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With Americans still reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many female business owners have found it necessary to rejuvenate their brands – that is, pivoting in another direction so consumers still see the benefits of their business while maintaining their core values.
Lakesa Bunn, the owner of Polished Events, sponsored an annual women’s empowerment luncheon earlier this summer that featured curated speakers and vendors to help elevate brands with like-minded individuals to network in Prince George’s County.
“The pandemic created the perfect storm for us to get still,” Bunn said. “We all were going 90 miles per hour, just running – towards what I have no clue. We needed to rejuvenate, reignite, reenergize and restart.”
“We were forced to go inward and ask, ‘girl, who are you,’ kids, marriage and business aside,” said Jon’ll Boyd of Eventful Life Enterprises.
Bunn, a coach, mentor, advocate, spiritual adviser to modern-day working women and the creative director of “The Table,” curated the event in honor of her mother, Doris Bunn. Her mother worked hard to provide for Lakesha and her two sisters.
“I often joke about how my mom had 10 jobs, not including the ones at church,” she said. “I often saw her cry and wondered if she had lived out her purpose-driven life.”
While her mother has since died, Bunn said she want women of color and all ages to work out of poverty, strengthening the community and “leave no woman behind.”
“For the women who came here depleted, I hope they got spiritually fed,” she said. “I want women to know how to move up the corporate ladder and leave a legacy for their families.”
The leaders of this community that Bunn continues to build consist of financial advisers, fashion stylists, clothing designers and health and wellness instructors. They have formed an intimate group of about 100 women committed to their businesses and knowledgeable on how to best serve their clients.
“If God is not the center of your relationship, there is no power. When you have a solid relationship with God, you know and understand when and how to insert power into your relationships,” said Marcella Mollon Williams of Legacy Builder Group, LLC.
Many of the women who attended said they have found The Table to be a safe space for all forms of womanhood where they can be authentic and connect with who they are.
As Jon’ll Boyd said, “Your network is your net worth. You can have it all while being true to yourself. Always come to the table because you never know what you are going to walk away with.”