Registration is closed for 2023!
The ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event
SUPPORTS THE ELEVATION, GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF BLACK BUSINESS
Attracting Black business owners from King and Pierce counties, and beyond, the ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event is the 16th event in the powerful line-up of empowering events in the ELEVATE Movement.
On Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 9:00am to 3:00pm, it’s going down, when Black business owners and entrepreneurs converge for the 2023 ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event – Black Entrepreneur’s Success Training, at the Superfunny Comedy Club in Tacoma, the country’s largest Black-owned Comedy Club.
We are expecting a FULL HOUSE, so get your tickets today!
What is the ELEVATE Movement?
The ELEVATE Movement, launched in January 2017 by Debrena Jackson Gandy, is an African-American-focused empowerment movement, with a four-fold focus: (1) To elevate the African-American Community in the Greater Puget Sound region; (2) to re-awaken and re-activate Black Greatness, Prosperity and Genius; (3) to align positive energies, dollars, actions, resources and focus with the affirmation, synergy, motivation and support of Black businesses and community members in this Region, and (4) to help elevate the well-being African-Americans in the Greater Puget Sound Region.
The ELEVATE Movement has Four Foundational Pillars.
Black Money & Business
Black Personal Growth and Spiritual Development
Black Wellness, Health and Healing
Black Love Relationships
Since its launch, the ELEVATE Movement has held 15 successful events across its Four Foundational Pillars, including Cycle 1 and now Cycle 2 of the highly effective and successful ELEVATE Direct Impact Dollars (DID) Initiative that directly supports Black-owned businesses with dollars contributed directly from community members. The community has directly contributed nearly $55,000 to this Initiative, and in turn, 16 Black-owned businesses have directly benefited over these two Cycles with funds in the form of Repayable Awards to grow their business capacity, sales and profits. The ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event is an essential component of the ELEVATE Black Money and Business PILLAR.
The Purpose of the ELEVATE B. E. S. T. Event is to:
- Empower Black Businesses with potent business training from other successful Black business owners to help you level up
- Equip you with proven strategies for marketing, closing sales and new business, building capacity, growing, prospering, and sustaining your Black-owned business
- Elevate your understanding of best business practices that are timeless
- Elevate your understanding of the relationship between mindset, strategy, marketing, and revenue
- Elevate your value-added connections and collaborations with other Black businesses; and
- Elevate your awareness of and make direct connections to “Speed-Matching” service providers who can help you increase your business capacity and help you make way for new growth in your business.
The ELEVATE B. E. S. T (Black Entrepreneur’s Success Training) Event is an inspirational, motivational and ACTIVATIONAL day of empowerment for Black business owners. GET READY to experience a Day filled with power-packed business-building best practices, game-changing success strategies, financial and mindset-elevating insights, and perspective-shifting knowledge.
What You’ll Experience:
- A motivational keynote by Award Winning Chef and Restauranteur, Chef Kristi Brown of COMMUNION, a local “business celebrity” that will inspire you to higher levels of Greatness and Excellence
- A special Opening Message by a Legacy-building business leader and community trailblazer
- A business success training session led by one of the Top Black Business Trainers in the country
- An Expert Business Panel with SIX successful Black business owners with over 92 years of collective business experience
- Powerful information, insights, proven strategies, best practices, insights from successful Black business owners who have a track record of continual growth, and success.
- Continental Breakfast and Tasty catered Lunch
- A “Speed-Matching” segment to get you connected to other selected business service providers with areas of expertise that can help you to build capacity and grow your business (you can sign up for a Speed-Matching slot once you arrive)
- Meet ‘n Greet and Intentional Networking time
- A full-size, color Event Program Booklet with a designated section with Black business listings of the Speed-Matching service providers
- The opportunity to connect with other conscious, positive, progressive Black folks that are interested in actively supporting one another, learning from one another, seeing each other “win,” and elevating together.
- Prizes, Give-aways and MORE!
The ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event Provides You:
- A space and place for making vibrant, stimulating connections
- A space and place for the celebration of Black business ownership and success
- An environment for Black business empowerment,
- A space and place to increase the awareness of, interaction with, and direct connection to other service-providers of color that can help you grow business your business.
- Cultivate new client and customer relationships, generate new business and strategic business relationships, follow-up and close new business, and connect to pivotal resources, knowledge and value-added contacts.
- An opportunity to make connections that can be converted into solutions, answers, partnering, mentorship, increased revenues and new business
- Each attendee will receive a full size Event Booklet with the listing of Speakers, Trainers, and Panelists bio’s, as well as contact information for the Speed-Matching service providers, and MORE!
Your Keynote Speaker:
Chef Kristi Brown
Award-winning Chef and Restaurateur, Visionary
Chef Kristi Brown has spooned her way through the culinary industry for the past 28 years. From the beginning, her vision was to focus on the art and experience of food through culinary activism. Chef Kristi added to her legacy with the opening of COMMUNION Restaurant & Bar in December of 2020. COMMUNION has garnered much acclaim: CONDE NASTE: 12 best new restaurants in the world; NY TIMES: The 50 places in America we’re most excited about right now; Seattle Met’s Restaurant of the Year; Seattle Eater’s Best New Restaurants; and Chef Kristi was named in Seattle Magazines 2021 most influential people. Chef Kristi will be speaking on: The Savory Ingredients of Stellar Business Success.
Special Opening Message and Greeting
Lewis Rudd
Co-Founder and President of Ezell’s Famous Chicken
Meet Your ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event Master Trainer
Featured Trainer
Devin Stubblefield
Co-Producer, ELEVATE B. E. S. T. Event Master Trainer, Owner & Founder of Faith Finance Center and MyMoneyAcademy.com
2023 EXPERT BUSINESS PANEL
Expert Business Panel Moderator
TraeAnna Holiday
Emmy Award-winning Show Host, and Speaker
PANELIST
Chris Odum
Owner, multiple Planet Fitness locations
PANELIST
Keysha LaShawn
Exec. Director, Single Mothers with a Purpose
PANELIST
Theo Martin
Owner, Island Soul, and Northwest Industrial Staffing
PANELIST
Jenefeness Franke
Speaker, Author, Coach
PANELIST
Devin Stubblefield
Owner, Faith Finance and MyMoneyAcademy.org
PANELIST
Debrena Jackson Gandy
ELEVATE Founder, President - Masterminds Unlimited, Speaker, Author
Your ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event Co-Producers:
Debrena Jackson Gandy
Co-Producer, Event Emcee, Founder – The ELEVATE Movement, President of Masterminds Unlimited, National Best-Selling Author, Business Consultant and Trainer, Transformational Coach
Devin Stubblefield
Co-Producer, ELEVATE B. E. S. T. Event Master Trainer, Owner & Founder of Faith Finance Center and MyMoneyAcademy.com
Devin’s Training Session: Level Up Your Money Game: Making the Money Mindset/Revenue Connection to Grow Your Business.
Devin is one of the most highly sought-after financial empowerment trainers in the country. He leads the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Your Money, Your Goals Financial Empowerment Toolkit Series. He has trained over 18,000 financial coaches and counselors, homebuyer counselors, and financial service professionals from all around the country over the past six years. He is the author of Advance Your Prosperity, a 90-Day Financial Planner & Journal.
Here's a Sneak Peek of last year's ELEVATE B. E. S. T Event
Regular Registration
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Regular Registration – $99
- Registration Deadline: Thurs, November 9
- INCLUDES: Continental Breakfast, Lunch, Program Booklet, Commemorative Pen, and Full Event Experience
VIP
Registration
REGISTRATION FULL
VIP Registration – $129
- Only 55 VIP Spots Available
- VIP preferred seating
- First to Lunch
- TWO special VIP Bonus gifts upon check-in at event.
- INCLUDES: Continental Breakfast, Lunch, Program Booklet, Commemorative Pen, Full Event Experience, PLUS TWO bonus gifts that you’ll receive at the VIP Check-in Table, First to Lunch, and VIP Preferred Seating
