“The cannabis plant is so versatile and has experienced a stigmatized background. We have a lot in common,” explains Jones. “I was born and raised in Detroit, and I’ve seen my share of rough and hard times in the city growing up. But, I emerged through the other side a new individual, with a different purpose and wanting to do more for my culture, and myself.”

Coates is referring to the lack of representation of Black people within the wine industry, a trend that is also seen in the wider alcohol industry and hospitality industry. Coats hopes to bring awareness and education of the industry to his community, one glass at a time.

“My services started with landscaping and lawn care, but have since expanded to garden start-up, fall clean-ups, trimming, edging, blowing, tree removal, snow removal, and leaf removal,” lists Stewart. “Once I got started, I realized there was more I could do and more that my business could offer. And, of course, more money to be made.”

Yotique was founded in 2016, though Deidre didn’t do anything with the business until 2018. She connected with ProsperUs and went through their training program, and that’s when the business really started.

Kwalli began researching ways to get into the beauty industry and how to open and run a beauty store. Though the task was daunting and she didn’t know where to begin, Kwalli noticed one of her notebooks sitting by her at the time had a vital message embossed on the cover. Write Every Moment.

“So I did just that,” Kwalli says. “Each day, I would jot down ideas, thoughts that would come to mind. I’d then start doing one thing at a time. Which put together a blueprint.”

“There are two defining moments for me that pushed me down this path of entrepreneurship,” Banks recalls. “I was taking my daughter to school one day and saw kids outside waiting on the school bus. Their stop was near a gas station, and I watched those kids rush in there and attack the snack aisles. When I asked if they had had breakfast, they all said no for various reasons. That moment made me realize there was no alternative for their family to have access to fresh food for them to start their day.”

“Eventually, I got better. But it took a lot of research and dedication to learn the proper way to do things and the way the ingredients work with each technique,” Stone says. “With each batch, both the soap and my skills got better, my confidence grew, and people started asking if they could purchase my products.”

Today, like always, ProsperUs Detroit says #BlackLivesMatter and happy #BlackHistoryMonth!

And, although she has struggled as a Black woman, having to “work twice as hard to navigate structural challenges”, she has found the support to expand her network and continue her journey in feeding her community. She is a natural-born go-getter and doesn’t let barriers hold her back.

Lester struggled with the funds to get his business on its feet at first due to being an immigrant, he felt lenders did not take him seriously. He applied for many loans with other lenders and was denied on numerous occasions but after a short conversation with our Senior Loan Officer, Matthew Bihun, he was met for the first time with the same passion and commitment he felt for his dream of owning his own business.

As a young Black woman and entrepreneur, she has learned to take pride and confidence in what she does. When she first started, she heard a lot of “Oh you’re the photographer?” type of comments in disbelief that she could be great and self-taught.

During the pandemic, the coffee shop has received support from people in the community who made a conscious effort to support Black-owned businesses. The neighborhood lacked a coffee shop before The Narrow Way Cafe & Shop, so folks were sympathetic to the cause of keeping the business afloat.

Although she lost four pitch competitions in a row, Jennifer made sure every loss came with a learning opportunity and she came back to win over fourteen pitch competitions and grants which allowed her to debut her own production facility in Eastern Market. Lush Yummies Pie Company pies can now be found in national chain grocery stores, local markets, and she ships her pies nationwide through online sales despite recent struggles and adaptations around COVID-19.

Jerome and his brother Samuel took the time to get to know the community in the neighborhood where they planned on establishing their business to better understand their needs, and Detroit Soul was born. A farm-to-table soul food restaurant with healthy food options made available to folks who often lack access to these choices.

When it came to opening his facility, Sterling’s biggest challenge was being alone without business partners or expertise. He did not receive coaching from anyone at first and also took pride in doing everything on his own. And as a Black business owner and Black entrepreneur, he has always felt pressure do everything perfectly because he knows his work will be judged at a higher standard. Wise quickly realized that he needed to learn how to delegate and ask for help, because as he puts it “time is money.”

Nya set off to fill the need for healthy Black-oriented dining options in her community by opening a restaurant but raising the capital to get started proved challenging. After all, it is not uncommon to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into one’s own business. And in a heavily male-dominated industry, self-funding her dream as a woman of color was not an easy feat, but she persevered.

Being fully aware of the impasses imposed by an unjust system and the racist cannabis industry, she at times felt hesitant to dream big as a Black woman in this field. She cautiously joined FoodLab, fearful of being rejected because of the nature of her idea. Instead, she was welcomed with open arms and realized she could bring a unique perspective and insights to the group. Enid later applied and was accepted to the  FoodLab & ProsperUs Detroit collaborative, Tapestry Fellowship. 

Harriette’s mobile cafe and catering business “Sisters On A Roll” seeks to make wholesome and healthy food conveniently accessible to those who otherwise would not have access to a restaurant with a menu like theirs.

His last job gave him the experience which would fuel his dream of “finding a purpose” through business, but his stay at Freedom House inspired him to begin his cleaning company years ago by the idea of reconstructing Detroit.

Stay tuned because we’ll be highlighting Black Entrepreneurs from our programs who are doing great things in their communities, who have dreamt and achieved, or who have stood up for their neighbors/community/people.