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Saturday August 1st in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida marked the 5th anniversary of the Small Business Matters Entrepreneurship Summit. There were over 400 pre-registered attendees and we had to close the registration a few days early before the conference began. The day opened with remarks from Stephanie DeVane, VP of Entrepreneurship and Business Development for the National Urban League, Cy Richardson, SVP of Economics and Housing for the National Urban League, Jon Campbell, Executive Vice President, Head of Government and Community Relations for Wells Fargo & Company and Treasurer/Vice Chair of the National Urban League Board of Trustees, Jesse Panuccio, Executor Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, and Alejandra Castillo, Esq., National Director, Minority Business Development Agency. All touched on the importance of entrepreneurship and its effect on the economy. Specifically, Jon Campbell spoke about Wells Fargo’s diverse lending study which gains insight into the financial needs of small businesses. Their study will help more diverse small businesses get credit-ready and gain access to credit. Wells Fargo’s Four Point Plan will include an expanded credit coaching program and a $75 million dollar investment.
The featured speaker in the morning was Dr. Traci Lynn Burton, CEO & Founder of Traci Lynn Jewelry, a multi-million dollar enterprise with nearly 25,000 independent sales consultants in 46 states. Her message was about being fearless and understanding there will be ups and downs but you have to continue to push forward. The rest of the morning consisted of five workshops including:
- Five Simple, Savvy and Strategic Steps to Start or Grow Your Business sponsored by AARP
- Continuum of Credit sponsored by Regions Bank
- Business Plan Clinic sponsored by Wells Fargo
- Small Business Success Stories with panelists Miko Branch, Co-Founder & CEO, Miss Jessie’s and Nicholas Perkins, Chairman, President & CEO of Perkins Management Services, Inc. and National Urban League Board of Trustee
- How to Go from Chasing Money to Attracting Investment in Your Business sponsored by Black Enterprise and featured Alfred Edmond Jr., SVP & Chief Content Officer for BE
As the morning progressed and attendees listened intently in the various workshops, the Empowerment Area was open and ready for networking. This was a place where business owners met with private and public sector companies to learn about opportunities and resources that could grow their business. There were over 25 companies represented and it had a steady flow of attendees.
At approximately, 1:30pm, the Luncheon and Pitch Contest commenced which had a packed house. Caron Washington, Manager of Entrepreneurship and Business Development kicked off the luncheon speaking to the importance of small business and entrepreneurship. Lisa Frison, Vice President & African American Segment Manager, Enterprise Marketing’s Strategy & Segments Team for Wells Fargo & Company, spoke about the new things Wells Fargo is doing to support and build small businesses. She introduced keynote speaker Alfred Edmond, Jr. from Black Enterprise. Alfred spoke to the importance of building networks, strong relationships, personally and professionally, and that entrepreneurs should never stop pitching. The pitch competition sponsor, Coca-Cola’s Linda Brigham, Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Communications, spoke about the importance of Coca Cola’s investments in small businesses and women owned businesses.
The National Urban League’s President and CEO, Marc H. Morial, mentioned the impact of the business and job creation as being the keys to success for our future. He proudly boasted about the 12 Entrepreneurship Centers around the country and the Small Business Matters Summit being examples of NUL’s commitment to entrepreneurs and small business development. During his speech he made some powerful statements and once that stood out most is that “Entrepreneurs of color, despite the data you see and with all that you are up against, that even with the barriers to access to capital we continue to build viable businesses-keep climbing and pushing forward”. He congratulated all of the Pitch Contest semifinalists for making it this far and took a moment to take a group photo with them.
The Pitch Contest was hosted by Jodi Brockington, Master Connector, Entrepreneur, Author, Certified Career & Life Coach, Niara Consulting. Jodi has been hosting the Pitch Competition since its inception and brings her energy and love for entrepreneurialism as she coaches the pitch contestants through the process. The judges were Linda Brigham, Terralance De Shon Thurman from Wells Fargo and Miko Branch. They offered great advice, were candid and direct and asked the pitchers the necessary questions to truly get to know their products and services better. Jodi and the judges kept things moving and exciting for the audience and pitch contestants from beginning to the end…everyone was engaged and had a great experience.
There was definitely a LOT of discourse between the judges to select the five winners for the second round and even tougher for the 3 finalists!!!
TOP 5
- Stephane Jean-Baptiste, Kreyol Essence (less than 2 years in business)
- Tangela Ridgeway, Rebuilding Your Every Moment (2+ years in business)
- Candice Quarles, 9 Happy People (less than 2 years in business)
- Camille Newman, Pop Up Plus (2+ years in business)
- Keon Davis, Smooth N Groove (2+ years in business)
FINAL 3 & WINNERS
- Keon Davis, Smooth N Groove -TOP PITCH OVERALL- $5,000
- Camille Newman, Pop Up Plus- TOP PITCH FOR BUSINESS 2+ YEARS- $2,500
- Candice Quarles, 9 Happy People-TOP PITCH FOR BUSINESS THAN 2 YEARS-$2,500
The day concluded with the last three workshops which were Marketing Your Business to Success hosted by DC Shark Tank, Leveraging Your MBE Export Opportunities featuring U.S. Small Business Administration, MBDA, and EDA and Appealing to the Fortune 500 featuring Wells Fargo, Shell, and Nationwide.
All attendees had a rewarding and memorable experience and everyone is looking forward to the 2016 Small Business Matters which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland. We thank our Title Sponsor Wells Fargo, our Pitch Competition Sponsor Coca-Cola, Regions Bank, AARP, and media sponsor Black Enterprise.
