Black Women Are Leading The Way In Entrepreneurship

The allure of entrepreneurship has touched each of us indirectly or directly. We see images all over social media. Every other content piece is centered around the ask of “see my product”.  When you couple that with the fact that women are increasingly more visible in positions of power, and on all sides including entrepreneurship,  the conversations becomes more engaging.

Now when we talk about entrepreneurship on top of women and more specifically Black women we have narrowed the conversations to a group of human beings that up until recently haven’t been noticed , but have found a way to be seen, heard and remembered.

In the last few years Black women have been the leading group of people starting their own businesses. According to Fast company “women of color account for 89% of the new businesses opened every day over the past year”. Black women in particular are paving the way by creating their own path through businesses. For some,  the dismissive nature felt in corporate spaces towards black women has been the catalyst behind the surge in black women entrepreneurship. Black women want to have control to define their own. ‘Being a boss” is more than just a title,  but also a way to open the door for other black women trying to do the same.

With entrepreneurship,  there is also the ability to be creative. It’s the chance to move in a direction where a different level of flexibility and freedom can be attained. Black women have been a very marginalized group. They have faced barriers and continue to face them now. From pay and gender equity to their overall appearance. Even with those barriers still in place,  black women continue to find a way to surpass the unexpected.

Recently Netflix put out a documentary titled “She did that” centered around the surge of black women owned businesses and the purposeful passion they have shown to make their brands what they are today. Created by Renae L.Bluitt , NY based content creator,  PR consultant and entrepreneur. The documentary takes a deeper look into the lives of five black women entrepreneurs and their respective journeys. Throughout the course of the doc you hear the stories and the statistics on the effect of black women owned businesses.

Research shows black women -owned firms “…generate $51.4 billion in total revenue”. With numbers like this,  it’s important that black female entrepreneurs are and feel supported. Unfortunately,  that is not always the case. Challenges are still present for black women who seek to established their own business. There are major disparities in funding and overall access to capital. Despite challenges,  black women continue to build and create businesses. The resilience is evident there is no stopping black women any time soon.

About Charlene Chinn

Charlene is Boston born and raised. A recruiting professional focused on innovative strategy and overall talent management. A basketball enthusiast, business conscious, and storyteller. You can reach Charlene Chinn on LinkedIn and Twitter.