Black United Front: Crystal Gunn | Chairman | Booker T. Washington Trade Association

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The National Business League Detroit Chapter (NBL), the Detroit Black Chamber of Commerce (DBCC), and the Booker T. Washington Trade Association (BTWTA) will announced new leadership and their coming together as the Detroit United Front at the 12th annual State of Black Business Summit on March 7.

These three top Black business organizations have joined forces to speak out against the ongoing benign neglect of Black businesses by the philanthropic, public, and private sectors. The Detroit United Front will provide real and independent representation to serve as a true economic advocate for Black businesses in the city for those who may not have a voice while simultaneously holding the systems, institutions and structures perpetuating lack of equity and exclusion, accountable.

Committed to breaking “the chains of financial bondage” in the pan-African community, CRYSTAL L. GUNN is a fiscal strategist whose female-focused economic organization has transformed lives throughout the Midwest. She is founder and CEO of the Amazing Woman Network, a nonprofit with a stated goal of “reclaiming personal power through mind, body and spirit.” In her leadership role, Gunn advises clients on how to forge advantageous social relationships and amass wealth over a broad spectrum of investments and strategies, including home ownership, estates/inheritances, entrepreneurship and more. Her people-first business approach is summated in a quote by Black baseball legend, Jackie Robinson: “A life is not important except on the impact it has on other lives.”

Gunn holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Michigan State University. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sortie, Inc., she launched her career over 20 years ago, beginning with a stint in mortgage banking and management, later branching out into speaking, authoring, coaching and activism. She is the creator of the online financial planning courses Becoming Financially FLAWLESS and Amazing Woman Entrepreneur. She hosts the financial talk show, Crystal-Clear Conversations. Now, as Chairman of the Booker T. Washington Trade Association, Ms. Gunn relishes the opportunity to further empower Black businesses through impassioned advocacy.

What began as a journey engaging hip-hop audiences, has grown into a career as a marketing consultant. As business people have seen my work, I was propositioned many times to provide graphic design, photography, videography, event planning, website development, and social media campaigning. These initial business contracts inspired me to build Creative Differences Marketing. I’ve balanced my entrepreneurial experience with formal education from Walsh College of Business and Accountancy. My degree in Marketing serves me well in understanding many of the formal, universal, and theoretical marketing approaches used in corporate environments.Formulating this business model has been anchored by the success of my BLOG ‘Detroit is Different.’ I create all content for Detroit is Different. This serves as a prototype of the ways I can design events, websites, graphics, music, podcasts, social media campaigns, and e-mail campaigns. ‘Detroit is Different’ focuses on the people and places of Detroit that add to the culture. Through these people and places, themes are driven. These themes will partner with, sponsor, and advertise for businesses and organizations using this innovative multilevel marketing approach.