What is the story: Before becoming a mother, Ebony Beckford thought long and hard about the responsibility and legacy she wanted to build for her daughter's future. Losing her own mother to cancer while in college, Ebony struggled with finances, leading to poor money management habits.
‘When my mom died, I was $200 in the red in my bank account’, Ebony said. ‘I remember that balance because I had just opened a student checking account and used the overdraft protection money to buy Christmas gifts.’
Today, she is building a different future for her daughter and other children like her.
She wrote and published a children's book about money, Madison's 1st Dollar, to help other children in similar situations. After a host of positive reviews from friends and family members, she decided to launch a business called Fin Lit Kids – a multimedia company that helps parents teach basic money management concepts to their children in a fun and engaging way.
As Ebony continues to expand her business, she is focused on creating a great experience for her customers. ‘Using UPS to ship my products has saved me a lot of time and money’, she said. ‘The combination of fast shipping and cost savings has made UPS a go-to service for me.’
Resources to grow: Through the program’s partnership with The Lonely Entrepreneur, Ebony has access to a learning community and experts who can help her with answers to business challenges.
‘As a solopreneur with a full-time job and a young child, I do not have a lot of time’, she said. ‘Having access to the Lonely Entrepreneur reduces the amount of time it would normally take me to find information related to running my business.”
‘My biggest obstacle to date has been marketing and advertising’, said Ebony. ‘The grant means I can hire a social media manager, pay for advertisements on social media, and influencer marketing.’