CommunityBuild Ventures is an organization that is bringing about change in this era making sure that people are not being excluded due to race, gender or disability. By promoting Racial Equity, and Justice in work environments, CommunityBuild Ventures also generates healthy communities. EnrichHER had the opportunity to speak in depth with Natasha A. Harrison, Founder and CEO of CommunityBuild Ventures, to clearly define what they do and how it services our society.
Natasha A. Harrison, Founder and CEO of CommunityBuild Ventures
EnrichHER: Why did you start your company and why are you passionate about companies having a diverse workforce?
CommunityBuild Ventures: As a native of Atlanta, I have personally witnessed how lack of diversity creates hostile work environments, workplace bullying, and other forms of mental abuse. As we examined the idea that over a lifetime most people spend roughly 70% of their time at work, you find that individuals work environment impacts people emotionally as well as financially. This ignited my passion because no one should have to suffer from depression and other anxieties due to ignorance, blatant racism, sexism and other discriminatory issues found in work environment. We have made it our mission to mitigate risk and promote healthy workforce engagement by helping our organizations answer 3 crucial questions:
- How do we embody Racial Equity and Justice?
- How do We Partner or Collaborate with others through a Racial Equity and Justice Lens?
- How do we Build, Share, and Wield Power with the Community We Serve?
If a company is not able to answer these questions they are at risk of lawsuits and losing money due to lack of innovation as it relates to keeping top talent engaged.
EnrichHER: How were you able to flip this passion into a real business with employees?
CommunityBuild Ventures: Living life with a purpose, helping people heal from bad work environments and provide solutions to companies to improve communities became my focus. Having overcome a wide range of obstacles with regards to my experience as a working professional in DC Government sector, I’ve dealt with public policy. I began to formulate the question, if the government is having issues with diversity and inclusion, what is happening in Corporate America. As a consultant, I was able to create networks that included mentoring as well as coaching. Since launching in 2012 we have worked with top brands and specialize in in cultural transformation, collaborate transformation and power which are the key reasons top companies thrive!
EnrichHER: What is your unique perspective on being a business owner what 3 lessons where you faced with and had to overcome to be able to thrive in your industry?
CommunityBuild Ventures: I attribute my success to my willingness to update my plan as I approached the market. Diversity and workplace justice can be a touch subject in certain demographics thus I must be flexible in tailoring to my audience. Second, I find having courage to close the gap on racial disparity in the workplace; which involved building relationships with the right people to drive change. Lastly, I resolved to hire smart people who want to reinvest their talents and efforts into the business.
Links for More Information:
- https://www.thiswayglobal.com/blog/top-diversity-issues-in-the-workplace/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2019/02/04/diversity-without-inclusion-is-useless/#3d19ea455685
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