How Goldman Sachs Black in Business Changed My Life, My Business, and My Vision

There are certain seasons in life when you can look back and clearly see the turning point.

For me, one of those moments was being accepted into the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business (BIB) program.

When I applied, I honestly thought I was signing up for a business course. I expected to sharpen my financial knowledge, learn a few new strategies, and hopefully become a better entrepreneur. While all of that happened, what I wasn't expecting was how much the program would change me personally.

It didn't just grow my business. It expanded my vision. I knew I was made for more and they proved it! 

As creatives, we spend so much time focused on the work itself. We're thinking about the next mural, the next collection, the next commission, the next opportunity. Somewhere along the way, we convince ourselves that if we just keep making great work, everything else will somehow fall into place.

Black in Business challenged that mindset. It made me realize that talent might get you in the room, but systems, leadership, and preparation are what keep you there.

Throughout the program, I started looking at Abeille Creations through a completely different lens. I wasn't just building an art business anymore, I was building a company. I began creating standard operating procedures, documenting processes, strengthening my financial foundation, and thinking much more intentionally about how to scale. Looking back now, it's no coincidence that some of the biggest opportunities of my career came shortly after.

This year alone, my business has experienced incredible growth. I've completed my largest public art projects to date, including my 2026 FIFA World Cup murals in Atlanta. I've stepped into larger conversations with brands, cities, and organizations. And instead of feeling overwhelmed by the opportunities, I found myself saying, I've actually prepared for this.

That preparation didn't happen overnight. It happened because someone invested in helping me become a stronger CEO.  But if I'm being honest, the greatest gift of Black in Business wasn't found in a workbook or a presentation. It was the people. I love my Cohort members and the entire Goldman Sachs team! 

I've had the privilege of learning alongside some of the most brilliant entrepreneurs I've ever met. Every conversation challenged me to think bigger. Every cohort session reminded me that I wasn't alone in the highs, the lows, or the growing pains of entrepreneurship.

Even after graduation, that community continues to pour into one another. Being part of the Black in Business Alumni Network has opened doors I never even knew existed. It's not one of those programs where you graduate and never hear from anyone again. Quite the opposite. The alumni community continues to create opportunities for us to stay connected, collaborate, and keep growing together.

That continued investment has completely changed my visibility.

Since graduating, I've had the honor of appearing in a national Goldman Sachs Black in Business commercial, sharing my entrepreneurial journey alongside other inspiring founders. I've been invited back to participate on meaningful panels, represent the program at events, and continue serving as an ambassador for what this initiative is creating across the country.

Those moments have reminded me that visibility isn't about being famous. It's about being positioned so the right people can find you.

One of the things I'm most grateful for is how this community continues to trust me with bigger opportunities. This summer, I'll have the incredible honor of participating in a featured fireside chat during the 72nd Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® International Boule in Las Vegas. To stand on that stage, representing not only my own journey but also a program that has poured so much into me, feels incredibly full circle.

It's amazing how one "yes" can begin a chain reaction of opportunities you never could have planned for yourself.

What I appreciate most about Goldman Sachs is that they understand something I've experienced firsthand: investing in Black women entrepreneurs doesn't just transform businesses, it transforms families, communities, and entire industries.

When you equip women with knowledge, confidence, access, and community, they don't keep those gifts to themselves. They hire people. They mentor others. They create opportunities. They pour back into the neighborhoods that raised them.

I've seen that ripple effect in my own life. Today, I lead my business differently than I did before Black in Business. I make decisions differently. I approach growth differently. I dream differently.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I've taken away is this: success isn't about chasing every opportunity that comes your way. It's about becoming the kind of leader who is ready when those opportunities arrive.

As I look back over the past year, from national commercials and speaking engagements to major public art commissions and joining a high-profile alumni network, I can see God's hand weaving it all together. Black in Business didn't just prepare me for the opportunities I had. It prepared me for the ones I hadn't even imagined yet.

For that, I will always be grateful.

To the Goldman Sachs team, the One Million Black Women initiative, my coaches, mentors, fellow alumni, and every entrepreneur who has encouraged me along the way, thank you for believing in me before some of these milestones even existed.

The murals may be getting bigger. The rooms may be getting larger. The opportunities may be becoming more visible.

But at the heart of it all, I'm still just a little girl who loves to create, and now I'm doing it with a stronger foundation, a bigger vision, and an extraordinary community standing beside me.