BCD Alliance highlights:
This week BCD Alliance is highlighting business owner India McWhorter and her business India Camille Events. She as a black-business owner reflects the power of taking a business idea and making it successful through networking and gaining community support. What started off as her planning her own wedding back in 2009 became the catalyst for starting her own business. She didn’t enjoy her 9-5 job and was determined to make her dream of being a business owner with her passion in event planning come true.
After leaving her HR position in 2018, India set on to achieve her business and make it the successful one it is today. She discussed with her husband her business ideas and not long after, her business was born. She began utilizing Instagram as a way to promote her business and make business connections. She credits social media platforms such as Instagram for her business growth and success. Between 2020-2021, India has successfully been able to achieve 700 followers. She says her advice to all entrepreneurs and those growing their business is consistency, networking with people, and building a community.

India McWhorter and her India Camille Events Team
India mentions , “I would say reach out to other people. And I mean, everybody’s not going to give you the same response, but it takes no’s before you get a yes, thank God (my mentor) was a yes before no, but reach out to people because you can’t do a business alone. And just allow yourself to build a community.”
According to PEW Research Center, “Americans’ use of social media in 2021 and found that Instagram has a strong following among young adults between the ages of 18 to 29, with 71 percent of them reporting that they use the application. The report also noted that, “73 percent of 18- to 29-year-old Instagram users say they visit the site every day, with roughly half (53 percent) reporting they do so several times per day.”
India’s best words of encouragement to business owners are “Social media has been a free platform for advertising. And it’s been so helpful for me at this point. My clients come from social media. I don’t even know my clients anymore,” India said. “It used to be, of course, people you know, your small circle, the people around you, family members kind of advocating for you to let people know I know somebody. But at this point, I will say the consistency from my social media has been what’s carried me.”

BCD Alliance highlights:
BCD Alliance welcomes new member Lillie Nkenchor, owner of Lillie N. Nkenchor, PC. Lillie is a Estate and Business Planning Attorney, Public Speaker, and Financial Literacy Advocate. Her business provides estate and probate planning services (Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxies, Living Wills, Estate Administration, Probate, and also business creation services. She provides estate and business planning services to clients located in New Jersey, New York, and Washington, DC. The business’s mission statement is ” Where planning your vision is our purpose.” You can connect with Lillie on our website and engage in conversations through our forums.

BCD Alliance News:
Let’s talk about upcoming events such as ” Master Minds” and ” Lunch and Learns”
Our Master Mind Groups focus on bringing small groups of all black-business owners to develop and implement systems within their business for growth. Mastermind groups offers a unique combination of brainstorming, peer-peer education and support within a group setting to sharpen professional and business skills. These event sessions are designed to help you grow your business networks, improve and develop new skills, and to discover ways in which your peers can help advance your business to the next level.
Our Lunch and Learns are where you as a business owner can benefit from training sessions, meetings, presentations while enjoying lunch. It’s all about breaking bread while learning how to best improve your business and become a successful business owner. We invite you to join us and invite other black-business owners in your circle who would be interested. Get your pens, notes, and lunches ready!
Please visit www.bcdalliance.org to connect with Lillie and learn more about BCD Alliance.