Today we’d like to introduce you to Cerise Hall.
Hi Cerise, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Thank you again for allowing Business Speaks LLC to share our entrepreneurial journey. We started out business here in the urban core of Kansas City in 2017 and purchased a commercial property in 2022. We are blessed to still be in business and have grown our footprint in our city. Business Speaks LLC has some distinct verticals 1. youth entrepreneur exchange 2.www.entrprenuerschurch. We want to tap into our emerging youth leaders and tap into faith-based entrepreneurship, particularly with women of color. Business Speaks LLC in a women owned, small business enterprise, and Sect 3 status. All these alphabets reflect the capability of the organization and used for building collaborative efforts and strengthen know -like-trust.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Doing business and doing business with the public requires a servant leader style of leadership. Creating your dreams and manifesting them is not an easy task. The word entrepreneur implies that your role in creating your business is designed for the person to ask the question, what problem is my business solving? I think this is one of the focuses that sometime when revenue is not coming quickly, we shift from our focus to solve the problem and the target we want to reach. One of the consistent challenges for women of color is we are over mentored and undercapitalized. The struggle for any business owner is decreased when capital readiness and disbursement is open. Along with traditional funding, there has been a surge of peer2peer and alternative funding that we need education in. Entrepreneur burn out is a real symptom and mental health must be a priority to create the opportunity of a smoother road. When your building your ecosystem preparation, business is War. It’s worth the fight, be prepared to win your stripes
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Business Speaks LLC specialize in working with US School Districts/Universities doing youth entrepreneurial training as a pathway to reduce youth violence. We have tons of positive research that support economic mobility in the business creation space among youth decreases youth violence. Youth entrepreneurial training is one of the 14 eligible components for the Department of Labor. When we started the vision in 2009 it was not popular then compared to the ecosystem now is saturated with programming in the youth entrepreneur space. Business Speaks LLC is proud of our youth arm of the business, Youth Entrepreneur Exchange. Kansas City is a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and we have been able to curate our summer programming around, physical activity, hydration and mental health. We will be exposing more of our youth to the business of youth sports and the economics that surrounds this youth sports billion-dollar industry.
What sets Business Speaks LLC apart from others is our partnerships that focus on the local community needs. Our partners from University of Kansas, Chase Bank, Kansas City Parks and Recreation, Prospect Business Association, Mazuma Credit Union, Hiland Dairy, Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Douglas/Sumner Neighborhood Association, and K-State Extension and many others. Relationship currency is the root of how we serve and create opportunities for our youth driven entrepreneurs
What are your plans for the future?
Business Speaks LLC plans for the future is to assist in building more home-grown business with Youth Entrepreneur Exchange as early as 5th grade. We want to go into these elementary schools and begin focusing on Sports as a Solution and expose careers on and off the field. Many neighborhoods are still in dessert food zones; however, we feel that the youth can be a solution to create agriculture and agribusiness. We have partnered with a local company Produce Matrix (Missouri) and K-State Extension (Kansas) to begin making these elementary school dreams come true.
We are planning to expose more career preparedness career in climate tech and agribusiness so that our young people can begin their entrepreneurship journey at early ages. One of the big changes we will be making is more documenting our journey as we develop talent, century 21 classrooms, and more lived experience via business pitches. Every business even our youth ideas need capital and Business Speaks LLC wants to fund your first business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yeeglobal1.wixsite.com/bspeaksv3
- Instagram: Business Speaks
- LinkedIn: Business Speaks
- Twitter: Business Speaks
