High Point native Temoura Jefferies has fostered her entrepreneurial spirit for as long as she can remember. She recalls setting up a stand on the side of the road with her sister, selling homemade keychains. “We were about nine years old. One day, this guy came and gave us ten dollars! He didn’t want a keychain, he just said, ‘here you go.’ And we shut down shop–we were rich!” Years later, Temoura has become a successful natural hair influencer on social media and she still has that maker’s itch and that hustle. She built a popular blog, has published her own magazine, and began designing her own jewelry. When the pandemic hit, Temoura decided she could use her expertise to help friends who owned businesses.
“I’m a proud black woman; I love being black, I love supporting my people. The pandemic triggered me to want to do something that impacted us, financially, generationally. It made me want to do something bigger.” She created the Buy Black Guide, a directory for brands, businesses, and professionals in the greater Triad area. There, you can search by zip code to find health professionals, hair stylists, brick and mortar restaurants, realtors, and more. The BBG is for anyone looking to support a black-owned business, or to support small businesses in general. She launched the Guide on Juneteenth of 2020, and the response from both consumers and businesses has been incredible. What started as a passion project turned into a creative business that could connect and impact the lives of others.
Recently, Temoura has reignited her passion for making handmade earrings, which are available on the Guide. Her entrepreneurial spirit keeps her busy, and at its core, Temoura’s business is the business of helping others and building a community on which they can lean. “I feel like that’s how we grow; we can’t just be crabs in a barrel, we have to support each other.”
September 23, 2021
