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Meet Erin Person of ConnectEO Network

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Person.

Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
This was definitely a journey. As we know, the criminal justice system negatively affects  Black people disproportionately to other communities in this country. I went to college to study criminal justice because I wanted to find a way to make a difference by providing opportunities to help create a future that does not involve criminalizing young black and brown people.

While in college, I remembered a previous  professor tell me the reason she stopped practicing law and became a teacher was so she could help people before they reached the justice system by training and teaching those vulnerable to the system on ways to better equip themselves with tools to help protect themselves against the system.  That interaction inspired me to shift my focus toward getting involved at the community level also instead of relying on a broken system to work.

I started thinking about the impact that lack of wealth and resources have at the community level. After years of exploration, conversations, and research, I decided to create ConnectEO Network as a tool to democratize access to business resources in an effort to create ownership and close the wealth gap.

I’ve had the pleasure to work with some of the most influential companies in the entertainment industry and learned that your network really determines your success. Whether it be in corporate America or entrepreneurship, no one becomes successful on their own. We need a community to get us there, and many times, your network is based on your education, socioeconomic status and location – and for black and brown communities, that network can be very limited. ConnectEO was created to address this issue by helping entrepreneurs of color broaden their networks and gain access to the resources they need to build sustainable businesses.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t characterize my journey as “smooth”. However, I wouldn’t trade the learnings from my experience for anything. One of my toughest challenges was building a tech company while coming from a legal and entertainment background. God placed this vision in my heart and I knew that it is my purpose to create this platform but I had no clue how I was going to do it. I’ve learned so much – even how to code a few things.

Through this experience, I’ve had to build trust in the expertise of others to build out my vision as well as trust in myself. You have to be very resilient and I’ve learned that I am more resilient than I thought. All of the right people were placed in my path to bring this vision to life and I’m grateful for all of the challenges and triumphs thus far.

Another challenge would be building awareness and brand recognition. I’m overcoming this by focusing on the mission, providing great content and offering valuable experiences for our members. It’s also great when publications like VoyageLA write about and feature startups – it helps us get our name out!

ConnectEO Network – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
ConnectEO is a digital platform that helps entrepreneurs of color collaborate to build strategic partnerships, promote their services, and locate essential resources – all to collectively grow their businesses. Our mission is to enable 1 Million entrepreneurs of color to build sustained businesses by 2023. We specialize in building a vetted community of collaborative entrepreneurs and creating impactful and educational content to support entrepreneurs. We are more than a brand; we are a movement.

We are really succeeding at our core mission and are most proud of the connections we’ve made as a result of our network and our events. We have two main events: A SPACE TO WIN™ and The LEAP™. Both events really embrace the spirit of collaboration and connection.

A SPACE TO WIN™ celebrates entrepreneurs who embody the essence of collaboration and community. Its purpose is to show the importance of creating a table and inviting others to sit at that table; there is more than enough space for us all to win. The LEAP™ highlights entrepreneurs who have taken the leap from their corporate jobs to entrepreneurship. It also includes educational and interactive workshops to help entrepreneurs with their business. The connections that have come from these events have resulted in new business ventures and/or great advice shared to help another entrepreneur. I love watching others win. When one wins, we all win!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I worked for many large entertainment companies, including a large satellite distribution company. I’ve also been privileged to be in rooms where major decisions were made. One of my proudest moments was when I was able to successfully advocate for a channel that had powerful and uplifting content and portrayed people of color in a positive light. I recognized the access I had and fully learned how to navigate those conversations and negotiate the deals that would allow me to advocate for underserved communities. The ability to advocate for people when they are not present in the spaces and rooms I am privileged to be in feels rewarding and was the spark that created ConnectEO.

Pricing:

  • Premium – $45/mo
  • Platnum – $99/mo

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Image Credit:
Credit to ConnectEO Network LLC

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