Leslie Christian-Wilson, owner of Diversity Gallery hair salon and boutique in St. Louis, has worked hard to keep her business going in the past year. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, she鈥檚 seen appointments canceled and lost 60% of her revenue.
Selling natural hair care products and business from the boutique have helped. But she鈥檚 been able to keep her head above water with the help of the nonprofit Habitat for Neighborhood Business, which helped her find grants and other resources to stay open.
Since 2006, the nonprofit has paired entrepreneurs of color with professional mentors in their field. It also brings in St. Louis University students from the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business to assess their business and how to improve it.
鈥淭he executive directors, they are really like our aunties,鈥� Christian-Wilson said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really out there 鈥榓untying鈥� for us. They鈥檙e making sure that, OK, do you know about this program? They鈥檙e bringing in bankers, like Enterprise Bank, so that we can sit with them and talk through our issues. Because our issues are not like issues of these conglomerates. We don鈥檛 have the resources to come in and put collateral down.鈥�
Habitat For Neighborhood Business works with 40 minority-owned businesses, all of which have managed to say open during the pandemic, said its executive director, Linda Jones.
The nonprofit helps entrepreneurs of color secure grants and other financial assistance and helps them shift their businesses to online business models.
Jones said that turned an event planner鈥檚 business around after the company鈥檚 events were canceled.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not over yet,鈥� Jones recalled telling the owner. 鈥淟et鈥檚 think about this. People are using Zoom. They need backdrops. They need setups. There are other industries that need your services. What you do and how you do it, we just have to think outside of that box.鈥�
Part of the nonprofit鈥檚 approach is making sure the entrepreneurs it works with support each other.
鈥淲e took one caterer and two restaurants and provided meals for our business owners,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e provided them with tickets so that they can get help from that.鈥�
Christian-Wilson said having people in her corner during the pandemic has kept her spirits up.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 leave you hanging,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e vested in you succeeding. And they really from their heart want you to succeed. Some people get these programs, but it鈥檚 a job for them. 鈥榃ell, OK, you didn鈥檛 qualify. Sorry, check next time.鈥� No. They鈥檙e attached to the outcome of your success, and they show it.鈥�
Christian-Wilson has been an entrepreneur for more than two decades. In that time, she鈥檚 experienced a recession and now a pandemic. Despite the obstacles she鈥檚 faced, she鈥檚 optimistic her business will bounce back.
鈥淚 was able to persevere due to the loyal St. Louis customer base that I have aligned myself with and call my customer friends,鈥� Christian-Wilson said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very supportive. They鈥檙e very loyal, and they want to see us succeed. They want to see us make it.鈥�
Jones understands the stress firsthand. She owned a real estate company for 26 years and felt the blow of the 2009 economic downturn. As a Black businesses owner, she didn鈥檛 have such support when she started. That鈥檚 why she wants to help other entrepreneurs of color.
鈥淚 know what they are going through,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淏eing an entrepreneur is a lonely existence on a lot of levels. There are not enough of us in a group that鈥檚 going to help. So what we try to do is we try to let them know first that we care.鈥�
Habitat for Neighborhood Business is looking for more business owners to serve as mentors.
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