Black entrepreneurs across the country are literally moving thousands of products to consumers through We Buy Black’s product fulfillment center. Those same customers learn about other Black owned businesses daily through We Buy Black’s social media platforms and website. Behind the scenes, making it all happen is a dedicated staff of Black people with one goal: to see more Black entrepreneurs succeed. From marketing and branding to product fulfillment and even producing original content, We Buy Black has created an entire Black economic ecosystem and did so independently.
What exists today isn’t accidental. Shareef Abdul-Malik, We Buy Black’s Founder, started the company with little more than a dream. He launched a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising $30,000. He promised the community that if they would help him build We Buy Black, the company would recycle millions back into Black businesses. That has happened, many times over. Entrepreneurs like Phil Garner went from making products in his home after leaving a 9 to 5, to becoming a household name and operating his company full-time. Companies like Browndages, recently highlighted by Beyoncé’s Beygood, and True Laundry Detergent, were first introduced to masses of Black consumers because of We Buy Black. The company quickly became the largest online marketplace for Black owned businesses and people began paying attention.
As the eyeballs increased, rather than sell advertising to larger corporations, We Buy Black made the conscious decision to reserve its platform for small Black owned businesses. Those businesses had no other place to advertise and certainly didn’t have a budget to do so: We Buy Black was often the only welcoming platform. Over time, We Buy Black emerged as the place to advertise for Black owned companies. We Buy Black offered businesses something entirely unique and before, impossible to find: a place where thousands (and now millions) of consumers were actively seeking Black owned companies to support. The hunger of that audience has only grown with We Buy Black’s maturity and now, product fulfillment has become inevitable. The simple seed Abdul-Malik sowed has sprouted into something historic and the purity of the mission is yet sound.
To be sure, many investors, consultants and advisors have sought to push We Buy Black in a different direction. Many have said that We Buy Black should seek to spotlight other entrepreneurs. Others believed that more corporate sponsorships would help the company grow more quickly. Even so, independence is priceless and the purity of We Buy Black, its dedication to the Black community and Black entrepreneurs, has helped the platform maintain it. In just five short years, We Buy Black has become known across the globe, holding true to the promise Abdul-Malik made to his original investors. In just five years, We Buy Black has created an entirely Black, independent economic ecosystem. Companies, careers and futures have been launched because of the platform and yet, so much more is to come.
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