Today we’d like to introduce you to Sisters In Business Nicole Parker.
Hi Sisters in Business, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Sisters in Business Michigan (SIBs) was founded in 2017 by The Parker Sisters—Alisa Parker LaGrone, Tiffany Parker, Teleshia Parker, and Nicole Parker—in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The idea was born from research conducted by Nicole, which revealed a troubling reality: Black women were the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, yet they remained among the least funded and least supported.
We knew something had to change.
What started as a simple networking brunch quickly became much more. Our original vision was to create a space where Black and Brown women entrepreneurs could connect, build relationships, and support one another on their business journeys. The response was overwhelming. Women didn’t just want community—they wanted resources, education, and access to capital.
We listened.
Sisters in Business began offering workshops, networking events, and pitch competitions designed to strengthen businesses and provide entrepreneurs with the tools needed to sustain and scale. Behind the scenes, we also began building partnerships with government agencies, financial institutions, and entrepreneurial support organizations to better understand and remove the barriers that often prevent women of color from accessing opportunities.
Then came 2020.
The global pandemic created unprecedented challenges for small businesses, particularly those owned by Black and Brown entrepreneurs. While relief funding became available, many of these businesses were left out because they lacked traditional business documentation or systems that many funding programs required. Racism and sexism continued to create additional barriers to access.
Rather than accept the status quo, we responded with innovation.
Sisters in Business partnered with Black Wall Street Kalamazoo to launch the Black Entrepreneurship Training Academy (BETA), a program designed to help entrepreneurs become bankable, scalable, and sellable while connecting them to the broader business ecosystem. To date, BETA has served more than 50 businesses and has facilitated approximately $500,000 in grants, technical assistance, and support.
Since our founding, Sisters in Business has reached more than 2,500 women entrepreneurs across West Michigan and has distributed nearly $1 million in funding, services, and support. Through our networking brunches, educational programming, pitch competitions, and entrepreneurship academy, we continue to create pathways for Black and Brown women to thrive.
The future of Sisters in Business is bright because we firmly believe that access unlocks brilliance. When women are given the resources, relationships, and opportunities they deserve, they build thriving businesses, create generational wealth, and transform communities. Our mission remains the same as it was in 2017: to ensure that Black and Brown women entrepreneurs never have to build alone.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but every challenge has reinforced why our work is so necessary.
One of the first obstacles we encountered was visibility and recognition within the greater Southwest Michigan business community. Although many of the businesses in our network had existed for years—creating jobs, serving customers, and sustaining families—we often heard comments like, “We don’t know of any Black or Brown businesses.” It became clear that marginalized communities often operate in parallel worlds, and that divide was especially evident in entrepreneurship.
We realized that if our businesses weren’t being seen, we needed to create the platform ourselves. That’s how the Power Sister initiative was born. We wanted to elevate experienced entrepreneurs, celebrate their accomplishments, and give them a platform to share their stories and expertise. In doing so, we also created opportunities for emerging business owners to learn, build relationships, and see what was possible for themselves.
Another ongoing challenge has been funding. As an organization based in a smaller community, we’ve found that many banks, foundations, and national funders tend to focus their investments in larger cities. While those communities absolutely deserve support, entrepreneurs in smaller communities face many of the same barriers—and in some cases, even greater ones because there are fewer resources and opportunities available locally.
This reality has taught us the importance of collaboration over competition. We believe that meaningful partnerships with organizations in larger communities can help expand access, share resources, and create opportunities that benefit everyone. The need is simply too great for any one organization to address alone.
Despite these challenges, we’ve remained committed to our mission because every obstacle has also revealed an opportunity—to build new partnerships, create new platforms, and advocate for systems that are more inclusive and equitable for Black and Brown women entrepreneurs.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Entrepreneur Support Nonprofit Organization
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What we like about Kalamazoo is that it is home. We were born and raised here in this city and we love being able to invest in a community that has given so much to us. What is challenging about Kalamazoo is it is a smaller community. Resources and opportunities are sometimes limited, which can make it difficult to do this work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sistersinbusinessmi.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sisters_in_business_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersinbusinessmi
