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Black History Month 2020 is a time to deconstruct notions that were taken for granted and frame a new story that celebrates the here and now and paves a road for Black, British people’s talent. Every story matters and being a part of a bigger conversation that brings enlightened change into every single household is one that needs to be addressed constantly.

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This year has brought to the surface a new way of thinking; a powerful generation of leaders and entrepreneurs who will no longer be silenced and accept the ‘Status Quo.’ This is time for Status Quo Black’ and to kick off Black History Month we are giving our platform to the powerful voices of women who do not fit into the constructed boxes the world tried to put them in. These are the voices of empowered, women of colour who are the new CEO’s to be recognised and celebrated.

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A quick google search of the word ‘CEO’ and you’ll be greeted with outdated terminology and familiar faces that don’t represent the true, 21^st century faces of CEOs who have carved their way individually to rise to the top and deconstruct the word to give it a new, non-traditional meaning.

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We reached out to six dynamic Black women founders and MSDUK members to discuss their entrepreneurship journeys and their top boss tips: Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego, Founder and CEO of Build Global, a business transformation advisory; Olu Orugboh, CEO and Founder of Synergy Organisational Solutions, a specialist digital innovator and management consultancy practice; Yemi Jackson, CEO, Founder and Talent Hunter at Engage Transform, an international talent acquisition and development company; Elle Mcintosh, Co-Founder at Twipes, Flushable and biodegradable wipes; Gifty Gakpetor, Founder and CEO of IPT Together, an IP consultancy practice and Majorie McPherson, a bid proposal specialist and Co-Founder of RFTQ Limited.

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Looking for Black, female role models?

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These women are here to inspire you with their boldness and empowering messages.

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Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego’s definition of a CEO doesn’t differ from the mainstream definition of a leader who has ultimate responsibility and accountability for the leadership decisions, operations and resources of a company, “However, I challenge the status quo because there aren’t many CEOs who look like me,” she said. “Therefore, for me, it is not the definition that is different but the profile, experience and attributes of who CEOs are in 2020. Today, the profile of CEOs span across age, demographic, class and educational backgrounds. The 21st Century CEO are individuals that are traditional or non-traditional. Disruptors or status-quo guardians. The profile of the CEO continues to evolve to meet business challenges.”

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Wanting to learn about what inspired them to start their entrepreneurial journey, Olu Orugboh took us with her down her journey to starting her business; “As a second-generation Nigerian, growing up in the UK, I had always wanted to start my own business; my parents were very entrepreneurial and owned a couple of businesses, they wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer.  However, I was strongly motivated to own a business. The reasons became more compelling as I was looking for more freedom in my work and the opportunity to work from home. At the time I had been travelling a lot for work and was not spending much time with my children.”

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“I always challenged the status quo even when I worked for others and always explored new ways of working.” Yemi Jackson said about what her unique voice and authenticity brought to her business. “This was a great mindset and provided boldness to challenge corporates on low representation of BAME in senior roles.” Whereas, Gifty Gakpetor mentioned value as her response, “Value. This has enabled me to reach all types of clients to impact their IP portfolio management to add value.”

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With these businesswomen here to stay, we wanted to know what they have in the pipeline for their businesses and what their goals for the future are. Even during these turbulent times, it’s important to look ahead and prepare a growth strategy and Elle Mcintosh has a few ideas brewing: “Once Twipes is established, I’d like to go back into research and development and look at finding other plastic-free alternatives that biodegrade quickly in feminine hygiene products,” she said. “Later on, I’d like to look into alternative materials to the nappy problem, tackling the holy trio of fatberg contributors! For now, I’m focusing on our wet wipe.”

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Any business owner looking back would have words of wisdom and advice on what they would recommend to others and how they might have gone about some things themselves. The entrepreneurial journey is a road paved with risks and experiments and looking back at her journey, Majorie McPherson says that it’s important to “Understand what you do best and make sure you can clearly articulate your offer. Then be visible – network whenever you can find time with your local Chamber of Commerce, local Growth Hub, with MSDUK of course and with any other groups that are aligned with your offer. Eventbrite is a good place to start looking for regional and sector networking events.”

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COVID-19 has affected many businesses, big and small, all around the world and has changed the narrative for many others who have had to pivot to survive. For business owner Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego, she worked more with Small and Medium businesses during this period and refined her service offering to accommodate some of the key challenges they have been facing, specifically resilient operating models during a pandemic, strategic planning during a crisis, and negotiation services. “As a small business owner, myself, my clients have appreciated my understanding of their challenges personally and valued the access to best practices from clients both large and small,” she said.