FLINT, MI – Ebonie Gipson’s family and friends sometimes joke that she did it all.
That’s because she kinda has.
Known for their strategic development, merchandising, digital design and social media advertising, Gipson was named to the Flint & Genesee Group’s 40 Under 40 program, which recognizes the many outstanding young professionals in Flint and Genesee County, that excel in the workplace.
“It was exciting to be part of such a robust roster,” said Gipson. “It was good to stand next to like-minded people and people who share the same spirit of making a difference.”
Gipson describes her work as “building communities through entrepreneurship”.
As the CEO of I’m Building Something Consulting, LLC, the company’s name says it all. Gipson develops strategies with business owners to help them start and grow their businesses.
“We know firsthand how difficult it is to run a business,” said Gipson. “Through our brand management services, we offer strategy and brand management support for entrepreneurs.”
Gipson leads the Black Owned Buyout, a collective of black women businesses and owners who promote economic development throughout Genesee County through business investments, community events and grants. She is co-chair of the Flint & Genesee Chamber’s African American Advisory Committee.
In addition, Gipson also has a notebook company, Visionarynotebooks.com. Her notebooks are Amazon bestsellers and as of July 2021 one of her youngest “babies”.
“I’ve always loved writing in notebooks since I was a kid,” she said. “I thought about what my next source of income would be. And it just made sense to do a passion project. It focuses on black women and culture, which is my target audience. It’s been an interesting ride and we’ve also started training other people on how to start their own notebook businesses.”
Gipson was born and raised in Flint. She comes from a family of community and changemakers. Her mother, Belinda, was a preschool and kindergarten teacher, and her father, Arthur, was a social worker and football coach.
She officially has seven siblings, but Gipson considers so many other people in Flint part of her family.
“My parents welcomed so many people with open arms,” she said. “I have many more honorary siblings.”
Gipson has spent over 15 years in retail management and used that experience to train small business owners.
“I remember being in retail and feeling like that’s not it,” she said. “I felt like my wings wouldn’t spread. And a part of me that’s getting into entrepreneurship and taking those past experiences and bringing them to my community to help build through entrepreneurship feels like I’ve been blessed to spread my wings.”
Last year, Gipson was involved in an initiative led by The Flint and Genesee Economic Alliance that helped 350 small businesses recover financially from the pandemic.
Gipson is hosting Flint Small Business Saturday on November 26th, an event encouraging more small business in Flint on the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
The event introduces consumers to some of the best entrepreneurs in the world and was launched in 2017.
It is also a microcosm of Gipson’s mission in life, which is always to help others.
“We realized there was an opportunity to execute during the biggest shopping weekend of the year,” she said. “So there were a lot of companies that didn’t necessarily have the space to take action. So we wanted to create a platform to bring people together.”
Read more below The Flint Journal:
Federal funding to expand psychiatric and addiction services in the Genesee Health System
“It’s time”: Green Parrot Superstore closes after eight years
New Charleys Cheesesteaks are coming to Mt. Morris Township
Michigan’s Best Local Food: ATL Authentic Jamaican Jerk brings flavorful adventures to Flint
