Known As
The MWBE Coach
Talia Johnson-Huff is a construction professional, author, media host, curriculum creator, and community builder whose work bridges real-life experience, systems knowledge, and cultural truth. Born on base of the United States Marine Corps. at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina and raised in East Buffalo, her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and purpose; and everything she builds today is rooted in what she wishes existed when she started.
Where It Started: Learning in the Trenches
Before the titles, the platforms, and the boardrooms, Talia Johnson-Huff grew up inside a business.
Her first classroom wasn’t a seminar, it was her father’s company.
She remembers riding along in the box truck, house to house, while other kids were headed out to have fun. Watching him put on fully branded workwear, preparing for the day with intention and pride. Watching neighbors know his name. Watching relationships turn into repeat customers.
She saw what it meant to show up, to be visible, and to be trusted.
Summers were spent in the basement office, shredding papers; not as busy work, but as exposure. She learned early that business meant documentation, systems, contracts, and accountability. She listened to conversations about government contracting long before she understood the term.
She became the after-hours phone operator, answering calls around the clock, learning customer service, urgency, and responsibility in real time. She helped build the company’s service department, supporting plumbers and heating technicians; learning operations, scheduling, and the human side of running a business.
This wasn’t theory.
This was the trenches.
She didn’t just see entrepreneurship, she saw:
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The grind behind the scenes
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The sacrifice families make
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The systems that keep companies running
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The people who do the work
So when she opened her own company, she didn’t romanticize business.
She respected it.
She understood labor.
She understood service.
She understood risk.
She understood reputation.
And she understood that business is about people first.
There is beauty in turning lived experience into systems, stories, and spaces where people win.
My success was never measured by monetary means but, by impact and, I intend to stay humble,
stay purposeful and continue to build inclusive ecosystems of support and education.
Talia Johnson - Huff
What's Built
Black in Business™
Author & Curriculum Creator
Black in Business is both a book and a curriculum and it is deeply personal.
It chronicles Talia’s life growing up as a Black woman in East Buffalo: the struggles, the lessons, the blessings, the glow-up; and how all of it shaped the way she navigates business, money, power, and perception.
She started her first business at age 12, with no blueprint, no guidance, and no understanding of pricing, positioning, or systems. The book goes deep into:
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Pricing and value-setting
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Perception shaped by race and gender
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The limits and restrictions historically placed on Black people and women
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Childhood trauma, survival mindset, and the PTSD that silently follows many entrepreneurs into adulthood
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Failing forward and learning through loss
What makes Black in Business different is that it doesn’t stop at story.
Each chapter is paired with a workbook component, guiding business owners to:
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Name their struggles
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Break through mental blocks
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Build a full business plan
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Define brand ambassadors
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Clarify strategic vision
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Understand the ecosystem that supports (or blocks) success
The title itself is a double entendre, about operating in Black business and actually making money while navigating systems that were never designed for us.
This curriculum was born from experience and from the absence of support Talia faced when she began.
MWBE Constructors, Inc.
Founder & President
MWBE Constructors, Inc. began as a self-performing general contracting company.
Performing:
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Demolition
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Finish carpentry
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Interior renovations
As the business grew, she encountered a reality many contractors face: unstable labor, inconsistent crews, and risk exposure that made sustainability difficult. Then when a collaborative project went array and she lost her bonding, instead of shrinking, she strategically restructured.
Today, MWBE Constructors, Inc. is a construction management and consulting firm specializing in:
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Construction inspection & site monitoring
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Building feasibility studies
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Cost estimating & budget development
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Project oversight and progress documentation
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MWBE / SDVOB compliance & utilization monitoring
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Public outreach & community engagement
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Graphic design and event planning tied to project delivery
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Small business consulting and certification support
MWBE Constructors now works alongside larger construction management firms, engineers, developers, municipalities, nonprofits, and agencies as their diverse counterpart; bridging the technical side of construction with community connection and compliance.
Talia’s role includes:
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Monitoring jobsites
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Ensuring work meets specifications
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Keeping projects on budget
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Taking progress photos and documentation
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Creating estimates for municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses
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Ensuring projects are feasible before dollars are spent
Her background as a general contractor gives her credibility on-site and her consulting expertise protects owners, contractors, and communities alike.
Blueprint The Culture™ Media Group
Founder & Host
Blueprint The Culture™ is a radio show, podcast, and media group and it is the voice for the voiceless, breaking down blueprint so the communities and ecosystem, not only gets it, but can understand it.
Airing weekly on WUFO 1080 AM | Power 96.5 FM, the platform explores:
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The blueprint inside our companies
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The blueprint inside our homes
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The blueprint inside our communities
It asks:
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How did you become successful?
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What did you endure?
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How do you help others do the same?
The show focuses on:
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Legacy building
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Preventative measures
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Systems literacy
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Cultural truth
Over time, Blueprint The Culture™ has grown into a full media group producing interviews, storytelling, and community-centered content that captures the real journey behind success.
What I've Built
The RARE Place, Inc.
Founder & Executive Director | 2014
Founded in 2014, The RARE Place, Inc. is more than an annual convening; it is a home for capacity building, workforce development, healing, and leadership.
It is the home of the Buffalo Niagara MWBE Training Day Conference, the organization’s annual flagship event.
Before becoming what it is today, RARE worked directly in:
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Buffalo Public High Schools
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As a half-credit course teaching:
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Healthy decision-making
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Entrepreneurship
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Resume writing
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Workforce readiness
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RARE has evolved to meet a greater call.
Its mission is to:
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Train entrepreneurs who cannot afford consulting or coaching
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Answer the demand for capable businesses on real projects
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Prepare employees to be job-ready
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Support returning citizens in understanding their worth
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Provide a safe, affirming space for diverse communities
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Build systems, not just events
RARE exists to strengthen people, so that they can strengthen communities.
The MWBE Coach™
Founder & President
The MWBE Coach™ is a safe, strategic space for business owners, especially minority- and women-owned businesses; to learn, grow, and win.
This platform focuses on:
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Government contracting education
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Partnership building
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Capacity development
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Confidence in male-dominated spaces
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It is where fashion meets construction, and both meet consulting.
The MWBE Coach™ also helps women:
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Show up confidently
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Understand the systems
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Win contracts
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Bridge gaps
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Open conversations others avoid
All rooted in Beauty, Building, and Business.
Built & Branded™
Founder
Built & Branded™ is a beauty, style, and education platform centered on confidence, functionality, and self-expression. This work goes beyond getting dressed, it teaches women how to use what they already have to show up prepared, polished, and powerful in every space they enter.
Through Get Ready With Me: style content, real conversations, and practical demonstrations, Built & Branded™ blends styling, hair, and beauty with lived experience, professional insight, and cultural awareness.
These moments often happen while getting dressed; spilling the tea, sharing lessons, and breaking down how confidence, appearance, and preparation intersect in real life.
The platform includes:
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Closet audits and styling education using existing wardrobes
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Beauty and hair guidance rooted in care, confidence, and self-presentation
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Teaching women how to dress for male-dominated fields without losing femininity
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Beauty on a budget and intentional styling before purchasing anything new
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Conversations that educate while remaining relatable and honest
Built & Branded™ exists to remind women that how they feel in their clothes affects how they perform, speak, and lead. Confidence is not superficial, it is strategic.
This platform also serves as the foundation for a functional fashion line designed for women working in male-dominated industries; where style, structure, and comfort must coexist.
Beauty here is not about appearance alone.
It is about presence.
And presence changes outcomes.
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Talia's Journey
Using personal transformation to inspire others
Talia Johnson-Huff’s journey is defined by observation, resilience, and intention. Raised at the intersection of discipline and creativity, she learned early how to navigate spaces that were not designed for her by listening closely, working diligently, and trusting her instincts. From sitting at the feet of her grandparents to learning business in the trenches of a family company, her path was shaped by service, structure, and self-expression. What once felt like standing apart revealed itself as preparation; training her to see gaps, question systems, and imagine better ways forward.
That journey evolved into a life’s work rooted in building projects, people, and platforms. Through construction, education, media, and beauty, Talia has turned lived experience into impact, using her voice and skills to create spaces where others can thrive. Her story inspires not by perfection, but by perseverance; showing that growth often comes through translation, that failure is part of the process, and that success is most meaningful when it is shared. The work continues, driven by purpose, humility, and a commitment to lifting others as she builds.
Upcoming Workshops
Success Stories
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Danny Weiss, FL
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Daniella Biali, CA
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Raphi Partridge, MN