Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a weblog collection that dives into the distinctive enterprise challenges and alternatives of underrepresented enterprise homeowners and entrepreneurs. Learn the way they’ve grown or scaled their companies, explored entrepreneurial ventures inside their corporations, or created aspect hustles, and the way their tales can encourage and inform your personal success.
It may possibly really feel isolating if you happen to’re the one one within the room who seems such as you.
Assembly friends and mentors with a novel understanding of your lived expertise and enterprise roadblocks might help you join the dots wanted to develop your enterprise and group. Nonetheless, discovering areas for this sort 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.
Tips on how to Put together for Attending a Convention
America Census Bureau reported nearly 1.4 million self-employed Black folks in September 2022, an 11.9% enhance from August 2022.
Attending conferences, commerce reveals, workshops, and webinars places you in rooms with customers and entrepreneurs who’ve recommendation, real-life examples, and funds that may shift the trajectory of your enterprise or nonprofit group.
To arrange for attending a convention:
- Evaluate the programming, resolve which classes to attend, and jot down just a few questions you need to ask throughout Q&As or one-on-one conferences.
- Pack your enterprise 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 joy of bettering your enterprise.
By strengthening relationships, sharing experience, and partnering, there are alternatives to create an even bigger pool of assets and open or construct doorways for Black enterprise progress.
Occasions for Black Entrepreneurs
Florida
1. Black Journey 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 purchasing, and networking alternatives.
Georgia
2. Blk Pod Pageant
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 information, be taught new expertise, develop collaborations, and entry potential model partnerships. BLK Pod Pageant may have 4 tracks tailor-made for every degree of podcasting: launching a podcast, present progress, monetization, and workforce enlargement.
Tennessee
3. Mogulcon
Dates: November 1 – 4, 2023
Location: Nashville, TN
Mogulcon supplies assets for Black ladies in enterprise to speed up their progress and construct sustainable methods for long-lasting success. The three-day convention is an opportunity to be taught from Fortune 100/500 resolution makers, meet profitable entrepreneurs, and generate new enterprise by assembly suppliers and company patrons. Masterclasses will give attention to management, advertising and marketing, e-commerce, provide chain, and monetary stability.
Indiana
4. Summer time Celebration – Indiana Black Expo Enterprise Convention
Dates: July 8 – July 18, 2023
Location: Indianapolis, IN
With a mission to degree the enjoying discipline of enterprise, the Indiana Black Expo Enterprise Convention permits entrepreneurs to be taught from executives and specialists. Periods and workshops will contact on strategic considering, management recommendation, and find out how to safe state and federal enterprise contracts value tens of millions.
Iowa
5. Athene Black & Brown Enterprise 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 Girls’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 Girls’s Expo, or BWe Subsequent, has developed right into a multi-city life-style exposition. Along with seminars and classes led by trade specialists tackling societal points and subjects involving wellness, funds, and constructing generational wealth, this expo additionally supplies vendor alternatives and assets on enterprise possession.
7. Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: TBA (varies every year)
The Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit is without doubt one of the largest conferences for Black enterprise homeowners, founders, and buyers in america. 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 Inventive Collective NYC, brings collectively artistic entrepreneurs and change-makers who need to make a cultural influence with their companies and artwork. Attendees can entry activations, fireplace chats, and panels with tastemakers, celebrities, and trade specialists. 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 specialists communicate on subjects starting from fundraising, buyer outreach, the facility of group, provide chain logistics, content material advertising and marketing, and crafting the way forward for tech and enterprise.
Texas
10. AFROTECH Convention
Dates: November 1 – 4, 2023
Location: Austin, TX
For Black professionals, innovators, engineers, and enterprise capitalists occupied with all issues tech and Web3, the AFROTECH Convention is three days of fireplace chats, interactive reveals, panels, mixers, pitch competitions, and reside music performances. Subjects vary from creating viral merchandise, the creator economic system, strategic enterprise progress, find out how to increase 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 Suggest Whiteness, Black Girls Breaking Boardroom Obstacles, and Reworking Tech with the Black Tech Ecosystem.
12. Advertising and marketing for the Tradition Summit
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: Houston, TX (varies every year)
Hosted by the African American Advertising and marketing Affiliation, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and creatives collect on the Advertising and marketing for the Tradition Summit to be taught greatest practices and enhance their expertise. Its theme adjustments from yr to yr, 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: Could 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 succeed in customers and generate extra financial progress.
Virginia
14. Virginia Black Enterprise 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 training from native trade specialists, networking alternatives, and purchasing. Registration for vendor cubicles is solely for Virginia Black Enterprise Listing 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 celeb enterprise leaders, spherical desk discussions, a number of pitch competitions for grant cash, and musical performances.
16. Kidpreneur Enterprise Initiative
Dates: Could 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 members (ages 10 – 16) by way of find out how to construct a enterprise from scratch. By the top of this system, the kidpreneurs may have the chance to launch their companies at a Juneteenth Market.
Washington, D.C.
17. ByBlack Convention
Dates: 2023 (TBA)
Location: Washington, D.C.
In partnership between the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. and the Nationwide Affiliation 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 find out how they’ll scale and get extra visibility for his or her corporations.
It’s time to interrupt boundaries collectively.
Try the above occasions and think about attending one which appeals to your present targets as a rising entrepreneur. Reminder: you possibly can write it off as a enterprise expense.
