Unassuming Capitol Hill event ad gives Black entrepreneurs an unexpected but 'necessary' boost

Several Black-owned businesses in the metro are reporting a “huge boost” ahead of Black History Month.

It started with local entrepreneur Sheretta Brundidge. She put up several signs across the Twin Cities several weeks ago to promote the Feb. 16 event, “Black Entrepreneurship Day at the Capitol.”

The ad only includes details about the event and a photo of 15 other business owners who plan to attend, but for at least a few of them, what happened next is completely unknown. It was unexpected.

“Sometimes I sit on the other side of the road and think, 'That's me.' I'm right there,” he said near Interstate 94 at West Broadway and North Washington Avenue in Minneapolis. Tasha English said with a big smile as she stood under the sign.

English owns TaJ English Photography, which has been her passion since she was “about 10 years old.”

In the past two weeks since the sign went up, she said they've added three customers, up from 15 in the past year.

“Actually, I'm going to make a few more calls today,” she added.

Fellow entrepreneur Shontel Booker, who owns Dream in Color Healing, said Sunday that her business has also been “insanely busy.”

Although Booker offers several services, she is first and foremost a yoga instructor, which she said she “got into after a car accident…”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS visited a packed Sunday class for children at Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in St. Paul. Before the sign, packed classes were unheard of, she said. Now, she said, that applies to almost every class.

“Actually, I have to fix my website. My website seems to have crashed this morning,” she says, adding that she believes this is due to a huge increase in bookings and general website traffic. he added.

Adriana Willis, another high-profile business owner, said it wasn't until recently that she was starting to realize that opening her own self-care business, Mind the Clown, was a mistake. But similarly, once the Capitol event ad was posted, the calls started coming in.

“It's scary being a full-time entrepreneur, especially at this stage of the game at 56 years old, so this was the push I really needed,” Willis said.

Asked about the community's response to the support, she said, “That says a lot because one of the things that Black-owned businesses don't have the opportunity to have is capital.” That's why it gets even scarier. ”

Michael Roberts, a real estate agent who started Roberts Properties during the coronavirus pandemic, said business had been strong from the start “even in the midst of an economic downturn.” Nevertheless, he said he too has received a welcome boost from his billboard ads.

“The calendar was full and everything was great,” he said.

All of the entrepreneurs mentioned above say there's more to them than money. It's also about community and making Black entrepreneurship more the norm than the hard-fought exception. Roberts said he plans to pay it forward.

“I never thought I would sit here and think about generational wealth for my children, but real estate and a lot of things have made that possible today,” he said. “And I’m here to help others learn and jump over that gap.”

They all hope the momentum continues in February, when events coincide with Black History Month.

Brundidge said the purpose of Black Entrepreneurship Day at the Capitol is to draw the attention of lawmakers to these types of businesses and the historical barriers they face.

It is scheduled to be held on Friday, February 16th at 11:30 a.m. in the State Capitol Rotunda.