This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Contributor Renita Young introduces us to Milton Latrell, who, along with his partner Christopher Brackenridge, is staking his claim as one of Chicago’s innovators in the retail fashion business. As co-owner of the Agriculture, a high-end men’s apparel and accessories store in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, he has blended savvy entrepreneurship with a commitment to serving the community.
Latrell and Brackenridge have earned numerous awards and recognition for both their business leadership as well as their work in the community, including being recognized among The Urban Business Roundtable’s Top 40 Game Changers, high-achieving Chicago entrepreneurs and business professionals under age 40. Latrell sits down with Young to share how his flair for style has led to his success and how he’s sowing seeds of empowerment in his community.
Also, UBR Contributor Annette Flournoy speaks with Michael Hudson, CEO of Money Talks International, an Atlanta-based company focused on motivating individuals in the areas of leadership and self-empowerment, helping them to gain a clear and solid vision. Hudson, who has spent 20 years in corporate American and 15 years as an entrepreneur, stops by the roundtable to share strategies for entrepreneurs who have business expansion as a goal.
In addition, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.
And finally, in my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I talk about passion as a key element of the entrepreneurial mindset–but one that should not be treated as a substitute for other requisite aspects of successful business ownership. An over reliance on passion to the exclusion of other realities of entrepreneurship can result in the demise of your business. UBR listeners who’ve registered for the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, scheduled for May 22-25, 2011 in Atlanta, will learn more about the key characteristics of the entrepreneurial mindset. Don’t forget to listen to the show for the code to get a special discount when you register for the conference.
If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on
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Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each Wednesday for The UBR Morning Post, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.