CUSHI DIRECTORY

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred Chair, Council of Black Led Churches	A KEY CHALLENGE that faces the African and Caribbean community in Britain is our ability to collaborate towards our social, economic and political upliftment. This is important for us and the future of our children and grandchildren, for whom we are committed to leaving a legacy worth the name. As a diasporan community we have made great strides since the 1948 landing of the iconic Windrush, but fragmentation remains our Achilles heel with even those who know the worth of collaboration finding it difficult to network with others of like mind. This is why I welcome this directory that pulls together into one place various strands of our social, economic and political activity in one place. I have no doubt that this will become in time a priceless unifying tool that will be a one-stop reference point for our community as well as for those who desire to engage with us.
Dr Derrick Campbell CEO Race Equality & Community Cohesion Sandwell & Former Chief Officer of the Sandwell Chamber of Commerce	OVER MANY YEARS of mapping the progress of the work being carried out by the black business community in Britain. I am pleased to endorse the development of a business database in the form of a Directory which will serve as an easy reference point, and also support in assisting Business 2 Business opportunities, inspires entrepreneurial activity and promotes individual clientele contact. For some time now the black community have experienced many challenges, while trying to build their businesses and in numerous cases not been able to build sufficient economy of scale or simply knowing who to talk to in order to progress their goals. Through this exciting initiative I am confident that the black business community will continue to raise its profile and benefit from the old adage ‘it’s good to talk’. Best wishes!
Justice Williams Social Entrepreneur	THE CUSHI DIRECTORY is an important part of our business community. It is essential we stay connected and in touch with what is happening in our local economy, as a social enterprise it is very easy to be consumed in fulfilling your social objective and forgetting the ‘enterprise’ aspect of social enterprise. Operating as a business is integral to the success and sustainability of any social enterprise. The third sector is often known as being poor marketers, so busy working in the business and not on the business. New media, social networking and viral marketing are the future and will become an integrated aspect of businesses for various reasons. The printed directory will be distributed throughout the local community and the CushI online directory will provide you with a platform for this and also allow you to market your services to a wider market. Not only that but it will ensure that you are seen as part of the business community, which is equally important. I am a champion of business to business and know that being in the directory, I myself will be equally curious to find out who else is. It will also allow me to support local businesses and social enterprises by utilising the products and services they have to offer. By having a presence in the directory, I know that they are serious about their enterprise and we should be supporting one another. Money is very important but the small cost of an entry is affordable and the aim is to make your money work for you and for it to generate an income for your business. Always remember that the key to any business is to work on the business, not just in the business, to have a strategic plan and vision for where you want to be. Marketing being integral to this, CushI is the perfect the place to start.
Nathan ‘Skippa’ Dennis Managing Director of First Class Youth, Consultant, Youth Mentor & Motivational Speaker	FANTASTIC INITIATIVE. It is a great resource that, if young people utilise, will help them to recognise the existence of such a vast variety of African-Caribbean run businesses. This recognition will bring about inspiration, which will be great platform for social change and economic advancement within our community. A job, most of the time, only provides you with a certain wage, whereas having your own business gives an individual control, satisfaction and a fair degree of liberty, allowing them to directly affect their income levels. However, running a business is also not easy, and CushI gives a young entrepreneur access to leaders, those that have gone before us and are being successful – stimulating hope, faith and trust.
Karl George Managing Director KgISS	ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS is without a doubt an important ingredient in the development and success of any community. Economics drives many decisions and the African and Caribbean communities are indeed experiencing a transformation in business practise. Economic and political power goes hand in hand and a publication that seeks to encourage business will always be welcome. Traditional industries are no longer the only areas that you will see African Caribbean and it is no longer an option to set up business to serve just a niche within your own community. As a result we are seeing many medium sized and large businesses from our community. Employing in their own right 100s of employees, with turnover in the millions and supplying and contracting with national and international markets. Black business is important to help to develop the infrastructure of the black community by way of employment, developing role models and circulating the black pound. It is important to recognise however that the prosperity of the region is also dependent on every citizen contributing and successful black businesses can only help to redress the output deficiencies that our region has experienced. The positive impact on the local and national economy from Black Business aids our regions prosperity and lays a foundation for more effective community cohesion. Regards