One of the most powerful things about being a business owner is the ability to create a work environment according to your own principles. So many of us have worked within a company or organization and been disappointed by the way things were run, the way team members were treated. So, we wanted to ask some fantastic business owners and operators how they’ve gone about creating a more inclusive workplace.

Chandler Johnson

As a Black creative, I have lived with the paradox of Double Consciousness in workspaces. W. E. B. Du Bois coined Double Consciousness to describe the feeling of People of Color (POC) splitting their personalities, perspectives, and experiences to fit in white-dominated spaces. I have been in plenty of meetings where I have spoken up with ideas only to receive silent responses in return. I have sat at my desk only to hear everyone else being asked out to lunch, leaving me to eat alone. Read more>>

Geoffrey and Marsha Wood

When we started this coffee shop back in 2021 who were very determined to create a faith and family community for our area But we also didn’t want people to feel excluded from that community because they possibly have different belief systems. So that’s why we call it a coffeehouse, we wanted it to be an extension of peoples homes. Just the way Marsha and I love inviting people in our home even to stay if they don’t have a place. That’s what Hebrews is doing for our community! Read more>>

Raissa Etono

Before becoming a business owner i was a braider myself, i worked in three different braiding shops and they all had one thing in common which was no inclusiveness amongst braiders or even the owner, everyone had to fetch for themselves somehow, everyone fought to be the owner’s favorite in other to get little favors like for example; be assigned to more clients than others etc which therefore created unnecessary competition and jealousy among us, resulting to an unhealthy workplace. As a young amateur at the time i just had to swing through the waves to survive ,that experience made me put into prospective how i wanted my braiding shop to function. Read more>>

Chelsea escamilla

Creating a space where hairstylists and beauty artists can become six figure earners and more! Read more>>

Jessica Zamprogno Vasquez

Sharing the good, receiving the good Read more>>

Odell Hamilton

Let us replace “workplace” with industry and that is our goal. We are looking to create a more inclusive craft beer industry. Read more>>

Dan Friedman

In 2017 we started a boutique chocolate shop selling only products made by people with disabilities, and only hiring people with disabilities. The next year we started making our own chocolates. In 2019 we expanded to a larger space and added a juice bar. In 2020 Covid put us out of business and we started over as a wholesale maker of chocolates and juices. Our products are now sold at retail locally in North Carolina, by mail throughout the East coast, and through a distributor in the Carolina’s, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. Read more>>

Dr. Syrine Amia Reese-Gaines

Growing up in corporate America, as a young African American woman, it was hard to find a place where I belonged. I began my career in marketing, advertising, and healthcare. During the 1990s-early 2000s, I rarely saw myself represented in decision-making roles. Often I felt invisible, although, I was always well liked because I was ambitious and dedicated. Frequently, I felt the need to assimilate and take on the culture of the majority. Read more>>

William Jackson

We live in a day and time where it has become almost second nature to disregard, disrespect, and devalue someone else in the name of pursuing success. I am very big on how people treat people. I have seen firsthand how people go through life feeling unseen and forgotten. It’s amazing how many people live life from the “going through the motions” standpoint. Seeing how many people become almost robotic in nature when it comes to approaching their jobs made me become a champion for those people. Read more>>