Image360 Indianapolis Northwest, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) with the City of Indianapolis, was named the Vendor of the Month for May 2024 by Councilor Leroy Robinson and the Office of Minority and Women Business Development (OMWBD) Director, David Fredricks on the morning of May 1.
Image360 Indianapolis Northwest, a small business led by Rajesh and Vidhya Patnaik, excels in signage creation and installation. The Indianapolis Northwest branch thrives through creative solutions while exceeding client expectations.
The team at Image360 Indianapolis Northwest receiving the Vendor of the Month Award for May 2024 on May 1. (Photo provided/OMWBD)
Awards like Sales Pinnacle and Operational Excellence highlight their commitment to quality and innovation. OMWBD is pleased to honor Image360 Indianapolis Northwest for its remarkable achievements during Small Business Month and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
4Z Sweets is a story of passion, dedication, and a love for baking that dates back to the teenage years of its founder, Ashley Nicks. The company was born out of Ashley’s desire to bring the treats her husband and children enjoyed so much to the local community, and ever since its inception, 4Z Sweets has been delivering delectable cupcakes that are sure to delight anyone’s taste buds.
A photo of owner Ashley Nicks (Photo via 4Z Sweets official website)
Ashley’s secret ingredient for success appears to be the love and careful thought that she puts into every cupcake she crafts. Nicks has completed her ServSafe Certification, which ensures the highest level of food safety for the confections at 4Z Sweets.
At 4Z Sweets, the focus is entirely on the customers, and Nicks ensures that each order is personalized to meet the unique needs and preferences of the customers. Whether it’s a birthday party, a wedding or a corporate event, Ashley’s cupcakes are sure to leave a lasting impression on everyone who tries them.
The cupcakes are made fresh daily, using only the finest and freshest ingredients, and with a passion for baking that is evident in every bite. Ashley’s cupcakes come in an array of flavors, from classic vanilla and chocolate to more exotic flavors like red velvet and salted caramel. Nicks has something for everyone.
Those interested in ordering from 4Z Sweets can visit their website here or via phone at 317-590-2266. For information regarding nutritional facts and allergies, visit the guidelines page here.
If you would like your business featured in the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, submit a request to our directory here.
The Ultimate Rare Bartender LLC, a Black-owned business providing bartending services for Indianapolis events, started as a hobby for one Indianapolis woman.
Nichelle Miles, the mixologist and owner of The Ultimate Rare Bartender LCC, started the business in September 2023. The business quickly became a more profound love of bringing joy into people’s lives through service and bartending.
“I took a class to learn as much as I could to build upon my bartending and mixology skills,” Miles said. Now, she is a Licensed Mixologist lending her services to weddings, celebrations, business parties and other events.
Miles says The Ultimate Rare Bartender LLC allows her to fulfill that hobby while having more control of her life. As the boss she can run her business how she wants.
“The greatest rewards are bringing joy and smiles to the hearts of my clients because with us, ‘every drink is made with a smile!’ Miles said.
She continually experimented with different drinks to see what she liked best while taking classes to learn more about beers, mixers, and wines and gain an overall understanding of bartending and mixology.
“I would recommend doing just that because you can expand your love for bartending and get a feel for what makes your client satisfied with your service,” Miles said.
She can be booked on Facebook at “The Ultimate Rare Bartender” and by phone or text at 317-260-6096.
This minority business highlight was composed by Garrett Simms at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at [317-762-7847] or via email at garretts@indyrecorder.com. If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here.
Indianapolis Recorder’s Money Smart Week continues with Everwise Credit Union sharing strategies for creating a budget.
Creating and maintaining a budget is key for your financial health. It only requires a few simple steps, but consistency is key.
Tracking your spending is the first step.
Here are 4 easy ways to track your spending:
Choose your tools. Use a budgeting app, like YNAB , a spreadsheet, the good old-fashioned envelope system, or the simple method of writing things down on paper. This will help you track your spending and find where you might be wasting money!
Review income and expenses carefully. Reference account statements, bills, and pay stubs. Track the purchases you make by reviewing your monthly checking account and credit card statements.
Categorize expenses and purchases. Save bills and receipts so you can review all purchases you’ve made at the end of the month. Don’t forget to include any automated payments you may rarely think about, such as subscription fees and insurance premiums.
Keep a record of how much cash you withdraw and spend. Review your bank statement or online transaction history to examine your cash withdrawals.
Now that you’ve tracked your spending, you’re ready to create a budget. If you keep paying attention throughout the month, you’ll do great!
Here are 5 easy steps to create and stick to a budget:
Tally up all income sources and total monthly expenses. Track your expenses for at least three months so you know your average spending.
List your needs. Include anything that is essential such as your rent or mortgage payments, savings, food, and clothing. Remember, having emergency savings is essential to ensure you are prepared for unexpected expenses.
List your wants. Include anything not essential such as entertainment, brand-name clothing, and dining out. A good rule of thumb is the 50/30/20 method—spending roughly 50 percent of your after-tax dollars on necessities, no more than 30 percent on “wants,” and at least 20 percent into savings or paying off debts.
Assign dollar amounts to expenses. Start your list of expenses with fixed-cost needs, then variable cost needs, and finally, your wants. Don’t forget other expenses that come up at different times of the year, like gifts, holiday expenses, insurance premiums and taxes. Make sure your total expenses do not exceed your total monthly income.
Review and tweak as necessary. You will likely need to adjust the amounts in each expense category at least once every six months to keep your budget relevant. If you have remaining funds, you may want to reallocate those funds toward your debt or savings.
Keep this up and you’ll be on top of your money in no time! You’ll know how you spend your money and will be able to adjust or eliminate non-essential purchases, reduce debt, increase savings and meet your financial goals.
Indianapolis Recorder’s Smart Money Week continues with Everwise Credit Union sharing strategies for paying down debt.
Paying down debt is important to your financial wellness because it helps you make the most of your money. The less money you pay in interest fees, the more money you’ll have to put towards your goals. Paying down debt is possible if you strategize!
Here are 8 steps to pay down your debt:
(Photo provided/Everwise)
Create a budget to know your income, expenses, and cash flow. Look back at Tuesday’s post from our daily financial wellness topics for help.
Organize your debt. Determine how much debt you have. List every credit card with an outstanding balance and note the amount owed to each. Next, list the interest rate of each card. Do this for any other fixed installment loan debt you have as well. Then add up the amounts owed on each account to reach your total outstanding debt amount.
Trim nonessential expenses and/or generate more income to have as much cash flow as you can. By trimming spending in one budget category and channeling that money toward paying down debt, you can maximize your debt payments. You can also find ways to make extra cash to cover your payments.
Choose your debt-crushing method. Consider the Snowball or Avalanche method: The Snowball Method commits as much income as you can to your lowest debt while making only minimum payments on the rest. OR The Avalanche Method pays off debt with the highest interest rate first and moving on to the next-highest rate until all debts are paid off, while maintaining minimum payments on the rest of your debt.
Negotiate with your creditors. Many credit card companies are willing to lower your interest rate once you prove you are serious about paying down debt. Contact each credit card company to discuss your options. At the very least, see if you can get the company to lower your rate.
Consider a debt consolidation loan or credit card balance transfer. For some, the most challenging aspect of paying down debt is managing multiple payments across several credit card accounts. When you consolidate debts into one low-interest loan, it becomes much easier to manage monthly payments. Plus, the savings on interest payments can be significant, particularly if the new loan has a low interest rate.
Avoid debt settlement services. Debt settlement services offer to lower your interest rates and boost your credit score in a short amount of time – for a fee. Although many of these companies could be fronts for scammers and should be avoided, there are legitimate debt settlement companies, so do your research well if you are thinking of using one.
Start building your emergency savings and stop taking on new debt. Emergency savings can help you from taking on new debt due to unexpected expenses.
Paying off debt takes time and willpower, but living debt-free is key to financial wellness.
Catrina Tate is vice president of Retail at Everwise Credit Union with more than 21 years of banking experience. Visit everwisecu.com.
For more news from the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, click here.
Indianapolis Recorder’s Money Smart Week continues with Everwise Credit Union sharing strategies for improving your credit score.
Your credit score is a crucial part of your financial health. The three little numbers measure how likely you are to repay borrowed money.
The most commonly used credit score model, FICO, has a range of 300 to 850. An excellent credit score (800+) can open the door to large loans with better interest rates, employment opportunities, and more. On the flip side, a poor credit score (less than 580) can be a strong impediment toward building wealth, funding large purchases and finding gainful employment.
Here are 5 ways to boost your credit score.
Pay bills on time. Carrying an outstanding balance, and/or owing lots of interest, shows that you are not timely with your bills. Setting up automatic monthly payments helps avoid late payments.
Keep credit utilization below 30%. Credit utilization ratio is the amount of available credit you have and use. Keep your utilization under 30%. Consider accepting offers for increased credit – just don’t rack up huge bills by having all that additional credit.
Maximize credit card payments. Find ways you can trim expenses or bring in extra cash to maximize payments toward your debt. You can pay down debt using one of the debt-crushing methods. Showing the credit bureaus that you’re on track to pay off debt can improve your score.
Keep credit cards open and active. Building and preserving a healthy credit score requires owning a card or two and keeping them active.
To keep your cards active without an open balance, pay one fixed monthly bill, such as a subscription or membership, with your credit card by setting up automatic monthly payments for the bill and the credit card. This way, your cards will be open and active, and you’ll never have a late payment.
Be sure not to open multiple new credit cards all at once. New accounts or new credit lowers the average age of your existing accounts, and opening multiple accounts in a short period of time is considered “a risk” by reporting agencies.
Review credit reports. Make sure your information is accurate, and no accounts have been opened in your name without your knowledge. Get a free copy of your credit report from each credit bureau once a year at annualcreditreport.com.
Remember that lenders, insurers, employers, and others can obtain your credit report to determine whether you are a good candidate. So, it is key to your financial wellness.
Managing your credit card and debt responsibly goes a long way toward positively impacting your overall finances. Learn more strategies with a Credit Basics resource and our free online learning module about Credit Scores and Reports to find out more about how credit is measured and the impact it can have on your financial goals. Catrina Tate is vice president of Retail at Everwise Credit Union with more than 21 years of banking experience. Visit everwisecu.com
For more news courtesy of the Indianapolis Recorder, visit our homepage.
I AM the VIBE is a Black and woman-owned candle shop, but it is also a little bit more than that.
Indy-based educator and new mom Jessica Brown received her bachelor’s in early childhood education and is an advocate for early development. While in the classroom, Brown realized she needed to put more energy into herself and her own health to be able to show up for her children.
“If you’ve ever spent time in an early childhood setting, you know how important it is to always model good habits,” Brown said in a statement on her website. “As I wore the stress on my shoulders, I began to notice that every trigger, every tantrum came from the environment that I created. I realized that I Am Energy.”
Brown started I AM the VIBE in 2019 as a way to address her own “self-health” and blend her two favorite things: fragrance oils and music. After some extensive research, candle making became Brown’s healing hobby.
The candles, which come in 8, 10 and 12 ounces and range in earthy, fruity, floral and specialty fragrances, are each a hand-poured blend of wax and oils. Each candle also comes with a custom R&B playlist for a multisensory experience, as Brown believes rhythm and blues are healing for the mind, body and soul.
In addition to candles, I AM the VIBE also features a line of room sprays and an outdoor citronella linen spray.
I AM the VIBE currently operates as an online shop. Brown can be found at festivals and vending expos around Indianapolis, such as Melanin in May, Grapevine and Indy Black Wall-Street. For more information or to browse the collection, visitiamthevibellc.com. To get in contact, email Iamthevibellc@outlook.com or call (317) 400-7916.
This minority business highlight was composed by CHLOE McGOWAN at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at 317-762-7848 or via email at chloegm@indyrecorder.com. If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here!
The Lumina Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that works to make educational opportunities available to all. Their mission is to increase the number of Americans who have the education they need to succeed in a global economy.
The Lumina Foundation focuses on making higher education accessible and affordable. They support programs that help students prepare for college, make informed decisions about their education, and graduate with a degree. They also work to address racial inequality in education, ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.
Here are some of the key initiatives of the Lumina Foundation:
The Getting Started Initiative: This initiative helps students from low-income families prepare for and succeed in college.
The Talent Transfer Initiative: This initiative helps community college students transfer to four-year institutions and complete their degrees.
The Racial Equity in Higher Education Initiative: This initiative works to address racial inequality in education and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.
The Lumina Foundation is a valuable resource for students, educators, and policymakers who are working to improve access to and affordability of higher education.
The Lumina Foundation is a member of the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce minority-owned business directory.
For more minority business highlights courtesy of the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, visit our homepage.If you want your business featured in the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, click here.
Indianapolis Recorder’s Money Smart Week continues with Everwise Credit Union sharing steps for preparing your kids for financial success.
Teaching your kids about money and preparing them for the future financial responsibilities they will have someday is a key part of your family’s financial wellness.
Here are 6 steps to prepare your kids for financial success:
Talk to your children about money. Have a conversation with your children about finances. It is an important milestone that will create excitement about gaining “big kid” responsibilities. After your discussion, schedule a time when you and your child can visit a bank or credit union.
Open a savings account. There are specific savings programs available geared towards kids. For example, Everwise Credit Union offers a Kids Club that’s designed for children up to age 12. Parents or guardians can open a membership with the child as the primary owner. Kids get a piggy bank upon opening an account and can learn and grow with free online financial education tools, designed especially for parents and kids to use together.
Teens can open a Student Rewards Checking account to manage their money and earn cash rewards. The account features cutting-edge technology for 24/7 banking, everyday buying power with a cash-back debit card, and cash rewards for teens who learn more about money management and then take a few simple steps.
Visit frequently. It’s recommended to visit a branch often to foster good habits for kids who want to learn about saving money. A perfect time to deposit funds into a saving account would be when they receive money for chores or reaching milestones like birthdays and graduations.
Agree on a savings and spending amount. Kids should learn about the value of saving for the future while also spending responsibly. Make agreements with your kids when depositing money. If they don’t want to deposit all of it, go half and half. Let them spend some and save some. Emphasize the receipts when they make a deposit to help illustrate that their balance is growing. In addition, help them set realistic and achievable savings goals.
Learn about banking language. Savings accounts can help teach important life lessons, like the difference between a “want” and a “need.” They can also help educate children about how to save for a “later” reward. Plus, opening an account for your child can also teach them about necessary banking language, such as savings, deposit, balance, withdrawal, and interest.
Monitor the account together until your child is 18 or older. For kids under 18, a parent is required to help open the account for them, so usually they choose the login information and password together so they can both monitor the account. When the child turns 18, the parents can choose to remove themselves from the account.
Catrina Tate is vice president of Retail at Everwise Credit Union with more than 21 years of banking experience. Visit everwisecu.com. For more news from the Indiana Minority Business Magazine during Money Smart Week, visit our homepage.
Fifteen regions across Indiana are set to receive a share of $500 million in new economic development grants meant to boost the state’s quality of life, place and opportunity, Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state leaders announced Thursday.
The dollars are part of Indiana’s second Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, better known as READI 2.0 — a grant program that has been a signature policy of Holcomb’s administration.
All 92 counties will be impacted by projects funded through the program. Among those are plans to increase available housing, develop new work-based learning partnerships, add support for small businesses and expand child care options. Also anticipated are new parks, trails and other attractions that improve day-to-day life within dozens of Hoosier communities and make the state a magnet for talented workers and their families.
“Indiana is leading the way in future-focused investments in our economy and in our communities, ensuring that all Hoosiers of today and tomorrow have the opportunity to prosper,” Holcomb said. “READI has already resulted in more than $12.6 billion invested in quality of place and quality of life assets. The second iteration of the initiative – READI 2.0 – along with additional committed investments from the Lilly Endowment, will bring billions more to Hoosier neighborhoods, preparing communities, industry and talent for the next generation and beyond.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) board approved the investment commitments and regional allocations during a board meeting on Thursday.
Before that, a similar Regional Cities Initiative, funneled $126 million into regional development.
The state’s money is backed up by $12.2 billion in public, private and nonprofit funds. The administration said every state dollar averaged a $26 match during READI’s first round.
READI 2.0’s 15 regions started developing their funding proposals last summer. They had until February to submit proposals. As part of the funding deliberations, the IEDC, the quasi-public agency administering the program, held numerous forums and visited the regions to discuss their previous investments and future plans.
The maximum award per region was $75 million, an increase from the previous cap of $50 million. None of the regional awards were valued over $45 million, however.
Holcomb said that’s because all 15 regions cleared a “very high bar.”
“We wanted to make sure that we followed through and looked at disadvantaged and rural areas … which we did, the allocation reflects that, but also that we were able to do projects that were all over the state of Indiana. So, it brings down that $75 million,” the governor said. “As you see the sheer number of quality projects, I would have loved to have had a billion dollars. … But I think we very methodically arrived at — what was not just fair — but what was effective in spurring economic and population growth and attracting talent.”
An external review committee evaluated the applications based on a variety of factors, according to the governor’s office. Criteria included economic development potential, alignment with the state’s priorities, — like population growth, per capita income growth, growth in employment opportunities, educational attainment, housing units developed, childcare capacity and innovation activities — as well as the level of focus on rural communities and the degree of regional collaboration.
“Almost every conversation I have with a company, whether an established Hoosier business or a new company coming to the state, begins and ends with workforce,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg. “READI is an essential component for the state retaining and growing our population and workforce talent.”
“Companies around the world are taking notice of this program,” he continued, “and the General Assembly’s investment in these areas has unquestionably been a business retention and attraction tool.”
In 2023, state lawmakers earmarked $500 million to the IEDC for the latest round of READI grants, matching the amount allocated in the state budget two years prior. The first round used federal dollars but the newest grants are state dollars.
It’s still to be determined whether additional state dollars for READI or similar programming will be approved by legislators in the 2025 budget session, or by Indiana’s next governor.
