The Importance of Black Businesses
When I started Flowers Communications Group over 30 years ago, I had a vision of multicultural representation within the Advertising industry. Like myself, there are thousands of CEOs and visionaries tirelessly working towards their goals and the success of their business.
Awareness is the driving force of innovation, and countless Black businesses are born from the desire to see a change in society.
An acknowledgment of their contributions is an acknowledgment of the collective force behind black entrepreneurship that continues to create inclusive spaces, provide necessary services for our communities, breakthrough glass ceilings, and be a source of inspiration to the young leaders of tomorrow.
According to the U.S Census Bureau, Black business owners account for 10 percent of U.S. businesses and about 30 percent of all minority-owned businesses. Despite these seemingly small figures, Black entrepreneurs continue to impact an economic and social scale significantly. One of our goals here at FCG is to provide the support and exposure many of these businesses need to actualize their full potential and grow to become models of what passion and dedication can lead to.
We are intentional about seeking out, and patronizing Black businesses for our various agency needs, from photographers to printers to caterers, and the list goes on. The Free Lunch Academy, for example, is a nonprofit organization that utilizes creative arts as a means of violence prevention and community healing. They are also a proud partner of FCG and continue to support the development of Chicago youth and young adults through inclusive exercises that emphasize effective communication and decision-making. Since 2015, they have created employment opportunities for participants across their network of small to medium businesses.
Throughout Flowers’s journey over the last three decades, our consistent support of developing and established Black businesses has empowered us to continuously provide expert, inclusive, integrated marketing services to our clients. I am a proud Black business owner. As I celebrate 30 years of FCG’s growth and impact, it is essential to recognize the myriad of Black entrepreneurs that have catalyzed our success and allowed us to uplift Black stories and experiences.
