Guest Contributor: Eboni Taylor
Paul Judge and Ryan Leslie, photo courtesy of Invest Fest.
When Forbes called Invest Fest “a new era of financial empowerment” and REVOLT hailed it as “a hub for innovation and the future of Black wealth,” the coverage captured the scale: packed conference halls, celebrity speakers, billionaire investors, and cultural crossover moments. But on the ground, away from the spotlight, Invest Fest feels more intimate, a place where entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and dreamers trade stories that are rawer, more personal to the point of networking on a grander stage, and more revealing than the headlines. Despite internet discourse that the festival was not up to par to help its participants or a cesspool of bad characters looking for their next buck; the atmosphere for myself felt like entering more like stepping into the living room of a community determined to rewrite its future rather than a financial conference far from the public view inside out.
Charlamagne Tha God from The Breakfast Club and Steve Harvey speaking at an Invest Fest Panel, photo courtesy of Invest Fest
I spoke with music executive Ray Daniels, designer Jada Ellis, ESPN creative Tianna Rhymes, Forbes writer True Tamplin, nonprofit leader Justin Houston, fund manager Edwin Hernandez, metaverse entrepreneur Martin Reid, and veteran accountant-turned-metaverse pioneer Jennifer Smash. Their reflections cut through the gloss, offering lessons about faith, mentorship, patience, and resilience.
Faith and Trust: Building Bigger Than Yourself
True Tamplin, who covered the event for Forbes, admitted he arrived wide-eyed. “Hearing Troy and Rashad’s story this morning, I was kind of blown away,” he said. “They really told me about how God built Earn Your Leisure, Invest Fest is everything. I’m feeling particularly inspired right now by how the Lord used them to make something bigger than themselves.”
That thread faith as infrastructure surfaced again in Ray Daniels’ reflections. For him, success isn’t only about wealth. “Knowing that I’m breaking down doors for people who have been rejected, people who feel like the world doesn’t see them — that’s what keeps me going,” he said. His advice to his younger self was blunt: “Believe in yourself, bro. The people you look up to don’t know either. They just look like they do.”
Networks and Mentorship: More Valuable Than Capital
Jada Ellis had her spill about how she came upon her journey as she been through many hubs, Invest Fest just feels right:
“I’ve spent so many years in business doing things by myself,” she admitted. “I realized a lot of those problems would have been solved by being around the right people. When you connect, you allow yourself to see more success.”
Her advice to her younger self wasn’t financial at all: “Learn how to love yourself. When you love yourself, you raise your standards everywhere.” Yet when pressed on what she would invest in at 18, Ellis didn’t hesitate: mentorship. “Investing in mentorship saves you from mistakes. You basically pay for the answers you need earlier.”
Justin Houston, who runs Northstar, a mentorship nonprofit for students, echoed her point from a different angle. “As long as you’re open to learning, nothing’s impossible,” he said. His advice to his younger self was to “relax, slow down, and figure out what you love,” reminding us that growth is not just about execution but about alignment.
Patience and Consistency: Fighting the Urge to Quit
As many patrons celebrated the energy of big-name keynotes and highlight buzz words upon advice, I spoke to Tianna Rhymes, a creative reporter for ESPN pointed out the quiet endurance spirit that many had during the weekend.
“It really is the people you meet more than anything,” she said. “It’s those small conversations that matter more than saying, ‘I’ve got to invest a million.’”
Her advice to her younger self? “Trust God’s timing. Do your part, and He’ll do the rest.” And like Daniels, she emphasized consistency over bursts of hype: “Be patient, root for those around you while you’re waiting.”
Music executive Ray Daniels, told me the most powerful lesson he picked up at Invest Fest wasn’t on stage, but in the crowd itself.
For Daniels, success is about more than climbing to the top — it’s about leaving doors wide open.
“I keep going because I’m breaking down doors for people who’ve been rejected, who feel unseen. I picked myself, and I want others to know they can too.”
Still, even for a seasoned music executive, the hardest battle isn’t external it’s time. Balancing family, business, and leadership tests him daily.
Ray Daniels framed that same truth as a fight against starting and stopping. “That’s what hurts most of us,” he said. “We get tired, take ourselves out of the game, then have to start over. My biggest goal this year is just to keep myself in a position to stay consistent. As long as I’m consistent, I get better.”
Investing Smart: From Options to VR
If Ellis and Houston stressed mentorship, others kept the focus squarely on capital but with nuance.
Edwin Hernandez, Fund Manager of Green Musa Capital, saw Invest Fest differently as a vendor. “For us, it’s been about location, location, location,” he said, noting that while his team didn’t catch panels, their booth allowed them to educate people about fundamental investing. Asked what he’d tell his younger self, Hernandez kept it simple: “Read. Stay curious.”
For his 18-year-old investment strategy, he offered two answers: ideal and practical. “If I was 18 back then, I’d buy options on Google. But if I was 18 today, I’d just buy the S&P 500 and educate myself before anything else. Too many people jump in, lose money, and only start learning after they get burned.”
Martin Reid, who runs The Block Collective, took a broader view: “Invest in yourself first. Pay attention to what you consume. Don’t let fear stop you. The worst that can happen is you fail, learn, and try again.” Looking forward, his pick was education in AI. “AI will power everything. And of course, follow the money even when people tell you not to.”
Reinvention and Resilience: A Life in Numbers
Perhaps no story captured the deeper spirit of Invest Fest better than Jennifer Smash’s. A veteran accountant with decades in entertainment finance, she worked with clients from Public Enemy, Lil Kim and her counterparts from Junior Mafia to Notorious B.I.G. to Killer Mike. After losing both legs, she reinvented herself in the metaverse, launching an accounting practice that mentors entrepreneurs and amputees alike.
“Business is supporting businesses,” she said, almost summing up Invest Fest in one line. “It’s about the economy, education, and inspiration. This year left me speechless it’s ours, and everyone’s supporting each other.”
Her advice to her younger self was deceptively simple: “Keep going. Keep learning. Don’t take advantage of people.” To 18-year-olds today, she urged saving early and investing steadily. “I wish I had set aside part of every paycheck back then. That savings sustained me when I was out of commission for three years after my amputation. It saved my life.”
Walking out of Atlanta’s convention center, I realized the magic of Invest Fest wasn’t just on the main stage it was in the inner dialogue of its people. From executives to fashion owners, from nonprofit leaders to VR pioneers, the message was the same:
Invest in yourself. Invest in your people. And most importantly, invest in the future.
Because as Earn Your Leisure host Troy Millings said: “Somebody needs you to become who you are, so they can become who they are.”
The true wealth of Invest Fest isn’t just in strategies, panels, or celebrity speakers; it’s in the hallway wisdom:
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