What it Means to be Made in America | A GoDaddy Series

Entrepreneur in Residence Scott Shigeoka chats with Atlanta entrepreneurs about chasing the American Dream and staying afloat during COVID-19. Brought to you by GoDaddy.

As Yolanda Ownens and the Robinson family work tirelessly to chase their dreams in the midst of unexpected challenges, their unstoppable resilience teaches us that no barrier can tame the heart of an entrepreneur. MOKIPOPS and iwi fresh, two Black-owned businesses in Atlanta, step over the gaps of racial disparities, financial barriers and a global crisis to continue their drive towards long-term success. These small business owners are a beacon of hope, rising about the ashes of a pandemic and inspiring future generations to believe anything is possible.


Learn more: https://www.godaddy.com/made-in-america

Art murals shown in this video:

"Atlanta" by Lela Brunet: http://www.lelabrunet.com

"Homage to King" by Xavier Medina-Campeny: http://www.medina-campeny.com/planes/pu_sculp.html

"Stacey Abrams" by Fabian Williams aka Occasional Superstar

"We Give Each Other the World" by Yehimi Cambrón: Artist, Activist, Public Speaker
Instagram: @ycambron | Facebook: /ycambron | Twitter: @yehimicambron | Website: yehimicambron.com

“Together We” by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya: https://www.alonglastname.com

“Love and Protection” by Brandan “BMike” Odums: http://www.bmike.com

“Black Futures Matter” by Tiffany LaTrice, Erica Chisolm, Liliana Bakhtiari, and Brandon Sheats: https://www.tilastudios.com

"Elevate" by Tilt


References:

Atlanta is the fourth fastest-growing region and 10th largest metro economy in the U.S: https://www.metroatlantachamber.com/assets/2018_profile_of_metro_atlanta_12_7_18_LgKl34y.pdf
https://atlanta.curbed.com/2020/3/31/21200613/atlanta-metro-population-census-data-growth

It also has the largest income inequality gap of any city in America: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-10/atlanta-takes-top-income-inequality-spot-among-american-cities

In Atlanta, nearly one of every four people live in poverty. That’s almost twice the national average: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-has-the-worst-income-inequality-the-bloomberg-report-finds/BsUkLHtoLEZEwI504r9oeM/
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.html

The median net worth of business owners is almost two and a half times greater than that of non-business owners. For a Black woman, the difference is more than tenfold: https://www.aeoworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bigger-than-You-Think-Report_FINAL_AEO_11.10.13.pdf

Ten days later, on March 23, Atlanta issued a stay-at-home order in response to COVID-19: https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/breaking-atlanta-mayor-signs-day-stay-home-order-due-coronavirus-pandemic/HpYoORZDNNqdIWc3QfKWwK/

Small businesses employ almost half of America’s employee workforce and create 64% of net new private sector jobs in the country: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FAQ_Sept_2012.pdf
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41523.pdf
https://www.fundera.com/blog/small-business-employment-and-growth-statistics

Hurricane Irma hit the Eastern US in 2017. It was the most intense hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina, killing 129 Americans and causing $50 billion in damages.
-Business Insider September 5, 2017: https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-irma-katrina-2017-9
-The Balance July 01, 2020: https://www.thebalance.com/hurricane-irma-facts-timeline-damage-costs-4150395
-CDC August 3, 2018: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6730a5.htm

Communities with a higher concentration of micro-businesses have shown greater economic resiliency during recessions or crisis. www.godaddy.com/ventureforward

“Black Americans were twice as likely as White Americans to die from COVID-19 during the first six months of the pandemic.” NPR, August 13, 2020: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/13/902261618/covid-19-death-rate-for-black-americans-twice-that-for-whites-new-report-says

“82% of entrepreneurs encourage their children to pursue a similar path of entrepreneurship.” Small Business Trends, June 2, 2019: https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/06/parenthood-and-entrepreneurship.html

“It has been found that for every 1% increase of a state’s broadband penetration, there was an increase of up to 0.3% in that state’s employment rate each year.” Washington Center for Equitable Growth, August 21, 2018: https://equitablegrowth.org/why-accessibility-to-broadband-matters-in-reducing-economic-inequality-in-the-united-states


MOKIPOPS’ links:
https://www.mokipops.com
https://www.instagram.com/mokipops
https://www.facebook.com/mokipops

iwi fresh links:
https://www.iwifresh.com
https://www.instagram.com/iwifresh
https://www.facebook.com/iwifresh

GoDaddy links:
https://www.godaddy.com
https://www.instagram.com/godaddy
https://www.facebook.com/godaddy
https://www.twitter.com/godaddy

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