Lessons from Utica, NY: Building Black Entrepreneur Support Systems
Written by Betsey Suchanic
A common conversation in our work at NGIN is the importance of having the community at the center of any equitable development effort. And this important lesson was reinforced during our site visit to Utica, NY. In March, my colleague Dr. Mari Kate Mycek, the team at NEXT Consulting and I went to Utica for a site visit to learn alongside their efforts as part of our Small and Midsized City (SMC) Economic Inclusion Incubator.
In Utica, NY, we worked with the Mohawk Valley Community College’s thINCubator to understand how the local entrepreneurship ecosystem currently supports and can build additional support for Black entrepreneurs. Over 12 months, the thINCubator and HMJ Consulting teams conducted intentional outreach to Black business owners, entrepreneurs, and other entrepreneur support organizations. This outreach underscores the goal of determining how Black business owners are being served and what other supports they have identified. With support from NGIN, NEXT Consulting provided support for this outreach, modeling similar work they led in Tacoma, WA.
We convened two key conversations during our March site visit to drive the work forward. One of these conversations brought a roundtable together of local entrepreneurship ecosystem partners, from the local small business development center to higher education representatives. This roundtable aimed to create alignment on how Black entrepreneurs are specifically being supported, including outreach and determining shared goals.
The other key conversation was a Black Business Forum, which brought together Black business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as key figures in the local Black community. This convening created a safe, welcoming space to provide feedback, share perspectives, and, importantly, gather their ideas on what they would like rather than making assumptions about the support they need. The forum, which had delicious local jerk chicken, concluded with a community-led list of ideas about what these entrepreneurs needed.
While we gained a lot of local knowledge during this trip, we also learned some key lessons that can help drive inclusive growth in all communities working towards similar goals.
Key Lessons from Utica
Not all entrepreneurs are the same; we need to be specific about who we serve.
Often in entrepreneurship support, we used terms like “underserved entrepreneurs” or “historically disenfranchised business owners,” which lacks specificity in who these individuals are and their needs. Women business owners need different supports and face different barriers than Black entrepreneurs, which also leads to the need for intersectional supports, as Black women entrepreneurs face these layered, complex challenges. We can see this as we look across audiences and factors, including race and ethnicity, veteran status, income status, and geography. We can’t design programs and supports that address these individuals' barriers if we aren’t specific about who those individuals are and what challenges they face. The work in Utica represents an intentional focus and conversation on Black entrepreneurs to understand the unique barriers and opportunities these entrepreneurs have. These programs can then be far more effective in reducing these barriers.
Building trust is a long game.
Building trust with the community is paramount. Sitting in on these conversations in Utica reminded me, yet again, just how critical it is to build trust and ensure the community is heard and that their voice drives decision-making. The community must see outcomes and changes to build trust that something will change.
There’s a difference between a business navigator and a trusted messenger.
Rachel and Grant from NEXT Consulting Firm shared their experience of various roles in entrepreneurship ecosystems, including business navigators and trusted messengers. They took some time to differentiate these roles and their unique distinctions as we see programs incorporate business. More commonly used in the health and education fields, trusted messengers are community members deeply embedded in the local community and have strong ties. While it is true that business navigators and trusted messengers can be the same person, these are two different important roles to be clear about and reiterate just how important trust-building is.
When entrepreneurship ecosystems are working, there is no wrong door.
During the ecosystem partner meeting, Rachel and Grant from NEXT Consulting Firm shared their “no wrong door” philosophy regarding ecosystem-building. A test of the entrepreneurship ecosystem is if there is truly “no wrong door” that someone can enter anywhere, with any organization or individual, and be connected to the service provider they need. For example, if an entrepreneur with a food business concept reaches out to a city department, whoever they connect with will know the right organization (and individual!) to support them. These could include connections directly to the leader of a local commercial kitchen space or a local CDFI if they are looking for funding. This resonated deeply with the local ecosystem partners as a way for them to work together more clearly and intentionally. Consider how this philosophy fits within your local ecosystem and what doors may not be connected.
And don’t just take our word about the work this group of leaders are spearheading in Utica, the below video provides a snapshot of Utica, their local team and partners, and more about their project with NGIN:
The Economic Inclusion Incubator program launched in June 2023 as part of NGIN’s Small and Midsized City Hub. As this 12-month program ends, we are happy to share a selection of reflection pieces about the incredible work the four selected communities completed as part of this program. This piece is part two of a four-part series. The previous post highlighting the work done in Savannah, GA can be found on our blog.
NGIN’s Small and Midsized City Hub is a national community of practice for economic and community development practitioners across more than 700 cities in the United States. NGIN offers support to connect, engage, and share solutions and resources to bolster inclusive economic growth in these communities. We have been working directly with four cities piloting economic inclusion solutions in their city as part of our Economic Inclusion Incubator program. These four cities – Dayton, OH, Savannah, GA, Tacoma, WA, and Utica, NY – were selected following a national call for projects from Small and Midsized Cities and kicked off their projects in June 2023.
