MAJOR

My name is Leyanis Diaz, and I am the Founder of MAJOR, which is an online one stop for minority owned businesses and I am on a mission to create more role models in minority communities.

I started MAJOR because as Cuban immigrants, my parents worked a lot when I was little. And so, I spent a lot of my time across the street with one of my first role models: Beatrice… the Candy Lady of our neighborhood.

For those of you that don’t know what a candy lady is, Beatrice was in charge of selling cookies, candy and more to the kids in my neighborhood.

But to me, she wasn’t just selling candy and junk food. She was bringing us together, reinvesting in the community and creating jobs. … All from her living room.

And Beatrice… like all of us… had bigger dreams.

She dreamed of opening up her own candy store in the neighborhood, but she went out of business before she could do that because she couldn’t get the support that she needed.

And so, after growing up in some of Miami’s roughest neighborhoods and watching my favorite minority-owned businesses go out of business like Beatrice, I started MAJOR in 2017 to keep minority-owned businesses from closing their doors.

Because while minority-owned businesses make immense contributions to the US economy, many, like Beatrice, do not reach their full potential because of a lack of access to coaching, connections, curriculum and capital.

And that is where we come in….

Part online incubator and development center, today,MAJOR, formerly known as MAJOR MARKETPLACE,  is a social enterprise and a one-stop shop for minority-owned businesses, providing underrepresented founders with access to advice, training, opportunities and resources that they may not otherwise have access to so that they can start, grow and be major.

We advocate for, conduct research and collect data on, offer educational programs and technical assistance to and develop technology for minority business owners.

But we specialize in minority business development and technical assistance, promoting the growth and building the capacity and capabilities of minority-owned businesses.

We serve a pretty diverse group of business owners and founders.

100% of them are people of color

70% of them are women

66% of our clients are economically disadvantaged

And 40% of them are a part of the LGBTQ+ community

As of 2020, we have supported over 1,000 businesses.

We have a presence in all 50 states thanks to our partners

We have provided over 2,000 hours of consulting

Delivered over 20 educational workshops

And created and impacted over 100 jobs

…And these numbers are growing

We are raising $1,500 to invest in our marketing and branding, operations, technology and equipment, and expansion of our team.

Minority-owned businesses are the heart and soul of communities like mine. Help me restore and empower these communities. Help me keep more minority-owned businesses like Beatrice in business and help me create more role models for the next generation.