American Express Summit for Success Fueled My Vision

The American Express Summit for Success brought entrepreneurs, business leaders, government agencies, and corporate buyers together in Washington, D.C. for a full day of learning and connection.

I attended the event ready to learn more about growing my work, building valuable relationships, and creating new opportunities. Of course, I also had to stop beneath the glowing American Express arch and strike my best “Super Girl” pose.

After all, I came to the summit to make money moves.

However, making money moves means more than chasing a larger paycheck. For me, it means building work that supports my values, expands my freedom, and creates opportunities for others.

Inside the American Express Summit for Success

The eighth annual American Express Summit for Success took place on June 13, 2019, at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.

The free, full-day event welcomed owners and leaders from small and midsized businesses. More than 1,000 participants gathered to explore practical strategies for business growth.

Throughout the day, attendees joined workshops, panel discussions, group mentoring sessions, and business matchmaking activities. The event focused on government contracting, corporate procurement, exporting, and international business development.

Entrepreneurs also had opportunities to meet representatives from government agencies, corporations, and international markets. This American Express Summit for Success event overview offers more information about the program and its business development focus.

That combination made the event especially valuable to me.

My professional life spans international development, sustainable food systems, gender equity, public health, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship. Therefore, I am always interested in spaces where purpose can connect with practical business opportunities.

Passion Needs a Business Strategy

Entrepreneurship often gets presented as an exciting journey filled with big ideas and creative freedom. Yet passion alone cannot keep a business operating.

Business owners also need strong systems, clear pricing, financial knowledge, contracts, relationships, and a plan for growth.

The American Express Summit for Success addressed those practical realities. Sessions encouraged entrepreneurs to think carefully about who buys their products or services and what those buyers require.

A strong service does not automatically attract customers. Business owners must explain their value, prepare the right documents, understand procurement systems, and build trust before an opportunity becomes available.

The U.S. Small Business Administration also provides resources for entrepreneurs preparing to grow, pursue government contracts, or enter new markets.

For women and entrepreneurs of color, access to this information can make a tremendous difference.

Access Matters in Entrepreneurship

Whenever I think about business growth, I also think about access.

Who hears about a contract before the deadline? Who understands the application language? Who already knows the people making purchasing decisions?

Talent exists everywhere. Access does not.

Women, Black entrepreneurs, Latino entrepreneurs, immigrants, rural business owners, and other historically excluded groups often enter the marketplace without the same networks as their competitors.

Therefore, business events must offer more than motivational speeches. They should connect entrepreneurs with decision-makers and explain systems that often feel difficult to enter.

The American Express Summit for Success created space for those connections. Corporate representatives, government agencies, mentors, and entrepreneurs came together in one place.

The event also celebrated women succeeding in contracting. Ripple Effect received the 2019 Woman Contractor of the Year award during the summit. The company’s announcement shares more about the event’s emphasis on contracting, procurement, exporting, and business growth.

Purpose and Enterprise Belong Together

My international consulting work has shown me how closely business development connects with community development.

When a local enterprise grows stronger, it can create jobs, improve household income, support farmers, and build community resilience.

Still, many entrepreneurs do not lack ambition. Instead, they lack access to capital, markets, strong internal systems, and the people who control valuable opportunities.

That reality continues to shape my work with women entrepreneurs, particularly women working in agriculture and food systems.

It also guides my commitment to the Mercedes Parra Foundation. Through the foundation, I work to expand opportunities for women and girls through education, leadership, health, and economic empowerment.

Those same questions also shape the stories I publish through DG Speaks.

My article about how Amazon supports women and minority-owned businesses examines how large companies can help smaller enterprises enter wider markets.

Corporate resources can create meaningful change when they become accessible to business owners who have historically been left outside important networks.

Networking Should Build Real Relationships

Large business events often encourage people to exchange as many cards as possible. However, meaningful networking requires more than collecting contact information.

Real relationship building begins with curiosity.

What does another person need? What problem are they trying to solve? Where might your experiences overlap?

A professional connection does not always produce an immediate sale. Sometimes, it provides useful information. In other cases, it leads to a future collaboration, introduction, or idea.

That is why I approach networking as a long-term practice rather than a quick transaction.

One conversation may lead to a consulting assignment. Another may inspire a story or introduce me to an organization doing meaningful work.

The value of a connection is not always visible on the day people meet.

Showing Up With Confidence

I love the confidence in my photograph from the summit.

The pose is playful. Still, it captures the energy I brought into the room.

I have spent years leading organizations, raising my son, working internationally, and rebuilding after professional disappointments. Even with that experience, I continue to learn.

Entrepreneurs must remain willing to learn because markets, technology, and audiences continue to change.

Learning does not make us less experienced. Instead, it helps us use that experience more effectively.

Every time I place myself in a room like this, I create the possibility of a new relationship, opportunity, or idea.

That decision to keep showing up connects with my thoughts on overcoming fear of failure and rejection. We cannot control every outcome, but we should never reject ourselves before anyone else gets the chance to consider us.

Making Money Moves With Purpose

The phrase “money moves” can sound purely financial. However, earning money has never felt separate from creating impact for me.

Financial stability gives entrepreneurs choices.

It allows us to reject work that conflicts with our values. It also gives us room to invest in new ideas, support other people, tell important stories, and build organizations without waiting for someone else’s approval.

Money is not the mission. Still, money can help sustain the mission.

Women often receive encouragement to serve, nurture, volunteer, and sacrifice. Yet we hear far less about pricing our knowledge properly, negotiating confidently, and building wealth.

We deserve both purpose and prosperity.

Making money moves can mean learning how procurement works. It can mean submitting a proposal, entering a new market, asking for a larger contract, or treating a creative project like a serious business.

Turning Inspiration Into Action

Business events can create energy and possibility. However, the real work begins after everyone goes home.

Which lesson will I apply? Who will I contact? What process can I improve? Which opportunity am I finally ready to pursue?

A conference can open a door. Action determines whether we walk through it.

I left the American Express Summit for Success feeling energized by the entrepreneurs, mentors, and business leaders who gathered in Washington.

The summit reminded me that growth requires more than a strong idea. It takes preparation, relationships, access, courage, and a willingness to keep learning.

I am leaving with new information, renewed motivation, and an even stronger commitment to building work that creates freedom and impact.

So yes, I am making money moves.

More importantly, I am making moves toward ownership, opportunity, and a life that allows me to keep living out loud and having my say.