Local StoriesMay 22, 2023

Meet MJ Cunningham

Local Stories

Today, we’d like to introduce you to MJ Cunningham . MJ was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Lillian Jackson.

MJ , thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
My business aptitude began at the age of 8 years old when I started selling coloring books and candy at school. This was literally reselling items from Sam’s Club and printing out pages from a Barbie cd-rom and stapling them together. I did not quite understand exactly what sort of entrepreneur I wanted to become or what niche I wanted to pursue.. but I did know that I wanted to eventually be my own boss, have no ceiling for potential earnings, and teach others to do the same.

After finishing my undergraduate program at the University of Southern California in Economics and MBA at Cal State University Long Beach, I was still a cog in the corporate wheel of a multinational aerospace and defense company after 10 years of service. I worked tirelessly within someone else’s company, but my passion was definitely elsewhere.

While running the corporate rat race, I met an amazing person, Lillian Jackson, at a Brown Skin Brunchin’ event. I had relocated to San Antonio, Texas and looking for ways to connect to professional women of color. From that brunch… the game changed. Lillian and I successfully built The RedHead Solutions, which provides fully remote Accounting, Bookkeeping, Payroll, and HR services to small and midsize Clients. We started the company with $500 and over two years, we scaled the company to multiple 6 figures and in 2023 we are forecasted to generated over $1M in revenue. The RedHead Solutions promotes an anti-corporate culture, while still providing exemplary customer service in a timely and professional manner. If you want to wear red hair to work? No problem! Jeans everyday? Even better.

It did not stop there. Our newest successful venture is AfroFreelancer, which provides a platform for men and women of color to showcase their professional skills and talents. It is the perfect opportunity for graphic designers, website developers, bookkeepers, virtual assistants, social media managers, and just about anything else you can think of that is remote. This platform allows freelancers to build their own brand, customer base, and unlocks access to an unlimited earning potential. On the flipside, it also allows business owners to grow and scale their own companies with freelancers, limiting the overhead and turnaround time for project completion.

I am extremely passionate about entrepreneurship, particularly amongst minorities and those who are not afforded equal opportunities. My passion as an 8 year old has now become my day-to-day reality and I could not be more thrilled to continue positively impacting the world by walking in my purpose. This all started… over a brunch..

Please tell us more about your brand, Afrofreelancer
We are meeting the needs of minority freelancers by providing them with endless opportunities to create wealth, while simultaneously providing top quality candidates to business owners to help them scale their businesses with no overhead. We are closing the wealth gap, providing opportunities for underserved and underrepresented markets, and providing educational resources centered around financial literacy and entrepreneurship. We support our community with monthly financial literacy and entrepreneurial trainings through the Black & African American Chamber of Commerce chapters, free entrepreneurial education webinars, and our a percentage of our revenue goes to Athletic departments at HBCUs and also to our Black and African American Chamber chapters across America. I am so proud that we have set forth a plan to make an impact on the lives of other human beings, potentially change the way entrepreneurship is viewed amongst the masses, provide endless opportunities to create additional income/build wealth, and potentially help our business owners stay in business by hiring experts through our platform at a reasonable rate for both sides. Our services impact our community (and the world at large!) because we not only provide opportunities for business owners to grow and scale, but also ways for anyone, anywhere, with a skillset to make additional income for themselves and their families. We also host educational webinars that are free for everyone, business owners, freelancers, and those thinking of becoming either.

Lillian Jackson and Brown Skin Brunchin have been great to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship with them as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Lillian Jackson and Brown Skin Brunchin and your experience with them.
While running the corporate rat race, I met an amazing person, Lillian Jackson, at a Brown Skin Brunchin’ event. I had relocated to San Antonio, Texas and looking for ways to connect to professional women of color. From that brunch… the game changed. Lillian and I successfully built The RedHead Solutions, which provides fully remote Accounting, Bookkeeping, Payroll, and HR services to small and midsize Clients. We started the company with $500 and over two years, we scaled the company to multiple 6 figures and in 2023 we are forecasted to generated over $1M in revenue.

It blows my mind that all of this happened because I attended a Brown Skin Brunchin’ event and meet Lillian Jackson. I have also been able to expand my network professionally, grow my audience, and meet and connect with true friends because of the platform.