Women-owned Egami Group empowers multicultural communities with technology and a strong banking relationship
Teneshia Jackson Warner, founder and CEO of Egami Group, does not settle for “good enough.” That philosophy drove her to leave a secure, well-paying tech job without a plan other than to create a job that truly reflected her passions and purpose. Warner's life changed when she relocated from Minneapolis to New York City and took an unpaid internship at a communications firm to gain industry experience. Within months, she’d proven her worth and received a full-time offer. However, Warner decided to realize the dream of owning a company and boldly countered the job offer. Instead, she told them to hire her company. That decision launched Egami Group — Egami being “image” spelled backwards — a full-service integrated communications firm focused on serving multicultural audiences. Now, Warner has nearly two decades in business and in that time has added a business partner and husband, Mike Warner. Responding to a changing world As a pioneering multicultural communications and marketing agency, Egami Group is known as a firm that caters to an inclusive audience. “Our North Star is that we are doing work that moves the world forward,” Teneshia Warner said. Egami's client roster shows that major U.S. brands are responding. In 2018, Egami became the first Black and woman-owned agency to win a Cannes Lions Grand Prix. Now 18 years in business, the Warners have witnessed ups and downs, and a changing economic landscape that forces them to continually learn how to pivot. Within the past year, they rebranded in response to economic challenges and technological advancements, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). To stay current, Egami Group will be rolling out a new AI-powered tool that can help their brand partners understand the behavior of multicultural audiences, as well as test and give feedback in real-time. They’re also looking at the way they do business to see where they can incorporate AI to increase efficiency and operations. Business growth based on relationships Early on, Egami Group was a TD customer, but switched to another major bank as they expanded. The changes to their business model meant the Warners needed financial insights and advice for their business. That’s when Mike attended a TD presentation on solutions for small businesses. “At TD, we really value the importance of offering financial education and resources to small business owners. These events not only offer education and awareness that many business owners need, but open the door to meaningful conversations,” said Marcus Gonzales, Community Business Development Officer for TD Bank in New York City. “We are glad that we were able to reconnect with Mike and the Egami team at one of these events and show how TD could support their evolving needs.” “The TD team stepped in and really assessed our needs,” Mike Warner said. “They came to our office and talked to us. We went to lunch, and they spent time to really understand what we needed moving forward.” Following those conversations, Egami Group decided to return working with TD Bank. Mike Warner attributed this reconnection to the personal way TD does business. “When you're a company that wants to do business with the community, you've got to be part of the community,” Mike Warner said. “You've got to show up. The community events you do make you a citizen, a community member.” “We're back in business with TD Bank at a critical time,” Teneshia Warner agreed. “We really appreciate the authenticity and genuine desire to help small businesses that comes from the bank.” Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs and women-led businesses is simple: Expect fear and move forward anyway. “When you pivot into the unknown, fear shows up,” she said. “The key is developing a relationship with it, so you can keep going in spite of it. Your passions and your gifts will make way for you. They will open doors you didn’t even know existed." To see how TD Bank can support your dream, visit td.com/us/en/small-business.
Teneshia Jackson Warner, founder and CEO of Egami Group, does not settle for “good enough.” That philosophy drove her to leave a secure, well-paying tech job without a plan other than to create a job that truly reflected her passions and purpose.
Warner's life changed when she relocated from Minneapolis to New York City and took an unpaid internship at a communications firm to gain industry experience. Within months, she’d proven her worth and received a full-time offer. However, Warner decided to realize the dream of owning a company and boldly countered the job offer. Instead, she told them to hire her company.
That decision launched Egami Group — Egami being “image” spelled backwards — a full-service integrated communications firm focused on serving multicultural audiences. Now, Warner has nearly two decades in business and in that time has added a business partner and husband, Mike Warner.
Responding to a changing world
As a pioneering multicultural communications and marketing agency, Egami Group is known as a firm that caters to an inclusive audience.
“Our North Star is that we are doing work that moves the world forward,” Teneshia Warner said.
Egami's client roster shows that major U.S. brands are responding. In 2018, Egami became the first Black and woman-owned agency to win a Cannes Lions Grand Prix.
Now 18 years in business, the Warners have witnessed ups and downs, and a changing economic landscape that forces them to continually learn how to pivot.
Within the past year, they rebranded in response to economic challenges and technological advancements, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). To stay current, Egami Group will be rolling out a new AI-powered tool that can help their brand partners understand the behavior of multicultural audiences, as well as test and give feedback in real-time. They’re also looking at the way they do business to see where they can incorporate AI to increase efficiency and operations.
Business growth based on relationships
Early on, Egami Group was a TD customer, but switched to another major bank as they expanded. The changes to their business model meant the Warners needed financial insights and advice for their business. That’s when Mike attended a TD presentation on solutions for small businesses.
“At TD, we really value the importance of offering financial education and resources to small business owners. These events not only offer education and awareness that many business owners need, but open the door to meaningful conversations,” said Marcus Gonzales, Community Business Development Officer for TD Bank in New York City. “We are glad that we were able to reconnect with Mike and the Egami team at one of these events and show how TD could support their evolving needs.”
“The TD team stepped in and really assessed our needs,” Mike Warner said. “They came to our office and talked to us. We went to lunch, and they spent time to really understand what we needed moving forward.”
Following those conversations, Egami Group decided to return working with TD Bank. Mike Warner attributed this reconnection to the personal way TD does business.
“When you're a company that wants to do business with the community, you've got to be part of the community,” Mike Warner said. “You've got to show up. The community events you do make you a citizen, a community member.”
“We're back in business with TD Bank at a critical time,” Teneshia Warner agreed. “We really appreciate the authenticity and genuine desire to help small businesses that comes from the bank.”
Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs and women-led businesses is simple: Expect fear and move forward anyway.
“When you pivot into the unknown, fear shows up,” she said. “The key is developing a relationship with it, so you can keep going in spite of it. Your passions and your gifts will make way for you. They will open doors you didn’t even know existed."
To see how TD Bank can support your dream, visit td.com/us/en/small-business.
What's Your Reaction?
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2187410260-5afe56694791404f99c253dd8d5abe6a.jpg?#)
