Black Woman Made, Corporation

The Black Woman Made, Corporation

The Black Woman Made, Corporation is an original product stemming from the craving to create a dynamic umbrella company that houses various businesses in differing industries by Black women. It’s a hub for people from all walks of life to come and celebrate the Black woman’s careers, technologies, entrepreneurial goals, and aspirations, as well as dominance and creativity above all else. For centuries, Black women have made something out of nothing, and this corporation dares to showcase the potent richness of the most intriguing intellectual minds.

Founded in 2022 by the creator, Ashleigh Montford, Black Woman Made, Corporation has hit the ground running. By implementing itself in several arenas, this is just the beginning. From crowdfunding to applying for grants to cold calling, sponsorship packages and much more - Montford is determined to propel this corporation forward and ceasing is nowhere in sight.

The Black Woman Made, Corporation is more than a business. BWMC is an empire.

The Problem

There are many organizations to lend a helping hand where needed when it comes to starting and sustaining a business. The country is decorated with people who have a vast knowledge of resources and information to help someone who is in need with business assistance.

However, there are few resources that are headed by a diverse faces with experience in differing arenas.

Additionally, there is no one corporation present that does it all under one housing authority.

Systemic. Racism.

Through wealth, employment, education, criminal justice, housing, surveillance, and healthcare - just to name a few areas - systemic racism is plaguing the United States continuously. It’s more than just the KKK burning crosses, but it’s the microaggressions as well that people may not even think twice about.

Since the involuntary migration of Blacks to the Americas - there has been a gap in areas of employment, education discrimination, as well as voter disenfranchisement, mass incarceration, and the judicial system. Whether taking a long look or glance over American history, it’s a clear yet tough pill to swallow when it comes to the disadvantages of Blacks in this nation. Intersectionality takes direct authority on recognizing the layers of oppression, furthermore, exhibits in what manners Black women have amalgamated disadvantages when striving towards success.

• There needs to be more than just taking pictures with Black women business owners because it “checks a box”
• In 2021, Black entrepreneurs received just 1.2% of $137 billion invested in US startups
• 2.3% of startups were women in 2020, despite the increase in funding opportunities
• Black startup entrepreneurs still received only a tiny fraction — 1.2 percent — of the record $147 billion in venture capital invested in U.S. startups through the first half of this year, Crunchbase numbers show
• Just 4% of startups were founded by Black women in 2021

Our Solution

“The It. The Powerhouse.” is what we live by, and we welcome all Black women to know that they have what it takes, and they are the very powerhouse they need to succeed.

Every Black woman has the right to do more than just exist. Black women are more than the last name that is given to them at birth, that most of the time alters when one walks down the aisle, or the underdog that saves the day behind the others that take credit, and most definitely more than the ghostwriter who gets no credit to other’s lives. Black women carry life and birth Nations, are descendants of royalty, hold shining rays in their melanin, and truly conquer any situation set before them.

That’s what we mean by being “The It. The Powerhouse.”

Never turning anyone away from becoming a part of the BWMC family, BWMC is dedicated to prioritizing Black women entrepreneurs having a space to collectively gather in hope, education, and power. With there being no present solution - Black Woman Made, Corporation Hopes to Educate Black women in their internal Power and external resources available to them. Our greatest aspirations are for Black women to have a space in which absorption of one’s characteristics and mannerisms do not have to alter for the betterment of others' comfortability.

If one cannot be genuine in who they are and walk around wearing a masquerade, one cannot grow in realness. One can simply not be the best version, or even have the potential of becoming the best version of themselves, where authenticity cannot take place.

The Black Woman Made, Corporation is built to accept people as they come and not for what they lack to be. This corporation is more than a company set out to make a financial gain, but is devoted to assisting in the community where there is a need and lifting it up to be thriving and bold and vigorous. BWMC is the epitome of what it means to be a strong Black woman, but also realizing that strong Black women need assistance too.

Black women matter. This is not to say that anyone matters less, this is to say that Black women need a place to turn to where they are not crucified at the utterance of needing assistance in fueling their aspirations. BWMC dares to create a community of Hope, Education, and Power so that we can prove that we can come together through strength and prosperity. BWMC is more than just words, but actions detail the hard work is dedicated to making this corporation a success.

We are showing up and being intentional in spaces through:

Hosting an Annual Conference beginning in 2023: SPM - Stilettos and Power Moves

Each year in January, Black Woman Made, Corporation will host an SPM conference that is geared towards women who are beginning, intermediate and serial entrepreneurs. There will be speakers, breakout sessions, panel discussions, tools, and resources, as well as scholarship and award presentations, and vendors. The purpose of this conference is to empower women to radically chase their dreams and cease at nothing.

Facilitating Events throughout Each Year that is Dedicated to Addressing Systemic Racism

Practicing what one preaches is vital to the success of any endeavor. Not only will BWMC host events that detail the discrepancies in the justice system that slant the scale for people of color to succeed at exponential rates, however other topics such as Black women entrepreneurship, funding, intersectionality, gender gaps in the workplace and employment, shattering glass ceilings and microaggressions. Not only will these conversations be presented to the community in which they are held, but solutions and how to proceed forward will also be discussed.

Ensuring that Diversity is Present at Every Level of the Corporation

The Black Woman Made, Corporation is about creating the change so desperately wanted in the world. By guaranteeing that there will be opportunities and chances for people of all walks of life to be a part of the BWMC community, the BWMC is about finding and creating those occasions of increase.

Anchoring Vital Conversations via In-Person and Online

Not only has the Black community in America seen drastic alterations to the country in the past decade, but more than ever since the first Black president was elected in 2008, Barack Obama. With Obama being elected, the rise of terrorist groups, Black Lives Matter becoming more prominent, the first Black female vice president, as well as the evolution of minority entrepreneurs, various topics are being discussed among communities. With the Black Woman Made platform, we dare to facilitate these conversations to create dialogue and hold space for further progression.

Offering Funding Resources to Primarily Black Women Who Are Entrepreneurs

Although Black women are one of the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs in the United States, they receive the least amount of funding - less than 1%. With platforms like IFundWomen, they are being the catalyst for these conversations and taking action for making a radical change. With more resources becoming available, there is no spotlight on them to make potential applicants aware. The Black Woman Made empire is here to alter the trajectory, as well as be a place of financial information and resources.
 

Our Vision 

Always striving to create the magic of equality in funding for Black women in startups and entrepreneurship, the BWMC is continually evolving as we are exploring various ways to connect with society, as well as listen to and assess the needs of the community for areas that may be overlooked. To create this ecosystem of success and triumph that includes inclusivity and justness, there is a greater need for a new way.

Black Woman Made, Corporation cannot do this alone.

Our vision is to become an international information hub, work center and catalyst for change with ideations that align with our goals and objectives through programming, partnerships, and implementation. The path to equity and fairness is quite extensive, but we can do this together. Let’s be “The It. The Powerhouse.”

The History

Throughout history, Black women have been the epitome of strength. Whether it was sustaining a household with the bare minimum and being able to make a house into a home, completing compelling projections to place astronauts on the moon, leading slaves to victory, becoming millionaires despite the odds, and most recently - turning a red state blue. Those previously listed accomplishments do not even begin to merely scratch the surface.

To be frank, there is no one individual that Black Woman Made, Corporation has deemed the end-all-be-all of inspirations for the construction of this empire. It’s impossible to narrow one significant person or event to say it was the inspiration and catalyst for the erection of this soon-to-be multi-million-dollar empire. 

On the other hand, throughout the 28 years of her life and the 10 as an adult, Ashleigh Montford has just been doing. That’s it. Accomplishing goals and obliterating them according to her own life’s accordance and timeline.

Miss Black Savannah US Ambassador? Won. Miss Black Georgia US Ambassador? Victorious. Modern American Miss Savannah? Conquered. A business owner at the age of 24? Done. Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in English? Graduated. Overcomer and victor over generational traumas? Defeated. 

In the age of the millennial, she just does. Ashleigh Montford conquers.

From speaking at women’s conferences and shows, judging pageants, traveling for appearances, dauntlessly standing on the platform of mental health and suicide awareness, as well as being a global citizen and being able to be a catalyst for an entire movement. Ashleigh Montford has experience in vast areas of knowledge and is ready to put it to the ultimate test.

Black Woman Made, Corporation is designed to be more than just a housing apparatus for other businesses to fall under, but BWMC is setting the agenda for effecting change at every level. By disseminating information and resources, this is the equalizer, the balance wheel, but it’s also the significant tool that is going to propel Black women forward. Might we add, nothing is going to get in the way of the growth of this corporation.

Presenting the Black Woman Made, Corporation.

The It. The Powerhouse.
 

Who is Ashleigh Pandora Montford

 Ashleigh Pandora Montford is a Creative, Business Owner, & Marketing Expert based out of Savannah, GA. She received her B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from Savannah State University, with a minor in English and studied Business Management, and is the Founder and CEO of the Black Woman Made, Corporation, a hub for Black women wanting to achieve more financial resources for their startup and entrepreneurial aspirations.

Black Woman Made, Corporation is an S-Corp that houses other businesses in its empire that is all about Black women gaining financial capital and resources. The company has plans to hire part-time and full-time staff by the end of 2022.

The Future of BWMC

By March 19, 2022, BWMC will be hosting its very first event and launch brunch, targeted towards Black women who are considering entrepreneurship or already submerged in the entrepreneurship realm. For everyone, this event will be a place of solace to come and congregate with like-minded individuals and to assess what the corporation has to offer them and the community. 

It is evident in the Savannah community that there are limited spaces for Black women to congregate and receive knowledge on grants, venture capital, and funding in general, as well as mental wealth on where to receive additional services geared towards them that understand the approximation of systemic racism in relation to their lives.

Straightforward, as a Black woman in Savannah - there is a struggle. Compared to our counterparts that receive more than the 1% of funds that Black women received. Despite Black women being more likely to start a business, only 3% of Black women are running mature businesses, compared to White women being twice as likely. 61% of Black women must self-fund their total startup capital. It is imperative that the venture capitalists and the finance community address the resource gaps and biases to improve the probability that Black women can receive proper funding for their businesses.

BWMC is a place to do just that. With annual conferences, monthly events driving hot topics and conversations forward, as well as serving as a platform for businesses to thrive, BWMC is preparing a launch and it’s going all the way.

With hosting events throughout each year, BWMC is sold on:

• Creating opportunities where there are none
• Serve as a hub for people, focusing on Black women, to come and receive information about funding, entrepreneurship, and more
• Constructing a domain that is geared towards the productivity and success of the Black woman

•  By the end of 2023, BWMC will have a brick-and-mortar building in Savannah that will house so many grand opportunities for success, including but not limited to:

• A resource center for grant writing and funding opportunities
• Office space that will be allotted to each business run under the BWMC

•  All funds raised will be used to do the following, but not limited to the following:

• Host events in communities that push our agenda forward of assisting Black women gain funding, fight systemic racism at every level
• Hire full-time and part-time employees
• Fund grants and scholarships
• Provide a brick-and-mortar building for the headquarters
• Partner with community organizations that share the same mission as BWMC

Why Crowdfunding

When it comes to access to capital and financing for startups for Black women, the playfield, for lack of a better word, is slanted, and there are significant barriers that one must overcome. Negative bias and lack of access to primal networks are just two examples of significant barriers that Black women face when venturing out for financial capital. 

With Black women obtaining less than 1% of funding, even though they’re the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States, it is the belief that overcoming these barriers can happen. BWMC chose to crowdfund because it does literally take a community. Not only will the donations collected go towards the implementation of programs and change into the community, but it will also advance the financial opportunities for Black women.

Black Woman Made, Corporation chose to crowdfund because with the support of you, the community, BWMC is unstoppable. Your donation will support the growth of the corporation and accelerate BWMC to the next levels in serving the community.

How Can You Support Us

Contribute what you can! By donating $15:

• You’ll be the first to know of the upcoming events and opportunities to come out and support BWMC
• Have access to exclusive digital content to see how and what BWMC is doing to assist in the community and make a change
• Get a spotlight on our social media page and name in our end of the year sponsor book
   

Thank You for Supporting this Campaign

 Without your support, this corporation would not be possible. You are not only supporting the Black Woman Made, Corporation but every Black woman entrepreneur who is aspiring to gain resources and funding for their entrepreneurial aspirations. Through this corporation, all who come to BWMC will receive the assistance they need to fulfill their dreams and ensure their business or businesses are sustainable and profitable.

- AMPFM