#lifestyle, #thoughts, #tips&tricks

you don’t have to be broke

ronellegreen

are you a broke college student? because you don’t have to be. literally. it’s so easy to save money and manage your spending, once you decide to make it a priority.

click “decide”. and jam out while you choose to have “mo’ money” (let’s not dwell on the part about problems). i’m about to share with you a few of the tips and tricks I use to ensure my bank account isn’t in the negatives every other week. buuuuut please don’t be fooled, I definitely have times when my bank account balance looks a lot like $0.64 – this isn’t a post on how to eradicate the college struggle (because that’s kind of impossible). I strongly believe it’s not college if there’s no struggle (but if you’re struggle free then 1. yay you and 2. help me out?)

ok, here are the tips. some of them are books, because BOOKS. READ BOOK GUYS THEY’RE AWESOME

  1. richest man in babylon – george samuel clason. my dad forced me to read this book when I was 11 (shoutout to my father being all wise and prescient and fantastic) and I hated it. it was dreadfully boring to me. it was like reading scrolls of ancient scripture, which is fair, because it is a collection of parables. the parables, though, give little nuggets of financial wisdom that can change your life. the main one that stuck with me was the 10% rule: at an absolute minimum, save 10% of every dime of income you come across. by save, I mean actually save it. put it away into what I call a “black hole” account. I call it a black hole because you should see things (money, deposits) going into it and never, ever, ever coming out (in the form of withdrawals), ever, and ever. well not ever, but not anytime soon. this is your rainy day umbrella, your emergency fund, your cushion for when life bitch slaps you off the cliff of financial stability- because it will. not your the-new-iPhone-is-out fund, and not the omg-beyonce-in-concert fund. the actual savings fund that actually has savings in it. every single time a pay check gets dropped into your account, a MINIMUM of 10% needs to be put directly into savings, never to be seen again (until that bitch slap we talked about arrives). this book is cornerstone to countless badass, rich ass people, including one of my lady-goals, Sophia Amoruso, Founder of NastyGal.com. She even mentioned it in her (very great) book. she curates this site too, it’s chock full of easy to read money management tips. another tenet of richest man in babylon that I hold dear is the practice of giving back. once you can, you should. in some type of way, be it your time, your advice, or actual dollars, cuz you know, karma and the laws of attraction and all that good stuff. they’re legit concepts. trust me.
  2. acorns. a super easy-to-use, not investor-gibberish at all app that invests your spare change for you. you can attach an account to it and set it to round up all your transactions to the nearest dollar, with the change being strategically invested for you by the acorns team in a diversified portfolio of stocks. you get real dividends and returns, without the tricky investing jargon and knowledge. MO’ MONEY. you’re welcome.
  3. automate. don’t depend on yourself to manage the movement of your funds from checking to savings. have your bank set it up so it happens automatically and you’ve already won.
  4. mint. this is a beautifully developed site and app that you put all your financial data into (credit cards, bank accounts, expenses) and it amalgamates all of that into a pretty layout of how much you spend on different things. it’s a lovely way to get the macro view of how you deal with your money, so you can better manage it.
  5. speaking of mint, do you have a budget? BECAUSE YOU NEED ONE. from how much you’re gonna spend on haircuts or hair products to food to entertainment to savings needs to be outlined in a solidified breakdown THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN DOWN. this isn’t just so you can say you have a budget. this is about accountability and actually knowing what you’re doing with your money. the more aware you are of the ebbs and flows of your money, is the more likely you are to learn how to dance with those ebbs and flows and stay on top of your funds.
  6. drop your “treat yoself” philosophy, or account for it. either you realise that impulsively buying trendy shit off boohoo and asos that you can’t afford IS NOT A TREAT, or you budget for an item that you use as your “treat” each month. treats can be small and affordable, guys. ease up off the ballin’ out types of treats if you truly, honestly can’t afford it. you’re scamming yourselves.

try those tips and then listen to this song and bask in the riches you’ve acquired *wink*.

be blessed, ever blessed.

#lifestyle, #thoughts

interview | marketing dancehall in the diaspora

ronellegreen

The Jamaican diaspora sports almost the same number of Jamaicans as the island itself. With a population of around 2.7million people living in “the home of all right”, there are a little over 2million Jamaicans living in other countries around the globe. Jamaica’s biggest export is often said to be its culture, with global legends like Bob Marley and Usain Bolt, things like reggae and dancehall music, as well as our love for sports and friendly competition, holding the space of the mainstream associations people make with the paradise island. With that, comes an entire industry of dancehall/reggae worldwide – millions of dollars being circulated in all types of currencies across the world through channels like festivals and live shows, merchandise, bookings, record sales and movie/television placements. In almost every major city, one can find a market for the product that is authentic dancehall and reggae.

There are very few places that are truly ‘out of many one people‘. Jamaica is one of them. Regardless of classism, you’re never a second class citizen in Jamaica.

Jamaican businessman and young entrepreneur, Ibrahim Konteh, has seized this reality and turned it into his professional playground. Through his brand, Jamrock Entertainment Management (JEM), Konteh (seemingly effortlessly) brings authentic dancehall and reggae themed social events from Jamaica to the world. JEM is also outsourced to manage external events, as well as digital marketing efforts for clients. I called Ibrahim earlier tonight and asked him all the how’s, the why’s, the where’s and when’s of his business and was left inspired and energised, knowing that my home is an incubator for lifelong memories to be made by any patron of a JEM event.

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Born in Moscow, Russia, transplanted to Sierra Leone and then on to Jamaica, where he grew up for the remainder of his childhood and adolescent life, Konteh is well equipped with a naturally international perspective. A perspective that inevitably ignited in him the desire and yearning to provide his country’s product on a global scale. As Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications at JEM, a company formed around 10 years ago, he does just that. Alongside his partners, Mark Hines and Gabrielle Curling, Konteh has hosted events across the island of Jamaica, in prime partying locations like Kingston and Ocho Rios, to states across the US ranging from Arkansas and Washington D.C., to New York. With a successful party lineup of household name events such as “the Strictly Series” – an enveloping brand covering around three “Strictly” themed parties (“Strictly 2K”, for only 2000s dancehall/reggae music; “Strictly Addi” – for only music done by, currently incarcerated dancehall legend and wizard, Vybz Kartel, and so on) – in addition to others like AfroSocaLove, BoozeNCrews, Bar Code, 11:59 and more – Ibrahim Konteh qualifies as one of Jamaica’s premiere international marketers of the Jamaican party experience.

You can make excuses, or you can make moves.

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Before Ibrahim was hosting memorable events, he served as Brand Manager for International Brands at, then Lascelles deMercado Group of Companies, now acquired by Gruppo Campari – a conglomerate of rums, spirits and alcohols. Ibrahim was responsible for a portfolio of brands ranging from Campari, Skyy Vodka, Aperol, and JBW Rum. When asked if he has gleaned any valuable work skills from marketing international brands in Jamaica that apply to his work with JEM now, Ibrahim gave an enthusiastic, “Definitely” as his reply. “It was what truly opened my mind to actually doing things on a bigger scale. I thought I knew marketing before the position, but quickly realised that I didn’t”, explained Konteh. He went on to recount a unique type of irony – one of the international brands he was managing, Campari, outright acquired the company that hired him. Say it with me – plot twist. “I went from running some small brands to, boom, my brand owned the whole company, my brand was at the forefront”, says Konteh. He went on to explain that learning the ins and outs of Campari’s expansion strategy – acquiring small, growing companies across the world – is what inspired him to take his previously local concept of hosting events and turn it into a global concept. Places like the UK, California, and Atlanta are now on JEM’s horizons of expansion.

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Halfway through the interview, I wanted details. I asked, “How do you edit your 4Ps in marketing your events across geographical borders?” Konteh laughs, to my confusion. He then went on to explain that in his business, executing a 4Ps model was always a necessity – his parties had to happen at the right time and place, he always kept his price at a non-premium level suitable for his target patron, his product had to be an authentic dancehall/reggae vibe, and his promotion methods had to be accessible, on the ground and relatable. “A lot of graphic designers hate working with me”, Ibrahim says as he chuckles, “Because I always have to get it right”. In addressing how he edits his 4Ps, he explained “Before you enter a new market, you absolutely must do your research. When I entered Florida as a market, my research showed that competing entertainment brands are territorial, and do not allow for market entry of new competitors unless by way of partnership with them. That’s a key part of how JEM will operate if we intend to be successful in this market.” Not only that, but how JEM handles promotion varies by location. “Florida has a lot more physical hot spots and patrons that are out and about – so I have to hit the ground with print promotion (signs and flyers) to best access my audience. Washington DC, however, needs a lot more social media and digital penetration as that audience is more online centric.” Price is also something JEM can edit in tandem with its location of operation. “What I charge for a party ticket in DC, can cover all-inclusive drinks for each patron at an event in Jamaica,” a reality augmented by the lightning speed at which the Jamaican dollar (JMD) loses value. With an exchange rate of $128.75JMD to $1USD, a typical cover charge of $20USD per ticket in the US is a premium price of essentially $3,000JMD back on the vibrant island. “Strictly 2K is essentially $15USD, but patrons drink free all night, in the US, patrons pay $20USD and buy drinks separately”, he explains. He went on to express that while he customises his product to some extent, for instance, by adding a home DJ to US parties, it is always a consistently authentic dancehall/reggae theme – similar to the concept called “globalisation” that we marketers use to identify slightly customised international marketing strategies.

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When asked why he thinks the world needs dancehall and reggae, Konteh passionately replied, “Dancehall and reggae is Jamaica. It is the voice of the Jamaican people. And everyone should hear it.” #everbless.

 

#lifestyle, #thoughts, #tips&tricks

self + care

ronellegreen

self love isn’t always a mani-pedi and taking selfies when your face is beat, ladies. sometimes self love is ugly. sometimes, self love has to be ending a toxic relationship, making tough choices, and sometimes self love means sacrifice. I think today, in all this #blackgirlmagic and #selflove on the interwebs, though glorious and full of joy and honey and brown sugar, we’ve begun to glamorise a sometimes gory process. and not just that, we’re doing it in a way that can taint the concept of self love for young girls growing into it. imagine, a preteen only ever seeing #selflove under photos of expensive manicures or new clothes. she’d grow to attach the concept of loving herself to buying more things for herself, or to having surface level changes made, like the color of her nail polish. my point is, this process is becoming pretentious.

i’ve been truly loving on myself since the start of sophomore year – and i’ve learnt. so. much. my process, though, was nothing like the shiny acrylics and new pairs of heels i’m seeing daily online that my peers use to define their process. it made me wonder if i’ve been doing it wrong this whole time, then I checked myself and was like girl, you love yourself like cook food, you’ve definitely done it right. 

and that’s the point. you have to actually like being you. self love is not an excuse to break your budget on impulsive, ridiculous, materialistic buys talkin’ bout some “treat yourself” – that’s actually dangerous, damaging behaviour that’s only hastening your financial demise (i’m being dramatic on purpose). if you loved yourself, you’d save more. that’s not to say treating yourself isn’t ridiculously fun and rewarding, but that’s not all taking care of yourself means. and I can counter myself and say that my self love journey started only after I got rid of physical attributes that I hated, which is a tricky subject. It took me cutting all my unhealthy hair off in freshman year, a partial run of braces, and getting rid of my acne to even think I was worth the self love journey. but don’t let that be the case for you, please. it’s not just a physical journey.

how many of you claim to love yourselves, but are obsessively attached to emotionally abusive or manipulative partners? or claim to love yourselves, but don’t ever get enough sleep, or eat well at all. do you drink water? your body loves that shit. you should try it, that’s self love. how often do you get tested? that’s self love. do you know what every inch on your body looks and feels like? do you know what you’re good at? do you think about yourself, with respect to others? do you think about what you actually want to do in life? do you cry when you need to? do you know when to stop feeling sorry for yourself? when to admit you’ve done wrong? do you know when and how to trust? do you know how to be alone, and not sad? alone, and not lonely? – that is a thing, I do it all the time, I love being alone so much it’s embarrassing sometimes. i’ll show up to whole parties alone and see my friends there wondering who I came with – I came with myself, guys, i’m my date duhhh.

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 @ Som Records, 14th St NW.

i’ve gotten very good at loving myself. I used to be so troubled by facebook posts and tweets that other pretty girls make (lol), I used to make everything into a competition, and validate myself with attention received. I used to be sad all the time, and my anxiety was never truly managed until now. I used to be scared to express my personality and my opinions (still working on that in some spaces). and that’s part of self love too, it’s an ongoing, evolving and eternal thing. and it applies to every aspect of your life – spiritual, financial, emotional, social, professional, academic, all of it leads to your relationship with yourself. the discipline and character you’ve chosen to inherit or develop is backed by the awareness of self you’ve acquired. but now, i’m clumsily flourishing in my own ways, and becoming the woman I always thought I wanted to be. key word: clumsily – this is a real and human process, and it’s not always a pretty pedicure. my self love involves audible crying and writing out painful truths and exercise (when I muster up the discipline, i’m working on it) and withdrawing from people who have caused me pain. my self love also involves listening to my record collection, a lot of coffee making, a lot of wine pouring, a lot of reading, writing lists, using my planner, a lot of making (of random, crafty things), and a lot of friendship. I even have a self love soundtrack that I play when I need to remind myself i’m not scum, here’s one song off of it. a suggestion I have for you, is self dates – take yourself out. I started only because i’ve been annoyingly single basically all my damn life, but want to do date things like dinner and movies. so I just decided to start doing them on my own. they’re now my favourite days. I go get coffee, I visit record shops, I walk to random places, I go out to eat, I go watch a movie, whatever it is, but that time is spent deliberately asking myself tough questions and starting a type of internal discourse. that discourse always brings forth progress for me. it always inspires me to make changes, even if teeny tiny ones, that bring me closer to my spiritual centre and to my purpose. and I always end the date feeling like a badass who’s about to conquer the world. energised and feeling myself. on a whole new level – incited by me and carried on as long as I decide. that’s powerful, and I wish the feeling even on my worst enemy.

treating yourself well also raises your standards for how you are to be treated by others. you’ll never settle for lacklustre relationships if you’ve established the opposite of that on your own. you’ll never accept verbal abuse if the way you speak to yourself is genuine and uplifting.

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@ Som Records, 14th St NW.

I challenge you to ask yourself everything you’ve been choosing to ignore, to spend a whole day with yourself, to look at yourself naked (try dancing naked too), to take a good nap, hydrate with water, and take care of your everblessed 😉 (my jamaican ladies know just what I mean). and while you’re at it,

stay ever blessed

#coffee, #lifestyle, #tips&tricks

coffee, tea. coffee me

ronellegreen

play this song.

now, learn how to make coffee not taste as bitter as a villain’s soul from someone whose soul would probably taste like unicorn droppings (that’s me)

so first, unthink everything you think about coffee unless you think only good things. it is not bitter, it is not gross, and it is not coffee anymore if you’ve drowned it in sweetened, steamed milk and five cans of whipped cream. then, get yourself some quality grounds. instant is not a thing. if you see instant coffee, you should instantly look the other way. head to a grocery store near you, preferably somewhere that reeks of gentrification and is pretentious and organic – gentrifiers love coffee. pick up anything that says it was grown on high land. the higher up coffee is grown, is the higher the quality. the lower it is grown, is the more bitter, flat and plain the taste will be. your neighbourhood coffeeshop will tell you that’s not true, but that’s because their measly supply chain cannot handle purchasing quality beans, grown in often inaccessible highlands across the world.

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brace for bias –

jamaican blue mountain coffee is so great that it’s sinful to experience. that’s because of how high up it is grown, and all the love and culture and ancient history that is in every bean. if you can get your hands on any brand of coffee grown in the blue mountains of jamaica, you’re already winning. if not, you can grab some freshly ground arabica, roast of any sort, from trader joe’s or wherever, or anything else that was grown right. look for the words “fair trade” on the packaging. where you don’t see those words, there is likely a painfully underpaid coffee grower in a developing country across the ocean somewhere. if it’s fair trade, then at least we know that coffee was grown to standards worthy of respect and starting your beautiful mornings off with – don’t start your morning off with a steaming cup of corruption and oppression of farmers, please.

next up, choose your method to the madness. let’s be ambitious and avoid percolators. percolators drip hot water through the grounds, and don’t allow for the flavours to truly come out in a balanced, tasty way. invest in a french press, a chemex, or just some sturdy filters and a giant mug if you want to be handy. how the chemex or giant mug + filters would work is: you put your quality grounds in the filter, then pour hot water into the grounds directly. for the water, boil it then let rest for 15 seconds to achieve ideal coffee making heat. pouring over the hot water will activate the grounds, releasing the oils, aroma and bitter acidity at first, and then allowing rounded tasting fresh coffee to seep through the filter and into the mug (or base of the chemex). for the french press: preheat the carafe of the press by pouring hot water into it and letting it rest for 30 seconds. this keeps your brew at optimum temperature and taste. empty that water. put your grounds into the french press, pour just enough hot water into the press to bring some grounds to a float, then stir for 40 seconds to a minute to release the pungent acidity we talked about before. top up with more hot water, seal the plunger to the surface level of your brewing coffee and set a timer for 4 minutes. after that’s up, sink your plunger, pour your cup, drink your coffee, and have spasms of pleasure.

when you’ve made your bomb ass cup of joe, listen to this playlist and pretend to be a sexy barista. let me know what you think about your newfound coffee making skills, and your newfound favourite songs (wink).

everbless,

Uncategorized

burning sage

ronellegreen

so there’s a whole school of thought on this. a whole field of study, really.

it is believed that burning the herb, sage, in one’s space will cleanse its energies and make the space sacred and pure. sage is like a plant version of rubbing alcohol, it kills spiritual germs and such.

though i’ve always been one to appreciate and delve deeply into the topic of spirituality and self awareness, i’ve never really grasped the concept of sage, crystals, yoni eggs or anything of the sort. i’m probably too simplistic and cynical a personality to attach sacred properties to a bunch of leaves or a smooth stone. this is not to say i’m closed-minded, but rather I don’t understand – a whole other discussion to be had (call in the theologists and machiavellians) – the attachment of sacredness to materials. I don’t understand how dried bushes can “cleanse” a space. though i’ve read countless essays and opinions and angles and scientific explanations, none apply to what I naturally think or can grasp without coercion. but guess what, sage is still my shit.

I burn it all the time. I think it lightens my spirit, through my space.

 

 

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but I attach that solely to its scent. I think that my journey through finding out how sage could possibly work, made me subconsciously attach a positive meaning to the smell of it. now, when I smell burnt sage, I smell sisterhood and power and self love and sensuality and spirit. I smell flavour and I smell strength. just as I attach a mood to the fragrances I wear everyday – one perfume for my get-it-done self, and one for my girl-you’re-so-hot-right-now-self. I attach the scent of sage to the essence of sanity, deliberate sanity – to the essence of deciding to not be affected by anxiety, and to be at ease. so burning sage for me, is to light new opportunity ablaze – something I can decide to do every night in my room, which is so profound to me that I can’t believe I didn’t think of doing this earlier.

I buy mine (cue, shameless plug: take note howard students) from the cutest, quaintest, black-owned, brick front gem on georgia avenue – blue nile. it’s literally $2.

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it makes me wonder if whatever you want sage to be for, is what it is for. what if you could pick any tiny ritual for yourself that clears your mind in your own kind of way? what would your ritual be?

#everbless,

#lifestyle, #thoughts, #tirades

“I wish I met you first”

ronellegreen

the line i’ve gotten so many times that even I wish I met me first. 

 

it’s offensive on an offensive amount of levels.

 

as in, is my level of interesting-ness directly proportional to the sequence in which you meet me and other women?  “if I meet ronelle first, then she’s most cool. but if I meet her last, she’s least cool”? is that it?

that’s not it. what it is, is the slyest, most carefully crafted getaway tool used by guys in my generation. it’s the scapegoat, the getaway card, the abort-mission call they use when the simultaneous entertainment of multiple women goes wrong. it’s what you say when one girl is sure she should be the preferred choice, but isn’t. it implies the acquiescence of “yes, you should be preferred”, but the resistance of “but it’s not your time” all in one six word sentence. it’s as if to say, “if you came before her, you would be it – but you didn’t, so i’m obligated to go with the first comer”. is your saying you wish you met me first supposed to flatter me, or appease me? because it does neither. it infuriates me. have you not the autonomy and choice to decide to court a woman based on what you feel, rather than the order she arrives in? I think the line is moronic. literally. If you met me first then what? And okay, you didn’t meet me first – do I line up and wait until it’s my time to be seen by you? no, fam.

 

#everbless

#lifestyle

space

ronellegreen

where you dwell can be just a space you occupy, or it can be a representation of what occupies you(r mind). I believe in creating spaces that keep us safe, that keep us warm, together, sheltered and in good spirits. growing up, the biggest fraction of my when i’m a grown up visions belonged to what I saw as my future home. from its (luxurious, lavish and obnoxious, duhhh) exterior to its homey, spirited interior. I would literally be creating whole HGTV/MTV Cribs episodes in my toddler mind, it’s crazy. that’s something I know I got from my mother – she can spend centuries fixing and fondling with spaces, making them pretty, giving them character. I think spaces are a little deeper than their looks – because I think they incubate your life’s work. I think that where you are represents where you will be. It’s not just an aesthetic, it’s an example. An example of what and how you live, your truths, and your habits. If your room is cluttered, maybe, just maybe, your mind is too.

that said, I take my dorm decor a little too seriously. college is not about to stop me from feeling like i’m in my dream loft. and that’s not to say my room is a target “room essentials” ad that cost me $300 to put together, my room is the furthest thing from that. i’m a simple woman, so my space is equally as simple – remember, example not aesthetic.

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i’m obsessed with the world, and I want to take it over. not in a villain-y way though cuz i’m super sweet. but because of my obsession with the world and my quest to become this cosmopolitan, global business magnate badass, I have a giant map of the world on my wall. it’s like my favourite thing (aside from my french press, also pictured here). this is my biggest (literally and figuratively) example of my space representing my aims. this is not to say you have to have a lab coat hanging from your door if you want to do science, or a brick of clay on your desk if you want to be a potter. but the tchotchkes you look at everyday can become a subliminal source of motivation for you. imagine looking at a visual representation of everything you want in life, every single day. imagine all of your friends and visitors knowing just what keeps you ticking as soon as they enter your abode. imagine your vision being so very visible. I basically am an advocate for building a vision room, and not just a vision board (even though I have that too because I love all things visual).

you can edit your space to be anything you want – work on a colour scheme, get/make art that lifts your spirit, open the blinds once in a while. you don’t have to launch a home depot mission impossible for your space to be YOUR space. all i’m saying is, yo’ room can represent yo’ doom – and your space can represent your pace. think about it, then hang a new painting up and lemme know how you like it.

be ever blessed