Shreveport entrepreneurs share experiences in honor of National Black Business Month
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Since 2004, August has been known as National Black Business Month.
Many feel that Black-owned businesses are staples in their communities, like The Wash in Shreveport. The car washing and detailing staple is owned by Stanley Johnson, or Stan Tha Man. He has been a business owner for 30 years.
“I couldn’t have did it without the people. I started from the bottom and came to the top. Working at it, they supported me, everywhere I moved, from one spot to another, they was there. They come from Dallas, Houston, Monroe, California, everywhere. Everybody wants to come see me,” he said.
Shannon Ali, a mother, teacher, and now, a licensed speech therapist, used her prior credentials to open a language and literacy learning business during the pandemic.
Ali says she has faced some challenges in her entrepreneurial journey.
“I actually struggled with deciding whether or not I should include my face on our website. I didn’t know if somebody seeing a young, Black woman would deter them from coming. But I decided no I want them to know,” she said.
One of Ali’s loyal customers says she had nothing to worry about.
“It’s never an issue for me at all. I think regardless of race, Black, white, yellow, it doesn’t matter. Everyone wants their baby to succeed.”
Just a few of Shreveport’s many Black-owned businesses:
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