The Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) is a national, non-profit, bilingual organization that is a distinctive platform that supports Black businesses, promotes economic growth and prosperity, leads public and private sector advocacy and forms alliances and broad-based coalitions that represent the economic interests of our members and stakeholders. In a recent study they conducted on Building Black Businesses in Canada, a rare study examined the needs of, and opportunities to support, Black entrepreneurs.
According to the study, the most pressing needs facing Black business owners were Capital and skills for advertising and promotion, personal development and mentorship, and
securing and qualifying for capital. Though these are pressing issues to be discussed and addressed, Black business strives to make a significant contribution to the communities and the country.
Inspite of barriers, they continue to build and expand their enterprises, serving as role models for others and experiencing a sense of accomplishment and personal fulfilment while supporting their families. Here are 5 Black businesses making a statement with their businesses.
- NancyK Boutique
NancyK Boutique is a fashionista’s best boutique to create the perfect wardrobe that includes apparel and accessories with a collection of hoodies, t-shirts, crewnecks, tote bags, stickers, tumblers, coffee mugs, and keychains.
Founded in 2020 by Nancy Kazumba, NancyK Boutique has come a long way from its beginnings in the home office in Surrey, BC. Their main focus is on women’s wear, but they also offer men’s apparel, children’s clothes, and other fashion items with the goal of providing customers with unique designs of clothing and accessories that are ethically produced, fashionable, fun, and well-priced. Beyond helping their customers to look their best, NancyK Boutique strives to make every purchase a positive experience.
Ever since she was young, Nancy had always loved fashion and clothing. She assumed that all women shared the same passion for fashion but learned that many women struggle with shopping and dressing on a daily basis. With NancyK Boutique, she wants women to look and feel good about themselves and dress with affordable style.
Working focused on three characteristics: dependability, customer service, and uniqueness, Nancy also made a Black History Month Collection in Vancouver, BC, Canada, which included hoodies, t-shirts, crewnecks, tote bags, stickers, tumblers, coffee mugs, and keychains.
- Cup Of Té
Cup of Té is a premier online retailer of loose leaf organic teas and teaware that is based in Ontario, Canada and dedicated to enriching lives through the experience of premium teas specially made from organic ingredients, with each taste offering unique benefits to tea lovers all over the world and every drop telling a story.
Our journey began in 2008 when founder Taylor Lindsay-Noel wanted to offer the best organic teas and teaware. They love to bring aromatic heritage blends naturally enriched with antioxidants without falling short on their savory tastes, like the organic sencha green, organic jasmine, and organic earl grey. They provide sustainable, wholly natural, and refreshing flavors, with an exclusive range of crafts from berries, coconut, lemon ginger, and chai, all enwrapped with super freshness and ethically sourced from authentic growers across the globe.
As an aspiring Olympic gymnast, Taylor Lindsay-Noel suffered a devastating accident while in training that left her paralyzed in a wheelchair. But it didn’t stop her from dreaming big. Driven to overcome her challenges and transform her situation into something meaningful and extremely valuable to lives, she launched Cup of Té in 2018 with the goal of providing the world’s finest loose leaf organic teas and teaware. Her collection of six ethically sourced teas is a luxurious mix of flavors, and a portion of the proceeds goes to mental-health awareness causes.
Cup of Te is proud of its products’ quality and unique blends while ensuring that each tea is hand selected, organic and ethically sourced. Taylor works with the aim of transcending her passion for organic teas while infusing something extra-benefitting to communities by donating $1 from each starter kit to mental health awareness while emphasizing customer satisfaction.
- Royal Raine
Royal Raine is a clothing brand that offers unique clothing for women with the aim of providing them with distinctive fashion clothes that are appealing and give them confidence while ensuring 100% customer satisfaction.
Royal Raine is a clothing boutique based in Canada known for its trend-driven styles at affordable prices. Their boutique draws inspiration from the latest trends, from street style to runway; Royal Raine clothing brand offers an array of styles that are fit for the fashion-loving girl.
Royal Raine is a clothing boutique based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which started its business in 2018 because the owner was unable to find certain clothes that fit her body type.
Royal Raine is a unique brand that provides appealing and luxurious clothing, including the Winterpeg Hoodie, Gracie Trench Coat, and Boss Babe Shacket. They see reaching their target audience as their biggest challenge and have made the decision to create a storefront to encourage more customers to make in-person purchases.
- Lillon Boutique
Lillon Boutique is an online brand that showcases and sells African-inspired home and women’s accessories made by artisans from various African countries. Their accessories can be used or worn all year long and are incorporated into the fall and winter wardrobes.
Lillon boutique has come from a passion for sharing part of Elisabeth’s Congolese and African culture with the world. Millions of prints are out there, from super bright to monochrome to muted colours, representing each African country’s culture and style. She started by selling African print accessories from one country and now sells prints from 13 countries.
Elisabeth was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From a very young age, she was surrounded by beautifully crafted items from various parts of Africa as her parents were avid collectors of earrings, necklaces, and bangles; she fled her country due to political unrest and revisited it in 2013. During that visit, she reacquainted with her country, fell in love with it, and appreciated its beauty even more. Noticing that Congolese artisans had great potential but had a very small market to sell their wares, she realized that Canada could be a potential market for Congolese artisans. Thus, she decided to create an online store to showcase Congolese and other African artisans’ work in Canada, thus creating Lillon Boutique.
Lillion Boutique accessories have some very bright and bold prints, and each customer is bound to find colours that will work for them, their comfort level, and skin tone.
- Nuff Love Apparel
Nuff Love Apparel is a family-owned and operated athleisure unisex brand based in Toronto, Canada, that prides itself on delivering comfortable, quality clothing to its customers as the Caribbean term “Nuff Love,” means “Lots of Love.”
Their goal is to go beyond the business of selling clothes and also to build awareness of the message behind the brand. Ultimately, they want programs within marginalized areas that empower people to love one another, encourage unity, and build strong communities and love for themselves.
Shola Og and Shaeda created the brand to promote self-love and empathy for others. They wanted to push a positive message to their customers in the hopes that they would feel more confident, bold, and empowered when wearing the NuffLove brand, as love conquers all. Their goal is not only to sell clothing but also to actively live our message and impact the communities around us through acts of love.
One way to show love is through gifts in kind and monetary donations. They strongly believe that it is important to be the change that we want to see, so they ensure a portion of their profits are donated to different outreach programs to help with their work in the communities they serve. Wearing NuffLove means wearing a better, bolder, more confident, more positive you.
Black businesses are a sign of progress and survival, fighting against all odds to survive and thrive. Their business is a story of perseverance and hard work that inspires their community to take the lead on an entrepreneurial path toward a better economic position.
Black businesses are a growing force in the economy and deserve all the support and motivation. To learn more about these businesses, subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine at https://lnkd.in/dbqmSKN. Visit our Twitter page at @canadian_sme to get the most recent information.
