Honoring Our Roots, Healing Our Souls: The Power of May for the Haitian Business Community
May 16, 2025 | Written By: Dr. Erlange Elisme
A Month of Dual Celebration
For Haitian entrepreneurs and business leaders across Georgia and the United States, May offers a sacred opportunity for reflection and celebration. As both Haitian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, May invites us to consider how our cultural resilience shapes our business practices and how prioritizing wellbeing strengthens our collective entrepreneurial journey.
The Business of Heritage
Our Haitian heritage represents more than cultural pride; it's a powerful business asset. The revolutionary spirit that created the world's first Black republic flows through our veins as Haitian business owners who transform obstacles into opportunities daily. When we display our flag proudly on May 18th, we aren't just celebrating history; we're honoring the entrepreneurial determination encoded in our DNA.
Haitian businesses across Georgia—from restaurants in Marietta to healthcare practices in Atlanta to retail shops in Dacula—demonstrate this heritage of innovation and perseverance. Our community's economic contributions tell a powerful story of resilience, a skill we as Haitians have cultivated through generations of overcoming systemic barriers.
Mental Wellness as Revolutionary Business Strategy
The entrepreneurial journey demands resilience, but true resilience requires intentional renewal. For Haitian business leaders, acknowledging mental health isn't just personal—it's revolutionary professional strategy. The pressures of building businesses while navigating cultural transitions, supporting extended families, and confronting systemic inequities create unique challenges to our wellbeing.
At Elisme Consulting Services, we believe caring for mental health is not weakness—it's wisdom and transformative business practice. The solopreneur who prioritizes mental wellness builds a more sustainable enterprise and models the importance of self-care within our community.
Building Business Konbit
The Haitian concept of "konbit"—collective labor for community benefit—offers a powerful framework for business leadership. When we as Haitian entrepreneurs support each other through business associations, mentorship programs, and collaborative projects, we create economic konbit that strengthens our entire community.
This May, we invite Haitian business owners across Georgia to expand this konbit to include mental health support. Let's create spaces where healing is possible through:
Leading with Balance
For the solopreneur, balance isn't luxury—it's necessity. As you guide your enterprise, remember that your most valuable asset is yourself. Our ancestors remind us, "Nou se wozo. Menm si nou pliye, nou pa kase." We are reeds. Though we bend, we do not break.
Successful leadership in our community doesn't mean never bending; it means developing the flexibility to recover and grow stronger through challenges. This requires intentional practices of rest, reflection, and renewal—practices that honor both our cultural heritage and our need for healing.
For Haitian entrepreneurs and business leaders across Georgia and the United States, May offers a sacred opportunity for reflection and celebration. As both Haitian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, May invites us to consider how our cultural resilience shapes our business practices and how prioritizing wellbeing strengthens our collective entrepreneurial journey.
The Business of Heritage
Our Haitian heritage represents more than cultural pride; it's a powerful business asset. The revolutionary spirit that created the world's first Black republic flows through our veins as Haitian business owners who transform obstacles into opportunities daily. When we display our flag proudly on May 18th, we aren't just celebrating history; we're honoring the entrepreneurial determination encoded in our DNA.
Haitian businesses across Georgia—from restaurants in Marietta to healthcare practices in Atlanta to retail shops in Dacula—demonstrate this heritage of innovation and perseverance. Our community's economic contributions tell a powerful story of resilience, a skill we as Haitians have cultivated through generations of overcoming systemic barriers.
Mental Wellness as Revolutionary Business Strategy
The entrepreneurial journey demands resilience, but true resilience requires intentional renewal. For Haitian business leaders, acknowledging mental health isn't just personal—it's revolutionary professional strategy. The pressures of building businesses while navigating cultural transitions, supporting extended families, and confronting systemic inequities create unique challenges to our wellbeing.
At Elisme Consulting Services, we believe caring for mental health is not weakness—it's wisdom and transformative business practice. The solopreneur who prioritizes mental wellness builds a more sustainable enterprise and models the importance of self-care within our community.
Building Business Konbit
The Haitian concept of "konbit"—collective labor for community benefit—offers a powerful framework for business leadership. When we as Haitian entrepreneurs support each other through business associations, mentorship programs, and collaborative projects, we create economic konbit that strengthens our entire community.
This May, we invite Haitian business owners across Georgia to expand this konbit to include mental health support. Let's create spaces where healing is possible through:
- Self-Care Practices: Engaging in stress regulation, cultural resilience, and emotional safety practices as solopreneurs
- Business Networking with Purpose: Creating spaces where business discussions include wellbeing strategies and collective care
- Community Reinvestment: Developing programs that address mental health needs while honoring cultural wisdom and building customer loyalty
Leading with Balance
For the solopreneur, balance isn't luxury—it's necessity. As you guide your enterprise, remember that your most valuable asset is yourself. Our ancestors remind us, "Nou se wozo. Menm si nou pliye, nou pa kase." We are reeds. Though we bend, we do not break.
Successful leadership in our community doesn't mean never bending; it means developing the flexibility to recover and grow stronger through challenges. This requires intentional practices of rest, reflection, and renewal—practices that honor both our cultural heritage and our need for healing.
A Call to Action for Haitian Businesses
This May, Lakol Magazine joins with Elisme Consulting Services to invite Haitian business leaders throughout Georgia and beyond to:
The Future of Haitian Business Leadership
As we honor both our heritage and our health this May, we envision a future where Haitian businesses thrive not just through traditional resilience but through balanced resilience—the kind that acknowledges both strength and vulnerability as essential to sustainable success.
The business leaders who will shape our community's future understand that honoring our roots means caring for the whole self, that economic success requires emotional wellbeing, and that our greatest business asset is our capacity to both stand strong and seek support when needed. Join us in building a trauma-responsive business community where healing and success go hand in hand.
This May, Lakol Magazine joins with Elisme Consulting Services to invite Haitian business leaders throughout Georgia and beyond to:
- Celebrate Heritage as Strategy: Share how your Haitian background influences your business approach and strengthens your leadership
- Normalize Wellness Conversations: Make mental health a priority in your business planning and daily practices
- Create Personal Healing Rituals: Implement trauma-informed self-care routines that honor both productivity and wellbeing
- Build Community Partnerships: Connect with organizations that understand the unique intersection of Haitian identity, trauma, and wellness
- Lead by Example: Demonstrate that self-care strengthens leadership capacity and community resilience
The Future of Haitian Business Leadership
As we honor both our heritage and our health this May, we envision a future where Haitian businesses thrive not just through traditional resilience but through balanced resilience—the kind that acknowledges both strength and vulnerability as essential to sustainable success.
The business leaders who will shape our community's future understand that honoring our roots means caring for the whole self, that economic success requires emotional wellbeing, and that our greatest business asset is our capacity to both stand strong and seek support when needed. Join us in building a trauma-responsive business community where healing and success go hand in hand.
Dr. Erlange Elisme, DSW
CEO / Owner & Author
Website: https://elismeconsultingservices.com
Phone number: 678-595-6446
Email: [email protected]
CEO / Owner & Author
Website: https://elismeconsultingservices.com
Phone number: 678-595-6446
Email: [email protected]