Nurturing Growth and Expanding Horizons Can Be Mastered

Here in the northern hemisphere, we are experiencing summertime, that season when things that are earthbound naturally grow and expand. And this of course includes us humans. So, our theme for our summer issue is all about nurturing growth and expanding horizons in your entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as your liberated lifestyle.

In today’s uncertain economy, growth and expansion can be daunting to even think about, not to mention small business scaling up challenges like accessing adequate financial support, competing with larger and more established companies with more resources, as well as having to learn and integrate new costly and complex technological advancements to stay up to date. Black women entrepreneurs in the United States face a unique set of additional challenges as they navigate the business landscape. Here are three primary ones we encounter:

• Systemic Racism and Discrimination: ongoing systemic racial and gender discrimination, which can lead to self-doubt and imposter syndrome
• Economic Inequities: broader economic inequities that disproportionately affect Black communities can also impact Black women entrepreneurs; issues like income inequality, access to education, and healthcare disparities can have ripple effects on our ability to sustain and grow our businesses
• Balancing Multiple Roles: many Black women entrepreneurs juggle multiple responsibilities, including family and community obligations, alongside their business ventures, which can create additional stress and time constraints that impact the ability to focus solely on business growth

Despite these challenges, Black women entrepreneurs are thriving, leveraging their resilience, creativity, and community support to build successful businesses.

In this Summer Issue, we provide new information, encouraging ideas, and inspirational stories from women entrepreneurs who have embraced nurturing growth and learned how to master expanding their horizons, despite all of the above challenges.

Within the pages of this magazine, we spotlight two new members of the Be Well Community, L.A. Roberts, founder of I Inspire Global, a transformation speaker and international bestselling author, and Charlene Murff, owner of Exceptional Cleaning Service, a life-time entrepreneur who mastered word-of-mouth promotion and the barter system. In our Be Well Informed section, Dr. Shontina Gladney discusses the challenges of adopting a "no box, no ceiling, and no lid" mindset for entrepreneurial growth and offers practical strategies to overcome them; Holland B. Nance shares the importance of facilitating growth by accepting that avoidance is not a growth strategy; and Elesha Curvey shares valuable information and insights for overcoming the weight of aging. In our Be Well Inspired section, Saskia Christian, Yolanda Wagner, Linda Michelle Trainer, Latrice & Shon Rollins, and Tracey Watford share their stories of growth in business and/or personal life, and how they have or are in the process of expanding their horizons. And last but not least, in our Be Well Traveled section, Lynesha Marie encourages nurturing growth and expanding horizons through intentional, transformative travel. And, in this issue we are so happy to have Wendy Campbell introduce her new column, “Ask Wendy”, where she will be providing travel information in response to questions from readers, and to also have Aisha Isreal introduce her new column, “LOVE Q&A”, where she will be answering any and all of YOUR toughest relationship questions.

​Lastly, we have also decided to acknowledge Vice President Kamala Harris, and the history-making decision of President Biden to promote her as the primary Democratic nominee for President in the upcoming election. Talk about growth and expanded horizons!

Our Be Well mission is to keep our readers Well-Connected, Well-Informed, and Well-Inspired, and it is the hope of the Be Well Magazine Team that this issue is of great service to you as you continue on your road of business and personal success. Please don’t hesitate to give us feedback and ideas for our improvement.

Letters and comments can be sent directly to us through our website: https://www.bewellmagazines.com/contact-us

Enjoy your summertime!