Individual black owned businesses, ideas need support entire community to progress

Moses Kuwema

An entrepreneur Pojanee Fleury has said individual black owned businesses and ideas need the support of the entire community if progress is to be made.

In an interview with Parkchester Times, Fleury, the CEO of Brown Eyez Co, who is also a publisher of The Behind the Scenes Magazine, author, inventor and community organizer, said people of color who try to do things outside the box need all the support from the community.

"As black people, we do need the community. If we can’t go to our brother and sister to say I wanna create something I believe in and be encouraged or taken seriously it's gonna be very hard for us to progress because we are doing it all by ourselves.

That’s what I want people to understand. When you see someone in your community, someone that wants to do something outside the box, encourage them," she said.

"Let them know that you might be willing to support them even just be there for them if the world is rough and it is rough.

"Every entrepreneur knows that even if they started with capital or not, the world is extremely difficult.

"We have to understand that we have entrepreneurs that were going an extra mile, we need to lift them up with encouragement so that we can all benefit from that right?" said Fleury as she shared her journey which led to the invention of convertible panties.

Fleury notes that her journey to becoming an inventor was filled with twists and turns because her optimism was overshadowed by her lack of confidence.

"Right before I launched this amazing career in 2007, I was just out of college and I was running around trying to get my foot into this door. One day, I had a very busy day and was moving from one end to the other.

"My outfit required specific underwear which you would call a thong or a G-string and I didn’t wanna wear it because the day was long and it was uncomfortable for me," she said.

"I felt very frustrated and I wore a regular panty. I was just so subconscious and I asked myself why aren’t there convertible panties or bras? I realized at that moment that I stumbled on something.

"It took me a long time to get the courage and the network to finally launch and put this art out there," said Fleury.

Fleury said bringing herself to the point where she could actually embody her true calling and what it meant to be an inventor was tested when she met Kendra.

She asked Kendra if she liked the idea, to which she responded, “Who’s going to invent that, you?”

Fleury observed that the response she got was a poignant moment that spoke to the challenges faced by those who dare to think outside the box.

"I shared my ideas with a friend and she said wow! that is gonna be great but who is going to invent that, You? In that moment I felt frustrated and felt I had to prove myself that I am an inventor. It doesn’t really feel good to be questioned whether or not you can do it," she said.

It was from that response that Fleury decided the title of her book would be derived from, "Who's going to invent that, you?" A Journey of Courage & Lessons for Every Inventor.

Fleury said the book provides key insights for aspiring inventors and creators and she believes, “true innovation can weather any storm.

She said the book was on Amazon right now and there was also an e-book available for kindle.

Fleury said the book will also be available on Apple products by the end of the week.

"Life is a big journey and if you gonna do anything like invent something, or just do something that nobody has ever seen before then you need a lot of different skills. But the one thing that you need is a strong foundation," she said.

"I just want to tell my story and let people know that it's ok to dream big. Even with this pandemic, nothing should stop you from achieving your goal. Anything is possible if you are able to stay focused."

As for the underwear, Fleury said the product was available on the website www.lunalaneclothing.com.

"It’s truly revolutionary design allows for standard panties to completely transform into a thong – and for an extra touch, the thong can also transform into a G-string!! That’s 3 different panties styles in 1! Women can now be ready for anything at the drop of a hat.

Whether she is a tough cop by day and wants to transform into a sexy diva for dinner with hubby, she can do so with ease just by removing the panties’ attachments! Simply #convertyourpanty to #convertyourlife!"

"Women’s bras have undergone many innovations from strapless to backless, while panties have largely remained stagnant. Well, no more!

This is the revolution women have been
waiting for…one that would make panties more comfortable, more stylish, more versatile and dare we say – more sexy! It is absolutely the most empowering and the sexiest panty women will ever own," said Fleury.

Fleury stated that despite coming up with the idea of convertible panties back in 2006, it was only this year in February that she was able to realize her dream when the product hit the market but the brand only stayed on the market for a few weeks before COVID-19 shuttered all businesses.

Meanwhile, Fleury as a community organizer has announced two events that will take place this weekend.

The first event slated for Saturday and spearheaded by the New York Kosmon Temple in association with Pioneers Network under the theme, "Strengthening and fortifying the body and community against plague and epidemic", will take place at 1653 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn from 1 p.m to 7 p.m.

Among the speakers that will join Fleury at the event include, Dr E. Bemer-a body scanner machine specialist, Bro Rojo-Vegan chef and master teacher, brother Izhor-healing foods educator, bro Eugene-alkaline water expert, bro Chris-African travel and living.

"We will be having various speakers to share on how we can strengthen our communities so that we are in a position to fight against plague and epidemic.

“We are going to have samples of vegetarian food where people will be able to learn what vegetarian food is all about. We are going to have limited vendors. We are reaching out to different people so that we can normalize these different healthy practices that are going to help ourselves but everyone that is working to educate.

"We shall have massage therapists. People will be able to view it live," said Fleury.

On Sunday, Fleury will head to Harlem for the Behind the Scene Magazine, a virtual showcase.

"There is a lot that happens behind the camera that a lot of people don’t get to see, that’s what Behind the Scene Magazine is all about. Not just the artists but the engineers, the Djs, the managers that put in all work into what we see. It is important to highlight those people because everybody just highlights the artists. As a producer and Magazine publisher, there is a lot of work that I do that people would not even know my name so that is really important to us," she said.

"We talk to the audience about what goes into the craft, what challenges, successes they have been able to achieve and also through the pandemic, how they have been able to keep their careers awake, how they can be supported. Of course the artists already have albums that people can purchase. We wanna make sure that we connect them to a great audience that appreciates what they are doing.

“We are doing it virtually. We are broadcasting out of Harlem. Anyone can access that virtually. We have several associates that are supporting the show," concluded Fleury.