How to Support Black-Owned Businesses in Beaufort

How to Support Black-Owned Businesses in Beaufort

Shop Local is Beaufort’s unofficial motto, and in the spirit of Black History Month and the spirit of our community, let’s focus on supporting Black-owned businesses.

Supporting a Black-owned business is going beyond the realm of enterprise and into the community, one that has been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Forbes reported that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses closed by the end of April 2020, and further, they were more than twice as likely to close as compared to white businesses.

In a community based on mom and pop shops, it’s our duty to uplift minority businesses and give them to recognition they deserve. Here’s four ways to support Black-owned businesses in Beaufort and her surrounding Sea Islands:

Seek Them Out

The internet has made it almost too easy to find Black-owned businesses locally. Specifically, let’s start our search at the Black Chamber of Commerce. They have a breakdown of businesses covering nearly all areas, from technology and legal to retail and farming.

Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce

From there, here are other websites and apps to aid in your search:

  • Support Black Owned – a website database and mobile that helps you find Black-owned businesses in nearly every arena.
  • EatOkra – an app to help find Black-owned restaurants in your area and when traveling
  • Social Hashtags – on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms, you can search by various hashtags to find Black creators, business-owners and more. Some to follow include: #SupportBlackBusiness, #SupportBlackArt and  #ShareBlackStories

Spread Awareness

There truly is nothing like good old word-of-mouth marketing. Tell your family and friends, share on social media, mention to strangers in passing – truly, the power of word of mouth can take a business leaps and bounds.

Leave Feedback

Let’s be honest – reviews are a way of life, and if a business has a lot of them, we tend to trust them more. In fact, it takes on average 40 reviews for a consumer to trust a business’s star rating. Further, in one study, 91 percent of consumers said a positive review makes them more likely to use a business. So take that into account when visiting local businesses – your word could do them a world of good.

Take stock of Your Own Business

If you are a business owner yourself, take a look at its makeup. A diverse staff adds to a company’s culture, thought structure and creativity. And the numbers don’t lie – around 70 percent of diverse companies are better positioned to capture new markets, and racially diverse teams perform 35 percent better than their competitors.