There was a time when Tachina Mack preferred a sure thing, professionally – regular work hours and checks that arrived on regular paydays.
Risk-taking wasn’t a path she traveled in her career. But years later she’s the owner of Gifted Dezyns Graphics and Printing, a company that operates in three states.
At the GoGetHER Conference 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21 Mack and Catrina Tillman will encourage others to take similar risks by pursuing their own career and personal dreams. Primarily designed to inspire women ages 18 to 45, the program at First Trinity Baptist Church, 1226 Beech St., where Tillman’s husband Ezra is pastor, is open to any business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, or other participant.
“We live in a social media-driven world where you see a lot of women promoting things like this together,” Mack says.
The difference between GoGetHER and dozens of other seminars organized around supporting women’s ambitions and professional achievement is the depth of information that will be provided at the April event, she says.
Segmented into three interrelated workshops with the themes “Finance the Dream,” “Activate the Dream,” and “Establish the Dream,” GoGetHER aims to help participants overcome the most common obstacles to success. Research shows about 11 million women start businesses every year, Mack says, but black women are the least successful in generating financial dividends.
“So Catrina and I asked, ‘What is lacking that prevents our women from being more successful?’” Mack says.
GoGetHER guests include Flint small business consultant Ebonie Gipson, Detroit non-profit operator Danielle Hughes, and Atlanta financial consultant Chanel Uboh, who will share guidance and recommendations based on knowledge in their respective fields and their personal experiences.
A panel discussion and presentations by branding consultant Brittany Alexis and “Fashion Savvy” blogger Tamela Tatum, who will discuss “How Your Outer Appearance Should Match your Inner Gift,” are scheduled, too.
Tillman is author of the book Her Walk: The Journey Within, a self-help title that recently sold 500 copies in its first month of publication. She and Mack are long-time friends with a common interest in promoting sisterhood.
“We both have a heart for women,” says Tillman. “We both have a heart to see women developed, not just spiritually, but financially and personally as well.”
The conference’s title is a double entendre that Tillman says describes the “go-getter” spirit of many Flint residents and serves as a directive for women achievers.
“We just believe it’s important that once you gain knowledge and once you reach a level of success, it’s your obligation to reach back and go get the next girl,” she says.
The conference will be held again later in 2018 in Atlanta where Mack is based.
“We decided to start here in Flint because, a lot of the time, the first thing people think about when they hear the city’s name is the water crisis, which is an ongoing problem,” Tillman says. “So we wanted to highlight some positivity here.”
In addition to what the co-organizers say will be a great learning opportunity for entrepreneurs, there’s a business incentive for attending GoGetHER. A raffle will be held to decide who receives a cash gift to be used toward the winner’s professional efforts and the conference will also supply one participant with a “brand in the box” featuring a custom-designed logo, business cards, website and domain name hosted for one year.
Gipson, the Flint-based conference guest, will mentor and give free consultation to one person for a month through Gipson’s company I’m Building Something, LLC.
The conference will also present the 2018 GoGetHER Award to a woman business owner who will be announced.
“At the end of the day, it’s not easy to become an entrepreneur,” Mack says. “It’s a lot of hard work and sacrifices.”
Tillman encourages non-business operators to attend as well, saying too often those in the Flint community and elsewhere fail to explore their potential to excel with their gifts and vision.
“A lot of times, as women because we’re givers, we’re always pouring out, whether it be to our husbands, our children, or our jobs,” Tillman says. “And our dreams get lost.
“We all were born with purpose, and I think a lot of times we find ourselves existing, but not really living.”
Editor’s Note: TheHUB Flint is a media sponsor of the GoGetHER Conference. For additional information or to register for the conference visit: gogetherconference.com.
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