The WELL is inspiring confidence by building a community of powerful Black Women entrepreneurs who collaborate and grow together!
Black business owners have 12 times more wealth than Black non-business owners. And, Black women are starting more businesses than anyone!
More and more, Black women are betting on themselves; choosing entrepreneurship and pursuing their dreams and economic freedom like no other time in history. We make up the fastest growing demographic of new businesses. While the number of women-owned businesses grew 21% from 2014 to 2019, Black women grew even faster at 50%! We represent 42% of new founders and own nearly 2.7 million U.S. businesses.
AND YET…
Black women are met with extraordinary barriers to starting and scaling businesses. We call it, the “Net Divide.”
Net Revenue - Black women business owners average annual revenues of $24,000 compared to $143,000 average annual of all other women owned businesses and $218,000 for non-BIPOC owned businesses.
Network - Black women business owners report a lack of quality, experienced mentors, sponsors, and networks of peers who understand and champion their needs. These barriers result in either slow to scale businesses or even worse, a short business lifespan.
Net Worth - Black women face significant barriers when seeking to raise or borrow capital. Due to pay inequity and lack of generational wealth, Black women have among the lowest net worth. AND YET, Black women entrepreneurs "bootstrap" or personally fund their businesses at overwhelmingly higher rates than other groups.
We deserve so much more! Where we once sought to fit in and gain a seat at tables, we are now boldly and unapologetically leveraging our best and most reliable asset - each other. We will not wait for the world to catch up. We know what it will mean for our families, our communities, and the country for us to succeed. It’s time.
We all need community; No one is self-made and iron sharpens iron. We are each products of the company we keep. Our members stay connected in our online platform through posts, polls, chats and live events each month, all a part of their growth strategy.
We Connect.
We Collaborate.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” (African Proverb)
There is undeniable power in partnership. The WELL's members partner to create new products, services, and ways of growing in business; together.
Our Team
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Founder - NAKEIA L. DRUMMOND
Nakeia is Founder of The WELL and Founder & CEO of NLD Strategic. She’s responsible for making the vision clear so that we can make major impact.
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Engagement & Experience Coordinator + Social Media Manager - HOLLY SHIVER
Holly is our Engagement & Experience Coordinator and Social Media Manager. She’s responsible for keeping members and partners connected to our mission and brining our membership amazing events.
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Email Marketing & Public Relations Specialist - CARON WATKINS
Caron is our Public Relations Specialist. She handles all of our PR and external coverage. Caron also keeps our network and membership in the know via email campaigns.
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System & Operations Integrator - KELLY REILLY
Kelly is the Operations Integrator for The WELL. She makes sure all of our systems, processes, and tools are flowing smoothly to make life easier for our team and members.
