As our country continues to become more and more diverse, it is becoming more important than ever to support minority-owned businesses in your community. You can do this in many different ways, big and small. Here are some ways you can support a minority-owned business in your community.

Buy Their Good or Service

The easiest and most simple way to support a minority-owned business is to simply buy their product. Make an effort to break from your typical business practice and make a conscious effort to support their business however you can. Most successful white business owners do not understand the impact just one more customer can make on the overall success of a business. If you support a local and minority-owned business, you will be thanked in response.

Avoid Profit-Stealing Services

If the business you are looking to support is in the restaurant industry, avoid services such as Doordash or UberEats at all costs. These services enforce price regulation and take a large cut of the profits from a business through ridiculous fees. They are incredibly harmful to small businesses and can actually harm them in the long run. Instead, consider visiting the business and if possible, paying in cash. Credit card companies also charge exorbitant fees that hurt small business owners. 

Provide Free Marketing In Your Business

One thing you can do to drastically help their business get off the ground is to use your established network of clients to promote their goods or service. This is especially helpful if they offer a complimentary product to your own. Say you own a pet adoption agency, and they run a dog food company. In this scenario, you can offer deals to your customers if they choose to buy their dog food through the minority-owned dog food company you are trying to support. This is just one example of using integrated marketing to promote your own business while also supporting the growth and development of minority-owned businesses. By engaging in this type of practice, you are supporting yourself while ending the systemic oppression of minorities in the United States.

These are 3 easy ways you can promote and support a minority-owned business in your community. By consciously taking a few steps and a few minutes out of your day, you can lift up underrepresented voices and promote a business environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed financially and live a comfortable life.