A Black Biz Swap is when a consumer replaces an existing purchase with one from a black owned business. The objective is to target purchases that occur on a regular basis. Consequently, it should not result in any net new purchases. A Black Biz Swap is one of our approaches to creating long term success for black businesses.
Recently, I decided to allocate a few dollars per month to try products sold by black business owners in an effort to swap one or two recurring expenses. As a result of this exercise, I experienced three swaps.
1st Swap – Gym
I enjoy working out and I’m passionate about health and fitness. I’ve been supporting LA Fitness for several years, primarily due to its proven brand and wide variety of locations. Recently, my church opened a gym that has identical equipment and provides comparable services. I visited the gym and confirmed the quality of the service and the machinery. As of two weeks ago, I cancelled my L.A. Fitness membership and joined the church gym.
LA Fitness swapped with Fitness Center of Lilburn
2nd Swap - Face Exfoliant
For several years I’ve struggled with ingrown hairs. Every day I use an exfoliant to prevent and treat ingrowns. I’ve been using St. Ives from Walgreens which seems to work well. The brand was not referred, and I have no ties to the vendor, so I was open to trying a new product as long as I did not have to sacrifice quality. I tried an exfoliant from Solo Noir.
After using their product for several weeks, I’m satisfied with the quality, and I’m excited to support a black owned business. To be fair, this is a partial swap. The Solo Noir product is more expensive, so I plan to replenish it a few times a year, sprinkle it into the rotation, and continue to buy St. Ives until the price of Solo Noir is reduced.
St. Ives Skin Scrub swapped with Solo Noir Refined 2-in-1 Buff + Cleaner
3rd Swap - Accountant/CPA
I've used multiple accountants to prepare my taxes over the years. Last year I started using Seth Twum & Company and I will use them again this year. Mr. Twum is a seasoned CPA with a solid understanding of tax rules and guidelines. There are a plethora of black accountants; supporting a black owned accounting firm is an easy win. Although H&R block and other large tax preparation agencies have inexpensive fees, there is value in establishing a personal relationship =with an accounting firm that knows your account and can provide advisement throughout the year.
Most of us have established purchasing patterns and are loyal to specific brands. In most cases, we purchase items from large, well known brands. In order to shift loyalty to black owned businesses, we need to start swapping out main stream brands with black brands. As I’ve demonstrated, sometimes it’s not possible to make a complete swap, but partially integrating a new brand into your rotation is still a great way to provide ongoing support to a business.