By Tanya Grant, Brand Specialist.

As a branding specialist, whether delivered as a message in my online content, mentioned directly to the clients I work with or said in keynotes to delegates at events and masterclasses, I’ll often say exactly this, “lead with your values!”.

Why?

Because they’re the four words that will help to determine the outcome of most decisions you’ll have to make in life, so that you can act with purpose both personally and professionally. In fact, before joining BLACQ Space this is exactly what I tapped into.

I joined BLACQ Space at the end of June 2024 where at that time it was a 5-person strong networking group. I’ve known Jermaine Balfourth, founder of BLACQ Space, for a while now and when he’d gotten in contact with me about becoming a member of the space, I said “yes” straight away, despite the amount of people in it.

For me, it wasn’t about the numbers. It was about the integrity of his values, especially where the likes of empowerment, inclusivity and celebration were concerned. You see as a Black female entrepreneur and woman in business, those values in particular are ones I not only resonate with but wholeheartedly believe in sharing myself too, as feeling them wasn’t always my experience.

In my early career as a freelance graphic designer, communities like BLACQ Space were few and extremely far between. The creative spaces I was a part of existed to me mostly in highly pressurised, non-gratifying working environments. At times, I used to feel like was overlooked by some of my peers and not taken seriously and it was in those moments particularly, where I struggled to thrive the most. I used to experience what I can now identify as systemic racism as well as sexism and often felt like I was silenced by the noise of everyone else’s progress around me. My confidence was knocked so much so that I’d question my talent and ability to handle projects. Worst of all, I’d second-guess every decision I had to make, leaving me feeling disconnected, undervalued, and hesitant to even want to step forwards in my career.

Now in today’s day and age, you’d probably label those types of environments as being toxic but back then, it was typical for me and something I just “dealt with” or “worked through”. Thankfully, I had a good network of family and friends who were my sound board support system, but having another external safe space where I could share the feelings I was questioning simply wasn’t, to my knowledge, as accessible. The opportunity to vent in an understanding alternative domain was a rare luxury I often looked for, simply to confirm that I wasn’t going crazy!

What’s really sad here, is that although I went through those lessons during the early to mid 2000s and have since built up my resilience levels to an all time high, I know even today, especially post pandemic, my experiences and feelings weren’t and aren’t unique.

They still happen.

And when you consider that out of approximately 51% of people who make up the UK female population, less than 5% are Black and Brown females in leadership roles, it’s shocking! But I can’t say that I’m surprised. Especially when you consider that the further away from the typical white male image you are, the harder it is to smash through that proverbial glass ceiling.

However, even though you may be thinking what’s new?

It’s my belief that it doesn’t always have to be this way. In fact, I look forward to the day where even more women based in the UK, who look like me, become the norm and are no longer the anomaly, particularly in those leadership areas.

And how can we make the moves towards making this goal happen?

Well, we do so by switching up the narrative. Lead with your values and join forces with like minded individuals. Position yourself in spaces you’d typically shy away from or create those tables you’d often be persuaded not to join all so that you can help to empower a sense of privilege that becomes more of what you want to see in your industry. And I know that this won’t happen overnight but for lasting positive change to happen for good, to reach equality, purposeful value packed action needs to happen.

This is why I get excited about entities like BLACQ Space. It was created to champion the idea of changing the narrative especially where Black female as well as all gender entrepreneurs and creatives are concerned. It does so, so effortlessly.

So much so that today, Jermaine alongside founding member Ed Odofin, continue to drive this visionary catalyst of strength, unity, and growth, towards making sure that BLACQ Space and its Inner Circles achieve those opportunities of change. This once small group has since developed into a thriving community of over 1,700 culturally rich, brilliantly creative Black professionals who are a powerhouse of experts and innovators which I’m proud to be a part of.

Join the Space Rebels here.

BLACQ Space is a dynamic community dedicated to empowering Black creatives by fostering connections, celebrating culture + driving innovation. Rooted in community, culture, and creativity, we provide a platform to amplify voices, reclaim narratives, and inspire change across industries.

Through events, collaborations, and thought leadership, BLACQ Space is shaping a future where Black talent thrives unapologetically.