Make Black Businesses Great Again

One thing we as a black culture fail to do is support one another; whether it be business or personal. I don’t know what it is but it seems like we’re the only culture against our own. Why? We are some of the most prominent people and we can do wonders for this world. We are some of the smartest yet we get overlooked due to our race. Going back to slavery days, we’ve always been treated as being beneath everyone else and not getting the credit we deserve.

We’ve made so many inventions and ghostwritten so many products but we don’t get boasted like we should. I know that there are some black businesses that make us not want to deal with our own kind; I’ve been a victim of that feeling. I would go to another culture to do business and be satisfied. But why? Why are we quick to spend money outside of the black community?

Stop Asking For The Hookup

Everybody loves a good discount or hookup. It’s nothing wrong with that; however, as a business owner, it’s frowned upon. We don’t go to other people and ask for discounts. We pay what they say and keep it moving. We always look for the cheap way out with our own and pay an arm and a leg for others. If I don’t offer, don’t ask. Once again, it’s a business and businesses are out to make a profit. If we go around giving our family and friends hookups, then we’ll always be broke. There are price tags for a reason and should be held firm unless otherwise discussed. We can do specials and promos but it should stop there. Even those are just temporary to bring customers to us.

Customer Service

Listen, if Boom Sheeka or Ray Ray not giving you the service you deserve, then you have every right to take your business elsewhere. However, make sure you speak to the owner/manager first before doing so. They should absolutely know what’s going on because their business and brand is at stake. Maybe they were having a bad day: take a break and come back when you’re in a better mood. Maybe they weren’t trained properly on how to deal with customers: take some time out to train them the way you want them to treat your customers. Or maybe they just aren’t customer friendly and that’s fine, but you need to let them know that they need to shape up or find another job. There’s no room for bad attitudes and there won’t be any business if there are no customers.

Own Up to Your Mistakes

I am a customer service advocate and have been for 20 years so dissatisfaction is not an option. If I do business with you and you do a half job or don’t follow through on your work, then you need to fix it. All mistakes can be fixed to a certain degree but still needs to be done. If I’m not happy with your service, then you need to do everything in your power to make it right. Like I said, I can spend my money elsewhere but I choose to go to you first. Your customer should never be unsatisfied.

I do business wherever I want but I am working on supporting my own people first. I have friends/classmates/relatives that are caterers, store owners, beauticians, nail techs, mechanics, lawn servicers, etc. I want to support them like I want them to support me. It’s a give and take and we should be proud to have such an abundance of black entrepreneurs.