The Story of Brown Ribbon Exchange

As a Black woman accountant, I’ve had the honor of working with incredible Black women-owned businesses. In every one of these businesses, I saw something powerful—a shared dedication, a commitment to excellence, and ideas with real potential. But I also kept seeing a recurring pattern: these talented women, with great business ideas, often lacked the resources or funding they needed to fully thrive. They were capable and visionary, but the support wasn’t always there.

I’ll give you an example. A friend had invested everything into manufacturing a retail line. She had poured her time, energy, and money into her product. But when it came time to market and sell it, she found herself struggling to pull together the resources for everything that came next. She needed marketing, connections, and distribution—all the things that make a brand visible and successful. I connected her with people in my network to fill those gaps, but I kept finding this issue time and time again with other clients.

That’s when I realized something: what if we could be each other’s resource?

In those moments when I couldn’t access funds myself, I’d think about what I already had “in my hands.” For me, that was my skill set. And I could use that skill as a form of currency, an exchange to get what I needed. This led me to an idea: what if we could create a broader ecosystem, where even if I don’t need what you’re offering directly, we can still work together through an exchange? It’s a community-based approach that’s about sharing what we already have, and that’s where Brown Ribbon Exchange came to life.

A New Kind of Currency: The Power of Tokens and Brown Ribbons

This led to the idea of tokens, or “brown ribbons,” as a form of currency. These tokens would represent each woman’s unique skill, ready to be exchanged within a network of other entrepreneurs. We’d created an ecosystem where each woman could support the next, providing services and resources without needing to exchange cash.

But Brown Ribbon Exchange is more than just a bartering marketplace. It’s a community, a movement that empowers us, helps us grow, and connects us to the tools we need to succeed. Here, women can trade their skills, find support, and reach real revenue goals—whether that’s by attracting more clients, finding new customers, or building a support system to sustain their business.

Running a Business Like a Business—with Each Other’s Help

Think about it. Major corporations have entire teams dedicated to different aspects of their business. They have marketers, salespeople, finance experts, operations professionals—the works. But as women running small businesses, many of us end up having to wear all those hats ourselves. And this often holds us back. We start out as capable professionals, but we’re stretched thin trying to juggle every role alone.

With Brown Ribbon Exchange, we don’t have to go it alone. We all have skills we’ve gained from our work experience, skills that have helped other businesses grow, even if we haven’t always gotten the recognition we deserve. That’s why many of us are taking our expertise and launching our own businesses. We’re creating something that’s ours, but we need each other to make it a reality.

Building Together: A Marketplace Centering Black Women

Imagine it like a puzzle. I might have what you need, and she might have what I need. Together, we can build something powerful by working together and filling in the gaps that keep us from reaching the next level.

In the long term, my vision for Brown Ribbon Exchange goes beyond an online platform. I envision bartering marketplaces in real life, where we can trade services and skills face-to-face. Imagine getting your hair done by a fellow business owner in exchange for designing her logo. Or receiving custom-made clothing from a Black-owned fashion brand because you handled the brand’s bookkeeping for a month. This is about creating a full-spectrum ecosystem that supports every aspect of our lives and businesses.

More Than a Marketplace—A Movement

Brown Ribbon Exchange centers Black women, their skills, their passions, and their determination. We are creating a place where we can build each other up, fill each other’s needs, and create opportunities that go beyond what’s been available to us. Our currency isn’t dollars but each other, our time, and our expertise. We are crafting a new kind of economy, one where we empower each other to reach new heights.

Brown Ribbon Exchange is more than just a marketplace. It’s a movement. And I’m proud to invite you to be part of it. Let’s come together, share what we have, and build the future we deserve—one exchange at a time.

Join our community here!