Earlier last year, Klir Online founder Danniebelle Gunter took part in an important discussion at Nottingham Trent University alongside the University of Leicester and The British Academy about the challenges Black African women face in entrepreneurship.

The session was led by Dr Oyedele Martins Ogundana and created a safe space for Black female founders to speak honestly about business, resilience and representation.

The conversation explored real topics many women experience while building businesses, including:

• lack of visibility
• limited opportunities
• confidence struggles
• balancing responsibilities
• pressure after the pandemic
• feeling underrepresented in business spaces

One of the biggest themes during the discussion was resilience.

Many Black women are building businesses while managing personal challenges, family responsibilities and financial pressures at the same time. Despite this, they continue creating opportunities, supporting communities and building businesses with purpose.

Danniebelle shared her own experience of becoming a full-time entrepreneur and how past struggles helped shape the direction of Klir Online. What once felt like setbacks became part of the motivation behind building a business focused on visibility, empowerment and digital support.

Klir Online now works with SMEs, CICs, charities and underrepresented founders to improve online visibility through:

• social media support
• branding
• websites
• content creation
• digital skills training
• social media workshops

The event also highlighted how important representation is.

Seeing Black women openly leading conversations, sharing experiences and supporting each other creates confidence for others who may feel unseen within business environments. It reminds people they belong in these spaces too.

Another key discussion focused on digital visibility.

Many businesses are doing amazing work offline but struggle to communicate their value online. Without support in branding, marketing or social media, many founders risk being overlooked despite the impact they are creating.

This is why conversations like this matter.

They help bring attention to the barriers underrepresented founders still face while creating opportunities for collaboration, learning and support.

For Klir Online, taking part in the research discussion was both empowering and inspiring. It reinforced the importance of continuing to create spaces where people feel supported, visible and confident enough to share their stories.

Because entrepreneurship is not just about business growth.

Sometimes it is about showing people they are capable too.