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.
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.
