But the road wasn’t always smooth. Launching a startup or operating a small business comes with unique hurdles that Johnson says are especially challenging for Black entrepreneurs. Here, he talks candidly about those setbacks, his successes, and what it means to be recognized as someone paving the way forward.

When you launched Tuloko in 2012, was there anything else like it out there?

There was really nothing out there. My business partner, Sean Armstrong, and I both traveled a lot when we worked in the corporate world, often for weeks at a time. We’d always try to find Black-owned businesses to support—places to eat, to get our hair cut, whatever it may be—and it just felt so much more difficult than it needed to be. It seemed natural for us to combine our business skills to create an accessible digital guide to find these businesses in any city we went to.

What does the name “Tuloko” mean?

We both have a great interest in Black history, specifically the parts of Black history most don’t talk or know about. Before this year, many people didn’t know that Tulsa, Oklahoma, was home to what was known as the Black Wall Street, an epicenter for Black businesses.

Where does your entrepreneurial drive come from?

The owner at my first job, Pie Guy’s Bakery in San Diego—sadly, no longer around—was a one-man show who really instilled in me core business principles about putting out a good product, treating all customers the same, and bringing the whole community up to the next level. That stuck with me throughout the rest of my career.

What’s one of the biggest challenges that Black business owners face?

Access to capital. Without it, tackling the other aspects of the business is nearly impossible. My partner and I were lucky when we won the Impact Division money, but it was always a hustle. I’d catch a bus every other weekend going from St. Louis to Minneapolis to qualify for grants. We even made our way down to Santiago, Chile, for seed money from a partner down there. Most Black businesses simply don’t have those opportunities. Since launching Tuloko, it’s been an important goal of ours to offer as many resources as we can to support other Black entrepreneurs.

Being named a Leader of Change by USA Today must have been pretty amazing.

That was completely unexpected, but such an honor. You know, I see these names that I’m listed among and think, How did I get here? I don’t have any books to my name, I don’t have sponsorships—I probably make the least amount of money! But if anything, it’s been validation that I’m on the right path and that the work I’m doing is making a difference.

How can San Diego better support local Black-owned businesses?

Continue to shop at them. That includes restaurants, but there are also many outside of the service industry to support, too. Keep going back to them, recommend them to your friends and family, and educate yourself on their experience—that’s the key to real change.

Duane Johnson 

Photo courtesy of Carlson School of Management

The post This Local Entrepreneur Is Putting Black-Owned Businesses in the Spotlight appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Sharon Olloqui

Five months after Sharon Olloqui opened her clothing boutique Ensemble in Oceanside in May 2008, a financial tsunami rocked her storefront and countless other small businesses across America. Olloqui talks with us about surviving the storm.

How did you get through the Great Recession? I paid attention to every cent—every penny that came in and went out of the store. I’m lucky because I have a background in merchandising and that proved to be a huge help. I watched and learned what my customers had to have. Fortunately, there aren’t any other boutiques like mine nearby.

Are there clothing lines that have become your mainstay? I don’t want to give away my secrets, but a few of them are: LAmade, and I love HippyTree, a local Hermosa Beach surfer-style men’s line. Ember Arts Jewelry is lovely. It’s a boutique line started by San Diego native James A. Pearson, inspired by some jewelry he’d bought on a trip to Uganda.

Are you feeling hopeful these days? Think you’re through the worst of it? 2012 was my worst year to date, so it’s tough. But I love what I do and it’s worth it. I’m trying to make the Oceanside ‘hood a little hipper and a little cooler. It’s a diamond in the rough.

Are there any new businesses coming in that could attract more shoppers? If only the Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen restaurant was closer. It’s only a mile away, but boy could that place bring in some serious business. They’re building a boutique Marriott across the street. It’s slated to be completed in 2014, and I’m counting on it to bring more traffic to the store. My locals love me and that gets me through, but I’m not getting any younger.

Ensemble interior

The post Survival of the Fittest appeared first on San Diego Magazine.