

Million-Dollar Investor Match-Makers Talk Banking On Women And The Power Of Partnership
Dr. Tracy Timberlake and Vivian Olodun are living proof that when women join forces, major boss moves are afoot. Olodun, a serial entrepreneur, luxury real estate-industry vet and author, teamed up with Timberlake, an entrepreneur and strategist in her own right, to co-found Flourish Media Co., a boutique marketing firm, and the Flourish Media Conference, an event held annually in Miami, offering resources including investor matching for women entrepreneurs.
They have reportedly forged the path for raising $15 million for women-led businesses, a feat sparked by simple conversation and action.
Courtesy of Vivian Olodun
“We believe greatly that being able to have access to money and funds gives you freedom and flexibility and it’s something that we believe that people who look like us don’t necessarily have that luxury. It’s unfortunate because it is available to them,” Olodun says. “We believe in supporting women in business because investing in women helps communities, helps homes, helps children, and helps move and drive things forward.”
Timberlake echoes those sentiments. “When I was doing my study for my dissertation, which was primarily focused on women in business—online businesses in particular—and just looking at just the statistics and the economic benefit of having women-owned businesses succeed, economically for this country, it has been documented over and over again.”
Photo courtesy of Dr. Tracy Timberlake
The women have a passion for not only helping other women entrepreneurs succeed but promoting the power of finding your tribe, expanding connections, and opening doors for access to funding and resources needed to succeed.
“When a woman gets access to money, she tends to allow for more flexibility in the people she hires and to take into consideration the mental health and the overall well-being of her employees,” Olodun adds. “She tends to invest in other women and people who look just like her. We all know that there’s a significant gap in wages and earnings between men and women in our society and when women are supported, they tend to take steps to correct that. Again, women are just a smart investment.”
This is where true networking comes in. Both Olodun and Timberlake have been able to not only be an asset but build and keep solid relationships with investors and business advancement advocates who want to literally put money where growth and lucrative progress is evident.
“We make it our business to [put] ourselves in a money conversation, and that makes it possible to introduce people to those who need the funding,” Oloduon says.
“We have had lots of different kinds of businesses pitch to investors, from a wellness facility to a candle company, so it goes to every industry and every discipline. One of the most interesting parts of having these investors—personally Vivian and I had separate businesses and then came together to start Flourish Media–one of the investors actually invested in my business.
"Most people wouldn’t think that. I went through the entire process with the investors—-showing them the books, showing them the numbers, and what has happened is that it allows for us to have a better conversation with businesses coming to pitch.”
For young women seeking to find investors for their busineses, these co-founders recommend the following:
Be deliberate and take bold action in going for investment opportunities. “Don’t reinvent the wheel. Put dubs on that baby. Make it better. Open those conversations and put yourselves in rooms where you can connect with those people who are senior to you so you can learn from what they’ve done. Then do it better.”
Take steps to legitimize your business. “[Investors] are looking for you to have things like a team. We think that being a solopreneur or being able to bootstrap ourselves is some kind of badge of authority or that’s somehow attractive,” Olodun says.
“Being able to have the appropriate legal documents is very attractive. Go to your local authority and make sure your business is registered legally. Make sure you have a business bank account. These are basic things that give you a leg up when you’re talking to investors.”
Network across but balance those efforts by also networking upward. “While there’s value to comradery and people who are your peers, finding a room of people more successful than you is valuable,” Timberlake adds.
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Featured image via Flourish Media Co.
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Jordin Sparks Reflects On Her Whirlwind Romance With Her Husband And Their Spontaneous Wedding
Actress and singer Jordin Sparks candidly share captivating details of her whirlwind romance with her husband, Dana Isaiah Thomas recounting their fateful first meeting to the enchanting series of events that led to their spontaneous wedding in Hawaii.
The couple has been together since 2017 and tied the knot that same year. In May 2018, Sparks and Thomas, professionally known as Dana Isaiah, would welcome their first child together, a son named Dana Isaiah Thomas Jr.
To date, the pair are thriving personally and professionally, with Thomas now managing the "Battlefield" vocalist. In a recent interview with Good Mom Bad Choices podcast, Sparks opened up about her relationship and how she knew that Thomas was the one based on various qualities.
Jordin On Meeting Dana's Family During Her Charity Event
In the July discussion, the 33-year-old revealed she met Thomas' family because of a charity event she has thrown over the years to "shine a light on organizations" making a difference. Sparks' event occurred in the selected Super Bowl cities a week before the tournament.
"Basically, I had a charity for ten years, and I would follow the Super Bowl to each city," she told the hosts. "We would come in early in the week and shine a light on organizations that were making a difference in the city. Before, the major parties would come in, and we give them media and press if they needed it. "
Sparks added that on the tenth anniversary of her organization, she hosted the event in Houston, Texas, where she met Thomas' family because they were promoting their organization, The Forge for Families, which provides afterschool and summer programs for children.
Although the "One Step at a Time" songstress had a pleasant encounter with Thomas' family, she, unfortunately, didn't meet him at the time.
"My tenth year was 2017. The Super Bowl was in Houston, and we went to a few different organizations and the last one we went to was his parents. He wasn't there. He lived in Dallas at the time," she stated.
Despite not meeting Thomas, one of the things that piqued Sparks' interest in her interaction with his family was how well they got along with her mother, Jodi Sparks. One month following the event, Sparks' mother, Jodi, asked her if she would be willing to connect with Thomas because he had planned on becoming a model and was scheduled to visit California, where she lived.
"A month goes by, my mom's like, 'Hey do you mind if Bridget connects you with her son Dana?" she said. "He's not the one you met. He wants to model, and he's planning on modeling. He has a trip out in L.A., and she wants to talk to him about Hollywood."
Upon agreeing to the request, Sparks, Thomas, and their mothers were placed in a group chat before the pair mutually decided to venture out on their own.
"My mom and his mom put us on a group chat. So we all end up on the same thing. He's like, 'I'm going to message you on another one.' We started talking, and we never stopped," she explained.
Jordin On When She Fell In Love With Dana
At first, Sparks claimed the pair's conversations were strictly platonic, and because Thomas didn't know much about her life aside from her hit single "No Air," she felt comfortable being her authentic self. Another reason why the "One Wing" singer felt safe talking to Thomas was that he followed her text-only boundary at the start of their friendship.
Soon after Sparks and Thomas got to know each other and talked about their similarities, including removing themselves from the dating scene for an extended period, his trip to California arrived. Due to Thomas experiencing issues with his Airbnb, the Sparkle star suggested he come over to her place until the matter was resolved.
"He ended up flying out for the trip he had planned, and it was Easter weekend. My brother was driving in from Phoenix. I was like, 'Why don't you stop by.' It was like 10 o'clock at night, but I knew my brother was coming," she said.
Sparks disclosed that when Thomas arrived at her home from the airport, she instantly knew he was her soulmate despite previously not thinking about him romantically.
"He comes over, I had two dogs at the time, and I open the door, and the dogs run to him. He bends over to pet the dogs. I'm like, okay, that's a good sign. They love him already, just as a person. It wasn't until our eyes locked I was like, 'Oh s--t,'" she explained.
"Because I had seen his pictures, there was no, nothing. I was just like, 'Oh, he's a nice-looking dude.' There was nothing until that moment that our eyes locked, and we both knew we were in trouble."
Further into the interview, the "Tattoo" vocalist shared the timeline of their romance, which consisted of how long they dated, when they got married, and when they found out that they were expecting their son.
"It went by really fast," she said. "We started talking in March. We met in April, and we got married in July. We found out DJ was coming at the end of August. Two days after he moved here."
Jordin On Her Impromptu Wedding
Toward the end of the segment, Sparks revealed that after dating for a short while and talking about taking the next step in their relationship, the couple mutually agreed to get married in Hawaii while vacationing with some friends.
Sparks and Thomas' plans were ultimately derailed after realizing that the courthouse was closed.
"We had talked about it, I was like, if we're going to do it, why don't we do it here in Hawaii," she said. "Nobody's ever going to expect to see us at the courthouse there, and there shouldn't be paparazzi in Hawaii of all the places. It was closed. When we got there, it was closed."
Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Sparks' friend shared that they had gotten ordained before taking the trip to Hawaii and could marry the couple—immediately following the offer, the pair agreed.
"So my best friend had gotten ordained before she came over, so we're in the water, and I look at him I'm like, 'You want to do it right now, let's just do it right now.' He was like, 'Okay,'" she stated.
Sparks added that the couple said their vows and shared a kiss in the water, which paparazzi captured, not knowing they were getting married.
Since that fateful day on July 16, 2017, Sparks and Thomas have been married for six years and look more in love as time passes.
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Feature image by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive