Entrepreneurs collaborate to grow businesses, network

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte is hosting a one-of-kind meeting of the minds this week to create a pipeline of successful Black women entrepreneurs.

“What if we were intentional about collaborating about making our businesses bigger,” said Nic Cober, the founder of The BOW Collective, which is made of 200 entrepreneurs.

They chose the Queen City this year for their annual capital conference.

“The top 1% of Black woman-owned businesses in the country, amassing over $1.2 billion in annual revenues. We’ve created over 2,000 jobs,” said Keisha Rivers, an entrepreneur.

Unlike the Black fraternities and sororities, which have held their national conventions in Charlotte, this sisterhood focuses on raising awareness, creating business opportunities, and providing capital resources to top-level entrepreneurs.

“For Charlotte to be open for us to connect with folks in the banking industry, and connect with other business owners, it made the city a really wise choice,” said Zakia Larry Wolfe, an entrepreneur.

“They’re looking to help everyone succeed, and this week we’re going to focus on capital,” Rivers said.

She has owned a Charlotte-based consulting firm for the last 19 years.

“The road can be kind of lonely,” she said. “There are a lot of nuances.”

Such as the capital one needs to make their dreams a success.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles pointed to a new multi-million-dollar fund to increase access to capital for local business owners as proof.

“The access to capital is available now, people can see the dreams that they have come true, and that I think is the difference,” Lyles said. When we start talking about minority business participation, we’re leaning in.”

The Charlotte Small Business Growth Fund aims to invest $40 million in 2,000 local businesses through fixed-interest rate loans, and women in the room were ready to do business.

He was the first Black man to run a sub-4:00 mile. Now he’s leading others on their first mile ever.

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