August is National Black Business Month, a time that celebrates and promotes the support of Black-owned businesses in the United States. In honor of this month, The Daily sat down with several Case Western Reserve University students, alumni, faculty and staff members who double as business owners and entrepreneurs both on campus and beyond. We’ll be spotlighting their accomplishments each week this month.

Get to know this week’s featured business owners. 

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

After being downsized in 2001, I read an article in Black Enterprise on the number of African Americans purchasing franchises. This led me to Visiting Angels, which I thought was a good fit as my background was in the healthcare arena. I was fortunate enough to have the money to purchase the franchise and jumped in in May 2002.  

Since then, we’ve served hundreds of families throughout our area and positively impacted the lives of caregivers who find themselves overwhelmed with caring for an aging loved one. This has allowed many adult children to spend quality time with their family members without always having to provide day-to-day care.

I had the privilege of caring for my mother during her journey with memory loss. She quietly passed away in the same house I grew up in, with one of my caregivers sitting at her bedside. 

I graduated from high school at 16 and was accepted to CWRU. My parents wanted me to experience living on campus and encouraged me to do so, even though I only lived about 15 minutes away.  

At that time, I was a speech pathology major, so I can’t say that I gained a lot of business or entrepreneurial insight, but I did learn the importance of leadership and honing those skills. I also was stretched in building relationships and interacting with people from many diverse backgrounds.

There were times when I purposely did not tell people that I was the owner for “fear” that they wouldn’t do business with me. Often, families would tell me they didn’t want a Black caregiver caring for their parents. I had to very politely share that I could not place my staff based on their race but on their skill level and who I believed could do the best job. The frequency of this type of behavior has lessened over my many years in business, but it still rears its ugly head at times.

I was very active in the [African American Society], and we annually had a gala called the Black Ball. It was the event that we all looked forward to every year. I also absolutely loved living in Tyler House. 

Recognize the importance of building relationships with all kinds of people. Focus on the areas you are good in and surround yourself with people [with] strengths in your weakest areas. Don’t take counsel from everyone—listen to those who are where you want to be. 

My father, Douglas Younger Jr., was a financial planner in the Greater Cleveland area. After he passed from a terminal illness, I took on his legacy of providing premium services for the backbone of the U.S. economy: small business. 

[3STEPS4WARD] is a Silicon Valley startup that has already achieved $1 million in gross sales [and is] 100% Black-owned, certified nationally as a minority business enterprise, and certificated in California as a small business enterprise.

I started as an employee at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, working in the Department of Virology in laboratory management. A Case Western Reserve alumni at a local laboratory equipment manufacturer encouraged me to apply to the MBA program to leverage my communication skills. 

As a full-time MBA student, I was encouraged to achieve academic success [and] network at the National Black MBA Association and [National Society of Hispanic MBAs] career fairs. This paid off, earning me an internship in Minneapolis that propelled my corporate career.

The biggest challenge as a Black business owner/entrepreneur is raising working capital, but I have been supported by some great organizations for non-equity dilutive loans and grants from Small Business Administration, Cal Coastal, JP Morgan Chase, California Opportunity Fund, Accion and more. 

I was surprised and honored to be peer-reviewed and voted most likely to become a CEO. Given my origins [in] the science community, I was surprised at my classmates’ confidence in me transitioning into business. After a 15-year career, I finally became an entrepreneur, founder and CEO.

The cardinal sin of the entrepreneur is “I shall do it myself.” Alternatively, I recommend that, in every moment of your entrepreneurial journey, cooperate with as many people as possible—welcome competition as they may help you expand your market. Find people smarter than you to support you. Partner as much as possible.

I was always one to keep a fresh set of nails, but that all changed once the pandemic hit and salons closed. One day I ordered an acrylic nail kit, [which] led to my practicing with my family and friends. I then expanded to offering press-on nails for those who just wanted to pick up and go. Once I started posting my work on social media, I gained a lot of following and interest from those on campus. 

I did not expect my business to go this far, but I am amazed at how far I have come! I am most proud of being able to provide affordable services to my peers so that they can look and feel good while pursuing their dreams.  

I have been involved with the CWRU community since I was in the eighth grade. I grew an interest in attending through the Provost Scholars Program, a partnership between the East Cleveland City School District and CWRU. Through this program, I learned from my mentor Elizabeth Tracy, a professor at the Mandel School, about the [3+2 Social Work] program. This past May, I successfully completed my first year of the program and graduated with my BA in Sociology. I will graduate in May 2023 with my master’s.

As mentioned earlier, I did not expect my nail business to go as far as it did, as being an entrepreneur was never on my radar [and] I would like to be a licensed geriatric social worker. However, CWRU has granted me the skills of work-school-life balance, business ethics and understanding the differences/complexities of individuals. 

As a beginner nail technician, it is a bit time consuming, but I enjoy it. At times it is frustrating when there are certain designs that I have not yet mastered or can offer yet, but I must remember that practice makes perfect.

My favorite memory at CWRU would either be the time I spent at the Office of Multicultural Affairs with my friends and the staff during my free time, or the sociology classes I took with professors Karie Feldman and Jessica Kelley.

Never doubt yourself; fear is your biggest enemy, and do not let it stop you. Once you put your fears in your back pocket, you will be surprised at the things you can do that you never thought you would. There were tons of designs that I was scared to try or launch, but I am so happy that I trusted my gut and did it anyway.

Discover more local Black-owned businesses in the Greater Cleveland area. 

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