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American Express and the Coalition to Back Black Businesses Grant Recipients Reflect on Navigating Entrepreneurship

February 2, 2022

As part of its $10 million commitment to fund a grant program to support Black-owned small business recovery, the Coalition to Back Black Businesses (CBBB) co-founded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, American Express, and four leading national Black business organizations – which include the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the National Business League, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., and Walker’s Legacy – has announced its 2021 grant winners. Since its launch, CBBB has awarded grants to more than 1,000 Black-owned small businesses, including the latest cohort of 491 grant recipients. These Black-owned small business owners from various industries have each been awarded $5,000 in funding through the 2021 grant program.

According to the CBBB’s impact report [1], 88% of CBBB’s 2021 grantees are very optimistic about the future of their businesses.

To discuss their thoughts on the future, American Express connected with the following grant recipients to understand how they plan to use the grant to help grow their businesses, how they’re paying it forward, and their advice for fellow Black small business owners.

Photo Credit: Michael Thomas Courtesy  The STL
 

Bronwyn Morgan, CEO of Xeo Air Inc., a St. Louis and Atlanta-based company that collects data for other businesses using drones:

What does “community backing” mean to you and how can you pay it forward in your own community?

BM: It means having the community invest in new ideas and founders who are creating new value. This is how we build strong communities and provide funding for wealth building and economic development. We pay it forward by hiring local and by reinvesting back into our communities as we grow with programs for youth and local solutions. 

How do you plan to use this grant money as an opportunity to help grow your business and make real change?

BM: We will invest in sales, marketing, and operations to bolster our foundation and more broadly amplify our customer value proposition. 

What is one thing that you would like to share with Black small business owners, something you have learned in fighting for your business’ recovery?

BM: It takes tenacity and motivation to build a successful company. As a startup founder, the road is long and can be challenging. It’s during the toughest times of entrepreneurship that personal commitment is critical. 

 
Photo Credit Dara Mayhoe

Dara Mayhoe, Owner of WiseMan Tree Experts, a Lansing-based company specializing in helping clients increase the value and beauty of their property by creating and executing a plan to have well cared for trees:

What does “community backing” mean to you and how can you pay it forward in your own community?

DM: It means a lot to have community backing – even if it is just a good review or word of mouth referrals! We are currently rated top three in our area for our industry which tells us the community believes in us and trusts us. When they back us, it means that they want to see us continue operating so we can keep our commitments with customers and that they care about the livelihood of our employees who actually make this business what it is.

Additionally, we strongly believe in giving back to our community by supporting youth. We’ve planted trees on school properties, and we continue to support an annual Black History Month essay contest. Looking forward, we plan to host annual tree care workshops to help youth in urban areas learn about the industry – a skill that is currently unavailable at our local trade school. 

How do you plan to use this grant money as an opportunity to help grow your business and make real change?

DM: We will use these funds to expand our team by hiring more individuals from urban areas. We are also planning to invest in educational opportunities for the community, informing on the importance of tree care.

What is one thing that you would like to share with Black small business owners, something you have learned in fighting for your business’ recovery?

DM: It is very important for us to support one another – from taking on a customer role to sharing and promoting each other’s businesses.

Courtesy of Lundyn Carter

Lundyn Carter, Co-founder and CEO of Laine London, an Atlanta-based bridal shop that offers beautiful rental options from curated collections of bridalwear:

What does “community backing” mean to you and how can you pay it forward in your own community?

LC: Community backing means knowing that your community understands who you are as a brand and is willing to do what they can to support your growthfinancially and through mentorship, programs, and guidance. These are key to ensuring your business can grow in order to successfully contribute to the overall wellbeing of the community it serves.  

How do you plan to use this grant money as an opportunity to help grow your business and make real change?

LC:  We will use this grant money to enhance the customer experience, including leveraging digital capabilities to create personalized styles and recommendations for brides.

What is one thing that you would like to share with Black small business owners, something you have learned in fighting for your business’ recovery?

LC: Resilience and the understanding that hard work plus bravery equals success, as said by Mellody Hobson. Hard work will mean something different for everyone, but no matter what “hard” looks like to you, it still means overcoming adversity, obstacles and challenges. For me, bravery is the ability to be bold, fearless, and true to yourself and your beliefs.



[1] This survey was conducted in Q4 2021 and analyzed solely by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

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