Business Growth West Midlands enabling Black businesses to reclaim narrative
Published: 15 October 2024
With Black History Month under way, Black businesses are aiming to inspire new entrepreneurs to achieve their potential.
Black History Month is held every October to share, celebrate and understand the impact of Black heritage and culture.
The theme for this year is “reclaiming narratives”. Organisers are calling on members of the Black community to take control of the narrative by celebrating their heritage and empowering the next generation through their own stories.
They say: “This theme is not just about revisiting history. It’s about taking ownership of the stories that define our culture, our contributions, and our very identity.”
The West Midlands is becoming more ethnically diverse with 2021 Census data showing around 1.3 million (45 per cent) of the region’s population did not identify as being from a White British background, up from 34 per cent a decade before.
Yet research has identified challenges to growth for Black entrepreneurs and business leaders.
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) based at Aston University partnered with NatWest group to commission the Time to Change report, which highlighted the barriers facing ethnic business owners in the UK and set out 10 recommendations.
The report found ethnic business owners are constrained in accessing finance, markets and business support. Data showed they were often discouraged from seeking external finance due to lack of trust in financial institutions and perceptions of unequal treatment or fear of rejection.
Taking key steps set out in the report such as improving access to business support and the creation of local community hubs could see the UK economic contribution of ethnic minority businesses increase from £25bn to £100bn.
Co-ordinated by the WMCA, Business Growth West Midlands offers a suite of services to give firms advice on funding and growing.
Business Growth West Midlands provides fully funded guidance and support programmes for business leaders and entrepreneurs with an ambition to grow, at no cost.
Inspirational Black Entrepreneurs
Among the business owners aiming to reclaim narratives around entrepreneurship is Uko Umotong, director and co-founder of UB Healthcare, Solihull-based specialists in solutions for NHS funded care, complex case management and patient flow.
Uko and co-founder Harry Bourton have grown their business to establish a team of 18 people in two years, with 50 associates working alongside the staff on contract work for the NHS.
Uko said: “Black businesses can talk to themselves and the community but if you want to grow beyond that you need to reach everyone and everywhere. You need to go beyond your horizons and Business Growth West Midlands can help you do that.”
Engaging with Business Growth West Midlands enabled UB Healthcare, which is building partnerships overseas, to unlock opportunities, says Uko. He said: “Business Growth West Midlands helped us access the apprenticeship levy, enabling us to get funding for apprentices.
“Business Growth West Midlands helped us get a grant to get the help of a consultancy, which completely transformed how we work. We could not have made this progress without the help of Business Growth West Midlands.”
Hear more from Uko in the article Narrative for Black entrepreneurs needs to change, says scale up founder
Adored Pets Cuisine founder Kay Forbes has seen her business, which produces celebration cakes and meal boxes for the special dog or cat in your life, go from being a dream idea to being featured live on TV during coverage of Crufts.
She incorporated the business in 2023 and one year later was interviewed by Channel 4 as they visited stands at the world’s most famous annual dog show, raising her profile to millions of viewers.
She feels strongly that more Black women should be encouraged to go into business. Kay said: “For Black female founders if you cannot see it you cannot be it. When I was young I was inspired by Oprah Winfrey, who represented a new, strong image of a successful Black female entrepreneur which I had not seen before.
“Collaboration is key as it can be a cold world out there. If you do not get the right advice at the right time it is overwhelming as the language of business is isolating when you do not know it.
“I was recommended to speak to Business Growth West Midlands, who helped me navigate the challenges as you cannot expect to know everything. They provided advice and expertise and introductions to other founders whose example I could follow.”
Kameese Davis is the founder of natural Afro and Black hair care product brand Nylah’s Naturals. Recognising a gap in the market, Kameese has appeared on hit TV show Dragon’s Den having had early support from the Business Growth West Midlands team.
She says: “The support I had was instrumental in supporting our growth journey, providing connections and introductions which allowed me to attract investors and meet the challenges of launching a hair care business.
“You do not know what you do not know when you start out but they helped with investment readiness preparations and backing to raise capital for the business.
“We have plans to launch new products in 2025, having built the foundations. Starting out as a female entrepreneur you have to believe in yourself and be flexible about adapting as you. There will be people out there who want you to minimise your plans from your original vision so you need the help to stay confident in yourself.”
Community Business Support
Following recommendations from the CREME report and a £270,000 investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) five established community organisations are working with the region’s Race Equalities Taskforce and Business Growth West Midlands to connect ethnic minority entrepreneurs to regional business support.
The targeted support will help even more people from ethnically diverse communities unlock their potential by overcoming barriers to success.
The West Midlands Race Equalities Taskforce was set up by the WMCA in 2022 to look at the specific issues facing under-represented communities to ensure that everyone benefits from the success of the region.
The Taskforce’s first five-year strategy, published last year, focuses on helping people in ethnically diverse communities to access and benefit from better jobs, transport and housing, and tackle disparities in education, health and criminal justice.
Business Growth West Midlands aims to bridge the gap between Black entrepreneurs and the services available to them, says Paul Edwards, Head of Economic Development and Delivery at West Midlands Combined Authority.
Paul said: “Our network of Community Business Growth Hubs are delivering multi-sector business support to help businesses to grow, including specialist advice, events and workshops and in-depth support where required, supported by commercial partners.
“Funded by WMCA and working with Business Growth West Midlands and the region’s Race Equalities Taskforce, these community-led hubs are part of the drive to overcome the barriers to success faced by ethnic minority businesses and entrepreneurs.”
Wolverhampton-based Access to Business is sponsoring Wolverhampton Black Business Network’s (WBBN) eighth Annual Business Conference on 24th October from 5.30pm to 9.30pm in the Mayoral Suite at the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Civic Centre.
Those attending the event will hear about an Access to Business project being delivered in partnership with Wolverhampton Black Business Network.
Josie Kelly, CEO at Access to Business, said: “We are really excited to be working on the WMCA funded Business Growth West Midlands project in Wolverhampton and partnering with Wolverhampton Black Business Network. Together we will be running a range of free events, courses and bespoke services to support the growth of Wolverhampton businesses.”
Business Growth West Midlands gets behind the biggest annual event for Black businesses in the region, adds Delivery Manager Lynne Avery.
Lynne said: “Our annual sponsorship of the Birmingham Black Business Show provides a vital platform for businesses and professionals to network, showcase their products and services and gain insights from industry leaders.
“Held in June, this year’s event hosted more than 200 Black-owned businesses and gave delegates the opportunity to attend workshops and seminars covering important business topics and trends as well as sharing practical knowledge and skills.
“We are continuing to empower the Black business community and foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the West Midlands.”
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