On Saturday, July 10, the Business Crossing Network hosted its first networking event at Jirani Coffeehouse in Manassas, VA. Local entrepreneurs from a variety of industries came together to share their businesses and establish new connections with one another. 

“To help small business owners entrepreneurs have a space where they feel honored, empowered and refreshed is my whole mission,” said founder of the Business Crossing Network and host of the event, Liletta Harlem. 

The event kicked off with a pitch competition in which attendees were given the opportunity to sell their businesses and services in a quick elevator pitch onstage. From local realtors to photographers to beauty consultants and stylists, there was an array of pitches. The winner of the competition that was determined by the audience was Ernisha Hall, the founder and president of the Virginia Black Business Directory. 

“It was amazing being able to put a face to the names of a lot of people that we follow on social media,” remarked Ernisha Hall. During her pitch, Ernisha advertised the upcoming Virginia Black Business Expo that will be taking place on September 11-12 in Fredericksburg, VA. 

Another pitch from the competition came from Carylee Carrington–host and creator of the Read with Carylee Show. “My platform is about diversity in children’s books,” she said on the show that authors of diverse backgrounds read their books. Carrington recently completed a kickstarter to film the show in Prince William County and be distributed to several networks.

On display at the event were paintings by Manassas-based artist Rene Dickerson. He spoke briefly about the three works on display, “The Jazz Singer,” “Blue Cat,” and Rehearsal of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Jazz Ensemble.” 

“I wanted to be a part of the community and this is an opportunity,” he said on attending the event. 

The event concluded with one more activity–a speed networking game in which attendees were encouraged to exchange the contact information with as many people as possible. The winner was Twona Gaskins, the owner of Twona’s Healhy Cleaning, a local cleaning service. 

“I always say that it’s easier for entrepreneurs to ride the wave together,” said Ken Moorman, the owner of Jirani Coffeehouse, where the event was hosted. “Events like this really make a difference.” 

Business Crossing Network has a variety of upcoming events for local businesses and entrepreneurs to gain valuable insight and establish new connections. On Friday, July 16, it will be hosting a free virtual workshop on forming an LLC.

To learn more about upcoming events and how to register, click here.