Dallas-based Minority-owned Businesses Win Big at Good Soil Pitch Competition

Sponsored by Wells Fargo, T.D. Jakes granted $425,000 to minority-led startups at the 2025 Good Soil Forum.

In 2023, Pastor T.D. Jakes launched the Good Soil Movement with a mission to “plant seeds” of ideas and growth in minority businesses owners. For two years, the longtime entrepreneur and pastor—who has plans to retire as senior pastor of Potter’s House—has carried out this mission by hosting the annual Good Soil Forum at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The weekend-long conference is headlined by a pitch competition, similar in structure to Shark Tank.

On June 14, three entrepreneurs were awarded a total of $425,000 to help grow their businesses. Two of the three founders run DFW-based businesses, Shampoo Time and SickFit.

The pitch competition featured seven finalists and each was given 5 minutes and 30 seconds to pitch their companies. They were allotted three minutes to answer questions from the judges. The judging panel included leaders from Wells Fargo, Mark Cuban Cos., Western Governors University, and Hello Alice.

Taking home the grand prize of $200,000 was a mother-daughter duo who run South Carolina-based Gabby Bows. At the age of seven, Gabby Goodwin, alongside her mother Rozalynn Goodwin, created the first patented double-face, double-snap hair barrette. Now a teenager, the CEO has sold more than 1 million bows through her website, Amazon, and Walmart and Target’s e-commerce storefronts.

The $200,000 investment will be used to help get Gabby Bows into 876 Claire’s storefronts this fall. “We were revived in our faith to believe in our business and our dreams,” Rozalynn Goodwin said following her win.

Coming in second place, earning a total of $100,000—plus an additional $50,000 for winning the Dallas Host Award—was Shampoo Time, a Dallas-based beauty brand. It manufactures shampoo mats for babies, toddlers, and children. Founder and CEO Kia-Shun Voltz plans on using the funding to expand Shampoo Time’s haircare line to include new products such as grease and leave-in conditioner.

In 2020, Voltz said she launched Shampoo Time after realizing just how much anxiety children and their parents had on hair-wash days. What started as a $200 investment has now spread across 16 countries and generated $2 million in lifetime equity. “I lived the problem, developed the solutions, and proved their demand. Now, we are planting seeds into some good soil so that we can grow,” Voltz said during her pitch.

Another Dallas-based brand, SickFit, took home the third-place prize of $75,000. United States military veteran Paden Sickles created the durable, supportive socks after spending 11 years on her feet as an engineer officer in the U.S. Army. Launched in 2021, the compression sock brand is designed for people who live on their feet including athletes, first responders, and soldiers. SickFit has sold over 200,000 pairs of socks, and is worn by Olympians, WNBA players, and more.

Sickles plans on using the funding to advance product development, specifically creating a sensory sock for kids with autism. “We’re not just solving. We’re not just bridging a gap. We’re solving a human problem on how people work, compete, and live,” Sickles said.

The other competing finalists included Lamana Ballard, CEO and founder of hormonal healthcare brand FloEver Health, Joseph Hamilton, founder of training football company 4 Second Football, M.T. Strickland, CEO and co-founder of AI-workout platform Metric Mate, and Orleatha Smith, co-founder of coffee substitute drink brand Sip Herbals.

Prior to the pitch competition, the three-day event included workshops, panels, and keynote presentations that featured Oprah Winfrey, T.D. Jakes, and Pinky Cole. The Good Soil Movement is looking to expand its reach beyond Dallas, bringing the forum to more U.S. cities.