Asian Business Empowerment Council
The Goal: The Asian Business Empowerment Council serves as a platform to increase economic power within the AAPI business community and to address systemic disparities that limit business ownership, growth, and sustainability. ABEC will serve as an organizing force and central hub for entrepreneurs, business owners, advocates, and service providers by advancing four priority areas.
May is #shopAAPIMonth
#ShopAAPIMonth is a statewide campaign that celebrates and uplifts Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) businesses during AAPI Heritage Month. By encouraging consumers to visit, share, and uplift AAPI-owned businesses, the campaign promotes visibility, economic inclusion, and community pride across Massachusetts. The #shopAAPImonth campaign is a collaboration between the Asian Business Empowerment Council (ABEC), and the Massachusetts House Asian Caucus.
THE ABEC APPROACH
Advocating to expand opportunities for and address concerns common to the Asian American business community in order to promote business success and equitable access to economic prosperity. ABEC will act as a voice for the Asian American business community in creating and sustaining inclusive business, finance and government regulations and pathways, including state and city business opportunities for minority-owned businesses.
Building a community of stakeholders and supporters of Asian American entrepreneurs and small business owners to provide equitable access to business resources and capital for the Asian American business community. ABEC’s interactive collection of resources for Asian American entrepreneurs and small business owners will include nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, established businesses, technical service providers and experienced businesspeople to address issues unique to the Asian American business community, such as access to financial resources, language translation, and navigating government requisition and regulatory processes.
Educating Asian American entrepreneurs through existing programs to grow and sustain their businesses. ABEC will partner with nonprofit organizations, technical service providers and educational institutions to support the educational growth of Asian American entrepreneurs through programs to develop language skills, technical skills, financial acumen, and business knowledge.
Collaborating with other communities of color to amplify equitable change for business owners of color. ABEC will work with other similar organizations serving other communities of color to leverage shared issues and common mindsets to create greater impact for sustainable growth for businesspeople from all communities of color.
Meet the ABEC Executive Director: Qingjian (Q.J.) Shi
On June 1, Qingjian Shi began her role as the first-ever Director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council. Qingjian joins ABEC after serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Program Officer at Tech Goes Home, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the digital divide that posed a significant barrier to opportunity and success for thousands of students, workers, and families.
As Executive Director, Q.J. will shape, communicate, and execute on ABEC's vision to support and empower the Asian American business community and strengthen workforce development opportunities, cultivating and coordinating a vibrant community of business owners, entrepreneurs, service providers, and advocates.
Needs of the AAPI Business Community:
With the wide range of education, language skills, and income levels within the AAPI community, the hurdles to business ownership, growth, and sustainability for Asian entrepreneurs are extremely high. A report in 2019 from the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development on AAPI small business owners found the most frequently cited barriers to securing mainstream financial capital were poor credit, difficulty in navigating the loan application process, linguistic barriers, and lack of knowledge of capital availability. More than any other racial or ethnic group, AAPIs turn to personal resources, friends, and family for startup business financing, which favors resources for those who have preexisting and personal connections to significant wealth (2018 SBA Office of Advocacy).
Furthermore, the challenges faced by AAPI businesses have been magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses closed, and for those businesses that remained open, the overlapping anti-Asian sentiment and public health concerns caused businesses to suffer significant declines. According to a 2021 report from Boston Indicators entitled Building AAPI Power, an outsized percentage of Asian-owned businesses were represented in higher-risk industries or industries where in-person work was required. ABEC aims to address these systemic disparities by cultivating a strong network of Asian-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, expanding access to technical assistance and growth opportunities, and advancing a unified advocacy voice for AAPI businesses across Massachusetts.
Recent Events
#ShopAAPI Holiday 2024
On December 11, the Asian Community Fund, the Asian Business Empowerment Council and the Boston Foundation were proud to host the second annual #ShopAAPI forum and night market at TBF’s offices in Boston.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Read a recap and see photos from the event
The Asian Community Fund’s Inaugural Gala
The Asian Community Fund (ACF) at the Boston Foundation convened more than 550 AAPI leaders, allies, and partners for an evening dedicated to advancing AAPI representation, leadership, and narrative change in Massachusetts. The event featured cultural performances, networking opportunities, a powerful keynote from City of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and honored two distinguished changemakers—Geeta Aiyer and Bob Rivers.
Thursday, October 3, 2024, 5:30 p.m. / The Westin Copley Plaza
Read a recap of the gala
The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Mass.
How have AAPI-owned businesses fared in the years after the pandemic? The Asian Business Empowerment Council (ABEC) decided to find out by conducting a multilingual, targeted survey. The results were the subject of this powerful panel discussion with AAPI business and banking leaders.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Setting Roots in Rocky Soil: The State of AAPI-owned Businesses in Massachusetts
The Asian Business Empowerment Council (ABEC) at the Asian Community Fund released of a multi-year study examining the complex and diverse challenges and opportunities experienced by AAPI entrepreneurs and engage in conversation around policy and practice strategies for change.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
#ShopAAPI Night Market
For one special night only, a roster of AAPI-operated small businesses were on hand at a unique Asian-style night market inside the atrium at 75 Arlington/10 St. James in Back Bay with holiday gifts, delectable treats and other festive items! Continue your holiday shopping and support local AAPI-owned businesses by shopping at these vendors with the #shopAAPI Holiday Shopping Guide linked below.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Learn more about this public event
Understanding the Asian Business Landscape in the Commonwealth: A Snapshot of Resilience and Impact
This event celebrated the release of a research brief unveiling a snapshot of Asian-owned businesses in Massachusetts. The brief captures the resilience and resourcefulness of Asian entrepreneurs in the Commonwealth and highlights the significant contributions of Asian-owned businesses to the state's economy, which add billions of dollars while facing numerous barriers to accessing services that support businesses.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Presenting the Voices of the AAPI Business Community
Before a sizeable and thoroughly engaged online audience, the Asian Business Empowerment Council, or ABEC, made its programmatic debut with a lively forum designed to elevate the voices of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) business community and a number of panelists in position to collaborate with them.
Thursday, October 27, 2022, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
ABEC Advisory Board
Paul Lee
Retired Partner, Goodwin Proctor LLP
Director, The Boston Foundation
Ramesh Advani
Retired Finance Executive
Kimberly Blakemore
Director of Climate Tech Strategy
Analog Devices
Bobby Chen
Principal
Abry Partners
Ben Hires
Chief Executive Officer
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
Renee Inomata
Partner
Casner & Edwards, LLP
Priya Lane
BizGrow Director
Lawyer for Civil Rights
Vince Lau
Managing Partner
Clark Lau LLC
Irene Li
Chief Executive Officer
PrepShift
Douglas Ling
Consultant
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Satya Mitra
President & CEO
The Guru Tax & Financial Services, Inc.
Abby Nguyen-Burke
Senior Vice President & Team Leader for Equity Alliance for Business at Eastern Bank
Equity Alliance for Business at Eastern Bank
Daniel Park
Associate General Counsel
TScan Therapeutics
Sophan Smith
Executive Director
EforAll Merrimack Valley
Joe Suyemoto
Senior Counsel
IBM Corporation
Susu Wong
Founder & Chief Connector
Tomo360
Zhen (Jane) Zhu
Chair and Professor of Marketing
Suffolk University
For more information:
To learn more about how you can participate in building the Asian Business Empowerment Council at the Boston Foundation, please contact ABEC Executive Director Qingjian (Q.J.) Shi at: qj.shi@tbf.org.