In the light of the recent George Floyd incident, it comes as no surprise that the world as a whole has been trying to balance the legacy of racial inequalities. More people than ever before have been taking a hard look at their behaviour and themselves and trying to work out ways that they can help the situation. With this in mind, here are five ways that you can support black businesses in the long-term.
1. Buy From Minority-Owned Businesses
Think about seeking out and supporting black-owned businesses in your community. This is something that everyone can do without difficulty and it can make an enormous difference. Don’t allow inconvenience to prevent you from supporting these enterprises. Black businesses, in general, are understaffed, underfunded, and, in many places, hard to find. This can make it seem harder to support them, however, you shouldn’t use this as an excuse. Find ways of patronising these businesses and give them the additional support that they need to be able to address all the issues that are causing these minor inconveniences in the first place.
2.Carry On Following Brands And Engaging With Them
Not all support options have to be sales driven. You don’t necessarily have to make a financial contribution to a brand to support it. The number of followers on social media, email subscribers and website visits are metrics that corporate sponsors and investors will look at if they are thinking about doing business with those brands, and so if you cannot provide a monetary contribution to black-owned businesses, or if you can only do so in a limited way, write comments on their social media pages, and like and share their content.
3. Choose Diverse Corporations To Support
Many brands owned by non-black people enjoy a glut of opportunities when it comes to collaborating with major corporations. Therefore, when you’re deciding which corporations to support, it’s important to be aware of diversification. If you realise there aren’t any (or very few) black-owned brands or central figures in that corporation don’t support them and, most importantly, let them know why, and that you won’t support them again until those inequalities have been addressed.
4. Show Up Physically For Black-Owned Brands
Don’t just support black-owned brands virtually, ensure that you visit their brick-and-mortar locations or pop-up shops whenever you can to support them in person too. This is a good way to demonstrate your support in a physical way.
5. Make Strategic Charitable Donations
Rather than thinking solely of charity as helping education, homeless people or social services, think outside the box. Recognise that non-profit organisations exist that provide guidance and capital to businesses within underserved communities and these organisations require support. You can find creative ways of doing that by offering your own services, time, and help, or give financial donations. All of this can prove extremely beneficial to black entrepreneurs ready to launch their own companies, to those who have new start-ups, and also to those who are struggling to maintain their businesses.
Keep these five ways of supporting black businesses in the long term in mind, and make sure that you show your commitment by adopting them.
Guest Blog written by BEC Mentor and Trainer Andre Arundell
