Q. Who Founded your company?
A. Brian AM Williams is the founder of PurchaseBlack.com
Q. Give us a brief summary of your background in tech.
A. I am an engineer graduate that attended the Purdue University Engineering Honors program. I am the web developer behind PurchaseBlack technology and I am also involved in our mobile application. I develop web languages such as HTML, PHP, JS, and CSS for my platform
Q. Tell us about your company. What does your company do or make?
A. PurchaseBlack.com is a curated marketplace selling products from exceptional Black owned businesses that sell by invitation only. PurchaseBlack provides high quality Black shopping that makes a difference. Our curated stores are award winning, and the purchase of their products through PurchaseBlack supports two Black owned businesses as well as many community initiatives.
Q. What problem does your company aim to solve?
A. African Americans have a strong preference for supporting their community, and they are a grossly underserved market, given that they attract less than 5% of marketing dollars with billions of dollars in retail spend. However, although African Americas would like to support products from their community and/or products made with them in mind, there is no high quality, simple conduit through which to do so. PurchaseBlack is that conduit, joining carefully selected Black owned businesses with an audience of customers looking for more than just a Black owned business, but a quality business that makes a difference. We make it simple for anyone to buy a great product, and make a difference!
Q.How does the current version of your product solve that problem?
A. PurchaseBlack currently has a collection of incredible, award winning Black owned businesses selling products within our mobile application and website. By selling these products through our platform, we are providing the way that customers can find and buy products that they want to buy, from businesses they want to support, with organizations that want to contribute to the community. It’s a win-win-win!
Q. What is your company’s mission?
A. To create large, positive, and sustainable impact on the Black community
Q. What has been your biggest challenge as a startup founder?
A. Traction. Getting African Americans to see that the business is a sales platform with businesses they can trust. My audience is conservative, risk-averse, and slow to adopt new methods of spending money. So gaining new customers can be a challenge. Also financing, since I am an African American focused business, financing has been a challenge.
Q. Did you ever feel like giving up?
A. There are always very hard days and times for any business, and mine is no exception. I have the doubts and hesitation that I imagine any entrepreneur has, but my why, the reason that I am in this business, is to make an impact on the community that I come from, that keeps me going.
Q. What lessons did you learn from that challenge?
A. I have to work harder to attract an African American customer, and to effectively do it, I have to engage, engage, engage. I also learned that I have to be creative with finances, and resources to make PurchaseBlack.com happen.
Q. What has been your biggest victory?
A. Gaining the respect of individuals and organizations with national reach and influence such as BET, Black Enterprise, ABC, CBS, theRoot, and several others! I have launched my app with almost 4500 downloads to date, and I have sent thousands of dollars to Black owned businesses nationwide.
Q. How did it make you feel?
A. To have an idea that turns into real life, is a feeling that is difficult to describe. I just want to grow and continue making the mission a reality, because I am helping provide scholarships for students. I am helping businesses hire and retain employees. I am helping communities become better. It’s a wonderful feeling.
Q. What lessons have you learned from your successes?
A. Success is a steep, painful, difficult uphill climb, but the view from the top is well worth the work. There is so much more that PurchaseBlack.com needs to do to become stable, but the journey has been exceedingly rewarding, and I am looking forward to furthering the cause!
Q. If you could only give one piece of advice to an aspiring tech startup founder, what would it be?
A. It takes a village to build a business. Get mentors, advisors, partners, contractors, and other resources to help you build this thing. Its going to be harder than you thought, take longer than you thought, and cost more than you thought. Be prepared!
Q. Has your company received funding? If so, what type of funding? From who?
Q. How can users find more info on your company?
A. http://PurchaseBlack.com/about
Q. Do you have an app and if so where can people download it.
A. PurchaseBlack Mobile App is available for Android and Iphone
Q. Where can they buy your product?
A. All products can be purchased on PurchaseBlack.com or our Mobile application for android and iphone
Q. How can people contact/follow you/your company?
A. Twitter: @PurchaseBlack
Instagram: @PurchaseBlack
Facebook: @PurchaseBlack
Pinterest: @PurchaseBlack
Email: ContactUs@PurchaseBlack.com
Blacks In Technology’s Startup of the Week focuses on spotlighting and promoting Tech based startup companies founded by PoC or have PoC in top leadership positions. If you would like your startup company featured in our SoW please contact us.