Buy Black, Spend Green

August is National Black Business Month, so as a Black business owner, I must shout out to those who look like me. Kudos to you for having a dream, nurturing that dream, and bringing it to life. The journey hasn’t been easy, but you did it.

As you welcome your first customer of the day, send that client email, or take that meeting, I want you to know that you are amazing. In a 2022 news article by Kimberly Adkins Stohr of The Boston Globe, she wrote, “Even before the pandemic, eight out of every 10 Black businesses failed within the first 18 months. U.S. Census data show 58% of Black business owners describe the health of their businesses as ‘at risk’ or ‘distressed.’” Eight out of 10! Those numbers are disturbing and will continue to grow if we don’t come together to change this narrative.

One of the reasons I feel Black businesses fail more than we succeed is because we don’t support and celebrate one another. While we talk about “buying Black and spending green,” do we put our money where our mouth is? This month, Herd Strategies is going to do just that. We’re going to celebrate Black businesses by putting our brand and our words where our mouth is (which is where we make our money). This month, we are going to highlight Black businesses that have found success on a local and national level. We encourage you to read their stories, stop by their establishments, spend some money, and share your experiences with friends and family. If you know of a business we should highlight, send them our way. We would love to feature them.

It's National Black Business Month. Let’s support our Black businesses.

On behalf of The Herd, our families thank you.