Welcome and thank you for making the time to participate in this groundbreaking research initiative! We’re excited about gathering data that’s going to be used to improve upon services for Black Women Business Owners like you.

This questionnaire should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Please answer all the questions to the best of your ability. The more complete your answers are, the better quality the data will be!

And if you’d like to receive a free gift for participating in our study, there will be an opportunity to share your mailing address at the end of the survey.

About You

1. How do you identify by gender?

2. What age group are you?

3. How do you identify by race?

4. What is the highest education level you've attained?

5. Do you rent or own your home?

Rent

Own

Other

6. How many dependents do you have?

About Your Business

7. How long have you been in business?

8. What phase of business are you in?

Startup: birth of the business

Growth: consistently taking new customers

Establishment: steady flow of income and loyal customer base

Expansion: rapid growth into new markets and distribution

9. How many hours a week do you spend on your business?

10. How is your business classified?

11. What industry are you in?

12. How many employees do you have (including yourself?)

13. What was your business's net income for 2023 ?

14. Do you have a business checking account?

Yes

No

Other

15. If yes, please tell us who you bank with.

16. What certifications do you have, if any?

About the Impact of COVID-19

17. How has your business responded to COVID-19, if it has?

Changed employee hours (including layoffs)

Changed employee pay (including your own)

Changed business marketing strategy

Changed business retention strategy

Changed type of products/services offered

Changed delivery of products/services

Raised/applied for additional funding

I have not been able to or needed to respond to the changed situation

Other

18. How has your business's net income changed since the start of COVID-19, if it has?

My net income has gone up

My net income has stayed about the same

My net income has gone down

19. Please tell us why you think your net income has changed or not changed

About the Impact of the 2020 Social Justice Uprising

20. Have you received any support or funding from corporate DEI programs launched in 2020?

Yes

No (Skip to question 22)

Other

21. If yes, what type of support did you receive?

22. Have you received any government assistance in the form of PPP loans, emergency capital investment, tax credits etc.?

Yes

No (Skip to question 30)

Other

23. If yes, what type of assistance did you receive?

24. How has your business's net income changed since the launch of these DEI programs?

My net income has gone up

My net income has stayed about the same

My net income has gone down

25. Please tell us what impact the defunding of these DEI initiatives has had on your business, if any.

26. Do you have any plans or strategies in place to address potential gaps left by the defunding of these DEI initiatives?

27. Have you received any business grants?

Yes

No (Skip to question 26)

Other

28. If yes, who did you receive grants from?

29. How much did you receive?

30. Did the social justice uprising help your business?

31. Are you still seeing the same support for your business that you saw during the social justice uprising?

Yes

No

Other

About Your Support Needs

32. What concerns do you have for the future of your business, if any?

Unable to pay wages (including your own)

Unable to fulfill orders

Unable to pay suppliers

Unable to pay basic business needs (rent/ mortgage, utilities)

Unable to pay basic personal needs (rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, healthcare)

Business closure

I do not have any concerns for the future of my business

Other

33. Is there anything not on the survey that you’d like to share about being a Black Woman Business Owner?

34. If we can contact you for follow-up questions or resources, please include your email below.

35. If you would like to receive a free gift from Buy From A Black Woman, please include your mailing addresses below.

First name

Last name

Address