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Putting Saskatchewan on the Map: How CoBSMEs Is Growing a Stronger Black Business Community
By CoBSMEs
When people think about Black entrepreneurship in Canada, their minds often turn to cities like Toronto or Montreal. Saskatchewan rarely enters the conversation.
For Yinka Adebule, CEO of the Coalition of Black Small and Medium Enterprises (CoBSMEs), that is exactly why organizations like his matter.
Founded in 2023, CoBSMEs emerged from a simple but pressing need: visibility. Black entrepreneurs were building businesses across Saskatchewan, but many were doing so without dedicated representation, advocacy, or support networks.
"We realized there wasn't a lot of Black-led organizations that actually provide support to new immigrants, existing entrepreneurs, or business owners within the ecosystem," Adebule explains.
The organization was created to help change that reality. Today, CoBSMEs works to connect Black entrepreneurs with resources, professional networks, training opportunities, and business development support while helping ensure their voices are represented within Saskatchewan's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
That work recently received a significant boost when the Government of Canada announced more than $925,000 in funding through the Black Entrepreneurship Program to help CoBSMEs expand its training, mentorship, networking, and technology-focused programming for Black entrepreneurs across Saskatchewan.
A Growing Community
While Saskatchewan may not receive the same attention as larger provinces, Adebule says the province's Black entrepreneurial community is growing.
Over the past several years, he has witnessed increasing interest in entrepreneurship among both newcomers and established residents. More people are exploring business ownership as a pathway to economic opportunity, while community events and Black business expos are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services.
At the same time, Saskatchewan's growing Black population is contributing to greater demand for entrepreneurial support and stronger business networks.
"We're beginning to see more people who don't want to work for somebody else. They want to build something of their own," says Adebule.
He also points to the emergence of more organizations and ecosystem partners that are intentionally supporting Black entrepreneurship through networking events, training opportunities, and community engagement initiatives.
For CoBSMEs, that growing momentum has reinforced the need for programming that responds to where entrepreneurs are today, while preparing them for where the business landscape is headed.
Building Businesses for Today and Tomorrow
CoBSMEs' approach focuses on three core areas: capacity building, networking, and coaching.
The organization's current Business Development and Financial Literacy Cohort Program combines entrepreneurial training with opportunities for participants to connect with one another and engage with ecosystem stakeholders. Entrepreneurs also have access to one-on-one consultations designed to help them move their businesses from one stage of growth to the next.
Future initiatives include a Skill Up with Tech program focused on technology adoption and digital skills, as well as an annual Black business networking event.
For Adebule, however, success is not measured by the number of workshops delivered or programs offered.
"I think the simplest way I can put it is money in their pocket," he says. "How do you grow your revenue from $20,000 to $50,000, from $50,000 to $100,000, and from $100,000 to a million dollars?"
The training, networking, and mentorship are all designed with that goal in mind.
Technology has become an important part of that conversation.
"We live in a digital age and things are moving pretty fast," says Adebule.
Many of the entrepreneurs CoBSMEs supports are still in the early stages of building their businesses. They often do not have the resources to hire staff or invest heavily in operations, making digital tools an increasingly valuable way to improve efficiency and expand their reach.
Artificial intelligence has become a major topic of discussion, but Adebule believes many entrepreneurs are still looking for practical guidance on how to use it effectively.
Rather than focusing on technical theory, CoBSMEs wants entrepreneurs to learn from business owners who are already integrating AI into their day-to-day operations.
At the same time, he cautions that technology is only as useful as the business strategy behind it.
"People first need to understand their business model," he says. "If you don't understand how business works, just adopting AI won't necessarily get you the results you're looking for."
That same philosophy shapes how CoBSMEs develops its programming. The organization starts by understanding the challenges entrepreneurs are facing before designing programs to address them.
"Research helps you identify who Black businesses are, where they are, and what they do," says Adebule.
Those insights help the organization tailor its programming to the realities entrepreneurs are facing.
"Don't waste people's time," he says. "Create programs that people actually need."
More Than Building Businesses
Although CoBSMEs is still a relatively young organization, it has already built a network of more than 300 entrepreneurs and community members through its events and outreach efforts.
The organization continues to develop partnerships within Saskatchewan and across Canada, working with ecosystem organizations, governments, and national partners to expand opportunities for Black entrepreneurs.
For Adebule, the message to entrepreneurs is one of opportunity.
Entrepreneurship is rarely easy. It requires resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to delivering value. But as Saskatchewan's Black business community continues to grow, so too do the supports available to help entrepreneurs succeed.
"The opportunity in Saskatchewan is growing," he says. "As an entrepreneur, this is the best time to tap into it and take advantage of it."
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