Saturday, June 20th, kicked off the African American Festival at the Camden Yards Sports & Entertainment Complex in Baltimore, Maryland, and boy were festival-goers in for a treat. From the many vendors and entertainers, to the extended variety of food, to the spirit and merriment of the people of Baltimore, the African American Festival lived up to its intention and wholeheartedly celebrated life, music, and culture.
[Related: Cadillac Shows Support For Young Black Filmmakers At ABFF]
There was so much to take in at AAF, and the Black Enterprise Empowerment Zone was a main attraction. The BE Empowerment Zone proved to exceed expectations with informative and entertaining conversations on love, wealth, success, and of course, business.
The empowering in the zone, started with the 2nd Annual Black Enterprise Best Pitch Competition, where three talented and innovative entrepreneurs pitched to the panel of judges with hopes of winning a grand prize of 2 registrations to the 2016 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit, plus hotel and accommodations. Hosted by Black Enterprise SVP/Executive Editor-at-Large, Alfred Edmond, the Best Pitch Competition introduced new tools and ideas, so simple and on-point, that it left you wondering why you hadn’t thought of that sooner.
First up, Cut Buddy, brought to you by Joshua Esnard. Cut Buddy is essentially a pre-cut stencil that allows individuals to edge up, tape, or line up their hair themselves. No more waiting for a barber. No more untapered lines. No more barber costs. According to Esnard, the Cut Buddy was born of necessity and “with necessity there is innovation.”
Next, was a pitch for customary, printed African American art with Dyna Smiles by Daveia Odoi. Dyna Smiles began in 2009 and displayed portrayals of beautiful black people on stationary, products, phone cases, bags, cups, etc. Odoi is looking to see Dyna Smiles in your local Target, Walgreens, or places of the sort, within the upcoming years. According to Odoi, Dyan Smiles is “a feel-good product that people love to associate themselves with.”
Last, but not least, was Brandon Terrell’s Bar-Tender. Bar-Tender was pitched as a mobile-app and payment system that links to user’s credit cards and allows users to never exchange currency at a bar again, as your tab is taken care of right there on your mobile device. With Bar-Tender you may even split your tab with your associates and add gratuity. Not only does it save the user from the risk of leaving credit cards at bars, or the inconvenience of wrestling to the bar to close out a tab, it saves money for bars by eliminating the cost of transactions and receipts. Everyone wins.
It was a tough competition, but Bar-Tender pulled away with the grand prize and Brandon Terrell will be front and center at next year’s Entrepreneurs Summit. Congratulations, Brandon, and best of luck to the other participants.
After hearing from the contestants, there were a few questions raised to the audience from Alfred Edmond, Jr. regarding those looking to pitch new ideas to possible investors:
1. Think about valuation: what is your business worth?
2. How are you valuing your business?
3. How will you use the money you’re asking for—-manufacturing, prototype, marketing?
4. If I put money in your business, how am I gonna make money?
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After talking business, it was time for an open-discussion on black love with Where is the Love? Real Talk About Dating, Sex, Relationships. Moderated by “Our World with Black Enterprise” host, Paul C. Bronson, with actress/singer Demetria McKinney, author and relationship coach, Dr. Ivan Young, and dating coach Gee Sanders, this session took a deep dive into looking for and cultivating love. With many questions coming from the audience, the panel offered personal advice and anecdotes on how to find the love we desire and setting realistic expectations.”What are you willing to do to have love?” asked Gee Sanders. “Come into a relationship with a standard for yourself based on self-love,” followed Demetria McKinney. The conversation flowed with questions and
excitement as audience members searched for the best method to attract a mate. “Make sure you’re just you”, advised Dr. Ivan Young. “Connect on a meaningful, sincere, and authentic level—-and intentional eye contact doesn’t hurt either.”Thanks to the knowledgeable panel, festival-goers on the love quest left the session feeling realistic, rejuvenated, and excited for the possibilities.
After the Black Enterprise Empowerment Zone covered business and love, it was time to tackle The Impact of Debt on the African American Family with host Stacey Tisdale, senior editor of personal finance at Black Enterprise. On this panel sat Dr. Deforest Soaries, Jr., creator of the Dfree Financial Freedom Movement, The Honorable Joan M. Pratt, Baltimore City Comptroller, and Khalilah Harris, deputy director at The White House Initiative on Education Excellence. Each panelist had invaluable insight and advice regarding maintaining and excelling with finances. “It doesn’t matter how much you make, what matters is how much you spend,” says Dr. Soaries. “We have to live within our means.”
Many festival-goers were eager to learn how to thrive in the economy, as opposed to simply surviving. “To self-empower you must save and invest,” stated Khalilah Harris. Many attendees expressed grievances with attempting to get ahead while dragging lofty student loan debts with them. Dr. Soaries offered these tips for tackling student loans:
1. Take advantage of resources.
2. Know what you sign.
3. Only borrow what you need.
4. Pay it back.
To keep track of your spending, Soaries recommends writing down everything you spend so that you really see where your money is going, and remember to take control of what you have.
Speaking of controlling what you have, the BE Empowerment Zone concluded with A One-on-One Conversation with Torrey Smith, NFL Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers. Moderated by entrepreneur Kwame Jackson, this conversation allowed Torrey Smith to share how he uses his influence as an NFL player to give back to his community by way of the Torrey Smith Foundation, where he looks to better the lives of children up and down The Beltway by providing educational support, opportunities, and resources. Day 1 of the BE Empowerment Zone left festival-goers eager to see what impact day 2 would bring.
For more information on the BE Empowerment Zone at the African American Festival, be sure to follow Black Enterprise @blackenterprise and the AAF @BEmoreAAF. For information about the African American Festival visit www.africanamericanfestival.net.
Here’s some of the fun and festivities from this year’s event at the Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Complex in Baltimore: Black Enterprise on Instagram and #BEmoreAAF.