While her business is called “ShelettaMakesMeLaugh,” Sheletta Brundidge is being taken seriously.
That’s the beaming broadcaster, podcaster and business owner posed as if in flight on the April/May edition of Twin Cities Business magazine. Brundidge’s accomplishments as a community advocate have been recognized with the cover of the April/May edition. noted for “using her pulpit to help Black entrepreneurs."
Brundidge’s podcasting platform, production company and marketing agency was one of the ten local organizations earning a TCB Community Impact Award, honored for their work “moving the needle on equity, education, environment and other pressing societal concerns.”
“This cover is a win for all Black women who own businesses, which happens to be the fastest-growing group of new business owners in the country right now,” Brundidge said. “We don’t get this kind of exposure. That has been a barrier.”
The three-page story in the magazine chronicles how Brundidge has leveraged her personality and high profile to expand opportunities and economically empower Minnesotans who have historically been ignored or marginalized.
Photos accompanying the article show Brundidge commanding center stage in the State Capitol Rotunda in February at Black Entrepreneur Day. This was the second year in a row that her business initiated and presented the event to elevate Black voices at the Capitol.
At her urging and under her tutelage, hundreds of her to fellow Black small business owners came to the seat of state power in St Paul to flex their political muscle, meet with elected leaders and policy makers and lobby for greater consideration.
Last October, Brundidge conceived, planned and hosted a job fair to expand employment opportunities for adults with autism; three of Brundidge’s four children have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
She brought more than 300 people with autism to a first-of-its-kind job fair where they met with her sponsor businesses, all seeking to tap a new pool of employees in this era of low employment. Some of the candidates with autism were hired on the spot while others got their foot in the door with initial interviews and resume placement.
“This is how my business is doing something new and different. I don’t just take a check from my sponsors. When companies partner with me, they are part of the work I’m doing. They trust me to know if there is a need in the community. I say, I’m going to show up here and I need you to come too,” Brundidge said.
Brundidge’s magazine cover recognition left entrepreneur Shaunie Grigsby feeling “ecstatic.” The owner of Flava Cafe, the first Black-owned coffee shop in St Paul’s Frogtown, Grigsby said Brundidge’s public efforts have been empowering.
“When I think of the word advocate, Sheletta is the epitome; she is thinking about how she can help the next person. She is someone you want in your corner,” Grigsby said. “She also teaches you how to show up for yourself, that we don’t have to be humble all the time. You can be loud and proud.”