Walk into nearly any corner of Houston and you’ll see the impact of Black women-owned businesses—whether it’s a beauty salon in Third Ward, a marketing firm downtown, or a mobile pet grooming business in Pearland. These women are more than entrepreneurs—they are innovators, community leaders and economic powerhouses.
Business boom with persistent barriers
Houston has outpaced both state and national averages in the growth of Black-owned businesses, with Black women fueling much of the expansion. Nationally, Black women now represent 42% of all new women-owned enterprises and are the fastest-growing demographic opening small businesses, according to a study by JP Morgan Chase. A Wells Fargo report on women in business found that in Texas, Black women-owned firms generated nearly $98 billion in revenue and employed close to 500,000 people.
Despite these gains, Black women entrepreneurs receive only a scant portion of available capital. The Wells Fargo study found they received just 0.39% of venture capital funding nationally.. This persistent gap hampers scale, hiring potential and long-term growth. But it’s not stopping Black women in Houston.
“I never have felt limited by what I could do,” said Wanda Roberts, owner of Ideal Pet Grooming, Serenity Studios, and Popular Popcorn Bar in Pearland. “Whether it was my salon, the dog grooming business or the popcorn bar, I believe I can do anything I set my mind to.”
Roberts launched Popular Popcorn Bar with her son, Davion, to bring joy and flavor to the community—what began as a fun side project evolved into a thriving business built on quality, creativity and shared values.
Wanda and her husband later launched mobile and brick-and-mortar grooming services—combining love of animals with a compassionate customer experience.
“I have always been an entrepreneur—navigating all of the challenges but still never giving up,” Roberts said. “Every setback just taught me how to pivot, grow and keep going. I believe if you lead with passion and purpose, success will follow.”
Hustling hard
Many Black women entrepreneurs aren’t coming from generations of business owners—they’re building legacies from scratch, often with little more than a dream, a dollar, and unwavering determination. Without inherited wealth or networks, these women are carving out space for themselves and others, turning lived experiences into business models that serve their communities.
LaToya Brooks founded Brown Sugar Strategy Co. after years in corporate America left her feeling overlooked and undervalued.
“I was tired of shrinking myself to fit into rooms that were never built for me,” Brooks said. “So I built my own table—and brought other sisters with me.”
Her consulting firm now supports more than 40 clients a year, many of them women of color, helping them launch and grow brands with strategy, clarity and confidence.
Jasmine Thomas, who owns an event and catering business near the Galleria, began cooking as a coping mechanism after being laid off during the pandemic. Her talent quickly earned her a waitlist of clients—but transitioning from kitchen to corporate came with barriers.
“We don’t always get the benefit of the doubt,” Thomas said. “We have to prove ourselves twice as hard.”
Mykel B. Davis, founder of Muscle Up Mommy, created the first Black-owned wearable breast pump brand after recognizing a gap in the market—one she experienced firsthand.
“Muscle Up Mommy started more than a decade ago, but it evolved after I had my youngest daughter, who came eight years after my twins,” Davis explained. “I was lying in the delivery bed, breastfeeding just one baby, and my sister—who’s also my assistant—asked, ‘Isn’t it weird only feeding one?’ And it was. With twins, you nurse both at once, so nothing goes to waste. But with just one, I realized I needed a way to collect milk from the other side.”
That moment sparked her idea for the J35 wearable breast pump, a hands-free, cordless device designed for on-the-go moms.
“I knew I couldn’t keep stopping my day, plugging into a wall for 30 minutes. Moms need freedom. This pump gave me that—and now it’s giving it to others.”
Seeking support
With funding gaps and limited access to mentorship, organizations like EveryDopeGirl and the Houston Area Urban League have stepped in to offer microgrants, training, mentorship circles and pop-up marketplaces.
According to Davis, her own online community of over 150,000 moms turned into a real-world support network that evolved into her brand.
Houston’s Greater Houston Black Chamber estimates Black women-owned employer businesses grew over 18% between 2017 and 2020—well above the 9% growth rate for women overall . Yet, they still lag behind white-owned businesses in revenue, as Greater Houston Black Chamber former chair Carol Guess points out. “Despite these inroads, Black women still do not see the same level of revenue as their white counterparts.”
What Houston needs now
To support sustainable growth, experts urge city leaders and institutions to invest in infrastructure beyond encouragement.
“We don’t just need encouragement—we need infrastructure,” Guess said. “That means better access to capital, supplier diversity programs, inclusive incubators and a city-wide commitment to closing the racial wealth gap.”
