How Mom Your Business is helping Black and brown women nurture their companies for success

Founded in 2017, the nonprofit supports Black and brown female entrepreneurs by offering access to resources and opportunities. Earlier this year, founder and CEO Tanya Morris opened its coworking space MYB Hub North. 

“MYB Hub is really an extension of the work that we’ve been doing,” Morris said recently on Technical.ly Speaking, a monthly segment on WURD Radio’s “Reality Check,” hosted by Tonya Pendlton. 

On the show, Morris confirmed a coworking space was part of her original vision for Mom Your Business when it started. Seven years and a pandemic interruption later, founders can go to the space at 1913 W. Lehigh Ave. for resources and programming. 

The location is purposefully in North Philadelphia, Morris said, partly to fill the gap left by Temple University relocating its business development center. 

Whitney Frederic, founder and CEO of food and wellness brand It’s Seasoned, also joined the radio segment, sharing how Mom Your Business provided a “safe space” to ask questions and learn about resources for growing her business. 

Frederic plans to host a workshop at the MYB North Hub to teach how to create spice blends, which fits into Morris’s plan to offer varied programming based on its members’ businesses. The space also plans to host workshops on business topics, such as acquiring certifications. 

Black women owned businesses only made up .91% of all businesses in 2020. However, Black women owned employer businesses increased 18.14% between 2017 and 2020, more than women owned businesses and Black owned businesses, according to a Brookings report. 

There are resources out there for women owned businesses and minority owned businesses from the federal Small Business Association and from the Pennsylvania state government, but more could be done to spread the word about these resources, Morris believes. 

To date, Mom Your Business has helped over 600 Black and brown female entrepreneurs, she said, and helped them raise over $250,000 since 2021. 

“Understanding that Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, but the least funded,” Morris said on air. “As we support those businesses, we support those communities as well.”

Lack of access to capital has definitely been a challenge for It’s Seasoned, Frederic said, but programs like Mom Your Business’s Founders to Funders accelerator helped prepare her for pitch competitions and funding applications. 

Frederic’s advice for fellow entrepreneurs is to find a community that will support you, like what she found with Mom Your Business. 

Listen to the full segment to learn more about Mom Your Business’ mission and the MYB Hub North. 

Have an idea for someone who should be featured on a future Technical.ly Speaking segment? Let us know.

Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.