Black Connect on Building Opportunities for Black Business Owners

Squarespace is proud of our 20-year history of being a launchpad for entrepreneurs and small businesses everywhere to stand out and succeed. Black Connect is a national nonprofit organization that fosters entrepreneurship in the Black community. Their mission is to eliminate the racial wealth gap in America by increasing the success rate and number of Black-owned businesses. 

That’s why Squarespace donated $100,000 to Black Connect as a part of our 2020 promise to support organizations working toward reducing racial inequities. Since 2020, when we pledged $500,000, Squarespace has donated $375,000 of the social justice budget. 

We spoke with Black Connect’s founder and National President, Angela Majette, about how the organization is creating an ecosystem of resources to encourage and support Black business owners to succeed.

Squarespace: Black Connect is a fairly new organization, why did you decide to start the nonprofit? How did you land on prioritizing legal, marketing, and strategic planning services first? 

Angela Majette: There were so many factors that influenced my decision to create Black Connect. It began with my own experience with entrepreneurship; when I started my business many years ago, I looked around for an organization modeled like Black Connect and couldn’t find one, so creating what is now Black Connect has been in the back of my mind for 20 years. 

Like leaders such as Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey, I believe that economic independence, achieved through business ownership, is the foundation of not only Black wealth, but also civil rights for Black Americans. When my son called me from college to tell me that he wanted to start a business and he had so many questions about business that I was able to answer, I thought about all of the first-generation entrepreneurs who do not have a family member or close friend that they can call for guidance. I knew it was finally time to start Black Connect.

The first two initiatives that I developed were our pro bono legal services program and FeverPitch. 

I prioritized business-related legal support because every important business decision has a legal consequence. As a legal analyst and small business owner, I was well aware of the void that existed both in the provision of pro bono legal services and in the nonprofit space with respect to Black entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Over the last 20 years, as an accountant and legal analyst, I have worked closely with dozens of entrepreneurs and business owners while collaborating with attorneys in business litigation, business formation, and transactional matters. I’ve seen first-hand that many of the legal issues that business owners find themselves faced with can be avoided or minimized with proper legal guidance from inception.

I created FeverPitch, our national pitch competition, because less than 2% of venture capital flows to Black entrepreneurs and Black entrepreneurs are often excluded by the stringent rules that govern many pitch competitions. FeverPitch is our most anticipated event and it’s a great way for us to engage corporations in our mission. The employees of our corporate sponsors serve as judges of the competition and provide constructive feedback to the entrepreneurs. FeverPitch is always an exciting time at Black Connect and we’re currently gearing up for FeverPitch 2023. It’s invigorating to work with so many innovative, passionate entrepreneurs.

We began to focus on marketing because 96% of Black-owned businesses have no employees, so most small business owners can’t afford to hire a marketing team. In order to grow, businesses need to make sales, but having no employees means that the owner has little to no sales and marketing support. Small businesses rely heavily on social media marketing, which was once considered the most economical and effective form of marketing for small businesses. However, the dynamics of social media marketing has changed: platforms are over saturated; consumers are leery of scams; and the cost of social media marketing has risen. 

Many companies spend up to $4,000-$7,000 per month on social media marketing, so it’s no surprise that the consistent feedback that we receive from Black Connect members is that social media marketing is not translating to increased sales for them because Black small business owners don’t have the necessary spending power.

SQSP: Community is at the heart of your organization. What does community mean to you? How can your community continue to support small businesses? 

AM: It helps to look at where we are as a country to fully understand the importance of the Black Connect community. Considering only 3% of small businesses are owned by Black people across the United States, it is difficult for Black business owners and entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate, or compete. On top of that, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 8 out of every 10 Black businesses failed within the first 18 months, and U.S. Census data show 58% of Black business owners describe the health of their businesses as “at risk” or “distressed.”

With a national membership and chapter base, Black Connect fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem by increasing and unifying communication, awareness, and resources. Entrepreneurship is hard and often lonely. The emotional support and encouragement that our chapter members provide for one another is invaluable to helping entrepreneurs persevere and push through when challenges arise. Chapter involvement allows members to expand their professional network, inspire other entrepreneurs in their community, and advocate for their local Black business community.

We currently have local chapters in New York City, Tampa, and Tulsa and we are opening the Atlanta chapter this year. We’re growing Black Connect’s footprint through a multifaceted expansion strategy that includes strengthening and increasing our local chapters.

SQSP: For being a young organization, you’ve grown quickly! Tell us about the impact you’ve seen from your work over the past 4 years.  

AM: Yes, my co-founder and I developed a comprehensive plan for Black Connect and when we launched we hit the ground running! We often hear the expression “representation matters” with respect to other industries, but it applies to the nonprofit sector as well. We are a Black-founded, Black-led, national organization with a mission that is laser-focused on empowering Black people to improve the economic condition of the Black community.

Black Connect is the only national 501(c)(3) membership and chapter-based organization dedicated solely to eliminating the racial wealth gap in America by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses. We operate the only national pro bono legal services program that provides only business-related legal assistance to Black business owners. We have our own tools-based business and social network with 18 features that enable entrepreneurial activities and promote the socioeconomic growth and empowerment of the Black community. Blackconnect.com is the most comprehensive business and social networking platform with members across the United States, Caribbean, Africa, and the United Kingdom. Our mission and our model resonate not only with the Black community, but also our corporate partners and people around the world. I believe that our biggest impact is our very existence.

Additionally, all of our initiatives have been successful because we aim to fill in the many gaps that prevent Black entrepreneurs from growing their businesses. 

• We have awarded over $30,000 in business grants through FeverPitch. 

• Our partnering law firms have provided pro bono legal services to our members valued at over $100,000.

• We have recruited a talented and highly-skilled pool of professionals who donate their time to mentor our members in various areas of business through our business mentoring program.

SQSP: What role does tech play in the success of the entrepreneurs in your Black Entrepreneurs Network? 

AM: So much has changed for entrepreneurs in the last two decades since I started my business. Today, entrepreneurship and technology go hand-in-hand. From websites to social media, to broadband, to smartphones, technology makes entrepreneurship more accessible to the low to moderate income communities that Black Connect serves. We also hold virtual events throughout the year and we have programs and services that are delivered virtually, so access to technology is critical to the success of the organization and its members.

At the same time, we’re mindful of the fact that technology can be costly and those costs can be prohibitive, making it difficult for small business owners to remain competitive and operate efficiently. So we’re always looking for ways to help bridge the digital divide. 

In fact, part of the funds provided by Squarespace will be used to implement the first phase of Black Connect’s case management system for our legal services program. We will be able to continue to provide our members with access to business planning software and we’re excited to provide members with websites hosted on the Squarespace platform that will help them engage and retain clients and customers. 

SQSP: What are your hopes for Black Connect’s future? 

AM: We have developed several programs and initiatives for Black Connect that we can’t launch yet because we don’t have the funding, so my biggest hope is that charitable giving becomes more equitable. Black-led organizations continue to receive less funding from foundations and major donors. It’s important that smaller organizations are not only able to survive, but to scale their programs and initiatives and make a greater impact. We have plans to scale our current programs and implement new initiatives, hire additional staff, and open the first Black Connect Business Center.

SQSP: How can individuals who are interested in Black Connect’s mission get involved? 

AM: Join! Membership in Black Connect is not limited to Black entrepreneurs. Our programs and services are for the benefit of Black business owners, but any adult or entity that supports the mission can become a member of Black Connect. We have many different membership categories to choose from, so we invite everyone to join online at blackconnect.org/join and then volunteer with us by becoming a business mentor or signing up for our other volunteer opportunities.

We are also expanding our advisory board and we invite business leaders who want to utilize their expertise, connections and resources to join us to help secure the future of the Black Connect ecosystem.