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Black business owners and workers too often face systemic biases: from underrepresentation in the boardroom to higher rates of unemployment. In <\/em>Black-Owned and Proud<\/em><\/a>, we profile innovative Black entrepreneurs building businesses and bringing much-needed change to the face of enterprise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Black women are starting businesses at a higher rate than those in other demographics, according to a report<\/a> by the Harvard Business Review<\/em>. The study showed that 17 percent of Black women are starting or running a new business, compared to 15 percent of white men and 10 percent of white women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, that same report found that only 3 percent of Black women currently operate a mature (or established) business. There are several reasons for the drop-off, but chief among them is a lack of access\u2014to funding, mentors, networks, and business strategy. And without these resources, it\u2019s hard, if not downright impossible, for black women entrepreneurs to be competitive and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tamay Shannon and Kathryn R. Smith aren\u2019t surprised by these statistics. They were already well acquainted with these obstacles when they decided to launch the Black Lady Business School<\/a> (BLBS) in Atlanta<\/a> during the pandemic. The mission of the member-driven organization is to drive up the number of successful, established Black female entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlack Lady Business School is different from other schools and networking organizations because we help women turn what they’re learning into real-world strategies, and help them execute on those strategies,\u201d Smith says. <\/p>\n\n\n