A simple Google search of your city name plus “Black-owned businesses” will most likely return a list of local restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, and more. As a southern Californian, I’m excited to try out some of these Black-owned businesses in San Diego and Los Angeles, but there are lists available for dozens of major cities around the country!
With that said, I knew that there were some amazing Black-owned businesses missing from those lists—businesses owned by my Black friends (or friends of friends). So I made a post on Facebook last week asking my friends to share these businesses with me.
So, without further ado, here are some Black-owned businesses you need to know about:
- Sanford Autism Consulting specializes in providing support to Autism moms in California. As a mom of a child with special needs herself, Crystal Sanford has a unique understanding of the challenges these families face. With more than 20 years of experience in special education, Crystal works with families of students in the public school system, helping them persistently pursue what’s best for the children at school. Connect with Sanford Autism Consulting on Facebook or Instagram for more info. Side note: I have a son with Autism. Crystal was a lifesaver when we needed help securing I.E.P. services for him!
- Pope Consulting has been a recognized leader in the diversity and inclusion industry for over 40 years. Co-founded by Merlin Pope Jr. and his wife, Patricia, and currently run by Patricia and son Merlin III, they are known for creating and delivering cutting edge content, innovative assessment tools, and organizational change processes that deliver bottom-line results. Connect with Patricia and Merlin on LinkedIn to learn more about their services.
- Renee Walton started Moms Making Money Online with the purpose of giving creative stay-at-home moms a simple way to contribute to their household income. As a work-from-home mom herself, Renee fully understands the importance of having a flexible schedule and a creative outlet. She’s broken down the journey toward passive income into easy, fun, and manageable steps. She also shares resources, fun, and inspiration on Pinterest!
- Twylla’s Spices And Essentials in El Cajon, Ca creates additive and preservative-free seasonings, without sacrificing flavor. Each blend is low in sodium and all-inclusive (meaning it’s the only seasoning you need to create a tasty meal). If you’re in the San Diego area, you can stop by and see Twylla in person at local vendor events. Not in southern California? Not a problem—you can shop her entire collection online (and she shares recipes on her website too!). You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.
- Donna McPherson, CPA, helps 6-figure business owners nationwide build successful businesses based upon a foundation of profit, enabling them to generate the revenue to not only keep the doors open but also live the life they’ve always dreamed of. To put it simply, she helps you accelerate your business growth and keep more money in your pocket. Connect with her on Facebook for more info.
- Team Impress Marketing, LLC frees up business owners to focus on building their company, and trains teams in marketing and sales to support that growth. Founder Victoria Caldwell specializes in working with visionaries who hate managing teams and struggle to find the right people. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn to learn more. You can also find Team Impress on Facebook and Instagram.
- Special Tea carries all-natural loose leaf teas that provide comfort and lasting memories, along with various health benefits. From soothing jasmine to energizing mocha, immunity boosting turmeric and ginger to chamomile that encourages great sleep, there really is a tea for everything! Follow Special Tea on Instagram to see more!
- The Ellevasion Agency aims to develop female thought leaders and innovators, helping them redesign their lives and businesses to attract more clients and generate more income. Founder LaShanna Ross is invested in seeing her clients succeed and build a life that truly brings them joy. She loves partnering with her clients and helping them find solutions that get results. Connect with her on Instagram to learn more.
- Dr. Tana M. Session works with business owners to transform their company culture through diversity, inclusion, bias, belonging, and multicultural initiatives. She loves providing safe, judgment-free spaces that facilitate honest and courageous conversations, ultimately creating sustainable initiatives and results. Connect with Tana on LinkedIn and follow her on YouTube to learn more.
- InspireGen Consulting helps organizations navigate disruption and generate results through strategic consulting, leadership development training, and coaching. Founder Rae Majors-Wildman loves working with fast-growing companies, setting realistic goals and holding leaders accountable for achieving tangible results. Connect with Rae on LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more.
- CPA MOMS serves entrepreneurs looking for high quality, affordable accounting and tax services, provided exclusively by CPAs who are also moms! Founder Mayumi is passionate about helping small business owners working in professional services, real estate, franchising, construction, and more. Connect with CPA MOMS on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to learn more about their services.
- When Style Matters offers professional image coaching to professional women, helping them create a powerful image and stylish brand that elevates their confidence and drives success. As an image expert, owner Lynette Jones knows how important the first impression really is. She’s passionate about helping ambitious professionals and executives create a stylish wardrobe that showcases their personality while enhancing their professional image and brand. Follow When Style Matters on Facebook or connect with Lynnette on LinkedIn to learn more about her services.
- DonationMatch connects businesses with charity events, reducing the time and effort marketers spend researching events and allowing businesses to donate to good causes, and acquire new customers in the process. Co-Founders Darryl and Renee love working with B2C companies such as restaurants, CPG brands, and entertainment venues who regularly make donations to fundraising auctions and other charity events. Follow DonationMatch on Facebook to learn more about the solution they provide.
- Norarose Pure carries hand sanitizer made from essential oils that help prevent the dryness that frequently occurs with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Located locally in North Carolina, this start-up ships nationwide. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to learn more about their products.
- Shadow Ridge Spirits, owned by Sean Hallman, is an alcohol distillery here in the San Diego area. In March, they paused production on alcohol and shifted their focus to making hand sanitizer bulk distribution (which is a business pivot we LOVE, by the way) but as of a couple weeks ago, they’re back to creating their signature line of whiskey, bourbon, and rum. Shop the collection on their website and follow them on Facebook for a behind-the-scenes look at the distillery process.
- Denise Davis is an Independent Rep for Primerica. She provides education on how money works and helps her clients create a game plan for financial freedom. She specializes in providing foundational financial strategies to middle-income families in San Diego and loves creating lifelong relationships with her clients. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn more.
- Kim Batiste is an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay. She is passionate about helping every single client (men and women alike) elevate their confidence through self-care. A former Navy Air Traffic Controller, Kim often takes on special projects and donates products to military members, emergency service providers and first responders. Join Kim’s Facebook group to see all the products!
Know of another Black-owned business the world needs to know about? We haven’t found a resource that’s listing ALL of them, but we did recently learn about Tip Jones’ company, OwnHers.com, a marketplace for anyone and everyone to locate Black women enterprises. If you own a business that qualifies (or know someone who does), make sure you add info about it to THE LIST before mid-July. And many thanks to Heather Cox of Diversity Masterminds for introducing us to Tip!