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From Couch Surfer to Brand Positioning Badass: Why Black & Caribbean Female Founders Deserve Better
- Rhonda Glynn
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
“I’ve been the couch surfer, the factory worker, the aviation professional, the midlife student, and the late-stage founder. I don’t just study the barriers Black and Caribbean women face - I’ve lived them. And I’ve built Zoma Business Solutions so you don’t have to fight alone.”
If you’re a Black or Caribbean woman building a business, let me say this plainly: the system wasn’t designed for you.
The barriers are real - finance, visibility, role overload, and systemic bias.
But so is our brilliance.
I want you to know you are not alone, and more importantly: that there’s a strategy for every single barrier.
This blog is both my re-introduction and the launchpad for my new 4-part series: "Breaking Barriers: The Stress Stack for Black & Caribbean Female Founders - and How We Rise." And I’ll show you exactly how Zoma Business Solutions turns lived struggle into strategy.
My Late-Stage Everything Journey
📌 At 21, I was couch-surfing in Trinidad, relying on family for food and shelter.
📌 At 24, I was clocking factory shifts.
📌 At 27, I landed my first permanent job.
📌 At 40, I went back to school.
📌 At 55, I launched Zoma.
And today, at 62, I’m still dreaming bigger.
That’s what I call my "Late-Stage Everything".
I’ve been underestimated, underfunded, and overlooked.
But here’s what kept me going: I made a promise to myself at 21, when I felt powerless on someone else’s couch - never again.
That promise fuels how I design strategy today.
The Stress Stack We Carry
It’s no secret women entrepreneurs juggle more roles than men. But for Black and Caribbean founders, the weight is doubled.
Here’s what we’re up against:
The Capital Gap: 65% of women-led firms (especially in the Caribbean) cite finance as their biggest barrier. We’re still treated as “risky” unless a man co-signs our dreams.
The Growth Ceiling: Women own ~30% of MSMEs , but most are micro. Not because we lack ambition, but because the system limits scale.
The Role Overload: We’re running businesses, raising families, leading communities - often all at once. Burnout is baked in.
The Visibility Tax: Men inherit networks; women must build their own stages just to be seen.
And yet, we’re still here. Still building. Still leading. Still dreaming.
“The biggest lie ever told about Black and Caribbean women is that we can’t manage money. We’ve been stretching dollars into dynasties for generations.”
Why I Built Zoma Business Solutions
When I was 19, I ran my first suitcase trade to Venezuela. I had drive and vision - but no roadmap.
🚫 No mentor.
🚫 No strategist.
🚫 No blueprint.
That’s why I built Zoma Business Solutions: to give Black and Caribbean women founders the exact frameworks I needed back then.
Here’s how Zoma flips the script:
Visibility Architect™ – We build content, branding, and storytelling strategies that turn your uniqueness into your unfair advantage.
Strategy Simplifier™ – We take overwhelm and turn it into systems. Breaking big goals into tasks, tasks into subtasks, with data-driven checkpoints.
Growth Catalyst™ – We help you scale from micro to sustainable by positioning your business for funding, partnerships, and market access.
At Zoma, we don’t just name the barriers - we build the blueprints.
The 4-Part Series: Breaking Barriers
This is where I want to take you next.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing:
Part 1: The Capital Gap
Why finance is still the #1 stressor - and how to get fund-ready without losing your sanity.
➡️ Zoma Strategy Tie-In: Our Finance Readiness Audits™ help women founders build the numbers and narratives that attract funding.
Part 2: The Visibility Tax
Why we must create our own stages — and how to turn visibility into power.
➡️ Zoma Strategy Tie-In: Our Visibility Systems Map™ helps founders stand out online and offline, turning brand stories into revenue streams.
Part 3: The Weight of Roles
How to juggle business, family, and community without collapsing.
➡️ Zoma Strategy Tie-In: Our Glow-Up Toolkit™ and Imposter to Influence™ workshops give women tools for mindset mastery and process clarity.
Part 4: From Micro to Mighty
How to scale from fragile micro to sustainable enterprise.
➡️ Zoma Strategy Tie-In: Our Growth Pathway Framework™ helps women pivot from survival mode to scale mode, with partnerships, positioning, and bold business models.
"The Badass Auntie Manifesto"
Let’s be clear: I’m not here to hand you clichés. I’m here to hand you tools.
Here’s what I want you to know:
Numbers are a language. Learn them or let someone teach you.
Tech is your wing woman. AI isn’t scary; it’s leverage.
Strategy isn’t optional. A coach isn’t a luxury; it’s survival.
Read voraciously. Success leaves clues - in books, articles and case studies.
Network with intention. Mentors open doors. Sponsors pull you through them.
Get out of your own way. Sometimes the obstacle is YOU.
This is the unapologetic, no-nonsense, badass auntie energy I’m bringing to the series.
Because I want you to win.
Why This Matters for You
If you’re a Black or Caribbean woman founder, I want you to hear me: "The challenges you face aren’t proof of weakness-they’re proof of the systems designed against us."
But systems can be hacked, redesigned, and overcome with strategy.
That’s what Zoma offers. Not platitudes. Not empty motivation. But data, systems, and strategy designed with you in mind.
Final Word: From the Stone to the Builder
If there’s one headline I want written about me in 10 years, it’s this:
“She was the stone the builder threw away - and she used every brick thrown to become a badass.”
And I want the same kind of headline for you.
Call to Action
Sis, you don’t need another pep talk. You need a blueprint.
🔔 Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter to follow the Breaking Barriers series.
📰 Read the extended articles on Substack — free for now, but not for long.
🌐 Explore how Zoma Business Solutions can help you scale, shine, and sustain at www.rhondaglynn.com.
Because your late-stage brilliance isn’t just valid - it’s unstoppable.
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