Why are we so scared to talk about money?

I get it.

Unless you have money flowing left to right and are securing new bags every day, discussing money can be so damn uncomfortable.

If you're like me, growing up you grouped the topic of money with the other "taboo" topics that you're not supposed to talk about in public: views on politics, sex, and religion.

Each of these topics, especially money, often contribute a feeling of intimidation, embarrassment, and anxiety. As a result, because of our avoidance, it keeps us from having the important conversations and improving our circumstances.

When you're at a point in life where your bank account is on the decline (or constantly in the negative), talking about money is often something you want to keep to yourself.

However, it’s time we all change the narrative and open up about money.

As the lack of capital for Black founders slowly improves and the income gap continues to widen, talking and learning about money is necessary for change.

Money matters are too important to ignore.

Financial avoidance and denial are linked to money mismanagement and to debt. In return because of this, we often experience lower self-esteem, lower-income levels, financial strain, and stress.

At Mogul Millennial, we believe that when we avoid the important conversation around money, it becomes a silent tool of oppression for the Black community. It's hard to learn about something when you're discouraged or too scared to talk about it, and as a result, cannot really learn in order to grow.

In our new recurring series, All About the Benjamins, we're challenging Black entrepreneurs to give us the tea on their financial reality—how much money they're making (or not making), if they are profitable, how they were really able to launch their business (and with exactly how much money), and so much more.

To be totally honest, when we initially had the idea for the series and reached out to entrepreneurs, we thought that we would either get A) ignored, or B) denied. Because money is such a taboo topic, we knew it would be hard to find people who were REALLY open to sharing the difficult truths about their financial reality.

To our surprise, we got several warm, eager responses from entrepreneurs who also believed in the importance of this conversation and wanted to share their story.

And then of course, we got several ignored emails too.

It's cool though, #youaintbouthatlife

Within the upcoming weeks, some of the entrepreneurs that you'll hear from are game-changing founders of startups and small businesses in a variety of industries.

Some are currently profitable, and some are just making it by. Nonetheless, their courageous stories and transparency about their money challenges, highs and lows, all serve as motivation for us to start having the hard conversations about money, and to unapologetically take a deep look at our own financial situation instead of avoiding it or being in denial.

To hear their stories first, click here to sign up.

If you're an entrepreneur and want to share your financial reality story with us, send us an email at [email protected].