Teneshia Jackson Warner, Founder and CEO of Egami Group, has never been one to settle for “good enough.” For her, the only destination worth chasing is greatness.
That’s why she walked away from a secure, well-paying tech job without a backup plan. Teneshia was determined to build something that truly reflected her passions and purpose.
“I believe one of the biggest robbers of a great life is a really, really good life,” Teneshia said. After resigning, she asked herself: If I looked at my life from the inside out, what would I see? What are my passions? What lasting impact could I make using my gifts?
The answers led her from Minneapolis to the fast-paced streets of New York City, where she took an unpaid internship at a communications firm just to get her foot in the door. Within months, she’d proven her worth.
When her manager at the firm offered her a full-time role, on the spot, Teneshia decided to realize her dream of having her own company. So, she boldly countered the job offer by saying to hire her company instead.
That gutsy move gave birth to Egami Group. Egami is “image” spelled backwards. Teneshia built a powerhouse, full-service integrated communications firm, with a focus on serving multicultural audiences, while also finding her life partner, Mike Warner, who became both her husband and her business partner and ally. Together, they’ve navigated nearly two decades of challenges and triumphs.
How did TD Bank meet Egami’s needs?
Early on, Egami Group was a TD customer, but as they expanded, they switched to another major bank. They’ve now been around for 18 years and have witnessed all sorts of ups and downs. More recently, Teneshia and Mike needed financial insights and advice for their business. That’s when Mike attended a local TD presentation on solutions for small businesses.
After the presentation, he approached Donald Carter, Senior Relationship Manager at TD Bank in New York City, and Cindy Matos, Business Banker for TD Bank in New York City. He subsequently met with them afterwards.
Marcus Gonzales, Community Business Development Officer for TD Bank in New York City added “At TD, we really value the importance of offering financial education and resources to small business owners. These events not only offer education and awareness that many small business owners need, but also open the door to meaningful conversations. We are glad that we were able to reconnect with Mike and Egami team at one of these events and show how TD could support their evolving needs.”
“The TD team stepped in and really assessed our needs,” Mike said. “They came to our office and talked to us. We went to lunch, and they spent time to really understand what we needed moving forward.”
The connection between Egami Group and TD has come full circle, and they're now working together again.
“Our relationship with TD has become one of our favorite relationships. So much so that I have been recommending them to other small business owners,” Mike said.
Mike attributes their reconnection to the personal way TD does business.
“When you're a company that wants to do business with the community, you've got to be part of the community,” Mike said. “You've got to show up. The community events you do make you a citizen, a community member.”
"Working with Egami has been incredibly rewarding," Cindy said. "Their creativity, community focus and willingness to accept change align well with TD's commitment to helping small businesses grow and adapt. By providing tailored financial guidance and access to resources, we are proud to support Egami's continued innovation and growth.
How is Egami responding to a changing world?
As a pioneering multicultural communications and marketing agency, Egami Group is known as a firm that caters to an inclusive audience.
“Our North Star is that we are doing work that moves the world forward,” Teneshia said.
Yet a changing economic landscape forces them to continually learn how to pivot. Within the past year, they rebranded in response to economic challenges and technological advancements, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). To stay current, Egami Group will be rolling out a new AI-powered tool this fall that can help their brand partners understand the behavior of multicultural audiences, as well as test and give feedback in real-time. They’re also looking at the way they do business to see where they can incorporate AI to increase efficiency and operations.
Egami Group continues to work with TD to understand where their business is today and create solutions that help them grow.
“We're back in business with TD Bank at a critical time,” Teneshia said. “We really appreciate the authenticity and genuine desire to help small businesses that comes from the bank.”
Teneshia’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs is simple. She said to expect fear and move forward anyway.
“When you pivot into the unknown, fear shows up,” she said. “The key is developing a relationship with it, so you can keep going in spite of it. Your passions and your gifts will make way for you. They will open doors you didn’t even know."
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