Colorado Springs is a “great” place for racial minorities to start their own business; they need only take the leap, Eric Phillips said.

So that’s what he did.

Phillips started 3E’s Comedy Club, downtown Colorado Springs’ only comedy venue, during the pandemic.

He wasn’t alone. Black-owned businesses swelled to nearly 1.5 million nationwide in summer 2021, a 38% increase from pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, according to a Bloomberg News story that quotes data compiled at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Hispanic business ownership, meanwhile, increased slightly compared with Black business ownership, while white and Asian businesses dipped a bit, the University of California research showed, which was based on census data.

Colorado Springs has its share of Black-owned businesses that opened during the pandemic, including 3E’s, which seemingly went against the grain by starting during a time of uncertainty.

But Phillips didn’t intend to launch his dream business during a pandemic; like everyone else, it wasn’t something he ever imagined. It didn’t stop him, though.

“The entrepreneur is passionate,” Phillips said. “They’re going to work through whatever.”

Phillips continues to work through the pandemic’s never-ending headaches to nurture an idea he envisioned more than 25 years ago.

He opened his comedy club’s doors at 1 S. Nevada Ave. in September 2020. Running a comedy club was natural for him, thanks to his background as a promoter for comedians and his experience in property management.

But the timing posed issues — from finding construction workers amid labor shortages, to dealing with government-mandated capacity restrictions, to struggling to qualify for COVID-19 relief money.

To Phillips, it was worth it because of his love for people and the community.

“Educating people, making people laugh, giving people opportunity — those are the things that I enjoy the most,” Phillips said. “And this is just a part of that, you know, the comedy club is making people laugh and giving comedians (the) opportunity to perform and get better.”

People determine the success of a business, Phillips said. That’s why he encourages minorities who want to start their own business to network and create personal relationships.

“Business people have to know you, like you and trust you,” Phillips said. “… when you build that relationship, they’re willing to come out and help you because entrepreneurs want to see other entrepreneurs succeed.”

And that type of support is ripe in a city like Colorado Springs where growing business is a focal point, Phillips said.

For spa and skin care business owner, Giseleine Dogon, she felt that support first-hand.

Dogon began Your Bliss Skin and Body Care, a skin care spa at 2155 N. Academy Blvd., as a college student in 2016 after studying to become an esthetician, or skin-care specialist. Her clientele continued to double every year even during the pandemic.

“A good handful of them (clients) did say that they had been looking for specifically Black-owned businesses to continue their skin care and self care journey,” Dogon said. “So I think labeling my business as such online really helps a bit.”

Dogon runs the business while holding other jobs, but found that owning her own business gave her a deeper sense of direction for her life.

During the lockdown months of the pandemic in March and April of 2020, Dogon had to lean on other jobs, such as working at a grocery store, to support herself. Since then, she tried to devise ways to provide her services remotely, but said it is difficult to do as an esthetician.

“So, definitely learning to pivot with whatever changes are occurring, especially outside of ourselves and outside of our usual business practices is like the No. 1 thing I learned,” Dogon said.

Learning the art of “pivoting” is really what being an entrepreneur is all about, said James Proby, CEO of The Men’s XChange, an affordable boutique for men’s suits, jackets and ties at 409 N. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs.

Proby has maintained a presence in the Colorado Springs business community for more than 20 years, and believes the pandemic roused people, whether they were Black or not, to pursue careers that better aligned with their values.

That’s why he thinks so many Americans left their jobs, and some found their way to entrepreneurship.

“You realize that mortality is real,” Proby said. “You don’t need to wait till tomorrow to start your dreams and live your life.”

To support new and established entrepreneurs in communities such as Colorado Springs, Proby said consumers need to focus on shopping, playing and eating at locally owned businesses.

“Once individuals break out of the comfort zones of constantly shopping at Kohl’s or at Walmart, because they’re used to it, and actually look into leaving a space like Bed Bath & Beyond and finding space like Sparrow Hawk (a downtown cookware retailer),” Proby said, “you get a chance to understand a much more different local vibe and flavor and impact.”