We now have data to support that exposure to entrepreneurship influences a person’s chance of pursuing that path. The Kauffman Foundation found that “before starting a business, more than half of all business owners had a family member who was self-employed, people who know entrepreneurs are more likely to become entrepreneurs, and that nearly a quarter of all entrepreneurs worked in a family business before acquiring it or starting one of their own.”
The Foundation also found that people of color having experienced lower rates of entrepreneurship in the past has an impact on our entrepreneurial aspirations today. In spite of this, black women are the fast growing group of entrepreneurs in this country. So how are we doing this?
I tried to think back in early childhood and adolescent years and count how many entrepreneurs I could think of that I knew personally, especially ones who I could see myself in. I could only think of one. The stats about limited exposure (and the other dynamics that deter diverse businesses from springing up) rang true for me, but I still managed to find the courage to leave a steady job with great pay and venture out into the world of the “high risk, undetermined reward.”
How?
Bold women. Trailblazing women. Sacrificing women. Enterprising women. Unfiltered women. Hustling women. Boss women.
It’s true, I didn’t know many business owners growing up, but these types of women have surrounded me for as long as I can remember. My mother had this circle of friends that were always chasing opportunities. I’d sit and listen in on her conversations about job interviews and what class she should take to get higher pay or what certification she should pursue to get a promotion. Kitchens at Super Bowl parties and other weekend gatherings were for plotting and strategizing. Saturdays and evenings were for side hustles and professional development.
My mom’s friends were intelligent, outspoken and assertive. She had one friend, Tamika, who challenged her to apply for programs that would advance her. I remember them getting a scholarship to travel to London together for a leadership program. Another friend, Jennifer, courageously shared her story of battling leukemia and despite this, managed to advocate for social justice. Another friend of hers, Nikki, spent time with me in one of my early internships to give me insider insight on successfully navigating the culture there and leveraged her HR expertise to mentor me on moving from an internship to employment. Whether they were administrators, educators, budding executives, or whatever else, they were about sharing resources and opportunities with each other and seeking more than what they had currently.
Being raised with the idea that these things are what a woman is, this is what women do for each other, made me chase these connections with women in my early adulthood. I met a dynamic group of women. We brunched, not just for the mimosas, but also for the brainstorms; our happy hours were happiest with a bit of networking; our new year festivities included some sort of visioning activity.
The entrepreneurial bug hit me about 5 years before I took the leap. I toyed with the idea, but I was terrified, I couldn’t say I’d seen it done. Entrepreneurship is more likely to be successful with greater access to capital, higher personal assets, and a wealthy network. Like many black women, I didn’t have any of those elements going for me, so the idea seemed especially outlandish.
But over time, the circle of women I was fortunate to have around me as I was growing in my career, the circle of women I was lucky to observe and witness growing up, gave me the perspective I needed. I gained confidence from their strength, grew from the resources they shared, and my faith grew. I realized I was capable of bearing risk, even if I didn’t fit the mold and even if it didn’t always make sense to me. While they may not have all been self-employed, the spirits of the women in my life were just as entrepreneurial.
Now, a year and a half in, I still rely on and require sisterhood from entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs alike to keep me going. And in the small sample I have of black women business owners in my phone book, I know I’m not alone in utilizing this major resource. Perhaps this secret resource, the strength of the women in our lives, is what is pushing black women to take the lead in building new businesses.
