The Platinum Mask

Emily Ackerman is the North Texas Business Development Executive for Carr Riggs & Ingram, a Top 25 National CPA Firm in the Dallas Fort Worth Office. They guide individuals in properly managing taxes, planning estates, formulating wealth management strategies, and more. Emily truly understands the value of building relationships in a business development role and intentionally creates transformational opportunities for others within her business network across multiple sectors. This makes her a valued and trusted networking partner with side effect of promoting her company in a way that keeps them top-of-mind in almost every business context. Her Business Development career has spanned many different industry’s such as media, software, and now CPA services. This diverse work experience allows her to connect so many different people across the metroplex, and as she puts it, she is DFW’s glorified matchmaker for connections.

Matriarch Financial, LLC is a financial consulting firm with women in mind.  Through virtual one-on-one consultations, Matriarch consultants help their clients with creating a conscious spending plan that includes planning for debt reduction, savings goals, spending strategically, and learning the basics of investing. Your first consultation is 100% free!

Akia Brown is a natural-born leader. She is dedicated to working hard, integrity, and building meaningful relationships. She has worked in many sectors including corporate management, customer service, education, and retail management. Her extensive background has allowed her to connect with people from all walks of life. She has a passion for helping others obtain their goals and educating them in the process. Her company, Lock & Key Financial Services, specializes in helping clients reach their personal credit goals. Whether that goal is homeownership, better interest rates, or just a peace of mind, her team will go above and beyond to provide a positive and satisfying experience.

NewTrnd is a new age clothing & media company founded by viral fashion designer and creative director Trnd Drew. The brand focuses on bridging the gap between luxury and streetwear through technique and carefully chosen design language to create the highest quality product. Documenting this process through an acclaimed docu-series "Following The Trnd" that follows Trnd and his label these next 10 years building this brand and showcasing the lifestyle of NewTrnd.

I speak to Kali O'Campo of the Love You, Mean It coffee brand. This brand offers products, services, and resources for better focus and better results in your daily life. She doesn't just stop at providing organic, naturally extra-caffeinated coffee and also hosts The Coffee With Kali show on The Country Network. Her business is diversified with a coffee subscription package, CBD partnerships, financial analysis programs, and custom mug collections. 

I speak with Jason Ley, the CEO of Better Drinking Culture and the author of the Drinker's Manifesto. This organization is working to promote drinking better and to make moderation aspirational. BDC has partnered with major alcohol brands and communities, and Ley speaks publicly to the alcohol industry and at colleges to spread awareness. 

@betterdrinkingculture and @jasonley

I got to speak with Jessica Ramirez who started as a sales consultant at Glazer's Distributors. She used her experience in management roles amongst CNI Brands and Chareau Aloe Liqueur to create her own freelance organization, Behind the Brands. Startup alcohol brands need their brands exposed to the right markets, so they reach out to Jessica. She creates content, sets up activations, consults on social media, and much more. 

I speak to David Weaver, a co-owner of the SoCo Ginger Beer company. This organization started in Austin around 2015, but David expanded the business to the DFW area in 2017. This is a family run business where David's brother handles the Austin market. Farmers Markets have been a launching pad for the business but they continue to mark new revenue streams. SoCo has built a following at the Markets based on its bottle refill model, seasonal flavors, and changes to the status quo of ginger beers. 

Veronica Bradley has had extensive hospitality experience. Her dad has been a restaurant furniture sales rep since she was born, often taking her to new construction sites where she could meet loyal clients. She then bided her time as an advertising copywriter and creative director, even taking photos professionally. This lead to the creation of Vector Brewing with her husband Craig Bradley, who had experience in the ground floor of Lakewood Brewing Company. Vector Brewing has had to make new adaptations due to the ongoing pandemic and faces unique issues in a period of social distancing. 

Chi Nguyen is the creator of Purpose Tea, a mission-driven beverage brand with a mission of lifting female tea workers out of poverty. She speaks about her immigration from communist Viet Nam, her discovery of the purple tea leaf in Kenya, and her adaptation to the covid-19 pandemic. The product features purple tea, a new beverage that offers consumers more antioxidants, less caffeine than green tea, and an exclusive phyto-nutrient that no other teas have.