Better Black Business Initiative

The Better Black Business Initiative (B3I) empowers underserved Black youth entrepreneurs and justice-impacted individuals through workshops, boot camps, mentorship, and coaching that expand opportunity, reduce barriers, and build pathways to sustainable income and ownership. We promote cooperative economics by encouraging shared ownership, pooled resources, and stronger community-based networks that support long-term growth and successful business outcomes.

Better Black Business Initiative (B3I) is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on building economic mobility and long-term stability in Black communities.

We support participants through hands-on training, mentorship, and structured pathways that help people move from ideas to action. Our work includes youth entrepreneurship exposure, justice-impacted reentry support, and workforce readiness that strengthens employability and retention.

Our approach is rooted in cooperative economics, relationship-based mentorship, and community accountability. We collaborate with community partners and employers to reduce barriers, expand access to resources, and increase real outcomes for participants.

Volunteer support makes our work stronger. Volunteers help as mentors, workshop facilitators, mock interviewers, event support, and skills-based contributors (operations, outreach, curriculum support, and marketing). With consistent volunteer engagement, we can expand capacity, improve participant outcomes, and strengthen pathways to stable employment and business ownership.