By Justin Crossie

Celebrating the history of Black Americans is a celebration of perseverance, persistence, resiliency and creativity…the same characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

Perseverance has a mountain of meaning for Houston’s Dr. Vernon Darko, an African American exporter, shipping new and used heavy capital equipment and parts to 33 African, Asian, United American Emirates and Latin American countries. He says to persevere is his company’s creed.

Since beginning EquipXP in 2006 with two employees, Dr. Darko now employs eight and manages a multimillion-dollar corporation. Starting a business can be difficult, but for many African American’s the challenge is even more daunting because of the color of their skin.

“Subconsciously, I feel like I have to work harder to achieve the results I want to achieve” Dr. Darko says. “I have to go above and beyond the normal. We must be more deliberate about everything we do.”

Like most startups, Dr. Darko says financing was critical to launching. That’s where the US Small Business Administration can help. Dr. Darko’s lender agreed to fund him with an export working capital loan backed by the SBA. He said, without the SBA it would have been much more difficult to move ahead.

In the South Central Region - Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico - 1,083 African American entrepreneurs were approved for $293 million in financing, in the last three years during the Trump Administration. These loans supported well over 10,000 jobs across the Region.

The largest number of African American small business loan approvals were in Houston’s Harris County, with 297 loans for $58 million supporting more than 2,200 jobs.

Jovita Carranza, President Trump’s pick to lead the SBA, says her priority is to boost business-building services to underserved entrepreneurs. Now is the time to lean on the SBA and our resource partners for funding options including Lender Match, business plan assistance, cash flow calculations, marketing strategies, government contracting, export assistance and online training.

Dr. Darko says, “I am proud to be a black businessman in this Region. We appreciate the support we get from our federal agencies – the SBA, Export/Import Bank and the U.S. Commercial Service. These organizations have been key to our success in the past and throughout the lifecycle of our business. I would encourage black-owned businesses to reach out to these organizations to see how they can grow their business using the tools and programs available to them.”

Perseverance means continuing to move forward despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. Dr. Darko says, “Whatever you set your mind to, you have to persevere. You have to be aggressive in everything you do. Our creed with the company is persevere. In the acronym, each letter reminds and challenges us to work hard, work with integrity and work to provide an excellent customer experience to everyone we encounter.”

To find out more about how SBA can help you, visit www.sba.gov or contact the Houston District Office at (713) 773-6500.

(Justin Crossie is the regional administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s South Central Region VI, serving, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Follow us on Twitter @SBASouthCentral. The SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small businesses with resources to start, grow, expand or recover.)