Meet four Black-owned businesses building the next generation of British brands

It takes hard work, creativity and a giant leap of faith to launch an independent business today. But getting a new venture off the ground is just the first hurdle and taking it to the next level is another challenge entirely.

Black founders can face more barriers to accessing the mentorship and support needed to grow their business. Black In Business, the Channel 4 initiative in partnership with Lloyds, helps break down these barriers and give Black-owned businesses the visibility, expertise and connections to reach the next stage – through harnessing the unique power of TV advertising to help grow to the next level.

Now in its third year, the initiative is bigger than ever, awarding four winners £200,000 of Channel 4 advertising airtime (up from £150,000), a bespoke television ad, and six months of tailored marketing support and business mentoring from Lloyds and Channel 4.

Previous winners include health-focused meal brand The Gym Kitchen, Jamaican patty maker Flake Bake, and haircare brands Flora & Curl and Nylah’s Naturals — who all saw significant sales growth after their campaigns.

This year’s chosen businesses span maternal wellbeing, gifting, sweet treats and baby skincare. Though on different journeys they have one thing in common: an ambition to reach greater heights.

Helping Black founders overcome barriers

Casyo Johnson came up with the idea for his baby skincare brand after he became a father. He wanted to create an accessible range made from naturally derived formulations. Launched in 2022, Nala’s Baby now accounts for 10% of the UK baby toiletries market and is stocked in Boots and major supermarkets.

Johnson now dreams of making it the number one baby toiletries brand in the UK, expanding internationally and adding more products. “I’ve got a brand that has my daughter’s name on it, so I’m motivated every day for this business to succeed.”

For independent businesses without huge advertising budgets, boosting visibility can be difficult. Black In Business gives Johnson the opportunity to put Nala’s Baby in front of a national TV audience.

“I saw it as an amazing opportunity to get ourselves onto a more level playing field. Being able to get an advert on TV and compete on the same level as a lot of my competitors was a no-brainer for me,” he says. “Just that little boost, little push and little support can make a world of difference.”

Amplifying the reach of Black-owned businesses

Entrepreneur Ryan Panchoo heard about Black In Business through his friend Mike Williams, co-founder of previous winner Flake Bake. “As a Black founder, the opportunities, the rooms, the conversations, the access to people is hard,” he says.

Panchoo’s inclusive bakery business Borough 22 began after he started making allergy-friendly sweet treats for his children. It’s grown from a side hustle to an award-winning business, selling doughnuts, cakes, puddings, cookies and brownies online – through Just Eat and Deliveroo – and in cafés across London, plus a concession in Selfridges’ Oxford Street Food Hall.

“We’re making people feel included,” he says.

For Panchoo, Black In Business – the Channel 4 initiative, in partnership with Lloyds – offers the chance to turn up the volume and reach new customers. “We are ready. We have built our infrastructure. All we need to do now is amplify our message and let people know that we exist.

“For me, the advert is like the cherry on top of the cake. It’s the people that I’m going to be exposed to and getting us into different rooms, different spaces and in front of different people.”

Providing expert mentorship for Black entrepreneurs

Tayo Adebisi almost didn’t apply for Black In Business. “I was too scared to fail,” she admits. She feared her food-gifting business wasn’t ready, despite having successfully overcome start-up challenges and issues with international expansion.

Luckily, her team encouraged her to go for it. “It’s been really beautiful. I took a whole week to just bask in the glory of winning this.”

Adebisi started Leeds-based Tilz Collection, which curates coffee, hot chocolate, spice and hot sauce gift sets and advent calendars, with an initial £5,000 investment in 2017. A selection of its gift sets are stocked by Selfridges, farm shops and garden centres across the UK, alongside its online and international sales. Today, she’s approaching £5 million of revenue, she wants to grow the company into a year-round gifting destination and double the size of the business over the next few years. “It’s not about how you started. It’s about where you’re going,” she says.

For Adebisi, ambition has never been in short supply, but expert advice has. Mentoring from Lloyds and Channel 4 gives Adebisi the chance to learn from people who have already scaled businesses. “I haven’t been fortunate enough to have a mentor. For me, actually, before the awareness, it was the mentoring I really needed,” she says.

Supporting the next generation of Black British businesses

For Sandra Igwe MBE, raising her businesses’ profile through Black In Business is about more than growing her company. It’s about reaching mothers in need.

As founder of The Motherhood Group, which started life as a WhatsApp group, Igwe has already spent a decade providing support and community to Black mothers. Now, with maternal wellbeing app Mumbrite, she is taking everything she has learnt and is building a femtech business that connects mothers with community, expert-led support and culturally competent care.

Igwe reached the final of Black In Business 2025 but didn’t win. She took on guidance from Lloyds’ mentors, came back even stronger and applied again a year later – this time triumphant.

“Getting through, seeing the advert, and knowing a mum who is struggling in the depths of motherhood might download the app and find community and expert-led support – for me, I’ve won,” she says.

But success also means supporting the next generation of black entrepreneurs. “We need to be sending the ladder down, helping those who are trying to get a come up.”

Find out more about this year’s Black In Business winners on the Lloyds website, and look out for their adverts on Channel 4 from January 2027.