Finding the key partners to work with can make or break your venture. After thousands of conversations with aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s one of the most common obstacles and risks holding folks back from pursuing their idea. So – we asked some of the smartest, most resourceful entrepreneurs in the community to share their lessons and insights to help inspire and educate the next great set of entrepreneurs.

Kenna Knight-Schoeler

Fiinding key partners is so essential to doing business, and that fact cannot be overstated! So much of our time as small business owners is devoted to lead generation and I have to say that it can be a disenchanting prospect. Big companies like Yelp, and WeddingPro dominate this area of our business and their practices, in my personal experience, leave quite a lot to be desired. Read more>>

Keniqua Smith

Finding my reputable vendor for my hair business was and still is extremely hard. I think finding a vendor now is easy because everyone is selling the “best vendor” or the “celebrity vendor,” but I feel if you want a consistent and authentic vendor for any item you will need to search and test them on your own. Back in 2018/2019, it wasn’t so popular to pay for vendor so most information you had to find out on your own. Read more>>

Contressa Oliver

Finding a key vendor was difficult until I realized there was an easier way to accomplish my goal. In the beginning, I chose vendors based on trial and error. I would choose a vendor that seemed reputable and from there, negotiate terms. I would then test their products on myself for an extended period so that I was able to fully analyze the products. Read more>>

Tremya Sheats

For finding a good vendor for things that you would like to use or sale, you have to really do your research. What I mean by that is really study the product. Ask these questions; Is it good quality? Will it last long? I believe in investing money into your business if you want to thrive. Recently I started selling lace bands and it took me a minute to find one with good quality. Read more>>

Tori Glass

Being in the food industry, it is important to find a vendor/ wholesale company that you can buy food products in bulk at a cheaper price point. For me personally, I make mainly seafood dishes and good quality seafood comes with a big price. When I first started my business, I did not have much clientele or any following on social media which was to be expected at that time. Read more>>