
Sabathani Community Centerâs second floor gymnasium was transformed into a mini marketplace for Sister Spokesmanâs annual Small Business Showcase and Shopping Extravaganza. The Nov. 3 event embodied its title, featuring more than 30 local Black entrepreneurs selling everything from soul food, African clothes and organic coffee to healing salves, body oils, lip balm and more.
In addition to the marketplace, the other main attraction was the panel discussion designed to arm potential and current small business owners with basic strategies to launch and/or maintain a successful business.
The one-hour discussion was led by Isabel Chanslor of Neighborhood Development Center, Warren McLean of Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON), and entrepreneur Wendy Puckett of Wendyâs House of SOUL. Identifying your passion, testing the waters, and creating a plan are paramount to finding success as a business owner, according to the panelists.
âIf you say youâre the best cook on the block, test that idea,â advised McLean. âA lot of times people get started, and we donât really know if they have customers for what theyâre trying to do. So, the first thing Iâd say is to test the idea.â
Chanslor also noted the importance of testing the market. âIf you want to test your product, figure out ways to do that. Midtown Global Market has day tables⊠You can pay every day to be there and sell your goods and see what people say about them. Get their feedback.â
But thatâs just the beginning. McLean added that potential business owners should survey their industry of choice and ask themselves hard questions: âIs this an area thatâs growing? Why would someone buy [your] product instead of someone elseâs that is out there? What do you bring to the table that others donât?â
Sister Spokesman founder and host Tracey Williams-Dillard reminded the crowd that if they fail to plan, they can plan on failing. Chanslor also stressed this point: â[A business plan] is your tool. [It is] everything that you put into place to figure out how youâre going to go about this very, very risky venture. [I] canât tell you how critical it is to do that.

âYou do not have to have a degree to write a business plan. You do not have to write eloquently to write a business plan.â
Chanslor also encouraged attendees interested in starting a business to examine their relationship with credit and money. âCredit is a very difficult conversation, especially if you werenât raised to understand how it operates,â she said. âFind out what your credit score is and start working on it.
âWe all have a relationship with money. Start thinking about where [you] stand when it comes to personal finances. What are my habits, good and bad? How are those habits going to transfer over to the business, and what can I do about it?â
Rounding out the panel, Puckett encouraged fellow entrepreneurs to âstep out on faithâ and not be afraid to make their dreams a reality. She told attendees, âBelieve in yourself and just try it. Donât get in the way of yourself.â
Puckett has come full circle. She is a longtime vendor at Sister Spokesman and credits the opportunity with helping her test the waters to open her own restaurant and catering service. After the event, she expounded on why itâs important to follow your dreams.
âThe other day, I was listening to a young man talk to his daughter,â said Puckett. âAnd his daughter told him that she wanted to be a veterinarian. He stopped her right away and told her that thereâs no money in that. And she said, âBut Daddy, thatâs what I want to do. Thatâs what makes me happy.â He said, âThatâs not what I want you to do because thereâs no money in that! Figure something else out.â
âThat actually triggered something in me, [a memory of] when I was younger â all the things that I wanted to do. In my generation then, I think my family was hung up on titles and money versus what will bring you happiness. So, I wasnât able to really do what I wanted to do early.
âWith that being said, I feel like, donât discourage what somebody elseâs dream is because itâs not for you, itâs for them. You have to let people live their own life.â
She implored potential entrepreneurs to give it a go. âTry it. Have a small gathering at your home… Try Sister Spokesman or a similar event that you can try on a small scale when youâre just getting your feet wet.â

The event also featured entertainment provided by Phyllis âShowtimeâ Braxton, who led attendees in line dancing, while KMOJâs QBear spun laid-back bops to shop to.
Natasha Randall was a first-time Sister Spokesman attendee. She said she came out to encourage her sister who was vending at the event (Shalawn Randall of B’YOUtique, LLC). âI just found out it was every month, and I will be coming back!â said Randall.
She added, âI am glad I came because I got to see a lot of us African American women here doing their thing in terms of opening businesses and trying to stand on their own feet…Â And I just really appreciate seeing women going in that direction to help the community.â
For more info on NEON, visit www.neon-mn.org or call 612-312-1505. For info on Neighborhood Development Center, visit www.ndc-mn.org or call 651-291-2480. Find Wendyâs House of SOUL at Facebook/YouveBeenSouled or call 612-800-4535.
Sister Spokesmanâs next event is âCelebrating Moms of All Agesâ on Dec. 1 from 12-4 pm at Lifesource, 2225 West River Road N. in Minneapolis. If you know a phenomenal mother youâd like to nominate, go to bit.ly/CelebrateMoms2018. Deadline for nominations is November 15.
See more photos by arrowing through below. All photos by Steve Floyd except where noted.
Paige Elliott is the digital editor at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.