Day 1 · Friday, July 17 · 6:00 PM ET
VIP Event
~75 guest experience
- • Dinner & intentional networking
- • Sponsor tables & resource connections
- • Funding conversations
- • The room where small business owners meet the people who can support their growth
Highlights
Business Showers 2026 Highlights
Awards delivered. Community fed. Businesses launched. Explore the highlights from this year's Business Showers — and tell us if you'd like to pitch next year.
Until Main Celebration · July 18
Time's up.
Save this page for quick access to live pitches, community voting, finalist and honoree announcements, tickets, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, event details, and the complete 2026 Business Showers experience.
The pitches were just the beginning
You saw the pitches.
Now come experience the Business Shower.
Our 2026 Business Shower honorees have worked, prepared, refined their businesses, and shared their vision with all of us on those live pitch nights. Now we're inviting the community to show up, celebrate them, connect with resources, and be part of the next step in their journey.
Day 2 · Saturday, July 18 · 12:00 PM ET
Main Business Shower
The award reveal moment
- • The full Business Shower celebration
- • Honor the finalists & pour into them with resources
- • Community together — family-friendly
- • The big award reveal
Sponsor tables · Both days
Put your brand in the room.
Sponsor tables are open for both Friday and Saturday to small businesses, nonprofits, resource partners, and community organizations that want to represent their brand, connect with attendees, and support small businesses in a meaningful way.
“Buy your two-day ticket, put your brand in the room, and come celebrate what these businesses are building.”
Come for the connections. Come for the celebration. Come for the reveal.
July 17 & 18, 2026 · Charlotte, NC
Two unforgettable nights of community, capital and celebration.
FRIDAY
17
JULY 2026
VIP Experience
Business Showers VIP Experience
Friday, July 17, 2026
Join us for a dynamic evening of speed networking, resource table hosts and powerful conversations with leaders, experts and community partners who support small business growth.
SATURDAY
18
JULY 2026
Main Celebration
The Business Showers Celebration
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Celebrate entrepreneurs, connect with community leaders and sponsors, explore marketing and sponsor tables, and witness businesses receive cash, resources and recognition.
Proudly Sponsored By
Finalist Live Pitches · June 16, 17 & 18, 2026 · Live on Zoom
2026 Honoree Interview & Pitches · Archive
Meet this year's honorees across three evenings of live interviews and pitches.
Finalist Live Pitches · Tue, June 16 · Starting 5:30 PM ET
4 honorees this evening
Tue, June 16 · 5:30 PM
Donnyale Jackson
Trapp'D in Wax
Voting Closed
Tue, June 16 · 6:00 PM
Sharise Lloyd
She Holds The Keys
Voting Closed
Tue, June 16 · 6:30 PM
Altesa Cook
Wright's Desserts LLC
Voting Closed
Tue, June 16 · 7:00 PM
Carolyn Winfrey Thompson
Home Away From Home
Voting Closed
Become a Sponsor
Sponsor the businesses powering our economy
Small businesses are the engine of community wealth. Every sponsorship dollar fuels entrepreneurs at every stage — starting, sustaining, and growing. The Business Showers cohort spans medical offices, engineers, coaches, makers, consultants, service providers and more. Stand with the people building what our neighborhoods, families and economy need next.
Tiers · Silver → Legacy
Sponsorship from $1,500 to $25,000
Apply through our official sponsorship application — includes contact info, logo upload, and tier selection.
Open Sponsorship Application →New · July 18 Only
Business Showers Event Table
$550
- • 8 reserved seats at the celebration
- • Table tent card featuring your business
- • Recognition during the event
- Note: This is not a marketing table.
Questions about sponsorship? Contact Donja Williams at info@itsthefreedominme.com or 980-292-1622.
Get Involved
Choose how you'll show up
Sponsor an entrepreneur, host a resource table, attend the celebration, or join us in 2027. Every form goes straight to our team.
Live volunteer count
18 people have stepped up so far