Nationwide — As more people in America move away from working for corporations and launching their own businesses, black Americans face some pretty unique challenges. Even as it can be more challenging to be an entrepreneur if you are black, every day, story upon story comes out detailing another example of how someone beat the odds. The path may not be a straight line, and there may be many potholes, but entrepreneurs in the black community are bridging that gap successfully.
A budding entrepreneur or business owner needs some very basic yet necessary equipment to be able to get started. A desk, computer, cellphone, and access to the web are required for almost every company. Unfortunately, members of the African-American community are less likely to qualify for business loans, or have access to start-up funds. At GoodShop.com, discounts on computer desks and chairs, headsets and external hard drives, and more can be found and applied to your online orders. Getting a deal on internet, phone service, and even commercial rent are also methods that black Americans use to get their ideas and businesses off the ground.
By Building Partnerships Within Their Communities
All business owners are urged to first tap into their local communities for support, resources, and most importantly, customers. Black Americans have just about mastered the art of creating community networks and ties that serve businesses of all sizes. What is even more impressive is that these communities don’t even have to be local to you. If you have a business selling t-shirts, you can go to a bazaar or flea market, create a website to sell them online, or even out of the trunk of your car to start. If you have a local community to network within, then you will find customers.
Via Social Media
Social media can be harnessed even when you have no budget for marketing, no background in promotions, and even no access to a computer. Of course, your mileage may vary, but being able to communicate and promote businesses and ideas through social media has really opened a lot of doors for black entrepreneurs. Social media is another form of community networking that is yielding huge results. Learning about how engagement, ads, and even hashtags work is something that black entrepreneurs are doing quite well. As social media gets bigger, and more people come to use their mobile devices as their primary means of communication, black entrepreneurs will find a way to use that information as well.
Being involved in major businesses, partnerships, and collaborations requires much more than luck. Access to resources, knowledge, and having support is the driving force behind successful entrepreneurs in this country. It can and will probably continue to be harder for black Americans and other minorities to completely catch up. With continued efforts to support entrepreneurs in the black community through community effort, past successes lead to future successes as well. As everyone involved pushes forward, more headway will be made and there will be fewer psychological barriers to overcome as well.