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Business competition lays groundwork for entrepreneurs

By CCBC Stories

December 13^th, 2022

Business competition lays groundwork for entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Takia Ross’ connections to CCBC run deep. Ross is a CCBC alum, a former employee and a past winner of CCBC’s Center for Business Innovations’ Annual Business Plan Competition. She is also a professional make-up artist and owner of Accessmatized Make-up Artistry.

Ross said her journey into entrepreneurship came from a basic need – money. A mother of three, she wasn’t making enough money at her ‘9 to 5’ to be comfortable. She started searching for a “side-hustle” to help cover bills.

“I was praying for a way to increase my revenue,” said Ross.

Ross shared that she always had an affinity for makeup and found herself constantly doing makeup for her friends. One day a friend called and asked if she could do her makeup for New Year’s Eve. That’s when she began to feel like her prayers were being answered. Perhaps she had found her side-hustle.

Admittedly, Ross said she had no formal training in makeup artistry. It was just something she enjoyed.

“I have one friend who let me practice my makeup skills on her every day for about four months,” said Ross. “She let me try out different looks and techniques.”

Ross started posting pictures of her work on social media which led to paying clients.

When Ross heard about CCBC’s Business Plan Competition, she saw it as a way to elevate her business. Before the competition, she didn’t even have a business plan.

Winners of the “Shark Tank” style competition received $1,000 during the time that Ross competed. The program has grown immensely since then with today’s grand prize winners taking home $20,000. But, for Ross, it was never about the money.

“When I entered the competition, it was more about the resources that would become available to me,” said Ross.

After winning the competition, Ross gained access to resources that helped stabilize and grow her business like marketing assistance, financial planning and access to mentors.

“This was my first business so I didn’t have the knowledge base to draw from,” said Ross. “It was great having those resources available to me.”

In 2017, Ross left her job to concentrate on her business full time. Today, Accessmatized is doing well and has a growing list of corporate clients. She also launched a makeup product line called KiKi Thunda.

Ross remains connected to CCBC as an active alum who has mentored others in the Business Plan competition. She is also participating in the Center for Business Innovation’s newest incubator – the Minority, Women and Veteran’s Equal Funding Initiative for small business owners. This initiative works to close the equity gap for past Business Plan Competition winners – 93% who are women or minority – who continue to face barriers in securing capital to sustain and grow their businesses.

“African-American women are boot-strapping their businesses, using their 401K and savings plans to grow,” says Ross. “All of that leads to what we’re seeing now where women are capping out their revenue. Ultimately, there comes a time when you will need other people’s money to help your business grow.”

The Minority, Women and Veteran’s Equal Funding Initiative hopes to open doors to such resources by partnering with the Baltimore region’s Small Business Development Center and providing coaching and mentoring led by former “Shark Tank” entrepreneur Kwame Kuadey.

As for Ross’ future business goals, she sees Accessmatized evolving into a multi-million-dollar business.

“I believe wholeheartedly that one million dollars is nothing. If you push toward that end goal, you’re going to get it. I wake up every morning believing there is nothing that I can’t do. You have to tell yourself it’s possible." —Takia Ross

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