Guest Blog by LaToya Johnson, CEO and Founder of AwayZones
“Hello dear reader, how are you?” I typically ask this question first as a way of trying to avoid this question being asked of me. Many people, whether they realize it or not, like to talk about themselves, so if I present that opportunity early, I won’t have to talk about myself (or my business). Don’t get me wrong. I love to talk about myself and what I have accomplished with my company, AwayZones. However, I am selective about who, and in what crowds, I do this. I’ll explain why in a little bit.
So the conversation will go on as we venture into other socially acceptable topics, usually pertaining to the weather. Every once in a while, someone will try to venture into sports (sidenote: I don’t care about sports). Then we can go on about our day feeling accomplished because we’ve ‘networked’ and ‘got to know one another’. Do you hear it? Do you hear how shallow that sounds? But we’re all entrepreneurs here, we know the dance, right? That’s how it goes during most business events and when you are interacting with people based on some sort of business-related expectation.
For those of you willing to admit there is indeed a dance, then you may have already figured out why I try to avoid having the question being asked of me. Most of the time, the other person really does not care. This notion is deeply felt and understood by black women entrepreneurs. Sure, we may have the same day as our white counterparts…endless sales calls, marketing meetings, disappointing conversations with your finance manager…every entrepreneur has a day like this.
But for a black woman, those sales calls are laced with microaggressions: “Are you qualified to address this?” “So, you’re the CEO?” “Well, when I invest, I invest in people I can see myself in.” For a black woman, those marketing meetings are an attempt to persuade you to “change the tone of the message.” After all, you want as many consumers as possible and going mainstream makes your product or service more valuable, right? For a black woman, those conversations with your finance manager remind you that, on average, black-owned firms are twice as likely to be rejected for business loans (The Guardian). And when considering VC investment, less than one percent of black-owned, women-led businesses have received support (Entrepreneur). “Well, you can raise a Friends and Family round to get started,” they say. For this post, I am not going to go into the historical and traditional treatment of black families to explain why our friends and family do not have the money to invest in our business ventures.
So when someone asks me “How are you,” the real response would be an avalanche of emotions that only a select few could truly understand. A day in the life of a black woman entrepreneur is enduring the racial undertones and criticisms of who you are, not what your product is. It is being aware of what is happening in society, watching a video of an unarmed black person being killed, and replacing that person with your husband, or your son, or your best friend, then running to the bathroom to wipe your face before proceeding to your next meeting. In that meeting, you undoubtedly will be asked “How are you today?”
Ok…let’s do the dance.
