A new age of business

Nneka Gunn recalls the pressure to look a certain way to be seen as successful in the corporate world. It was a narrow vision that her natural hair didn’t always match.

Her experience in natural hair and body care led to the creation of her own business, Namaste Beauty.

Deon Gordon, the director of business growth at REV Birmingham, said the image of a successful business owner in Birmingham is changing as more minority entrepreneurs — especially black women like Gunn — bring their business ideas to life.

“We’re doing very well in terms of the diversity, [both] race and gender,” Gordon said of participation in startup programs such as CO.STARTERS and the Big Pitch.

According to 2012 data recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau, about 73 percent of Birmingham’s population is black, about 1 percent Asian and 3.5 percent of Hispanic origin, regardless of race. 2012 data from the Birmingham Business Alliance — the most recent year available — reported 19,441 businesses with black owners in the city, making up 21 percent of the total market. That put Birmingham above the national average of 9.5 percent and ahead of regionally comparable cities such as Huntsville, Nashville, Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Memphis, Montgomery, Mobile and Atlanta have a higher percentage of African-American-owned businesses in their markets.

Only 2.7 percent of Birmingham’s businesses are Asian-owned and 2.2 percent are Hispanic-owned, according to the BBA’s 2012 data, both below the national averages of 7.1 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively. Minority-owned businesses have increased since the BBA’s previous 2007 data, with nearly 5,000 new African-American owned businesses, 600 new Asian-owned businesses and 700 new Hispanic-owned businesses.

Many young Birmingham businesses get started all on their own, with the support of family or previous business experience. Gunn said in her experience, it’s a good time and a good place for startups.

“This is like the perfect time for Birmingham because the city has awakened to a new age of, ‘Oh yeah, we can start new businesses,’” Gunn said. “I think Birmingham is on the cusp of exploding into a new age of business.”

Building the platform

However, other would-be entrepreneurs without prior business experience turn to resources such as REV, Innovation Depot and Create Birmingham to test, improve and launch their ideas. Gordon said since CO.STARTERS launched in 2014, its classes have included entrepreneurs of every race, age, economic status and gender, from East Lake to West End and over the mountain. 

“CO.STARTERS emerged as a very quick and dirty and an accessible MBA course,” Gordon said.

While some of those young businesses are still part-time projects, others have become successful enough that Gordon can point to them as examples of the program’s effectiveness.

One he noted is Eugene’s Hot Chicken, the brainchild of Zebbie Carney.

Gordon said Carney started with a portable fryer that he took around the city to see whether customers would enjoy his food. This grew into a food truck in 2015 and a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Uptown this year.

“It’s a testament to his brand and all the work that he’s put into building it,” Gordon said.

With past students such as Carney and Gabriel and Isabel Marrero, who opened Tropicaleo and brought Puerto Rican and Caribbean food to the Pizitz Food Hall via REV’s Reveal Kitchen, Gordon said it’s not difficult to find examples of flourishing startups downtown.

“We’re at a point where we don’t really have to sell people on the vision; we can take them to the vision,” Gordon said. “We’re not responsible for the success of the entrepreneurs. … Our job is really to just build the platform.”

Gordon said he has noticed a national trend reflected in local startups as more black women enter programs like CO.STARTERS. The National Women’s Business Council’s 2012 survey data showed more than 1.5 million black women-owned businesses across the United States, a nearly 67 percent increase from its 2007 data.

“Women are making up a disproportionate number of our startups,” Gordon said. “They are just leading the charge when it comes to new businesses.”

Reaching potential

Among those who have completed the CO.STARTERS program are Deidre Clark of Kuumba Community Art, Tanesha Sims-Summers of Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn, Eryka Perry of Not Just Catering, Lu Lake of Birmingham KettleBell Academy and Danielle Hines of Party Boutique Kids, along with many others.

Maacah Davis, the 22-year-old creator and editor-in-chief of Belladonna magazine, said people’s expectations of her as a business owner are often shaped by her age, gender and race. Particularly since she created her fashion magazine at age 19, Davis said she encounters people who are more likely to doubt her choices or expect her to defer to their opinion.

“I definitely feel that I have to be at a certain level. There’s less margin for error for me because I’m young, and I’m a woman … I feel like people don’t expect you to be excellent, so you have to set that bar and keep it there or raise it,” Davis said.

But those same factors have also helped her achieve success in her chosen field and found her a few cheerleaders in the business community along the way.

“Being a black woman running a business gives me a unique experience. I feel like I’m more connected because, race aside, I feel like I’m the age being targeted. … I am the demographic; my friends are the demographic,” Davis said. “I think if you are a young business owner in Birmingham, people are excited about you.”

Gunn said growing up with a mother and grandmother who created natural body care products helped to form her future business and to understand the needs of her Namaste Beauty customers.

“It was a way of life for us … I’ve always had an affinity for natural things,” Gunn said, recalling her mother and grandmother’s “flawless skin.”

Being part of a minority of business owners does shape the entrepreneurial experience, but it doesn’t necessarily define it. Joe Brown and Lauron Pijeaux started Laced Up Boutique online four years ago and opened a physical store in August 2016. Brown, a first-time business owner, said he likes “creating my own outcome” and knowing the success of their business depends on their own hard work. He said he wanted Laced Up to be an example of two black men reaching their full potential.

“Probably half the reason why I did it was to show that you can make it,” Brown said. “There are other ways of being innovative, trendy and part of culture.”

But running Laced Up is as much about enjoying the customers and the sneaker business as it is about being an example.

“To me, they’re timeless,” Brown said of their sneaker collection.

Gunn said without the community of other startups she has met, Namaste Beauty would not be the business it is today. CO.STARTERS was the “turning point” that helped her create a business plan and understand demographics, but Gunn also learned from the others in her class who were willing guinea pigs for her products or suggested new ideas.

Her “family” of CO.STARTERS graduates is still a resource Gunn can turn to for support.  “You’ve got this wide range of perspectives on your business,” Gunn said. “I owe them so much.”

Finding that network is a valuable thing for new entrepreneurs, Gunn said, and it helped her turn this “huge, intimidating task” into “running after your dream, and I’m enjoying every second of it.” Her best advice for other would-be business owners is to start networking immediately.

The size of the city’s business market, Davis said, also helps startups find their footing without being drowned out by the noise of established companies. That, along with Birmingham’s unexpectedly vibrant fashion scene, has helped Davis turn Belladonna magazine into a recognizable brand by the age most people are finishing college.

“I am excited to be building in Birmingham. I think Birmingham is one of those rare places that allow you room for growth that you might not find in other cities,” Davis said.

Belladonna Magazine

► Who: Maacah Davis

► Opened: Summer 2014

► Location: Online or at Harper’s Lane and Church Street Coffee and Books

► Website: belladonnamag.org

BirminghamKettleBell Academy

► Who: Lu Lake

► Opened: Spring 2017

► Location: Mobile

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I started this business because I wanted to offer Russian hard-style kettlebell training targeting first responders (police, fire and rescue, military, armed forces personnel) and the general public (men and women of all ages and fitness levels). Our goal is to eliminate factors that can be a hindrance, such as time constraints, lack of motivation, expensive gym memberships and the lack of self-accountability, making their fitness goals difficult to achieve.”

Bitty’s Back Porch

► Who: Kimberly McNair Brock

► Opened: 2002

► Location: Local pop-ups and farmers markets

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“We want to help people reverse their palate by connecting them to real food.”

B.K. Desserts & Co. 

► Who: Ebony Reid

► Opened: April 2014

► Location: Online sales, but hope to have brick-and-mortar in the future 

► Website: bkdessertsandco.com 

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“It’s just my love for desserts … From my grandmother to my mother, I always had a sweet tooth.”

Eugene’s Hot Chicken

► Who: Zebbie Carney, below

► Opened: 2015 (food truck), April 2017 (brick-and-mortar)

► Location: Uptown Entertainment District, corner of 23rd Street and Ninth Avenue

► Website: eugeneshotchicken.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I grew up in East Nashville, where food memories of being with my family and visiting great restaurants like Prince’s Hot Chicken created this strong bond between food and love, which in turn ignited a passion within me to focus on my culinary career, eventually pushing me to bring my own version of hot chicken for Birmingham to experience.”

Laced Up Boutique

► Who: Joe Brown, above, and Lauron Pijeaux

► Opened: Online in 2013, brick-and-mortar in August 2016

► Location: 1305 2nd Ave. N. #105

► Website: lacedup-boutique.com

Magic City Baking Company

► Who: April Sibley

► Opened: Aug. 2015

► Location: Online

► Website: magiccitybakingcompany.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I wanted to start my own business because of an innate passion and gift that I had. What started out as a ‘project’ — baking and decorating a cake for my 3-year-old daughter’s birthday — eventually turned into occasional cakes made for others to celebrate special occasions. As the occasions grew, so did the desire to pursue this passion on a more consistent basis. Although I currently work in corporate America full time, I eventually want to open a brick-and-mortar location and make Magic City Baking Company a full-time endeavor.”

Namaste Beauty

► Who: Nneka Gunn

► Opened: February 2016

► Location: Online

► Website: Under construction, emailnnekagunn@gmail.com.

Naughty But NiceKettle Corn

► Who: Tanesha Sims-Summers

► Opened: July 2014

► Location: Mobile, but working toward brick-and-mortar in downtown or north Birmingham

► Website: nbnkettlecorn.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“For me, it was the importance of being able to utilize all of my talents and skills, and to be able to offer something that I thought was unique to Birmingham, something that will give me the opportunity to include my family and really be an example for successful businesses in the minority community.”

Not Just Catering

► Who: Chef Eryka E. Perry, previous page

► Opened: 2012 

► Location: In-home meal planning, cooking, event catering and health coaches 

► Website: facebook.com/notjustcatering

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I started this business to enhance lives through the culinary arts, bring families back to the table and spark the belief that all things are possible with a little creativity and the right ingredients.”

Party Boutique Kids 

► Who: Danielle D. Hines

► Opened: 2014

► Location: Mobile, but opening brick-and-mortar in summer 2017

► Website: partyboutiquekids.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“We take the stress off the parents and allow the kids to have a memorable experience.”

Pure Imagination Candy Shoppe

► Who: Jerethia “Recey” Blake

► Opened: Summer 2016 

► Location: Mobile

► Website: facebook.com/pureimaginationcandyshoppe

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I had an idea and wanted to prove to myself that I could manage a business.”

Real Life Poets

► Who: John Paul Taylor

► Opened: Nonprofit since 2008, opened arts hub in March 2017

► Location: East Lake United Methodist, 7753 1st Ave. S.

► Website: reallifepoets.org

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“To inspire and empower our youth to be the change they want to see in this world.”

Shayla Nicole Collection

► Who: Shayla Nicole

► Opened: October 2014

► Location: Online

► Website: theshaylanicolecollection.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“After Shayla grew tired of not being able to find lipstick shades that not only complemented her skin tone but were safe and nontoxic, she set out to start her own paraben-free line of healthy, long-lasting lip products, and The Shayla Nicole Collection was born.”

SowBaby Organic 

► Who: Sabrina D. Parker

► Opened: November 2016

► Location: Online orders

► Website: facebook.com/sowbabyorganic

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“I started my business to help parents start their babies on a healthy journey. Our mission is to help parents introduce fruits and vegetables in complex pairings and set the foundation for healthy eating throughout life.”

The Preservery

► Who: Andrea Craig-Foster

► Opened: 2017

► Location: Currently seeking downtown location

► Website: thepreserverybham.com

► Why did you want to start your own business?

“To me, food is the family soul; The Preservery is something my late father and I planned, and I’m going to see it through to fruition.”

West End Community Cafe

► Who: Ama Shambulia, director (owned by Urban Ministries)

► Opened: March 2016

► Location: 1229 Cotton Ave. SW

► Website: urban-ministry.org/our-ministries/community-kitchen

► Why did you want to start this business?

“This particular model is just something that crossed our path … and we thought it would be a good time to try it and transition the community [from a soup kitchen] into something a little bit more holistic.”