November 22, 2022
Guava & BlackOwnedAssociation.com Team Up To Support The Black Business Community
Black B2B directory and marketplace platform, BlackOwnedAssociation.com (BOA) is strategically teaming up with the innovative Black business-focused mobile banking app, Guava to help more Black business owners get access to equitable financial products and resources.
The companies will be joining forces to ensure the advancement of the Black business community by providing financial resources, mentorship, and community workshops on a variety of topics — from banking to business development, and other opportunities for growth, according to a release.
Guava is a Black woman-owned banking and networking platform designed by and for Black small business owners. With accessible financial tools and a trusted community of peers and experts — Guava equips and empowers Black entrepreneurs on their mission to build profitable and sustainable businesses. Guava members get access to a network of Black entrepreneurs and creators — a safe space where they can feel seen, supported, and celebrated on their entrepreneurship journey. The Guava community is designed to support small businesses and aspiring Black entrepreneurs launching and growing their businesses, giving expert advice, access to tools, and resources, and most importantly – a community to which Black business owners can relate. Guava’s founder and CEO, Kelly Ifill has expressed great optimism about the partnership with BOA and the ability of both companies to deliver on their commitments over the next 12 months.
“It’s all part of our plan to provide equitable financial products to Black entrepreneurs. We are confident that this new partnership with BOA will help us reach more Black businesses so they can access the tools they need to succeed,” said Kelly Ifill, CEO of Guava.
On its part, BOA is also a Black woman-owned B2B platform. Its directory and marketplace allow consumers of all backgrounds to discover and shop for a variety of Black-owned products from quality brands and services. From clothing and accessories to skin care, hair care, and beauty products, prospective shoppers can find a diverse offering across several categories to meet their needs – all while still supporting the global Black community with their patronage. Through its large online directory filled with listings of both local and international Black-owned businesses, the platform was designed to aggregate prospective consumers with a specific interest in discovering Black brands and services and buying Black with Black business survivorship in mind. BOA is not only a great resource for shoppers, but it provides start-ups and small businesses another avenue to bring more awareness to their brands.
BOA’s founder, Nikia Lopez has a 13-year background in performance technical marketing and operations and is excited to bring this new opportunity with Guava to BOA members and other Black business owners.
“We must agree to act now to create the change we want to see so that we continue to prosper as a community. I imagined having access to a plethora of organized knowledge bases and educational services where we all had room to contribute and grow in our respective areas of expertise and interest. I imagine what happened when kept taking advantage of our collective buying power and expertise to support Black-owned businesses. I imagined improved financial literacy across our community. I imagined creating partnerships with other Black businesses just like the one we are starting with Guava now. Imagine what you can do when you commit to empowering your community. The time to act is here now,” said Nikia Lopez, founder of BlackOwnedAssociation.com.