Community Culture

additional approach might include some type of coworking passport that allows BIPOC entrepreneurs to access multiple coworking spaces. In addition, interviewed entrepreneurs report a shortage of commercial kitchen space and processing capacity at existing culinary spaces like the Millrace Kitchen. Efforts to expand the availability of such spaces and equipment are also needed. This step is also a key plank in Rhode Island’s current Food Strategy.16

A final set of potential programs combine entrepreneurship training with neighborhood redevelopment initiatives. A number of regions are testing new approaches that support the creation and expansion of Main Street retail and ‘micro-producer’ businesses as a means to build community wealth and to revitalize commercial corridors. Tech Town Detroit’s Retail Boot Camp program has been successful, and was previously offered in Rhode Island by the Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE). Pittsburgh Catapult’s Startup to Storefront Program offers another excellent model.

The Tech Town incubator in Detroit, MI began as a traditional incubator that morphed to focus on technology-led opportunities for entrepreneurs in Southeast Michigan. Supported with investment from the New Economy Initiative (NEI), a unique project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan,

Tech Town’s core programs include technology startup, small business, and entrepreneurial education programs. In addition to technology-based businesses, Tech Town offers support for retailers through their Retail Bootcamp. This is a 11-week course that helps new businesses situate themselves in the shifting retail landscape and prepare for the opening of a brick-and-mortar location. It targets businesses seeking to open in core commercial business districts across Detroit. The Retail Boot Camp curriculum has also been used by Rhode Island’s Center for Women and Enterprise. TechTown’s impacts are impressive. In 2019 alone, TechTown served 583 companies and 683 tenants and companies used TechTown’s coworking services. The strong base of support services was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the TechTown team worked with more than 1,700 entrepreneurs, with BIPOC businesses accounting for 86% of this total.

Entrepreneurs and business owners want to feel a sense of belonging and community support. Yet, our interviews and focus groups with BIPOC business owners suggest that many of Rhode Island’s BIPOC entrepreneurs feel isolated and un-connected to business networks and support organizations. Business owners report that they are uncertain about how to access services, or even where to go to connect with and hear about what else their peers are doing in the RI entrepreneurship community. They also report that most of their business information comes from friends and family in the community. This pattern aligns

16 “Relish RHODY: Rhode Island Food Strategy”, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. May 2017. Available at: http://dem.ri.gov/relishrhody/.

with national trends that BIPOC business owners have weaker connections to mentors and support networks. When those support networks are in place, business performance improves greatly.17 Meanwhile, business service providers also acknowledge that outreach and engagement efforts could be improved. Most services are still provided only in English language, and additional investments are needed to build and nurture a wider ecosystem that engages BIPOC entrepreneurs. Efforts to foster a more supportive entrepreneurial culture could help close these gaps. Some of this work can occur via training and education, especially in an expansion of entrepreneurship education programs at all levels—including K-12 systems, community college, and universities. Most youth entrepreneurship programs, such as NFTE or Junior Achievement, do offer teacher training and other curriculum support. Culture can be further bolstered through aggressive public relations and communications efforts that promote entrepreneurship as a viable career option and as a means to master essential twenty first century skills.

These efforts to build a more supportive entrepreneurial culture often involve public events and programs, such as business plan competitions, business of the year awards, and the like. Rhode Island already supports a number of such competitions, such as the annual Rhode Island Business Competition and the Lt. Governor’s Entrepreneurship Challenge. Efforts to build on these important foundations should continue. While awards and recognition programs can shine a light on BIPOC entrepreneurs, they do not build a community on their own. For this task, BIPOC business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs need regular access to peer networks of fellow entrepreneurs and community champions. Our interviews and community feedback suggest that business owners feel isolated and disconnected from business support providers and the wider support ecosystem. Bridging this gap will take time, but should become an important priority. Rhode Island’s BIPOC community would greatly benefit from regular opportunities to connect, network, learn, and do business with one another.

Networking opportunities for BIPOC entrepreneurs are growing, thanks to the work of organizations such as the Latino Business and Professional Network, RIBBA, the Hispanic Chamber, the Broad Street Merchants Association, the Blackstone Valley Merchants Association, and others. Other entrepreneur networks and support groups, such as the Social Enterprise Greenhouse and the statewide SBDC network, are also actively engaging with BIPOC entrepreneurs. These promising efforts should be expanded.

17 McKinsey & Co., Building Supportive Ecosystems for Black-Owned Businesses, October 2020. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/building-supportive-ecosystems-forblack-owned-us-businesses.