Entrepreneur: Dasha Kennedy 

Biz: The Broke Black Girl

Tilt: No-b.s. financial literacy expert for Black women

Scene: Website, Instagram (196K), Facebook (80.2K), Twitter (8.4K)

Snack Bites: 

  • Former accountant Dasha Kennedy’s The Broke Black Girl started as a popular Facebook group, drawing 60K followers in its first year.    
  • Blogging, uploading informative posts to social media, and selling ebooks are part of her business activities.
  • Dasha’s advice is informed by over a decade of professional experience in finance and her experiences as a young Black woman. Clients and followers connect to her brand because of its authenticity.

Why We Stan: Dasha found her passion and her content tilt at the same time. Her willingness to tell the whole story, not just the best parts, sets her apart from many financial content creators. She also runs a smart business, sharing testimonials on her site so other brands can see why they should work with her.

The Story of Dasha Kennedy

After graduating high school, Dasha Kennedy worked in the mailroom of an insurance company, where she developed an interest in personal finance. With the help and instruction of a colleague, Dasha eventually became a debt counselor at a bank. Unfortunately, that job didn’t remain viable. After a second child, a divorce, and a broken foot, Dasha found herself with new expenses and new demands on her time.

In 2017, Dasha started The Broke Black Girl Facebook group, providing personal finance tips on everything from couponing to dealing with debt and bad credit. Much of her advice stemmed from her experience as a young Black woman and was intended for other young women of color who are often excluded from broader discussions of personal finance. As Dasha articulated to Insider, “We do not feel seen and heard when it comes to finance. My community was hungry for advice they could trust.”

Creator Dasha Kennedy knew from her experience young Black women didn't feel seen or heard when it comes to personal finance. She made that her #ContentTilt for @brokeblackgirl_. #Stan #CreatorEconomy Click To Tweet

She met that hunger and amassed 60K followers in her Facebook group in the first year. Today, Dasha continues to spread her knowledge on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her website. Each platform is updated daily with financial tips and resources. Dasha is careful to post the full picture, avoiding the trap of posting exclusively about successes and luxury purchases. 

“Most people display a polished, heavily-edited version of their lives that shows off expensive new purchases or exotic vacations, but seldom shows them clipping coupons or browsing a thrift store.” she writes on her website

As she asserts in her bio, “By no means am I ashamed of my past financial struggle — in fact, I’ve completely embraced it.”

Her daily social media postings are a smart content marketing tool. Quick takes on how to manage money on a banking app, free finance worksheets, and retweets covering investment suggestions can be found throughout her platforms. 

The self-proclaimed financial activist knows that combining social media with honesty, economic equity, and education is the key when teaching financial literacy to her community of Black women. 

Earning revenue at Broke Black Girl

As Dasha teaches financial stability to the masses, she’s produced multiple income streams. Ranging from $14.99 to $47, some of her ebooks are step-by-step guides, and others analyze different money topics. For example, her 20-plus-page ebook If Your Money Could Talk, What Would It Tell You? offers concrete strategies to tackle financial problems effectively. 

.@brokeblackgirl_ sells ebooks from $14.99 to $47. Sometimes they're step-by-step guides. Others reflect bigger questions around money. #Stan #CreatorEconomy Click To Tweet

She also earns revenue through brand deals and speaking engagements. Dasha also has partnered with National Debt Relief, “helping amplify the importance of humanizing debt.” It’s a win-win for both her and content consumers. 

“I didn’t start off chasing a profit as much as I did chasing a purpose,” she tells Insider. “Now I get paid for doing what I love.”  

Publishing client testimonials

Dasha also shares feedback from her brand partnership clients on her site. Elite Daily, Region Bank, and individual clients all have praised The Broke Black Girl brand. Elite Daily said: “Having honest conversations about money and a community to overcome the struggles together may, at the very least, reduce some of the stress or shame that being broke causes so many young Americans.”

About the author

Shameyka McCalman is a wordsmith whose work often centers around fashion, art, and other creatives of color. She earned her communications degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and enjoys sifting through clothes in local vintage shops, frequenting nearby plays, and gazing at exhibitions on view in museums.