I remember being in a conversation with a friend of mine about our career goals and where we both saw our careers headed.
I’ve always relished in the fact of being a quintessential millennial—well educated, multi-skilled, multiple side hustles, and an undying desire for upward mobility and flexibility in the workplace. My friend and I talked about ascending into leadership roles—as Black women we talked about how this ascension into a leadership role would be accompanied by workplace toxicity, racism and gender discrimination, pay inequity, and workplace bureaucracy.
We were both ambitious, forward-thinking, multi-talented, and knew the power of networking and connections for our own success. When I talked about the ideal organization I wanted to work for, my friend posed the question, “What would it look like if you created your own organization—an organization that allows you to thrive?”
The emotional tax that Black women experience in the workplace prevents Black women from bringing their whole and full selves to work. Many of us are forced to take jobs at institutions and organizations that do not serve our needs or put us in positions where we can thrive and be our best selves.
What a Thriving + Empowering Workplace Should Look Like
For me, a thriving workplace means feeling empowered, being able to be authentic, and not be chastised or ridiculed for expressing my opinion. A thriving workplace means having the support and resources to make decisions, not being afraid to make bold decisions, and standing behind them.
I also wanted to pursue a career in the helping profession—so I craved a place where I could make an impact on the lives of others. I idolized powerful female entrepreneurs who created businesses and defined their own meanings of success—they invented new projects and created new platforms, and they hired and developed their own teams. While I understood that the entrepreneurial life was not always glamorous, this is what thriving looked like and meant to me.
I’ve always thought of myself as having entrepreneurial-like qualities—I craved creativity and innovation—I thrived in environments where I could be intellectually curious and build things from the ground up. I was self-disciplined, decisive, and action-oriented. I loathed bureaucracy and I enjoyed problems that were not black or white or had a readily available solution. I’m a dreamer so I dream big and aim high. I’ve found myself in jobs where I have felt that my dreams were often too large or grand for the institution I occupied.
Where Do Black Women Fit When it Comes to "Culture Fit"?
Much of my career has been focused on trying to fit into a particular work culture—this meant accentuating certain aspects of myself while downplaying other attributes that I felt wouldn’t be well-received or respected. For many Black women, trying to mold and contort ourselves into an existing homogenous culture can be exhausting.
The phrase “culture fit” has become extremely controversial. Culture fit describes the likelihood that a prospective candidate has beliefs, values, and a personality similar to those employees within the environment. This practice can be detrimental to people of color and other historically underrepresented groups who desire to gain entry into an organization that is fairly homogenous. Even if companies are proponents of diversity, many companies may demonstrate unconscious bias and choose candidates who exhibit similar qualities of the existing culture.
Black women also encounter a glass ceiling which makes promotion and advancement in a given organization even more of a challenge. Many Black women navigating predominately white organizations may opt for entrepreneurship as an avenue to avoid racial and gender discrimination, as well as obstacles to pay equity and advancement.
Entrepreneurship Over Traditional Careers
Black women entrepreneurship isn’t a novel concept—historically, we’ve seen several examples of Black women creators and inventors who created their own products and businesses in order to combat discrimination and exclusion in the job market.
In Post-Civil War America, social mobility and access to viable middle-class jobs were heavily restricted for Black women. Black women were unable to access colleges and universities to earn credentials—and many high earning jobs in technology remained inaccessible to them. Black women had no choice but to become the originators of cultivating economic opportunities in the midst of diminished social mobility.
Today, many Black women are choosing entrepreneurship over more traditional careers. According to The 2018 State of Women-Owned Business Report commissioned by American Express, from 2007 to 2018, the number of firms owned by Black women grew by a stunning 164 percent.
There were 2.4 million African American women-owned businesses in 2018, most owned by women 35 to 54. Black women are the only racial or ethnic group with more business ownership than their male peers, according to the Federal Reserve.
Black women make the best entrepreneurs as their businesses create jobs in their local communities. Since Black-owned businesses are likely to hire from their local community, this investment creates increased economic opportunities for Black residents who may otherwise be barred from participating in the traditional labor market.
The rapid growth of Black women entrepreneurship has been extraordinary and awe-inspiring but their ascension into entrepreneurship is still accompanied by challenges. Getting access to venture capital funding, loans, as well as their lack of access to wealth makes starting and sustaining a business burdensome. Black women also report experiencing a lack of access to education, training, and mentors that can help provide guidance on how to navigate start-up culture and how to grow a business.
Black Women Lack Mentorship + Advisors
According to Inc., forty-eight percent of female entrepreneurs lack mentors and advisors. For women of color, the gap is even wider as a result of bias and limited networking opportunities. Lack of access to social capital makes it even more insurmountable to start a business; networking can be the key to launching a business and when Black women are excluded, they are not given the tools needed to create viable businesses.
Dell Gines, the author of the Black Women Business StartUps report, told Forbes that this is one reason why “you see a lot of clustering in very few industries with a low barrier to entry–service businesses such as hair salons, catering, child daycare centers, and consulting.”
While these industries are considered low barrier, many of these services help strengthen local economies and celebrate Black culture in ways that predominately white-serving and led businesses do not. Black women have had to navigate a world that is not structurally positioned to accommodate their needs—so when it comes to Black services, amenities, and products, many Black women entrepreneurs have had to make the decision to create businesses that center themselves and the needs of other Black women.
In spite of the barriers, Black women are cultivating their own spaces and redefining traditional workplaces as we know it. They’re demanding that enough is enough, and if workplaces won’t change to benefit them, they must leave and create their own. The growth of Black women business owners is empowering.
It’s empowering for me, as a mid-level career professional evaluating the possibilities of what it takes to create a thriving and empowering career. I, too, am inspired by the advocacy and bravery of Black women who elect to utilize their talents to build and cultivate their own futures. Black women have continually demonstrated that their physical and intellectual labor is critical to the progress and advancement of America.
If America is going to continue its progress towards equity in the workplace—Black women entrepreneurs need to be supported.
