University at Buffalo School of Management

6 Buffalo Business Autumn 2019 Photos by Tom Wolf Community Impact show's "Steals and Deals" segment, result- ing in orders from Costco, Wegmans and Whole Foods. Earlier this year, the company landed a deal with Target for a limited-release gi box that was sold in 707 stores nationwide and online for the retailer's Black History Month assortment. The order was so big it was more than double what the company had ever produced. Now 18, Cunningham is in full control of the Zandra brand and is actively seek- ing funding to take the business to the next level. Most recently, she earned $200,000 in funding and mentorship through Americans Serving Americans, via a group of investors called the Eagle's Nest who in- vest in small businesses, Shark Tank-style. Zandra was the only company pitch to re- ceive a unanimous "yes" from all seven investors. In addition, the company just signed a deal with health and beauty marketplace Pharmapacks, which will open the door to e-commerce sales on the company's store- front and on Amazon.com. Through it all, the three say that the key to making the family dynamic work in a successful business has been communication. "We've always been able to meet in the middle once everyone understands the di- rection we need to go in and why," says Lewis-Cunningham. "It's really amazing for us to be able to work together and still learn from each other," says Cunningham. "The best part about it is just being able to feed that energy off of family members who know you so well." To learn more about the MWEE program or apply, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/mwee. x — Kevin Manne Living the dream Three generations of entrepreneurs take a business from mom's kitchen to the shelves of Target When Zandra Lewis enrolled in the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs (MWEE) program in 2007, she was already an established entrepre- neur with her home business, Azariah's. She signed up hoping to enhance her hat and accessory business and make it more profitable. Her daughter, Tamara Lewis-Cunning- ham, joined her in the program. She was at- tracted by the networking opportunities and the chance to be immersed in Buffalo's entre- preneurial ecosystem. Neither immediately jumped into big new startup plans aer graduating from MWEE. Lewis chose to concentrate on ministry, serving as first lady of Miracle Missions Full Gospel Church, where her husband, the Rev. James A. Lewis III, was pastor. Her daughter focused on a corpo- rate career and raising her children as a single mother. But both had a hand in Azariah's Innocence—a bath and beauty products startup founded by 9-year-old Zandra Cunningham—Lewis' granddaughter and Lewis-Cunningham's daughter. "My fascination with entrepreneur- ship was a result of my dad's refusal to buy my beloved lip balm," says Cunningham. "His 'no' forced me to do the work and make my own." Aer a few years of selling products at area farmers markets and in a store with her grandmother at the West Side Bazaar, Cunningham wanted to learn more about running her own business, so her mother recommended the MWEE program. "My mom and I researched what was out there and found there really weren't any programs to teach kids about business," says Cunningham. "She suggested I try the MWEE program since she had done it." At just 13 years old, Cunningham en- rolled in the MWEE program and became the youngest person to ever complete it. Since 2005, the MWEE program has helped more than 300 minority and women entrepreneurs move their companies to the next stage of development by forging rela- tionships with successful business owners, setting objectives and outcomes for busi- ness plans, connecting with existing re- sources and more. The program is a joint venture by the School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) and the UB Center for Urban Studies and is partially funded with a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. Cunningham says the biggest take- aways from the program for her were the business plan she set and the advice from her mentor, Merry Constantino, president of ProductLogic: Rebrand the business to "Zandra." "Outside of my family, Merry was the first adult who spoke with me directly as a business owner," says Cunningham. "She didn't care how old I was; she saw the bigger picture and told me that if I was serious about the company, this is what I needed to do." Aer MWEE, business boomed. They quickly outgrew their space at The Foundry and moved production to the Pierce Arrow Commerce Park, where they've established a production facility, showroom and class- room space. Cunningham's specialty was product development, while mom focused on operations and grandma put the fin- ishing touches on products in production, packaging and fulfillment. Following a big break that put Zandra products in 110 Paper Source stores, Cunningham appeared on Good Morning America with her line of products for the Tamara Lewis-Cunningham, MWEE '07, Zandra Cunningham, MWEE '14 and Zandra Lewis, MWEE '07, in the showroom of their Pierce Arrow Commerce Park production facility. Photo: Tom Wolf

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