The Kamala Effect: The Needlepoint Shift Black Women Entrepreneurs Need In Challenging Times by Nicole Roberts Jones

In Forbes magazine, I read that black women currently represent 42% of new women-owned businesses—three times the female population. However, this same article also shared that strong financial headwinds from the pandemic and a lack of access to new funding sources threaten to wipe out decades of economic progress for black female business owners. Knowing this as a black female entrepreneur can become disheartening.

However, listening to Kamala Harris' victory speech changed my perspective. I realized that if women of color want to be successful in their entrepreneurial pursuits, then we must adjust our mindset to grow our businesses. As a matter of fact, listening to her speech reminded me of a needlepoint shift I made years ago that changed EVERYTHING for me. Here are the three mindset shifts Kamala teaches us that will fuel us to not give up in challenging times.


Realize you may be the first. As Kamala said during her victory speech, “while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.” One of my greatest ah-ha moments came when I realize that my comfort and conviction can never co-exist. If you have a rumble inside you to do something that you have never witnessed being done, you must first realize that it will not be easy. I was the first in my family to attend college, obtain a Master’s Degree, and have multiple six-figure businesses, which means I had to find coaches and teachers that could help me when I did not have the example around me. And as I grew into the next level in my business, I also realized that I’m lighting the path for others to follow. Just as your yes will do the same thing for others to follow your steps. So, stop looking for an example and instead be the example!

Don’t ask for permission; give notice. Kamala paid homage to her mother in her victory speech and others that came before her as she said, “I’m thinking about her and about the generations of women who have paved the way for this moment tonight.” It reminded me that if you are going after something that has never been done before or as a black woman, maybe you are the first, realize that some may tell you that it cannot be done or that it’s not possible. Banks may not give you funding but you are not the first person and you are definitely not the first business to be denied funding or support. So, stop looking for other people’s support or acceptance; instead, do what it takes with what is available to you. Be it a coach, a course to take, etc…. And then implement all that it takes to make it happen.

Commit to being the answer. As Kamala’s mother told her, “Don't sit around and complain about things, do something.” What I had to realize while running my business is that what I am doing is bigger than me. It’s bigger than just making money, it’s about making a difference for those that need me. So, when I stopped focusing on revenue and started focusing on serving, revenue came effortlessly. What I discovered is that when you commit to be the answer to a group of people who need you, they will also pay you for it.

If you have found yourself in a moment of challenge or interruption as you start or grow your business, look to Kamala as the light on your path and know that it is not the time to give up. Instead, you have to do something different if you want something different, which will require a new level of that brilliance inside you.

To be a successful business owner whether male or female, regardless of where you were born, your nationality, or your tax bracket, you must realize that it will take you making needlepoint shifts to grow, or scale your business so that you are making the necessary shifts to your mindset so that you can continue to expand your territory and do more and be more than you were yesterday and move into an elevated tomorrow!

Learn more about Nicole at www.nicolerobertsjones.com Twitter: @NRobertsJones