By: Isaiah Robinson
HOUSTON – The power of owning your business and having someone work for you is a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment; and, for a race who has worked and slaved for someone for centuries, it’s a feeling of generational respect, too.
As much as our people advocate to promote black-owned businesses, we equally push for our people to own a business for themselves.
According to a report by blackmeninamerica.com, the government is the biggest employer of African Americans, next to black businesses.
Furthermore, the same way we’ve depended on government-funded jobs to make ends meet, is the same dependence we must have in launching a business, to one day build generational wealth and to hire our own people.
Here are a few tips to start your black-owned business:
Believe in yourself– It’s fundamental to believe in your craft and your own ideas, because not everyone will support what you are doing.
Build a great team- Having a solid, reliable team in place can help you provide inspiration and focus on the aspects of the business that requires your attention while other details are being taken care of.
Be tenacious– Even with having a good team and a solid foundation for your business, you are still going to have setbacks and roadblocks. See every failure as a challenge to greater success.
Seek good outside advice- It’s important to be able to get advice from people or mentors who’ve walked in your shoes regarding company issues.
Be fearless- Success rarely comes without taking risks, and it takes guts to believe in yourself and your idea. Like the late Nipsey Hussle said, “scared money never made a purchase.”
