‘21 Game Changer of the Year Finalist
Brittney Davis
Brittney Davis Owner and Event Planner of Beyond the Celebration. Beyond the Celebration is an event, design, and creative consulting company specializing in customized experiences for our clients and their guests. Brittney was Born and raised in Baytown Tx. Wife, Mentor and sister to 7 Sibling. For as long as she can remember she's always been obsessed with pretty details and making everything look perfect. However over the years, She's found another reason for my passion. Being able to celebrate life. Brittney is connector who loves to bring people together. In and out of her professional life.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? My biggest accomplishment this year is being able to purchase my commercial cargo van and have it wrapped with my business information. For the past few years I have hauled and stuffed all of my inventory in my mini SUV, sometimes I couldn't even see out of my windows but I was determined to get the job done. I've worked so hard to save up for it, so watching it all happen before my eyes has been a dream come true.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : The biggest challenge that I overcame in my career is that I was brand new to the industry. I would like to think that I knew what I was getting myself into, However I had no idea and I would have to learn to very quickly. I had to be 100% Devoted and selfless to my clients needs, excitement and feelings. You would think it was just a party, how hard could that be. While I looked at it as celebrating life. My first 2 clients were planning to welcome babies into the world and they trusted me who was still grieving the loss of my own baby. I was so thrilled to transform the room, then after decorating I remember running to the restroom and crying my eyes out! I couldn't figure out if it was because I was overwhelmed, proud of myself that It actually looked good, or sad because I never got to celebrate my own baby. If I never knew what strong was during that time I figured it out fast. Over the years I've celebrated with over 75 moms around the Houston area and love my Beyond the Celebration babies. The best thing I could have ever done was turn my pain into passion. Slowly but surely it melted the resentment away and I replaced it with a renewed love of life! There is no greater comfort to someone who is suffering than another person who has been there and survived. My clients have pulled me out of the dark tunnel I was buried.
How are you disrupted your industry? : By shake things up at every event and doing the opposite from what people are expecting or use to seeing. For me, it’s never just been about the job. It’s about the memories you make while celebrating, the moments you remember and the dreams you create. Majority of my event are kid events so I think back on what I enjoyed as a kid or what my nieces and nephews are thrilled about and offer it.
Carla Lyles
Carla Lyles is a boy mom 6-year-old boy and the owner of Carla Sue Greeting Cards & Gifts. Carla Sue is a bold greeting card company that encourages everyone to take up space and be their authentic selves. You can find Carla Sue greeting cards in museums, boutiques, and other retail spaces nationwide. Carla Sue has also partnered with many brands like Vistaprint and Pepsico. Carla has been featured by Houstonia Magazine and Huffington Post among others. She was named one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs Who Turned Their Hobby into a Successful Career by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2019. During the quarantine, she was honored with an Opulence Award for my continued work and dedication to the advancement of young artists and entrepreneurs in the city of Houston. Her podcast, Carla Sue's Backyard Brunch, is her most recent endeavor. She interviews successful creatives who have made a sustainable career from their art.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : I created a home shopping network via my social media accounts to feature small businesses in need during the top of the pandemic. I called it Carla Sue Network. It was so much fun and got a lot of news coverage. Every day I would feature a different small business in the city. Sundays I would interview small business owners and working creatives via my social media in my backyard. The show was called The Backyard Brunch. Now that the city is open, I host the Backyard Brunch Live in-person on All Real Radio in Third Ward every Sunday at 4PM. It is such an honor to serve my community in this way.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : Challenges in business are bound to arise at some point. Having a solid network and strong mentorship to guide me through challenges has been a godsend.
How are you disrupted your industry? : Carla Sue is disrupting the greeting card industry by being bold! As a black woman, it was important to me to create a brand that was a safe space for us. With product that encourages black women to radically love themselves, their community and to take up space.
Deirdre Gilbert
Deidre Gilbert is the founder of National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA), serving as its National Director, and Executive Director of the Jocelyn Y. Dickson Foundation.
Mrs. Gilbert has dedicated her life to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in education and advocacy. She is a champion for the people with the heart of a lion. Mrs. Gilbert is a candidate for the office of Governor for the state of Texas - Democratic Party. Her goal is to bring humanity back to Texas Politics. Mrs. Gilbert earned her M.A. in Educational Administration, her B.S. in Political Science and Mass Communication (Cum Laude) from Prairie View A&M University.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : My biggest accomplishment was my announcement of candidacy for Governor of Texas.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : As a small business owner of a janitorial maintenance service, the biggest challenge was being awarded the bids we would bid on. Although they put bids out, African American women still are disenfranchised.
How are you disrupted your industry? : The janitorial industry came to a standstill because of the pandemic. Many of the facilities, housing and/or buildings we would normally service was shut down. The business literally stopped all operations.
LaTonya Smith
My name is LaTonya Smith and I am the CEO & President of J&E Associates, a multimillion dollar, family & black owned janitorial and facility maintenance firm. My family has been providing janitorial services for the corporate & private sector since 1988. Through our love for family and community, my husband & I created a holding company, Smith Creative Group, which is the home of several social entertainment brands with the largest being Kolor My Kanvas- a mobile paint & sip event facilitation company.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : I'm usually very quiet about my accomplishments. I minimize my success and have found myself being shy to let the world know how far I've come. This past year, my biggest accomplishment was moving our janitorial company into a full facility management firm and creating a community division of the business that will help mold and educate new janitorial service providers in the industry.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : The challenge I face in my career is learning how to distribute my strategies and planning time across all businesses and how to market myself as a creative business entrepreneur and a corporate leader.
I'm still overcoming this challenges. I've positioned for growth by taking the time needed to read and educate myself on how to organize better and have taken a class on clarity in branding my self. This is what excites me about meeting and networking with other women. I would love to learn how to be better because you can never stop learning how to become a better professional.
I'm learning to brand myself and not look at at many followers I have and focus on the growth and sustainability I am creating in my business.
How are you disrupted your industry? : I am unapologetically driven. I'm a wife to an amazing husband and business partner. I have three kids, and I am using my creating corporate relationships with both the creative sector and corporate knowledge to position my companies for longevity.
Ericka Stevenson
Ericka Stevenson is a wife and Mother of two, who overcame the various challenges of growing up with (2) drug addicted parents. As I began my college education my parents quickly spiraled to their deaths, leaving me to raise my (3) sisters. And needless to say college didn’t happen the way that I expected it to. Life altered my plans. Raising children isn’t easy, I faced obstacles that I never could’ve imagined. While working in corporate America throughout this entire ordeal soon realizing, corporate was “NOT” the place for me. At this juncture I knew I needed happiness. So I focused on my passions which are: interior design and writing. I soon turned my passion for interior design into a full-time career and I never looked back. I am now beginning the journey of my second passion as my first manuscript has been copyrighted. Remaining intentionally-authentic is not only something that is in my DNA; I live by this principle daily, I take pride in it. Still a woman who has much determination to remain focused with a rational mindset. With all of that said, I have learned to keep God as my foundation. This was something that I did not know in my earlier years and as part of my growth humility has continually brought me closer to God. My talent is offering a unique perspective on interior design that encompasses the lowest possible price points for my client’s design aesthetic.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : My biggest accomplishment was completing my first manuscript during a pandemic.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : One of the challenges I faced in my designing career was how competitive the field is. I soon realized leveraging relationships was key in scaling my business while increasing my opportunities. And knowing that in life there will always be challenges regarding, things that are out-of-my control. I had to learn how to purposely, strive for success to not be distracted and understanding bad moments happen. But stay the course of willingness to allow my inspiration and determination to bring positive, motivated change for others while remaining focused on my goals and God given assignments.
How are you disrupted your industry? : Through my interior design career I have always maintained the lowest possible pricing for clients. I accomplished this by utilizing sales clearance and close-outs as well as estate sales, yard sales and also thrift finds. My clients know this upfront allowing them to have a more conservative design budget. Creating a wonderful appreciation for the experience.
Tamika Griffin
Tamika Griffin is the managing partner of Tamika Griffin Consulting, a business process management firm that specializes in diagnosing process improvement opportunities and creating solutions that assist first-generation female service-based entrepreneurs in removing bottlenecks and increasing efficiency.
On average, Tamika has increased client net revenue by 60% in the first year by leveraging her experience and education as an entrepreneur and former educator.
In 2019, Tamika created the Embrace Your Power
business model canvas that assist female entrepreneurs in creating their businesses around their lives and not their lives around their business , so they could experience more fun and freedom as they build their empires .
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : My biggest accomplishment over this past year was ensuring that none of my clients had to close their doors as a result of the pandemic . I am proud to say that 100% of my client roster are not only surviving but they are thriving .
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : Two major challenges come to mind .
The first challenge I’ve faced in my career is knowing how and when to niche down .
As a female entrepreneur myself , I wanted to solve every problem for everyone and I realized not only was it impossible, it was ineffective.
I overcame this by reflecting on where my zone of genius was and what client that most aligned with .
At the beginning , it certainly created a decrease in revenue until I learned how to communicate the transformational value to the ideal audience .
The second challenge was deciding how to take my family on the journey with me. As a prior franchise owner , I know how fast and furious business can be and I was not always the best balancer of time with family .
When I opened the consultancy it was a priority that my family knew and understood what part we played at home and in the business . It may not sound like a typical “challenge” but I understood that the background “ the part that others don’t see”, which is my family makes the foreground possible .
How are you disrupted your industry? : Through the use and creation of the Embrace Your Power business model canvas, I am showing women how to create a profitable, sustainable and scaleable business that aligns with who they are , what they do and how they want to do it while creating fun and freedom in their lives .
I’m disrupting the hustle culture and providing a roadmap of how to get better results without working 24/7 and missing time with your VIP’s. The very important people in their lives .
Yolanda R. Williams
Yolanda R. Williams is an accomplished Houston Area agent who brings a strategic yet personable approach to the home buying and home selling process.
What was your biggest accomplishment over the past year? : The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a litany list of challenges, concerns, and overall changes to the way in which we "do business as usual." That shift has encompassed the world of commerce and our social interactions alike. As businesses have tanked and industries have taken a hit, the world of real estate was no different. The COVID-19 crisis significantly impacted the residential real estate market last spring. Health concerns and stay-at-home orders led to fewer buyers looking for homes and fewer sellers willing to list their properties or allow strangers to enter their homes during a pandemic. From there, it escalated to an inflation in the cost of building materials due to production mills being shut down.
As such, the value of houses on the market followed suit - raising tremendously. Houses were being purchased practically sight unseen. While it seemed that my clients would have no choice but to play by market rules, I have been able to walk alongside them in their homebuying journeys and secure deals as though the impact of COVID-19 did not exist. I can confidently say that all of my clients have been well served.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them? : It is understood that there commonly exists an unspoken, explicit bias against women in the workplace. We are often overlooked, underestimated and paid inequitably. The barriers to entry and initial glass ceiling can prove tough. A quick fact: when the National Association of Realtors was founded in 1908, there were zero female members on the board. While a female member did join in 1910, women were restricted from real estate boards until the 1950s.
My own personal career challenges stem from gender and racial expectations. I found that I had to work harder than most in order to be taken seriously. Unfair it may be, but I understand that it comes with the territory. Simultaneously, in my dealings with colleagues and clients (those of which that are inclined to think that they are more aptly informed than I), I had to learn to not take things personally. When those around me have "microaggression moments", I reflect on their actions as a symptom of their upbringing and learnedness. Instead of responding in kind, I can educate in kindness and with the intention to leave the situation positively.
How are you disrupted your industry? : Many stand by the phrase: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I don't. The way in which properties are being viewed and purchased is rapidly changing. Likewise, the intrinsic relationship between the client and brokerage are also changing. In this new technology-driven sales process, many websites and apps are focused on saving the customer money by avoiding a commission, relying heavily on artificial intelligence to do the heavy lifting that an agent would do.
Property listing portals are still crucial to the process, but buyers now expect to be communicated to across a head-spinning variety of channels, from Facebook to FaceTime – and will sometimes buy a property without ever seeing it in person. That's where I come in! AI is convenient but the "personal touch" is yet to be replicated. While the momentum is leading us to a tech-centric sales process, I can shift that in my direction by being an effective multi-channel marketer. I have tapped into the trends of modern content creation, and can deliver more robust digital marketing, increased productivity and a better customer experience overall.