Have you ever used Alibaba? For wholesalers it’s the go to global marketplace connecting manufactures in China with small and large companies. It wasn’t by accident that the wealth of a generation grew as manufacturers were recruited and supported.

I approached someone in the Small Business Administration years ago with an idea to create a campaign where neighbors would help revitalize downtrodden Mom & Pop businesses in forgotten neighborhoods. The official liked the idea but said it has to be proven on a local level.

The Minority Business Development Agency fuels bold ideas on the local level giving access and connections to small business owners that could potentially develop into a global conglomerate.

I’m a direct beneficiary of the MBDA in 2023.

There I was, sitting at a table introducing my value to corporate buyers in Toronto, Canada at a business matchmaking event. The MBDA sponsored a trade mission to Canada as part of their Enterprising Women of Color (EWOC) national program.

I met fiercely ambitious women who were already global power players in developing…from a cybersecurity firm securing critical ports in the U. S. to a serial entrepreneur training women entrepreneurs across Africa.

The MBDA empowers American communities that continues to persevere despite systematic power plays that we designed centuries ago.

Civil rights organizations are clearly labeled in history.

Economic rights are accelerated with institutions like the Minority Business Development Agency who gives the greenlight to projects that will make a dramatic difference.

Which is why I could not have been more excited when Phala K. Mire and Tiffany Carter of WBEC-South selected me to design their EWOC Shine BrightHER program sponsored by the MBDA.

Shine BrightHER was aptly named to see how ambitious entrepreneur leaders could “shine brighter” when surrounded by women who are where they are and are where they want to be. The pilot focused on women in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi.  I designed the cohort based on WBEC Pacific’s wildly successful WE-Xcel that I created, but this one changed as the women evolved during the six-month virtual cohort.

EWOC Shine BrightHER solopreneur and small businesses to high achieving women such as the former US Small Business Administrator, and Kimberly Clark’s (e.g. Pampers®) Global Director for Supplier Diversity and the co-founder of a non-profit for veterans that garnered more than 100 sponsors in just a few years.

We have several success stories.

In one of our final sessions, I encouraged everyone to hop onto LinkedIn and share a post about their work. To our delight, one participant caught the eye of a company and landed a substantial order almost instantly.

Another highlight came when we welcomed Janine Robinson, a seasoned expert in digital marketing, to share her strategies on building an online presence with Canva. With a track record of amassing over 400,000 followers for her employer’s brand, Janine’s expertise was immediately applied. Women who posted about their graduation from EWOC Shine BrightHER received their highest level of engagement.