The 5 Best Cities for Black Entrepreneurs Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success. White-owned businesses receive an average of $18,500 in outside equity at funding, compared to just $500 for Black-owned businesses. On top of that, it can also be challenging for Black entrepreneurs to find mentorship, resources, and even community with other business owners with their shared experiences. Thankfully, there are cities where Black entrepreneurs, past, present, and future, thrive and have access to the resources and support they need. Read on to discover five of the top cities for Black entrepreneurs. Top Cities for Black Entrepreneurs 1. Washington, D.C. Sometimes called the Chocolate City, Washington D.C. was the first majority Black major city in the United States in 1957. Its Black population has lessened since then, but LendingTree ranks it the second-best city for Black Entrepreneurs, with 8,649 of its 111,872 businesses being Black-owned with an average revenue of 95,230 (according to IncFile). Black entrepreneurs in the city have access to various programs, resources, and support, like the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce, Black Owned Small Business Expo, and the Washington Area Community Investment Fund. It’s also home to HBCU Howard University, where HubSpot has made significant investments in helping students with entrepreneurial interests...

16 Educational Podcasts for Minority Entrepreneurs Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success. Podcasts are an excellent way for entrepreneurs to gain inspiration and actionable career advice. However, entrepreneurs in minority communities searching for podcasts for and about people with similar experiences and identities to themselves may have a hard time doing so. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of educational podcasts for entrepreneurs in minority groups that are worth listening to gain inspiration and insight from people with shared experiences. 1. Side Hustle Pro Side Hustle Pro’s host Nicaila Matthews Okome interviews inspiring Black women entrepreneurs that have grown side hustles into profitable businesses. Listeners learn about their processes, failures, and successes and leave with strategies to leverage to help them build their side projects or interests into successful ventures.   2. The Diversity Gap The Diversity Gap Podcast, hosted by Bethaney Wilkinson, discusses the gaps between good intentions for diversity and the actual impact of those intentions. Each episode features guests that discuss strategies and best practices for creating an organizational culture that allows people from all racial backgrounds to thrive at work. It’s a great listen for business owners...

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Minority-Owned Business COVID-19 presented more challenges than one for businesses, and the pandemic took an even more tremendous toll on minority business owners. With minority business owners experiencing a cash crunch, not many could secure loans to keep their doors open. In 2020, 400,000 small businesses decided to permanently close due to the effects of the pandemic — many of which were in underserved communities. Whether you're in the idea phase or already established, this guide will help you get your minority-owned business off the ground. Before you dive into this guide, check out this blog on how to start a business if you're still in the idea phase. When you finish reading this piece, you'll have everything you need (and more) to thrive as a minority business owner — from how to get certified as a minority-owned business, to funding options and growth resources. Get Certified as a Minority-Owned Business After you've nailed down your business idea, plan, and registered your company, it's time to get certified as a minority-owned business. This certification isn't required, but it will help inform consumers and potential partners about your company's leadership. You may also need this certification may also if you want to apply for government-funded minority business grants and loans, or other programs. Illinois, Ohio, California, and New York have local agencies to get certified as a minority-owned business on a state level. There are various ways to get certified from local state and business agencies,...