MACON, Ga. — August is National Black Business Month. The number of Black businesses nationwide is rising and Macon is no different.
According to the Knight Foundation, 28 percent of the businesses in downtown Macon are Black-owned. That's up from 18 percent three years ago.
Being an entrepreneur is no easy task.
"We were able to open this space from working through a vision, working out the kinks and then here we are,” Christele Parham said.
She owns Crate X, a co-working space for people who can work from anywhere. She and her husband started it in February.
She said owning a business comes with anxiety but having support helps.
"As we are building our platforms or businesses, you don't always have the resources or the blueprint available to us,” Parham said. “So, it takes a lot of like R and D. Research and development costs money and time and a lot of us don't have access to that."
Parham and other business owners are getting support from NewTown Macon, a nonprofit that provides loans for entrepreneurs and trains them. NewTown's President and CEO Josh Rogers said the number of Black-owned businesses nearly doubled in three years from 28 businesses to 53.
"Macon's full of talented people who are ready for their break,” Rogers said. “And so when we're able to provide the training and the financial resources, people make thriving businesses."
He said the level of growth is important because of the city's racial demographics.
"Macon's half Black and half white, and if you're not engaging half the population, you're going to go half as far as you could have," he said.
George Drake, who owns Yay Beignet, said he is new to the area but it feels great to be a business owner here.
"We hope to become a vital part of the community and hopefully expand someday," Drake said.
If you are interested in starting a business and need training, you can visit the NewTown Macon office on Poplar Street or visit their website.