When Entrepreneurship Is Done Better Communities Thrive

By Sean James, Executive Director – VSNWKS Community Corporation

Let’s be real: when we talk about entrepreneurship in our communities, it’s often wrapped in buzzwords—"grind," "ownership," "self-made." But for those of us doing the work on the ground, we know it’s so much deeper than that.

Entrepreneurship—when done right—isn’t just about someone launching a brand or hustling for personal gain. It’s about people rebuilding the block from the inside out. It’s about restoring dignity, recirculating wealth, and creating new patterns of possibility in places that have long been overlooked or under-resourced.

At VSNWKS Community Corporation, we believe entrepreneurship is a tool for transformation. And we’ve got both the belief and the data to prove it.

It Starts With Jobs—But It Doesn’t End There

Every time someone opens a catering company, launches a print studio, or starts a mobile detailing service, they’re not just building income for themselves. They’re building jobs. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses create two-thirds of net new jobs in America every single year.

That matters—especially in communities where job opportunities don’t just fall in your lap. Entrepreneurs hire locally, mentor those around them, and keep people off the sidelines. It’s economic development with a human face.

Keeping Wealth Where It Belongs

You know what happens when we own the businesses on our block? The money stays there.

Local businesses recirculate 48% of their revenue back into the community, compared to only 14% for national chains. That’s not just theory—that’s movement. That’s more money funding local schools, community centers, churches, and block parties. That’s money circulating instead of disappearing.

We’re not just talking about economics—we’re talking about self-determination.

Fighting Crime With Dignity, Not Policing

Do you want safer communities? Start more businesses. A 10% increase in youth employment is tied to a 6–8% decrease in violent crime, according to Brookings. That’s because people with hope don’t act out of desperation. Entrepreneurship provides pathways—real, tangible ones—away from survival mode and into legacy mode. We don’t need more punishment. We need more purpose.

Pride, Ownership, and a Whole Lot of Legacy

There’s something powerful about owning something with your name on it. Business ownership creates more than income—it creates identity. A reason to show up. A reason to keep pushing.

Studies show Black business owners are twice as likely to be civically engaged than their non-business-owning peers. Why? Because ownership brings responsibility. When you have a storefront, a team, or a customer base—you care differently. You lead differently.

Entrepreneurs don’t just build businesses. They build culture.

Serving with Context, Leading with Care

One of the most overlooked benefits of community-based entrepreneurship is cultural competency. When a founder is from the community, they know how to show up for it. Minority-owned businesses are far more likely to meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of the people they serve. That means better service, more trust, and solutions that actually make sense. Big institutions can’t match that. They can’t replicate lived experience.

Building Wealth That Outlives Us

When we talk about “generational wealth,” entrepreneurship has to be part of that conversation. Business assets aren’t just revenue streams—they’re transferable. The Federal Reserve found that business ownership is one of the strongest predictors of wealth transfer among Black and Brown families. That means what starts as a hustle can become a legacy. A bakery becomes a franchise. A podcast studio becomes a production house. A dream becomes an inheritance.

Innovation is in Our DNA

Entrepreneurs see what’s missing and fill the gap. That’s innovation. It’s not about apps or algorithms—it’s about solutions.

90% of startups aim to solve problems that big corporations ignore, according to Harvard Business Review. In communities that are under-resourced, underbanked, and underrepresented, innovation isn’t a buzzword—it’s survival. And it leads to breakthroughs every day.

Entrepreneurs Lead the Way

Entrepreneurs don’t just stay in their lane—they shape the whole road.

Research shows that strong entrepreneurial ecosystems lead to higher civic engagement and stronger local leadership. We’ve seen it ourselves: founders become mentors, board members, school volunteers, and policy advocates. They step up.

That’s how we build leadership pipelines that actually reflect the communities they serve.

This is Economic Justice

We believe entrepreneurship must be inclusive, or it’s not really justice. When access is equitable, the economy thrives.

Supporting minority-owned businesses could add $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy, according to McKinsey. That’s not charity. That’s good business. That’s an investment that pays back tenfold—not just in GDP, but in community strength and generational impact.

Entrepreneurship Restores Hope

This one hits deep. When you’ve been told your story doesn’t matter… when the world says you’re invisible… launching a business becomes an act of resistance.

According to the Kauffman Foundation, founders from historically excluded communities report increased confidence and life satisfaction—even when the financial gain isn’t immediate. Because it’s not just about money. It’s about meaning. It’s about mattering.

At VSNWKS Community Corporation, this is what we’re committed to: building up founders who build up communities. And we’re doing it one training, one conversation, one collaboration at a time.

When entrepreneurship is done right, it doesn’t just create income. It creates impact.  And that’s the kind of economy we’re working toward—one rooted in justice, equity, and joy.