Nebraska is among the few northern states that have witnessed the astounding success of black women-owned businesses.

Earlier this year, Harvard Business Review¹ conducted a study to explore the entrepreneurial culture among black women. The data revealed 17% are in the process of starting or managing startups, with 61% self-funding their start-up capital and 3% running mature businesses. These women are gradually forging a path into the mainstream economy, mostly as small business owners. While greater success is seen in the southern states, Nebraska ranks among the Top 20 in the latest study by Merchant Maverick². Omaha alone has several hundred small businesses owned by black people in diverse domains. How has it been for these entrepreneurs since 2020? Forbes magazine³ reported black women entrepreneurs raised $494 million in the first half of 2021, almost doubling the funding raised in the entire year of 2020. There's a concurring voice from DVLP in Omaha, led by former basketball player Chevelle Saunsoci.

DVLP, a sports and athletic training startup, is one of the success stories in Nebraska's small business sector. The founder, popularly known as Coach Chevy, was a Division I basketball player and coached several university teams for NCAA tournaments. She trains young players who aim to achieve higher levels in professional sports through on-field training, recruiting, advising and video guidance.

"We have done camps and training for youth teams as large as 200. As I aimed to build relationships through interactions and inspire young talents, I wanted to do something beyond college coaching, focusing more on the high school level."

Brought up in a military family, Chevelle was inducted into her family basketball team while they were residing in Japan. After returning home, she continued her training with the school coach. Despite her 5'3" height, her game earned her a scholarship to college.

The business ethos of Coach Chevy relies on providing a strong corner for amazing younger kids who aim to play at the next level. She draws her inspiration from the support she received from her family and the guidance from coaches who pointed her in the right direction and helped her grow as a person.

Though Coach Chevy has been training for about 14 years, DVLP was formally launched in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Talking about sustaining her business during 2020 and now growing it further, Chevy was driven by her consistent desire to help and improve and raise the bar. Though basketball is the primary focus of DVLP, its training programs go beyond just workouts. They include character-building, body language, communication, nurturing healthy habits, interpersonal skills and team building, as well as a focus on health and nutrition. The business is a hybrid model encompassing a not-for-profit division for students of lesser economic means, supported by Nebraskans. Chevy aims to expand her sports venture further in the coming years.

"There are so many talented young people and it is not possible to directly reach out to them. So I would like to collaborate with like-minded people who have the same passion to develop players and help the youth."

And what role did the state play in her entrepreneurial journey? Chevy revels in the sports culture of Nebraska, which runs deep and is a way of life for so many people.

"We have volleyball where our girls are the champions. We have strong basketball and football teams. In the sports business, I think we have scope for solution-oriented companies who can provide access to more children who are enthusiastic about sports and offer them equal opportunities."

Chevy presses on the need for better geographic and economic accessibility of sports programs. She talks about doing a better job of creating easier access pipelines for young aspirants instead of chasing avenues where the money is.

"At DVLP, we try to go digital with a lot of activities we do and plan to do in the future. We focus on virtual coaching, allowing us to increase our reach. We have the resources in Nebraska but we need more creativity and sports tech. It is important for the youth to know that there are people and programs out there who really want to help them while holding them accountable in a way that's going to benefit them in their future."

Social platforms are another channel Chevy believes in. She observes how weak news coverage of women's sports by the mainstream media was overcome by extensive social media publicity, which then contributed to organic growth in coverage. She believes social media can offer a sustainable solution to the challenge of accessibility and reach through compelling story-telling.

"Social media has given the players a lot of influence. A lot of women and young girls watch sports these days and they can have as much impact as men. There are dedicated channels as well and with Twitter live updates the WBA viewership spiked up. Though the pay continues to remain low, I think there has been a lot of growth in women's sports in the past few years, probably due to effective stewardship. You can see quite a few companies recognizing the power of women's sports and supporting them."

Chevy believes women need to be barrier breakers, whether it be in their game or in business, with both areas still being dominated by men. She appreciates the increasing freedom of doing business and encourages creativity and drawing from the available resources.

"I chose to give up college coaching to have more control over my schedule with my daughter around. So I had to go out of my comfort zone to find that work-life balance, talk to people, and use available resources."

As Chevy commits her time between raising and training her daughter K'ali Asha, and conducting intensive development programs for motivated young players, she pledges her support for those seeking self-employment in sports, especially youth basketball.

1. Kelley, D., Majbouri, M., & Randolph, A. (2021, May 11). Black Women Are More Likely to Start a Business than White Men. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/05/black-women-are-more-likely-to-start-a-business-than-white-men

2. Beilby, J. (2021, February 1). Top States For Black Women-Owned Businesses in 2021. Merchant Maverick. https://www.merchantmaverick.com/best-states-for-black-female-business-owners/

3. Stengel, G. (2021, August 25). Black Female Founders Still Dreaming When It Comes To A Fair Share Of Venture Capital. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/2021/08/25/black-female-founders-still-dreaming-when-it-comes-to-a-fair-share-of-venture-capital/