Sen. Candidate Arkoosh holds business roundtable with Philly Black Women Entrepreneurs

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Montgomery County Commissioners’ chair and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Val Arkoosh spoke with Philadelphia-based Black women business owners during a virtual roundtable event Wednesday, hearing about the issues faced by minority entrepreneurs during a time of uncertainty created by the ongoing pandemic.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but they’re often under-supported,” Arkoosh said during the program, which Patch was invited to attend.

The three Philadelphia business owners who participated in the roundtable were Vikki Lassiter, founder and principal of Adtigo Group, an advisory practice that helps organizations use data and other research tools to make their businesses more effective; Whitney Harris, principal consultant with Wolford HR Consulting, LLC, which helps small businesses with their human resources needs; and Felicia Harris-Williams, principal of HiTouch Enterprises Inc., a boutique firm that aids businesses with marketing and event production. Harris-Williams is also the owner of Gynger Tea, a retail establishment scheduled to open up at New Jersey’s Cherry Hill Mall in September.

Arkoosh sought to understand some of the major problems small business owners face today, especially during times made difficult by the coronavirus pandemic. She said her goal is to have a better idea on what the problems are, so she could work to effect solutions if elected to the U.S. Senate.

Harris-Williams told Arkoosh that one of the biggest challenges, at least involving her new retail enterprise, is access to capital. There aren’t many grants new entrepreneurs can qualify for if the individual has only been in business less than two years.

“To me, that’s a huge barrier,” Harris-Williams said.

Arkoosh said she understands this seems like a Catch-22, or “chicken or the egg” type situation, and she said more should be done to encourage new entrepreneurship instead of creating red tape or roadblocks.

Lassiter said she had minimal startup costs for her business, but she still had to focus on the marketing aspect of her business, and finding out the best ways to put herself out there so she could attract the types of clients she seeks.

Lassiter said she was fortunate enough to have a Black woman business mentor who had been self-employed for 20 years, but she understands that not every new entrepreneur is in that position.

Harris said she spent 10-plus years working in corporate HR before starting her small business. Ways to structure her business so that it could be competitive with other consulting firms was the main thing that kept her up at night.

Harris told Arkoosh that creating a network of other professionals and social relationships were things that helped her in her venture.

Arkoosh soon turned her attention to COVID-19, saying that between February 2020 and April 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, an estimated 41 percent of Black-owned businesses in the country closed, while only 17 percent of white businesses shuttered. The source she cited for those figures was the National Bureau of Economic Research.

“Obviously … this pandemic did not hit our community equally or equitably,” Arkoosh told the women.

Harris said she was lucky enough that she was able to work remotely during the pandemic, but she understands that not allow business owners have the type of business where they could do so.

Another issue Harris addressed was the discomfort in approaching banks for loans when a business owner does not yet have an established relationship with the financial institution. She said she didn’t even feel comfortable inquiring about a PPP loan, referring to the federal Paycheck Protection Program, a loan backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration designed to help business owners keep their employees working during COVID-19.

Harris-Williams told Arkoosh she was out on maternity leave during the initial days of the pandemic and that she had to lay off two full-time employees and resume working full-time six weeks postpartum.

At the same time, ironically, it was also during the pandemic when she was able to start her retail tea business since she had some "down time" during the stay-at-home orders. She said she already had the business account started and funded with money she and her husband deposited, and she had also taken advantage of government funds for businesses like hers that were available.

“Boy, you all really rose to the occasion,” Arkoosh told the women entrepreneurs. “You just found a way to make this work. So kudos to all of you.”

Arkoosh asked what she could do as a U.S. Senator to make things easier for business owners like the three women.

Harris-Williams encouraged greater federal investment in local chambers of commerce, since those organizations are a big help to small businesses. She also wants to see more business owners taking advantage of those types of resources.

“[They] literally worked on my behalf,” she said.

The other two women echoed Harris-Williams’ comments about the chambers of commerce, calling them “an incredible resource.

“To have that direct access … I think is invaluable,” Lassiter said.

Arkoosh said the federal government should be doing a better job at making it easier for small businesses to get started in the first place, saying that some of the “greatest and most innovative ideas” come from small businesses.

Arkoosh said her aim isn’t to pay “lip service” just because she is running for office, but that she truly wants to work on tangible things in the U.S. Senate that could help entrepreneurs like the three Black women business owners who she met with Wednesday.