Today we’d like to introduce you to B. Nance.
Hi B. Nance, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
The Rising Sunny LLC was birthed from my desire to shed light on the financial epidemic that has plagued the black community. Black Americans have been denied the “American Dream” for so long through slavery, inequities, discrimination, and countless other financial and non-financial implications.
Financial literacy wasn’t something I was taught in school. My parents thought me about saving and using money, but nothing about credit. While trying to establish credit in college, I ruined my credit at 18 years old through credit cards and private student loans. Twenty years later, I’m just beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My financial life has been an ongoing, uphill battle. I’ve been forced to rent instead of buy. I’ve also wasted lots of money on high-interest rates. Sadly, after ruining my credit, I still never sought help. In the black community, it’s very taboo to seek help for money troubles.
What makes it even worse is that I am a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who helps companies count their money and incorporate strategies that will lead to longevity in business. In many ways, I’ve felt like a fraud working to ensure my employer had steady finances and good business credit. However, in my personal life, I struggled to get approved for an apartment. While remaining quiet about my personal struggles with maintaining finances, I’ve worked to teach finance and accounting to others.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our business was formed in December 2021, and we are launched our first book on April 15, 2022. Since then, our biggest challenges have been marketing and building brand recognition. This organization was built from the ground up and funded primarily from my own savings. As a self-publisher, we were tasked with investing in our inventory early so that we could take advantage of bulk buying. This has given us a huge advantage to be able to sale our books locally, but the downside is that we used most of the cash that we had on hand to invest in inventory. We have a lot of growth to do in this area, and this grant funding would help us tremendously.
As a bootstrapping business owner who works full-time for another organization, my ability to devote the necessary time and energy to research and marketing has been limited. My hope is that winning a grant of this magnitude would allow me to focus more of my time on doing the deep research and development that this project deserves and needs in order to thrive.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about The Rising Sunny?
The Rising Sunny was created to support kids and their family on their financial journey, which includes: (1) Building wealth, (2) Planning for their financial future, and (3) Preparing to access and use credit wisely. Our goal is to provide multi-generational tools to help build generational wealth and prepare for future financial decisions.
Our first product is a self-published, hardback book titled SUNNY GETS MONEY. This is a fun story that combines financial education, rhythmic verses, and storytelling. This captivating story warms the heart as you follow Sunny through the ups and downs of managing, saving, sharing, and spending money.
In April 2023, we hosted our first in-person event, called “Thrills, Bills and all the Feels,” which is a FREE one-of-a-kind, real-life simulation event for kids. During the simulation, kids were given currency to visit ten (10) stations to earn, spend, donate, and save money. This was a unique and engaging opportunity for kids (and their families) to experience real-life money habits. During the game, kids are empowered to make their own decisions on housing, careers, and more. They reap the rewards and experience the consequences of their financial decisions.
Our dream is that black and brown children will never doubt their financial abilities. They will grow up knowing how to spend, save, maintain, and invest their money. We want financial literacy to become a subconscious system that just exists. Our goal is also to provide multi-generational tools to help build generational wealth so that we, as Black and Brown Americans, are prepared for future financial decisions.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I grew up on a farm in a small town in North Carolina. My favorite childhood memory is playing outside with my siblings. We would climb trees, try to ride the farm animals (cows don’t like this too much), and skip rocks in the creek. We made up games, and all took roles as the ninja turtles. All in all, we had very active imaginations, and we just went with it.
Pricing:
- $17.99 – Sunny Gets Money Book
- $27.99 – Sunny Gets Money Package
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therisingsunny.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risingsunnyllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risingsunnyllc
Image Credits
G.O. Media Studios
