In this interview she discusses how she got her first credit card, how she balances work life while preparing for her non-profit and shares her thoughts on failing.
- Brea: When did you notice there should be an organization like RICHES available?
Our lack of knowledge on not only credit management, but also financially literacy, puts the black community at a disadvantage. And because we are living in a time where it is harder to obtain credit than it has been since its creation, I grew a desire to break a cycle by educating black young adults on building and managing credit through the nonprofit I founded called RICHES.
- B: Why do you think young adults aren't aware of the basic fundamentals of building and maintaining credit?
My freshmen year in college, I was convinced by a certain bank to fill out a credit card application in exchange for a free box of pizza. As a hungry and broke college student, it really didn't take much convincing. I didn’t take into consideration the fact that I was giving out personal information without caution and literally asking for possible identity theft. I also didn’t take into consideration what could happen once I got that credit card in the mail.
Needless to say, I hurt the credit score that my parents built for me. Although, it was a small credit line, it turns out that I was not able to consistently pay my credit card bill on time each month. And I had no clue what an APR was. Go figure. Knowing that I planned to graduate college and that one day I would need that 770 credit score I once had, I managed to rebuild my credit. It took a lot of research, work, credit disputing but I was able to do it.
- B: Considering most people are afraid to fail,especially when starting a business, what is your take on failing?
N: I
have always been afraid of failing. In most cases, people who are
afraid to fail put their dreams and aspirations to the side to avoid embarrassment, shame, and inadequacy. But because I know that I have a
God-given purpose, which is RICHES, I am well aware that failure is not
an option.
I know that I will have obstacles to face and I may fail at a
few things, but the vision that I have for RICHES' future and role in our
society, Atlanta specifically, is bigger than what most can imagine. The
possibility of failure should be a motivation to operate in excellence
and be great.
- B: Currently you have a corporate job, how do balance work life and preparing for the launch of your non-profit?
N: I am in a fortunate position where
I work for a company that serves people like me, who want to help their
community. I am constantly learning at my job and being mentored by our
consultants. They motivate me and believe in what I am doing as well. I
also have the opportunity to meet with other non-profit leaders who have
been doing this for a long time.
I live by To-Do Lists. I survive on
planners, calendars, sticky notes, notepads, cute little whiteboards,
and the amazing CARROT app for the iPhone. Trying to launch the website,
programs, and events for RICHES while working a corporate job AND doing
ministry work for my church is a challenge. But it's a good challenge
because it is all fulfilling and I love every minute of it. It never
really seems like work to me because I enjoy doing it all!
- B: What do you hope to accomplish through RICHES?
N: Through RICHES, I want to bring
up a generation who understands that you don't need to be wealthy in
order to be rich. My parents didn’t have everything but their credit
gave them access to anything. My personal experience and research on
credit, credit building, credit repair, and credit management has
created a burden in me to educate the black community and to bring up a
generation that have the desire to take ownership and responsibility of
their credit so that they, and their descendants, can be economically
successful. It's important that we shift the focus on money and bling to
a movement of philanthropic values and generosity. It's time that we
make a change in our community and it starts with this generation.
- B: Because All She Wrote is music loving blog, what song best describes RICHES, Inc. and why?
N: The RICHES brand is creativity, fun, young,
energetic, and revolutionary. There is only one artist that comes to
mind when I think of all of this; Janelle Monae. The song that best
describes our brand is Cold War.
To me, the song reminds me that a
revolution starts with one. And at times when you get tired and weary,
remember what you're fighting for. She says, "Bring wings to the weak
and bring grace to the strong; May all evil stumble as it flies in the
world; All the tribes comes and the mighty will crumble; We must brave
this night and have faith in love." Makes you want to conquer the world!
Love it.
- B: When can we expect your website to launch?
N: You can expect for the website to launch this fall!
October 2014. I'm excited for the launch party here in Atlanta as well!
We're raising funds that night too...so be on the lookout for that.
Shareriches.org coming to a web browser near you. We're really excited
for the future!
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