Young Enterpri$ing Sisters- YES Conference
Yesterday, Saturday, May 12th, I had the privilege of joining women of all backgrounds who came together for one, phenomenal purpose, the Yespreneur Conference. This conference is the first of what will be annual and their purpose is to “…Educate, empower, and energize the next generation of female entrepreneurs and business owners.” Also, through workshops and economic empowerment programs, the conference encouraged young ladies between the ages of 12-17 to become financially literate and to create jobs for future generations.
The conference started with Keynote speaker, Leanna Archer of http://www.leannashair.com and her address to the girls was beyond amazing and inspiring! Ms. Leanna Archer started her own hair care line that uses natural products to promote overall healthy hair and hair growth. Her company has been very successful with over $100,000 in annual revenue which makes her the youngest person to ever open the NASDAQ Stock Market at 16 years old! She spoke about how she successfully runs her company but also how she still manages to excel academically. She stressed to the girls that while it is extremely important to chase and accomplish their dreams, it is equally important to have something to fall back on and education is that “cushion” for her. She not only takes her business seriously, but her academics as well.
The conference continued with the young ladies each attending sessions with female, business owners ranging in the fields of Fashion and Modeling, Non-Profit Organizations, Hair and Beauty Care, and Public Relations, among others. The girls learned of each business owner’s story of how they came up with the idea for their company, how they went about starting it, and how they are successfully running each of their companies now. The young ladies also received chances to ask questions they may have had regarding businesses that they already have or about those that they are interested in starting as well. Some of the sessions were very interactive, for example one company allowed the young ladies to create their own lip gloss, which they seemed to love!
Overall, I was very impressed with this event and left feeling motivated and extremely proud! This conference is something that is very necessary in our communities as, in some cases, young girls are not able to see other young ladies who look like them, portrayed in a postive light. For those fortunate enough to be exposed to other positive young women, it is always great to meet others and to learn of their success stories. Many times we meet people who have big dreams, goals, and who want to start and do their “own thing,” but it is important to meet and connect with those who have done that AND have been successful in doing so. This conference introduced these girls to women who have accomplished just that and way more! I was beyond honored and inspired by attending this conference and from the young ladies that I met while there. I look forward to participating in it again next year!
You can learn even more about the program committee members, the keynote speaker, and the guest speakers by visiting http://www.yesconference.org Keep an ear out for this conference again next year as this is something that you definitely want to attend!
**Special shout out to the Director and Conference Chair, Mrs. Fatima Scipio for allowing me to be apart of this extraordinary event! I am forever grateful.**
