Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series 2022 with Antonio Henson, Renasant Bank, Trenton Carson, TC Productions, and Gladys Agwai, Ignite Within (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 529)
The Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series is a capacity-building program designed to assist small business owners with business development, marketing, networking, and many other benefits. On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray was joined by Antonio Henson, Renasant Bank, and Renasant Roots alumni Trenton Carson and Gladys Agwai. Antonio discussed last year’s program, topics and speakers for this year’s series, grants available to participants, and more. Trenton and Gladys discussed their respective businesses, why they signed up for last year’s Renasant Roots series even though they are veteran business owners, what they learned, why they encourage fellow entrepreneurs to participate, and much more.
To apply for this year’s Renasant Roots program, follow this link. You can also email RenasantRootsCapacityBuilding@renasant.com for more information.
North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series
Renasant Bank is proud to introduce the Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series to the Atlanta market. The capacity-building workshop is a four-week program customized to help small business owners sharpen their business development skills and fill gaps in their knowledge and experience to make their enterprises stronger. Renasant Roots was created in partnership with the Birmingham Business Resource Center four years ago.
With the program having great success in the Birmingham market, Renasant’s Birmingham team and the BBRC are sharing the Renasant Roots template with the Atlanta Renasant team to share with small business owners in Atlanta. “We are excited to bring the Renasant Roots program to the Atlanta market. After watching the success and growth of the program in Birmingham, we decided that it would be a great opportunity to share these business resources with the Atlanta community as well,” said Zennie Lynch, Atlanta Market President. “In addition to the skills development and powerful information these participants will receive, they will also be provided with a small business development grant of $2,500 when they complete the program.”
The workshop will focus on business development and planning, marketing and branding, accounting principles and tax preparation, funding options, and resource development. Speakers for the sessions will be provided by Invest Atlanta, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, LiftFund, and Atlanta Black Chambers.
There is no cost to participate in the program other than committing 10 hours over five weeks. 10 participants will be selected through an application process.
Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook
Antonio Henson, MBA, First Vice President – Community Lending Relationship Director, Renasant Bank
Antonio Henson has over twenty years of experience in business and banking. He has facilitated training sessions for staff aimed at enhancing product & credit knowledge and regulatory procedures.
Antonio has structured project financing designed to spur neighborhood revitalization efforts in the low-income communities throughout the State of New Jersey and Metro Atlanta. This action involved community outreach and working with elected officials, government agencies, quasi-public agencies and the private sector to promote revitalization and commercial development.
He has provided expertise and assistance to various community-based organizations, to assist them with meeting the financial needs of their respective organizations.
Trenton Carson, President, TC Productions
TC Productions Video Production Company is a full-service video production company that partners with marketing executives and business owners. They develop and execute highly customized video marketing campaigns focused on driving leads, awareness, brand loyalty and retention. Their focus is in Branding, Marketing and Testimonial video production.
The two areas their company specialize in are; They produce videos specifically for your intended audience – Video Production and they get those videos in front of your intended audience – Video Marketing.
They have helped their clients:
*Build brand awareness and establish an influencing presence online
*Effectively use video as a tool in their marketing strategy
*Create evergreen content that enhances their marketing message
*Become comfortable with the growing demand the market has for videos
What they learned:
Stories are in everything you do. Your brand and the story it tells impacts people, what they believe, how they feel, and the decisions they make. The combination of visuals and sound evokes emotions more effectively than text alone. If you want to draw your viewers in, connect with them emotionally, and move them to take the next step, working with TC Productions to produce your next video will make you the company hero.
Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Gladys Agwai, Founder, Ignite Within
Ignite Within is a 100% woman and minority-owned business with 30 years of international (US, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya) executive organizational leadership experiences in the areas of organizational development, sales/marketing strategies, execution, operations, and infrastructure development and design. They provide services that help clients establish an authentic connection with their target audiences while exceeding their personal and professional goals. By making an impact on the current issues that my clients face, and anticipating ones they may face in the future, I empower individuals and businesses to lead globally with confidence. This brings focus, effective decision making, wise choices, and accelerated growth as defined by the client to have BETTER organizations, businesses, teams, careers, and overall lives.
They take clients through a 5 “C” step methodology-CLARITY of purpose/objective, CREATION of an on-purpose strategic plan, CONNECTING with purpose, COMMUNICATING their message/brand, and CAPITALIZING on opportunity. Ignite Within’s differentiator is its global corporate and business exposure and experience ensuring tailored content.
Gladys Agwai spent 30 years as a corporate executive leader in the US, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Her leadership experiences spanned across multiple functional areas, such as Sales, Marketing, Financial, and Operations, key industries in Public Sector, Banking, Telecommunications, and Small Medium Enterprises, and cultures. She received multiple top leadership and sales awards throughout her career. On an Executive Loan program, she spent seven years working with the Committee for the Olympic Games with game-changing thought leadership on its resource strategy that was implemented for future Olympic games.
In 2014, she decided to leverage these experiences and made a transformational transition into entrepreneurship as Founder & CEO of Ignite Within. Gladys works with professionals and leaders of organizations to take scared action to accelerate and sustain their personal, professional, and organizational growth. She brings a global perspective to ensure clarity of purpose and objectives with an effective and sustainable plan to execute with confidence and success.
She is the author of a) Dumped! NOT Dumped On! How to stop reliving the negative impact of rejection in your life, business, and career, b) IMPOSTER: Five Strategies to Your Authentic Self and c) co-author of Life Boosts: Strategies, Tactics, and Ideas to boost your wealth, health, and more! Gladys is an authentic, engaging, inspiring, and results-driven international author, speaker, coach, teacher, and strategist. She provides inspirational enrichment programs related to self and business discovery, leadership, organizational, business, and transition strategies and values. Her speaking engagements have included: US: United Nations CSW65, VEEAM Software, University of Chicago Health, Georgia State University, West Virginia State University, SCORE, Small Business Administration, Small Business Master Mind Forum, Women and Dekalb Chambers of Commerce, Junior League, Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC), Project Management Institute, Atlanta Business League. NIGERIA: General Electric, Women in Business, Continental Reinsurance, HIVE Global, International Summit of Leaders, The American Women’s Club. FRANCE: Africa CEO Forum – Women in Business GHANA: HR Network Africa
Gladys holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Leadership. She has had a positive impact on others through the mentoring and coaching of individuals and small businesses’ growth and development internationally. She worked with over 100 small and medium minority businesses within the Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC) to develop them on their business approach and how to grow their business with large corporations while mentoring female small business owners in Nigeria. Being a role model, she has always had a passion for working with teenage girls and became a foster parent of two girls. She mentors and coaches young women in high school and college through her Girls Ignited program and one-on-one providing skills to help them successfully navigate through life, careers, and business.
Her favorite role is being the grandmother of three wonderful children – Prince 9, Ana 7, and Rose 2. She enjoys inspirational reading and beach vacations.
Company website | Facebook | LinkedIn
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
- Antonio Henson’s role at Renasant
- Renasant Roots and its success
- Trenton Carson and TC Productions
- Gladys Agwai from Ignite Within
- The skills and strategies that they learned through Renasant Roots
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked-from-scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.
