In partnership with
The four-day experience will convene beauty, wellness and product-based founders for business education, networking and celebration, with Upscale Magazine serving as an Official Media Partner.
Atlanta will become a hub for entrepreneurial education, connection and celebration Sept. 24-27 as the Black Candle Makers Club hosts the BCMC ATL Summit 2026: Honoring Business Creatives Universally.
Designed for product-based entrepreneurs, beauty and wellness founders, self-care brands and other business creatives, the four-day summit aims to help founders strengthen the business infrastructure behind the products and services they have already worked to build.
Upscale Magazine will serve as an Official Media Partner for the 2026 summit, providing pre-event, on-site and post-event coverage, including red-carpet interviews and additional promotional support.
The partnership will also introduce the Upscale Visionary Award, recognizing one summit entrepreneur for vision, leadership, innovation and a commitment to building a business with meaningful, lasting impact.
From Creative Talent to Sustainable Business
BCMC began as a community for Black candle makers, but its reach has expanded to support entrepreneurs working across fragrance, beauty, skincare, bath and body, wellness and self-care services.
That evolution reflects a larger reality for many creative founders: Making a standout product is only one part of building a sustainable company.
2 minutes. Your URL. A customer profile worth using.
Most founders can describe their product. They can't describe their customer. Not in a way that actually changes how they sell.
HubSpot for Startups built a free tool to fix that. Paste in your URL, answer a few quick questions, and it generates a structured profile of your best-fit customer. Firmographics, buying triggers, the works.
Takes 2 minutes. No spreadsheet required.
The ATL Summit is designed to address the business knowledge that often determines whether a promising idea can grow into an enduring enterprise. Programming will cover financial strategy, funding, business credit, brand positioning, marketing, legal protection, systems, leadership and growth.
“Some of the most talented entrepreneurs are creating extraordinary products but still trying to figure out the business side alone,” said Julia “Jewelz” Amponsah-Gilder, founder and president of BCMC. “This Summit is about putting education, strategy, relationships and opportunity in the same room.”
A Lineup Built Around Business Growth
The 2026 faculty includes entrepreneurs, attorneys, brand strategists, business coaches and industry leaders from across the country.
Scheduled participants include David Shands of The Social Proof Podcast; Candace Holyfield-Parker of Seven Figure Spa Chick; Dr. Britni Ricard, also known as Bee Marie, CEO of Cota Skin; Angela Brock of Hello Breakthrough; Kalynn Powell, known as The Billboard Queen; Rosezena Pierce, Esq., known as The Biz Lawyer; Princess Dior; Coach K; Mz Skittlez; Coach Cassy; Journae Stanley; Coach Sevyn; and Bryant “Big Sexy” Bee, among others.
For attendees, the value extends beyond hearing success stories. The summit is structured around practical instruction, relationship-building and access to people who can help founders think more strategically about the next stage of their businesses.
BCMC’s work has also received civic recognition. In 2025, the organization received a City of Houston proclamation recognizing Sept. 27 as Black Candle Makers Club Day, commemorating its contribution to entrepreneurship education and community.
Four Days of Learning, Networking and Celebration
The summit will combine educational programming with experiences created to encourage connection among founders and business leaders.
Scheduled events include keynote presentations, breakout sessions, networking experiences, a welcome mixer, VIP programming, a live entrepreneur pitch competition and the BCMC Yard Fest Marketplace + Summit Meet & Greet Mixer.
The weekend will also feature the 4th Annual BCMC Homecoming Candle Ball & Awards Show and a Commencement Brunch.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, the BCMC Yard Fest Marketplace + Summit Meet & Greet Mixer is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving members of the Atlanta community an opportunity to shop product-based brands, meet entrepreneurs and connect with select speakers and special guests.
Later that evening, attendees will shift from business-building to celebration with the summit’s ’90s-themed Candle Ball.
The Upscale Visionary Award Will Spotlight an Emerging Business Leader
One of the signature additions to this year’s summit is the Upscale Visionary Award.
BCMC will oversee the application and finalist process, while Upscale Media Group will select the recipient from the finalist pool.
The award is intended to recognize an entrepreneur demonstrating bold vision, strong leadership, innovation and a clear commitment to creating meaningful impact through business.
According to the summit announcement, the recipient will receive the official Upscale Visionary Award along with an Upscale entrepreneur profile or editorial feature through an appropriate print and/or digital platform, an Upscale interview, professional editorial and/or event photography, digital or social media recognition, live recognition during the BCMC Candle Ball and additional recognition from BCMC.
For Upscale, the award extends the publication’s ongoing focus on Black enterprise by creating another platform to introduce readers to founders whose ideas, leadership and businesses are worth watching.
Atlanta Sets the Stage for the Next Chapter
The summit arrives in a city with deep ties to Black entrepreneurship, HBCU culture and creative enterprise — a fitting backdrop for an experience designed around both business education and community.
For founders navigating everything from financing and intellectual property to marketing, systems and scale, the BCMC ATL Summit is positioning four days in Atlanta as an opportunity to learn, build relationships and return home with a clearer strategy for what comes next.
The host hotel and specific access information will be provided directly to confirmed ticket holders and approved event partners for security purposes.
The BCMC ATL Summit 2026 takes place Sept. 24-27 in Atlanta. Summit details and available access options are available at officialbcmc.com/atlsummit.
Free tickets for the BCMC Yard Fest Marketplace + Summit Meet & Greet Mixer are available through Eventbrite.
