BAME business leaders from across the North West have told the stories of how they overcame racism, prejudice and bias to become inspiring success stories.
The powerful stories are from entrepreneurs working in sectors from food to innovative tech, and reveal the massive obstacles these groups face.
All six of the below businesses take part in NatWest's Accelerator programme, at the Manchester hub.
Amal Cowan - Amal's Pantry
Amal Cowan, who appeared on the 2019 series of Masterchef, is now known for her famous Basbas sauce made by her company, Blackburn-based Amal's Pantry.
Amal was just 15 when she arrived in the 海角视频 on her own as a refugee from Somalia, and soon worked her way up to a high-flying banking career, before turning to cooking.
She said she was inspired to become an entrepreneur after working in private banking for 10 years with "many successful" figures - with a "positive, can-do attitude, and [who were] passionate about their work".
However, those entrepreneurs have mostly been white and male.
She said: "As my sauces are inspired by my East African heritage, I face the additional challenge of having to educate people who would otherwise dismiss them as ‘exotic’, or unrelatable.
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"It is a big question for me as to how much ‘heritage’ I should incorporate into my branding without alienating people and scaring them off trying my sauces."
She was told by an advisor that if she was ever "lucky enough" to get a listing in a supermarket, it would be in the world food aisle.
Amal added: "I honestly believe that is itself a barrier as there is no reason for my sauces to be limited in this way. I was also told by respected voices in the industry that the British public associate famine and humanitarian issues with East Africa, not food, and that it was too soon for food to form a separate conversation.
"We need gatekeepers to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
"I believe the opportunities for my business to flourish are huge. I see no reason why my sauces should not be on every kitchen table in the 海角视频, and beyond. We need a tangible commitment from 海角视频 supermarkets and buyers to buy from black-owned businesses."
The handmade, vegan, gluten-free Basbas sauces are inspired by her heritage and lifelong passion for cooking,
Since she started trading in September 2019, Amal has sold the sauces at makers markets in and around Manchester.
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She added: "My goal for Basbas sauces, and eventually a range of products under the Amal’s Pantry brand, is that they become a staple in homes across the 海角视频, and also internationally.
"I also want to use my business as a vehicle for change and to make a difference."
What is the Accelerator programme?
Run by NatWest, the Accelerator programme offers entrepreneurs various opportunities aimed at helping them scale up.
They get free office space, Wi-fi and printing, one-on-one coaching, mentors, legal and tech advice, and access to the bank’s network.
The programme lasts six months and is fully funded by the banks.
It was started to help the bank regain trust in the business community, but since then it has grown and the markers to define the programme’s success has changed.
Danny Manu - CEH Technologies
Danny Manu is CEO of CEH Technologies, a consumer electronics firm offering the world's first "truly wireless" earbuds with live voice translation, as well as a social media and translation app.
Danny launched the company after he attended a conference in Germany and couldn’t understand what was going, so decided there had to be a solution.
Born in England and with roots in Ghana, Danny was brought up in North London before he made the move to Manchester.
He said: "Growing up as a young black child, people were expecting me to settle into a low skilled job without aspirations to do better.
"At a young age, I decided that wouldn’t be my path and wanted to make a name for myself."
He said throughout the years, he has faced "multiple challenges" as a young, black tech entrepreneur.
"I did not have family support which many people of my age had, my parents separated and I lost my mother when I was a child. So I had to teach myself the ropes of life.
"Being good at music, I started my journey in this industry as an engineer. In the music industry there are very few black producers or engineers therefore I had no role model to look up to. This meant I had to motivate myself and set myself a precedent in which to exceed."
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Danny said he made difficult decisions in order to grow in the industry and "get in front of the right people".
He explained: "I had to make choices which I am not necessarily proud with hindsight. For instance, I chose not to show pictures or videos of myself as I didn’t want people to know I was black.
"I felt this would have potentially affected deals/opportunities like it did to many black artists. I have found through experience that once people find out you are black they don’t tend to take you seriously anymore.
"They think it is just a fleeting wave of success and a culmination of ‘good luck’ for you to be where you are."
He said people often look shocked when they discover they have been speaking to a black CEO.
"This makes you feel very disheartened. Sometimes, they still expect a white middle aged professional to step out from behind me and present themselves as the owner, instead of me, a black man, in my early 30s.
"Over time you become hardened to the fact that you aren’t what people expect, I like to turn this on its head and use it to motivate me to do more. I enjoy exceeding people’s expectations of me and proving people’s negative perceptions to be wrong.
"It is very disconcerting that in 2020 people still judge other people by the colour of their skin."
He said being a black entrepreneur has given him the chance to inspire others and become a role model for young black men, adding: "I am also in a position now where I can help my community and break some of the misconceptions and barriers which I have had to face.
"I followed my passion and was willing to take risk to provide a better life for myself and family."
Toni Martin-Clarke - TMC&Co
Toni is founder of Stafford-based TMC&Co, a firm supporting service-based entrepreneurs with tech and digital marketing systems.
Her journey to becoming an entrepreneur started out of a "dissatisfaction towards corporate London".
She said: "In my job as a contract manager, I didn’t feel as though I was making a real impact. I was just one in a number and always acutely aware that I was replaceable.
"My first attempt [in business], back in 2016 was a failure.
"I didn’t really understand marketing concepts and spent a lot of time writing to-do lists but making no traction. I ended up back in a corporate job around eight months later and that was extremely disheartening, but spurred me on."
She said she was "naive" when she got started, and went into web design and development "without really realising that women in tech are underrepresented and black women in tech are extremely underrepresented".
She explained: "As my skills and knowledge developed and I broadened my horizons to wanting to work with people beyond my friends and family circles – I started to realise and was often told by others that black women in tech were few and far between.
"I think generally as a black entrepreneur there is a sense that we have to work that bit harder to gain access to the same opportunities as others.
"I often receive emails about tech events happening and I usually go and take a look at the panel and rarely see any who looks like me. This was and is a source of deep frustration, yet when putting myself forward to be on the stage of other entrepreneurs, I’m often passed up, despite knowing my stuff and having great endorsements from people I’ve worked with."
She added: "I’ve only now just started to market myself as a personal brand, because I always felt it would be infinitely harder to gain any traction as a black woman in tech. It’s taken two-plus years of really putting myself out there, adding value and hard work, to get me to a point where I now feel confident to have a personal brand."
Launched in 2017, TMC&Co aims to simplify tech to give clients "their time and sanity back".
Toni added: "My key focus is setting up a lean tech stack, that is automated in order to help my clients achieve digital growth.
"But I'm known for communicating in clear, jargon-free language and I will ebb and flow to the client's pace, so they never feel bamboozled or out of the loop."
Nicolay Armando, Title Productions Ltd
Nicolay Armando and Noor Ahmed are co-founders of Bolton firm Title Productions Ltd, a film production company specialising in documentaries and corporate videos for businesses.
They launched the firm in 2018 after seeing the video market grow "like never before", and believing strongly that video is "the most powerful and effective way to create engagement and tell meaningful stories that make a positive change".
Nicolay said he went into business after being inspired to tell meaningful and inspiring stories "to make a positive change in the world".
He said: "As a black entrepreneur from Portugal, I have struggled with certain areas such as communication and culture clashing.
"From my experience, you will always find people that will not do business with you based on who you are and what you look like but I have learnt to do business with people that are more open-minded like myself."
In terms of what support was needed to overcome such barriers, he said: "It is about creating certain strategies in place for inclusion and reinforcing diversity as a core value. For example – to create a group or giving BAME people an opportunity to 'have their shot'.
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Monique Kufuor, BOBExpo
Monique Kufuor is founder of Manchester-based BOBExpo, a platform for black-owned businesses, aimed at helping them locate specific products and services, through business exhibitions and an online directory.
Monique said she was inspired to become an entrepreneur as she wanted to spend more time with her family, as well as enter a career with more progression than her previous job as a nurse.
That's as well as looking to bridge the gap between black business owners, but she said it has not been straight forward as she continues to come up against the same barriers as businesses she is trying to support, including receiving funding and sponsorship.
She said: "This has given me a good understanding of the current barriers businesses face, which has helped the company facilitate support through our skills workshops.
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Alongside a wide range of banking services, NatWest offers businesses specialist sector knowledge in areas such as manufacturing and technology, as well as access to specialist entrepreneurial support.
"Because it's a shared experience, we have an active online Afro Caribbean community, which has created a spirit of collaboration between businesses."
She said: "I launched the company in 2018, as a frustrated consumer not being able to walk into a mainstream shop and find products for me or my kids, like hair products or books that represented characters that looked like my kids.
"I felt that everyone should have access to services and products for them and easily locate them, as the services and products are out there, but needed to have a place where consumers can find them.
"We also noticed a big gap between the growth of black-owned businesses, and a high percentage remain small businesses for longer than other business owners compared to other ethnicities. They are often refused from accessing funding and investments after several applications."
Franck Tahou and Lucia Ndongala, SACO Superfoods
Franck Tahou and Lucia Ndongala are founders of Salford-based SACO Superfoods, which specialises in importing natural, ethically-sourced ingredients from Africa.
Lucia said: "We are of African descent, and always wanted to do something to give back to the community back home, but weren’t sure how at first.
"We knew that agriculture played a crucial role in the lives of people there, but it’s only by visiting the Ivory Coast on a regular basis and starting conversation with local producers in remote areas that we witnessed their passion for their land and their work, and their willingness to do better everyday.
"We also better understood their challenges, limitations and untapped opportunities and realised that if we really wanted to support them in an impactful way, we would have to roll up our sleeves and start something of our own."
Former university lecturer Lucia and ex-finance sector worker Franck said they have experienced significant barriers in business due to prejudice.
Lucia said: "It's hard to admit it, but sometimes, as a black entrepreneur, your product or services might not be accepted by customers of other communities, not because it’s not a great product, but because they might have a lack of knowledge or a distorted perception of you because of the colour of your skin.
"Making people feel welcome and appreciated comes natural to Franck and I. We are both people person and just love interacting with customers face to face at events and markets, so it’s easier to get rid of that funny feeling."
Lucia said funding and access to networking can be a "massive barrier" to any SME, but that it's even more challenging for black entrepreneurs.
She said: "As a black business owner, you need to make a triple effort to prove that there is a market for your product or service, and even then, there is no guarantee that you will have access to the decision making people.
"In the meantime, you have to keep self-funding your business and self-teaching yourself all sorts of tech skills to keep the operation on a low-budget.
"This unfortunately, gives you less time to work on the business and doesn’t allow you to grow the business fast enough.
"On the bright side, we become more resourceful and more agile, so when we finally have access to more capital and good networking we know how to make the most of it."
She added: "One thing that Franck and I are learning is that, when you have a purpose-driven business and you stick to your values, people from any background are ready to support you regardless of your ethnicity.
"They see your integrity, they appreciate your hard work and are willing to open doors for you."
Formed in 2016, the company works directly with small cooperatives of small-scale women producers in the Ivory Coast.
Lucia said: "By doing so, we know where our products come from and uplift the livelihood of our produce.
"These ingredients offer excellent health benefits and can be used in different ways, in smoothies, cooking, baking or teas."
Gordon Merrylees, MD for Entrepreneurship at NatWest, said: "We’re humbled to have played our part in these success stories of the North West’s most promising BAME entrepreneurs.
"With over 22,000 entrepreneurs from all backgrounds across the 海角视频 supported by our Entrepreneurship programmes since 2018, NatWest is proud to be an open, inclusive and diverse organisation for our employees, our customers and the businesses we support."