This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Contributor Samantha Pass talks with Monif Clarke who, in partnership with her mother Elaine Clarke, launched the fashion business sensation Monif C. Contemporary Plus Sizes. Clarke shares the role that entrepreneurial persistence played in helping her to launch her venture and make it a success.
Monif C is a contemporary plus-size clothing line that’s been featured in Essence and Glamour magazines and on television shows, including TLC’s What Not to Wear and BET’s Rip The Runway. Clarke has also been featured on the Black Enterprise Business Report and in Black Enterprise magazine. “I break every rule about what the plus-sized woman should wear,†Clarke told Black Enterprise, “because I believe any woman can be fashionable.â€
Clarke started her first business at the age of 10 as a math tutor. Following her mother’s repeated admonition that entrepreneurship was the only real way to build wealth, she partnered with her mother to launch Monif C. in 2005. The company has benefited from partnerships with online retailers such as Overstock.com and Ideeli.com. Clark was also a 2011 Black Enterprise Small Business Awards finalist.
Also, UBR Contributor Dywaine Betts talks with Dr. R Kay Green, president and CEO of RKG Marketing Solutions LLC., a full-scale, multicultural marketing firm. A highly sought-after motivational speaker on the topics including leadership and marketing, Green is also the author of a new book, I’ve Been Called the B* Word… Now What Do I Do?: 13 Rules for the “New-Age” Professional Woman. She stops by the Roundtable to share strategies for entrepreneurs to stay customer focused.
In my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I give you a sneak peak the latest edition of Black Enterprise Small Business Advantage, a resource offering advice, tools and resources for entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners who want to launch and grow profitable, competitive companies. Hosted by yours truly, Small Business Advantage is designed to help you get the edge they need to succeed. To learn more, go to https://blackenterprise.com/sba.
And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.
If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.
Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.
SAVE THE DATE for the 2013 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide, May 15-18, at Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek at the products, trends, and services you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve. Nominate your company or an outstanding entrepreneur in your network for our Small Business Awards! Also don’t miss the chance to enter our Elevator Pitch Competition to compete for $10,000 for your business. To find out more, visit www.blackenterprise.com/ec/