Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | December 6, 2021 | wbjournal.com Rising from the ashes T o say the coronavirus pandemic impacted small businesses would be a serious understatement. Lockdowns, supply chain shortages, labor shortages, and inflation have hindered businesses and forced industries to quickly adapt or close up shop. For small businesses owned by people of color, the pandemic was downright apocalyptic. In 2019, 125,988 employees worked at minority- owned businesses in Massachusetts. By 2020, that number fell to 62,049 employees. is problem is coupled with an economic slowdown dubbed e Shecession because of the disproportionate number of women who le the workforce during the pandemic. Now, as the global and local economies continue their recovery from COVID's initial phases, more of these professionals from historically disadvantaged populations are beginning to start their own businesses, finding ways to mold their careers around their lifestyles. "We are seeing that Worcester and Worcester County at large are getting more diverse by a significant degree compared to 10 years ago. I expect that to translate to business ownership as well," said David Sullivan, economic development and business recruitment associate for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. e Boston nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights, which provides free legal services to upstart businesses and particularly those run by people of color, is expanding its outreach in Worcester, as it has seen a rise in minority-owned, woman-owned, immigrant-owned businesses in the city, said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston. "Free legal services for small businesses are extraordinarily rare and at the same time it is one of the greatest needs that small businesses have along with capitalization and ensuring their visibility in the marketplace. Without free legal services, small businesses struggle with common pitfalls, such as how to form entities and how to organize their business," Espinoza- Madrigal said. The only Black woman in the room In October 2020, Worcester resident Shawna Curran founded her business STEM ENRGY, seeking to help women of color enter the tech sector by providing classes on coding and design. Curran wanted to combine her passion for the tech industry with her experience as a woman of color and young mother in a field where diverse representation is scarce. "What I discovered though was that over the years, being a young Black L A W & A C C O U N T I N G FOCUS Worcester is seeing a resurgence of minority-owned small businesses, who are seeking out assistance programs to help their companies survive and thrive BY SLOANE M. PERRON WBJ Staff Writer Shawna Curran, founder of STEM ENRGY, used free legal assistance in her effort to help diversify the tech workforce. PHOTO/MATT WRIGHT David Sullivan, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Iván Espinoza- Madrigal, executive director, Lawyers for Civil Rights

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