The Joseph Business School Continues To Cultivate Entrepreneurs

Dr. Deloris Thomas is the President of the Joseph Business School. Photo provided by Joseph Business School.
Dr. Deloris Thomas is the President of the Joseph Business School. Photo provided by Joseph Business School.

The Joseph Business School Continues To Cultivate Entrepreneurs

By Tia Carol Jones

The Joseph Business School recently hosted the 2026 Business and Leadership Conference at the Living Word Christian Center, located at 7600 W. Roosevelt Road, in Forest Park, Ill. There is an opportunity for interested entrepreneurs across the city and surrounding areas to take advantage of an upcoming cohort.

This was the 32nd year for the Business and Leadership Conference. Dr. Deloris Thomas, president of the Joseph Business School, said the conference was the brainchild of Dr. Bill Winston, who is the Founder of the Living Word Christian Center and the Founder of the Joseph Business School. She said Dr. Winston felt that while he was ministering to the church body about the importance of maximizing their full potential through the word of God, he knew that it also needed to be demonstrated in the marketplace. Therefore, Winston launched the conference and brought in leaders who were successful in the marketplace and also publicly professed their faith in God, as a reason for their success.

The goal of the Business and Leadership Conference is to inspire believers to show them that they could strongly express their faith in the marketplace and be successful. This year’s theme was “THE BLESSING: Anointed for Business” and the speakers were chosen based on their desire to close the wealth gap, along with their ability to express their faith publicly and proudly. The speakers included Charles Payne, Fox Business Network Host; Richard Montañez, motivational speaker and inventor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos; Cindy Trimm, Founder of Trimm Global Charities; Dr. James Mworia, architect of TRIFIC; and Tony O. Elumelu, Nigerian banker and philanthropist.

There was also a gathering of the presidents of the African American, Hispanic and Asian American Chambers of Commerce.  They discussed coming together to close the wealth gap, providing access to capital and sharing resources, in an effort to change the trajectory of entrepreneurs in the state of Illinois, as well as globally. Dr. Thomas said the event was unique because people who attended the conference were able to confidently express their faith and their success. She said it is like being around family, without judgement, where people share information openly.

She gave the example of the government contracting fair, which took place prior to the Business and Leadership Conference, that was aimed at showing entrepreneurs the path to getting government contracts. Thomas said attendees also were told about the $9.7 trillion of funding and investment in manufacturing and how they could access that money and bring manufacturing back to the United States and how they could also export manufacturing.

“We really provide an atmosphere where entrepreneurs, business leaders and those who aspire to be entrepreneurs to become more successful financially can find a place where they can get answers, they can get mentors, they can network and they can find financers that they normally wouldn’t find on their own,” Thomas said. She added that each year, they endeavor to do better and each year they receive feedback about how impactful the conference is. Thomas said people leave the conference feeling inspired and empowered, and they rave about the amount of information they receive. She said that feedback from the attendees lets her and her team know they did what they set out to do with the conference.

Thomas said the new cohort, which starts on Aug. 15th, is aimed at helping the Joseph Business School achieve its goal of having 100,000 entrepreneurs achieve $1 million in revenue in the next five years. She said people who are existing entrepreneurs and who are looking to reach the level of success they desire, who are under $100,000 in revenue and have less than two employees are encouraged to apply for the cohort.  Aspiring entrepreneurs who want to know how to start their business, are 18 years old and older, and have a high school diploma are also encouraged to apply for the cohort. Applications for the cohort are due July 27th. To apply, visit www.jbs.edu.

Those interested in the Business and Leadership Conference, can visit jbsmedia.tv. People can watch the conference on-demand there.


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