Black women's entrepreneurship surges, but faces systemic barriers

Did you know that corporate America and government institutions just accidentally created their biggest competition? I saw Katica Roy post an Essence article that breaks down how Black women are leading an entrepreneurship boom after record job loss in 2025. But the comments??? The comments are the texture of this story. "Offered an extended contract instead of permanent after stellar performance. My supervisor still wants me to 'prove myself.'" "Same work, lower pay than my white male counterpart." "Sometimes our mere presence irritates our counterparts." "I cannot wait to see the outcome of what they thought would break us." 255 comments. I read comment after comment of women describing the exact same pattern. Exceptional performance met with extended "evaluation periods." Strategic minds being asked to justify their existence every quarter. Senior professionals having their competence questioned by people who couldn't execute half of what they deliver daily. And yet and still responding with innovation and resilience. It's confirming what I've been seeing in my own primary research on the experience of all women deciding to escape corporate. What we're witnessing isn't just a workforce shift. It's the largest transfer of institutional knowledge and strategic expertise from established institutions into entrepreneurship in modern history. Think about it. These women didn't leave because they couldn't handle the work. They've been managing complex stakeholder relationships for years. Building revenue strategies. Optimizing operations. Leading cross-functional teams. Turning around underperforming divisions. They were pushed out and decided not to go back because they got tired of applying Fortune 500-level thinking to build someone else's wealth while being treated like they should feel grateful for the opportunity. So now they're taking those skills and building their own companies. And here's what makes this moment unprecedented: they're not starting from scratch. They're starting with decades of experience, professional networks, and a deep understanding of how businesses actually scale. If you're reading this from your corporate desk, wondering if entrepreneurship is possible for you - look around. Are you satisfied with what you see? If someone who got laid off can leverage their skills to build a business, imagine what you could do with the security of a steady paycheck while you test and validate your ideas. If you're an investor watching this unfold, pay attention. You're seeing the emergence of the most resilient, strategically-minded demographic of founders in history. Mark my words. Women who've been underestimated their entire careers are now applying that same tenacity to building businesses that will redefine industries. The question isn't whether this movement will succeed. The question is whether you'll be part of it or watching from the sidelines. #promotedtofounder

Here are a couple of reasons why the work we do supporting Black entrepreneurs at the Progress Center for Black Women is so important, necessary and essential to the growth of our economy, empowering Black families and setting up the future generation for success: Systemic barriers like lack of access to capital, fewer resources, and industries with lower profit margins make it harder for Black women to grow and thrive in business. At the same time, Black women are leaving and/or currently being pushed out of the workforce in record numbers — turning to entrepreneurship as a way to create independence, stability, and generational wealth. By providing community, resources, and support, we’re helping Black women entrepreneurs not only start, but sustain and scale their businesses — building pathways for continued impact, visibility, and economic transformation. 🚀 The facts: 🌟 17% of Black women are starting/running businesses (more than white women + men) 🌟 Only 3% sustain mature businesses 🌟 61% self-fund startups while facing higher loan rejection rates 🌟 Many start in industries with low margins + tough competition Because when Black women entrepreneurs thrive, families are strengthened, communities grow, and the entire economy rises. 💜 Check out these articles from Essence and Harvard Business Review for more information: https://lnkd.in/gYxuDkPN and https://lnkd.in/g3pKsCsT

The workplace has always failed Black women. Over a year ago Brennan Nevada Inc. wrote about this persistent issue for Built In. I spoke with several successful Black women about how they have thrived in the face of adversity at work, and how they took back control of their professional lives. The one thing each of these women have in common? They all are founders, which should tell you something. For the 300k plus Black women who are incredibly overqualified and out of their jobs due to systemic racism, hopefully this advice can help you in your own career journey. I’ve been in your shoes before many times. It’s time 🕰️ to take back your power. Stop giving all your talents to a toxic employer who not only is a nightmare but isn’t paying you what you’re worth. I believe that entrepreneurship is the only path forward for Black talent to go to the next level. Invest in yourself, your skills, dreams, and just watch it all takeoff 🚀 🔗 to article 🗞️ 📰 👇🏾 #Blacktalent #workplace #DEI #racism #unemployed #work #jobloss #entrepreneur #thoughtleader https://lnkd.in/e_5YPq2n

Navigating Barriers as a Black Woman Entrepreneur I recently had an encounter with a white male at an institution. I won’t call it out—yet—in hopes that this was an individual’s behaviour and not an institutional problem. But here’s the reality many Black entrepreneurs, especially women, face: We are often not taken seriously. Our ideas are dismissed. Opportunities are quietly blocked, as if they belong to others by default. And it doesn’t just come down to gender or race—it’s about gatekeeping potential. Yet here’s what I know: 🌱 As an entrepreneur, you must push forward. Some people will be afraid of your energy, your vision, your brilliance. That’s not your problem—keep going. 🌱 Don’t let discouragement take root. You are enough, even with mistakes. Mistakes are not failures—they are part of growth. 🌱 Anyone who truly supports you will walk with you through the shortcomings, not dismiss you for them. After all, we all make mistakes. Mistakes have no race, no gender, no ethnicity. We are One. And to my fellow Black women: You belong just as much as anyone else. 💪🏾 Never forget it. #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BlackExcellence #Oneness

Research from Faculty Research Fellow ALICIA SHEARES digs into the stories of Black women tech entrepreneurs, finding distinct barriers they must overcome to find funding success. From deflecting comments about their appearance to discerning the true motives behind a dinner meeting to being overlooked as a company's CEO, many of these obstacles don't affect Black men or white women in the same ways. https://buff.ly/12WpuNW

Black women should not have to be twice as good just to survive at work. The recent attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is yet another reminder that when Black women rise into positions of power, our competence and right to lead are too often questioned. Even when we are more than qualified. Even when we are simply doing our jobs. The truth is: • We should not have to be twice as good to be seen as enough. • We should not have to carry the burden of resilience just to endure constant scrutiny. • Yet—time and again—Black women prove that we are built for times like these. At Ellevator, we know this story is not new. It’s lived every day by Black women across industries. That’s why we exist: to create a community where we can build collective networks, share strategies, and lean on each other in the face of challenges—whether in this political climate or beyond. If you are a Black woman navigating these realities, you are not alone. Ellevator is here to support you, amplify you, and stand with you. ✨ Join Ellevator for free today and be part of a community designed exclusively for Black women, mid-level managers, and first-time founders: www.ellevator.co https://lnkd.in/ejfPP2Sg #BlackWomenAtWork #Leadership #Equity #Ellevator

Black women have been disproportionately impacted by job losses in 2025—my analysis (featured in The New York Times and on MSNBC) showed over 300,000 pushed out of the labor force between February and July alone, costing the U.S. economy $37 billion in lost GDP. This is an economic and civic crisis. As Aerial M. Ellis, Ed.D., CPEC highlights, the connection between Black women’s employment, entrepreneurship, and civic participation is critical to the health of our democracy and our economy. 📢 If you are a Black woman impacted by unemployment or underemployment, I encourage you to consider participating in this important study. Your insights can help shape the policies and pathways we urgently need. #EquityByDesign #FutureOfWork #BlackWomenAtWork #EconomicJustice #IntersectionalGender #PolicyAndProsperity Morgan Williams Tara Turk-Haynes Santana Inniss, MS MCPC Tamara Brown, J.D. Payton Parkin, M.S. Karen Fleshman, Esq. Leslie Lynn Smith

𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. Studies show that 78% of Black women entrepreneurs see mentorship and peer networks as the most critical factor in their success especially for young mothers balancing business and family. When we mentor, share resources, and uplift one another, we’re not just building businesses—we’re building legacies.

Over the past few months, the data has been sobering. According to Harvard Business Review and JPMorgan, Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in North America. We have been driving innovation, holding up our communities, and building businesses at higher rates than almost any other demographic. I know this, because these are the women participating in my neuroscience PhD. And yet, Forbes, WABE, and The 19th are reporting that more than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs in recent months. That’s not a typo. Three Hundred. Thousand. I know many here in Canada who have already been impacted. Some commentators are calling this a “red herring,” a “canary in the coal mine”: a warning sign of what’s to come for others in the workforce. But let me be clear: Black women are not the canary. We have always been on the frontlines of equity programs, policy reforms, and social movements, yet rarely the benefactors of those hard-won gains. To frame this crisis as simply a warning for others erases our reality and centres everyone but us. In my PhD research, I study the cognitive dissonance Black women face in corporate and institutional spaces: the contortions we are forced into, the misalignments between our values and the environments we navigate. For many, entrepreneurship becomes the path back to cognitive consistency, to liberation, and to self-authorship. These are not abstract theories, they are lived experiences echoed in stories across North America. So what does this moment mean? It is not a signal for others to brace for impact. It is a signal to ourselves. * A signal to rise together. * To support each other in ways that are intentional and sustaining — not just performative “soft life” snapshots, but real investments in thriving. * To collaborate, to share resources, to celebrate each other’s wins like they are our own. * To create spaces of joy, play, and liberation alongside the joy of thriving. Because the truth is this: nobody is coming to save us but us. And that is not a deficit, it is our greatest power. ➡️ My call to action: let’s stop allowing ourselves to be cast as warnings for others. Let’s build ecosystems of thriving for ourselves in business, in community, and in joy. Because we are not the canary. We are the fire. 🔥 Citations / Sources: https://lnkd.in/gdXunspD https://lnkd.in/g3xqXYDw https://lnkd.in/ge5EvidS https://lnkd.in/gBTUh_3n https://lnkd.in/gjZ3senq

At The Awakened Leadership Institute, we know that leadership begins where resilience meets truth. This message from Celina Caesar-Chavannes, PhD (candidate), MBA, ICD.D, speaks directly to that truth: Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in North America (Harvard Business Review, JPMorgan). And yet, in just the past few months, more than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs (Forbes, WABE, The 19th). Too often, this reality is framed as a “warning sign” for others. But as Celina reminds us , Black women are not the canary in the coal mine. We are the fire. At TALI, our mission is to awaken leadership that is rooted in neuroscience, lived experience, and collective liberation. This moment calls us to deepen that commitment: * To build spaces where women can thrive, not just survive. * To move beyond performative inclusion into real, intentional support. * To centre play, joy, and collaboration as acts of resistance and leadership. This is not about waiting for systems to shift in our favour. It is about building ecosystems of thriving. Together. We invite our community and partners to reflect: ➡️ How will you support not just the work, but the joy of Black women leaders and entrepreneurs in your circles? ➡️ What will you do to ensure we are not signals for others, but signals for ourselves? Because awakening leadership isn’t about waiting for permission. It’s about embodying the fire , and igniting it in others. #AwakenedLeadership #BlackWomenLead #WeAreTheFire #LeadershipDevelopment #Liberation #CollectiveJoy