AT&T inspired dialogue with entrepreneurs at the “Culture and Code” luncheon during the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit. Held at the Marriot Marquis in Houston, the luncheon allowed several Black entrepreneurs to share their ideas and gain valuable information on how to move their businesses forward.
Moderated by culture and content storyteller, James Andrews, the event featured notable guests such as Black Enterprise’s CEO Butch Graves, Jr., L. Michelle Smith and Corey Anthony of AT&T.
“This event was important for AT&T to show our support for the small business community and the minority business community,” Anthony said. “It’s good to bring these buisnesses together to learn from each other and to learn from experts who can help empower small, Black-owned businesses.”
One of the important themes during the luncheon was scalabilty. Black-owned businesses often lack scale because of a reluctance to form partnerships. Graves shared why combining resources can help Black businesses to grow.
“You have to be able to merge with someone else to complement your business,” Graves said. “If airlines are merging and technology companies are merging, why aren’t we able to merge? We have to be able to merge businesses. Our problem is that we would rather own 100 percent of nothing than 30 percent of something. It should be a part of every business conversation. Some jobs you won’t be able to bid on simply because you don’t have the scale.”
Anthony also shared his thoughts on the approach new business owners should take in the beginning.
“It’s important for new business owners to understand their market,” Anthony said. “You should have a strong business plan and strategy. There will be opportunities and growth in technology-based businesses. Software defined and data centric. If you’re forming or creating a business that can fit that ecosystem, you will have opportunities.”
Find more info here.
