This month I launched a groundbreaking research study and the new season of A Black Woman’s Podcast, hosted a listening session, did some interviews, some ongoing learning, traveled across the country and even read four books! And you know how it goes, these are just the highlights so let’s get into the details.
Released a COVID-19 report and launched a case study
In 2018 and 2020 right before the pandemic, we did a couple of in-house surveys with our community. You can read the results of our surveys by downloading our comparative report.
We used the data to help shape the way we move as an organization, specifically creating resources like our Black Woman Business Accelerator Program and the Black Woman Loan Fund to meet the urgent needs of the Black Women we serve. And if you follow Buy From A Black Woman you’ve probably seen how impactful our initiatives are because our decisions are informed by data. Over the last 12 months we’ve helped Black Women Business Owners generate $2.7 million in revenue. And our online directory, which is the highest-ranking global directory of Black Women-Owned Brands in the world, helps an average of 4,000 consumers find our 600+ members on a monthly basis.
We want to see more results like this for programs that support Black Women, so we decided to launch a research initiative to gather comprehensive data on Black Women Entrepreneurs and what they need support with.
We also noticed that it was difficult to find real information about what Black Women Business Owners were really dealing with as we phased in and out of the pandemic, which was another motivator. So ultimately our initiative A Black Woman's Case Study is designed to fill in these gaps, while also accounting for the gender bias and racism Black Women face while running their businesses.
Our study is a collaboration with Black Women Business Owners, so we’ve put out a call to all Black Women. You can participate by taking our survey, sharing it and getting involved in our listening sessions.
Hosted A Black Woman Conversation
Speaking of which, this month I hosted an intimate gathering for community and conversation as part of our research for A Black Woman Case Study. From the beginning we knew that we wanted to make space for Black Women to speak on their needs, on their terms, so we’ve intentionally incorporated Black Women’s voices into our research in this way. We had our first listening session, Black Women Deserve To Be Listened To, in Nashville, TN back in July, so this was our second session.
During this conversation we covered a number of topics, including, but not limited to the current state of their businesses, COVID-19, how the recent uprisings impacted their businesses and more. Stay tuned for the full conversation via A Black Woman’s Podcast.
Released a new season of A Black Woman’s Podcast
We’ve been on a journey with A Black Woman’s Podcast over the last few years. It’s evolved as I have. And it’s grown as Buy From A Black Woman has gotten bigger. That said, I’m very proud of what we’ve put together for the latest season. And we’ve gotten such great feedback so far. Not all of the episodes are out yet, but right now you can watch these phenomenal women speaking on their journeys:
America’s Mom Tabitha Brown
Visionary entrepreneurs Rhonda Cammon, Jessica Thompson, Christina Landry and Shatiqua Jamerson
Financial trailblazer and patron of the arts Ayesha Selden
New shows drop every Tuesday and we’ve got some more special guests to share with you. You can listen to A Black Woman’s Podcast on all podcast platforms, or you can watch the video over at BFABW.tv.
Did some interviews
This month I got to share our research and the work I’m doing with Buy From A Black Woman with The Story Exchange. And did a fun interview with Inside Retail US where we spoke about my daily habits and what a day in my life is like. I enjoy sharing things that work for me, especially when it comes to being more efficient, which is also one of the reasons that I started sharing my monthly reading list.
Read four books
As for my reading list this month, it was a combination of biographies, inspirational content and sometimes I even read children’s books for inspiration! In September I read:
Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider by Stacy Spikes
Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin
Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph by Sheila Johnson
We Are Afro Unicorns by April Showers
September was good. How was your month? Let me know, leave a comment and tell me what you did this month. I always look forward to hearing from you.
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