Ebonie Ward made a name and lane for herself long before becoming the manager to stars like Gunna and her latest addition, James Harden.

To understand how Ward became the powerhouse that she is today, it is worth noting where it all started when she served as the co-owner of Fly Kix ATL alongside Girvan “Fly” Henry. The men’s apparel and sneaker boutique was a portal into the music game for Atlanta emcees like Future, Rich Homie Quan, Trinidad James, and more.

“When I graduated from college, I knew I was going to be in the music business,” Ward told AFROTECH™ in an interview. “I got my undergrad degree in broadcast journalism. I did internships at the radio station, Def Jam, you know, several things. Even with Fly Kix ATL, the foundation of the company was music, right? My business partner at the time, Girvan Henry, owns TIG, which is Think It’s A Game, which of course, you know, that’s Rich Homie Quan, [YFN] Lucci, Trinidad James.”

She added, “Fly Kix was a cultural music hub, and every artist at that time had to come through Fly Kix ATL. That’s really where I gained a lot of my relationships. My mentor was Don Cannon, who’s one of the biggest, most influential DJs in the world and was very instrumental in my life and really helped educate me on what exactly music is, about music theory, publishing, production, very early on in my career, and actually DJ’d the opening of my boutique.”

How She Built Her Own Entity

Ward was then bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, and the rest is history.

As the founder and CEO of 11th & Co. — a women-led, full-service management firm — she is responsible for elevating the careers of aforementioned stars like Future, Gunna, and Flo Milli, and gained entry into the sports world thanks to her latest client, NBA superstar James Harden.

“What the boutique really taught me is the importance of relationships and relationship-building, and how to navigate those relationships,” Ward reflected to AFROTECH™. “Even more so, that 50% of my staff are people that have matriculated from the boutique that are still with me to this day. I think it’s just a consistent evolution of what I wanted very early on and how I was able to materialize those things and allow them to grow, right?”

She continued, “The boutique is where I met Future. I’ve known Gunna since he was 15, and I met him for the first time in the boutique. I think that’s all a part of life’s journey. Sometimes people think things are coincidence, but it’s just all part of the process.”

A Service-based Business Vs. A Product

Since its inception, Ward’s 11th & Co. has evolved into multiple ventures, including her nonprofit, A Seat At The Table (more on that later), creative agency Six Degrees, and full-service production company Genius Club, all of which are housed within 550 RMG, the headquarters of Ward’s business that opened its doors in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward in May 2025, according to The Knockturnal.

“When you’re scaling a business, the most challenging thing possible could be, of course, staff, right? Because as a manager, you’re one person. So, it’s one person controlling everything,” Ward said. “But when you’re trying to create a management company, a management business, then you start having all these different departments, and with departments come more people, and then you’re no longer managing just a client.”

She added, “You’re then becoming an operator of managing your staff. So it’s also finding people who are equally as passionate, who are determined, who really are aligned with your vision. And even when I say aligned with your vision, you first have to be clear on what your vision is, and they have to believe in the ethos of what your company represents. So, I would say, whenever scaling a business and a company, make sure that you find and invest in amazing people.”

How Ward Continues To Give Back

Although Ward is consistently empowering Black women and underserved creatives through mentorship, inclusive business ownership, and philanthropy, it is worth noting some of the recent work she’s been doing through her nonprofit, A Seat At The Table.

This past Father’s Day, Ward partnered with Brittany Brewster’s Emerald United Foundation to support her Brotherhood Circle of Influence Father’s Day Bond Release.

The move led to Ward bonding out 11 fathers just in time for them to spend the holiday with their loved ones. This was on top of the community initiatives her organization already leads to support women.

“I have a nonprofit that’s called A Seat At The Table, and I have four initiatives,” Ward explained. “But all four of my initiatives were really geared toward women, and in working with and trying to aid and assist women in some capacity. We have our scholarship program that gives 11 young women going to HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] $11,000. We have ‘A Mother’s Love,’ which we do for Mother’s Day, where we bring women who’ve experienced some loss, either them not being able to have a child or losing a mother, and then of course, we have our breast cancer initiativ, and the Seat At the Table annual brunch that we do every year during Women’s History Month.”

During a 5K event hosted by Gunna in September 2025, Ward met Brewster and was inspired by her nonprofit and by how she used her platform to bail out incarcerated mothers on Mother’s Day. 

So much so that Ward collaborated with Brewster to do the same thing on Father’s Day, she shared with AFROTECH™.

“We released over just about 30 men that day, but you know, my commitment to her was the 11,” she said.

“When it comes to anything that’s associated with the Black and brown community, everything is personal to me,” Ward concluded. “I’m just such a protector and lover of Black and brown people. We have to be more accountable for each other and get back to understanding what real community is, and community is helping each other.”