SALISBURY, Md. – Following the holidays, minority-owned businesses say commerce is slowing down. Business leaders say Black entrepreneurs brought in $206 billion last year, employing 4 million workers across the country.
Locally, however, minority business owners say they face more challenges compared to their counterparts. “It’s just a matter of trying to figure out what can I do to stand out to make them choose me for that,” said Tyneisha Heath, owner of Afroganics Hair and Skincare.
Heath says running a small, minority-owned business isn’t easy; but with the holiday season, things went better than expected. “I had one big order which I’m thankful for, and I got like a word of mouth like ‘Hey, I bought my friends this and that for Christmas, and that’s a quick business idea. Send her to me too,’” Heath said.
Bill Chambers, President and CEO of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, says Heath’s holiday success is what others are seeing across Delmarva.
“Online sales, a whopping over 6%. So, it was a good holiday season. I think it was a bit unexpected. I think most of our businesses here in our region expected a flat holiday season,” said Chambers.
But when it comes to the lack thereof, Heath says she needs more resources. “It’s kind of hard to show, ‘Hey, I can pay you back.’ But, without that big following, it would be nice to have some resources for a smaller community,” Heath said.
Chambers says it’s a common disservice to minority-owned businesses, and it’s usually based on discrimination. “They are undervalued and unfortunately, minority businesses aren’t as visible as other mainstream businesses and they traditionally have had issues with access to capital,” said Chambers.
With predictions showing the economy to do better, Heath is hopeful for a better season. Yet, she says she’s hoping to see future changes made to accessibility.
“I hope it turns around. It sounds good. There are a couple of websites that have grants, but there are so many requirements for that small little grant. And then, there’s like 3,000 people applying for the one grant, and they only choose two people,” Heath explained.
You can shop with Afroganics by checking them out at their website. Chambers recommends joining a chamber of commerce for support and resources to boost your business.
