This month I celebrated Black Women Business Owners with an awards show, won a major industry award myself, was on national TV a couple of times, spoke at Spelman College and a Veteran’s Day event and managed to squeeze in some social events as well.
Got our celebration of Black Women on national TV
This year the Black Woman Business Awards was our biggest yet. Our first awards ceremony was a virtual event, then last year we held an in-person event in Atlanta, and this year we decided to use the event to stand in solidarity with Black businesses in Florida. So we held the awards ceremony at Afro TV Studios, a Black-owned production studio in Orlando.
Some highlights:
Our members and allies stood with us, they traveled almost 40,000 miles from 12 states to join us.
Collectively we brought $70,000+ to local businesses, in addition to shining a light on the challenges faced by local Black Women Business Owners while making the time to recognize Black Women for their hard work.
Our awards show later aired on Afro TV during primetime on Thanksgiving Day.
And I also got to be a guest on Afro TV’s original production, The Sisaundra Show, to talk about the awards and the work we’re doing at Buy From A Black Woman.
Won Organization of The Year
After celebrating Black Women Business Owners in Orlando, I flew to New York to celebrate women in business from across the globe at the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Buy From A Black Woman was nominated for Organization of The Year and out of 1,600+ entries from 26 countries, we won a Gold Stevie® Award — which is the highest honor in this category.
And when I went up to accept the award, I decided to use the global platform to shout out Black Women. I dedicated the award to Black Women everywhere because even though we do good work and our impact is felt, we often go unacknowledged.
Got some media
I did a couple of interviews this month and was featured by The Wave LA and the Stevie Awards, in addition to being on The Sisaudra Show. And Buy From A Black Woman was featured by The Grio for Giving Tuesday as well.
Did some mentorship
I’m a SCORE Mentor and I also mentor others outside of this program, so in November I also got to speak at Spelman College for the second time this year. I sat with young women who are aspiring and/or established business owners, and I shared my perspective on entrepreneurship, as well as some resources and tools.
Then for Veteran’s Day I participated in Women Who Lead, a discussion forum for veteran’s and non-veterans looking for mutual support. It was good to connect and share some of the things that have helped me on my journey. It’s always an honor to spend time with other Veterans!
Attended H&M’s Holiday Collection Launch event
I got to be a part of in H&M’s Holiday Collection launch in New York. Not only did they reveal their new collection, but they used the opportunity to showcase Black Women-Owned Businesses, which is true allyship in action. I’m grateful to be in partnership with H&M and appreciate the work they do to support our cause.
Hosted a Black Friday Business Speed Podcast
To get into Black Friday, I went live with seven Black Women Business Owners, including Anna + Pookie Party Supplies, Dejha B Coloring, DMC Original Art, Effie's Paper, Products By Lizzie, Safo Hair and Yara Shea Beauty. This was to warm up for our Buy From A Black Woman Holiday Market presented by H&M and a fun way to introduce some of the businesses being featured in our pop-ups this year. So we talked deals, what to expect for Black Friday and then we had an open community call.
Hosted a work session with a friend
Community work sessions are a regular part of my routine, whether I do them as a part of Buy From A Black Woman or with friends, they’re a good way to practice accountability and encourage each other. I do them virtually or in-person, depending on who they’re with. And sometimes we’ll be working on something together, or just going our own thing.
This month I had a session with my good friend Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. She came over and we checked in on our goals, decided what we wanted to accomplish for the session, and then sat down and did the work. It was productive!
Went to the theater
I went to see the pre-broadway show of The Wiz at the Fox in Atlanta. I’ll definitely be going to New York to see it on Broadway when it comes out. I also attended a pre-screening of American Fiction, which is based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. After the movie we got to hear directly from one of the producers, who’s based here in Atlanta. He shared some of his thoughts around it, what conversations happened off-screen and why it’s important this film was made now. And I saw Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. It was everything I knew it would be.
Read 5 books
This month I read:
The Sisterhood by Courtney Thorsson
101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wies
Our Black Year by Maggie Anderson
And Great Entrepreneurs: Are Found on the Other Side of the Pressure by Kemone S-G Brown-Tshabalala
The Sisterhood by Coutney Thorsson
I’m featured in Great Entrepreneurs and my physical copies arrived in the mail this month, so I actually got to read it from cover to cover. It features Black Women Entrepreneurs from all industries, all with stories that we can draw inspiration from. It’s available at all book stores, so get yourself a copy.
That was my November, most of it anyway. How was this month for you? Comment below and tell me what you accomplished this month. Then subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on any posts. Just scroll down to the bottom of this page, enter your email address and click “Sign Up.”