It has been nearly a year since the doors opened at the Northern Ontario Black Economic Empowerment Program (NOBEEP) office in Sudbury.
With a mission to help develop and deliver culturally appropriate support to Black entrepreneurs across Northern Ontario, the organization has made significant headway by working with 40 new clients since opening.
“We want to facilitate how Black people in Northern Ontario can get access to already existing services — facilitate the growth, the development, and the identification of Black entrepreneurs in Northern Ontario,” said Charles Nyabeze, executive director for NOBEEP and vice-president of business development and commercialization for the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation.
The initiative was launched in July 2022 by the Afro-Heritage Association of Sudbury, of which Nyabeze is past president (2016-20).
Funded with $1.15 million from FedNor over a three-year term, Nyabeze wants to ensure that the program continues and supports Black business owners into the future and all across Northern Ontario. The organization hopes to double the number of clients it's working with in the next few years.
Clients who seek help receive a business assessment, which includes delving into areas such as planning, strategy, finance and marketing, and in either English or French. Business webinars and a regular newsletter keeps everyone connected.
Within just a few months of opening, NOBEEP offered a free, virtual one-day Northern Ontario Business Symposium, held last fall, with panel discussions on topics including finances and opening a restaurant in the North. NOBEEP has its second edition planned for November 2023.
The organization has defined five key roles of involvement: client, sponsor, partner, volunteer and mentors.
Clients are the Black entrepreneurs. Partners are organizations that exist already that are helping support businesses such as the Regional Business Centre. Volunteers are community members who volunteer their time to help new entrepreneurs. The mentors are people who are willing to dedicate their time to teach someone, do some knowledge transfer, provide some guidance, and maybe even provide an element of friendship so that they can help an entrepreneur to develop their business. Sponsors provide financial support.
Nyabeze said they believe there is a correlation between wealth-building and equality, which corresponds to the experience of racism and prejudice. With Black newcomers, the opportunities for financial support or positive publicity can sometimes be limited because of their skin colour and/or language.
To combat these barriers, they want to provide support in a culturally appropriate way that helps the Black population to contribute to the economy.
“Many who come to Canada have been entrepreneurial in their home country,” Nyabeze said. “NOBEEP ensures there is help to foster, grow and expand those businesses.”
There is opportunity for entrepreneurs to start businesses in the North that specifically serve the growing Black community, he said, such as hair salons, restaurants and business services.
Some of the businesses NOBEEP has helped include food vendors, retail, cleaning services – both residential and commercial, and auto detailing. But Nyabeze sees even more opportunities in the abundant natural resources across Northern Ontario.
“Like wild harvesting, blueberries, raspberries,” he explained. “We are trying to respond to the idea of local supply chains. Empower people to come up with ideas that can actually address the requirements of the local supply chain.”
NOBEEP generates these opportunities by holding workshops with community partners like the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
The organization is currently conducting a tour of northeastern Ontario to meet with potential partners. In each city or town, NOBEEP meets with Black entrepreneurs and local business support organizations. Nyabeze said these visits are providing a clearer understanding of the barriers and support available across the North and helps them to formulate solutions that work for Black entrepreneurs.
The number of Black newcomers to the area has increased, and having connections is a critical part of starting and running a business, Nyabeze said.
To address this aspect of business, NOBEEP launched an online business directory that showcases Black entrepreneurs, which is designed as a place for building connections. The directory currently has 15 listings including several new businesses and regional business centres.
“Networking is a huge component. It’s who you know — it matters — and we want to make sure we ride the wave,” said Nyabeze. “Getting a critical mass of Black people in business is essential to encourage upcoming generations to participate.”
