Black Business Month Action: Join ByBlack
08/08/2023
 By US Black Chambers and ByBlack
Editor’s note: August is National Black Business Month, founded in 2004 by Black entrepreneurs Frederick E. Jordan, an engineer, and John William Templeton, a publisher and historian, to highlight and support Black-owned businesses.
ByBlack is a platform designed to provide Black-owned businesses with a way to reach new customers and access business resources. The platform was created and developed by the United States Black Chambers (USBC) and is presented by American Express®. The platform offers a national Black-owned business directory and the only national certification currently available for Black-owned businesses.
 On ByBlack, Black-owned businesses can find a variety of resources including:
 ByBlack is part of both the USBC’s and American Express’s broader efforts to support Black-owned businesses. To learn more about these ways to support Black-owned businesses, visit the website.
In June 2020, the USBC expanded the ByBlack platform, its national directory, to provide Black businesses with an avenue to register and promote their businesses. In September 2021, with the support of American Express, the USBC further expanded ByBlack to establish the first national certification exclusively for Black-owned businesses offered with no application fee. Black-owned businesses can now join the directory and/or get certified.
To join the Black-owned business directory, select “ONBOARD TO OUR DIRECTORY” on the main page. Once you get into the platform, you can create a profile and submit your information, including: Business Name, Business Owner, Website, Phone Number, Address, Category, Business Description, NAICS, and Industry Code. Upon submission, you will go through a two-to-five-day validation period where your information will get reviewed for accuracy. You will be notified via email when your business profile has been posted.
For questions about how to add your business to the ByBlack platform contact programs@usblackchambers.org .
Black-owned businesses can use this platform to create a profile and join the national business directory that’s easily searchable by customers and companies of all sizes. Once on the directory, Black-owned businesses can network with others within the community. Customers and companies of all sizes can also use the ByBlack business directory to find Black-owned businesses they want to support. Certification is a higher level of involvement with ByBack. To become certified as Black-owned, businesses must meet specific requirements including that the business: (i) be a majority (51% or more) owned, operated, and managed and controlled by a Black/African American person or persons who are either United States citizens or lawful permanent residents; (ii) exercise independence from any non-Black business enterprise; (iii) have its principal place of business (headquarters) located in the United States; and (iv) be an S-Corporation, C- Corporation, Partnership, LLC (single or multi-member) or a Sole Proprietorship formed as a legal entity in the United States and (v) be in business at least one year to meet tax documentation requirements based on the business structure.
To learn more about each of these certification requirements based on your business type, see the certification guide .
The application to get certified can be completed in as little as thirty minutes once you have all the required documents available. Applicants will then be required to complete a virtual site visit, which asks for information regarding business ownership, operation, and control that is complementary to the information presented in the certification application. After you submit your completed application and virtual site visit, you will receive progress notifications in your dedicated user dashboard created when you apply or via email. The certification process can take up to thirty days. ByBlack certification can help set a business apart in the marketplace and adds credibility when pursuing contracting opportunities with organizations that are looking to fulfill their commitments to spend with diverse suppliers. About United States Black Chambers The United States Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) provides committed, visionary leadership and advocacy in the realization of economic empowerment. Through the creation of resources and initiatives, we support African American Chambers of Commerce and business organizations in their work of developing and growing Black enterprises. About ByBlack At ByBlack, our mission is to create meaningful economic opportunities for Black people through the Black businesses in our communities. We realize this goal by building bold tools and strategic partnerships that enable Black enterprises to grow and thrive. We are a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, developing everyday solutions to the generational problems of the Black economic agenda.
Source:US Black Chambers
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