Sheletta shares her expertise with small business owners during Minneapolis Black Business week

Sheletta Brundidge shared her hard-won business strategies as the featured keynote speaker at the Kickoff Summit as the city of Minneapolis marked Black Business Week.

Held on July 27 at the Black-owned venue The Coliseum on East Lake Street, Brundidge offered a free marketing workshop to current and prospective business owners. The savvy entrepreneur shared the expertise gained from building her media and marketing business ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com.

“I want to give small business owners tools they need. I call it, how to use your why to build your wealth. Every business has a story and I can help them learn to tell it so it resonates,” Brundidge said.

“The marketing and media landscape is changing. I’m showing them how to position themselves and do their own social media so customers and the community are aware of the fabulous work they do.”

August is National Black Business Month, the monthlong observation that celebrates, recognizes and urges support for the nation’s 3.12 million Black-owned businesses.

Again this year, Minneapolis got a jump on the annual event by marking Black Business Week in the last week of July, starting with an official proclamation by Mayor Jacob Frey.

“Our city thrives on its diversity. Black businesses are essential to the economy of Minneapolis. Our Black founders, up-and-comers, entrepreneurs and existing businesses are a cornerstone and have been for generations,” said Julianne Lynum, director of Economic Policy & Development for Minneapolis.

During Black Business Week, the city sponsored an action-packed schedule of activities, markets, roundtables and networking events aimed at drawing attention to the contributions of its business owners of color.

For many, Sheletta’s workshop proved to be a highlight.

“Whenever Sheletta speaks, I know I’ll walk away with a ton of valuable information. As usual, she delivered!” said Junia Joseph-Benham. She’s founder/CEO of KaiBi Mobile, which provides families attending outdoor events with clean, comfortable spaces for diaper changes, nursing, feeding, and sensory comfort breaks.

A podcaster and founder of her own podcasting platform, Brundidge hosted a breakout session exploring the potential of podcasting that intrigued many business owners.

“I listen to and watch a lot of podcasts so I’m thinking about how complex the production can be to pull off a great podcast. Sheletta broke down the process and shared some great resources, which gave me the confidence to explore the possibilities,” Joseph-Benham said.

Christina Anderson Hawkins also joined Brundidge’s podcast session.

“I wanted to hear Sheletta speak to get some insight and pointers. She had a lot of ideas about building our brands that was helpful for someone like me, in the primary stage of putting a podcast together,” she said.

She is developing a podcast to support grandparents who are raising grandchildren. Hawkins knows the dynamic from first-hand experience; starting at age nine, she was raised by her grandparents.

“Today a lot of families experience this crisis, with grandparents stepping in and stepping up. I want to come alongside these caregivers, primarily our seniors, supporting them and pointing them to resources they need,” she said.

Brundidge also delivered an optimistic message to business owners still recovering from millions of dollars in losses during the economic downturn brought on by Operation Metro Surge. Many experienced a drop in profits when their business slowed or came to a halt because customers or workers stayed away amid the presence of thousands of ICE agents.

“As business owners, we always have to find a way to counter and pivot. If our brick and mortar stores are squeezed, let’s look at building an online presence,” Brundidge said.

The Small Business Resiliency Fund from the city of Minneapolis is one resource that is stabilizing them. Julianne Lynum, the city’s Economic Policy & Development director, said highlighting those businesses during Black Business Week activities is another way to give them a boost.

”This is an important time for us. We’ve been through a great deal. We find ways to show up for each other,” Lynum said. “The word intentional is what I want to hit on. This is about being intentional in our community, where we spend our dollars.”