Darren Martin Jr. and Ahmad Barber have always been driven by authenticity, inclusion and the celebration of multicultural diversity. When they saw “the slew of culturally uninformed marketing messages being put out by brands and their agencies,” they knew they had to take action.
“We knew these culturally uninformed messages were being made because of the low levels of diversity and inclusion in the companies’ ranks,” explained Martin.
In 2016, under their company Streamlined Media & Communications, Martin and Barber founded Bold Culture, “a multicultural communication and management consulting firm with a focus on building inclusive workplaces and better multicultural marketing messages.”
The main basis for brands — including communication, creation of products and how they’re received by consumers — are “all connected to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Barber.
“Bold Culture is within the intersection of developing inclusive workplaces and ensuring inclusive marketing messages are authentically delivered,” he added.
[Read: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion Boosts Business and Community Connection]
Reshaping equality and inclusivity through consistent communications and action
Bold Culture considers itself a business transformer. It sheds light on diversity, inclusivity and equality issues within companies that may not have been thought of in the first place — and helps those brands make the necessary steps to change.
Some companies Martin and Barber have worked with didn’t even realize how their lack of inclusivity was affecting their bottom line.
Bold Culture is within the intersection of developing inclusive workplaces and ensuring inclusive marketing messages are authentically delivered.
Ahmad Barber, co-founder, Bold Culture
“We successfully overcame this challenge through consistency,” explained Barber. “We knew there was a need, and that there was a community of individuals doing the work to reshape diversity, inclusion and equity in companies – so we made sure we kept moving forward.”
Their consistency allowed them to be present and willing to provide knowledge and assistance to the growing number of companies that wanted to rebrand to be more inclusive and bring in more diverse talent and consumers.
“We were there with solutions and a foundation of knowledge that allowed us to seamlessly start reshaping the internal and external DEI frameworks of companies,” Martin told CO—.
[Read: Why This Leadership Training CEO Believes Diversity Is the Future of Leadership]
Bold Culture has bold plans for the future
Martin and Barber have big goals for Bold Culture in the year ahead, including branching out into the brand and nonprofit space while increasing relationships with agency holding companies. They’re ensuring in each venture that they’re “developing more impactful, long-term multicultural relationships.”
“There’s always a need for Bold Culture,” noted Martin. “Whether you’re assessing your improvement, trying to find where to start, building a plan for improvement, want to have a third party inclusion partner or would like to utilize our diverse talent database, we’re available.”
While Martin and Barber look towards Bold Culture’s bright future, they bring the message to aspiring entrepreneurs not to underestimate themselves and the guidance they can provide themselves.
“Keep going,” said Barber. “Take counsel but drown out the noise. If you can think of it, you can create it.”
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