Bishop T.D. Jakes is a faith leader, but he’s also a self-professed businessman who knows the power of ownership. Now, he’s spreading the gospel of entrepreneurship within the Black community in a huge way.
His company T.D. Jakes Enterprises announced its launch of an immersive leadership event on May 3 in Orlando, Fla, which will serve as a platform and clearing house for business leaders, influencers, and would-be entrepreneurs to inspire and proliferate opportunities for scaled black entrepreneurs and small businesses in diverse communities, according to a news release shared with ESSENCE.
"We see Good Soil as a movement to cultivate the next generation of business leaders," said Michael Phillips, chief operations officer of T.D. Jakes Enterprises in the realease. "This convening brings together culture shifters who are committed to connecting ideas to actions in our communities. Good Soil is more than inspiration – it's taking action to impact, grow and scale minority owned businesses through a supportive ecosystem that will drive financial inclusion and achieve generational wealth building for our communities."
Jakes will keynote and Hill Harper will serve as the event emcee with singer/songwriter KEM opening the day with a performance. Robert Glasper will close out the day with a performance as well. The event will also include fireside chats and breakout sessions featuring:
Angela Yee, media personality
Timbaland, singer/songwriter/producer
Enitan Bereola, FLOURYSH
Dr. Marcus Collins, Wieden + Kennedy
Maya Hicks, Target
Danielle O'Bannon, Goldman Sachs
Ambassador Ron Kirk, Former United States Trade Representative
Danyel Surrency Jones, Amazon Black Business Accelerator
Detavio Samuels, REVOLT
Sharde Marchewski, Wayfair
The event is in partnership with the Stand Together Foundation, and will be the first experiential initiative under the Good Soil Movement banner, an ongoing program to catalyze and support diverse business owners via a free, private app and a year-round schedule of live and virtual events to provide tools, resources and thought leaders.
"Stand Together Foundation works alongside our partners to empower people to realize their full potential," said Evan Feinberg, executive director of Stand Together Foundation
"Fueling increased entrepreneurship not only improves live but inspires transformation of entire communities. We are proud to partner with T.D. Jakes Enterprises and the Good Soil Movement to lift up Black entrepreneurs across America."