We recently connected with National Association of Black Professional Organizers (NABPO) and have shared our conversation below.
National Association of Black Professional Organizers, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
The professional organizing industry is dominated by white women. There are many organizers who are people of color, that delayed starting their businesses because of the lack of representation. This is the reason why we founded the National Association of Black Professional Organizers (NABPO). We wanted to create a community and give a voice to professional organizers who identify as people of color. In doing so, we’ve become disrupters in our industry and continue to challenge what is considered the norm.
Our six Founders are Naeemah Ford Goldson, Dina R. Smith, Tiffany Blassingame, Carolyn Rogers, Shaheedah Hill, and Naomi Kyalo. We were brave enough to join together and create a safe space within the professional organizing industry for all people of color, and our allies.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
According to SCORE, the average gross annual income of a Black female-owned business is $24k vs. $143k among all women-owned businesses. Some reasons include lack of funding or capital, lack of support and resources, and burnout. We are striving to close the gap.
Our mission is to empower and educate existing and start-up minority and women-owned businesses and other disadvantaged entrepreneurs by providing the appropriate resources and referrals that will meet their business needs.
Our members are business owners, authors, course creators, inventors, coaches, speakers, and so much more! We encourage you to visit the NABPO website to learn more about our organizers, special events, and service projects we have coming up.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In this industry, it’s important to have confidence, community, and collaboration.
Starting a business and keeping it going is a difficult task. You’ll come across many bumps in the road along the way, so you’ll need to have confidence in your skills and abilities to keep going. Community is so important because you’ll have the opportunity to network and meet like-minded people, which can lead to collaboration. There are so many different niche areas of organizing, and plenty of work to go around. Being able to collaborate with other organizers can open your eyes to new processes, and you’ll be able to see the strengths of your colleagues.
Collaboration over competition is key!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
NABPO is a national organization and we are looking to collaborate with other non-profit organizations around the country that focus on women and children.
We are also looking for businesses that want to donate and support our mission so we can provide more programs, scholarships, and services to our members.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nabpo.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nabpo_inc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nabpo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nabpo
