Koran Bolden’s Best Year Ever Celebration Seminar was held in St. Louis, MO this past weekend with a stellar guest panel and a very empowering presentation. Koran Bolden is a former national recording artist and native to St. Louis, MO turned national award winning speaker, author and the Chief Motivational Officer of Dream Success World Wide. This seminar was my first encounter with many of the guest panel as well as Bolden himself. I went into this seminar with great expectations and to say that my expectations were not exceeded would be an understatement. Each and every speaker that had a mic placed in their hand left the room scrambling to jot down the wisdom that quickly began to fill the atmosphere. St. Louis’ own April Simpson, formerly of Channel 2 News, officiated the very powerful presentation.
The guest panel who dropped just as many gems as Bolden himself included: Niddy, serial entrepreneur who owns St. Louis’ Cork and Slice Resturant, and HushSTL. Rocki Jones, Senior Business Analyst, Sales Strategist, and Enterprise Program Management. J Nicks aka Stuey Rock, CEO of Fresherr Den U Ent, and #1 Hip Hop Radio Personality on Hot 107.9 in Atlanta, Georgia. Khalia Collier, Owner and General Manager of St. Louis’ Surge Pro Basketball. Melanie Renee’ Stith, owner of St. Louis’ Marquee Restaurant and owner of Bliss Luxurious Hair Co. Travis Tyler, better known as King Thi’sl, producer and songwriter of St. Louis. Keisha Mabry, author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. Orlando Watson, award winning producer and CEO of Rockhouse ENT. And special guest speaker, Miss Diddy, CEO of the Brand Group, Entreprenuer and Lifestyle Specialist. (pictured below)
The Best Year Ever Celebration’s attendees exuded energy that could be compared to being at the NBA Finals, 5 seconds left, LBJ has the ball and hits the game winning shot at the buzzer! It was an undeniable energy in the building but no fans were present. Instead it was a moment in time where like minded people assembled together of different places in their lives and businesses, but all had the same goals: Being all in. Betting on themselves. Winning in life. The energy was beyond contagious! Bolden wasted no time pouring into the eagerly awaiting audience starting with a motivational speech that he executed very well all while finding time to throw in a couple of dance moves! The motivational speech consisted of a story brought on by his youngest daughter. Bolden’s daughter recently learned that when there is a fire to stop, drop, and roll.
This was perfectly placed as a concept in the life of a striving entrepreneur. There were so many aha moments to take away from his impactful speech. The stop, drop, and roll concept was one of many gems dropped left for the room to take in and utilize. Bolden explained that “many times when people see the fire within someone the first reaction is to put out the flame.” He encouraged the audience that in the pursuit of success you have to do exactly these things: “Don’t stop pursuing your dreams, Don’t drop your values or morals in reaching goals, and Don’t roll with the wrong types of people.Keep the flame alive.” At the end of this seminar stop, drop, and roll took on a whole different meaning! Bolden continuously delivered what some would consider mindset changing information. So cleverly, yet genuinely placed in the atmosphere for someone to reach out and grab it. The mindset is the true game-changer. Everything starts there from dreams to goals to visions, failures and successes. We are all capable of doing whatever we set our mind to do.
Before awarding and celebrating black business owners displaying varieties of black excellence here in St. Louis, MO, Bolden dropped yet another piece of wisdom. “Be patient, the day you plant your seed is not the same day you will eat of the fruit.” This is by far my newest favorite quote! Why? Because on the entrepreneurial road, it can get discouraging at times. It can be very hard in finding balance between life and making a life. As beautiful as entrepreneurship is, it does have its days just like the 9-5’s. The quote reminds you that if you are consistent in working for the dream, the dream has no choice but to bear its fruit and present itself. Quitting is not an option, hard work will pay off but only if you commit to sticking with it. This is definitely my quote for 2018, The Best Year Ever!
I encourage you to follow this young man as I’m sure he is nowhere near out of wisdom to share and be sure to look for The Best Year Ever Celebration to come to a city near you! To name a few of the recipients that were recognized not only by Bolden but Missouri Senator Jamilah Nasheed were: Elizabeth Gibson of Closet Grafitti, Aundrea Chanaye of Live Victoriously Cosmetics, and Brittany White of Elite Fleet Trucking.
To the entrepreneurs reading this, I leave you with wisdom from the stellar panel. Take what you need and share the rest!
Khalia Collier: “The time is NOW, why wait?”
King Thi’sl: “Live in your truth. Be the best version of you”
Steuy Rock: ” Change your mindset. Keep a winning mentality”
Niddy: “Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom”
Rocki: “Stay sharp. Be an apprentice first. Read books related to the field you desire to be in”
Melanie: “Don’t be afraid of change. Find something you are passionate about”
Miss Diddy: “Sitting in a powerful seat is vital for the black woman. We have to make that whatever we are doing, we are driving towards sitting in a powerful seat.”
Keisha: “Just start. Stay consistent. Stay committed”
Orlando: “Set your plan and be about your business”