Hello I am Sonya Weaver, welcome to deals with BOB (Black Owned Businesses). My mission is “building a bridge to the community”. But what good is a bridge if no one is willing to cross it? There lies the question… Why doesn’t the black community support black owned businesses?
Based on my personal experiences I have some opinions why I believe this occurs. 1. Poor customer service. There is a feeling that B.O.B is only concerned with making money without customer concern. B.O.B’s are unprofessional, undependable and ghetto acting. 2. Non-competitive prices and lack of inventory. B.O.B will sale cheap products at higher prices while providing below average service. Additionally B.O.B does not guarantee their products or services and they will have limited options. 3. Appearance. B.O.B’s do not reinvest into their businesses.
The good news…there is no data to support these reasons as actual facts. They are merely a result of negative experiences. Unfortunately, when you have multiple negative experiences, they can translate into the norm of what is expected. The irony is that black businesses that do not fall into those categories are still impacted by these beliefs. In addition to negative experiences, subconsciously there is a believe that if a business is black, somehow the service and/or services are not as good as other non-black businesses. This could be deeply rooted and passed down as a result of segregation, from the denial of equal access and treatment.
But why is it when we receive the same poor customer service, high prices, cheap products etc. from non-black businesses we continue to patronize them. Why??? Because…
*Non-black businesses are better
*Black people hate to see other blacks succeed
*Black people don’t believe blacks are as qualified or educated as non-blacks
*Black people don’t trust each other
*Black people don’t support each other (unless there is a hook-up)
If the above comments don’t enrage you, they should. The statements are nothing but stereotypes, meaning the statements are not facts. However, the reality is when you don’t support black businesses with your buying power, in someway you are agreeing to one, if not all of the statements mentioned above.
The good news… Since these are not facts we as a community can move forward. My mission is to change the stereotypes, by changing the experiences the community has with B.O.B. To bridge the gap between the community and B.O.B by making it easier for you to locate them. http://www.dealswithbob.com will highlight and feature B.O.B’s that are not or do not fall into the forementioned stereotypes.
My views are certainly not the only views. There are more opinions as to why the black community does not support black businesses. Additionally, there are several ways to make changes and use our buying power in our own communities. I am just building a bridge, with anticipation that you, the black community will cross it.
Thank you for reading, these are my thoughts, I look forward to hearing yours. 
dealswithbob 
Great conversation. I travel to patronize businesses that earn my loyalty – driving 20 miles one way to the dry cleaners who knows my name, gives me driving discounts and carries my clothes to the car and so on. I’ve been hard pressed to find a BoB that has earned the same level of loyalty from me – granted I live in an area where black-owned-businesses are underrepresented but near enough to a major city where they are plentiful. I’d rather give my money to a BoB but it has to be one which has earned my business and my loyalty – meaning quality work and a high level of customer service at a competitive price. Unfortunately, the overwhelming issue I have encountered is having a potential contractor hear my zip code and immediately bump up the cost by 20% – admittedly this is not limited to B.O.B’s – but it’s irksome – I live modestly and watch my dollars like most. I am looking forward to having a local referral community where I can find good businesses to do business with.
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Looking forward to seeing a listing of BOBs in the greater Boston Area! Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you for your comment. I am also looking forwats to when I build a birdge in the Boston area. #themovement
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