I am a Black woman employed by an iconic Black women-owned business, and it deeply pains me to say this. ”Outside of the business I work for–and 4 or 5 other Black-owned businesses, I will not wholly support Black businesses.” Yes, I know that’s a bold and disparaging statement; however, given my roadblocks, challenges, and personal experiences with the Black business community–I feel justified in my position.Â
Continuity
It has been my experience both in the past as well as recently that Black entrepreneurs lack continuity. In the beginning, they offer you a quality product for a reasonable price, and once you get accustomed to that product, they pull the bait and switch. They begin to offer up a product of much less quality, and the fair and reasonable price begins to increase.
It’s a fact that since the global pandemic, the economy has suffered immensely, with Black businesses suffering losses at a much higher rate than their Caucasian counterparts. Supply chain issues, transportation, and increasing tariffs have caused the price of goods and services to skyrocket. In some cases, the price of doing business doubles and in some cases, even triples. All this being taken into account, before the pandemic, the majority of Black businesses that I’ve encountered failed to meet the standards when it came to providing me with a quality product at a reasonable price. Black business owners start with good intentions and great products, but it appears to go downhill.
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