Where enterprise meets activism
Business as a form of activism.
An Entrepreneurivist uses entrepreneurship to shift wealth, ownership, and opportunity toward the communities that have been shut out of them. Build what your community needs, own what you build, and make the economics serve the mission.
What is an Entrepreneurivist?
An Entrepreneurivist builds businesses as a form of activism. Rather than treating profit and purpose as separate lanes, the Entrepreneurivist uses entrepreneurship to shift wealth, ownership, and opportunity toward the communities that have been shut out of them.
Coined by Belle Espinal, the term describes a way of working she has practiced across economic development, education, consulting, and community organizing.
Economic power is a civic tool, and ordinary people — especially women of color — can wield it.
Growth
Continuous development, learning, and scaling of ideas and impact.
Togetherness
Collective strength, partnership, and building alongside people.
Innovation
Creative solutions, forward-thinking approaches, and bold ideas.
Purpose
Commitment to causes, activism for change, and making a difference.
The ventures
Entrepreneurivist is the umbrella for a family of ventures that put the idea into practice. Together they make one argument.
Consult Espinal
Designs workforce and curriculum programs.
consultespinal.com →
Reclaim Our Wealth
with Sisters of Economic Action
Community wealth-building in Northeast Ohio, with Sisters of Economic Action.
reclaimourwealth.org →
Bottom Up Education
Teaches people to monetize their values.
bottomuped.org →
dayTa
Helps people track the goals that move them forward.
daytaapp.com →
Sankofa Trade
Connects diasporic makers in Morocco and Kenya with buyers in the US.
sankofatrade.com →
Founder
Belle Espinal
Belle Espinal coined the term Entrepreneurivist to name a way of working she has practiced across economic development, education, consulting, and community organizing: build what your community needs, own what you build, and make the economics serve the mission.
Her work spans workforce and curriculum design, community wealth-building in Northeast Ohio, values-based business education, goal-tracking tools, and diasporic trade between makers in Morocco and Kenya and buyers in the US.
In development
The Entrepreneurivist Conference
In the coming years, Entrepreneurivist will convene its first conference — a gathering for founders, organizers, nonprofit leaders, educators, and funders who refuse to choose between building wealth and building justice. Attendees will leave with practical tools, real relationships, and a clearer model for turning their values into sustainable enterprises.
Planned focus areas
- Monetizing your values
- Community ownership and wealth-building
- Workforce pathways
- Diasporic trade and wealth
- Funding mission-driven ventures
Be first to know
Rooted in Cleveland, Ohio and open to the diaspora, the conference aims to become an annual home base for people who do business as a way of doing good. Share your interest and we'll keep you posted on dates and tickets.
Express interestSend us a message
Questions, partnerships, speaking, or press — write to us and we'll get back to you.