Black Commas

Cold open

A Black-owned hospitality company just took over a historic Baltimore venue, and the calendar is already filled through twenty twenty-eight. We'll get there.

Intro

What's good. Welcome to Black Commas on BlackRefer. I'm AJ.

Business news, the referral way. Three stories, one referral, and some game to take with you. About five minutes. Let's go.

Story 1: Bet on Black funds every founder

Story one. Target committed five hundred thousand dollars to season six of Revolt's business series, Bet on Black. Black Enterprise reported on October twenty-sixth.

The season premiered October nineteenth, and it exclusively features student founders from historically Black colleges and universities.

Unlike past seasons, when founders competed for one grand prize, every participating founder gets a share of that growth fund, plus mentorship. And they keep one hundred percent of their equity.

Revolt C-E-O Detavio Samuels said, "Black entrepreneurs don't have a shortage of talent, ideas, or ambition. They have a shortage of capital." Revolt says Target's support has helped direct nearly three million dollars toward Black founders and Black-owned businesses over six seasons.

Why it matters to you: a lot of competitions fund only the winner, and some take equity.

The takeaway: before you apply, ask two questions. Does everyone get funded, or only the winner? And do you keep your equity?

Story 2: Pressed Roots heads to Washington, D.C.

Story two. On October twenty-eighth, Pressed Roots announced it will open its first East Coast salon in Washington, D-C, in early December. That's its fifth corporate location, and its first outside Texas.

Founder and C-E-O Piersten Gaines built it around a familiar gap: it's hard to find stylists formally trained for textured hair. Every stylist completes the company's training before they work with clients.

Pressed Roots says it has raised six million dollars, and that the new salon should grow its team by fifty percent. It started a franchise program in twenty twenty-five, and expects the first franchised salons in twenty twenty-seven.

Why it matters: a training system you can repeat is how you expand, or franchise, without the quality falling off.

The takeaway: if customers keep asking you to bring your service to another city, write down the method first. That's the asset.

Story 3: Booked through 2028

Story three. In October, The Oaks Hospitality Group closed on Baltimore's historic Eighteen-Forties Plaza. It now operates as The Oaks Inn Baltimore.

The property has a thirteen-suite inn, about forty thousand square feet of event space, and a courtyard for up to twelve hundred guests. The company says that makes it Maryland's largest Black-owned event venue.

C-E-O Sharon Jackson Wilder and co-founder B. Quinton Wilder opened a seven-room bed-and-breakfast in Bethesda in twenty twenty, funded with savings and revenue.

The Baltimore deal was their first purchase backed by an S-B-A loan. Sharon told The Washington Informer, "Five years ago, I would never have gotten this loan."

Before the deal closed, The Oaks had five employees. The company hired twenty-two of the plaza's former employees. And the venue is already booked through twenty twenty-eight.

Why it matters: years of clean operations opened a door that wasn't open before.

The takeaway: if a loan still feels out of reach, look at what five years of consistent books can unlock. The preparation is the product.

Referral of the Week

Now, the Referral of the Week. This week, we're referring you to a new BlackRefer Insight: "Own Your Name Before Someone Else Does."

A lot of owners think filing an L-L-C means they own the name nationwide. The S-B-A says that's not how it works. Your state filing and a federal trademark do different jobs.

The guide covers how to search, what a federal trademark costs, and the scams to avoid. Find it under Insights at BlackRefer dot com.

Game

Before you go, here's some game. Before you print shirts or order signs, search your name for free at T-M-search dot U-S-P-T-O dot gov. Check sound-alikes, not just the exact spelling. Marks don't have to be identical to conflict. Your L-L-C name does not give you nationwide rights.

Outro

That's Black Commas. If something here helped, pass it on. That's the referral way.

Visit BlackRefer dot com to find and support Black-owned businesses. Know one that belongs in the directory? Refer it. It takes about a minute, and no account is needed. And catch a new episode of Black Commas every week, right here on BlackRefer.

Refer. Discover. Circulate. I'm AJ. See you next week.