TSP Live 2023 of Black Entrepreneurs concludes in North Metro Atlanta

Father and son Kurk and Ayron Johnson of Atlanta WingChun (Atlantawingchun.com)

Billed as 'The Ultimate Sales and Marketing Event for Black Entrepreneurs", an economic conference with seminars was held June 22-24 at The Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, Ga. It concluded with a major indoor ballroom music fest.

VIP Access 3-day event tickets at $1,750 and General Admission tickets at $850 were sold out.

The Elite Eight of Black Businesses at event

Even if you were unable to get tickets to the seminars which featured the organization's co-founders Ronnie and Lamar Taylor, you could be dazzled by the expensive cars parked out front. 

Wingcom Watchdog's Tomi Johnson

It made you feel that black businesses are alive and well, even after COVID-19 shuttered many. According to the Pew Research Center, 58% of Black adults support "buying Black". 

In 2020, "there were an estimated 140,918 U.S. firms" considered black owned with an estimated $141.1 billion which accounted for  only 3% of all U.S. firms. The U.S. black population in 2020 was 14.2%. (Elon Musk is estimated by Forbes to be worth $234b.)

Featured event guests and contributors were all tied to the entertainment industry: Cathy Hughes (est. net worth - $460m), founder and Chair of Urban One Inc. and considered the second richest black woman in the U.S.; Jermaine Dupree (est. net worth $2.5m), music recording executive; and Issa Rae (est. net worth $4m), actress and producer.

The next major event will happen in the same place in January 2024. The Hotel at Avalon is developed and operated by Crescent Real Estate LLC (est. net worth $10b) of Fort Worth, Texas and Cresent GP Invitation Fund II.