![Introducing: The Jetsetter Fam [VIDEO]](https://www.aaronjbarnes.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_6306.jpeg)
I study cross-cultural consumer behavior and my wife owns a travel company specializing in international group travel. Sometimes, we capture some pretty good footage from our adventures. Follow our journey and learnings on our YouTube channel!
Tag: Culture
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The “Why” Inside Dapper Black Box
The subscription service business platform is a growing phenomenon. It adheres to the shoppers desire of convenience and cost-efficiency. Hear from Dapper Black Box Founder, Aaron Barnes, as he breaks down the “Why” inside the box as their company also adheres to some shoppers third desire, consciousness.
The first thing many of us do when we decide to buy black is search for black-owned directories online. Poring over google search engine pages, Facebook groups, Tumblr threads, and the like, you can come across dozens of directories without a lot of overlap.
That’s a big problem. It’s such a big problem that I thought I wanted to fix it at first.
Encouraging investment
But the more I thought about what I really wanted for a business that I created, Dapper Black Box’s mission emerged. Dapper Black Box (DBB) exists to encourage investment into black-owned businesses (BOBs).
Though business directories certainly do this, I wanted to take a more direct route.
Championing collective energy
One critique I have of black-owned directories was that it they make it difficult for consumers to choose between options. There are few signals to the consumer that any business is better positioned to meet his needs. At the same time, it’s in every independent business’ interest to self-promote, but when everyone is saying, “Look at me! Buy from me!” it’s hard to choose who to buy from. I thought DBB could serve as a third-party entity focused on championing the collective energy that each individual business puts out into the digital marketplace. In other words, DBB says, “Look at all of this amazing work that BOBs are doing in this space!”
Selling an idea
It was when I focused on the idea of encouraging investment into black businesses that creating DBB to be a subscription service began to make sense. Not only are subscription services an easy-to-manage business model for my day-career, but they are also an excellent vehicle for advancing our mission.
Again, DBB exists to encourage investment. Using a subscription business model allows us to encourage consistent investment by recycling the recurring payments back into black-owned businesses. We go beyond pointing to worthy BOBs and make it easy to support them by curating 4–5 items from different brands each month.
Continuing to meet our audience’s needs
Now that we’ve sent over 2,500 subscriptions in less than 2 years, I’m convinced that we’re beginning to meet a need in the market. Our goals over the next phase of DBB’s growth are to continue to meet our target audience’s needs by expanding what it means to be dapper and celebrating blackness more generally.
We’re addressing the first need by connecting BOBs that don’t clearly fit a traditional “dapper” definition with our partner, Impact Service Promotions (sp?). ISP is a BOB within my family in-law that helps supply businesses with thousands of promotional materials. We have partnered with ISP to supply developing BOBs with promotional materials that can help get the word out about their businesses.
I’m especially excited about how we’re addressing the second need. DBB subscribers/followers know that we name each month’s curation after an influential black man (e.g., March’s DBB was named in honor of Clarence Avant). Up until the middle of 2016, we did not provide much information about the DBB namesake. Now, however, we’re digitally chronicling information about each DBB namesake through our YouTube series, “The Bigger Picture.”
I’m always happy to discuss ideas about how DBB can continue to meet your needs. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at aaron@dapperblackbox.com so we can chat!
This article was originally published in Magnepels’ Blog on 4/6/17.
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![Belize: Central America’s Hidden Gem [VIDEO]](https://www.aaronjbarnes.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/belize.jpg)
Belize: Central America’s Hidden Gem [VIDEO]
It’s becoming a tradition for my wife and I to travel over the Labor Day weekend. This year, we convinced some of our friends to join us on our 4-day excursion in Belize. Here are a couple reasons why Belize is a good idea for anyone seeking an enjoyable getaway from the U.S.
Minimal language barrier
Belize is the lone Central American country out of seven where English is the national language because the country spent a significant portion of its history under English rule. The country recently won its independence from Great Britain from 1981, and fortunately for English-speaking tourists, maintained English as its national language.
Decent conversion rate
When we visited Belize, the conversion rate was 2:1. That means that we got two Belizean dollars for every American dollar. That said, merchants in tourist shopping centers recognize the unfavorable conversion and usually double their prices to maximize their earnings. It’s a different story once you venture deeper into Belizean cities. That’s when you can really make your money stretch.
Low Population Density/High Population Growth
This last point is more so geared toward the venture capitalists than the tourists. (Even though, low population density means more room to roam if you don’t like crowded spaces.) Given its prime tropic location along the Caribbean Sea and English-speaking natives, many people are jumping at the opportunity to open businesses in Belize. Belize’s low population density and high growth rate makes real estate an especially attractive industry. Belize needs real estate to house its growing population and has a relatively large amount of land to purchase and develop.
Fun Fact
Rapper Shyne lives like a King in Belize because his father is the Prime Minister!
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When Causes License Indulgence – Paper Presented at Summer AMA in Atlanta
This work represented an ongoing investigation into the psychological consequences of participation in cause marketing. Cause marketing is the type of campaign that links the consumer’s purchase with the firm’s donation to a social cause. We build upon prior literature that suggests that virtuous behavior leads to indulgent behavior and argue that by emphasizing free choice, virtuous choice can actually restrict indulgent behavior.
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What I Learned From My Vacaciones en Cuba
Last week I had the distinct privilege to spend my vacation in Havana, Cuba. My wife and I celebrated our 1st year of marriage with my sister and some of her friends in the formerly-forbidden country not 100 miles from US shores.
There WAS a such thing as a second world country
Have you ever wondered where the classification of 1st and 3rd world countries came from? What about the rarely-mentioned second world countries? While in the country, a guide told us that Cuba was a third world country because they do not have the economic development and access to amenities that we’re used to in the United States. However, there used to be a different meaning for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world countries that spawns from the Cold War era. As it turns out, Cuba would have actually been considered a second world country based upon that historical backdrop.
Brands are just as powerful in 2nd world countries
When purchasing Cuban cigars, I, like most Americans according to the cashier, showed favorability to the Cohiba branded items. I felt the flush in my cheeks from embarrassment when she revealed that there was really no difference between the Cuban brands.
She said that there was definitely a difference between Cuban and American tobacco (due to the soil and climate), but Cohiba and Monte Cristo, for example, were pretty much the same.
Our countries are strikingly similar
For starters, we both operate in a trade deficit, wealth is unevenly distributed between the wealth and poor classes, the voting system is hierarchical, government can get in the way of small businesses success, the media is controlled by a select few, and the link between education and employment is imperfect. Yes, from my view, it is better to live here in the U.S., but it is not an open and shut case that Cubans have it all wrong and Americans have it all right.
You don’t need to bring your own seasonings for food
Havana is a beautiful country filled with rich history, charming people, and the best of the world’s vices. Contrary to semi-popular belief, we ate delicious, well-seasoned meals everyday we were in Havana. It’s important to note that we traveled with a group that was catered to the entire trip, so it is possible that the restaurants pulled all of the stops to make sure we were appeased.
