Forging Ahead With Pride & Purpose: Celebrating 15 Years of Black Business Excellence.
“I’ve long said that for there to be a great America, there must be a great Black America. In order for there to be a great Black America, we need great Black businesses.”
- Ron Busby Sr., U.S. Chambers of Commerce President
Last week I attended the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, 15th anniversary celebration to amplify and empower Black businesses and Black entrepreneurship in the U.S. The USBC BlackPrint reports “there are several barriers standing in the way of a more prosperous Black America, including issues in accessing adequate capital, unequal opportunities in federal contracting, and a lack of trust between Black communities, financial institutions, and government programs designed to uplift business ownership. Black business owners are most likely to apply for financing, they are least likely to receive it: 57% of Black owners are denied capital compared to 40% of white non-employer business owners.”
Delving into this data, on top of the news cycle this week has me extremely motivated to stop playing by the rules set by the status quo and pour my energy into building something new.
Here are my 3 takeaways:
Dream Bigger. Last year The New York Times claimed that the greatest wealth transfer that will reinforce inequality is happening in the next 10 years. This signals that we (when I say this, I’m including myself) have to eliminate my “little business/side-hustle,” internal narratives and charge ourselves to creating sustainable ways of living for ourselves and the generations after us.
Don’t Go At It Alone. We can move much further faster together, instead of doing everything by ourselves. Identify 5-10 strategic partners who you can grow with, and go from there.
Don’t Stay Quiet. About anything. Your accomplishments, achievements, and especially any mistreatment you’ve experienced along the journey. I’ve learned this hard way - there are no rewards for keeping your head down and just doing the work. We’re going to stop playing those games and let people know what we need, who we are, and what we bring to the table. Unapologetically.
Black business and entrepreneurship aren’t just nice to have in these mythical things that we read about in books and see in movies and more in 2024. It is imperative for our livelihoods, and our families that we have meaningful ways to sustain ourselves when our rights to liberty and a quality life worth living are being infringed upon.
