When Minnesota’s Black small business owners arrive for Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol in St. Paul, they will carry their hopes and dreams — and some specific requests as well.
Presented by ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, the small business founded by podcast entrepreneur Sheletta Brundidge, the second Black Entrepreneurs Day on February 16 promises to expand on its mission to bring more financial opportunities to Black-owned small businesses and their communities.
This year’s will build on the first Black Entrepreneurs Day, which brought some 400 business owners to the Capitol last February.
“It felt revolutionary, like we got our foot in the door,” said Ricky Collins, owner of two businesses in expansion mode. Startup Hustle is a commercial production company and Packed House Live is his startup streaming platform.
“Last year was an extraordinary opportunity to get in front of legislators.
People can be intimidated by the Capitol but Sheletta and this day make it less threatening,” added De’Vonna Pittman, CEO and founder of Nature’s Syrup, a hair and skin care beauty brand.
“When I left that day I thought, we can do anything,” Pittman said. “The energy was through the roof.”
Governor Walz has credited the presence of the energetic group with passage of numerous measures aimed at benefitting minority-owned businesses. Again this year Black Entrepreneurs Day is strategically scheduled to bring the Black business owners to the seat of state government as lawmakers make decisions and appropriate funds from Minnesota’s multi-billion dollar budget.
“We’ve got to be our own eyes and ears at the Capitol,” Brundidge said. “If we are going to thrive and prosper, we have to show up and make some noise before the money gets handed out.”
At the February 16 program in the Rotunda, Black small business owners will have a chance to tell their stories and will hear from elected leaders. They will each be paired with their legislators to create a channel for direct access by building face-to-face relationships.
They are ready to explain the considerations they need to scale their businesses to the next level.
“We have to put the pressure on the people making the decisions,” said Collins. “We have what it takes but we get the runaround a lot. We need to see more intentional investments in Black entrepreneurs.”
Roseline Friedrich is another Black entrepreneur who plans to again attend. The owner of Roseline’s Place, a shop on Grand Avenue in St Paul, Friedrich wants to ask specific questions about programs with low and no interest rates that can assist eligible small businesses in owning their space.
“I’m also looking for hiring and retention support or grants and training programs for retailers,” Friedrich said. “There’s a high employee turnover rate in retail. You find talent and you hang on for dear life.”
Business owners will have an opportunity to connect and one will go home with a financial windfall. Each business owner who attends will be eligible to win a no-strings-attached $5,000 gift from Brundidge.
“We heard from business owners last year who couldn’t afford to attend because they would have had to close up for a day to attend,” Brundidge said. ”We want to do something special to encourage them to come.”
All Black business owners and their allies are invited to attend. The Rally in the Rotunda begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by time for participants to lobby their legislators starting at noon. Lunch for all in The Vault will follow.
Sponsors for Black Entrepreneurs Day include Comcast, Northwestern Mutual, AARP Minnesota, Clockwork and Clear Channel Outdoors.
