Black Business Owners Prioritize Jobs Over Profits

When most people picture entrepreneurial success, they imagine scaling fast and cashing out big. Black business owners are writing a different playbook.

A December 2025 survey of 1,305 U.S. small business owners found that 74% of Black entrepreneurs consider it very important that their business creates career paths for people from backgrounds similar to their own. That's the highest share of any racial or ethnic group surveyed and nearly double the 42% of white business owners who say the same.

For many Black entrepreneurs, building a business and building up a community aren't separate goals. Over half plan to impact their local community by creating jobs for residents over the next five years, leading all other groups.

Jilea and Jamie Hemmings understand this mission deeply. The couple founded Nourish+Bloom Market, the first Black-owned autonomous grocery store in Atlanta, using AI technology to make healthy food more accessible in food deserts.

"What truly sets Nourish + Bloom Market apart from other AI grocery stores is our mission to increase access to better foods," says Jilea Hemmings. "This goal isn't just about providing convenience through technology, but also ensuring that the community has access to nutritious and healthy food options."

That drive to open doors for others runs up against real obstacles. Among Black business owners who avoided applying for loans due to expected denial, 40% cited concerns about discrimination based on race, gender, or age. That's more than double the rate of every other group surveyed.

"It's been really hard to raise capital, even with all of the proof that we've been able to show," says Jilea Hemmings. "And I definitely feel like if we were not Jamie and myself, and maybe somebody else, we'd've gotten more than what we needed a long time ago."

The Ripple Effect

Despite funding challenges, Black entrepreneurs are creating pathways that didn't exist for them. Nearly 70% say they feel a heavy personal responsibility to prove that people from their background can be successful entrepreneurs.

For those who grew up watching a parent run a business, that exposure paid forward powerfully. Among Black business owners with entrepreneur parents, 78% say that experience gave them the confidence and knowledge to start their own company—the highest of any group.

Every job created, every door opened, and every barrier challenged becomes part of a legacy that reshapes what's possible for the next generation.