It's a privilege to be a Black business

in a city that I've grown to love.

Being the first generation here from the West Indies

it's important for us to be a part of the historical impact

that comes with DC.

I'm Sherika Wynter. - I'm Shallon Thomas.

And we're the founders of T|W Tote.

(gentle music)

I was headed to work in a full suit and tie

and I caught my reflection in a mirror

and realized I had a silly paper bag full of lunch

in my hand. (laughter)

And that's when the T|W Tote was born.

(gentle music) (zipper opening)

One of the issues we had as a business is just understanding

what happens next.

We knew there was a market out there,

but unfortunately nobody really knew us.

(gentle music)

Attending Grow with Google workshops helped us

learn smarter ways to optimize our business

as well as be found online. (gentle music)

They dropped a lot of nuggets on us.

From trends to insights,

it really helps us to better understand our customers

in a competitive space. (gentle music)

The mission of our program is to level the playing field

for Black and Latinx small business owners

within local communities.

We wanna help them grow their business,

and reach more customers online.

(gentle music)

Integrating that product into the culture

is why people love the brand.

It's really a community where people are supporting

each other openly and honestly.

You know that's really important to us because we develop

other people around us and push them to be great.

And in return your company ends up being great.

I mean as a minority woman it's scary.

Because we're laying the concrete

and it's not dry yet.

But knowing that this could be the beginning of something

for other people, it makes us keep going.

We're not gonna stop.

(gentle music)