We were lucky to catch up with Ralph Belony recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ralph , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My name is Ralph Belony Jr, a regular guy who just walking in Purpose. Growing up I’ve always had great ideas and have always been told to bring everything placed in me to fruition. When God gave me the idea for Trenton Christian Fashion Week, I had no idea where to start. I simply had faith in following what God told me to do. I connected with some strong people in my community who believed in the vision and stood behind when we first started in March 2024. As the time rolled around to have our first Christian Fashion Week in Trenton, New Jersey on November 17th, 2024 extreme favor was shown to Trenton Christian Fashion Week and we came out of pocket close to nothing for an extremely successful and impactful event for the community. Now we are in our second year and we are excited for what this year is going to bring!

Ralph , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From a young age, my spiritual father, Dr. Ansy Dessources, his wife, and my mom Sherley Laurent always spoke over me that I will be someone great. I took that, ran with it, and applied it to the best of my ability with everything that I do. Of course there were times I failed and made mistakes. I went to Rutgers University in New Jersey and soon after began working in NY as an Executive Assistant to a life coach. That is when I really started learning about business from my boss and on the side I would also model on the side. I felt very called and compelled to bring back what I learned back to the community I grew up in, thus, Trenton Christian Fashion Week was founded.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Like I said, I’ve made many mistakes. I’ve had many failures. I have so many stories that I can share where you would look at me and say “Wow! You really went through that?” What I had to realize is I’m not perfect, I’m not the best at what I do, sometimes, I’m under=qualified, but what I will never do is quit and give up! There’s too much in me to quit. And I want to encourage anyone who reads this! DO NOT QUIT, DO NOT GIVE UP, KEEP GOING!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One thing that I had to unlearn on this journey, is that it’s okay to be comfortable or complacent. We are called to more! We have more to do! Breathe, take your time, but being uncomfortable pushes you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ralphbelonyjr
• Facebook: Ralph Belony Jr
• Linkedin: Ralph Belony Jr
• Other: @trentonchristianfashionweek