Support for Black Businesses
There is a well-established and growing body of support for Black-owned businesses in Montgomery County. Below, we highlight the Montgomery County Black Collective, the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Black Business Council — three organically-grown and highly effective local organizations that stand ready to help you…
- Get connected to Black-owned businesses in the area
- Expand your business with support from your community
- Find the resources you need to succeed
Montgomery County Black Collective
The Montgomery County Black Collective (The Collective) is a group of Black leaders at non-profits, small businesses, faith communities, educational entities, and civic organizations who have come together with one mission: to address the inequity in financing and capital support for organizations in the County’s Black communities and to advocate for policies, funding practices, and programs that can address the disparity.
The Collective refined its focus during the pandemic and began to view advocacy as a bigger part of its role. It is currently developing a holistic policy agenda and accountability plan that will prioritize – and then track – the economic, health, and educational conditions of our community.
From the beginning and throughout the months that the pandemic dragged on, the following issues rose to the fore, demanding attention:
- Some of The Collective’s members were stable Black businesses that were already positioned to subcontract or sponsor other businesses. Most were not.
- Almost all area businesses had to struggle to adapt to the sudden change in the business environment and scrambled to get help – but it quickly became clear that only a fraction of available business grants and lifeline funding was going to Black businesses.
- The healthcare issue came front and center. There was more negative health impact in minority communities. Yet when the vaccines were rolled out, there was way less access to them in the Black community.
- The existing education gap widened and has been crushing for Black students throughout the pandemic. Many of our homes didn’t have internet access that could support full-time school, especially for more than one child in a household.
The Collective also began during that period to partner more intentionally with the Black Business Council and the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC), positioning the three groups to act as a collective voice.
Michelle Taylor of Betah Associates and the board chair of the Black Collective says, “The Collective is making a great effort to be diverse. We are both businesses and nonprofits. We also have people from the faith community. We have businesses from other parts of the African diaspora, and we are open to any entities looking to transform health and wealth incomes for the larger Black community. We also wanted to raise awareness about the economic development issues that handicap minority businesses in the County. We will work differently with our partners to avoid redundancy and serve the community more efficiently – with The Collective planting its flag as the advocacy arm.”
Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce
As a chamber of commerce, the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC) aims to assist the development, growth, and success of Black businesses by:
- Training and educating entrepreneurs on how to start and grow successful businesses
- Advocating for Black businesses statewide
- Hosting programs and events that promote business development and growth
- Providing platforms for networking and strategic partnership development
As advocates for Black-owned business, MBCC stays alert to legislative activities in Annapolis and Maryland counties. They work for the interests of the Black business community as a whole, liaising with state, county, and local elected officials.
They host regular forums that give business owners a way to address County elected officials directly, understand policy as it is being conceived and developed, and help shape and direct those policies.
Additionally, making sure businesses understand the resources available to them at every stage of their development is a key feature of the Chamber.
MBCC members comprise a strong local business network where members can get to know each other well enough to do business together confidently. Chamber relationships can lead to making introductions for other members, sharing potential opportunities, buying from each other, and more.
Joining the local chamber also signals to the market that a business is a committed member of the local business community, serious about growth, and ready for opportunities at all levels. This can include new markets, new partnerships, and more.
Members may provide discounts to one another or referral fees to incentivize other members to help them market their business. They may form affiliate relationships. While many organizations provide networking opportunities for business, a chamber of commerce membership is a well-established, traditional avenue for establishing your business’ credibility and stature.
“We’re here to support the sustainability and the growth of Black businesses within the State of Maryland,” said Kenneth White, Board Chairman of the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce.
The Black Business Council
The Black Business Council of Montgomery County (BBC) is a member-led organization comprised of Black business owners with a professional commitment to helping each other achieve success. BBC members want to grow personally and professionally and understand that building long-term relationships based on trust allows them to candidly share their business challenges/opportunities, and benefit from thoughtful peer feedback. Accountability is one of the principal cornerstones of the BBC, accomplished by tracking actions taken to meet or exceed goals established by the member, and with the expectation that other members will hold that member accountable for achieving their stated goals.
The core values used to build a culture of trust, respect and improvement in the BBC are:
- Growth Mindset – Always seeking tools, programs, and ideas that may help our businesses grow or improve, and having stretch or challenging goals aligned with our vision for the future.
- Mutuality – Willingness to build a deeper relationship and a deeper understanding by listening and sharing your time and talents.
- Accountability – Taking ownership of goals, measurement of your success, and providing and receiving frank, honest feedback.
- Trust – Sharing challenges openly, understanding that there won’t be any judgment and information is confidential.
- Respect – Actively listening to help and being open to different perspectives and alternative ideas.
- Community – Actively engaging in your community and creating a positive impact.
The focus on supporting the community led to the creation of the Black Business Database, a free online directory of Black-owned businesses in Montgomery County that will be used to promote those businesses, share helpful information about resources that may support businesses, and build relationships across the business community. In the future, BBC members will work with MBCC and The Black Collective to share knowledge and build relationships across the Black business community with the expectation that successful local, Black business owners will find ways to share their success with other parts of the Black community…and thereby supporting the broader MoCo community.
Tony Parchment, a local entrepreneur and co-chair of the BBC, describes the BBC as being “…community-minded in the general sense. It’s not just about growing your business, but also realizing you’re part of this broader community – and you are committed to supporting the community.”
Plug in! Resources Abound!
If you are a Black-owned business in Montgomery County, or if you are looking to connect with and support Black-owned businesses, the organizations highlighted here can be your first stop. Each of these groups has a wealth of resources and knowledge to share, and all are committed to helping local businesses succeed. With their help, you can take your business to new heights and create positive change in your community.