Today we’d like to introduce you to Emanuel Terrell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I wanted this article to discuss my TEDx experience I did in 2024. I was asked to be a TEDx speaker for TEDxWCC (Washtenaw Community College) in Spring 2024 and I gladly accepted. My talk revolved around being a young black entrepreneur, while discussing the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, but also some tips for the entrepreneur starting their journey. It is titled: “Building Bridges Building Empires: A Young Black Entrepreneurs Playbook.”
As I gave this talk, I felt incredibly proud of how far I had come, not only in my parallel career, but also in my ability to share the lessons I had learned through my own entrepreneurial journey and through conversations with the many entrepreneurs I had consulted with along the way. The skills and values I learned from my own business strengthened my positioning, and I hope that my speech helps so many people, particularly young black entrepreneurs.
I started my company, Piedmont Blue Enterprise LLC. in 2017 and here in 2026, my company is still operating and growing. I made several changes to processes, and added more tools to my playbook, and I’m ready to expand and take more strategic risks each and every year.
Within “A Young Black Entrepreneurs Playbook,” I believe that when you start a business, it is okay to not have all of the pieces together. As long as you make a plan to execute what you want to accomplish in the business, then you have one part of a framework to a business. I always encourage anyone to create a solid foundation first, then start to build off what you have, and keep building. In my industry, my goal is to always make my client satisfied with the way they look through my lens. I care more about the whole experience capturing clients versus collecting deposits with dissatisfied results in the end. There are so many smart and talented young people and I’m hoping my TEDx talk inspires them to remove barriers that are often placed on a majority of business owners who start.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In preparation for this event, I’m not going to lie, I was STRESSED. With being asked only 2-3 weeks before the event, when the facilitator head of TEDxWCC asked me, I took the opportunity since I figured this would be the natural next steps toward showcasing my own entrepreneurial journey.
I was only one year into my career as a manager and business consultant, and now I was tasked with figuring out how to share my experiences on such a large platform with the community at large. Between balancing my work responsibilities and preparing for the upcoming graduation season for my clients, I knew I had added even more to my plate. I also knew that I had to share my own thoughts and experiences, especially since I started my business with little to no resources other than my educational background in film and media.
The overall idea that I had that I wanted the audience to take away from this TEDx was to connect both young and experienced entrepreneurs can relate too. I also wanted my TEDx Talk to stand out because I had the opportunity to share my own findings from working with predominantly businesses of color in my full time role.
When I started writing, I had an aha moment, but that moment quickly turned into the question, “Am I the right person to speak on this?”
Overall, I am happy that I went through the practice coaching sessions with the facilitator and made sure I practiced at home. I originally had almost 19 slides, and I thought I could quickly gloss over them like it was a classroom presentation. My coach quickly helped me pivot and condense the presentation.
The best TEDx talks are the ones where the speaker tells a story, and in my case, I shared mini stories about my entrepreneurial journey. Advice on topics such as my ideal version of success and eliminating the pressures of social media when it comes to business still resonates with me to this day.
To be quite honest, I always struggled with my public speaking voice, and I still have those battles where I struggle with my speech impediment. It’s like my thoughts run faster than my ability to speak the words to communicate. I worked on slowing down my speech and actually enunciating to get my point across. Even when I trimmed down my speech to 9 slides I had a time limit of only 7-8 minutes, which was also difficult because anyone that knows me, knows I love having a conversation about business and will lose track of time because of how passionate I am.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Piedmont Blue Enterprise LLC. Is a portrait and editorial company that prides itself on showcasing bright, bold, vivid beautiful photography. Most of my clients are referrals (Gen Z, Millennials and non-profit organizations local to the Metro Detroit, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor area) and I’m extremely grateful that they have supported my business. I’m blessed to have the kind of clients that I encounter.
Piedmont Blue was a company I created after feeling unfulfilled in my multiple jobs at the time, three to be specific. That experience made me realize there was an opportunity for me to be creative. I started asking myself, “How can I get paid while also maintaining connections? What is something that people need, and what am I good at as a new college graduate?” I pride myself on being able to work with most people while also delivering spectacular images and video content. I bring a background in film, business, and community to everything I create, and I care deeply about making images that feel lived in and real.
When considering what to speak about for “A Young Entrepreneurs’ Playbook,” I recognized the need to rebrand my own business to reflect the kinds of people I want to work with. I love working with people in general, so while I have many successful B2B services, working one on one with individuals is what I enjoy the most.
Networking and utilizing your network is so important. Through this thinking process, I changed my logo from when I first started because I wanted people to recognize that Piedmont Blue was a photography and media company. I wanted that message to be reflected through the simple image of a camera.
For me, this is more than a business. It is a reflection of how I see the people and the world around me.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
One of the lessons I learned from doing this TEDx talk is that I am a great speaker. Great public speakers are not necessarily born with the ability. They are constantly reading, practicing, and learning more about how to reach audiences through language. The language I know how to use to reach most people is through discussing simple business practices. When you think about it, there are business fundamentals in every aspect of the world we live in.
I think the most important lesson I have learned from my business journey is resilience in the face of obstacles and learning how to make do with what you have. I never really compared myself to other specialists or other photographers in my industry. I always looked at where I started and considered where I wanted to go in the future. Photography was always an entry point for me into many different opportunities, and I am grateful for that.
I also know and wanted to share that not all business advice you receive is good advice. Choosing the advice that is best suited for you is important because only you truly know what works for your journey. As an entrepreneur, breaking difficult tasks down and handling them one day at a time is better than avoiding them altogether.
Since my TEDx talk will live forever on YouTube, I want this article to serve as a mini lesson before eventually releasing it as an actual book that people can keep as a memento. 2024 was such a big year for me, and now, in 2026, I am still working on improving myself and learning from other entrepreneurs across different industries. I can only hope that my words of wisdom will impact the next generation of business leaders who will change the world, simply by being themselves.
Pricing:
- The Lifestyle Collection (Variety/Miscellaneous) – For clients wanting creative, diverse shoots. ($150)
- The Influencer Collection (Social Media Branding) – For content creators and personal brands ($250)
- The Portrait Collection (Studio Portraits) – For classic, polished headshots and portraits. $255
- The Graduate Collection (Essential)- For new graduates celebrating their achievement. $200
- The Forever Collection- For couples capturing their love story and engagement. ($385)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.piedmontblue.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqJ6ULCJtoY
- Other: https://piedmontblue.studio.cloudspot.io/social-site
