She’s Unstoppable!
Congratulations to the Winners of the Unstoppable Business Grant! We received over 200 applications and selected these 30 winners to receive a $2500 grant, consulting sessions with a cash flow strategist, and a marketing session with a Sistahbiz coach.
Check out these businesses and be sure to support them and #buyfromasistah!
Adrienne Johnson, Brother Mel’s Southern Style BBQ Sauce
Colorado
Brother Mel’s Southern Style BBQ Sauce was developed and perfected from an original recipe by Pastor Melvin Johnson (lovingly referred to as Brother Mel) and his wife, Helen Johnson. Their sauce enhances the flavor of smoked meats, and their blend of spices produces a tangy sauce that is the perfect blend of tart and sweet. Brother Mel’s Southern Style BBQ Sauce does not contain any additives or high fructose corn syrup and is crafted from quality ingredients and is ALL – NATURAL.
brothermelsbbq.com
Almaz Adhanom, Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant
Colorado
Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant has been a destination for Ethiopian cuisine on the East Colfax (Colorado) corridor for the last eight years. It has been a place where the Ethiopian community gathers for events and to enjoy their traditional meal.
“I cooked my whole life and enjoy cooking as a profession. I grew up in Ethiopia with my grandmother, who filled family and community with a love of cooking, and I want to continue that here. Share flavors of my country here.”
Angela Wells, Serein Naturals
Colorado
Serein Naturals is a vegan hair, face, and body care line for all. The company is rooted in love and success with essential oils and finding the best ways to harness their power in hair and skin care products. Serein Naturals offers natural products at affordable prices with excellent customer service.
Anniesha Scott, Hands-on Health Wellness Center
Texas
Hands-on Health Wellness Center (HOHWC) is an integrated Chiropractic and Medical office founded by Anniesha Scott, DC, and Jerria Bernestine, FNP-BC. Located in Carrollton, Texas, HOHWC services individuals and families who need Chiropractic Care and Primary Care Services including annual physicals, sports physicals, routine lab work, and specialist referrals. The providers at HOHWC are in-network with the majority of the major insurance plans, including Medicare, and have a 5-star rating with BCBS. With over 30 years of combined experience, Dr. Scott and Nurse Practitioner Bernestine pride themselves in the individualized care their patients receive. HOHWC is a one-stop-shop for all your health needs, such as Diabetes Management, Detoxification, Weight Loss Management, and IV Vitamin Therapy.
handsonhealthwellnesscenter.org
Anntonette Jones, The Brow Snob
Colorado
Tonie Jones is a licensed esthetician, Master Eyebrow Artist, and CEO of The Brow Snob, Denver’s #1 brow threading and lash studio. With over ten years in the beauty industry, working with major brands such as MAC Cosmetics and leading creative teams in Denver’s Fashion Week. Tonie has a genuine passion and vision for creating the ideal beauty experience. The Brow Snob opened its doors in the summer of 2015. Since then, the studio has grown to include other services, including lash services & permanent makeup. At The Brow Snob, the belief is beauty isn’t an occasion; it is a lifestyle. Their team of dedicated beauty experts is committed to exceeding each clients’ expectations, capturing each client’s desires while maintaining a passion for artists.
Bridgette Wilson, Urban Verbiage
North Carolina
Bridgette Wilson is the Owner and Founder of Urban Verbiage. She has a background in Real Estate Sales and IT Program Management. Bridgette is an HBCU alum of Johnson C. Smith University and received her Master’s Degree from North Carolina State University. She is an active and financial member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She also serves as a member of the board for two local non-profit organizations. Bridgette started this affirmation brand in 2019 because she believes that words speak life with the power to either build you up or tear you down. Her mission is to provide positive affirmation statement tees and accessories that can effortlessly express style, culture, and dopeness.
Carolyn Pitt, Film Connx LLC d/b/a/ Productions.com
Georgia
Carolyn Pitt is the Founder + CEO of Productions.com, the job marketplace for productions that connects studios, music labels, and corporate brands to vetted local crew. We are proud to help level the playing field for women and professionals of color who are underrepresented in the entertainment industry. Carolyn is an Intellectual Property and Entertainment Attorney with a background in management consulting, strategy, and business development. She is passionate about creating efficiencies, parity, and equity within the entertainment industry.
Cassandra King, Eat.Drink.Ride Food Tours
Alabama
Joy King eats & drinks for a living and is the Founder and Owner of Eat.Drink.Ride Food Tours. At Eat.Drink.Ride Food Tours she takes patrons to 5 local Birmingham, Alabama restaurants in 4 hours on a luxury Party Bus for an amazing Food & Drink Experience
Damisha Edwards, Mommy’s Choice
Colorado
Founded in 2020, Mommy’s Choice Maternal After Birth Care (MABC) was created to change the way pregnancy, labor, and after birth are perceived. Damisha Edwards took the knowledge she acquired through her extensive studies in Medicine and Integrative Health Care to create a brand that will help mommies and newborns ease into motherhood without worry. Vegan, Organic, Free From Toxins and Parabens and will never be tested on animals.
Donnah Phipps, Poised Events LLC
Colorado
Donnah has been within the hospitality industry for almost 20 years. Her experience varied in private clubs, catering sales, and event management. She began her career within the fashion industry in Toronto, Canada, graduating with a degree in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising. She quickly found her love for events a few years later. Donnah moved to the Denver area in 2009, where she became successful working with one of the top caterers in the city as the sales & events manager. Donnah always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and after five years, she decided it was time to own her own business. She did this part-time for an additional two years, and when she decided to put all the cards in and go full-time within her company, motherhood came along. Donnah is coming up on her 5th year in business and looking forward to a great season ahead.
Fetien Gebre-Michael, Konjo Ethiopian Food, LLC
Colorado
Konjo Catering began in 2008 as the first and only Ethiopian Catering company in Colorado! In 2015, The Ethiopian Food Truck launched as the first one of its kind in Colorado. Konjo Ethiopian Food is the first fast-casual Ethiopian restaurant in Colorado and the only Ethiopian food on the west side of town. Longtime friends Fetien Gebre-Michael and Yoseph Assefa both come from Ethiopia and bring a very diverse & professional background with wonderful experiences in Colorado.
Joslyn Tatum, USA Mobile Drug Testing of Plano
Texas
USA Mobile Drug Testing of Plano has been in business for over three years and is woman and minority-owned. They specialize in drug testing, background screening, and other occupational medicine needs. They provide services on a Nationwide scale, offering drug testing 24/7/365, both onsite and at over 18,000+ locations nationwide.
Kalisha Abercrombie Tucker, The Drop Zone Drop-In Childcare Center
North Carolina
Founded in 2019, The Drop Zone Drop-In Childcare Center‘s mission is to partner with parents using every opportunity, every engagement, every interaction, and every experience to educate, encourage, empower, and equip the next generation to positively impact and transform the world – one child, one family, one community at a time. As a premier drop-in childcare solution, services are designed specifically to address the individual child care needs of families. As a dedicated childcare facility, The Drop Zone provides after-school care, summer camp, workday camp, and virtual workday camps for remote learners in K – 5th grade in addition to exceptional hourly drop-in childcare. Services are delivered by certified/licensed childcare professionals committed to providing parents peace of mind in a safe, sanitary, fun, and enriching environment.
Keisha Mathes, Herbal Honey
Colorado
Herbal Honey provides custom formulated easy to use solutions to everyday health concerns using tea, the world’s top beverage choice, second only to water. Herbal Honey’s products are primarily organic, sustainably farmed, and naturally delicious. Everything is created with love and your wellness in mind.
Kinyata Jackson, Remembrance Wellness & Yoga
Colorado
Remembrance Wellness & Yoga Llc (RWAY), together with its subsidiaries, is a multifaceted traveling wellness studio with programs rooted in youth empowerment, women’s health, employee care, and community healing. RWAY serves national, statewide and local clients, including school districts, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and corporations. Through partnerships with community centers and foundations, Remembrance Wellness & Yoga Llc continues to provide affordable, culturally relevant care for all of Colorado’s communities, thus fulfilling its mission to share the healing power of yoga.
Remembrancewellnessandyoga.com
Kreda McCullough, Mac GraphiX
Colorado
Kreda McCullough is a Strategic Brand Designer and Owner of Mac GraphiX | Brand With Kreda. She partners with Coaches, Consultants, and Expert Service Providers to help them grow their personal and professional brands. While Kreda’s passion is Brand Design, after four years of being a graphic designer for entrepreneurs and small businesses, she learned the importance of having a Brand Strategy before any design is created.
Kreda is a big believer in applying emotional psychology to Brand Strategy to attract your ideal clients. Kreda offers a wealth of branding knowledge in her Brand Personality training, her weekly Facebook Live show, and her YouTube channel.
Kyra Watts, Pour It Up Detroit
Michigan
Kyra (Ky), a Detroit native, proudly turned her hobby of bartending into a booming mobile bartending business, servicing the Metro Detroit area. Pour it Up Detroit has recently expanded into the virtual space hosting virtual mixology courses for individuals across the nation.
LaDonna Welch, Mrs. Welch Creates
Colorado
LaDonna Welch started what is now known as Mrs. Welch Creates in 2010. This business began purely due to LaDonna’s aptitude for creativity and love to create. What started with bows, tutus, and monogram embroidery is now unique apparel, gifts, party accessories, and stationery.
LaSheita Sayer, Zozo Group, LLC
Colorado
LaSheita Sayer of Denver, Colorado, has extensive experience in Marketing communications and community engagement. She has owned and operated an award-winning marketing agency, ZoZo Group, for 18 years, and in 2019 she founded Women Who Charge – a non-profit in the electric vehicle space. Her latest venture is into the consumer retail space. Inspired by The National Museum of African American History and Culture, she is developing a new convenience store in Five Points called Melody Market – a modern store of snacks and refreshments that boldly celebrates black history.
LeShawnda Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Media & Tech LLC
Georgia
LeShawnda Fitzgerald is the creator and founder of the online Spanish program: Ready For Spanish, an online Spanish learning program for children, and Online Spanish Challenge, a step-by-step online Spanish program for busy adults. Her expertise includes but is not limited to second language acquisition, early childhood education, and urban classroom development. LeShawnda regularly hosts workshops and speaks on various topics, including education, entrepreneurship, creating signature online programs, motherhood and empowerment. She is a best-selling co-author and holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and History, Masters’s degrees in Education and English with a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Lodene Turner, Sweet Sweetz Ice Cream & Dessert
Colorado
Sweet Sweetz is a family-owned Ice cream scoop and freshly baked pie shop operated by Lodene Turner and her daughters Erin and Jamie. Their company is committed to a bigger mission supporting teens, the local community and providing a positive gathering space for youth and families.
Melanie Phillips, Transitional Independence, LLC
Georgia
Realizing an increased need for providers to serve the elderly and diversely able populations, Transitional Independence, LLC was created with a vision of providing comprehensive care services to meet the unique needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The company offers companion/sitter, personal care assistance, and nursing home care services.
Transitionalindependencellc.com
Orion Brown, The Black Travel Box LLC
Colorado
Orion Brown, Founder & CEO of BlackTravelBox®, a premium clean beauty brand targeting women of color. She is a brand strategy professional with over fifteen years’ experience dynamically leading cross-functional teams across multiple industries within both large and small-cap businesses. Her areas of deep expertise include consumer insights-driven brand strategy, product and packaging innovation, operations, and portfolio management. Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, she led brand strategy for Oracle, led consumer brand marketing efforts for the Transformers and My Little Pony digital brands at Hasbro, and she spent the bulk of her brand career at Kraft Foods. There she led marketing, management, and operations initiatives across several beloved global brands. She received her Bachelor of Arts from The University of Chicago and holds an MBA from Duke University. Orion is a lover of travel and food, spending most of her free time outside of her career pursuing the best of both.
Shameka McBoat, McBoat Photography
Colorado
Shameka ‘Meka’ McBoat established McBoat Photography in 2005. McBoat Photography photographs portraits and events with a primary focus on wedding photography. Meka and McBoat Photography have been published numerous times in publications such as The Denver Post, Wed Magazine, Urban Spectrum, Channel 4 Denver, and 303 Magazine. McBoat Photography has been recognized among the Top 20 on the list of 2020 Best Wedding Photographers in Denver and has been awarded multiple Bride’s Choice Awards from WeddingWire. Meka and McBoat Photography continue to hold 5-Star Ratings on WeddingWire, The Knot, Google, Yelp & Facebook. They aim to give all of their clients a luxurious and professional one-of-a-kind experience while providing them with creative and artistic photographs.
Sheila Ellis-Gasper, SEG Media Collective
Kansas
Sheila Ellis-Glasper is the founder and CEO of social media and branding agency SEG Media Collective. She began her professional career as a journalist and has worked for Kansas State University and the Kansas Small Business Development Center before founding SEG Media Collective LLC in 2016 to provide social media and branding services to businesses worldwide. She is the founder of the Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills and is a proud wife and boy mom of 2.
Spirit Corley, Gem Scents Aromatics LLC
Colorado
Spirit Corley is the owner & creator of Gem Scents Aromatics LLC, a collection of natural bath & body products, and GSA Wicks, a limited edition series of hand-poured soy vegan candles which focuses on self-care wellness and taking mindful moments. With determination and courage, Spirit turned a health diagnosis that could have thwarted success and made it work in her favor. Her faith outweighed her fear of failure, and from that, a business was birthed from her innate gift of scent. Essentially, her brand is a reflection of how she lives her life by design truly made with powerful intention.
Tanesha Sims-Summers, Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Company
Alabama
Tanesha Sims -Summers is the Founder and CEO of Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co.
based in Birmingham, Al. Established in 2014, they have been specializing in a small batch kettle-to-hand process of creating the ultimate sweet and salty kettle corn experience.
Their unique blends captivates their customers, who they affectionately refer to as “PoPheads”. It’s Not Just Popcorn with NBNKC, from the hand-crafted flavors to their commitment to PoPpin with a Purpose with their community partners, Tanesha is always finding ways to make the world a sweeter place one kernel at a time.
Tasha Harris, Kobi Co.
Minnesota
Co-founded by a mother & daughter team in 2020. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Kobi Co. is a candle and wellness brand crafted by and for people who love self-care. Founded to support her college dreams, young entrepreneur, Kobi, curates scents in small batches to create an assortment of luxury products with a personal touch.
Tina Jones, FaceMode
Colorado
FaceMODE the Skin & Beauty Studio is a place that introduces the remedy to skincare and beauty. They want to create a community of people who are eager to make conscious, healthy skin choices. FaceMODE is a private “By Appointment only” open concept studio specializing in corrective skin treatments and makeup artistry. They pride themselves on “managing” your skin with conditions such as hyperpigmentation, acne, and overall skin health using the slow and steady approach to achieve optimal results. Their makeup style is a modest polished look that caters to the everyday career-driven woman. FaceMODE is known for great music, comfortable and pleasant vibes, along with a personable 1-on-1 Licensed Esthetician…because every client is a VIP.
Topaz Smith, EN-NOBLE LLC
New York
EN-NOBLE serves travelers who are frustrated by underwhelming mass-market tourism options, who are looking for travel experiences that a typical traveler drives past on a tour bus. They elevate global communities around the natural resource of their culture. They curate authentic and immersive experiences that blend popular tourist attractions with lesser-known cultures. Due to current travel restrictions resulting from COVID-19, EN-NOBLE has curated local tourism initiatives that feature international cultures inside of New York City.
Topaz Smith is a cultural guru and has a background in tourism and policy. She previously worked at a Leading Hotel of the World in Positano (Amalfi Coast), Italy, served in the U.S. Peace Corps, and worked at a United Nations global initiative in NYC.