals. Offering representation and relatability for youth engagement, he told The Informer, is pivotal to developing Black leadership.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAll you need is a little flame,\u201d LeFlore said. \u201cLet that flicker, and it\u2019s going to start burning even more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hunt seconds this notion, similarly using his own entrepreneurial experience to light that fire in future leaders. With his self-help podcast, \u201cMick Unplugged,\u201d and nationwide public speaking, Hunt aims to support others in personal and professional development, as well as legacy building, which he considers the determining factor of wealth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to build power, it really is letting something live past your legacy,\u201d Hunt told The Informer. \u201cForget being a leader\u2013who I am in my community, that\u2019s what it\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The September debut of his latest book, \u201cHow to Be a Good Leader When You\u2019ve Never Had One,\u201d acts as a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs, riddled with tools that he said would have benefited him as a rising pioneer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeyond leadership skills, what I really want leaders to take away is that your past doesn\u2019t define your ability to lead. You don\u2019t need a perfect background, a prestigious degree. You don\u2019t need to fit into a mold,\u201d Hunt said.<\/p>\n<p>Here in D.C., Plant Magic Bottle Shop\u2019s holistic approach to mindfulness and healthy remedies challenges the alcohol-centric norm of social gatherings, and advocates for affordable, wellness-focused choices for celebrations and community development.<\/p>\n<p>Through these efforts, Anahata said consumers can experience a lifestyle change that welcomes lifelong benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biohacking movement is saying if you don\u2019t drink alcohol, lower seed oils, lower your sugar, you can actually live to be 120 with lifelong vitality,\u201d Anahata told The Informer. \u201cWhen you drink the beverages from my shop with\u2026all these functional, adaptogenic ingredients in them, you live with more energy, more vitality, and you live a longer life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>A full profile on Mick Hunt will be published in a later edition of The Washington Informer.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship Lab. The Lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Source: Published without changes from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/black-business-owners-reshape-professional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Jada Ingleton Despite continuous legislative attempts to avert economic equity, Black business owners are steadfast in shaping the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-regular-column"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6856,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854\/revisions\/6856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}