60+ Resources for Black-owned Businesses: HR, Sales & More

Black enterprise homeowners on the lookout for coaching and certifications, entry to funding, and help with key enterprise operations like HR and gross sales can unlock entry to packages and alternatives to assist them succeed. We’ve created a listing of assets for Black-owned companies within the following areas:

• Coaching and certifications: Get licensed as a Black-owned enterprise and develop into eligible for presidency and private-sector packages and coaching.
• Organizations and associations: Be part of organizations and associations that help the expansion and prosperity of Black-owned companies.
• Gross sales, advertising, and promotions: Benefit from directories and web sites created to advertise the services of Black-owned companies.
• HR and hiring assets: Use these assets to rent a various workforce primarily based on race, intercourse, business, and extra.
• Tax credit score for range: Apply for the Work Alternative Tax Credit score (WOTC) with this checklist of providers that may safe minority-specific tax credit.
• Funding and financing: Entry assets for grants, loans, and investments, together with info on Black-owned banks and related establishments.

Learn on for extra info in these six areas, together with easy-to-follow hyperlinks on easy methods to make the most of these alternatives.

Coaching & Certifications for Black-owned Companies

The SBA’s 8(a) certification is a coaching program for small enterprise homeowners who wish to be licensed to simply accept authorities contracts. (Supply: SBA)

Certification as a minority-owned or Black-owned small enterprise can open doorways to sure authorities and personal sector enterprise and financial progress packages. It could possibly additionally open up entry to monetary assets to develop what you are promoting. Here’s a checklist of coaching and certification packages with hyperlinks to the related utility varieties:

Organizations & Associations for Black-owned Companies

Numerous packages and organizations purpose to foster financial progress by supporting and advancing Black- and minority-owned small companies. Their providers vary from offering one-on-one confidential enterprise recommendation to selling Black-owned companies whereas connecting them to Black-owned enterprise mentors. Take a look at the checklist beneath:

Gross sales, Advertising & Promotions for Black-owned Companies

Platforms just like the EatOkra app are a wonderful approach to discover prospects who wish to help Black-owned companies. (Supply: EatOkra)

Among the best methods to focus on prospects explicitly eager to help Black-owned companies is to checklist what you are promoting in a listing that highlights Black corporations. These apps and web sites are a good way to market what you are promoting for little to no value. See the total checklist right here:

• Black Business Focus Group: This Fb group is designed to help Black-owned Companies (BOB). Members can checklist their companies, and others commit to creating three purchases a month.
• EatOkra: Submit your restaurant to this Black-owned eatery listing. The app has over 2,600 eating places and greater than 150,000 customers. Primary listings are free, however you’ll be able to entry further advertising options for $9.99 monthly.
• Black Wallet: Submit what you are promoting and occasions to the Black Pockets web site and app at no cost. You should buy internet design, app growth, and different enterprise providers straight from Black Pockets to assist increase your model’s aesthetic.
• Shoppe Black: This web site profiles Black companies and interviews entrepreneurs and professionals all around the world. Along with serving as a useful resource for all issues Black content material, Shoppe Black additionally has a listing of Black-owned companies.
• Support Black Owned: Listing what you are promoting at no cost on this Black-owned listing. You can even pay for prolonged providers like house web page options, articles written about what you are promoting, and social media promotion.
• Squire: In case you run a barbershop, use Black-owned Squire to assist handle what you are promoting. You should use this point-of-sale (POS), payroll, buyer relationship administration (CRM), and scheduling software whether or not you’re an unbiased barber, have a number of places, or serve one location.
• Official Black Wall Street: For a membership fee of $50 to $89 per 12 months, you’ll be able to checklist what you are promoting on the web site and the Official Black Wall Road app. Your membership additionally consists of entry to assets like webinars, pitch competitions, and authorized recommendation.
• Naspora: Use this platform (Previously known as WeBuyBlack)to checklist your services for a fee payment of 10%. You may even migrate your Etsy or Shopify retailer utilizing its CSV importer in underneath 5 minutes.

HR & Hiring Sources for Black-owned Companies

Range is a sizzling subject in as we speak’s local weather, and companies are answering the decision. If you need what you are promoting to supply extra high quality job alternatives for Black candidates, take into account registering with among the high minority recruiting platforms. These websites goal particular teams primarily based on race and typically gender, business, and extra. Take a look at the assets beneath:

• Black Career Women Network: This web site helps Black girls with assets for skilled growth and profession mentorship.
• Black Career Network: A range recruitment platform on which you’ll submit job openings.
• National Urban League: You may companion with an area chapter to supply jobs to Blacks and others in underserved communities. The group has initiatives centered on job re-entry, tech jobs, apprenticeships, youth candidates, and senior candidates.
• National Black MBA Association (NBMAA): Associate with NBMAA to submit your open positions to a various candidate base. You may search resumes and cargo branding movies.
• National Society of Black Engineers: You may submit jobs and internship alternatives in addition to entry recruiting instruments that can assist you discover Black engineers.
• Black Jobs: Promote your job openings to over 300,000 Black professionals, a lot of whom are new faculty graduates.

SMB Tax Credit for Various Companies

As you rent a various workforce, you’ll be able to qualify for the Work Alternative Tax Credit score (WOTC), which is a federal credit score employers obtain for hiring job candidates inside teams outlined by the Department of Labor. Having a payroll service that routinely checks for these alternatives can prevent taxes and aid you make use of somebody who might discover it exhausting to get a job.

These providers additionally supply a ton of human assets (HR) help, reminiscent of consulting, coaching, and applicant monitoring, along with payroll. Take a look at the choices beneath:

• ADP: The software program is versatile sufficient to help small companies and mid- to large-sized companies. It has eight totally different product plans you’ll be able to select from.
• Paychex: You solely pay a payment if the service finds credit.
• Paycor: The software program integrates the hiring platform with the WOTC screening program.
• Paycom: When you rent a candidate, all info collected for WOTC screening will routinely move to your payroll data—you received’t should manually set up and enter the data.

Funding & Financing Alternatives for Black-owned Companies

There are various grants, loans, and funding packages geared towards financing Black-owned companies. Whether or not you’re on the lookout for a short-term working capital mortgage, minority grant program, or enterprise capital agency, there are alternatives particular to serving to Black- and different minority-owned companies safe funding. See the checklist right here:

Normal Enterprise Help for Black-owned Companies

Typically you want a supply for ongoing recommendation or pop-up questions. These platforms and organizations are nice locations to search out and join with different Black enterprise homeowners.

• Minority Business Development Agency: The MBDA is a federal company devoted to serving to minority-owned companies entry capital, contracts, and markets. They supply free enterprise consulting, assist with accessing capital, and supply specialised enterprise growth packages by means of their community of enterprise facilities throughout the nation.
• Hello Alice’s Black-owned Business Resource Center: This free on-line networking web site helps small enterprise homeowners join with funding and with different small enterprise homeowners who can supply recommendation and mentorship. Their Black-owned Enterprise Useful resource Middle is a wonderful place for Black entrepreneurs to attach with a enterprise neighborhood.
• SBDCNet.org’s Resources for Minority-owned Businesses: Small Enterprise Growth Facilities present free in-person and on-line enterprise coaching and recommendation.

Incessantly Requested Questions (FAQs)

Click on by means of the sections beneath to learn solutions to widespread questions on Black-owned companies:

How you can help a Black-owned enterprise?

What certifications do I want as a Black enterprise proprietor?

What’s the Black enterprise technique?

Backside Line

Supporting Black-owned companies goes past particular person purchases—it requires a complete community of assets, funding, {and professional} growth alternatives to make sure sustainable progress. From federal packages just like the SBA’s 8(a) certification to state-level MBE certifications, from specialised directories like EatOkra to devoted funding sources by means of Black-owned banks, there are quite a few assets accessible to assist Black entrepreneurs succeed.