Black and Brown Founders

I was ready to get started on my enterprise, but I needed help. Being a staff member at VentureWell, a non-profit organization supporting science and technology innovators, I knew that it was important to source similar support for myself. One day I overheard someone talking about on organization called Black and Brown Founders. I looked them up and, serendipitously, they were starting their first business bootcamp in a few weeks. 

Their motto is to start with the resources that you already naturally possess and bootstrap your way to your vision - growing slowly, steadily and sustainably. Their ethos resonated with me. I didn’t think twice, and jumped at the opportunity. 

The instructors, Aniyia Williams and Francesca Escoto, encouraged me to believe that pursuing this business could actually be a real possibility.  Meeting other people of color, who also shared big visions and dreams, was an unexpected gift. If you are pursuing a venture of your own, I highly recommend finding a support system to help you when the doubts start to creep in (internally and externally), to keep you moving in the right direction – forward!

This is a quote from Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, which I stumbled upon as I was writing this blog post:

“I've been lucky enough now in my life to meet all sorts of extraordinary and accomplished people - world leaders, inventors, musicians, astronauts, athletes, professors, entrepreneurs, artists and writers, pioneering doctors and researchers.

Some (though not enough) of them are women. Some (though not enough) are black or of color. Some were born poor or have lives that to many of us would appear to have been unfairly heaped with adversity, and yet still they seem to operate as if they've had every advantage in the world.

What I've learned is this: All of them have had doubters. Some continue to have a roaring, stadium-sized collection of critics and naysayers who will shout "I told you so" at every little misstep or mistake.

The noise doesn't go away, but the most successful people I know have figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals.” Obama, Becoming, Pg. 66 - 67

Let’s go find those people who believe in us!