Minority Entrepreneurial Finance Barriers

Minority Business Enterprises play a significant role in evolving the U.S. economy and contributing to its Gross Domestic Product. Although entrepreneurs seek independence and the rewards of entrepreneurship, corporate financing may be a necessitate to begin or continue the life of a business. However, finding, engaging, and securing capital is an ongoing problem for some that extend beyond existing discriminatory barriers such as race, gender, ethnic origin, or geographical positioning. The objective of this phenomenological inquiry is to investigate an additional obstacle encountered when seeking business financing and explore whether the educational level of an applicant is a factor. The design utilized a conceptualization adapted from Gary Becker's Economics of Discrimination Theory to explore whether educational level plays a role in the process. The framework investigated the lived experiences of minority entrepreneurs in the St. Louis Metropolitan area in a closed-ended survey, in which educational levels are evaluated similarly to other established biases. This new research direction is consistent with similar research yet expands it to uncover an additional bias and determinant of corporate financing. This study contributes to existing business theories and further develops the knowledge in business by analyzing financial processes relating to MBE's and minority entrepreneurs' funding experiences. The results indicate an involvement between the educational level of minority entrepreneurs and existing barriers and the level of education as a perceived bias. These findings are significant because recognizing discriminatory behaviors and economic barriers can emancipate a minority business owner and rechannel their corporate financing experiences.