In a room full of hugs, high heels and high-level strategy, members of The BOW Collective gathered in Dallas to celebrate sisterhood and sharpen the business blueprint that has helped the organization grow from a small network into a national—and increasingly global—force of Black women entrepreneurs. Between pre-conference energy, a Texas welcome, and a candid conversation about what it takes to scale, leaders and members returned to a consistent theme: Black women-owned businesses are thriving, but the story—and the data—must be documented, protected and multiplied. Our CEO & Publisher Jess Washington had a chance to sit with members of BOW and ask them why they advocate.
“I really knew great people that had great businesses, but they weren’t being reflected… in the metrics, and I wanted them to count,” said Nicole Cober Johnson, Esq., known as “Nic” the founder and CEO of The BOW Collective, describing the gap she saw in the small-business ecosystem and the urgency behind building the organization.
Nic said her motivation crystallized years ago while serving on the National Women’s Business Council, where she noticed that Black women were often missing from the datasets used to determine investment, opportunity and narrative.
“When you don’t document evidence of something, then people believe it never happened,” she said, explaining how the absence of data can erase real success stories—and limit future access to capital, contracts and visibility.
As BOW scales, Nic said she is committed to protecting two principles: “integrity” and “intimacy”—including standards for membership and a culture that members describe as both ambitious and emotionally safe.
“If you protect the integrity of the best in class, our gift back can be more powerful,” she said. “And… intimacy—when you see the love, you are literally gonna see love. The energy is so palpable.”
Entrepreneurship born out of loss—and reclaimed power
For Myoshia Boykin, Founder of AndTech Solutions, LLC and based in Houston, entrepreneurship did not begin as a dream—it began as a necessity.
“My journey into entrepreneurship was not voluntary,” Boykin said, recalling the day her employer announced it was closing. “I determined that nobody would ever control how I earned my living again.”
Boykin, now a 27-year entrepreneur and a BOW member for four years, described success as growth measured day by day—not just in revenue, but in wholeness.
“Success is anything that allows me to be better today than I was yesterday,” she said.
Storytelling as strategy—and the end of the “do it alone” myth
For Keisha A. Rivers, M.Ed., a Dallas-area communications leader and entrepreneur celebrating 20 years in business, the work of BOW is inseparable from storytelling—especially in a world where other people often shape narratives about women, Black entrepreneurs, and what success “should” look like.
“We’re really doing a lot… to be able to tell our own stories so that people can understand fully what the experience is,” Rivers said, pointing to internal communications, content strategy, and digital innovation as key pillars for shaping how members are seen.
Rivers also named one of the most damaging narratives she wants retired: the idea that women entrepreneurs must sacrifice everything and build alone.
“Every time we found other women, it was always presented… as competition… and it’s like, there’s only room for one.”
Instead, she said, BOW offers something many founders don’t realize they need until they experience it—community with no agenda.
“It’s great to have a place where somebody just comes in and gives you a hug… and you don’t have to say a word because they understand,” Rivers said.
Wealth, healing and “family dynasties”
For Dr. LaTanya White, Ph.D., M.B.A., who splits time between Tallahassee, Florida, and the Washington, D.C., area, motivation comes from a long view—generations long.
Her founder story is rooted in dissertation research on “150 years of wealth distribution in America” and what Black entrepreneurs have experienced across that arc.
“There are counterparts… strategically protecting and transferring money in ways that we have not been exposed to,” White said, describing “family dynasties” that maintain wealth across at least three consecutive generations. You can see the depths of her research and output with Dynastic Wealth® framework.
White said the emotional impact of BOW is tied to shifting financial culture—moving from trauma to wellness and building what she believes will outlive everyone in the room.
“Heal people… so we can start healing around money… and amplify that healing,” she said. “There’s so many dynasties in this room.”
Global vision—and a calling to lead with life
Among the Texas voices shaping the future of the BOW Collective is Tiki Favaroth, a founding member and former officer whose influence extends well beyond state lines. A nationally respected executive and 2025 cover feature in Cheryl Magazine, Favaroth has built a reputation for pairing operational rigor with visionary strategy—an approach that mirrors BOW’s evolution from an emerging network to a structured, scalable enterprise.
Reflecting on hosting the collective in her home state, Favaroth described the moment as both personal and symbolic.
“It just feels really good. Really good. Texas style, too,” she said, noting the significance of seeing the organization’s growth come full circle.
But for Favaroth, the work does not stop at state borders. Her next chapter is explicitly global.
“Where I’m going next is international… taking micro and mid-market companies into the economic and global marketplace,” she said, pointing to active efforts to connect women-led firms to cross-border trade and international scale.
She frames leadership not simply as position—but as stewardship.
“The responsibility… is to speak words of life and not destruction,” Favaroth said, describing leadership as a spiritual assignment that demands alignment in both private and public spaces.
In a collective built on data, discipline and sisterhood, Favaroth’s vision underscores a larger theme emerging from the Dallas gathering: scale is not just about revenue. It is about reach, legacy and the intentional expansion of Black women–led enterprises into global markets.
World Cup opportunity: “Get creative, collaborate, plan”
As the conversation shifted toward large-scale economic opportunity, a brief fireside chat unfolded between Allegra Hall, Noelle LeVeaux, Chief Marketing Officer of FIFA World Cup Dallas, Tiki Favaroth, and Nic Cober, of the BOW Collective. The discussion centered on how Black women–led enterprises can strategically position themselves ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, moving beyond traditional “sports” framing to think expansively about culture, hospitality, infrastructure, procurement and cross-industry collaboration tied to the global event.
“Dallas alone, we’re expecting to see… economic impacts from the World Cup… in 39 days,” she said, adding that businesses don’t have to be official partners to benefit—so long as they avoid protected marks and focus on the audience and experience.
Her advice echoed a core BOW message: the fastest route to scale is often collaboration.
“If you collaborate with someone else… when you come together, you become a perfect fit for an opportunity,” she said. “Now is the time to get creative, collaborate, and plan.”
BOW leaders also pointed to new infrastructure designed to expand impact beyond membership—without losing standards that define the organization.
One leader described plans for a BOW Institute, built to serve entrepreneurs at different stages through education delivered by leaders “that look just like them.”
“They want that education from a leader that looks just like them,” she said, describing a model that leverages member expertise while building a broader engine for growth.
A closing moment of gratitude—and a promise of what’s next
The night closed with prayer, thanks to outgoing leaders, and recognition of incoming leadership—grounding the business talk in something deeper: purpose, stewardship and community.
The incoming secretary, closing the prayer, asked for protection and generational blessing: “May God bless our homes, our businesses, our families, our children… for this generation and the next.”
And in a final reflection on what BOW represents beyond contracts and conferences, Tiffany, another member, summed up the collective’s emotional value in simple terms.
“Sisterhood, collaboration, capital… it has changed my life,” she said.
The celebration crescendoed the following evening with a formal awards ceremony recognizing an extraordinary slate of leaders whose work reflects the very ethos of BOW—scale, service and sisterhood. The 2026 Emerald BOW Award was presented to Dee M. Robinson, global beauty executive, CEO of Robinson Hill and founder of the Emerald BOW initiative; alongside Joyce Johnson and Kathryn Freeland, each honored for executive leadership and enterprise excellence.
Named 2026 Trailblazer Honorees were Dr. Cheryl Polote-Williamson, founder of Cheryl Magazine and the nonprofit Soul Reborn and a nationally recognized advocate for women’s leadership, and veteran journalist and media executive Roland Martin, host of Roland Martin Unfiltered, whose decades-long commitment to independent Black media has reshaped political discourse.
The evening also spotlighted key leadership and capital voices shaping the broader ecosystem. Carmen Ortiz McGhee was recognized in her role as a 2026 Advisory Board Member, advancing enterprise growth and operational strategy, while an influential lineup of 2026 Capital Speakers included Brian Tippens, Chelsea Celistan, Deryl McKissack, Frantz Alphonse, Jody Davis, Ruth Jacks, Samir Parik, Brenda Christmon, Rodney Pratt, Tiffany Dufu, Stephanie Shabazz, Tara Deveaux, Theresa Harrison and Tuwisha Rogers—each contributing expertise across finance, infrastructure, investment and executive leadership.
Together, the multi-day celebration—though hosted in Dallas—felt unmistakably national in scope, demonstrating what it looks like when Black women support one another boldly, invest in one another intentionally and celebrate one another unapologetically—big, collaborative and undeniably Texas style.