D'Flye Entertainment

Emancipated from her family at the age of 15, and now a single mother of three, De’Monica Flye knows all too well the reality of facing and overcoming obstacles. A strong character gifted with talent, De’Monica used the challenges she faced to fuel her passion for performing and turned it into a business: D’Flye Entertainment. Within D’Flye Entertainment De’Monica acts as both a performer and a producer. Her two bands, Hi-Definition and the newly formed Another Level, perform R&B, Jazz, and Blues throughout the Twin Cities. Her production company, D-Flye Productions, books local and regional talent and hosts old school R&B and steppers nights at Arnellia’s in Saint Paul, as well as the occasional fashion show. De’Monica recently signed with Thompson Management and will be recording a new album at Waterbury Studios in Minneapolis. 

DeMonica came to NDC in the fall of 2010 frustrated and ready to give up. She had found herself tied to a seven year contract, accidentally signing away all publishing rights to her songs by missing one clause in the fine print. She attended NDC’s entrepreneur training program with Cultural Wellness Center- a unique class offered by NDC to teach entrepreneurs about their African American culture while writing their business plan. “It was phenomenal. I want to tell NDC thanks for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to expand my knowledge on the business world that I didn’t know.” The class helped De’Monica gain financial literacy and a deeper understanding of legal entities and regulations. “There was a lot I was in denial about; what you’re spending, what’s coming in, what the outcome is, keeping your credit right and learning how serious credit really is.” She learned she needed to  switch her business entity from a Sole Proprietor/DBA to an LLC to ensure that her personal assets and her children’s assets were not at risk. She now looks at her mistakes as lessons, and they are helping shape her future goals. De’Monica wants to keep performing and promoting local talent, but she also wants to teach young people business management for the music industry and how to approach contracts and other legal issues smartly. 

One of De’Monica’s favorite exercises assigned to the class by trainer Mark Robinson was the task of writing her own obituary. At first, the idea struck her as a little eery. But after some contemplation of the assignment’s purpose - to think about the legacy of your business - De’Monica found her stride. She says, “It’s what keeps me going. I’ve got to make it for my kids, I’ve got to make it for my grandkids.” She keeps the obituary at her desk to remind her of her passion and what she needs to do to be successful. “I would not have learned that without the class,” she says gratefully.