More can be accomplished on Facebook than getting entangled in keyboard drama and gossip wars.
Carmen Davenport—who is the founder of the private the Black Dolla Indy (BDI) Facebook group—knows the value of using the “Book” to network with a productive purpose. She began her popular group in 2020. It now boasts more than “37,000 members” who are able to seek Black-owned services or businesses, according to the Indianapolis Recorder. They range from “hair care, household projects, therapists, nail technicians and even bounce house services, according to the article.
BDI was originally created as “a social networking platform” for “African American residents living in the Indianapolis area,” according to details provided on Black Dolla Indy’s website. However, usage has expanded. Individuals who are located in “Atlanta, Florida, Chicago and Ohio” are also members.
“It’s a consumer page with Black businesses at the forefront,” Davenport said in the Indianapolis Recorder interview. “If you’re looking for plumbing, in no time you’re gonna have over 10 referrals. Black Dolla is the one-stop shop for everything.”
Helping Consumers Stay Connected And Find Black-owned Businesses
Target goals are specific though. Helping the consumer find the best Black-owned businesses Indy has to offer, encouraging opportunities for improved business practices, bringing consumers and businesses together to create the perfect Black experience, expanding circulation of the Black dollar within the Black community, developing an educational program to aid business readiness and offer scholarships to BDI’s members for attending business enrichment classes are core goals, per Black Dolla Indy LLC’s website.
Group admins assist Davenport with requests to join the private group which was started because Davenport wanted to highlight Black businesses all year long, while staying connected “with other Black businesses,” according to the Indianapolis Recorder.
How effective is using the Black networking group?
“We have received 90% of our customer base from Black Dolla,” Brittani Buford-Towner, owner of Maxx Beauty Supply, told the Indianapolis Recorder. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know how we would’ve gotten the word out so fast.”
Click here to find the link to the private Facebook group.