fiscally sponsored by impact hub houston

THE BLACK MARKETING INITIATIVE

The Black Marketing Initiative aims to elevate diverse small businesses and encourage them during and after the pandemic, with the belief that community can positively impact us all. 

We are currently raising funds to provide black entrepreneurs with a 7-week training, mentoring, and networking program to help them succeed, because successful black entrepreneurs are good for business. Good for community. Good for everybody.

Together, #WeAllCanWin! #MarketBlack

HELP BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES IN HOUSTON SURVIVE & THRIVE

In June 2020, the team behind The Black Marketing Initiative conducted a campaign called “The Community Checkup” to check on small businesses in their community during COVID and see how they could help. They surveyed 226 small, mostly Black-owned, businesses. The response was overwhelming: At least 100 of these businesses needed business support and marketing services to survive, but could no longer afford them.

That Community Checkup influenced the creation of the Black Marketing Initiative, or “#MarketBlack.” The purpose of #MarketBlack is to produce a thriving black business community in Houston through marketing and business education and research. Through the initiative, we will increase Black SMB success and sustainability. We believe that by equipping our Black entrepreneurs with the skills, expertise and network to grow their businesses, we can enhance our communities through community ownership and reinvestment, without gentrification.

Why We’re Launching This: Increase Sustainability and Success of Black-Owned Businesses

  • Win Real, Immediate, Concrete Improvements in Black Businesses.
  • Give Black Business Owners a Sense of Their Own Power.
  • Alter the Relations of Power by diversifying Business Networks.
  • Engage the public by providing Black business statistics collected from our Houston Black Business Census.

How We’re Helping: Education, Support, Connection, and Research

  • Virtual training specifically geared toward Black entrepreneurs in Houston
  • Opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses, gain mentorship, and connect with peers.
  • Small Business Fund
  • Black Business Research and Asset Mapping
  • Video Mini-Series and Documentary
  • The opportunity for Black entrepreneurs to win membership to Impact Hub Houston and gain access to the Impact Hub Global Network

Please help Houston’s Black-owned businesses get the training and resources they need to succeed: Donate what you can to The Black Marketing Initiative today!

If you’re a black entrepreneur and want to strengthen your business, management, marketing, and technical skills, learn more and apply for the program at https://www.blackmarketinginitiative.com/apply.html.

 

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Impact Hub Houston’s fiscal sponsorship of this project allows you to:

  • Make a tax-deductible donation to The Black Marketing Initiative.
  • Certify that funds will help provide Black entrepreneurs in Houston with business training, resources, and support.

YOU CAN DONATE ANY AMOUNT, OR BECOME A SPONSOR AT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LEVELS …

  • $100: Provide 1 Entrepreneur with 7 Weeks of Business Training.
  • $250: Provide 3 Entrepreneurs with 7 Weeks of Business Training.
  • $500: Silver Screen — Support 5 Hours of Documentary Production.
  • $1000: Golden Rule — Support Half of Phase 1 of the Community Research Project
  • $5000: Black Card — Support Delivery of One Full Week of Training to an Entire Cohort of Entrepreneurs!

WE AIM TO HELP …

​Who is Eligible for the Program

  1. SMB making $50K or less in revenue per year
  2. SMB Less than 5 years old
  3. Owner 18 years or older
  4. Majority Black-owned
  5. ​Located in Greater Houston Area

Who Has Applied for the Program

  • Racial Makeup: 100% Black with 1 participant also claiming American Indian or Alaskan Native Heritage.
  • Participant Age: 20-47
  • Gender: Split almost evenly between self-identifying male and female.
  • Residence: Split almost evenly between Houston and surrounding areas.
  • Business Structure: Sole Proprietors
  • Business Age: 2-5 years old.
  • Business Revenue: 100% less than $25000 in annual revenue.
  • # of Employees: Majority have 1-2 employees.
  • Hours of Operations: Majority are open 32 hours or more.
  • Business Location: 90% have home office.
  • Offerings: Majority offer services instead of products.
  • Side Hustle: Majority use their business as supplementary Income
  • Business Plan: Majority do NOT have a business plan.

SUPPORT THE BLACK MARKETING INITIATIVE

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