I was 24 years old when I graduated law school. Faced with the choices before me, I took a leap of faith and decided to chase my lifelong dream of opening my own business. Turning the dream into a reality, however, wasn’t easy. There were many late nights for my cofounder and me, poring over receipts, crunching numbers and wondering how we were going to get by. There were times when I thought I would have to abandon my goals, yet I knew I could not give up.
I received 97 nos before I got to a single yes. Today, my business has locations across Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. My struggles early on as an entrepreneur taught me that it takes more than just hard work to start a business; it costs a whole lot of money, too.
As a proud Atlanta native, entrepreneur and Black business owner, I am committed to uplifting aspiring Black entrepreneurs because I want to give back to the community that invested in me. It’s why I host the Economic Freedom Talks Tour with fellow Atlanta entrepreneur Lakeysha Hallmon. Together, we’ve traveled all around the country to meet with Black entrepreneurs to discuss ways of building businesses from the ground up and how to unlock the tools to create generational wealth.
As the election has approached, these talks have become increasingly focused on which presidential candidate will be the best choice for Black entrepreneurs. Overwhelmingly, the choice is Vice President Kamala Harris, because she is committed to the growth of Black business owners, while former President Donald Trump continues to sow chaos and division and demean Black and Brown people.
Personally, the choice was an easy one because Harris has actually showed up for us. I was honored to host Harris earlier this year. From the second she walked into the room, it was clear that she took our concerns seriously.
Harris spent more than an hour at the Gathering Spot, asking about our families, our businesses and our challenges in our journey to unlock financial success. We discussed the historic inequities that Black men face when starting a business and the extra burdens that Black working families shoulder. In total, I’ve had the chance to meet the vice president five times, and each time she has reflected her compassion and her resolve to address these challenges head on.
The vice president’s plan will be a game-changer by expanding the startup tax deduction for small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000, because, as she likes to say, “Nobody can start a small business with just $5,000.”
I couldn’t agree more. It’s clear to me that the vice president will be a transformational leader for Black business owners and will accelerate our economic growth and create thousands of new, good-paying jobs for Georgians.
It’s why when I was presented with the choice at the ballot box earlier this week between Harris and Trump, it was easy. Harris has fought for business owners like me, and Trump is committed to cutting taxes for billionaires, which would raise costs for middle class families. Just last week, a Wall Street Journal survey of 50 leading economists showed that they think Trump would cause inflation and interest rates to be higher than under Harris, devastating our families and our small-business owners.
Trump is a champion for one client: himself. Harris is a champion for small businesses, a champion for Black entrepreneurs and a champion for the middle class.
The person who sits in the Oval Office in January could be decided right here in Georgia. Georgians hold in their hands a ballot that could change the trajectory of Black Americans and business owners in the United States. So as each of you enter the voting booth, I urge you to make the right choice for Black Americans, Georgia and the United States.
Ryan Wilson is chief executive of the Gathering Spot.
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