KUUMBA | CREATIVITY - Creativity Comes in All Forms

 Day 6 of Kwanzaa bring us Kuumba, or creativity. Full disclosure: I have tens of cousins and extended family members named Kumba so first I want to send a shout out to all my second born girl cousins who all seem to be creative souls. 

For me I wanted to speak on Creativity in a slightly different matter. When I think of creativity I think of resilience. I'll start with people I find creative:

Stevie Wonder - One of the youngest musical prodigies, Stevie overcame his disabilities to make music that touches the soul and creatively matches the activist mood of the country every step of the way.

LeBron James - As a 20 something, he was a super resilient athlete who knew his legacy would be tied to competing at the highest level and winning championships. Despite an owner and city bad-mouthing him (for leaving Cleveland) and fans burning his jersey he maneuvered the National Basketball Association (which primary is managed and coached by white males) to win championships with the Miami Heat. He returned to Cleveland and "delivered" a championship, and returned the luster and shine to my beloved LA Lakers franchise by winning a 4th title. He creatively did this when no other players did these types of things. He recruited players, now negotiates short-term deals so he can maximize his value (sound familiar), and uses his brand and platform for a school in Akron, his management team are people of color, his agent Rich Paul is black, and he is active politically... when most players previously didn't want to impact their business dealings and brand. Remember: "Shut Up and Dribble"

Streaming Content / Cord Cutters - A whole industry has been built off a simple premise I've written about here of the years. Why do I pay for channels I don't use?? When we cut the cord this year out of frustration with Comcast jacking their prices up (even though we could afford it), my technology boundaries led me to install an HD antennae. This was perfect for the kids as we get PBS, not much of a drop of there. It wasn't bad for the wife as most of her shows are actually non-cable TV shows. But boy, I took a hit, which the industry knew, because I follow sports and a few cable TV shows. Our family has saved easily over $150 a month by cutting the cord and just going to high speed internet and we showed resilience by not crawling back but creativity by treating ourselves to a ROKU streambar. A small investment got me a soundbar (not the best but decent) and introduced us to the creative world of streaming content. I can stream news channels and stock broadcasts and the kids can stream PBS and a few different cartoon options. My wife tapped her social network and now flips through Apple, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and who knows what else. The most ironic thing is I recommended this stock and didn't fully understand the flexibility its technology was providing for this new generation of streaming and cutting traditional cord options. I now understand why Hulu wants to sell Live Sports and why Fubotv, a sports only streaming channel, skyrocketed 330% this year. 

State's Get Creative - Maybe the most creative thing I do, because of my job as a consultant/auditor is I am forced to listen to both sides. So I am one of the rare people that you will meet that wants to hear all angles before I begin my own investigation. I roll over in laughter as state and federal politicians preach those good ole puritan values. But the data tells me and it should tell you...they are doubling down in vices or supposed sin to fill their budget coffers. I won't go Boardwalk Empire on you...but you don't find it odd that your state:

• Offer Lottery Tickets
• Expanded Casinos and now is offering or looking into the growing world of sports gambling
• Offers Medicinal marijuana and many now make bank off of recreational marijuana (after years jailing minorities for something that magically becomes legal with the stroke of a pen?)
• Many cities are discussing reducing or removing drug tests because with the saturation of Meth throughout poor and middle-class America, Corporate America now can't find lower income white talent who can pass rigorously screening that often kept minorities out of their ivory towers. In my state, we've even discussed remediation centers, so these persons don't fill the jails and get a different path. Where was this creativity during the crack epidemic? Where were the work release programs for minority dealers selling weed, which we can't seem to control because the people have spoken: they were buying all that weed being sold and don't see the harm?

Front Line Workers - A personal message to the persons on the front lines. To be a part of the richest nation and day after day you had to patch together solutions so that you could try to have effective PPE, because we didn't stockpile or purchase enough is unacceptable. That is creative and God Bless You

My creativity I believe comes from going against the grain. When people turned against Tesla and Elon Musk, I decided to invest. When, I saw COVID-19 ravage China, I spoke out early. When many said the Sprint deal couldn't get done I creatively looked to simple clues like my Billionaire buddy and Sprint Chairman Masa Son selling his mansion (Mission Hills, KS) months before the deal as vindication this deal was gonna get done. Finally, in late Nov/early Dec I landed my 2nd corporate cyber project in as many months. The meetings were very smooth, so smooth our client decided to contact me directly via LinkedIn immediately after our discussion. Due to my company size, I often work through a middleman (because I still have a 9-5 job)...so when I learned I didn't receive the project I was floored. How could everything go so right with my client and this middleman tell me it's not going to happen. So I thought creatively, reached out on LinkedIn and voice my surprise but willingness to help him and his organization now and in the future. Strangely, a week later I get a call, the middleman now needs my help as the client wants me and my organization for the cyber project.

Don't be shy like Black Lives Matter was to be the voice that goes against the grain. The grain sometimes means you have a bunch of people entrenched that don't want to see change. I'm not sure city halls, police unions, and some people in our community want to see change...many love their comfort. Like my contract negotiation, some want to cut you, and maybe offer a lower priced vendor. I represented change a minority partner that was demanding my fair and sizeable share of the revenue for the work my company would be performing.  They didn't account for my subject matter expertise and my subtle comment to my client that we has so much in common there was no way we didn't have common colleagues in our line of work. That sowed a seed that creatively bucked the system wanting to cut me out of what I was entitled to. 

Please be resilient and use your KUUMBA. It's New Year's Eve, I wish you all a Happy and prosperous New Years. Peace and Love

Investing in Change - Colin + Collectors Universe (CLCT)

I wanted to start off with an acknowledgement that we hopefully call rally around, the simple fact that Black Lives Matter.  I knew it mattered decades ago when I first developed this blog. Urban Economics - the intersection of what it means to be black and the development (over the years) of a toolkit to survive in a harsh landscape that is not welcoming to people that look like me. Urban was used to describe the music I listen to (Grammy: Best Urban Contemporary), the neighborhood I live in, and even the way my people spoke. So it was clear to me even then that BLM I just couldn't scream it to the rooftops because we all knew about the that thing lurking around the corner called "systemic racism". Today's post is not about the many times I've been singled out by the police, those articles will come but the "FEAR" of entering the corporate world and trying to survive for your family. The fear that being too outspoken can get you singled out. How do I know --- we've seen it happen too many times especially to the good ones. Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and yes Colin Kaepernick.  I saw that young brotha's wings get clipped too early and we all knew the unfortunate price he would pay.  

How do businesses deal with this issue, well there is a term and strategy I learned in the corporate world used to prevent them from getting singled out.  During the financial crisis it was invoked because there was a fear in the air and everyday people were taking matters into their own hands. They ran, literally into banks, and withdrew all of their money fearing one bank failure meant their bank would be up NEXT. There is a reason why the call it "A Run on The Banks"...look it up.  So during the financial crisis (feel free to read about it on my blog from 2008-2010), the people in charge (Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, Hank Paulson) devised a plan to help the banks survive being "singled-out" for taking funds from the government. Think of it from my perspective as an investor: if my bank is taking money --- they must be in BIG trouble! If I see this I sell my stock and further I pull my money out of that bank --- hence a run on that bank begins or continues. The plan that was devised was for EVERY bank to take the bailout money (the bitter medicine even if you didn't need it) for the greater good of the banking system and the country. They call that "ring-fencing". If everyone is doing it, I can't single out one why one actor is doing it.

Fast forward to what Urbanomics has always been about. A place for all people, but in particular my People of Color to learn from each other and not be singled out in Corporate America as too ambitious, driven, or looking out for your own personal or family's best interest. My issue with the NFL, the players, and the owners is they didn't realize this simple fact when we all watched Colin Kaepernick do what was right. No one ring-fenced the young man and I was irate then and still am. Like Lebron James said...the NFL owes Colin Kaepernick an apology and I agree. If everyone would have knelt....yes you Drew Brees maybe we all could have focused on the real issue at hand and maybe just maybe he would still be playing.

So if you are new, read this blog to empower yourself. Those of us that have read over the years realize what I am saying isn't anything new --- we are uniting as a collective unit to be great parents, workers, investors, and agents of change as there is strength in numbers. And I also believe that in a capitalist society, money talks. Because when you're are a collective unit, you have strength or as I like to call it leverage and you can negotiate what's in the best interest of you and yours.

I'm sharing the best performing stock in my portfolio in hopes that the NFL and teams do right by Kaep. In hopes that we ring fence and invest in our futures together --- strength in numbers. You can read my many posts over the years on Collectors Universe (CLCT). I bought this stock when I was a young pup and it holds true to my pillars. Build a strong core, work hard, and prioritize what's most important to you. To me it's family, so my portfolio of investments simply means I prioritize time and relationships in this short beautiful life. 

Thank you #Kaepernick, yes #BlackLivesMatter, and I remind you #ifnotnowthenwhen

If you need a disclosure, yes I own CLCT and have since at least 2007. Buy low and hold on to great investments. CLCT pays a dividend and most of your investments (real estate, business, stocks, etc.) should be providing you some type of return because it's a valuable asset. Be humble and surround yourself with people smarter than you. Take but manage risks very well.