Elevating Black Men-Owned Businesses at the First Legacy Purpose Success Men’s Entrepreneurship Summit

by Jarquita Brown

In June, Higher Purpose Co. hosted its first Legacy Purpose Success (LPS) Men’s Entrepreneurship Summit at the Coahoma County Higher Education Center in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The summit’s purpose is to celebrate Black men by creating an atmosphere where they can come together to learn and grow as entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Brandan “BMike” Odums speaking at LPS Men’s Entrepreneurship Summit.

In 2018, HPC gathered a small group of young and adult men to set the foundation for the development of the Legacy Purpose Success Summit. This year, entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from across Mississippi attended the summit to gain insight, motivation, tools, and resources from nationally recognized top businessmen and entrepreneurs on launching and elevating their businesses to the next level.

“It was an honor to bring together some of the most brilliant, purpose-driven, and creative Black men in the world for the first Legacy Purpose Success Men’s Entrepreneurship Summit,” said Higher Purpose Co. Founder & CEO Tim Lampkin.

The summit started with a panel discussion called Social Media Power Moves featuring nationally recognized comedian Kerwin Claiborne and CEO of Carpe Diem Management, Elton Pope. It ended with a keynote, The Art of Purpose, from nationally recognized visual artist Brandan“BMike” Odums.

Other summit topics included Branding and Marketing presented by HPC Branding Coordinator Dewon Hall, Business Fundingwith Small Business Loan Officer Keoni Gray, Digital Entrepreneurship with Founder of Novel Network, David Jones II, and Self Care and Grooming with Jerrold Glee.

David Jones II speaking at 2022 LPS Men’s Entrepreneurship Summit.

Jones said, “This is just bizarrely beautiful to see the fruit of an idea and a dream of somebody who put their foot in the ground that said ‘I have a vision. I know that my vision is beyond taking care of me and myself and my people. I want to make sure other people come to the table and benefit as well, and I think that’s the spirit of this whole event.”

Entrepreneurs Phillip Rollins of Jackson and Mario Watkins of Indianola discussed being Mississippi Made and Multi-Award Winning Music Producer Sean Keys and owner of I Think For You Consulting, Christopher Coleman, discussed Faith and Business.

Keys expressed his excitement about the summit. He said, “It’s an honor to be a part of empowering our people to become everything that God has for them despite their current conditions or circumstances.”

Many of the attendees were asked about their overall experience of the summit. They were grateful that HPC provided a safe place for them for a day to gain more insight into how to become more successful in life and as business owners.

Owner of the Birthplace of America Music Festival, Jecorry Miller, said, “The LPS Summit was a great experience. It was very informative, all of the speakers were very knowledgeable, and everyone’s stories were motivational.”

Miller continued, “My favorite session was the digital entrepreneurship session with David Jones. He showed the audience how to reach a larger audience through mass communication, which I feel will help me even more now as a business owner. I also enjoyed the Social Media Power Moves panel because it gave me a great partnership opportunity.”

Attendee and CEO of C Design Uniquely Tailored Arts of Greenville, Cleveland Phinisee, thanked HPC for an “amazing experience.” Phinisee said, “I gained mind-blowing intel and gems I’m ready to use.”

The summit concluded with a special musical performance from hip-hop artist Dear Silas. Miller added, “Dear Silas had such great energy on stage. He put on a great performance at the summit.”

Higher Purpose Co would like to send a special thank you to photographers Terrence Walker for the event photos and Trent Calvin of Trent Calvin Photography for capturing headshots of each attendee.

Learn more about the summit and each speaker at LegacyPurposeSuccess.com.