Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Carter II.
Hi Benjamin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a native of south Mississippi. I moved my family to the Atlanta area almost 20 years ago. After working in the auto industry for a number of years and later in corporate offices in hospitality. I was blessed to leave the corporate rat race through a direct sales company my wife and I joined. Thus, allowing me the time freedom to explore some creative ideas that seemed to have haunted me for years. Cignature Saturdays Networking Events is the brainchild of my life experiences and my desire to grow black-owned businesses in the Atlanta area. Networking is such an underrated tool in our community. We seem to go about building on our own, and if/when it works out, we do a poor job of sharing the blueprint with others. I’ve set out to provide exposure to these businesses while allowing them the opportunity to share knowledge with the business community, as well as consumers.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Cignature Saturdays is growing and gaining followers in various areas. As with most new projects, things started out slow… low attendance, views were low on social media. However, consistency is key! We have added more avenues to share content and are seeing exponential growth. Though based in Atlanta, we have drawn interest in Charlotte, Chicago, Memphis, New Jersey, Houston, and the DMV, to name a few. My goal is to take things to the next level, gathering black business owners throughout the country and providing a larger platform to display what we collectively bring to the table. We have so much to offer. There are many top-notch small businesses out there that simply lack the exposure.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I host a monthly networking event called Cignature Saturdays. Cignature Saturdays is held at black-owned cigar lounges and provide a platform for black business owners to display/discuss their various businesses. In addition to hosting, I interview the lounge owner(s) live, as well as a featured guest. The featured guest is a black business owner or representative of a black-owned business. My goal was to put real action behind all of the cliches and verbiage we hear all of the time, you know. “Buy Black”, “Support Black Business”, “Recycle Black Dollars”… it all sounds good in theory… But unless we know these businesses exist, we won’t know how to support them. I hired a media company to film my interviews with the lounge owners, as well as the featured guests, and distribute it thru all Cignature Saturday’s social media. Thus, providing the lounge owners and featured guests more exposure to the masses. What sets Cignature Saturdays apart is that we are intentional in what we are doing. We do this in a relaxed environment, where people are enjoying a pass time and learning about businesses they may have never heard of. Cignature Saturdays cast a net to all of our community. Even if a person doesn’t actually attend the event…they may be in the barber shop, at work, or at church, and mention a product or service needed in the presence of an attendee. The attendee can then provide them with information on a black own business that may suit their needs. That’s the essence of it!! For our people to ALWAYS “know a guy”!!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in a small city in south Mississippi. The area was not the most diverse, but I was an outgoing kid and made friends rather easily. Being a bit observant, I often questioned the norms of my surroundings. Over 95% of the businesses in our city were owned and operated by none minorities. While growing up with my friends/classmates, playing sports, boy scouts, etc. I was given a clear picture of the vast difference in how our counterparts worked together in business. All of my friends’ Dads seemed to “know a guy.” No matter the product or service needed, they knew someone that could provide it. This intrigued me, as I fully understood just how much of the local economy was controlled by one group. There was literally a network, without there being a name nor a guide for it. They recycled their dollars and brought in ours as well. I often wondered what that would look like for us. How would it be, if Black men within a city, or area, all “knew a guy”. The thought of it stayed on my mind through my teens and 20s. Moving to the Atlanta area provided such an opportunity. And once I chose the right meeting place to display our various businesses, the rest was history.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cignaturesaturdays?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ben-Carter-II-100234419391509/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCaXIn9rXSrl3z5LcKVv4ovw
Image Credits
Christopher Jones Drone Jones Media, LLC dronejonesmedia.com
