What’s All the Buzz about this BOND Card?

You remember that survey you completed a few weeks back? You won’t believe that the second most requested question was about? Take a wild guess. OK it was about our BOND CARD?  I know you keep hearing about this BOND Card and Partners, right. But who is it for and what is it really all about?

What’s all the buzz about the BOND Card?
For several months our board has been working diligently in offering BOND members with worthwhile and exclusive incentives. We’ve figured that we wanted membership assessments to really count for something. What better way than with discounts on products and services women patronize most.  

How it Works

As a member all you have to do is let them know that you are a BOND Member, show our select partners with your handy BOND Card and/or provide them with your member number.  It’s that simple.  

Wanna know who our partners are?

We are excited with the growing number of women owned partnerships that have agreed to offer our card holding members with select discounts. Check out our growing list of partners here. Our partners are eager to meet you.

Are you a business owner but don’t see your name on the list?

We want to see your name listed too. The neat thing about this partnership is as the business owner you are in the driver seat. You get to pick the terms. You get to determine how much of incentive you’d like to offer. We’re not picky we’re just grateful that you decided to partner with us. It’s a win-win for us all you-you as the business owner, us as an organization and especially for BOND’s members.

The application process is rather quick and simple. As a BOND Partner your business name and web address will appear in our quarterly newsletter at no cost to you!

If you are interested in growing your customer base by participating in our incentive program, please reply to iambondinc@gmail.com with the following information at your earliest convenience:
*Name of your business
*Website for your business
*Brief description of your products or services
*What discount or incentive you will offer BOND members in 2015

Survey Response- What’s next?

Many are eager to learn more about our Small Business Institute. If you can’t wait that long; find out some of the details here.

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In Other BOND News

Have you read our recent newsletter? Not to worry-here you go.

Want to Join The Sisterhood?

We can't stress to you enough that it pays dividends being a BOND Girl. So, what are you waiting for? We’re here with open arms.  The possibilities are endless as a member. Trust me when I tell you there’s more to come. Find out here.

We’d Love to Meet You?

Join us for our Annual Meet & Greet-Friday February 27^th. The RSVPs are still pouring in. If you haven’t added your name to the list-now would be a great time to do so. We need a head count for the caterer and ensure there’s enough swag bags, literature and a few other hush hush details.

Expect high energy, mixing and mingling, chatter, positive energy, belly aching laughs, flashing lights from the cameras.  In a nutshell, Fun-BOND Girl Style.  Even if you’re not a member you are more than welcomed to attend.  We won’t bite! Just email us and say BOND Meet & Greet 2015- Add Me to the List.

Until Next Time!  

Spotlight Feature-Hope Marshall "I'd Seen the Enemy & the Enemy Was Me"

Meet Hope Marshall. One could say that her commitment to service began right after high school, when she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Hope always had the desire to be a part of something bigger than herself. After 7 years of service, she returned to Maryland and later graduated from Towson University with a BS in Sociology/Anthropology.

As a civilian, I officially began my career in Human Services in 2006, specializing in challenging populations. Throughout this journey, I’d noticed that the individuals I worked with who had some semblance of independence i.e. employed, always fared a little better than the others who didn’t. I came to understand that it wasn’t the job per se’, that contributed to that independence, but more so the sense that it was the one thing that they had a say in. The one thing to look forward to each day. From then on, I made it my business to help people reach economic empowerment through meaningful work.

However, I did not have the proper credentials/experience to become a career/job coach, so I joined a national service program called AmeriCorps. For 2 years, I worked on a Veteran career management project, where I developed employment support programming for Veterans. During my service I was able to create a student Veteran club on campus, create and distribute a 25 page Veteran career resource guide, and held 3 career expos that included over 30 organizations from the community. I loved the work. This experience helped me land a position with St. Vincent De Paul, as a Career Development Specialist.

 My greatest accomplishment to date has been:

Two great things have happened, almost simultaneously:

Serving 2 years as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I have had both the honor and the privilege of meeting some great people, doing extraordinary things in the community. I saw, first hand, what can happen when people work collectively. My service solidified my belief in, and affinity to, grassroots-efforts. I gained a deeper understanding of the science behind career development. In addition, I was the recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award for my works with the Veterans Career Management Project.

Having the courage to start my own business. Pre-dawn hours and weekends find me tinkering around with “The Laffin' Afro”, which is home to wearable art, stationery and other items that lampoon the supposed-to-be's of femininity, with a unique blend of humor and empowerment. I created The Laffin Afro as a way to combat the messages of how women are "supposed" to behave.  There’s always some rule, top-ten list, Youtube video, or something else, relegating women to ‘get in their place’. Where ever that is. So rather than be upset about it, I point and laugh. In fact, among other things, catch new memes every Tuesday, #funnygirlfindings at www.facebook.com/Thelaffinafro, or on Instagram: @TheLaffinAfro.

The most challenging thing I ever experienced is:

Walking away from a “seemingly perfect” relationship. A few years ago, I threw caution to the wind and moved clear across the country-Oregon to be exact, to be with my then boyfriend, whom I was certain I would marry. However; once the excitement wore off, and the smoke cleared, I’d realized that although he seemed “perfect” for ME, I wasn’t the right woman for HIM. Knowing that, I could not longer, in good conscience hold onto him. So I let him go. I’d seen the enemy. And the enemy was me.

Most often, when we leave relationships, we tend to place the blame on the other person, as to why it didn’t work out. That relationship forced me to face to hard truths about myself. So, with my broken heart, pride and ego in shambles, my 14 year old Honda packed to the gills, my pet cat, and GPS, I found myself back in Maryland.

Most Valuable Lesson:

I spent a large part of my life, trying to create a safe bubble where nothing bad could happen.  It was exhausting.  I’ve since learned that bad things are inevitable. No religious dogma, no avoidance tactic, no relationship, or anything of the sort, will shield me from misfortune. This is not to say I go looking for trouble, but I’ve now learned to accept that the bad, is as fleeting as the good. My new motto is: no matter what happens, I’ll be okay.

Final Remarks: 

There is a quote from Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to, is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” It is extremely important to find your passion-something that you believe in whole-heartedly, and let it fuel you. Maybe you like animals. Maybe you play a mean ukulele. Whatever your gifts are, you can improve the lives of others with them. Always know that.  

Recent Spotlight Features

"A Life Change for the Better"- Tanya Baylor

"From Pain to Purpose"- Lakita Stewart-Thompson

Keeping You in the Know-August 2014

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BOND Inc Spotlight features ordinary African American women who are doing extra-ordinary things. If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, send your requests for more information to iambondinc@gmail.com.

Discipline Not Deprivation Explained Interview

We here at BOND Inc are excited to share with you the interview with our upcoming special guest speaker Dr. Maria James, founder of Pocket of Money, LLC. What better way to start off a brand new year than to discuss such a topic as finances.

BOND Girl: Hello Dr. James, thank you for allowing the time to interview you for the upcoming January Gathering discussion on finances. Could you tell our readers a little bit about you?

Dr. James: I've always loved finance from the beginning. Coming from a large family, I discovered a lot about managing money growing up and discovered my skills with organizing and handling money. I opened an entrepreneurial business at the age of ten by selling juleps (a frozen treat made from juice) for 25 cents a cup during the summer and I learned important lessons about business and finance. Those lessons lasted forever and over the years I was always reading things that dealt with personal finance.

Graduate school allowed me to further develop strategic planning and scientific analytical thinking and apply those methods to money management. The Money Scientist was born. On a stipend of $27,000 (about $23,000 after taxes), I saved over $10,000. Applying scientific methodology to money allowed me to create a money strategy that elevated my lifestyle and grew a nonprofit. As of 2013, I have been the Director of Finance at HWHN for eight years. 

BOND Girl: Why should folks really be concerned about how they view money and their habits with money? 

Dr. James: Financial success is important as money touches every aspect of our lives. Your money mindset (your ideology around money or the way you view acquiring and spending money), greatly influences your money habits and therefore affects your financial success. Your money habits determine how well you'll manage your income, how well you'll save, and build wealth. Knowing your money mindset helps you to work with it and develop better money habits so you can build wealth.

BOND Girl: Where do you think most women go wrong when it comes to their finances?

Dr. James: I find many mistakes are more likely to correlate with age and lack of personal finance education. I believe not pursuing personal finance literacy is one of the top mistakes. Allowing someone else to handle all aspects of your finances, e.g. the spending plan, taxes, insurance, investing etc, is another top mistake. In the past this mistake was more commonly found in married women, but as more women are empowered about finances and take an active role in the money management, that is changing.

BOND Girl: Any recommendations for women who are looking to get married? How should they handle the topic on finances with their potential spouse?

Dr. James: Communication is king and queen.  Disagreements and miscommunication about money is one of the leading causes of marital arguments and divorce. Discuss with

your potential spouse your past financial history. Both parties should be well aware of any debt or financial obligations the other person will bring into the marriage. Discuss each person's money mindset and emotions surrounding money, what is each person's background e.g. from homes of lack or plenty.  Discuss how finances will be handled and how financial burdens will be shared, e.g. joint vs separate accounts. There is no one right way for sharing the finances, as long as each partner fully agrees and is committed to the plan. Do what works for you as a couple.

BOND Girl: What would you say to the sister who is over her head in debt and sees no end in sight?

Dr. James: There is hope. When you feel out of control of your money, there's a lot of stress and confusion as to what should be the next step, where to start. The first step is to determine who you owe and how much you owe them. Get very clear on the numbers, this can be overwhelming but it is a necessary first step. The next step is to design a money strategy to determine how much you can use to pay down the debt and how to cut costs or increase income to pay down the debt even faster. The third step is to pick the account with the smallest amount and pay that first. This provides a nice boost of confidence and strengthens your resolve, this is very important. Once that first account is completely paid off. You move on to the debt that has the next smallest amount, and the next and the next until you're done. You do what you can, the key thing is to make the commitment to paying off all your debt and to start!

BOND Girl: Dr. James, if you could set the stage for the “Discipline not Deprivation” January BOND Gathering- what should our guest expect for that evening?

Dr. James: All participants should expect an interactive workshop where they will receive information on key personal finance concepts that will allow them to get financially fit. The information will help them to save money, reduce debt, and position themselves to build wealth while still enjoying the now.

BOND Girl: So say I’m the type of woman who’s pretty good with saving money and paying my bills on time, would I find any benefit in attending this January Gathering?

Dr. James: Yes! Income and credit management goes much further beyond saving money and paying bills on time. If you're living within your means, but still haven't achieved financial success there is content for you as well. I will also talk about building wealth and using your money to make money.

BOND Girl: Are there any other thought’s you’d like to share with our readers?

Dr. James: Come ready to learn, ask questions and have fun!

BOND Girl: Dr. James, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you on January 17^th. The RSVPs are steadily rolling in. I suspect that this will be a topic that many women can benefit from.

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To read Dr. Maria James’ full bio, CLICK HERE. For more information and to RSVP for the January 17th 2014 Gathering, “Discipline Not Deprivation” CLICK HERE. Please grab your seat now as the price will increase at the door.

January Gathering Guest Speaker Bio Dr. Maria James

Dr. Maria James

 

Maria James has expertise with designing income management, debt management, and wealth protocols to help you keep more money in your pocket. Graduate school allowed her to further develop strategic planning and scientific analytical thinking and apply those methods to money management. The Money Scientist was born. Maria hosts webinars, speaks, blogs, and writes articles to educate and empower you about money.

 

Maria is also Co-founder of Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation (HWHN), Inc, where she is currently the Director of Finance. She has used her skills to develop and implement a financial system that has kept the nonprofit growing for the past ten years. Maria has also been a guest financial expert on WEAA, Bobby Finance and RIB Radio.

Dr. Maria James

Email: info@pocketofmoney.com
Phone: 443-304-8896
Website: www.pocketofmoney.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/UrPocketofMoney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PocketofMoneyLLC
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/pocketofmoney

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To see Dr. James in action, join us for BOND's upcoming Gathering- Discipline Not Deprivation, Friday, January  17th 2014 in Baltimore, MD. Click here for more details and to RSVP.

Click here to read the full interview.

The 1st BOND Gathering of the New Year

To read the full interview with Dr. Maria James and her bio please click here

The Ugly Truth-Color Complex Explained Interview

It brings us great pleasure to interview our upcoming Gathering special guest facilitator; none other than Ms. Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod, LCSW-C of Baltimore, Maryland.  Ms. Brown is the proud owner of Prosperity Redefined LLC. There, she provides training for human service programs on topics of parenting, discipline, treatment foster care program development, mental health issues and professional boundaries. 

 

BOND Girl: Thank you Dionne for agreeing to grace us with your presence during our upcoming Gathering “The Ugly Truth-Color Complex” and for taking the time out of your busy schedule for today’s interview. We feel strongly that this is a topic that affects a lot of women of color, many of which are afraid to admit it.

Where do you think this whole color complex stigma stemmed from?

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: The most conventional response is that the color complex among African-American women started with deep rooted conditioning that began in slavery. In addition, we should consider anthropological classification and societal expectations.

BOND Girl: Do you think this is still a pertinent issue that we face in our society today?

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: In a sociological and psychological perspective, any issue that creates distress or discussion can be considered pertinent however the degree or intensity of its relevance is what should be individually and collectively examined.

BOND Girl: Do you think this is an issue that can ever be resolved and put to rest?

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: My work requires that resolution is carefully defined. If resolution means we fix the issue and then define put-to-rest as burying the issue, then I think that is an unrealistic goal. The human condition is intricate and flawed. If resolution and put-to-rest is defined as embracing the issue and decreasing its negative effects, then I think that is the more realistic goal.

BOND Girl: Who should attend September 20^th and what can our attendees expect during the Ugly Truth- Color Complex Gathering?

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: Anyone who is interested in learning about possible origins of color complex, its effects on psyche and how to manage the effects.

BOND Girl: What if I’m a woman that has never really had issues with her complexion, can I still learn from this discussion?

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: Absolutely. The discussion will address subconscious attraction in color and how and why we classify people.

BOND Girl: Dionne, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you in action September 20^th. The women are eager to share, learn and grow.

Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod: It was a pleasure. I look forward to meeting everyone on Friday. 

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To read Dionne Brown-Bushrod’s full bio,  CLICK HERE. For more information and to RSVP for the September 2013 Gathering, “The Ugly Truth-Color Complex” CLICK HERE. Please grab your seat now as the price will increase at the door.