By Casey White
The Star, Shelby, N.C.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Meet Tiana Littlejohn, founder of “Black Female Owned”, a company she created to help support other black, female entrepreneurs who are also navigating their way through the world of business.
The Star, Shelby, N.C.
Tiana Littlejohn was serving overseas when she thought of an idea for a business that would allow her to serve others in an entirely different way.
Service is not an unusual task for Littlejohn, who works full time with the Cleveland County Department of Social Services while also being a member of the Army National Guard.
The idea she thought of in Kuwait was Black Female Owned, a business she is now using to help support other black, female entrepreneurs navigating their way in the business realm.
“I just feel like I’ve always had an occupation where I’m serving and helping others,” she said. “I got my degree in business, and I’ve always wanted to be a business owner so I tried to tie in how I can still serve others being an entrepreneur.”
Littlejohn said her idea is to start small and build her way up.
She currently sells branded items like coffee mugs and pillows promoting the empowerment of black women and uses the Black Female Owned account on Instagram to promote businesses to an audience seeking to support black women entrepreneurs.
“I just feel like it’s so important to support one another and uplift and empower,” Littlejohn said.
In July she will offer a $400 grant to a black, female-owned business.
She hopes to continue being able to offer grants in the future and also plans to expand to host business expos where she can bring black women in business together to share ideas with one another and with potential business owners.
Littlejohn thinks of friends and family members, like her niece, and wants them to feel confident and have opportunities to be successful in whatever path they choose.
“I think sometimes for black women, they might not feel as worthy,” Littlejohn said. “I just feel a calling to make sure they do feel worthy, and they do feel like and know that whatever they put their mind to, they can do it.”
For more information on Black Female Owned and the upcoming grant application process, visit blackfemaleowned.com.
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