You Have $1,000 To Market Your Business. Do This

$1,000 in marketing budget. Where does it actually go? Three Minneapolis entrepreneurs break down branding, funding and visibility, no theory, no fluff. Recorded live at The Mindshift Experience 2026 during Black Business Month. Three operators, one stage, and the questions most business owners are too polite to ask out loud. Tommy McNeal spent 30+ years in corporate America — the last 20 as a senior executive at a Fortune 50 company — before walking away to build McNeal Management. He just acquired site control of 8 acres in Brooklyn Center for a 30,000 sq ft business and event center. Chanelle McDavid has helped clients secure roughly $4.2 million in funding through McDavid Marketing & Business Solutions, and six clients closed on property this year through her credit rebuilding program. Shakirah Edwards moved to Los Angeles with $1,500, broke the story on the gang treaty after Nipsey Hussle passed, and came home to build The Conversation Curator into a media agency. What they actually get into: → The difference between marketing and branding — and why one of them only ever buys you a one-time customer → Why "small business" is a mindset problem, not a size problem → The real reason your loan and grant applications keep getting denied (it is not your idea) → What "back office" actually means — Secretary of State standing, licensure, W-2 vs 1099, P&L, and why co-mingling funds kills you → Exactly how to spend $1,000 on marketing, line by line, with money left over → Why boosting a Facebook post is not running an ad campaign → Fear, visibility, and the content you are not posting → Finding a mentor — and why you also need a mentee → Collaboration, bartering, and the 4K camera already in your pocket If your work is stronger than your visibility, this one is for you. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 The flex cam — three intros, nine flexes 00:41 Chanelle McDavid: $4.2M in client funding 01:36 Shakirah Edwards: $1,500, LA, and the Nipsey Hussle story 03:05 Tommy McNeal: project kid to 8 acres 05:23 "How much did the 8 acres cost?" — other people's money 05:52 What belief had to change before your brand could grow? 06:18 Tommy: alignment, self-awareness, servant leadership 07:35 Shakirah: you don't have to leave home to win 08:27 Chanelle: think so big you have to reel yourself back in 10:09 Great work, no visibility. What do you fix first? 10:37 Chanelle: who is your audience? (the coffee and tea problem) 11:53 Shakirah: fear has to go — set the camera up and post it 12:56 Tommy: marketing is transactional, branding is relational 14:15 "Don't lie to yourself and expect me to believe it" 14:48 Limited budget — what do you invest in first? 14:57 Tommy: build the infrastructure before you chase the sale 16:23 Chanelle: back office first, then Meta ads (not boosting) 19:38 What actually belongs in your back office 21:12 Shakirah: get a mentor, then go get a mentee 23:01 Chanelle: your personal page IS your brand 23:50 Tommy: collaboration, partnership, and too many hats 25:10 Bartering, and the 4K camera already in your pocket 26:43 AUDIENCE Q&A 27:03 "If you had $1,000 for marketing, where would you spend it?" 27:53 Tommy: build the database and the CRM first 29:03 Chanelle's exact $1,000 breakdown — site, fliers, mailers, QR 31:30 "I've been ruled by fear. How do I tap into the giant?" 32:13 Shakirah: the rooms to get in, and how to get invited 33:23 Close ━━━━━━━━━━ 🎤 THE PANELISTS TOMMY McNEAL — McNeal Management Business consultant, executive coach and serial business owner. Founder of McNeal Consulting, Flame Mobile Kitchen, and SPARK — a nonprofit he launched in 2025 focused on workforce development and reentry. https://mcnealmgmt.com   / tlmcneal   CHANELLE McDAVID — McDavid Marketing & Business Solutions Helps growing businesses with formation, credit building, funding strategy and digital marketing. 300+ small businesses supported across Minnesota, Chicago and Atlanta. https://www.mcdavidmktg.com SHAKIRAH EDWARDS — The Conversation Curator Multimedia host, event producer and communications consultant. Red carpet host, radio host on POWER 104.7 FM, and a 2025 MN Rising Professionals 35 Under 35 honoree.   / the_conversationcurator     / shakirah.edwards   ━━━━━━━━━━ THE MINDSHIFT EXPERIENCE Mindshift exists to shift the way people think so they can get to the next level. Annual conference in Minneapolis, entrepreneurs from across the country, everything brought back home to shift our culture. Subscribe → [@MNDSHFTexperience] The Mindshift Conference → https://mindshiftcon.com Instagram →   / themindshiftconference   💬 Which one hit hardest? Drop it in the comments. #MindshiftExperience #BlackEntrepreneurs #SmallBusinessMarketing