The Rebrand Cities team spent an entire week in Newark, NJ connecting with entrepreneurs. We worked with the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, Rutgers University – Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, and Newark Venture Partners to get introduced to people who are the heartbeat of the city. Newark is an industrial town, the third oldest city in America and home of patent leather which was invented by Seth Boyden in the 1800’s.
It was interesting seeing the similarities between Detroit and Newark, both cities are gritty and have a comeback story connected to them. While Detroit is further ahead in the rebuilding process, the type of people we encountered in Newark represents significant key players in its resurgence. One thing that was immediately apparent was the drive of the entrepreneurs. We discovered there was a high concentration of mompreneurs. We worked with 20-women entrepreneurs most of which were connected with an organization called – ‘Moms Who Hustle.’ It was clear that it was more than just the name of an organization, but more of a mantra. Many of the women were single moms with packed schedules, balancing the responsibilities of motherhood, building a business and working a full-time job but purposely carved out some of their limited time to get their business online.
Interesting Facts About Women Entrepreneurs
- There are over 9 million women-owned businesses in the United States.
- 500 women-owned businesses are started every day in the US.
- 1 in 5 US businesses with revenues greater than $1 million is women-owned.
- Total 2015 payroll of women-owned businesses in the US totaled $290 billion.
Source: Tech.co
Moms Who Hustle
Here are three of the Moms Who Hustle:
- Della Walker Jr. – Broker/Owner of City Walk Realty
- Margie ‘Mia X’ Johnson – Poet/Executive Producer of Imagined Life
- Esmay Richmond – Founder of Mommy May/Media Personality
