Building Your Own Table: Lessons from the Safe Bus Company for Today's Music Industry
In 1926, a group of entrepreneurs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, founded the Safe Bus Company. The company was the first Black-owned busing company in the United States and operated until 1972. It's been over four decades since Safe Bus ceased operations, but its legacy continues to inspire and guide a new generation of entrepreneurs.
I recently spoke with JRich Ent, a Music and Culture business based in Atlanta, Georgia, about their project MCMXXVI (1926). MCMXXVI is a storytelling project inspired by the Safe Bus Company's legacy. The project aims to transform history into a full experience that goes beyond music and fashion.
JRich Ent is a hip-hop artist, professional manager, and music engineer who is collaborating with designer Jordan Daniels to create new merch, music, and experiences on their project MCMXXVI (1926). They're using the Safe Bus Company's story as a blueprint for their own business.
"The Safe Bus Company represents Black ownership, resilience, and the power of building your own table when a seat wasn't offered," JRich told me. "That's something we try to emulate in our business."
Building your own table is a phrase that's become increasingly popular in recent years. It's a concept that speaks to resilience, resourcefulness, and the ability to create opportunities when they don't exist. The Safe Bus Company was a prime example of this mindset in action. When access to opportunity was limited for Black people, the company's founders didn't wait around for someone else to create a seat at the table. They built their own.
This mindset is something that JRich Ent is trying to emulate in their business. They're not waiting around for someone else to create opportunities for them. Instead, they're creating their own opportunities through their music and merchandise.
"The Safe Bus Company represents a time when access to opportunity was limited, but it also represents the power of building your own table," JRich said. "We try to emulate that mindset in our business."
For today's music industry, the lessons from the Safe Bus Company are clear: if you want to succeed, you need to be resilient, resourceful, and willing to build your own table when a seat isn't offered. It's a lesson that JRich Ent is taking to heart as they continue to grow their business.
In conclusion, the Safe Bus Company's legacy serves as an inspiration for today's entrepreneurs, especially those in the music industry. The company's founders built their own table when a seat wasn't offered, and that mindset is something that JRich Ent is trying to emulate in their business. As JRich said, "We try to emulate that mindset in our business." If you want to succeed in the music industry, you need to be resilient, resourceful, and willing to build your own table when a seat isn't offered. That's the lesson from the Safe Bus Company that we can all learn from.
