WBENC features WBEs, especially Women of Color, throughout the year. Our WBEs provide invaluable, real-world entrepreneurial advice and insights from their own journeys. Meet Tamekia Flowers-Ball, Founder & CEO of Epiphany Blue, who shares how she has ev0lved her business to ensure a foundation and culture that separates them from their competition.
Why did you start your business?
Epiphany Blue’s story began on May 5, 2006, in New York City. The agency specialized in producing events and booking celebrity talent for client events, campaigns, and other endeavors. As the Founder, my focus was to provide exceptional services that positively impacted the entertainment and corporate industries. Epiphany Blue gained notable clients in a short period, including Black Entertainment Television, The NAACP, Toyota, Tide, McDonald’s, NBA legends Kenny Smith and Dwyane Wade, and the New York City Department of Education.
I began to discover my greater purpose throughout the years and evolved as a business leader. In 2012, while business was going very well, I decided to transform Epiphany Blue’s business model to deviate from producing mostly entertainment industry events and talent booking. I realized that success was determined by our impact on others, and I wanted Epiphany Blue to reflect this. The transformation took two years to manifest, and I reduced my client list to just two clients. However, this was necessary to set up Epiphany Blue’s foundation and future success.
Today, Epiphany Blue’s foundation and culture are based on three pillars: creating memorable experiences, bringing visions to life, and motivating and inspiring people to be more fulfilled in every aspect of life. This is what separates us from our competition. While we excel in producing engaging and memorable events for several business industries, we are committed to developing and empowering people. We only accept clients dedicated to making a positive social impact on their customers and attendees through their events and overall business model. We serve educational institutions, corporations, small businesses, non-profits and foundations, government agencies, and social and professional organizations.
What advice would you give to other Black business owners?
Only work with clients whose values and culture meshes with your agency. Being mission-driven is important for Epiphany Blue. As an agency committed to creating memorable experiences that transform lives, we only work with clients committed to making a positive impact on their customers and community.
Not all opportunities are for you. Don’t go chasing the dollar. Accept work within your scope, your mission, and compensates you accordingly. While it is fine to accept work that will stretch you, it is not a good practice to accept work that will stress you, take you out of character, or negatively impact your agency’s staff or culture. Select your clients wisely.
Know and charge your worth! There is nothing wrong with giving clients good-faith discounts, where and when it makes sense and still provides some benefit for your agency (e.g., awareness and exposure in a new market). But it is essential to set your prices and stick with them. The clients you are meant to have will hire you at your rate because they know they will receive quality service or products!
You can do this! You will have days that shine and days that storm. The stormy days make you resilient and serve as reminders of what you can overcome! Celebrate each day that allows you to do what you love. You have come this far, and there is no stopping you!
How has being WBENC Certified and part of the network impacted your business?
Becoming a certified WBE with WBENC has been a transformative opportunity for my agency. While I am still navigating the corporate partnerships, I have made it a point to attend many of the WBENC workshops. I also had the privilege of being part of the WEIGNITE program, where I learned how to implement the Entrepreneur Operating System. I am currently part of the spring WETHRIVE cohort which is providing me with essential information regarding business finances, forecasting, and succession planning. I am truly thankful for the opportunity.
What is your favorite Black women-owned product?
I love hair products by Camille Rose and TGIN! Camille Rose has a Curl Love Moisture Milk that moisturizes my hair and makes it soft and shiny. As an added plus, it smells so good. TGIN has a Rose Water Leave-in Conditioner that is to die for! It hydrates the hair and preps it for heat styling when I wear my hair straight or air drying when I decide to go curly! These products are staples in my hair care regimen!
Final words of encouragement from Tamekia
Simply put…NEVER GIVE UP! While we will face challenges, adversities, and even some setbacks, these will make us stronger, more confident, more experienced, and more resilient. Continue to dream bold, dream big, and bring those visions to life! You ROCK and never forget that!
About the WBENC Women of Color Program
The Women of Color Program
is an outreach and development program designed to build and strengthen a dynamic ecosystem for women of color entrepreneurs. WBENC launched the Women of Color Program in 2017 to create an effective and successful business ecosystem designed to engage, advise and drive the growth of women of color women-owned businesses. Since then, hundreds of women entrepreneurs have attended in-person and virtual sessions at WBENC events, designed to address the challenges faced by many women of color business owners and provide resources and programming to address those challenges.
