You are worth more than your day job has a new meaning when it comes to this millennial nurse! According to CNBC, Helena Faustin came close to doubling her annual income thanks to her passion for cooking in 2021. And her story might inspire others to dig deep and find ways to monetize from those side hustles. By day, Faustin works in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a hospital in Freeport, NY where her annual income is $105,000 per year. On the other hand, she also runs her very own food blog called “That Nurse Can Cook,” where she shares detailed recipes and posts various cooking videos — something that she notes is one of her true callings. “When I first started this side hustle, I legit was so passionate about seeing my dreams come true that I did not stop,” said Faustin. “I literally worked every single day that I was not working at the hospital.”
If you want to earn money online, promote your business, inform people, or all three, starting a blog can help you achieve your goals. But it’s important to understand that a new blog won’t be an overnight success that will be bursting at the seams with traffic. If you feel like you have what it takes to persevere through hearing crickets on your blog, let’s get into how to start one. HOW TO START A BLOG COMPLETE THE BASICS The first step to starting a blog is getting your website up and running. To start blogging, follow these steps: Pick a web hosting provider. Your web host will act as your website’s home and make it visible to people on the internet. There are a number of web hosts you can choose from, including Bluehost and GoDaddy. Choose a content management system (CMS). Your CMS will help you create your content and build your website’s design. WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace are very popular ones. Create a domain name. Your domain name will be your blog’s URL. Keep it...
Even with being selective, AJ Dybantsa is winning big in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) arena. The Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars basketball player is not only the highest-ranking high school player on the court, he is also the top earner in college basketball — and he hasn’t even officially jumpstarted his college freshman year, notes Athlon Sports. A new graduate of Utah Prep Academy, he will begin representing BYU officially for the 2025-26 college basketball season. Dybantsa has deals that include Red Bull, which is historic. According to Out2Win, it is the first time Red Bull has signed a male basketball athlete to an NIL deal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AJ Dybantsa (@aj.dybantsa) “I think it was a great partnership because it’ll be beneficial for the both of us with the platform that they have,” Dybantsa said on “The Youngins Sports Podcast.” “I think we fit right in with each other, so it’s going to be good. It’s going to be special.” He later...
Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking a highly personal approach to what could become the company’s boldest artificial intelligence (AI) play yet. Frustrated with Meta’s current progress in AI, Zuckerberg is forming a new elite unit internally dubbed a “superintelligence” team, Bloomberg reports . His goal is to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) AI systems that can perform human-level tasks across domains. In recent weeks, Zuckerberg has hosted top AI researchers and engineers at his California homes in Lake Tahoe and Palo Alto, according to the outlet, pitching them directly on his vision. Around 50 new hires will form a group that will closely operate under Zuckerberg’s supervision at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. Insiders told Bloomberg that the Meta chief is personally selecting talent and serving as the primary point of contact during outreach. A $10 Billion Investment And A Strategic Ally In Scale AI Meta is reportedly building its...
Meta Platforms Inc. is reportedly in negotiations to invest over $10 billion in Scale AI, a rapidly emerging player in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, known for its data labeling services and model training, according to Bloomberg. If completed, the multi-billion-dollar deal would rank among the largest funding rounds ever for a private company and would be Meta’s largest external AI investment to date, the outlet reports. The move reflects Meta’s growing ambition to control the AI market, where tech giants are competing for the best language models to develop and implement across platforms and products. What Does Scale AI Do? Under the direction of CEO Alexandr Wang, Scale AI provides high-quality labeled data essential for training advanced AI models for major players, including Microsoft and OpenAI. In 2024, the company brought in roughly $870 million in revenue and is on track to more than double that to $2 billion in 2025, Bloomberg previously reported. Much of...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Data centers have been in the news lately due to their connection to AI, but they have been around in some form or capacity for decades. Data centers originally were created to hold mainframe computers because they would tend to overheat, needing to be stored in climate-controlled rooms. This was at a time when more businesses began relying on computers for their day-to-day operations, and things needed to be moved from single rooms to larger dedicated facilities. What caused data centers to explode in popularity was the rise of personal computing. With more and more data needing to be stored, more facilities needed to be created in order to house all of this new data that was being generated every day, not just from businesses but from people living their lives as well due to the adoption of mobile devices. What exponentially increased the amount of data centers was when software started “eating...
Bill Gates intends on allocating the majority of his wealth to Africa. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Microsoft founder Bill Gates plans to donate the majority of his wealth by 2045 — an estimated $200 billion. Despite this massive philanthropic effort, he is still expected to remain a billionaire and may even stay the fifth-richest person in the world, BBC reports. “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” he wrote in a blog post, per BBC. Gates intends to distribute his wealth through his foundation. The original plan was for the foundation to continue operating beyond his lifetime; however, he now has faith in the next generation of wealthy individuals to carry on his efforts, believing they will be better positioned to do so. “At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations,” the Gates Foundation said in a statement, per BBC. In the meantime, Gates will focus on using his wealth...
Award-winning cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is inspiring the next generation. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Robinson is making an imprint within his industry through his career trajectory, which includes contributions to skin care at Rhode, a lifestyle beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber that was recently acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion. “Proud day for science. Hailey, Michael @ratty Lauren @laurenratner and the entire @rhode team – Thank you for bringing us on as partners from the very beginning,” he expressed on Instagram. “While some may have experts just for marketing, you truly leaned into the science and allowed us to be part of the team. Because of you, brands have taken notice and now value the need for science-led formulations. This has been the journey of a lifetime and we are proud to be a part of it.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ron Robinson (@ronrobinsoncosmeticchemist) Partnership With Girls In STEM Beyond his work at Rhode, Robinson is...
Cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is part of the team at recently acquired beauty brand Rhode. According to Beauty Matter, Robinson has been creating top-selling skincare products for over 30 years, despite not being very familiar with the beauty industry while growing up. Initially, he aspired to become a doctor and studied biology and chemistry at Adelphi University. His plans took a pivot after he completed one year of medical school when he joined Estée Lauder as a product development manager in the Clinique division. He held that role for eight years starting in 1990, his LinkedIn mentions. “My mom was disappointed about me dropping out of med school, but she forgave me because I was a cosmetic chemist gifting her products that I made,” Robinson told Beauty Matter. “The delight and joy that she saw in getting those products and using them has been fuel for me to keep me constantly looking to develop new and exciting products that really delight consumers.” Robinson would go on to...
Fans of the 1995 film “Clueless” are likely to fall in love with Google’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered shopping experience, which is rooted in fresh, accurate data and a passion for fashion. Google I/O 2025 Launched on May 20 at Google I/O 2025 in Silicon Valley, CA, AI Mode combines Gemini capabilities with Google’s Shopping Graph to help customers browse for inspiration, consider options, and narrow down products, according to a news release. The Shopping Graph features over 50 billion constantly updated listings from global retailers and local shops, complete with reviews, prices, color options, and availability. “We’re using AI to help people shop in ways that once seemed impossible,” Lilian Rincon, vice president of consumer shopping product at Google, told AFROTECH™ via email. “Whether you’re trying on millions of items of clothing with our try-on tech, finding exactly what you need in AI Mode, or using agentic checkout to jump on a great price.” A new, experimental...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The Trump administration’s anti-DEI crusade has now come for artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past several months, tech companies have retracted their previous commitments to DEI to comply with Trump’s executive order. Now, according to AP, both the administration and the Republican majority of Congress claim that AI is woke. “Wokeness,” or “woke,” is a term derived from African American Vernacular English to refer to being aware of social and racial injustice. It was a positive thing seen as early as the 1930s, or with people asking someone to “stay woke” from the 1970s well into the 2010s. That is until conservatives turned the word into a negative. Now, wokeness is seen as a negative thing, but only because they don’t want the public to be aware of the injustices they are committing currently. Artificial intelligence can’t be woke — it’s a thing that only operates in a way that it is...
Choosing the right name for a business or startup is one of the most critical branding decisions entrepreneurs make. A strong name can enhance visibility, improve search engine rankings, and make it easier for customers to find your business online. Since SEO plays a key role in brand discovery and, ultimately, a business’s name value , integrating search-friendly elements into a business name can increase organic traffic and improve brand recall. This guide explores SEO tips for naming a business or startup and ensuring the name is optimized for success in the online business world. Prioritize Keyword Relevance Without Overstuffing One of the most effective ways to optimize a business or startup’s name for SEO is incorporating keywords that are relevant to the industry or niche. Including terms commonly searched by potential customers in the name can increase the likelihood of appearing in search results. For example, a marketing agency named “Elevate Digital Marketing” may perform...
Success in entrepreneurship isn’t just about big wins. It’s about small, consistent actions that build momentum over time. In Atomic Habits , James Clear emphasizes the power of tiny improvements, showing how habits shape outcomes in business and life. Entrepreneurs who master their daily routines, decision-making, and mindset can set themselves up for long-term success. Here are some of the most impactful quotes from Atomic Habits and how they apply to entrepreneurs. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Many entrepreneurs set ambitious goals, whether it’s scaling their startup , increasing revenue, or building a personal brand. However, goals alone don’t drive success — systems do. Without a structured approach, even the best ideas fail. This quote emphasizes the importance of building repeatable processes that create consistent progress. Instead of focusing solely on outcomes, entrepreneurs should refine their workflows. A founder...
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken an NFL snap since 2017, but he’s never been idle. While the league may have shut its doors, Kaepernick has been steadily opening new ones, quietly constructing an empire grounded in justice, creativity, and economic power. His path since leaving the NFL hasn’t just been one of resistance. It’s been one of reinvention. Kaepernick’s legacy began to shift in 2016 when he took a knee to protest police brutality and racial injustice while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. The moment cost him a job in the NFL, but it cemented his voice as one of the most powerful in American public life. And instead of retreating, he leaned in, turning his influence into a platform for economic change and cultural ownership. Kaepernick has proven that social activism and wealth-building aren’t mutually exclusive through a broad portfolio of business ventures, investments, and creative initiatives. They can be mutually reinforcing. Colin Kaepernick’s Storytelling Journey...