When you think of Texas Black Expo, it’s easy to get caught up in the vibrant showcases, packed vendor booths, celebrity speakers and community empowerment initiatives.
But behind the scenes of one of the state’s largest cultural and business expos is Jeremy D. Love, a man who understands the grit and grind of entrepreneurship.
Born in Monroe, Louisiana, and raised in San Antonio, Love credits his Southern upbringing for shaping his values and fueling his entrepreneurial fire. He was the youngest of four kids and was raised on the old-school ethics of hard work, education and perseverance.
His father always told him the key to having money is spending less than you make. That principle, he explained, was crucial to keeping the expo afloat in its early days.
“There were many years, the first four years, we were pretty much in the red. When I hosted my first expo, I was $100,000 in the hole,” said Love. “But because I managed my money in such a way where my living expenses were extremely low, we were able to weather those storms.”
Before launching Texas Black Expo, Love dipped his toes into various ventures, including fashion design. The lessons were valuable. “My mentor told me I was operating out of passion and didn’t have a plan,” he said. That early misstep turned into one of his biggest breakthroughs. “That taught me the value of having mentors… folk that can kind of advise you and help you along your path.”
Whether in fashion, real estate or development, Love’s success comes from two defining personality traits, perseverance and strategic thinking.
“You’ve got to have a passion, a vision, be strategic and most importantly, have mentors,” he said. “Every business I’ve had, from Black Expo to real estate, I sought out someone to guide me through it.”
Love attended the University of Texas at Austin, unsure of what his future held.
“My parents just told me to go to college and get an education. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he admitted with a laugh. “I got my so-called first job and I was miserable. I thought, ‘Man, I’ll start my own business, have a bunch of free time and a lot of money.’ Of course, that wasn’t the case.”
Still, the ups and downs of entrepreneurship have been worth it.
“There are certain frustrations, certain ups and downs in your cash flow… but there’s also a certain level of flexibility,” he explained. “If my kids are sick, I go pick them up from school. I take them to the office with me. You can’t do that if you’re working for someone else.”
The vision for Texas Black Expo was planted during those early days with his clothing line. After losing money and learning the hard way about marketing and business strategy, Love decided to build something more impactful.
“I wanted to create a platform that could teach and educate others about entrepreneurship and business,” he said. “But I also strategically wanted to build a platform that I could utilize to market my own companies.”
For Love, failure isn’t the end; it’s part of the blueprint.
“There’s never a failure. It’s just an opportunity to learn,” he said. “You can’t have a good relationship until you’ve had some failed ones. You don’t even know how to recognize a good one otherwise.”
The Expo is more than a trade show. It creates an ecosystem where Black businesses can thrive. The goal is to circulate the Black dollar, promote health in the communities and give our people the resources they need to succeed.
One of those resources is the We All Eat program, launched by Love and Texas Black Expo during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, funded through CARES Act dollars and partnerships with local municipalities, paid small Black-owned restaurants to provide free meals to families in need.
“The program did three things,” Love said. “It put money in the pockets of small businesses, it fed families during a crisis, and it fostered a deeper sense of community. That’s the power of what we do at the Expo—we serve our people on multiple levels.”
The initiative provided nearly 714,000 meals to over 7,600 residents and generated over $11 million in revenue for 28 local restaurants. As a result, these restaurants were able to hire nearly 100 staff members.
Texas Black Expo has grown into a thriving platform that empowers countless entrepreneurs across the state. Dr. JP Whitaker, a Houston-area chiropractor, has participated in the Expo for over a decade.
“I think the first one we did was probably like 2013,” he recalled.
For Whitaker, the goal was simple: “It was the opportunity to get chiropractic in front of my people. Typically, Black people are not exactly sure what chiropractors do or the health benefits involved. This was a way to contact my folks and give them opportunities to take advantage of what we had to offer.”
His participation has increased awareness about spinal health in the Black community and helped his business. “We got patients. So it definitely helped my business,” he said. “On top of that, just the idea of consistently keeping yourself in other people’s minds top of mind so to speak. If they have you in their network, they’ll probably call.”
Dr. Whitaker also credits the Expo with long-standing relationships and community engagement. “Ninety percent of my practice is Black. That wasn’t even on purpose, it just happened,” he said. “So I think just the concept of making sure my community knows where I am, what I do and that we want to help.”
Having practiced for over 23 years, Whitaker advises other Black entrepreneurs to stay true to themselves.
“Be authentically you. We’re all pretty much designed uniquely to fit whatever space it is that God intended. Fill that space to the best of your abilities.”
