This header runs across the top of the page. Hands of ambiguous race, gender, and age are shaping the dough for a pizza on a stainless steel table in a restaurant kitchen. They’re moving quickly. Pockets of air are visible as the dough stretches. As the dough spins, the flour dusted on the table assumes the shape of a circle.

Small Businesses

An African American woman smiles as she tamps freshly ground coffee into a portafilter to make an espresso. Golden, early-evening sunlight warms her hands and face.

I was raised by the hard work of a union barbershop in a working-class community of color. It shaped how I think about our economy.

Small businesses meet our most fundamental needs: food, shelter, clothing, art, culture, connection, and more. They create jobs and help communities generate and retain wealth. Responsible ones are the foundation of local economies.

But the rules have been twisted by economic titans who siphon wealth from communities, hoarding it among the few to the detriment of all.

My small-business partners respond by clarifying their unique visions for success; creating plans to bring those visions to life; finding just the right words for who they are, what they do, and why it matters; and touching the people who can help them succeed.

I'm proud to support small businesses that are committed to their communities. Where responsible small businesses succeed, people thrive.