Welcome to our inaugural newsletter! The Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network, facilitated by Nicola Williams of The Williams Agency and sponsored by the Sustainable Business Network of MA (SBN) and Cambridge Local First (CLF), will bring together Black entrepreneurs and identify specific programs that can be developed or adopted that will help ensure these businesses survive the pandemic and thrive moving forward. This new initiative will convene and work with Black-owned businesses based in Cambridge and Somerville that are in at least one of these phases: 1) Start-Up 2) Expansion 3) Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

If you are interested in signing up to be a member of CSBBN, please fill out the form here. Membership is free and includes one-year free membership for Sustainable Business Network of MA and Cambridge Local First.

Join us for the next Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network (CSBBN) meeting, Tuesday, November, 17, 5-6:30pm.  

Kelley Chunn, principal of Kelley Chun & Associates (KCA), has been in business for close to 30 years. KCA is an award winning state certified, collaborative consultancy based in Boston that provides culturally smart strategies to promote social change with a focus on civic engagement, equity and inclusion. A thought leader, Chunn is also a speaker and a former broadcast journalist and graduated from New York University and the Simmons University School of Communications Management. Her journey has taken her from Boston to New York, to Nigeria and the White House. There she joined other community and business leaders to advise former President Barack Obama on small business and economic development. Kelley Chunn has also served as associate professor and adjunct lecturer of public relations and marketing at various schools including Simmons University and Tufts University. She lives in the historic Highland Park neighborhood of Roxbury. Kelly has been resilient, relevant and successful in her field and we are looking forward to hearing about her amazing journey as a successful entrepreneur.

Join CSBBN and our sponsors and collaborators on Tuesday, November 10 at 4:30pm for a Cambridge Town Hall on Black-Owned Businesses. We are excited to partner with the YWCA Cambridge, the Sustainable Business Network of MA, and Cambridge Local First for an important town hall on the experience of Black-owned businesses in Cambridge. Our moderator is Cambridge resident and YWCA Board member, Cleola Payne. Our panelists are: Angela Hoffman, Owner of Nüssli118; Kyisha Davenport, Employee Owner of Tanám Restaurant; Nephtaliem McCrary, Owner of Great Eastern Trading Company; and Nicola Williams, Owner of The Williams Agency. Zoom registration information is here.

This recorded conversation will be posted to CCTV's channels.

Sign up for the directory now!

Cambridge Local First (CLF) is reaching out on behalf of the City to encourage eligible businesses and entities to sign up to be listed in the 2021 Cambridge Business Diversity Directory. Entry in the directory is free and determined by the eligibility criteria linked in this post. If you meet the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to sign up to list your business or entity using the City’s online form here. The Cambridge Business Diversity Directory lists businesses and entities owned by women or minorities, including people of color, LGBTQ+ owners, veterans, persons with disabilities, and business owners of Portuguese descent. It’s intended to celebrate and highlight the diverse, independent and locally owned small businesses, entities, and sole proprietors whose place of business is in Cambridge. Starting in May 2021, the Cambridge Business Diversity Directory now includes non-profit entities offering goods and services for a fee to the public. Check out the linked post here for more information!

The Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network (CSBBN) hosted a free workshop entitled, "Building Banking Relationships that Stick" sponsored by Sustainable Business Network and Cambridge Local First. The workshop to was held on October 20, 2020, 4:30-6:00pm and featured presenters from three local community banks: Cambridge Savings Bank, East Cambridge Savings Bank and Cambridge Trust.

If you attended the workshop, please provide some feedback here.

Join Cambridge Local First and Cambridge Savings Bank as we talk through the how-to logistics on opening an account with a community bank! Lesly Beliard, Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager at Inman Square, and Olritch Donnat, AVP Small Business Development Officer are looking forward to an interactive conversation. This is an exciting opportunity to build a relationship with your community bank representatives! Zoom information is here.

This is a grant from the MA state government for small businesses. Though the application is for any small business, the grant funding will give preference to small businesses owned my women, minorities, veterans and members of any other underrepresented groups. All applications are due November 12, 2020 at 12 noon.

The NAACP and Beygood are working together to provide $10K grants to black-owned small businesses. The application is open until the end of December.

Created by Welcome to the Caress, this is a $1,000 grant for women of color-owned businesses. Other criteria include the business must be located in the U.S., must have an annual revenue of $10K or more, must be in business for at least 12 months, and must have a compelling digital presence. All applications are due November 13, 2020.

Join us this Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 6:30PM for the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts’s (BECMA) virtual Annual Meeting. Speakers include Margaret Anadu, head of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, and Simone Jordan, Head of Community Commerce at Sundial Brands, as our featured guests! They will engage two BECMA members in a fireside chat on exciting and relevant topics.

Join BECMA for their virtual 2020 Mass Black Expo As an attendee, you'll have the opportunity to interact with 50+ Black businesses and organizations, as well as gain new tactics and tools to start or grow your business ideas. Here are a couple of things you can do before Friday, November 13th:

Black on Black Investing is a workshop series geared towards conversation, financial education and expanding our notions of investment and wealth. This is one of the featured workshops at the upcoming Mass. Black Expo and will take place on Friday, November 13th at 4:00pm. Register here.