The goal of Tamara Armour and Crystal McDonald is to give Orleans desperately needed employment opportunities.
Business is a family affair for sisters Tamara (Tammy) Armour and Crystal D. McDonald. Their father was an entrepreneur in the hospitality sector, and their mother was a teacher who also operated a home-based business. The two are now trying to emulate their parents’ success while also raising the bar. Their staffing company, Talent Activated, which is based in New Orleans, matches job seekers with openings for employment at fairs, conventions, and other events.
Tammy Armour and Crystal McDonald spoke with The Root about their company and the effect they think it will have on bridging the wealth divide in New Orleans.
Both Armour, a marketing expert with 15 years of experience in the spirits business, and McDonald, an entrepreneur with a background in hospitality, identify as solutions-oriented. And they claim that the reason they started their business was to use it as a means of generating the badly needed jobs in their neighbourhood.
“The middle class in New Orleans is quite small. Who has something and who does not is obvious. And it was difficult to witness people living like that every day and remain passive, according to Armour. “When we consider how we present ourselves to others, we consider how our ideas might meet their needs.
Both of us have been incredibly fortunate, so we’ve always felt compelled to help others.
However, getting their plan off the ground wasn’t simple, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The gig economy and experiential activations are the foundation of our business model. And when COVID occurred, all of the live events and venues where we first believed we had a tonne of opportunity were shut down. I’m really proud of us for surviving that storm as a startup company.
However, since its inception, Talent Activated has worked a variety of experiences and events, such as the immensely acclaimed Essence Festival in New Orleans and polling places in Houston for the 2020 presidential election. They’ve hired everyone from teachers to scientists who are looking for ways to use their skills and hobbies to make extra money.
Gig economy is expanding
The Great Resignation was sparked by the epidemic, according to the sisters, but the gig economy is still growing and shows no signs of slowing down. McDonald and Armour are thrilled about workers taking control of their pleasure. They also believe that more people will start to give work-life balance a higher priority.
“After 30 years of employment, our parents retired with a cake and a watch. At the time, that was the height of achievement. However, I believe that right now, people view life as a pie, with work constituting only a little portion of it, according to Armour. People are aware that their skills can be used for a variety of tasks. And they ask for permission so that they can freely investigate them.
And McDonald says that businesses must join the movement and give their employees more freedom in how they conduct business if they don’t want to fall behind.
“We’re not going back to where we were three years ago,” she declared. “People quit their careers in search of meaning. They are now returning to work on their terms.
Dedicated to a Mission
The sisters claim they are motivated by their desire to serve others and encourage other Black women to follow in their footsteps even though they acknowledge that entrepreneurship is not for the weak of heart.
“Even though we both work full-time jobs for other people, we feel compelled to pursue this. We check email when we get up at 5:30 in the morning for this reason. We are aware that our actions have a direct bearing on the adjustments we must make in order to bridge the wealth gap for Black Americans, McDonald added.
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“We want Black women to realise that [entrepreneurship] is feasible, even with families and husbands, among other factors. To remove those obstacles and allow others to perceive it as an opportunity, said Armour. “For me, entrepreneurship stands for something greater than me that we can contribute to the world. A seed that we can plant for someone else to grow, however they see fit.
