Lifting up Black success

When Robert Tyndale, ‘10 BCom, first started his production agency Version Me Media, he thought he’d find success by showing up, working hard and being prepared. But as a Black person, he said that concept couldn’t be further from the truth.

“As I was navigating my business in a meeting or selling or pitching my services, I found I would have to prove my expertise a bit further and be even more clear in order to land that contract,” said Tyndale.

And as a Black man who styles his hair in dreadlocks, he has to work harder to be taken seriously.

“I can wear a suit and have dreads and still be treated as a professional,” he said.

His experiences navigating the professional space as a Black entrepreneur are one of the reasons he’s launching Return On Colour, an online directory of Black-owned businesses, experts and organizations in Alberta.

Launching at the end of the month, Return On Colour currently has about 200 unique registrants. Eventually, the goal is to roll out the directory across Canada.

Because Black entrepreneurs are faced with a disproportionate amount of challenges when starting out — generations of systemic racism mean Black individuals aren’t given the same access to funding or mentorship opportunities, for example — Tyndale hopes this new directory will help break down barriers by amplifying and celebrating Black success stories and connecting Black communities and like-minded individuals. It’ll also be a resource for communicators, journalists and corporations to discover Black experts and talent in different fields and industries.

“At the end of the day, there’s a series of systems and processes that stifles our success stories, as well as a disconnect that we’re faced with when trying to launch and run our businesses,” said Tyndale. He also hopes Return On Colour will be a resource for organizations looking for advice or individuals with the expertise necessary to revamp human resource policies or practices and build a more diverse workplace culture.

“My biggest fear is losing this window of opportunity to engage with groups open to change; I really want to capitalize on people’s intent to listen, learn and be educated and implement some of these potential changes on a larger scale,” said Tyndale.

Tyndale is no rookie when it comes to the benefits of community connection and entrepreneurship.

Growing up in Edmonton, his time with the Jamaica Association of Northern Alberta — first as a member and later serving on the board — showed him what it meant to belong to a group of people that looked like him and understood and celebrated his culture. His time travelling the world in high school and university as a sponsored, professional video game player (often competing in stadiums in front of tens of thousands of fans) gave him his first taste of marketing and effectively growing a community and building relationships at scale.

Even before graduating from university, he started his first company, Room 322, a clothing store which he ran full-time for a few years before having to close its doors. Later, he created Tastemakers Edmonton, a brand that hosted successful events and experiences across the city. He also spent over a decade as a freelance content producer before eventually launching his latest venture, Version Me Media.

And recently, Tyndale was appointed to the board of the Federation of Black Canadians, a national non-profit organization that advances the social, economic, political and cultural interests of Canadians of African descent.

That experience has only furthered his resolve to highlight the value Black Canadians bring to the table.

“It’s really broadened my scope and understanding of the needs of different groups in different regions across the country, and their respective challenges,” said Tyndale.

And if you have the capacity, he says, get involved in your community, engage with people on a more meaningful level and give back