By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, March 20, 2015
Kandi Burruss, over six seasons on "Real Housewives of Atlanta," has shown her financial prowess and independence. She came onto the show in 2009 already wealthy thanks to Clark Howard-like frugality and business smarts as a Grammy-winning songwriter.
She has since created a successful high-class Bedroom Kandi adult toy line, a musical ("A Mother's Love") and opened TAGS boutiques. She has worked in a couple of Bravo spin-off shows and owns multiple real estate holdings.
Now she's doing something that makes total sense: a business seminar for female entrepreneurs called "Empower" on Saturday April 11 at an Atlanta location only revealed when you register.
Tickets range from $175 to $300. You can purchase them here.
Burruss will be the keynote speaker but she has also brought in other entrepreneurs from different fields:
- Mona Scott Young, creator of the "Love and Hip Hop" reality show series
- Andra Hall, owner, Camicakes
- Myleik Teele, owner, Curlbox
- Brandi Hunter, real estate consultant
- Dr. Kim, motivational speaker
She knows them all personally except the Camicakes owner, but she loves the business.
Kandi, in a recent interview, said her business manager Don Juan came up with the idea.
"I've been talking about it for a minute," Kandi said. "Basically, in my group of friends, I've always been the one who pushed other friends. 'We need to do this. You should do that!' I liked giving advice and I helped a few of them make very lucrative decisions. And so they're always saying, 'Kandi, you should do a class!' You can help other women. So I'm finally doing it!"
She hopes to draw some entrepreneurs she herself might invest in, "Shark Tank" style. "I just think any time you get a group of women who are like minded, everyone is ready to make money if you team up. Then you can do bigger and better things."
Kandi has never had a nine-to-five job and didn't go to college. She learned by doing. As a teen, she started in the music business as a singer but seeing how volatile it was, she found other skill sets to develop. "I never wanted to be broke and left out on the street," she said. "Songwriting definitely took me to the next level. I made more money there than as part of a group with multi-platinum albums." She dabbled in management, signing Jagged Edge along the way with So So Def, but realized that wasn't her thing.
She liked fashion so she began the Tags boutiques around the time she was joining "Real Housewives." She didn't realize going in what a big deal the show would be. (Who would?) "I didn't think it would really change my life," she said. But it has.
She is now a high-profile celebrity. Before "Housewives," she actually was talking with fellow Xscape group member Tameka "Tiny" Cottle about doing a show but Tiny ended up working with Toya Wright instead. "If she hadn't talked to me about that, I might not have been open to doing 'Housewives,' she said.
Despite all the drama and negativity on "Real Housewives," Kandi said the experience has been a net positive.
"It's a great platform, basically free advertising," she said. "People see what I'm working on and they want to be a part of it. I'm thankful for the show, thankful for the fact I met my husband through it." (Her husband Todd Tucker was part of the production crew when "Housewives" went to South Africa season four.)
She said she has learned from her failures, too. Bravo tried a music development/competition show called "The Kandi Factory" a couple of years ago. It only lasted a season. Kandi said this was her first stab at executive producing and she learned a lot from the experience about being more forceful and decisive. She also realized in retrospect that Bravo may not have been the best home for this type of show. (Bravo tried a songwriting competition show a few years ago called "Platinum Hit" that failed as well.)
"MTV or VH1 might have been better," she said, in retrospect.
On the bright side, her wedding spinoff was the most successful spinoff in Bravo "Housewives" history.
She also learned that vetting third parties is crucial. She and Todd hired a third party promoter to handle the national tour of "A Mother's Love," which ended up going kabloeey on them last fall because he didn't have the capital to market and build sales. "I needed to be much more involved in how to promote it," she said. "When I'm hands off, things don't always go so well."
As for her relationship with Phaedra Parks, she repeated what she said on the show: she had no idea Phaedra had an issue with her and was annoyed that Phaedra was complaining to the other women that Kandi wasn't there for her in her time of need. "I've never been the friend who calls you every day," she said. "It wasn't like we didn't talk at all. The show gave the impression we hadn't talked in months!"
She just would have preferred to have heard Phaedra's issues from Phaedra. They ultimately made peace during the Philippines trip last fall that aired the past two Sundays.
And does Kandi think it's time for NeNe to leave the show? "I have no idea what she’s thinking. She’s saying she’s tired of the show. Then do what you want to do!"
Kandi is happy to stay as long as Bravo wants her to stay. "I have a great relationship with Bravo. I'm happy with the way things are. We may get a spinoff every now and then but we're still a part of 'Housewives.' It's been a great platform for my brand."
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