SOUL Collective stands for success, opportunity, unity, and leadership, and this program is looking to pull out all those aspects into our community to make it better. SOUL Collective seeks to elevate the arts, culture, knowledge, and wellness of Black businesses through commerce, education, and social education. One way it does that is through the Incubator where businesses go through a 14-week program, including nine weeks of CO.STARTERS at theCO and a four-week brand camp.

With applications recently opening for the 2023 incubator we wanted to take a moment to spotlight the 2022 cohort who successfully launched their businesses, whether for the first time or refreshed a business that’s been running for 20+ years. We hope you’ll visit these Black-owned small businesses in Jackson and support their hard work.

Black Diamond Beauty Bar

Sheila Mcclemore is focused on helping stylists before they go into a salon by giving them the practical education they need. She is a stylist at first, but now that she has over 35 years of experience, she wanted to give young stylists confidence and advice. Her shop is a full salon and beauty bar, along with the new addition of education.

Sheila met Trunetta and discovered SOUL Collective because Trunetta has been a client of hers for years. After going through CO.STARTERS, she received all the information she needed to fill in the gaps she had missed over the years. Trunetta’s one on one attention has been the most helpful aspect of being a part of the Incubator.

The most rewarding aspect of owning her own business is constantly reinventing herself and having the freedom to work at her own pace. She is still learning, growing, and changing as the times transition into a new era. The most rewarding part is seeing her vision come to life right in front of her eyes. Whether you need education or want a haircut and style, Black Diamond Beauty Bar is here for all your needs.

Crystal’s Zen and Juice

Crystal Brown is a full-time artist and chose holistic healer to heal from PTSD as a veteran. Her shop is opening in Spring of 2023 and will be a place where customers can come in and purchase fresh cold-pressed juices, smoothies, mocktails, and paint canvases they can paint in the store. The space can be booked for private events to have paint parties and she is currently accepting art commissions.

When the opportunity came to go through CO.STARTERS, she gained the knowledge she never would’ve learned on her own. She also gained a community she would never have had without SOUL and her time at theCO. She feels supported and understood. If you want to purchase delicious juices or want to heal through painting by yourself or with a group, Crystal’s Zen and Juice Bar is perfect for you.

Velvet Ant Beauty

Cyntressia Spears started Velvet Ant Beauty because she loved red lipstick and wanted to create a brand of lipstick designed for black women to feel confident in red. The name is connected to her discovery of a Velvet Ant in her backyard one day, which also connects her to her son’s love of insects. The name also has the meaning connected to her daughter’s love of makeup. Her mission is to tear down the stereotypes surrounding women in red, but specifically, black women wearing red.

She has been friends with Trunetta for years, and when she shared her idea of having her own lipstick line, Trunetta immediately encouraged her to make her dream a reality. Through the education she received from theCO and SOUL Collective, Cyntressia was able to make her lipsticks a real business. The most challenging part of owning a business is the financial and strategic aspects, but it’s all worth it to put these products in the hands of women to give them a confidence boost. Velvet Ant Beauty products will be sold at the gift shop inside the Jaxon Depot.

Peppermint Addie & Co

Peppermint Addie & Co is the second business Regina Richmond and her family own. Her daughter Addie operates this business and they sell ice cream and other sweet treats. You can find their business located in downtown Jackson, and while you visit, be prepared to feel like you’ve stepped back in time to a retro movie scene. When Regina, CEO of Saucy Jakes and Peppermint Addie & Co, started her business, the goal was to bring her family together. Over the past six years of running their business, they have done just that. Bringing families together is her passion and she hopes to continue doing that with this addition of Peppermint Addie’s and with new businesses on the horizon.

Blueprint Selfie Bar

Blueprint Selfie is the selfie bar of possibilities where you can choose between 12-15 creative set backgrounds. You can either purchase individual tickets or come in groups of 10-30 people. All groups will get an event space in addition to their selfie experience to celebrate the occasion.

Trunetta Atwater wanted to bring entertainment into Jackson after experiencing one of these selfie bars in Nashville. She is a firm believer that we must create the environment we want. As a photographer herself, this is a way she can expand her business, but she can be hands-off. She simply creates the environment for people to be creative and take the photos they want. Her desire is for people to come into Blueprint to dream and create because we don’t do that enough. She wants this to be an experience for guests to imagine the possibilities.

The Math Success Coach

Danielle Barbee, owner of The Math Success Coach, can do math in her sleep. She’s tutored students since 2008 in undergrad and has had success story after success story, where she gets to see students go from being confused to understanding concepts they never understood before.

Her time in CO.STARTERS gave her the confidence that fuels the joy she receives from seeing the lightbulb moments in the kids she gets to help. Some of them simply don’t have a good foundation in math, and some of them run into a difficult class or teacher, but no matter the situation, her desire is to be their coach and to show students how to succeed as an independent learner in every math class. This is where her new name The Math Success Coach comes from. A desire to see students succeed for the rest of their life because they understand the foundations, how to research concepts they don’t know, and how to be a good learner.

Danielle Barbee has succeeded at her business ambitions and her office is now housed in a train at the Historic Jaxon Station. I mean, what kid doesn't want to learn about math on a train? This location has been perfect for Barbee to focus on closing achievement gaps and focusing on intervention for her students.

If your child needs tutoring with math and you want someone who will help them succeed for years to come, contact Danielle at The Math Success Coach!

“SOUL Collective is beautiful,” said Regina Richmond, CEO of Saucy Jake’s and Peppermint Addie’s and Skillet Junction. “Sometimes people are not comfortable going into areas where they don’t see themselves, so for Trunetta to have the SOUL Collective and to draw attention to the areas of business where black businesses are highlighted is a bold thing.”

Maybe you want to launch a business or turn a hobby into something more. Whatever it is, SOUL Collective created a seat at the table for you to figure it out. The program is now accepting applications until January 13. The program will begin on January 31, 2023.

SOUL Collective Incubator: Black Owned Businesses For Every Occasion