Blog

On August 20, 2016 at the Port Pavilion on the Broadway Pier in San Diego, CA, I taught a workshop as part of the Black Girlz Rock San Diego Weekend Experience. It’s not often that I allow myself the opportunity to speak unapologetically about anything, and with the recent increase in racial tension in the U.S., it’s hard to get away from having conversations about being black in America. So, I decided to finally join the conversation insert my terms, in a way that I believed would positively impact my community. Here are some of the ways Black Girls Businesses are Rocking in San Diego!

Why Black Girlz in Business Rock

According to the “2015 State of Women-Owned Business” report, commissioned by American Express Open, black women are the fastest-growing entrepreneurs in the nation. Black women are starting businesses at six times the national average.

Historically, Black women have been overlooked in business. The growth of Black women-owned businesses is a huge accomplishment for this group.  Although black women are stepping up and creating new businesses, the are still creating them with less support than other groups. In fact, African-American female entrepreneurs start their ventures with less funding than men, and receive less money from private investors.

Let’s back up and look at these two separate statistics and merge them to create a bigger picture. Black female entrepreneurs are starting more businesses with less than everyone else. This isn’t anecdotal information either, here are some numbers to back it up:

• Women own 30% of all U.S. businesses
• Black women control 14% of all U.S. businesses
• Women own 9.4 M firms in the U.S.
• Black women own 1.3 M firms in the U.S. 
• 297,500 workers are employed by black-women owned firms
• $52.6 B in revenue is generated by black women-owned firms

Source: The 2015 State of Women Owned Business Report

You can’t tell me that doesn’t rock!

Why being a Black Girl Business in San Diego Rockz

I am a true through and through San Diego girl. I absolutely love my city. But there’s even more to love about San Diego than just it’s beautiful weather and picturesque landmarks. In 2015 Forbes Magazine named San Diego the best city in the U.S. to start a business.

The city also provides several programs to support local businesses, such as the Small Business Advisory Board that advises the Mayor and City Council about Small Business needs, and the local SCORE office has a thriving Women’s Entrepreneur Networking group.

San Diego also has a thriving community of local Black female entrepreneurs, who show a great deal of effort supporting each other through patronage and partnership. Most of all, there is a lot of great diversity amongst the women here, covering services from every major industry.

Ha! Our home court advantage rockz too!

Why Everyone Should Support Black Girl Business

Supporting local businesses in any community or population is important, and based on the statistics provided earlier, your local support to this group will positively impact the community with magnitude.

Here are some of the great reasons you should support your local businesses:

• For every $100 you spend in local business, about $68 stays in the city. In comparison, for every $100 you spend on a chain retailer, only $43 stays in the city.
• You already know or can easily get to know the people behind the projects that you’re supporting. You can put a face on the person, family, and community that their project is benefiting.
• By supporting local business, you help to forge a unique identity in San Diego’s Black community.
• Generally, small local businesses offer better customer service. You don’t have to worry about your problem being outsourced, or the owner not caring about your experience.
• Small, local business provides more personalized service.
• Local business owners are more likely to give back to the community they live in.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about African-Americans shopping primarily with black-owned businesses, as a way to boycott and protest social inequality and injustice in the US. But what if, as African-Americans our perspective shifted, and we started to support the black-owned businesses, as a way to build a thriving African-American community.

In conclusion, whatever way you decide to chase your dreams and find your purpose, remember these 3 things:

1. Keep your Black Girl Magic alive, because the world benefits from your shine.
2. Focus on Black Excellence instead of competitiveness, there is no competition when you’re the best.
3. Always remember you’re a Black Girl that Rockz, since your community and legacy are depending on you living these truths to the fullest!

Are you or do you know a black female entrepreneur in any community? Well let’s celebrate! Leave your business information, including your website and a quick message about why your business rocks and I’ll compile and republish a list!