Thousands ‘Live Their Dream’ During National Black Business Month

In the shade of a client’s garage, Dedrick Young worked vigorously with a brush, removing dirt from a cream-colored shag rug. His eyes quickly scanned the rug for spots he still needed to remove.

“I started with one buffer and one mop bucket,” Young explained as he reflected on the early days of his entrepreneurial pursuit. “I dropped out of high school at 16, and my parents allowed me to attend Job Corps in Little Rock in 2000, and I learned how to use a buffer. [At Job Corps] that was a form of punishment, using a buffer.  You had to clean carpet, wax and buff floors so I was fascinated with it. I used to like running the buffer. So, I used to volunteer to clean floors or carpets … and from then on, it was my dream to own my own cleaning service, and I stuck with it.”

Young is the owner of a cleaning service based near Magnolia, Arkansas.

“I did it small with bits and pieces. I had old buffers. I either borrowed or found someone who had one for trash, and I would fix it and do a little bit of work from time to time,” Young recalled.

For 14 years, he worked fulltime in the oilfields with the occasional cleaning job to keep his hopes up. And he never strayed too far from his dream of owning a cleaning service.

In 2017 he had reconstructive surgery on his leg. He had saved some money and told his wife he wanted to buy a tractor.

He smiled as he reflected, “Sheena said, ‘What are you going to do with a tractor? Live your dream.’”

It was the advice he needed. He bought a portable cleaning unit, and a van from his church for $150.

“We had this big church bus with a just a small piece of equipment in it, but it felt big to me,” Young laughed. “Somedays we went out and made $50, and I thought I was rich. It wasn’t ever about the money. It was always about my dream.”

The next year he obtained a license for his business.

In 2022 he leaned into his faith, holding tightly to Hebrews 11:1 which reads, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” By then he and his wife had been tested and had a testimony. After years of wanting a family, they had endured a difficult pregnancy and were finally the grateful parents of a little girl.

“I prayed to the good Lord to give me something so that I could help my family,” Young said through tears.

That prayer was on a Wednesday. Two days later, an area school district called and awarded his business the contract to clean its floors. He called in his father, who is retired, to help. And his brothers from neighboring states came in to assist in the early weeks of the contract.

Starting And Staying

According to the U.S. Census, there were an estimated 140,918 Black-owned businesses with $141.1 billion in annual receipts, 1.3 million employees and about $42.4 billion in annual payroll.

“Start out small unless there’s some aid for you,” Young said when asked to offer advice for others wanting to become business owners.

A Pew Research study pointed out that “businesses majority-owned by Black Americans accounted for only 3% of all U.S. firms.” The study noted that White Americans accounted for 86% of firms in 2020.

Black-owned businesses are primarily in the health care and social assistance sector. Professional, scientific and technical services was the second-most common sector.

And most firms owned by African Americans are located in the District of Columbia, Georgia and Maryland.

The majority of Black businesses – 63% are owned by men. An overwhelming majority or 88% are located in urban areas with just 6% in places with fewer than 2,500 residents.

Young has located his business in a rural area, and at 40-years-old, his age has placed him in the largest age group of Black-owned firms – those 35 to 54.

One of his special joys has been working with his dad.

“I want to see his business grow,” Kenneth Young said. “He was having a hard time finding people to work; I’m retired so that just gives me something to do. And I make sure that his business goes good every day.”

The days are long but Young doesn’t mind – too excited to see his lifelong dream become a reality.

“It’s been a blessing to grow this business with nothing,” Young said.