The Health and Wellness Business, Selling Out The Premiere To Your First Movie, Exclusive Limitless Live Access, BBI And DBACE Applications, And More...

Welcome to this week’s edition of BLOCK PRESS!

⬇️ THE DOWNLOAD

• 📣 Block Announcements: Some exciting events we have coming up! 

• 📝 Block-Posts: See our exclusive top tips from Victoria Omobuwajo on her food and beverage business and Steph and Adessy on how they made their first movie and sold out the premiere  

• 📆 Round the Block: Unmissable events happening soon in and around our community.

• 💎 Block Opportunities: Exclusive chances at leveraging your brand and career 

• 📣 Block Announcements

Last week we hosted our Breaking Bread edition with No.63 and a time was had! It was an unforgettable evening of connection and culture. Owned by Jackie and her husband Randy, No.63 blends traditional Caribbean cuisine with innovation. The night started with diverse guests engaging in meaningful conversations, facilitated by conversation cards. No.63's culinary masterpiece, fusing Caribbean traditions with contemporary flair, created a memorable dining experience. Founders of Blocks2Bags and No.63 shared insights, reinforcing a commitment to community bonds. A poetry performance by Ekay added an artistic touch, sparking reflections and meaningful conversation . Breaking Bread is more than dinner; it's an invitation to a community that values connection and conversation. Inspired by the success, Breaking Bread continues, with our next event on March 27th. Secure your spot early – click to sign up here!

📝 Block-Posts

This week, we sat down with Victoria Omobuwajo, founder of Sunmo, whose journey has seen her selling wildly popular naturally-sweet plantain crisps across stores nationally, to now selling a wide range of supplements online and in-store. With retailers such as Selfridges and Sainsbury’s stocking her products, she’s been able to cultivate a brand at the forefront of movements to heal our internal selves and treat our bodies with greater care. Watch the full episode below!

Here are five key gems she shared:

1. The power of people — Sunmo at its essence is a community export; with its roots enmeshed within African cultural practices of natural healing, and its products cultivated with a consumer-focused approach, it could be said it doesn’t seek to simply stand alone. It builds with, rather than outside of community, emblematising a business that knows how to speak to its audience.

2. Making noise and standing out — How did Sunmo so quickly capture the attention of retailers such as Selfridges? Despite being on the smaller side in its beginnings, making the most noise. Take this as a sign: be loud about your achievements and don’t fear trying.

3. Planning, Preparation, and Perseverance — What kept Victoria going through her business ventures and time on BBC’s Future Food Stars? Being well-planned and making sure to prepare, particularly in an industry with few women and individuals from marginalised backgrounds. These two, coupled with persevering against external doubts as to her skills meant an ability to push through the noise and make strides in the health and wellness sector.

4. Stepping back to avoid burnout — Within a modern landscape that prides itself on hustle culture and having multiple streams of income, it can be easy to be constant and never-wavering in your journey from blocks to bags. But Victoria advises taking steps back to assess and breathe every so often in order to avoid burn out before you’ve even truly started.

5. EXTRA: A live masterclass in building a health & wellness brand with Sunmo — Wondering how Sunmo found itself growing exponentially in its 5 years? Keep reading (and watching) to see our B2B x Sunmo live pitch and Victoria’s block gems 👀

We also sat down with Adesola Akerele and Stephanie Okereafor, two Black British filmmakers who took matters into their own hands, documenting a life-changing trip to LA that encompassed what it really means to take a chance that could power your future. Armed with filming equipment and a title — LEAP — they set out to draw out the ‘why’ from their experiences, asking: “Can one trip change your life?” . Watch the full episode below:

Here are some of the key gems they shared:

1. Things will go wrong; keep going — Hurdles and their many flavours go hand-in-hand with starting anew, in whatever way that is to you. Retraining your mind to perceive failure as a learning opportunity, rather than a catastrophic end is a difficult step, but one that catalyses change; as our B2B host Bejay noted, “fail fast, fail forward”.

2. Evolution as a necessary part of the journey — Whether you’re a creative working on a project, somebody looking to pivot out of a stagnant period, or anyone generally on a path of self-development, it’s incredibly easy to feel fear at the prospect of change within your journey. Normalising the idea change and evolving over time, as opposed to starting perfect, can unlock doors upon doors and come to eventually make the difference.

3. Preparation as a means to the goal — Spontaneity is almost synonymous with the concept of a ‘leap’; whether it is in the impulsivity of it all, or the adrenaline jump of finally taking that risk, it can often be an important part of our journey. But as reflected upon by Adessy and Steph, preparation, especially in the face of mountainous projects requiring significant dedication on our part, is a game-changer. You might not need the final draft yet, but even just the rough sketch can make the process much smoother.

4. Finding your ‘why’ to fuel your path — Whether it’s faith, the community around you, or simply the reason initially sparking your path to a certain endeavour, Adessy and Steph reflected on the need to be powered by a purpose as a form of assurance on your journey. Particularly in the vein of the hurdles in a leap, having reminders when the going gets tough is key. 

5. Take that leap — If you’ve been holding onto a hope that you’ve cast aside as a pipe-dream, take this as your sign to go for it; to leap means to put belief into yourself, and developing that trust will lay the foundation for more than we could ever conceive. 

Get some more of their gems, and read the full article, below:

📆 Round the Block

Limitless Live, the UK’s largest free live music show with social purpose at its core, today announces its return to London’s Roundhouse for its third consecutive year on April 13th 2024 with headlining act, Stefflon Don. B2B is providing exclusive access, so don’t pass up this offer!

On March 8th 2024, join us at Red Bull London for an epic celebration of female DJs in the music, DJ, and entertainment industry. This event, held at the iconic Red Bull London, will bring together music lovers and industry professionals for a night of networking and inspiration. Sign up below!

💎 Block Opportunities

SOAS University of London and the Black British Initiative (BBI) have announced the launch of a new “mini” Master of Business Administration (MBA) course specifically designed to support underserved black entrepreneurs. The qualification, named MBA 30, will enrol its first cohort in September 2023 and aims to address the challenges and disadvantages faced by black people entering the world of business. 

DBACE 2024 is open for applications! DBACE (Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs) is an award that has been helping creative social entrepreneurs to turn their ground breaking ideas into reality for over 30 years.

As part of International Women’s Day, Barclays will be celebrating and shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of female entrepreneurs. Attend to hear about Barclays commitments to Female entrepreneurship recognition of the remarkable achievements of female entrepreneurs that have been making an impact in the business world.

📚 Block Library

The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono is a story about the virtues of environmental stewardship and tireless service — both of which are very important. However, it is also a vision of the good things that happen when we care for the world around us, and take what was barren and make it green. We found it an inspiring read! Listen here:

That’s all from us this week - see you again soon!