When Lt. Cmdr. Thereasa Black had to leave her young daughter Isabella for a 13-month deployment in 2018, she says she knew something had to change.
“I cried every single day,” Black, a Navy reservist, says, “but I was able to talk to Isabella.”
Black explains her daughter felt depressed because of their separation, and the young mom never wanted to leave her again.
“I decided that I was going to start my business when I got back home,” Black added.
Black is the CEO and co-founder of Bon AppéSweet, selling chocolate bars at Walmart, Whole Foods and online. She also launched a brick-and-mortar shop called Better Black Coffee, serving personalized roasts, gourmet crepes, breakfast paninis and more.
Evolution of an entrepreneur
Black commissioned into the active Navy in August 2010, then transitioned to the Navy Reserve in 2014 — the same year she started George Washington Law School, but, she adds, her career plans changed after that 2018 deployment.
“During my senior year, I was accepted as a student attorney to practice in DC courts working on indigent defendant cases but never went officially back to law after my deployment … I became a lawyer because I wanted to fight for social justice,” Black said. “When I decided to start my business instead, I decided to put facts about social justice on all of my packaging so that I could still fight for a better America. All of the facts are bipartisan, so that they can bring people together to fight instead of pull them apart.”
Part of the inspiration for Bon AppéSweet was Isabella, who was given treats when Black deployed. Black later crafted a better-for-you-dessert to enable Isabella to still eat enjoyable foods but with higher quality ingredients. Bon AppéSweet began in 2019 with gelato that was sweetened with dates, according to Black.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black was unable to guarantee delivery times of frozen treats that needed to be shipped overnight to prevent melting. So in 2020 she pivoted to plant-based chocolate as her primary product.
“The chocolate was plant based because 70% cacao chocolate doesn’t typically have dairy in it and that was the first version of chocolate that I made,” Black said. “I continued with plant-based innovation because it’s better for the planet.”
Bon AppéSweet’s growth required factory access, prompting the entrepreneur to open a factory in Leonardtown, Maryland.
Three years later, Black and her new husband, Justin Carter, founded Better Black Coffee.
“People can come in and see what coffee beans we have and walk away with a freshly roasted bag of coffee,” Black said.
A military spirit
Though having a brick-and-mortar business comes with challenges — finding employees, ensuring coverage when an employee calls out, and keeping inventory stocked, to name a few, Black’s Navy background helped her through.
Black has been taught to handle stress, simultaneously balance multiple tasks, and pivot quickly and correctly when something does not work out, because of military service. These aspects have been helpful in entrepreneurship. She credited the Navy Reserve as the “only reason” she felt comfortable venturing into owning a small business.
“As most people know, as an entrepreneur, you never know if your venture is going to fail and it is very risky,” Black said. “The Naval Reserve gave me the best backup plan imaginable. It gave me great health insurance for me and my daughter. It gave me a constant, though not large, income due to drilling, and I always had the option to come back onto active duty in the event that I needed money for my household … Most people wouldn’t think of the reserves as the best choice for an entrepreneur, but I can’t think of a better career path.”
Resources for aspiring entrepreneurs:
- Boots to Business
- Bunker Labs
- Warrior Rising
- Veteran Shark Tank pitch competition
- Rice University Business School’s pitch competition hosted for veterans
Black was Warrior Rising’s 2023 Salt Lake City Business Shower winner, receiving a $20,000 grant for her business endeavors.
“I would like to encourage other people to figure out what makes them happy. Don’t let other people write your story. You need to be able to write it yourself,” Black added.
