Andrea ”Drea” England, pictured above, recently opened the “The Business Connect Hub” office in Charles Village. (Courtesy photo)
By Antonio Moore
Special to the AFRO
AE Business Consulting is at work supporting the birth and growth of many small businesses in Baltimore City in the midst of the pandemic and uncertainty of government relief or SBA assistance.
The mind behind it, Andrea “Drea” England, founder and CEO of AE Business Consulting.
Drea, a determined young woman in West Baltimore started in business at 16-years-old managing a very successful local clothing store. Drea went on to obtain three degrees, most notable her Masters in Business Information and Technology from Stevenson University.
Over the last decade, Drea has assisted hundreds of businesses, corporate, private and public sectors. Even working with nonprofits and the government. In 2017, understanding the challenges of startups Drea birthed AE Business Consulting. She assisted clients with business planning and marketing directives amongst other services.
As a result of conversations about the refocus of Black spending power to support Black businesses, many new Black-owned small businesses emerged in Baltimore City. Being responsive to the need now more than ever for assistance for small Black business owners, Drea has shifted her focus to assisting new and existing Black entrepreneurs with navigating the dysfunctions of smaller businesses.
At 30 years old, her insight of the millennial generation in Baltimore City and age of social media marketing allows her to provide innovative services for clients. Her social media branding delivers strategy to raise customer engagement and traffic to clients online platforms. Her purple and white themed print workbooks are popular amongst her clients. The books contain discussed goals and visions tailored for their business.
This past September, AE Business Consulting announced the grand opening of “The Business Connect Hub” in Charles Village. A creative space provided for entrepreneurs, organizations, students and small business owners. “Our goal is to bring business awareness, support and networking services collectively while making it easier for individuals to reach the potential of their business endeavors” notes Drea about the vision of the new space.
The location is surrounded by locally owned and recognized Black clothing brands frequented by the city’s Gen Z population. Huey Brand, WAAAH Clothing, and Ouftur. Baltimore millennials now refer to it as the new “Black Wall Street.”
For more information, visit www.thebusinessconnecthub.com.
