Small businesses are still working through how to operate and stay afloat after a pandemic and social unrest changed our lives in 2020. During that time, many organizations decided to step up and announced stronger policies around diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and workplace culture. CEOs initiated long-term partnerships with Black businesses and nonprofits to serve marginalized groups. They gave us an off day for Juneteenth — all in an effort to start righting some of the wrongs that have historically made it hard for us to thrive.
Financial technology service company Fiserv is one of the organizations actually putting in the work. It launched its Forward Together Plan, a practical approach to elevating diversity and inclusion in several ways for employees, customers and communities.
One element of the plan is the Back2Business program, which includes a $50 million investment into Black and minority-owned businesses. Fiserv is helping business owners and entrepreneurs by offering recovery assistance, mentorship and access to business resources.
Here’s how a couple of entrepreneurs are revitalizing their businesses with the help of a $10,000 Back2Business grant from Fiserv.
Mrs. Jo’s Petite Eats
After a 24-year career in the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel Erinn Roth retired from service in 2017 and decided to enroll in pastry school. Once she cultivated her baking skills, she opened Mrs. Jo’s Petite Sweets, a dessert catering business named after her late mother, Jo Bradford Hardaway.
A year before the start of the pandemic, Roth expanded the offerings for her D.C.-area business to include hors d’oeuvres for corporate and client catering. She expected 2020 to be a major come-up year. When that didn’t happen, she adjusted her menu again, this time serving up dinner packages and fine dining, while also looking for grants to help her keep the business open.
Roth’s $10,000 Back2Business grant from Fiserv helped her catch up on business expenses, as well as create jams, jellies, relishes and a kitchen apparel line.
Brooklyn Tea
In February 2020, Jamila McGill and Alfonso Wright’s tea house was at peak revenue. The couple had fulfilled their dream of opening the business together in 2018, and the meetup spot for tea drinkers and creatives in Brooklyn was flourishing.
When the pandemic hit, the business owners pushed through the standstill by selling their loose-leaf teas online with the help of Clover’s business management and payment solution from Fiserv. They also used the $10,000 Back2Business grant to hire part-time employees.
To date, Fiserv has provided more than 1,400 financial grants to minority-owned small businesses in the U.S. and U.K. through the Back2Business program. In addition to financial support, business owners received access to business coaching, dedicated time with small business consultants, along with community resources.
Learn more about careers with a company committed to investing in Black-and-minority-owned businesses by visiting Fiserv, Clover and the company careers page.
This editorial is brought to you in partnership with Fiserv.
