An intimate interview with the creators of Black on Track

BY ANDREW STEWART

Have you felt like 2020 was a massively difficult year? Or that it turned out to be a great year (a blessing in disguise)? I wanted to interview Jonathan and Tristan, clients of mine, and creators of Black on Track to look back on 2020 and how the pandemic/lockdowns affected their finances, work, and personal health goals. I’ve known Jonathan for many years and attended his wedding to Tristan in 2016. I’ve had the opportunity to see them grow and flourish in their respected fields and am honored to call them friends.

Jonathan and Tristan established Black on Track (BoT) in 2020; a platform for black visionaries to share their knowledge and experiences with black and racialized individuals in Canada and globally. BoT focuses on areas including personal finance, the arts, entrepreneurship, education and community, leaders, and aspiring leaders.

I asked Jonathan and Tristan if they’d be willing to share their year in review.

So here we go!

Coming into 2020, what were your finance and health goals?

Finances: “We were looking to pay down as much debt as possible, such as our line of credit and credit cards. Getting our credit scores higher as much as possible because our mortgage renewal was coming up this year.  

Healthwise we recognized that getting older is no joke. We wanted to make it the year of us getting back on track with our health. We decided on getting a personal trainer who would focus on physical strength and nutrition. We wanted to change what we put into our bodies from a food perspective.“

How did the lockdowns/pandemic alter those goals?

“Financially it put us in a much better place than before the pandemic. We stopped paying for the commuting cost of going in and out of the city, buying lunch, eating out. It helped tremendously with those costs. From a health perspective, it gave us a lot more time. There were fewer distractions and time constraints so there wasn’t any justification for us not exercising. We stuck to our exercise plan and ate the right foods, so it paid off. Hopefully, once normalcy returns, those habits will stay true. We believe our habits have changed permanently regarding how we save and what we spend. “

Looking at 2021 answer these three questions:

1. What have you done differently to prepare?

“Mentally we take a lot more time to think about what our next steps should be. Before we would just sit down and talk about what we wanted to do for the year. Now we put pen to paper and have a written plan. We discuss money a lot more, it’s become an exciting topic to discuss because we are saving so much more. We had a lot of debt which deterred us from speaking about it.

Now that most of our debt is paid off, we’re happy to take the time to sit down and have a dialogue about what 2020 looks like. Defined goals that we’re saving for- our home renovations and vacations. Concerning our health goals, 2021 will be about maintenance. We’ve set the habits and plan this year so next year will be the test. Due to the social restrictions because of COVID-19 we’ve become comfortable with less socializing.“

2. What are some successes that will help you in 2021?

“We were able to renew our mortgage six months before the renewal date. Secured a great rate and because it was initially on our plans for 2021 it accelerated our plans. Additionally, we are targeting black-owned professionals and businesses for guidance when advice is needed and to support the business with our dollars to keep it with the community.

Our purpose of starting Black on Track was to seek out and promote professionally run black-owned businesses. Our personal experiences in the past when engaging with black business was that they felt they could take us less seriously than their other ethnic customers. With everything that has happened this year.  it has enlightened us to the fact that these businesses didn’t have the opportunities for mentorship to gain that refinement as to enhance their businesses.“   

3. What emotions do you have going into 2021?

“We are excited!!! Jonathan said pride is the biggest emotion for him. Proud of their accomplishments and being life partners. Also, very proud of the direction the black community is heading. We’ve found and now are forcing ourselves to have a great deal more influence and power than we’ve had before. It will be up to us to share that with everyone, from our youth to our seniors.“

Thank you, Jonathan and Tristan. Hopefully you the reader enjoyed this interview and I look forward to engaging with you in 2021.