Burruss was joined at the Powerpreneur conference over two days by the likes of Mayor Kasim Reed; Shaka Zulu of Ludacris’ Disturbin Tha Peace; Steve Harvey’s daughter Brandi; Tasha Stafford, who owns Icon Studios and Enlight Entertainment; Christian Ruffin, who owns One Stop Productions and the first-ever all-iPad eatery, Do Restaurant; and Isom Lowman, who owns 20 Athlete’s Foot stores. Put on by the city of Atlanta’s Office of Special Events and Velvet Suite Marketing’s Melissa Dawn Johnson, the “Powerpreneur” two-day event at the W Hotel and the upscale Do Restaurant was a delicious intellectual cocktail featuring African American proprietors who helped nourished the minds and souls of business aspirants.
“The reason why I put it together is because I am a ‘powerpreneur.’ The reason I started my company, Velvet Suit Marketing, is because I wanted to serve a community of new world leaders,” says Johnson, who also founded BrandMe, which helps turn passion into profits. “I believe that the term ‘powerpreneurs’ signifies what it’s going to take to make it in a new era of business. You have to be savvy, you have to have a community mind-set, you have to be able to build wealth, you have to know [how to] progress against obstacles and you must use power and influence to make change.”
The BE Entrepreneurs Conference runs from Sunday, May 22–25 at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta.
Burruss, the beloved Xscape alum, prolific songwriter and Grammy winner, has never worked for anyone. She doesn’t know what it’s like to punch a clock or wait every other Friday to get that check. That revelation alone earned people’s attention and respect. And then she had more.
“The reason I’ve lasted this long in the music industry is because I’ve worn a lot of hats. I’m very comfortable in front of the camera but I can also step behind the scenes. I can do a lot of things and play a lot of positions,” she said. “I’ve never had a job. I’ve never worked for anybody. Once I had the opportunity, I was going to make it work. I’ve never been comfortable. I’m always strategizing on what I can do next. Because what you’ve done today and yesterday is like old hits, no one cares about.”
Here are a few other precious nuggets that were delivered during the two-day affair:
Stacii Jae Johnson, director of special events, city of Atlanta: “One of the best assets of Atlanta, in my opinion, is the vision of the people. It’s important for the city of Atlanta, and the mayor to continue to nurture and grow that vision. We have to stay connected to the 40 and under generation who continue to build and make this city thrive.
Tasha Stafford, owner of Icon Studios and Enlight Entertainment: Stafford set it up to where her businesses intertwine with each other, thereby ensuring that one business feeds the other on a continual basis: “One of my roles as A&R administrator [with Enlight] is to book studio times. I was booking studio time all over the city. So I said, ‘you know what? I’ll just build my own studio [Icon] and book my studio time at my company.’ “
Christian Ruffin, owner, One Productions: The first in the USA tio have an all-iPad driven eatery at Do Restaurant. “You can order your food and get valet service by iPad,” he says. “… A lot of people want to be entrepreneurs but they don’t know how it’s done. People think it’s all written in a book and it’s not. I did mine on calculated risk after Morehouse and Juilliard and 10 years in corporate America.”
Brandi Harvey, founder of Young, Fit and Fly, empowerment program for young women: “… Honestly, I’m a change agent, [I] impact the lives of young women so they become leaders in their community. I’m here to make a difference. My cause is children and education. Children are the treasures of the Earth.” –terry shropshire
