Husband and wife duo Michael and Shalonda Burnside say they opened Lil Pop Gourmet Popcorn to teach their daughters about entrepreneurship.
Shalonda Burnside
As a new mom, Shalonda Burnside was struggling to reenter the workforce. Burnside had worked as a Lowe’s project coordinator and Household Depot promoting coordinator just before going into teaching and then possessing two daughters. But she normally knew she wanted to develop into an entrepreneur.
With the enable of her husband, Michael, who functions in finance in Fort Worth, the Burnsides started to believe outdoors the box and decided to get started a business enterprise primarily based on a shared passion.
“We began Lil Pop for the reason that of our appreciate for popcorn as a loved ones and a want to teach our two daughters entrepreneurship,” Burnside stated. “We knew this would be the great chance for us to apply our experiences from the corporate planet and get started a gourmet popcorn organization.”
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Husband and wife duo Michael and Shalonda Burnside say they opened Lil Pop Gourmet Popcorn to teach their daughters about entrepreneurship. Shalonda Burnside
Lil Pop Gourmet Popcorn specializes in handmade popcorn with a signature line like birthday cake, cinnamon churro and cookies and cream flavors. Buyers can also generate their personal popcorn by deciding upon a base and toppings.
Nearby consumers can order on the internet and obtain their popcorn inside two days, and the business enterprise not too long ago started shipping across the U.S. The Burnsides also sell their treats at pop-ups in the Fort Worth region.
Now, the loved ones business enterprise has won the city of Fort Worth’s annual business enterprise program competitors. The organization received a grand prize of $ten,000 to assistance its business enterprise endeavors. This is also the 1st time a Black-owned business enterprise has won in the competition’s 12-year history.
By way of the competitors, 20 nearby compact corporations completed six weeks of coaching and coaching in business enterprise improvement. The leading eight finalists pitched their business enterprise notion to a panel of judges and reside audience on Might 11 and submitted written plans for judge evaluation.
“Being in that atmosphere to share our highs, lows, and dreams with the group was pretty motivational and gave us the validation that we have been on the appropriate path,” Burnside stated. “Winning the competitors has offered us the chance to pour sources into the organization sooner than we anticipated. We’ve noticed an instant raise in interest in our organization which has resulted in a lot more sales.”
Lil Pop Gourmet Popcorn specializes in handmade popcorn with a signature line like birthday cake, cinnamon churro and cookies and cream flavors. Shalonda Burnside
Shalonda’s function as CEO and founder of the organization offers her the chance to balance getting a remain-at-dwelling mom and constructing the business enterprise. Meanwhile, husband Michael balances his complete-time finance job whilst serving as the business’ chief economic officer.
“Our plans are to develop the organization substantial sufficient for each of us to operate in the business enterprise complete time inside the subsequent 5 years,” Burnside stated.
Saria Hawkins pitches Manifest Your Goal, a stationary organization that targets Black girls. Rachel DeLira Fort Worth Financial Improvement Division
A $six,000 second-spot prize went to Manifest Your Goal, a luxury stationery and workplace accessories business enterprise run by Saria Hawkins. Expanding up, Hawkins saw a lack of representation of Black girls in the stationary sector and wanted to generate stationary goods to reflect her culture and likeness.
Manifest Your Goal specializes in luxury stationary that represents Black girls. Whitney Blocker Whitney B Jordan
Hawkins sells her goods on her internet site and Amazon, and attends several vendor events every year. Hawkins saw a 275% income raise through the 1st year of operating her business enterprise. She has delivered a lot more than three,700 stationary orders to girls about the planet and in some cases completes 200 orders per month.
Brian Frank’s business enterprise Knarly Vans won third spot in the 2023 Fort Worth business enterprise program competitors. Rachel DeLira Fort Worth Financial Improvement Division
Knarly Vans, a organization that outfits passenger vans, won a third-spot prize of $four,000. Organization owner Brian Frank stated his company’s outfitting is ADA compliant and aids fill holes in passenger van floors when the seats are lifted for wheelchairs. The organization also sells insulated window covers and other goods.
The business enterprise has sold to 11 nations, like many in Europe exactly where van life is preferred. The organization has generated $30,000 in income and expects to produce $200,000 subsequent year if the business enterprise stays on track.
Just after every of the eight finalists presented their pitches, audience members had a likelihood to vote for their favorites.
Michelle Holloway pitches her business enterprise, Way of life Transitions, which won the preferred vote from audience members. Rachel DeLira Fort Worth Financial Improvement Division
Way of life Transitions owner Michelle Holloway won the preferred vote. Holloway performs dwelling inspections for seniors and tends to make suggestions to stop falls and raise security. Holloway is an occupational therapist on track to obtain her post-skilled doctorate degree. A 60-minute session fees $290, and solutions are authorized by insurance coverage.
The remaining finalists integrated homemade candy organization Hallelujah! Brittles and Sweets, mental overall health agency Honeybee Wellness & Consulting, plant-primarily based foods distributor Pure Vegan Pantry and self-publishing organization RIPE Publishing Property.
Seventeen of the 20 corporations who participated in the 2023 competitors have been minority- or girls-owned corporations, the strongest diversity of Fort Worth’s business enterprise program competitors to date. This was also the 1st time the competitors integrated representation from seven of the city’s council districts.
“It’s thrilling to see the Fort Worth Organization Program Competitors attract a group of competitors that holistically reflects our city’s business enterprise neighborhood,” stated Andrea Duffie, communications specialist for the city’s financial improvement division. “That is in particular accurate for minority and girls-owned corporations, who have historically struggled to access these types of sources and coaching when it comes to increasing and scaling their providers.”
Judges and audience members watched eight compact corporations pitch their business enterprise ideas on Might 11 at the city’s annual business enterprise program competitors. Rachel DeLira Fort Worth Financial Improvement Division
To qualify for the competitors, corporations had to be two to 5 years old with an annual income of much less than $500,000. All of the corporations had to be positioned inside Fort Worth.
The financial improvement division for the city of Fort Worth organized the competitors with sponsorship from Frost Bank. Supporting partners TechFW, HSC Innovates, Tarrant County Little Organization Improvement Center, SCORE Fort Worth, the North Texas Entrepreneur Education and Coaching Center and AccelerateDFW Foundation contributed mentorship and coaching.