Owning a Piece of the American Economy Instead of Leasing It

Black owned small businesses are often celebrated as the backbone of their communities, yet many are unknowingly trapped in a cycle that limits growth and independence. They are not owning a piece of the American economy. They are leasing it. The difference between the two is the difference between building power and simply surviving.

Leasing the American Economy

Many Black entrepreneurs begin with passion and skill, but find themselves spending too much on outside vendors, essential supplies, and services that eat away at their margins. Everything costs more. Packaging. Ingredients. Equipment. Marketing. Technology. The basic items required to run a business often come from companies that already own a significant share of the economic landscape.

When a business spends the majority of its revenue supporting the companies that supply it instead of reinvesting that revenue into its own expansion, it is leasing the economy. This means the business is participating in the system but not benefiting from ownership or long term returns.

Owning a Piece of the American Economy Instead of Leasing It

Another challenge is pricing. Many Black owned businesses undercharge to remain competitive or out of concern that customers will not support higher pricing. When prices are too low, revenue stays low. Expenses remain high. Growth slows to a crawl. The business stays alive, but barely. It continues to lease instead of own.

Owning a Piece of the American Economy

Ownership means having control over production, supply chains, distribution, technology, and branding. It means creating products and services that others depend on. It means shifting from simply being a customer of large companies to becoming a competitor and a supplier.

Ownership is about building systems, not just businesses. It is about investing in infrastructure, forming cooperatives, manufacturing locally, developing proprietary technology, and creating products and services that hold real market share.

To own a piece of the American economy is to build something that others rely on. It is to accumulate power, not just revenue. It is to ensure that money circulates within the community rather than leaving it.

Why Black Businesses Struggle to Own

Black businesses remain locked in lease mode for several reasons

• Limited access to capitalWithout affordable capital, many entrepreneurs cannot scale production or gain control over supply chains.

• Dependence on vendorsWhen every part of your business depends on someone else, you cannot dictate costs, timelines, or growth.

• Undervaluing products and servicesLow pricing keeps customers happy, but it keeps the business from expanding or building long term wealth.

• Lack of collective infrastructureWithout shared systems across the community, each business struggles alone instead of thriving together.

The Path to Ownership

For Black businesses to truly thrive, the shift from leasing to owning must become a central priority. This means

• Building supplier networksOwning manufacturing, distribution, packaging, and logistics channels where possible.

• Fair pricingCharging what products and services are truly worth, not what the market expects from Black businesses.

• Strengthening cooperationCreating partnerships and alliances that allow businesses to share resources and reduce costs.

• Developing proprietary platforms and technologyWhen you control the platform, you control the economy around it.

The Real Message

Black businesses cannot build generational wealth if they continue to participate in an economy that others own. Supporting the system is not enough. Renting space within the system is not enough. It is time to build, create, manufacture, innovate, and claim ownership.

Because leasing the American economy may keep the doors open, but owning a piece of it is what transforms communities for generations.