A vision emerges at Invest Fest

It didn't take long to find the perfect inspiration on Day 1.

ATLANTA — Janasha Bradford’s booth was the first to catch my eye.

Her younger sister, who self-described as “the mouthpiece,” made sure I stopped to glean more understanding of their family business.

Janasha Bradford is a financial advisor at Edward Jones and the owner of Mahogany and Friends, an independently, Black-owned publishing company aiming to bridge the gap in financial literacy for children by amplifying diverse voices while making it fun, accessible and inclusive.

Her mission mirrors mine. Only she’s further along on her journey.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all that Bradford offered at her booth inside the vendor marketplace at Invest Fest over the weekend. Her products included two children’s books, T-shirts, decorative character pillows, dolls and stuffed animals. I knew instantly I needed to step up my game.

Bradford was one of hundreds of entrepreneurs I encountered at my first Invest Fest. In addition to her sister, she also had her mother working the booth. All three, like so many of their peers at this annual conference, were savvy salespeople.

I didn’t plan on spending money in the vendor marketplace. I’m proudly frugal and quite content. I don’t need much. My wants are few. I focus instead on my needs. I’m a practical spender, and I love getting the maximum value out of every dollar I spend.

But I couldn’t resist supporting Bradford. She is at a place I want to be, and when I get there I’ll covet the same show of support. Plus, her mission, passion, creativity and various offerings warranted a purchase.

And so on Friday, the first day of the three-day Invest Fest, I took the opportunity to buy a gift for Parker. I spent $27.21 on Bradford’s debut book, “Mahogany Goes to Wall Street.”

Parker loves reading and has surprised me with how much she’s taken a liken to Money Talks and improving her financial literacy at only 9 years old. It felt like the perfect souvenir, which I’ll proudly give Parker on Thursday, soon after we get home from school and just before she reads this column.

More than any other vendor, Bradford’s booth gave me a vivid vision of the possibilities available to us as we strive to scale our business.

Janasha “Jay” Bradford’s booth for her company, Mahogany and Friends, inside the vendor marketplace at Invest Fest in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday, Aug., 25.

I walked away inspired.

I’ve come a long way with Money Talks in a short amount of time. But walking the floor of the expansive vendor marketplace inside the Georgia World Congress Center made me realize how much harder I must grind to get where I want to go. I’m capable of delivering so much more than a twice-weekly newsletter and occasional podcast. In time, it will happen.

Being around thousands of like-minded people, however, forced me to think long and hard. My basic conclusion: what am I waiting for?

Bradford was one of several vendors whose target audience was children and their families. There’s nothing stopping me from joining them next year.

I met Kanika Mobley, co-founder of Stories of a Colorful World, an online store for children of color from babies to 13 years old. Mobley, an educator for more than two decades, shared a startling stat. She said 75 percent of children’s books consist of white characters or animals.

That number is low, according to one feasibility study commissioned in 2020, which found that 83.4 percent of children’s books were about white characters, animals and things. The same study found that 88 percent of children’s books were published by non-BIPOC people. According to 2022 diversity statistics by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 66 percent of children’s books were about white characters, animals, an object or had no primary character/subject.

Will anyone dare deem that progress?

I also met a 13-year-old, brother-sister twin duo pitching products for their respective companies. Kennedi Harris introduced herself to me as the CEO of K-Lock Products, which includes kids multivitamins, dolls, seasoning and books on business ownership. Caden, meanwhile, is the CEO of Caden Teaches Finance. He can be seen on Episode 5 of the “Big RV Remix” on Hulu. He’s already selling a financial literacy course, books, flashcards and T-shirts.

Imagine where those children will be in 10 years at the rate they’re going.

Neighboring vendors sold trademarked games aimed at helping children become financially literate. A memory game dubbed Financial Rewire was on display. A board game called Black Wall Street also was there.

That was just the companies I saw targeting children.

Other businesses inside the vendor marketplace included several clothing companies, commercial trucking, tax services, estate planning, trademark services, health and wellness, jewelry, art, stationary and accessories, coffee, social media management, crypto, concierge services, hair and skin care products and a company called Digital Dope.

I spent hours walking up and down the aisles, greeting each entrepreneur with a warm smile and, at times, a firm handshake. I was happy to simply be in such an inspiring environment, with so many innovative people.

But to join their ranks as a successful hustler, I’ve got a lot of work to do.

I can do it.

A room full of Black business-owners just showed me the blueprint.