Empowering Memphis Entrepreneurs to Scale and Succeed

Helping small businesses grow into employers, job creators, and community leaders.

Why MemphisTEN Matters

The Black Chamber of Memphis advances the MemphisTEN plan, an economic empowerment initiative focused on creating through targeted strategies that strengthen nonemployer firms, expand procurement opportunities, and deliver member services that build business capacity.

Our approach rests on the conviction that small businesses — particularly those owned by Black entrepreneurs — hold the greatest potential for sustainable job growth and wealth creation in our community. Through an integrated three-pillar framework — Advocacy, Access, and Acceleration — MemphisTEN addresses systemic barriers that limit minority-owned businesses from scaling.

Learn More

MemphisTEN Approach

MemphisTEN is more than a business development program—it is an economic empowerment initiative that transforms individual success into community prosperity through local business expansion.

Advocacy

Championing equitable opportunities and policy reform.

Policy Advocacy
Market Advocacy
Platform Advocacy
Resource Advocacy

Access

Opening doors to funding, procurement, and training.

Procurement Access
Capital Access
Operational Access
Network Access

Acceleration

Equipping entrepreneurs with mentorship and resources to scale.

Solopreneur Development
Business Growth
Leadership Development
Strategic Scaling

Memphis by the Numbers

50K+Nonemployer FirmsSolo entrepreneurs ready to scale and hire their first employees

1K+Minority Employer FirmsEstablished businesses with existing payroll infrastructure

46%African American AdultsSignificant portion of Memphis population with entrepreneurial potential

7.3%Minority-Owned FirmsCurrent percentage of employer firms - highlighting the opportunity gap

Business Growth

Black Chamber of Memphis Symposium Event

Think of it like physics: moving a block at rest requires a stronger push than keeping it in motion. The same is true for business growth.

A solo entrepreneur faces "static friction" — lack of capital, no payroll systems, limited back-office support, and steep learning curves. Making that first hire demands disproportionate effort.

Established small firms already have infrastructure in place; adding the next employee is like accelerating a moving object. By meeting firms where they are, we ensure both the "first hire" and "next hire" contribute to our 8,000-job goal.

MemphisTEN—Our Strategy to Create 8,000 Jobs by 2030

BCOM’s signature initiative, MemphisTEN, aims to create 8,000 jobs by 2030 through targeted support for underrepresented entrepreneurs. MemphisTEN delivers more than a program—it delivers a plan to dismantle barriers and strengthen Memphis’ economy from within.

The Challenge: Memphis counts more than 50,000 underrepresented firms, yet only 1,000 operate as employer firms.

The Opportunity: By helping 4,000 solopreneurs hire their first employee, we will expand the number of underrepresented employer firms from 1,000 to 5,000—raising the share from 2% to 10%.

MemphisTEN Programs

MemphisTen

Membership Support

Through these strategies, BCOM operates as a driver of economic development—not just a networking hub. We deliver measurable results in business growth, job creation, and economic inclusion.

Join the Movement

The moment is now. Memphis stands ready to deliver results through homegrown solutions and local hiring.

Your investment helps Back Office Support Services

Help nonemployer firms make their crucial first hire

Your investment helps Procurement Pipelines

Channel public spending into small, local firms

Your investment helps Acquisition Strategies

Transition ownership and sustain existing jobs

Invest in MemphisTEN

Technical assistance and networking for local businesses

Donate Today