This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR contributor Samantha Pass speaks with Angela Dean, founder and owner of DeanZign Designer Collections in Los Angeles. Launched in the 1980s as a small boutique, DeanZign became so popular that Dean ended up closing her store to provide full, custom service to a burgeoning roster of celebrity clients.
Dean’s designs have been worn by high-profile clients including Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Halle Berry. Her work has also been featured in music videos, commercials, television shows and magazine’s including Ebony. Dean’s designs were featured on the cover of Essence‘s 30th Anniversary Issue, then the highest-selling issue in the history of the magazine. The fashionista joins the Roundtable to share how her passion and dedication helped her to become a go-to designers for the Hollywood elite.
Also, UBR contributor Renita D. Young speaks with Deborah Owens, president of Owens Media Group, a company that delivers financial literacy content for companies and organizations. Author of A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security (Touchstone), Owens has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a former financial adviser and vice president at Fidelity Investments. She joins the Roundtable to share wealth building and investment advice for business owners.
And speaking of financial advice for entrepreneurs, in my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I remind entrepreneurs that classes are still in session at Small Business University (SBU), a free online video course at BlackEnterprise.com offering expert advice to
entrepreneurs looking to start and grow profitable small businesses. This week’s session is “Financing and Investing,” taught by The Money Coach, personal expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, who covers raising capital for your venture, perfecting your elevator pitch and managing the budget for your business. Coming up next week: “Technology,” which will focus how technology can make all the difference with your small business, with a guide software and hardware tools to maximize efficiency and profitability. SBU, powered by Dell, also includes custom gamification features that allow registrants to compete for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a grand prize package that includes $5,000 in cash, a $10,000 Dell Office Setup, a free one-on-one consultation with a small business expert, and a profile in Black Enterprise magazine. Go to https://blackenterprise.com/sbu to register and learn more.And finally, 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.
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 Twitter and Facebook.
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 week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.
Small business is BIG BUSINESS at the 2012 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide, May 23-26, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel in Chicago, IL. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek at the products, trends, and services you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve. To register and find out more, visit www.blackenterprise.com/ec/