Allie Does Atkco's Queen Brunch For Women Entrepreneurs

My experience at the Queen’s Brunch for Women Entrepreneurs for Women Entrepreneurs was a fantastic gathering of Black Girl Bosses from across the city. I was invited by Atkco a company founded by Shayna Atkins that’s dedicated to supporting start-up businesses from idea to product launch. I’m not sure if the ancestors were summoned, or it there was witchcraft afoot, but some special moments occurred Saturday afternoon, making the brunch a gathering of black girl magic I will never forget. ​

ATKCO’S QUEENS BRUNCH FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

For starters, all of us ladies were treated to an amazing spread compliments of the Currency Exchange Cafe--a cozy, Black-owned coffee shop and restaurant just outside of Washington Park with a cute basement space where organizers, like Atkco, can host smaller, catered events. Even though space seemed tight, it was just the right size for our group, and we were free to move about, grab food, and share ideas. There were blank sheets all over the room--one was marked ‘social media,’ another ‘feedback,’ and so on--and we were ALL challenged to, at our own pace, fill them out accordingly with our thoughts, information, and resources. Before long, those blank sheets were full of scribbles, and we all began sharing spells with each other--phones in tow, just in case business cards were forgotten (they were). ​

I ended up making connections with some amazing women at the brunch--like Alyssa & Alex, the boss ladies behind the GoDutchToday dating app, or Stella, the techy behind the WeSolv platform, and Imia, the Black-only photographer working on a series from her most recent stint in Jamaica. We even had a brainstorm with Anna, a coordinator with Brave Initiatives, to share ideas for an upcoming speed dating event she’s working on. ​

BLACK GIRL MAGIC IN ACTION

Needless to say, these women were anything and everything but uninvolved and unbothered. The magic in the room--writers, designers, coders, artists, actresses, bloggers, consultants, EVERYTHING--was enlightening, engaging, and empowering. As a matter of fact, Numa Perrier interrupted our gathering to chat with us about staying focussed, building dreams, and loving yourself, on top of how she slowly rose into her role as CCO for Black&SexyTV. Come to find out, the boss lady was enjoying a meal above us and got word of the brunch, so she came downstairs to share gems and show support (what an amazing spirit). Even without the surprise visit from Perrier, though, the Queens Brunch was one of the best networking brunches for black girl bosses I’ve participated in. I look forward to more events from Atkco and its network of upcoming Black owned businesses and organizations. ​
You can hear the full experience in my interview, “Allie Does Atkco’s Queens Brunch”