Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a weblog collection that dives into the distinctive enterprise challenges and alternatives of underrepresented enterprise homeowners and entrepreneurs. Find out how they’ve grown or scaled their companies, explored entrepreneurial ventures inside their corporations, or created facet hustles, and the way their tales can encourage and inform your personal success.
It may really feel isolating when you’re the one one within the room who appears such as you.
Assembly friends and mentors with a singular understanding of your lived expertise and enterprise roadblocks might help you join the dots wanted to develop your corporation and group. Nevertheless, discovering areas for this type of connection could be difficult for Black Individuals.
On this publish, uncover in-person and digital occasions nationwide the place Black entrepreneurs can strengthen relationships and construct experience.
Put together for Attending a Convention
The United States Census Bureau reported nearly 1.4 million self-employed Black folks in September 2022, an 11.9% improve from August 2022.
Attending conferences, commerce exhibits, workshops, and webinars places you in rooms with shoppers and entrepreneurs who’ve recommendation, real-life examples, and funds that may shift the trajectory of your corporation or nonprofit group.
To arrange for attending a convention:
- Assessment the programming, determine which classes to attend, and jot down a couple of questions you wish to ask throughout Q&As or one-on-one conferences.
- Pack your corporation playing cards, a notepad, and pens.
- Select outfits and sneakers that make you’re feeling comfy and assured.
- Ease any nerves by leaning into the thrill of bettering your corporation.
By strengthening relationships, sharing experience, and partnering, there are alternatives to create an even bigger pool of sources and open or construct doorways for Black enterprise development.
Occasions for Black Entrepreneurs
Florida
1. Black Travel Summit
Dates: October 20 – 22, 2023
Location: Miami, FL & Digital
In celebration of Black tradition and enterprise in journey, Black Journey Summit brings collectively trade professionals, influencers, and vacationers for a weekend of panels, workshops, vendor procuring, and networking alternatives.
Georgia
2. Blk Pod Festival
Dates: September 30 – October 1, 2023
Location: Atlanta, GA
For aspiring, new, and seasoned podcasters, Blk Pod Collective hosts an annual pageant for audio creatives to swap data, study new expertise, develop collaborations, and entry potential model partnerships. BLK Pod Pageant can have 4 tracks tailor-made for every stage of podcasting: launching a podcast, present development, monetization, and crew enlargement.
Tennessee
3. Mogulcon
Dates: November 1 – 4, 2023
Location: Nashville, TN
Mogulcon offers sources for Black ladies in enterprise to speed up their development and construct sustainable methods for long-lasting success. The three-day convention is an opportunity to study from Fortune 100/500 choice makers, meet profitable entrepreneurs, and generate new enterprise by assembly suppliers and company consumers. Masterclasses will concentrate on management, advertising and marketing, e-commerce, provide chain, and monetary stability.
Indiana
4. Summer Celebration – Indiana Black Expo Business Conference
Dates: July 8 – July 18, 2023
Location: Indianapolis, IN
With a mission to stage the taking part in area of enterprise, the Indiana Black Expo Enterprise Convention permits entrepreneurs to study from executives and consultants. Periods and workshops will contact on strategic pondering, management recommendation, and easy methods to safe state and federal enterprise contracts value tens of millions.
Iowa
5. Athene Black & Brown Business Summit
Dates: April 20 – 21, 2023
Location: West Des Moines, IA
The Athene Black & Brown Enterprise Summit goals to uplift and elevate entrepreneurs. Programming features a pitch competitors, breakout classes, keynote audio system, coaching, and alternatives for constructing connections.
Multi-Metropolis
6. The Black Women’s Expo
Dates: A number of dates
Location: Atlanta, GA (Summer time 2023), Chicago (August 4 – 6, 2023), Washington D.C. (Autumn 2023)
Initially an annual expo for small companies and firms, the Black Ladies’s Expo, or BWe Subsequent, has developed right into a multi-city life-style exposition. Along with seminars and classes led by trade consultants tackling societal points and subjects involving wellness, funds, and constructing generational wealth, this expo additionally offers vendor alternatives and sources on enterprise possession.
7. Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: TBA (varies annually)
The Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit is likely one of the largest conferences for Black enterprise homeowners, founders, and traders in the USA. With a mission to shut the racial wealth hole, this summit hosts discussions about constructing a significant model, financial equality, fairness, and advertising and marketing.
New York
8. CultureCon
Dates: A number of dates
Location: New York Metropolis (October 7 – 8), Los Angeles (June 17)
CultureCon, hosted by The Creative Collective NYC, brings collectively inventive entrepreneurs and change-makers who wish to make a cultural impression with their companies and artwork. Attendees can entry activations, fireplace chats, and panels with tastemakers, celebrities, and trade consultants. Black-owned corporations can even arrange store at CultureCon’s small enterprise market.
Ohio
9. Black Tech Week
Dates: July 18 – 20, 2023
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Coinciding with the annual Cincinnati Music Pageant, Black Tech Week is a convention for tech professionals and funders. Founders, executives, and consultants communicate on subjects starting from fundraising, buyer outreach, the ability of group, provide chain logistics, content material advertising and marketing, and crafting the way forward for tech and enterprise.
Texas
10. AFROTECH Conference
Dates: November 1 – 4, 2023
Location: Austin, TX
For Black professionals, innovators, engineers, and enterprise capitalists focused on all issues tech and Web3, the AFROTECH Convention is three days of fireplace chats, interactive displays, panels, mixers, pitch competitions, and reside music performances. Subjects vary from creating viral merchandise, the creator economic system, strategic enterprise development, easy methods to elevate funding, cryptocurrency, and extra.
11. SXSW
Dates: March 10 – 19, 2023
Location: Austin, TX
SXSW is thought for its forward-thinking keynotes, panels, and workshops on know-how, enterprise, movie, music, and tradition. Amongst its 350+ introduced classes, SXSW 2023 will embrace packages on Wellness Shouldn’t Imply Whiteness, Black Women Breaking Boardroom Barriers, and Transforming Tech with the Black Tech Ecosystem.
12. Marketing for the Culture Summit
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: Houston, TX (varies annually)
Hosted by the African American Advertising Affiliation, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and creatives collect on the Advertising for the Tradition Summit to study greatest practices and enhance their expertise. Its theme adjustments from 12 months to 12 months, however at its core, attendees make collaborative connections and achieve insights from panels and shows on content material creation, monetization, workflows, and extra.
13. Texas Black Expo
Dates: Might 18 – 21, 2023
Location: Houston, TX
Celebrating 20 years, the annual Texas Black Expo is an opportunity for small companies, non-profits, and multi-million greenback organizations to assemble underneath one roof to achieve shoppers and generate extra financial development.
Virginia
14. Virginia Black Business Expo
Dates: August 11 – 13, 2023
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Throughout Nationwide Black Enterprise Month, the 4th annual Virginia Black Enterprise Expo options reside demonstrations, enterprise schooling from native trade consultants, networking alternatives, and procuring. Registration for vendor cubicles is completely for Virginia Black Business Directory members. This nonprofit group will increase the visibility of Black-owned companies from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Digital Solely
15. Black Entrepreneurs Day
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: Stream reside from the Apollo Theater
Daymond John, an investor on Shark Tank and the Founder & CEO of FUBU, curates an annual celebration of entrepreneurs. The live-streamed occasion options one-on-one conversations between Daymond and Black superstar enterprise leaders, spherical desk discussions, a number of pitch competitions for grant cash, and musical performances.
16. Kidpreneur Business Initiative
Dates: Might 6 – June 10, 2023
Location: Digital
For youths with an entrepreneurial spirit, Zawadi Cultural Collective and Black In The Valley are working collectively to offer mentorship with a digital six-week program. Throughout Kidpreneur Enterprise Initiative, key mentors and visitor audio system will information youth individuals (ages 10 – 16) via easy methods to construct a enterprise from scratch. By the tip of this system, the kidpreneurs can have the chance to launch their companies at a Juneteenth Market.
Washington, D.C.
17. ByBlack Conference
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: Washington, D.C.
In partnership between the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the ByBlack Convention is an annual three-day occasion to encourage collaboration and foster collective financial energy for Black-owned companies. The convention brings collectively entrepreneurs, media homeowners, creatives, and company executives to learn the way they’ll scale and get extra visibility for his or her corporations.
It’s time to interrupt obstacles collectively.
Try the above occasions and contemplate attending one which appeals to your present objectives as a rising entrepreneur. Reminder: you possibly can write it off as a enterprise expense.
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