Note from BW of Brazil: You absolutely HAVE to love features like the one you’re about to read! Three black men, three black women that get it! This story combines so many of the concepts we discuss on the blog all in one piece. In some ways, you could say it is the anti-thesis of a huge story posted here a few days that showed the whitening process and the continuance of the transfer of ‘black money’ in which 76% of Brazil’s World Cup stars marry white women. I’ve said it before: You cannot realistically speak of the idea of ‘black money’ without the foundation of black couples and black families. The couples in today’s piece are shining examples of this. This story was originally posted a few days ago, June 12th, on the Dias dos Namorados, Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, over at the Mundo Negro site, by Silvia Nascimento. More power and success to the couples in this story! Read on!
Black Love: Couples who are partners in love and in business
By Silvia Nascimento
Despite the word empowerment being well worn, it is rarely used to talk about love. Yes, empowered couples help each other, encourage each other and challenge each other. When they are partners in the business then, everything becomes more intense: the love and the desire to see your business prosper.
Check out the business relationship and love of three very special couples.
“We avoid working after 6pm, we have our weekends, holidays, travel and parties. We know very well how to balance personal and professional life peacefully.”
Monique, 23 , Salvador, Bahia, Virgo
Luke , 25, Salvador, Bahia, Libra
Name and summary of the business. Kumasi, marketplace of fashion and accessories made by afroempreendedores (Afro-entrepreneurs), Monique Evelle is CEO and Lucas Santana is Director of Marketing, providing marketing services and innovation with a focus on skills for the future, from solutions in education and research.
Who has more difficulty in reconciling work with a personal life? Are you both workaholics, is there a lazier one, how do balance things? And the weekend, are you unable to leave the work aside?
(Monique) Before I met Lucas, I thought that I was addicted to work. But I realized that he was addicted. When I saw that he began to have weekend meetings, especially on Sunday, we stopped to chat and resolve it together. Still good that this conversation went well at the beginning of us dating and was soon solved.
When we completed a 6 months together we were already balanced. We avoid working after 6pm, we have our weekends, holidays, travel and parties. We know very well how to balance a personal and professional life peacefully.
How do you not get tired of each other spending so much time together?
(Monique) I confess that I don’t know how to respond. But for three years we’ve been like this and there was never any tiring.
Is it common to take problems from work to home? How do you deal with the money, who manages it, one of the two? Do you share who takes care of home and business?
We don’t take work home because home is our time. We don’t let the legal entity disrupt the physical person. The two of us take care of everything, within the responsibilities of each one.
Did the way that you met have anything to do with the professional part?
(Lucas) Yes, we met at an event of entrepreneurship that I was organizing. Monique was lecturing and in celebration of the event we gave each other a kiss. Since then we’ve been together.
When did you feel an affinity in terms of business that made you think that working together would be a good idea?
(Lucas) We started doing things together in Desabafo Social. I helped in the technology part with the sites and systems and saw that to it that it was right. We had some ideas and we decided to start. Thus Kumasi began, our first business together.
What is the best and worst thing about working together?
(Lucas) I do not know if there’s the worst part between us. The best part is that we can share about everything and talk about everything. There is not a climate in which we are separating work from personal life, which makes everything lighter.
“It is better to always be close and the worst thing is always being close. It’s contradictory, but the exercise of knowing whom each one is has to be constant.”
Jaciana Melquiades, 34 years, Belford-Roxo, (Rio) Scorpio
Leandro Melquiades, 32 years, Bangu (Rio), Aries
Name and summary of business: Era uma vez o Mundo, a company that creates toys and educational activities referenced in black children
Did the way that you met have something to do with the professional part? When he felt an affinity in terms of business, what made you think that working together would be a good idea?
(Leandro) No. We met when I was finishing high school and Jaci starting college. We were super friends, went out together, we both dated other people, but we already dealt with education. It was with the birth of the Matias that we believed in creating a business together.
Who has more difficulty in reconciling work with a personal life? Are you both workholics, is there a lazier one, how do balance things? And the weekend, are you unable to leave the work aside?
(Jaciana) I have more difficulty… I end up working hours that I shouldn’t. Leandro is super organized and able to cope well with agendas, I’m more of leaving things at the limit of the deadline, but in the end it works out… we end up not dividing like this in the model of the weekend. Sometimes the day off is on Monday, and it works.
How do you not get tired of each other spending so much time together?
(Jaciana) We go to the gym, take courses, travel and many times these extra activities we do alone. Each one takes care of specific demands, which means that we don’t have all the time together also. At the end of the day we have a lot to tell one another. The negative part is that we even have fun talking about work (laughs).
How do you deal with the grana (money), who administers it, one of you two? Do you share who takes care of home and business?
(Leandro) Our money is ours. It’s been like this since we started dating. We have debts in common and things that each of us want to do with money. We organize ourselves to fit everything in the monthly budget. Without this my money and your money… here it’s all ours and even Matias has already started to help decide how we are going to use the money.
What is the best and worst about working together?
The best is always being close and the worst thing is always close. It’s contradictory, but the exercise of knowing whom each one is has to be constant. We talk a lot about this, about what each one wants, about the limits on everything. And we speak very openly mainly because we come from a previous experience of friendship.
“When third parties, who know that we are married, try to use that information in a negative way”
Fernanda, 33, Gemini, São Paulo
Sergio, 43, Capricorn, São Paulo
Businesses that are partners: ContaBlack, digital account. He CEO and she CCO
Did the way that you met have something to do with the professional?
(Fernanda) We met at the engagement of our siblings. On the occasion, Sergio was committed, after that he ended the relationship to invest in me. (Laughter). He says that it was love at first sight, but to become a relationship, almost a year passed.
When did you feel an affinity in terms of business that made you think that working together would be a good idea?
(Sergio) Fernanda played the role of relationship with companies and partners in AfroBusiness, when I decided to launch the Conta Black, I thought about a complementary team and persons of trust, she is the person who I most trust in this life.
Who has more difficulty in reconciling work with a personal life? Are you both workholics, is there a lazier one, how do balance things? And the weekend, are you unable to leave the work aside?
This is the second time that we worked together, considering the 13 years that we’ve been together, for the first time, we were still a couple, it lasted for a short time. The maturity made us to look at things in a better way, today we managed to reconcile and bring things in a better form. It would be a lie to say that in moments at home we don’t talk of matters related to work, but nowadays, it managed to become the key quickly. The one who is the most workaholic is a question that we differ in opinion, I say that he is and he says that i am.
(Fernanda) We work so much that on weekends, in fact we want to “close the shop” and live our little lives, shared in our moments, with our family and our friends.
How not to tire of each other spending so much time together? It is common to take problems from work to home?
(Fernanda) I believe that there is not a magic formula, but I believe that doing separate activities, is a trick. Having quality, individual time, with our family, friends, contributes greatly. As incredible as it may seem, today we don’t take problems home, in the office, at the café, on the street, in the car, but everything needs to be resolved by the time we get at home, and this is how that happens.
(Sergio) We don’t usually do this, because we know that this doesn’t work and doesn’t solve anything.
How do you deal with the grana (money), who administers it, one of you two? Do you share who takes care of home and business?
(Sergio) Each one has their money. As we manage different businesses, but that are connected, we define what each one is responsible for the financial management of each business, however, together we define the priorities so that the business can flow.
What is the best and worst thing about working together?
(Fernanda) Best – Having a work colleague who shares the same values, plans and goals in life. And this is very good, going hand in hand with a person who is also fighting for the same purposes.
(Sergio) Striving for the same goals, together.
Worst – (Fernanda) When third parties, who know that we are married, try to use that information in a negative way.
(Sergio) Dealing with the frustrations.
Source: Mundo Negro
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