Black Entrepreneurs Research Articles

Assessing the extent to which small enterprises, inclusive of emerging black businesses engage in service dominant logic practices

This study is aims to assess the extent to which small enterprises engage in service dominant logic practices. In this study, data was quantitatively collected from 144 service providers of the game and nature reserves in Mpumalanga. The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between the effectiveness of using ICT and the extent to which small enterprises engage in service dominant logic practices. These findings suggest that the use of ICT technologies has a positive effect on the extent to which small businesses engage in service dominant logic practices. The limitation is that this current study is only limited to the tourism industry, in that sense it cannot be generalized to other industries.This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by assessing the extent to which small enterprises engage in service dominant logic practices. Through the co-creation of value, these small businesses can be sustained. Collaborative relationships between small businesses and dominant firms can enhance the small part that black entrepreneurs now play in the country's tourism industry. By means of value co-creation, major corporations have the ability to offer small and medium-sized companies (SMMEs) both entrepreneurial experience and skill training

From adversity to advancement: uncovering how race and class shape Black tech entrepreneurial experiences

Abstract Black people in the technology industry face various barriers, from encountering micro-aggressions from their coworkers to facing blocked advancement in their professional careers. These challenges are particularly pronounced in entrepreneurship, where Black founders receive just one percent of all venture capital funding. But amidst these shared struggles, questions arise as to what ways, if any, these experiences vary. Using an intersectional lens to inductively study forty-six Black tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, I reveal how class shapes Black entrepreneurial processes differently at various phases of entrepreneurship. Lower- and middle-class Black entrepreneurs faced more financial and network-based obstacles as they struggled to raise money from family and friends and had fewer effective networks when starting their businesses. Conversely, Black upper-class entrepreneurs had familial wealth and personal networks that aided their entrepreneurial efforts but faced challenges as they were not a “racial fit” within the industry. Consequently, they perceived that they confronted more instances of individual-level discrimination. Black lower and middle-class entrepreneurs were less likely to discuss instances of perceived individual-level discrimination because many had not reached the step of meeting with an investor. This research offers unique and nuanced insights into how class shapes the entrepreneurial pursuits of Black founders. Contributions to the sociology of race and ethnicity, intersectionality, and the sociology of entrepreneurship are also discussed.

Race and Survival: Examining the Interplay of Demand and Supply Factors on Black-Owned Businesses During Gentrification in New York City

Using an analytic autoethnography, this study investigates the survival of 20 Black-owned businesses, including the author's, amidst gentrification in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York. It introduces a demand-supply framework, illustrating that survival hinges on the balanced interplay of demand factors—such as attracting and maintaining customer interest and navigating competitive pressures—as well as supply factors, notably securing stable, affordable commercial space. The research emphasizes the multifaceted impact of race and racial discrimination on businesses, from strategic adaptation and operational management to financial capital access, real estate, and customer engagement. It notes that these influences arise from both inter-group and intra-group tensions, while also acknowledging that racial solidarity can offer crucial support. Strategies such as concealing racial identity and leveraging customer referrals emerge as key responses to discrimination. This research enriches the discourse on the commercial implications of gentrification for Black entrepreneurs and provides practical recommendations for policy and practice.

A racial identity approach to entrepreneurship: the lived experiences of African American and Black entrepreneurs

A racial identity approach to entrepreneurship: the lived experiences of African American and Black entrepreneurs

Resilience Amidst Adversity: A Qualitative Exploration of Black Entrepreneurs in South Metro Atlanta

In this qualitative study, we explore the resilience and innovation of Black entrepreneurs in South Metro Atlanta amidst systemic financial constraints and racial discrimination. Our investigation reveals not only the obstacles these business owners face but also their strategic responses to such challenges, especially during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting the indispensable role of community support and the necessity for inclusive policies, our findings offer actionable insights for fostering an environment where African American businesses can thrive. This study serves as a roadmap for policymakers, stakeholders, and scholars to understand and support the dynamic landscape of Black entrepreneurship.

Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap and Structural Racism Through Increased Black Entrepreneurship: An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Perspective

Black households trail other racial groups when it comes to economic factors such as employment, income, and wealth. As discussed in this paper, a significant issue that contributes to these disparities is lower rates of new venture creation and successful business ownership within Black communities. While research has sought to explain this underperformance, no consensus has been reached. Moreover, the role of systemic racism has been underexplored. Improving Black entrepreneurship could help reduce the racial economic gaps and understanding the reasons for diminished Black new venture creation is vital for the development of effective public policy solutions. Utilizing an entrepreneurial ecosystem framework, and a systemic racism theory lens, we discuss challenges faced by Black entrepreneurs and present a model illustrating the issues. It is argued that racism has resulted in lower access to inter-connected resources within Black entrepreneurial ecosystems which has hindered new venture creation and productive entrepreneurship. We provide broad public policy recommendations for improving Black entrepreneurial ecosystems, including greater access to financial capital, mentoring, and entrepreneurship education through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed and future research directions are offered.

Thriving on the Vine: The Growth of Black Entrepreneurs in the American Wine Industry

Black winemakers and wine entrepreneurs have been largely omitted from the United States wine industry and its history. Despite Black vintners’ presence as early as the country’s antebellum period, the concept of Black wine entrepreneurs has been understudied. Ironically, the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the resulting “Buy Black” movement catalyzed widespread attention on African American-owned businesses, including those in wine production and related categories. As consumer interest and media coverage increased for Black-owned wine businesses, entrants increasingly pursued the industry through diverse business models and offerings. In the current paper, a brief history of Black commercial vintners is introduced, followed by an overview of current producers, as well as pivotal milestones, and concluding with strategies for future entrepreneurial success.

BROAD-BASED BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT POLICY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article examines the effects of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy on black entrepreneurship in South Africa. The BBBEE policy is a legal framework aimed at addressing historical inequalities by promoting equal opportunities and encouraging the participation of black individuals in the economy. The policy highlights include increased access to funding for previously marginalized groups to start and grow their businesses, improved market access to encourage large businesses to partner with small businesses owned by previously marginalized groups, and increased skills and development. Using the policy as a quasi-natural experiment, the study adopts a difference-in-difference estimation technique contrasting periods before and after implementation and measuring its effectiveness on black entrepreneurial entry. Results from the analysis indicate that the policy was ineffective in improving black entrepreneurship in South Africa.

The promise of entrepreneurship ecosystems: a conceptual model for black American entrepreneurs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set forth a conceptual model describing the actors and roles in ecosystems created to enable productive black entrepreneurship in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides a systematic literature review of entrepreneurship ecosystems. It further leverages such literature review by using an autoethnographic approach recommended by Guyotte and Kochacka (2016), drawing on the authors’ practical experience in studying, owning, educating or consulting employer businesses owned by persons of color in the USA and abroad.FindingsEach actor in the ecosystem has practical wisdom and assets that can be shared and leveraged through interacting with the other actors either as role model institutions or capacity development institutions, thus mitigating social inequalities and boosting economic progress by extending entrepreneurial opportunities beyond those that are greatly resourced.Research limitations/implicationsOur literature review is based on selected samples of relevant articles on entrepreneurship ecosystem research and ethnic minority entrepreneurship, and thus, is not exhaustive. The selection was partly influenced by the authors’ opinion of whether a given study was relevant or not to a black entrepreneurship ecosystem. There is the possibility that some relevant studies were excluded. Thus, other actors are encouraged to revise or adapt this model to inform their distinct roles and goals.Practical implicationsThe proposed model can help actors involved in the operation or support of a black-owned business make optimal business decisions, enabling each actor to be instrumental in another’s understanding of how to facilitate the success of black American entrepreneurs and business owners and thus, deploy marketing campaigns to boost the visibility and role of each actor. These campaigns play a role in their entrepreneurial marketing efforts.Originality/valueResponding to Gines and Sampson’s (2020) call, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to explicitly provide a comprehensive black entrepreneurship ecosystem model that identifies the actors, roles and activities that can help black Americans address social inequalities that limit their ability to become a successful employer business. The proposed model may aid in deepening the theoretical discussion on entrepreneurial ecosystems and be of inspiration for the future works of scholars and practitioners interested in the entrepreneurship and marketing interface.

“Quem pode ser a dona?”: Afro‐Brazilian women entrepreneurs and gendered racism

AbstractIn 2013, the number of Black entrepreneurs surpassed the number of White entrepreneurs in Brazil. Of those Black entrepreneurs, 30 percent were women. In Brazil, gendered racism often stereotypes Black women as domestic servants or hypersexual. Despite the robust literature on Afro‐Brazilians generally and Afro‐Brazilian women particularly, Afro‐Brazilian women entrepreneurs, their experiences, and their strategies for competing in the market and resisting gendered racism remain under‐theorized. I use semi‐structured interviews with Black women entrepreneurs to explain the relationship between gendered racism and Black entrepreneurship. My findings show that Afro‐Brazilian women entrepreneurs actively defy and redefine the standard images of entrepreneurs and Black women in Brazil. They contest the treatment of Black women as objects of the market by situating themselves as agentic players by challenging gendered racism through two entrepreneurial cultural strategies: (1) engaging in dignity work and (2) employing a women‐first imperative. By centering the experience of Afro‐Brazilian women, I contribute to the entrepreneurship literature, Africana Studies, and Latin American Studies.

Examining entrepreneurial successes and failures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2023)

PurposeWhen entrepreneurship scholars and policy makers turned their attention to entrepreneurial ventures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2023), its full effects on entrepreneurial firms and systems presented radically challenging questions and unresolved puzzles. In this paper, the authors shed light on these questions and puzzles with a large-scale empirical examination of the pandemic's overall effects on entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial firms, entrepreneurial environments and responses with a view toward success and failure over time.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt a broad exploratory approach and examine different perspectives to develop a deeper understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial firms, entrepreneurial environments and responses especially regarding the success and failure of entrepreneurial ventures during the pandemic. Thus, the authors built a dataset with 10 survey waves from 2020 to 2021, with an average of 7,000 Brazilian entrepreneurial ventures (SMEs) in each wave of the survey. The authors used this data to examine their performance and survival.FindingsThe findings suggest that the increase of the COVID-19 virus contagion per se did not severely affect entrepreneurial ventures' performance and survival. However, the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic did weaken entrepreneurial ventures' performance and survival. Moreover, the findings suggest that entrepreneur education has an inverted U-shaped relationship with entrepreneurial ventures performance. Indigenous, Brown and Black entrepreneurs experienced decreased entrepreneurial ventures survival compared to White entrepreneurs. While entrepreneurial ventures that adopted digital technologies and had access to loans increased their performance and survival during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who failed in these aspects experienced negative performance and survival effects. Thus, although the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted many entrepreneurial ventures and even forced some to close, others survived and even prospered during the environmental shock.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on a little understood topic: entrepreneurial venture success and failure in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black entrepreneurship in Western Canada: the push and pull factors

Black entrepreneurship in Western Canada: the push and pull factors

South African State Capture: A Political Maneuvering or an Economic Contestation?

This article does not defend any corruption or nepotism acts by the actors in the process of state capture but argues that the state capture report and exposure of corruption related to the Gupta family and former President Jacob Zuma were less motivated by arresting corruption. Instead, it was more about monopolisation and competition in State-Owned Entities (SOEs). President Zuma’s tenure was marked by the advent of Radical Economic Transformation (RET) policies. The RET policies meant replacing white-owned businesses in the SOEs with historically disadvantaged black entrepreneurs. Hence, the authors argue that the narrative around state capture was exaggerated by mainstream media, and this article explores various events that led to the exaggeration between the Guptas and white monopoly capital in SOEs. The article employs a Marxist perspective of the state to unpack the relationship between government officials and businesses that sought to exaggerate the state capture narrative in South Africa. Three SOEs, namely South African Airways (SAA), Eskom, and the mining industry, are utilised as test cases to showcase the exaggeration by those in competition to monopolise the economy.

The National Negro Business League and the Economic Life of Black Entrepreneurs

Abstract This article uses the records of the National Negro Business League (NNBL) to examine the economic life and experiences of African American entrepreneurs between 1900 and 1920. Often referred to as the ‘golden age’ of Black business, this era saw the proliferation of African American owned businesses, despite the increase in discrimination and racial persecution that had characterized the United States since the turn of the century. Far from merely a platform to reaffirm the ideology of its founder Booker T. Washington, the League enabled a diverse group of business owners, entrepreneurs and professional men and women to exchange ideas and help one another navigate the segregated and uneven infrastructures of American capitalism. The protocols of the League’s annual conventions offer a window into the world of Black proprietors and shopkeepers. Specifically, the personal accounts delivered at these events reveal the experimental commercial sphere that existed next to the well-established trade and business institutions of corporate capitalism. They also demonstrate that the members of the NNBL were a progressive force: they confounded gender norms by carving a place for women within the formal Black business establishment and they diversified the economic playing field by charting alternative narratives of business success.

Examining motivations and challenges of black wine entrepreneurs using the push–pull theory of entrepreneurship

PurposeThe two major entrepreneurial motivations of being “pushed” or “pulled” to start a business have been frequently explored in the entrepreneurship literature. In the global wine industry, thousands of small entrepreneurial wine businesses are flourishing, but few have been started by Black entrepreneurs. What is missing from the research is an exploration of the motivations of these entrepreneurs and what the industry can do to encourage the entrance of more minority entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to apply push–pull theory to better understand the motivations and challenges of what prompts Black entrepreneurs to start and succeed in the wine industry.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study uses a qualitative methodology of 42 in-depth interviews with US Black winemakers, retailers, and other wine business owners conducted over Zoom. The data were analyzed using Otter software and a thematic coding process for 2,120 pages of rich text.FindingsFindings included 12 motivation themes and 12 challenges for Black wine entrepreneurs, with more emphasis on “push” versus “pull” motivation factors. Many of these entrepreneurs were “pushed” to participate in the industry to create a more inclusive space for Black wine consumers and to create opportunities for other Black professionals and minorities in the industry. Managerial implications include solutions for more inclusive marketing and workplace culture.Originality/valueThis study contributes to push–pull theory by offering a unique perspective on the motivations of Black wine entrepreneurs, as well as being the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to focus on this issue.

Influence and expertise: distancing and distinction in online youth feminist knowledge cultures

ABSTRACT In recent years, feminism’s visibility in Western pop culture and social media has seemingly made it ever more accessible for young people (Banet-Weiser, S. 2019. Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny. Durham, NC: Duke University Press). This article uses the framework of youth ‘knowledge cultures’ to analyse how feminist knowledge is negotiated and remade in online culture, going beyond characterisations of online feminism primarily in terms of either ‘activism’, or the linear ‘accessing’ of feminist ideas. Drawing on an ongoing empirical project located in Australia involving 50 young feminists who regularly engage with feminist social media culture, we highlight participants’ affective practices of analysis and critique in connection with three Australian feminist ‘influencers’ with significant social media presences: Clementine Ford, a white columnist and memoirist; Abbie Chatfield, a white former Bachelor contestant, now podcaster and TV personality; and Lillian Ahenkan aka Flex Mami, a Black entrepreneur, and podcaster. We highlight how practices of distancing and proximity are enacted by participants in affective knowledge practices in relation to these influencers. We suggest the framework of ‘accessibility’ that predominates in scholarship obscures the complex classed, racialised and gendered dynamics through which knowledge is hierarchically made, contested, and accorded legitimacy in social media knowledge cultures.

Visa Foundation awards $5 million to support black entrepreneurship

Corporate Philanthropy ReportVolume 38, Issue 2 p. 3-3 News Briefs Visa Foundation awards $5 million to support black entrepreneurship First published: 17 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/cprt.31502Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume38, Issue2February 2023Pages 3-3 RelatedInformation

Local banking markets and barriers to entrepreneurship in minority and other areas

This empirical study investigates the linkages among entrepreneurship in the form of establishment entry, local banking markets, and broadband availability, focusing on minority areas in the US. Lack of access to banks and lack of competition in the market for small business loans can make it more difficult for an entrepreneur to overcome the liquidity constraint to starting a new business. Broadband internet access can facilitate startups directly by enhancing firm profitability and indirectly by stimulating competition in the loan market, lowering the cost of access to finance, and enabling access to financial capital from fintech lenders. The barriers to new business creation erected by local banking markets are hypothesized to be even higher in minority areas, given the greater difficulty minority entrepreneurs face in raising financial capital. The empirical results show that broadband availability, local bank density, and competition in small business loans all facilitate startups. Broadband lowers barriers for entrepreneurs as hypothesized through both the direct and indirect channels. Broadband availability attenuates the barriers from insufficient access to local banks and lack of competition in small business loans from banks. For some industries, higher bank density and greater loan competition facilitate startups more in minority areas than in mostly white areas. Given that minority areas have many fewer banks per capita and much less loan competition than mostly white counties, the results imply that minority areas face even higher barriers to entrepreneurship from insufficient local formal financial resources. The moderating effect of broadband on local financial constraints applies even more so to Black communities; thus while the barriers for Black entrepreneurs may be higher, access to broadband has a greater alleviating effect on those barriers. Business creation in Hispanic areas also faces obstacles from the local banking environment, but broadband does not appear to help reduce them, although it still has a positive direct effect on entry. Additional evidence shows that broadband helped small businesses in minority areas procure more bank loans. Broadband access can thus help entrepreneurs in general, Blacks in particular, and to a lesser extent Hispanics surmount the liquidity constraint to starting a business. The implications of the results are discussed with reference to current and proposed policy to promote broadband availability, usage, and digital equity.

Josephine Stiles and Her House of Feature Films: Innovations of a Black Theater Proprietor

ABSTRACT: This essay explores the contributions of Josephine Stiles, a Black entrepre neur from Savannah, Georgia, to the history of film exhibition. She owned and operated the Pekin Theatre (1909–29), and I examine how Stiles responded to Jim Crow challenges and the movies' growing popularity by converting her theater into a palace at the same time as the moguls commonly associated with this phenomenon. The story of Stiles and the Pekin not only makes race central to the narrative of the movie palace's origins, but her accomplishments also highlight Black achievement as meaningful, not marginal, to that history.

Josephine Stiles and Her House of Feature Films: Innovations of a Black Theater Proprietor

ABSTRACT: This essay explores the contributions of Josephine Stiles, a Black entrepre neur from Savannah, Georgia, to the history of film exhibition. She owned and operated the Pekin Theatre (1909–29), and I examine how Stiles responded to Jim Crow challenges and the movies' growing popularity by converting her theater into a palace at the same time as the moguls commonly associated with this phenomenon. The story of Stiles and the Pekin not only makes race central to the narrative of the movie palace's origins, but her accomplishments also highlight Black achievement as meaningful, not marginal, to that history.