Step 1: the business is real, open, and came up in a Black-owned search.
This business came up when we searched for Black-owned businesses in its category and city, and we confirmed it's a real, operating business, re-checked on a regular schedule so closed businesses drop off. That search ranks by relevance rather than filtering by ownership, so step 1 is a strong lead, not proof. Ownership gets confirmed at step 2, when the owner claims the listing. If you know this one shouldn't be here, report it and we'll pull it.
The owner claimed it and proved control.
The owner claimed this listing and verified through their own Google Business Profile, something only the real owner can edit, or confirmed via the business's listed phone or email. No tax returns. No 45-day waits.
Their license is confirmed active.
For licensed professions, lawyers, doctors, dentists, therapists, electricians, plumbers, contractors and more, when the owner claims their page, we confirm their license is active against the public state board (and the national NPI registry for medical providers). Only businesses we've actually confirmed carry this badge.
What we are, and what we're not
We confirm that a business is real and open, and we re-check it on a schedule. We verify Black ownership only when the owner claims their listing, and we verify a license (where it applies) at that same point. Anything still unclaimed hasn't had ownership confirmed, and we label it that way rather than imply otherwise. We are not a certification body, formal certification for government and corporate contracts is a different process offered by organizations like the U.S. Black Chambers. Our job is simpler: when you tap a listing, the business exists, it's open, and it is what it says it is.
Our promises
• Every listing shows when it was last checked, right on the card.
• Closed businesses get removed, and we publish the count.
• Featured listings are always labeled. Money never changes a verification badge.
• We never store your precise location, city-level only, and only if you share it.