By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
In 2021, Ezell’s Famous Chicken Co-Founders Lewis and Darnell Rudd, along with their sister Faye Stephens, in collaboration with DoorDash and community partnerships introduced the Rudd’s R.U.B.B. (Raising Up Black Businesses) Initiative, a precedent-setting initiative whose objective is to financially empower Black, women and minority-owned businesses with no-strings attached grants to businesses in the Pacific Northwest.
According to Rudd, the program was a much-needed success with hundreds of businesses applying for the grants. However, in working with many of the grant recipients Rudd realized that in addition to financial support, access to information was also very important for many Black-owned businesses in the community to survive and prosper. In response, Rudd, his family and community partners are launching their Inaugural Black Business Leadership Conference to continue to elevate and educate Black business owners in the state of Washington – and Ezell’s Famous Chicken is offering full scholarships for the first fifty (50) registrants that need assistance.
“Last year we started the R.U.B.B. Initiative with the focus on giving out grants to Black businesses,” said Rudd. “Through that process there were over 500 applications filled out and with that came an understanding on the importance of access to information as well as access to capital and capital infusion.”
“This is August National Black Business Month, so we think this was the opportune time to launch these conferences,” Rudd continued. “Just think how many business owners can benefit from having access to information, and then networking and elevating themselves so the leadership conference was born out of experiences I had going to conferences.”
Rudd, who has been in business for over 38 years, is no stranger to the benefits of networking and taking advantage of opportunities presented by others to improve his business. After waiting six years for initial funding, the family opened their first store on February 3, 1984, in Seattle’s Central District. Since opening, Ezell’s has made many famous friends including Oprah Winfrey, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones, Norm from “Cheers”, Danny Glover, George Foreman, and the Seattle Seahawks, and has established a strong tradition of giving back to the community.
Black business owners face challenges on many fronts, and these challenges were made worse by the pandemic. There is a growing understanding that barriers to advancement have been systemic and layered, causing a crisis in the way the wealth gap is perceived and distributed, but when Black business owners have access to the resources, information, and tools they need; they can succeed.
With the conference, Rudd hopes to expand the number of Black-owned businesses that have the knowledge and access to resources that they need but may not be aware of.
“Reflecting on just how many conferences that I’ve gone to over the years where, in many cases, I would be one of 3-5 Black business owners or Black people in the room, I began to understand the importance and need for Black business owners to be able to come into a space where they can gain access to information and resources that they may not even know are there,” say Rudd.
“There are a lot of examples that I see why this is needed and why it would really be beneficial and there are many areas that will be impacted if Black businesses owners really focused on structuring their businesses to scale and grow,” Rudd continues.
According to Rudd, the conference will offer networking opportunities, educational content, connection sessions, and will feature program sessions on the following topics:
• Brand, Sales and Marketing
• Professional Development
• Legal and Operations
• Financial Management
• Brand Like a Large Corporation
• Upgrade Your Bio
• Maximize Your Trademarks
• Join the 800 Credit Score Elite
• Expand Your Business through TikTok
• Deliver World-Class Experiences
• Become a Franchisor or Franchisee
• Finesse Your Business Credit
• Appeal to International Demographic
• Automate Your Systems and Enhance User Experience
• Consider Partnership Agreements and other Legal Documents
• Access to Alternative Capital (Panel)
• Develop an App for your business
• Manage Your Emotional Intelligence
• Manage Risk and Continuity Planning
• Increase Your Cash Flow
• Convert more through Your Sales Funnel
• Deep Dive into Government Contracting
• Save Money on Taxes + Other Bookkeeping Tips
The workshop is just another way for Rudd to give back to the community that has given so much to him, and he is encouraging as many businesses as possible to participate in the workshop.
“We are just paying it forward,” says Rudd. “This is important for many reasons, but topic trends like “closing the wealth gap” and the disparities in how the wealth is distributed, I think for us to have a real impact in the area of closing the wealth gap, it is important to create more businesses and for those that exist, to really help shift the focus from operating a business to growing a business.”
The conference will take place on Sat., Aug. 20 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Miller Nash LLP Pier 70, 2801 Alaskan way #300, Seattle, WA 98121. Scholarship request can be emailed to RUBB@ezellsfamouschicken.com.
