October 7, 2020
Minority & Small Business Week
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Page 7
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East County
Beaverton
Jamaal and Christina Lane, the husband-and-wife team behind Portland’s Champions Barbershops and Champions Barbering Institute, have launched an Internet
platform called ‘Be Great University,’ offering a curriculum and a supportive community to help others identify and cultivate their inner strengths and start successful
professions.
Creating a Platform for Success
Virtual ‘Be Great University’ new resource for entrepreneurs
Jamaal and Christina Lane are well
known in Portland as the husband-and-wife
team behind three successful barbershops
and a barber institute. Now in response
to the pandemic-enforced shutdown, they
have taken lessons they’ve learned as
Black business owners and launched a dig-
ital platform called “Be Great University,”
where they offer foundational curriculum
paired with a supportive community for
like-minded individuals striving for great-
ness and successful professions.
The Lanes virtually cut the ribbon on
Be Great University earlier this month,
building on their success with Champions
Barbershops and Champions Barbering
Institute and going beyond to share their
wisdom, insight and guidance with others
looking to pursue what Christina calls a
“master’s in self.”
“Through operating Champions Bar-
bering Institute, we learned that we could
bring out the best in students beyond teach-
ing technical skills,” said Jamaal. “Barber-
ing was the draw, but we realized students
were looking up to us and trusting us to
help with their transition to become profes-
sionals. They were rebuilding and restruc-
turing who they were and where they could
go with confidence. We have seen the ap-
preciation and the impact, and we want to
share that same inspiration with others.”
Be Great University’s core program,
called Cultivating Greatness, focuses on
personal development as an essential key
to professional success. The initial five-
week, self-led workshop delves into how
to cultivate greatness from within using
proven foundational methods.
Dylan Cruz, one of the first participants,
said the mentoring she received helped her
focus on what she needed to change her
work habits, but also on “How I view my
perception and take steps toward my ver-
sion of success.
“I was able to write my book because
of the accountability I received via the
group. The Lanes have created a step by
step process on how to find your inner pur-
pose through growth and development,”
she said.
The Lanes believe the typical BU mem-
ber might be a professional who is looking
to pivot to a different model in response to
the pandemic, someone who needs to get
creative to make the necessary shift. Hav-
ing the fortitude and optimism to make a
necessary shift, even in the face of daunt-
ing circumstances, has been Jamaal’s route
to success throughout his professional life.
He opened his first shop in 2008 on North-
east Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“We were operating under the belief that
community builds champions, and that in-
fluenced how we connected with the neigh-
borhood as a business,” said Jamaal. “We
understood that there would be no ‘Cham-
pions’ without the community’s support.
We stand up for them, and the community
stands up for us.”
Be Great University offers two levels
of membership. Becoming a member of
the BU online community costs $249 an-
nually and offers a gathering place where
like-minded people can come together and
discuss structured topics. Enrolling in the
Cultivating Greatness program, which in-
cludes annual community membership,
costs $699.
“The idea is to empower people to use
their unique talents and inner strength to
overcome any obstacles they find in their
way,” Christina said. “We are ready to
coach up great people using the mental
systems and methods that have proven to
be a success in our personal and profes-
sional endeavors.”
Added Jamaal, “We want to tap into
each person’s inner resolve to live life on
their own terms; to find and define their
pathway to success –– a pathway that starts
within. We are on a mission to help 2,000
members empower themselves by 2021
with Cultivating Greatness.”
For more information, visit www.
BeGreat.life.