SLTC Senior Designer Chelsea Davis reflects on Brilliance in Motion, the Black-owned brands that caught her attention, and why meaningful support must extend beyond one month of visibility.
On August 4, She Did That. and Shopify opened Black Business Month with Brilliance in Motion, an experience bringing together Black-owned brands across fashion, beauty, jewelry, home, wellness, and food and beverage.
The event combined a founder workshop, panel conversation, marketplace, and mixer at Shopify New York. SLTC Senior Designer Chelsea Davis attended and left thinking about more than the products she discovered. The experience raised larger questions about how brands create connection, what sustainable support looks like, and why visible success does not always tell the full story.
We spoke with Chelsea about what stayed with her.
Chelsea: I knew I had arrived before I even walked inside. People were gathered outside the venue in their best New York summer looks, and you could immediately feel that everyone was there to celebrate something meaningful.
Inside, the event was not especially loud, but it felt full. Conversations were happening in every corner. There was laughter, excitement, and a genuine sense of community. It felt like a space where Black founders, customers, and creatives could see and support one another.
Chelsea: What stayed with me was how intentional the brands were about presentation and discovery.
At GLDNHAUS, the candles were displayed under glass cloches, which made the entire experience feel elevated and considered. Their Signat-her candle immediately reminded me of the fragrance oils I grew up seeing around Harlem.
At OUI the People, I met founder and perfumer Karen Young and discovered Island Milk, my first true luxury fragrance.
At Brooklyn Tea, I finally had an opportunity to experience a product I had previously encountered through SLTC’s work with Brooklyn Made Store.
These were not passive interactions. I could touch the products, smell them, taste them, and hear the stories behind them. The experience made each brand more memorable.
Chelsea: Meeting Shanti Mayers of The Sable Collective was a meaningful moment for me. I had followed her work with Around the Way Curls since their Tumblr days.
Our conversation moved naturally from the products to digital marketing, the podcast, and the visibility they are working to build across platforms and within their membership community.
It reminded me that behind every polished product display is a founder thinking about the next stage of the business. They may be asking how to reach the right audience, communicate their value, grow a community, or build a stronger marketing system around work that already matters.
Chelsea: The panel was hosted by Renee Bluitt, featuring other brands like Brandon Blackwood, Ashlee Muhammad of BeEyeConic, and Wilglory Tanjong of Anima Iris.
Several founders spoke honestly about how a company can look successful from the outside, especially on social media, while the reality behind the scenes may be completely different.
For self-funded founders, every marketing decision, hire, and investment carries weight. There is not always a backup plan when revenue slows or a strategy does not perform as expected.
During the Q&A, a founder in the audience shared that she felt stuck in her business. Saying that in a room full of peers was an honest and powerful moment. It reminded me that founders should not have to present a visible struggle before someone thinks to offer meaningful support.
Chelsea: Visibility is a post. Support is a purchase, an introduction, a referral, a retainer, or a real conversation about what is not working.
Black Business Month can create important opportunities for discovery, but one month of attention is not the same as sustained investment.
Brilliance in Motion got that right. It gave brands space to be seen, but it also created opportunities for people to experience their products, hear directly from founders, make purchases, exchange ideas, and build relationships.
Chelsea: I sit on both sides of this conversation. I am the Senior Designer at SLTC, and I am also a freelance designer.
I understand what it feels like to build something independently while trying to determine which decisions will move the work forward. I also know how valuable it can be to have access to specialists who understand performance, strategy, design, and storytelling.
At SLTC, “When You’re Here, You’re Heard” is not only a tagline. It reflects how we work with founders and teams. We listen closely, understand what the business needs, and approach the relationship as a partner rather than simply a vendor.
Chelsea: Follow through on your passions, do not give up, and ask for support when you need it.
But I also hope the broader community takes responsibility for offering support. Founders should not always have to be the first ones to say they are struggling.
Ask what would be helpful. Make the introduction. Share the resource. Buy the product. Refer the business. Start the conversation.
That is how visibility begins to become something more sustainable.
A brand can have a compelling product, a beautiful visual presence, and an active following while still needing greater clarity around its positioning, messaging, audience, or marketing strategy.
We help emerging and established brands turn what makes them distinct into clear strategies that strengthen connection and support measurable growth.
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