by goesbywalton | Oct 6, 2025 | Professional Development, Technology
Rolonda Hernandez, Founder of Advance Wake and the Strategic AF Experience, is on a mission to make entrepreneurship sustainable for underestimated founders. Based in Wake County, NC, Rolonda blends corporate-level operational strategy with community-centered solutions, offering both high-level clarity and culturally aligned support for entrepreneurs who are often left behind.
After years of streamlining operations for large enterprises and government teams, Rolonda saw a gap: Black women and underestimated small business owners needed access to the same systems and support—but designed with real-world, community-rooted strategy. Out of this realization, the Strategic AF Experience was born, offering masterclasses, mentorship, and her signature program: Strategic AF Experience™: Shift. Analyze. Execute. to help entrepreneurs build structure, automate tasks, and organize chaos.
Her second venture, Advance Wake (www.advancewake.com), takes it further by providing an AI-powered digital business partner for Wake County entrepreneurs. The platform delivers real-time startup guidance, operational checklists, and municipal resources 24/7, bridging the gap where traditional programs fall short.
When asked what advice she has for Black women entrepreneurs, Rolonda is clear:
“Clarity is a strategy. Define, design, declare. Stop defaulting to survival mode and start moving with intention.”
Her legacy is rooted in building systems that don’t just demand resilience but create sustainability and ease for Black women and underestimated founders worldwide.
To learn more about Rolonda’s work or access Advance Wake, visit https://beacons.ai/rolonda.
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by goesbywalton | Oct 3, 2025 | Technology
Nicole Murphy, Founder + CEO of Barter Black®, is reimagining what collaboration looks like for Black entrepreneurs. Based in Upper Marlboro, MD, Murphy created Barter Black® during the pandemic after witnessing how many Black-owned businesses struggled, not from lack of talent, but lack of access.
Barter Black® is the only bartering platform designed specifically for Black entrepreneurs, allowing members to trade products and services using Barter Bucks instead of cash. From legal support and marketing to graphic design and wellness services, members earn and spend Barter Bucks in a thriving ecosystem that protects cash flow while expanding opportunity.
But Murphy makes it clear: this isn’t just a marketplace. With a design patent on its first platform iteration, Barter Black® is building a new Black Wall Street powered by community and technology. Members gain access not just to barter, but also to grants, networking, business support, and wellness resources.
Murphy’s journey hasn’t been linear. She has paused, pivoted, and rebuilt Barter Black® with a trade credit system that finally feels right. Now, she’s preparing to launch the Barter Black® mobile app on February 5, 2026, and has opened a Crowdbartering campaign inviting creatives and professionals to contribute their skills to help scale the vision.
Her advice to fellow Black women entrepreneurs is simple yet powerful: “If your goal is to build a business that outlives you, then you have to start acting like it. Every day or every week, figure out what can operate without you.”
With Barter Black®, Murphy is doing exactly that; laying the foundation for a future where Black businesses don’t just survive, they build lasting wealth. To learn more and explore how you can barter with other Black entrepreneurs, visit barterblack.io.
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