A Clear Set of Principles

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By Evan J. Cutts

Alexis Coates, Founder and Chairman of BlackBusinessReview.net (BBR) is building a global legacy news platform for business, political, and entertainment news impacting Black communities worldwide.

“BBR covers primary news sources, like MSNBC or Microsoft, and the small guy, who may own commercial real estate or a fashion house in New York. It’s our goal to bring their stories to the greater public,” said Coates.

The online news site, while still in its initial stages, has marked several milestones since its inception, including the launch of BlackBusinessReview mobile and online ticket distributor BBRTix. BBR also reports to 20,000 weekly online subscribers and nearly 100,000 Instagram followers.

This past March, Alexis Coates published his book, 51 Business Essentials, in which he informs his readers on the tools and skills necessary for effective business leadership.

“First, have a clear set of principles to grow your business. Second, commit to your principles and plans. Lastly, measure your progress at key intervals in your business’ development. And be honest with yourself if a plan isn’t working,” shared Coates.

Coates is regularly “down in the grass” sustaining BBR’s momentum. In addition to his responsibilities as Founder, Coates pitches for ad revenue and writes, edits, and publishes content for BBR.

“We’ve got the engine of the website almost down to a science,” said Coates, “where we can connect with various contributors from across the country and publish nine to ten stories a day.”

BBR monitors subscriber demographics and buzzwords through analytics software, like Hootsuite, which ranks popular topics across social media and primary news platforms. This data allows BBR to curate a diverse platform of news and information across generational demographics.

“I want BBR to serve as a vehicle for the growing population of tech-savvy millennials who want news in real time,” said Coates. “We want to provide relevant, uplifting, and unheard stories, as they pertain to African-Americans and minorities globally.”

For Coates, being a man of color in 2017 is about sharing narratives for younger Black people and all people of color to be inspired by. Coates views his life in three phases of working toward this goal.

“I spent the first phase preparing and learning from people around me. I grew into the second phase and applied what I learned. As I approach phase three, I want to use the fruits of my labor to help other people achieve their goals.”