Today we’d like to introduce you to Israel Selah.
Hi Israel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a 22 years old from (Del Amo) Carson, California, and am the creator and founder of Young Black Moguls. Growing up the youngest out of five, I was given a lot of leverage to try new things, however I was never one to stick through with things until the end; I would always quit once things got tough. Unfortunately, this character trait was something that stuck with me all throughout my adolescent years up until my junior year of high school. During the summer leading up to junior year, I found myself applying and auditioning for a nonprofit organization called “Girls With Gifts”. This organization was designed for young girls who aspired to have careers within the arts; which was a perfect fit for me, considering I enjoyed doing everything on and off camera. For once, I had finally felt as if I found my own lane because for the first time, I was actually participating in something I wanted to do, and not others. Summer of 2017, I spent my weekends in Inglewood, surrounded by amazingly talented black women who instilled great knowledge and provided hands-on experience. When I originally entered the program, I came in saying I was a photographer, even though I wrote- more than I’ve ever taken photos. I continued to reiterate that I was a photographer who “sometimes” wrote a poem or script. However, our coordinator Kayla Naylor kept telling everyone else I was a writer/poet, despite me stating otherwise. So for the following weeks, Kayla had me writing and reciting my poetry to her, our founder Antoinetta Hairston & my peers. What I didn’t realize was that the more she made me write and the more she made me recite, the more my confidence grew. At the culminating event, I recited my poem “Black Lives Matter” and the response I got was phenomenal. The way I felt that day was indescribable. For once, I felt seen, I felt heard, and I felt confident in my writing and about myself. I continued to work alongside GWG for the next two years volunteering as a peer-mentor, and the more I volunteered, the more I knew I wanted something like that of my own.
Originally, Young Black Moguls came to me during my junior year of high school and it was just one of those ideas that I always found myself coming back to, so I began to develop the idea of it. The main goal was/is to curate a mentorship program for high school students that focuses on highlighting the many different routes you can take post-graduation. All throughout my high school years teachers, parents, administrators and society as a whole continuously pushed college onto students. The entire four (4) years of high school are spent preparing students for college when in reality, we should be preparing them for life in general. Most students coming out of high school do not know how to do much of anything, and unless their parents educate them on life essentials, all of them will have to learn them the hard way. Fortunately, my goal is to put an end to this cycle and provide them with the tools they need to thrive in society. This mentorship program will focus on post-secondary options, financial literacy and business etiquette. Second to that, I intend on hosting an enrichment program for trade & college students that’ll focus on preparing them for their careers. Our main objectives would be resume building, networking, mock interviews & career building. I designed Young Black Moguls to focus on community development, not only to strengthen one another but to also prepare the next generation for the world. In addition to our mentor & enrichment programs, we intend to host community events that not only focus on our valued objectives but that also brings the city out and allow our beautiful community to come together, have a good time and connect with one another.
Our entire platform is dedicated to honoring black culture and providing a platform to showcase the REAL Los Angeles culture and not what Hollywood has perpetuated of our city. We use our social media accounts to honor different businesses, creatives, leaders, etc., in the community and to assist them with connecting with potential customers, clients & opportunities. Young Black Moguls is an organization that is For Us, By Us truly, and we believe in the saying ‘It takes a Village’ and we hope our organization becomes the village our community deserves.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This has been one of the most difficult challenges yet. Starting a business from scratch and with no help is not easy nor is it for the weak. Throughout this process, I have had many sleepless nights and even more nights where I cried myself to sleep thinking I was failing, but I had to pick myself up and try again. There’s many challenges I’ve faced while trying to build my business and brand, one of them being consistency. In order to gain a constant following and revenue, you must be consistent with your content, your products and your engagement. However, I work full-time and sometimes 60+ hours a week and find it difficult to balance working on my business, going to my 9 to 5, and having a social life. Unfortunately, my business ends up being put on the back burner because my job is my main source of income and has to come first.
The #1 obstacle I’ve faced is creating a business for the community without having a community behind you to help. This business consists of a one-man band, which means I work on it 24/7- even when I’m at my 9 to 5. Accomplishing this goal by myself is extremely difficult, but it has made me patient with myself and has also taught me to celebrate myself for the small wins. I have sacrificed relationships/friendships, my social life, money, and sleep to work on this brand, and when it all comes together, I’ll have no one but myself to thank & congratulate.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Young Black Moguls is a community-based platform & organization that highlights black-owned businesses, creatives, and talents within Los Angeles. Being that we’re based in LA, though we intend to explore and highlight black businesses all over, one of our goals is to showcase the REAL LA and all our home has to offer for our community. When Covid originally hit, so many of our people lost their businesses due to lack of patrons and that was caused by the community’s lack of knowledge on these places which is why YBM is dedicated to connecting consumers with businesses. In addition, we intend to make our organization a safe space for the community to be themselves and share their likes and dislikes, as well as a safe space for everyone to come and enjoy themselves in.
Aside from our platform, we are curating a mentor program for high school students that focuses on exposing them to all paths available post-graduation. Not many understand that there are routes outside of college and it is our goal to change that and show all roads one can take, and hopefully we’ll help them find their passions and purpose. In order to fund this program, we have designed and launched an apparel line that is currently available. All proceeds from this line and our next go towards students and their summer enjoyment.
How do you think about luck?
I wish there was a way to just play “Not Lucky, I’m Loved” by Jonathan McReynolds because if I’m being honest, I don’t really believe in luck. Luck to me is when you randomly find $5 on the floor or when you win a raffle. If I was ‘lucky’ I would’ve been born into wealth, instead I work 40+ hours a week so that I can get closer to my dreams. Everything I’ve gotten, from opportunities to money to new connections were all blessings from God. I believe in God and divine order/timing, everything that came to me was already mine- good or bad. When it comes to my success, all glory is due to those who watch over me and protect me every day: God, the ancestors, my mother & myself. I’ve prayed for every opportunity I’ve gotten, and I’ve also worked my ass off to obtain them as well. Prayer & Manifestation has brought me far, but my hard work and dedication that God instilled in me has gotten me far as well because prayer is nothing without faith and manifestation is nothing if you don’t work for it.
Pricing:
- Hoodies/Sweatshirts (presale) $60
- Sweatpants/Shorts (presale) $45
- Women’s shorts $25
- Croptop $25
- Crewnecks (presale) $60
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youngblackmogul.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/youngblackmogulsorg
- Twitter: twitter.com/ybmorganization
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPEkLnZcn8CLd4rp_TRKXmA
- Other: www.instagram.com/israelselah
Image Credits
Photo credits to our model Sierra Stokes (ig sierraajay); our interviewee Sade Miller (ig @/heyyyysade); my sisters & team Kaija (on left; ig @/kaijaful) & Ariel Yovela (right; ig @/arrielyovela) All photography credits go to Israel Selah (@/israeselah)
