
OHIO entrepreneur finds support from the Alumni Association鈥檚 Bobcat Neighborhood

Toyia Montgomery, BSJ 鈥�02, is not afraid to take chances. The lifelong entrepreneur has started multiple businesses after graduating from OHIO, including Cliqq & Sip Coffee Shop in 2011 and Charm Consulting PR firm in 2015.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been an entrepreneur,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y dad was an entrepreneur, and my mom was an entrepreneur, so it鈥檚 kind of in my blood.鈥�
Last September, Montgomery embarked on yet another business endeavor by creating her own entertainment company: Good Vibes Entertainment.
鈥淚 am a catalyst for multi-cultural parties. Parties where diverse groups of people come together for resources, opportunities and a shared vision,鈥� she said. 鈥淕ood Vibes Entertainment is the secret sauce to realizing that vision. We help companies and individuals manage the how, the what, the where and the why of entertainment.鈥�
Fueled by her love of music and entertainment, Montgomery started the Cincinnati-based business to assist with all aspects of entertainment, including event and project management, advertising, community listening, media production and consulting.
Good Vibes Entertainment also produces a monthly podcast called 鈥�.鈥� to connect listeners with essential resources and opportunities. Along with the help of producer Timikal Bobo, Montgomery covers a vast array of topics on the podcast, including health, social justice, leadership and education.
鈥淭he way that the podcast makes me feel is that I can connect with anybody,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know that my superpower is connecting people to resources and opportunities. From social justice to passion and purpose, we bring connections to people through the podcast.鈥�
Even after graduation, Montgomery has experienced OHIO鈥檚 commitment to community-building firsthand. Good Vibes Entertainment is part of the Bobcat Neighborhood, the 51社区 Alumni Association鈥檚 online directory of more than 130 businesses and non-profits that are either alumni-owned or serve one of OHIO's campus communities.
Launched in May 2020, the database includes information like each organization鈥檚 location, website and social media accounts so that the OHIO community can easily access and support these businesses and non-profits.
Montgomery believes that her experience as a student in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism is what prepared her to make the podcast and Good Vibes Entertainment successful, and she says that she thoroughly enjoyed her OHIO experience. One of her favorite parts about OHIO? The community.
鈥淲hen I went to OU, I made friends relatively easily, and I think it was because of OU鈥檚 focus on building community,鈥� she said. 鈥淥U creates opportunities that allow students of color to be able to survive and thrive.鈥�
The Bobcat Neighborhood also makes it easier to support minority-owned businesses, like Good Vibes Entertainment, as businesses can tag themselves as a 鈥渕inority-owned business鈥� in the directory.
鈥淚 think that it鈥檚 so important to support minority-owned businesses,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淔or a minority-owned business, they are going to have to work 10 times as hard to get the same opportunities that a majority-owned business gets.鈥�
Alumni entrepreneurs like Montgomery who join the Bobcat Neighborhood find a welcoming way to continue their relationship to 51社区. Montgomery felt the support of the Bobcat family as a student, and she still feels that same sense of community years after leaving the bricks of Athens.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that Bobcats all support one another because we all have had a very similar experience and we are connected through OU,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淥nce you experience OU, you love OU forever.鈥�