Introduction Why would community developers build housing in communities cut off from good schools, jobs, transportation, parks, and the resources that people need to thrive and succeed? If we are trying to build safe, healthy, and prosperous neighborhoods simply building affordable housing is not the answer. To be resilient and sustainable, housing must be more than affordable. It must connect … Read More
Investment Crowdfunding is a Solution for Black-Owned Businesses
Introduction So many of the problems and issues that plague inner-city communities are poverty-based and many of them stem from government policies such as redlining and urban renewal. If foundations change their relationships in these communities from charity and began the process of providing location-based impact investment into these communities to fund local businesses, real estate development, and wealth-building initiatives … Read More
The Role of Philanthropy In Black Business Finance
Introduction According to the 2018 Annual Business Survey the most recent data available Black-owned businesses accounted for only 2.2 percent of the almost 6 million businesses that operate in the United States. That number is well below the 13 percent of the population represented by Black people in the United States. Another unique feature of Black business ownership is the … Read More
Crowdfunding Is The Answer to The Small Business Marketing and Funding Dilemma
Introduction To thrive in the modern business world it’s important to understand how to market your small independent business and this is going to be even harder in the post COVID-19 crisis small business environment. A recent survey shows establishing customer relationships through marketing and promotion is the second largest concern among independent business owners after securing access to capital. … Read More
Investment Crowdfunding and Black Founders
Introduction In my last post, I laid out the dismal economic situation the Black community in the United States faces on a daily basis. There is an immense racial wealth gap that continues to widen driven by unrelenting policies that are steeped in systemic bias and racism. The current data demonstrate that a lack of access to capital in multiple … Read More
Investment Crowdfunding is Vital to Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
Introduction The Small Business Administration has decreased its loans given to Black-owned businesses by 84% since peaking before the Great Recession, according to research by the Cleveland Business Journal. Across the country, cleveland.com’s sister company, The Business Journals, analyzed lending and demographic data and found small businesses in majority-Black census tracts have less access to bank loans than locations in … Read More
Buy The Block Building Black Wealth One Project at a Time
Introduction I was on the CrowdWise website and came across the top 10 Investment Crowdfunding portals by amount raised in 2020 and number 10 on the list was one of the only Black woman-owned portals Buy The Block. This statistic jumped out at me for another reason. It was the only Regulation Crowdfunding portal that was not venture funded. Black … Read More
Investment Crowdfunding an Opportunity for Local Small Businesses
Introduction Investment Crowdfunding provides the best opportunity to transform our local communities in the shortest amount of time. Investment crowdfunding, just like any other regular equity investment, allows entrepreneurs to sell shares of their business to private shareholders, shares that can potentially be sold later at a much higher price per share. That’s how you attract real investment capital, and … Read More