Nade, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, built an industrial cleaning business that she hopes to leave as a legacy to her children. After working in disaster relief for the Red Cross, she found that the cleaning that she did on the side could be a profitable and successful business. Nade focuses on meeting each client's individual needs and providing quality jobs for her employees. Nade is committed to providing customers with outstanding cleaning service in an environmentally responsible, trustworthy, and professional manner.

Stacy manages her husband's haircutting business, who has been cutting hair for over 20 years. He specializes in men's haircuts, providing clean-cut styles, line ups, beard & cuts, and also offers house calls for his services. They hope to hire more assistance in the future, and get back into haircutting education for youth.

Yvette decided to start her business creating something she knows and loves - hair, wigs, and extensions. She sells pieces of all different colors for primarily women of all ages, and has ventured into clip-ins and toupees as well. Her products are high quality and realistic looking, while maintaining an affordable price point. She is excited to continue growing her business, and expanding into other retailers as well.

Ashley has always loved jewelry, and with extensive experience and education, began designing and selling her own handcrafted pieces. She hopes wearing her jewelry helps people express themselves and makes them feel like they are a part of something bigger.

Jesebel specializes in making handcrafted cakes and pastries, each one made from scratch using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her specialty is custom wedding cakes, and during the pandemic she has had success selling smaller versions of her cakes online, as well as a cake-tasting box. Jesebel came to New York City from the Philippines after receiving a culinary degree, and she has now built an increasingly successful business where she hopes to continue making people's milestones and celebrations memorable ones!

Kim is a clinical psychologist with years of experience. Her business is comprised of 1) a long-term care program in which she and her team work in elderly communities performing cognitive assessments and 2) an online therapy platform that is open to everyone (although she started this branch with the goal of providing mental health care to caregivers and first responders during the pandemic.) Kim is passionate about what she does, and she has a great reputation in the community.

Before starting her own business Rita worked in a number of positions that allowed her to put her commitment to social justice to work in her community. In 2018 she realized she could put her skills to use in an area sordidly needed by her community. Her financial coaching business caters to people of color who are traditionally overlooked by the financial community and allows her to give back while building her business.

Sededra's business sells hair extensions, wigs, and hair products for extensions. She started this back in 2017 with the driving force being that every woman deserves long, luscious extensions that are 100% real hair, easy to apply, and extremely discreet. Sededra specializes in making people feel beautiful! The business has evolved from mobile delivery to an online store to now having a brick-and-mortar in Atlanta, and she is looking for support to ensure that infrastructure is in place to support more growth.

Noele operates a cosmetics and skincare brand with the mission of creating beauty products catered to people of color, regardless of gender. With years of experience as a beauty executive at L'Oreal, Noele began creating their own makeup formulas in their kitchen about 10 years ago. They now sell their cosmetic and skincare products, all of which are made of high-quality ingredients and feature unique, bold colors.

Bianca's business consists of providing coaching to small businesses to help them automate their business processes, and providing HR services and consulting, especially to nonprofits and charter schools around DEI practices and talent acquisition. She loves working for herself, and is passionate about providing her expertise and services to people who share her sense of purpose and heart.