The So Ambitious Dinner on Miami Beach
- Le'Designer Scarlie
- Jul 22, 2025
- 4 min read
"The expert at anything was once a beginner"- Helen Hayes
Being an entrepreneur means that you must always be open and willing to become the student. Times change, markets evolve and as business owners we must continuously learn new ways to advance our businesses. The amount of insight, guidance, and clarity that was provided to me by the Fundable Founders dedicated instructors and coaches these past few weeks has truly propelled me. Gratitude is most definitely the attitude when it comes to all of the knowledge that I have been able to gain in such a short period of time.
The 'So Ambitious Dinner' curated by Black Ambition was held on July 18th at the stylish waterfront Casadonna restaurant on South Beach, Miami. The event highlighted all of the entrepreneurs and founders who were part of the accelerated 10-week educational program conducted by CONDER and ActHouse. Founders from all of Florida gathered together by the captivating beaches of Miami to celebrate, encourage and congratulate one another. It truly felt like I had just advanced into another chapter as a creative business owner, and I appreciate the opportunity that was given by this group of leaders to learn amongst other eager business owners.
The So Ambitious Dinner
Guest Speakers:
Innovator, Entrepreneur, Producer and Mogul, Timbaland
Black Ambition CEO, Felecia Hatcher
Entrepreneur, Zayd Portillo
As we settled into our tables to enjoy a gourmet style five-course meal crafted for us by the talented Casadonna chefs; we indulged into some more words of wisdom from our Fundable Founders instructor Gamal Codner and a few other inspirational experienced guest speakers. The Mega-mogul producer, Timbaland expressed to us the importance of following through, self-belief, and continuously working towards our end goals as business owners. Felecia Hatcher shared much needed motivational advice for those within the crowd such as myself, that was still growing as an entrepreneur and doubled down on how vital building the right community was for overall growth. Zayd Portillo took us through some of his journey as an entrepreneur and encouraged us to keep learning and growing as business minded individuals.
The culture of Miami was also emphasized throughout the entire event; from the Caribbean carnival vibes that showcased live dancers during our initial cocktail hour to the Island inspired playlist that serenaded us with a mix of Afro-beat, Dancehall, RnB, Hip-hop and Reggae music. By the end of the night, I had networked with such a great multitude of business owners based throughout the state of Florida, including a few individuals who were also within the Fashion Industry. The dinner was geared towards building community and helping one another achieve greatness.
What Did I End Up Designing to Wear and Why?
When we were first advised that Casadonna would be the venue of choice for the So Ambitious Dinner I began to envision the perfect cocktail dress for such a venue. We would be dining outside so I knew I wouldn't want to wear anything too long or covered up, yet I still wanted to be formal (maybe a little too formal lol but I already had my heart set out on creating something more on the dressy side). I went to the fabric store and looked around for what seemed to be hours until I found her (yes, I named the fabric, and she was absolutely gorgeous lol). This time around I selected the fabric first then I designed something inspired by the material/fabric of choice. I wanted to wear something that would compliment the event, the venue and my style. The dress wasn't too long and it was sleeveless, so it was perfect for the Miami weather and event that day!
Black Ambition Fundable Founders Learning Lab in partnership with CODNER and ACTHouse
Main Instructors- Dominick Ard’is and Gamal Codner
During these past two and a half months, one of the most fundamental business practices that I have learned as a business owner; is understanding my strengths while acknowledging what I need to consistently work towards. Dominick and Gamal were very skilled at breaking down each objective for each week's curriculum while also giving us direction on how to implement such practices within our business. Courses ranged from: The importance of multiple streams of income, understanding how to truly grow and scale your business, Chat-GPT, and Pitch preparation (among some other essential topics that were highlighted and taught throughout this program). I can honestly say that I have gained much more tools and knowledge than I could have ever imagined within the 10-week Black Ambition Fundable Founders Learning Lab. The final class challenged us to create a 90-Day Growth Plan, which I have already started to implement and work towards. Gamal walked us through how to turn everything that we’ve learned into a focused action plan to move forward with confidence.
Also, the overall fact that the program was virtual was truly a blessing for me (and I can assume that was also the case for other hard-working busy founders like myself as well). The virtual classes allowed me to visit my mother in the hospital yet still be of attendance and travel to places like Tennessee for a conference without missing any classes.
On the days where I was within the city the Aroma Art Cafe coffee shop became my virtual classroom. (Photos Below)
Black Ambition Gift Bag was perfect for my stay at the Yacht Club Resort by Epcot
The Black Ambition Gift Bag along with all of the goodies inside were absolutely perfect for my 2 days stay at the Yacht Club Resort by Epcot. Me and a friend had already planned to stay there for a brief work-cation and every item within the gift bag that was given to us just happened to be perfect for the overall stay. I enjoyed every single product, and I plan on using the Lakay Cakes (www.lakaycakes.com) sometime before the end of the month.
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