Juanita Britton
The Beginnings
Juanita Carol Britton is a successful, engaging, and charming businesswoman who naturally exudes an energetic, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic spirit in everything she does. Charming and engaging, successful businesswoman Juanita Carol Britton naturally exudes an energetic, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic spirit.
As a child, Juanita displayed keen business acumen and a talent for recognizing enterprises with profitable potential—skills that exceeded those of most adults. At the tender age of five, she was given the moniker “Busy Bee” because she was as industrious as a worker bee.
At age four, she sold freshly roasted peanuts with her grandfather, “Papa.” At seven, she convinced her second-grade teacher to allow her to sell candy to raise funds to purchase an aquarium full of goldfish for her classroom. By the time she was 10, Busy Bee had launched her first business, selling lemonade during summers on the corner outside her family’s home in Detroit, Michigan. Within three years, her business had become so successful that Busy Bee farmed out her cookie-cutter operation to six neighborhood corners. Long before franchising became popular, Busy Bee had the street smarts to know that this was the way to go. She shared some of the profits from the lemonade venture to pay for trips to local amusement parks with her friends from the neighborhood. She also purchased the latest hit records by James Brown to send to more than a dozen of her pen pals living in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and the Caribbean.
As she continued to acquire skills, she stretched her wings, and, at 15, Busy Bee became the business manager for a citywide high school social club—planning dances, trips, student-teacher events, and even concerts with several national acts. At 16, she was promoted to head cashier at her neighborhood McDonald’s. At 17, as an undergraduate student of political science, Busy Bee coordinated and paid for her first solo international trip as an exchange student to Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea.
A Coming of Age
In the early 1980s, Busy Bee graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Communications, Oil Management, and Education from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She returned to Detroit, as she had promised her high school principal she would, to teach for a year. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she attended Howard University and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs. In 2011, she was awarded a Doctorate in Humanities from the Global Oved Dei Seminary University in Florida.
Shortly after graduating, she landed a competitive internship in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Reagan Administration. Busy Bee has held positions overseas with the U.S. State Department and was deployed to handle special political assignments during the administrations of President George H.W. Bush and President William Clinton. Busy Bee’s exciting career has allowed her to enjoy a wide range of management and consulting positions in the District of Columbia, in the federal government, and with several universities.
BZB Kicks Off
In 1985, Britton incorporated her flagship brand, BZB International, Inc.—an African American woman-owned special event coordination, retail development, public relations, marketing, and African diaspora travel firm. The firm consults with corporations, national organizations, small businesses, and individuals on integrated and targeted plans to stimulate a desired response from target audiences.
In 1990, after a visit to the famous Brixton Market in London, England, Britton was inspired to produce the first “BZB Holiday Gift & Art Show,” the largest African American department store experience on the East Coast (“BZB Shop ‘Til Ya Drop”), in Washington, D.C.
The event attracts enthusiastic patrons interested in doing their holiday shopping in November and December with local, national, and international artisans, designers, and entrepreneurs. Since its inception, Britton has produced more than 210 varied shopping events, including the “BZB Shop ‘Til Ya Drop” shows, which have featured over 600 small retailers and artisans and hosted more than 300,000 customers.
During the 2026 holiday season, “BZB Shop ‘Til Ya Drop” will celebrate its 36th anniversary at the start of Thanksgiving weekend. Busy Bee credits the show’s extraordinary success to the loyal support of her mother, Georgiann; her brother, Donald; her three adopted children, Robin, Danielle, and Telvin; and scores of employees, volunteers, and longtime friends.
A driven entrepreneur and passionate community leader, Busy Bee operates several business ventures simultaneously. Britton is Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of Paradies Lagardère-BZB, DC, LLC, a company that operates retail stores and food operations with clients that include THE GOODS, Brooks Brothers, SAY SI BON Gourmet Market, SPANX, Brighton, Magic Pan, BIG Bowl, U Street Pub, Washington Pour Bar, and CNBC stores in airports throughout the Greater Washington Area. Her responsibilities include sourcing and contracting services from local, national, and international entrepreneurs and businesses; working closely with over 200 employees on publications and merchandise mix; customer service; team building; and community outreach projects.
Busy Bee’s communication and public relations expertise is focused on building bridges between corporate and community-based entities. In 2008, she was appointed Director of Communications at the University of the District of Columbia, where she made a groundbreaking impact on relations between the administration and the student body during a crucial period of transition at the university. A consultant, motivational speaker, and trainer, Busy Bee enjoys working with aspiring entrepreneurs, rurally based women on micro-economic development projects, and artists and merchants throughout the world.
All Around the World
One of Busy Bee’s endeavors is a partnership with Cardinal Resources of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she serves as the Managing Director for Africa. In this position, she delivers the patented Red Bird System—a solar-powered, community-sized drinking water system—to communities and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. Senegal, West Africa, has been chosen as the launch site on the African continent, with other sites in additional countries slated to launch throughout 2026–2028.
Deeply rooted in her international mission, Busy Bee enjoys spending extended periods in Ghana, living in the village where she serves as Queen Mother. These long stays allow her to immerse herself in the local culture while maintaining direct, hands-on community involvement—working closely with children, mentoring youth, and supporting the village’s seniors.
In spring 2007, Busy Bee debuted her first film, Random Acts of Kindness: A Documentary of Giving, based on an emotional dream in which she took her family, friends, and a film crew to South Africa, Swaziland, and Senegal to randomly “give back” for love. She founded the Random Acts Foundation of Washington, D.C., which is dedicated to conducting random acts of kindness toward women and families through national and international humanitarian projects.
It Takes a Village
Busy Bee’s professional and volunteer enterprises have earned her national and international accolades. In October 2011, she was officially honored by being enstooled as Royal Queen Mother Nana Botwe Adobea II of Timber Nkwanta Village in Konko, in the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa. She visits the village four times a year and is responsible for working on economic development projects with its 600+ citizens. Her primary objective is to empower youth through practical exposure, encouraging them to pursue higher education or master high-demand vocational skills like plumbing, electrical work, and masonry. By fostering a fearless, hardworking mindset and creating viable pathways—whether through formal degrees or skilled trades that pay well—she also aims to reduce teenage pregnancy, build up local industry and businesses, and inspire young people to bring their success back home to elevate Timber Nkwanta.
The chief objectives for the village’s supporting foundation, Literacy Empowerment Action Project (LEAP), include:
- Improving literacy standards through teacher support and training
- Providing higher education scholarships
- Securing greater access to literacy tools and technology
- Facilitating leadership skills and an empowerment program for girls
- Promoting health and wellness initiatives
Busy Bee encourages those with whom she comes into contact to consider donating to LEAP’s various programs through tax-deductible financial support (please see LeapGlobal.org).
Partial Client List:
American Bar Association
Baltimore Metro Women’s Business Center
CD Enterprises
City of Detroit
City of Miami, Little Haiti Cultural Center
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
Council on Legal Education Opportunity
Essence Magazine
Honorable Alcee Hastings
Howard University
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Morgan State
National Arts Festival
National Black Chamber of Commerce
Radio One, Inc.
Smithsonian Institution
The Goree Island – Almadies Memorial
U.S. Department of the Navy
U.S. Marshals Service