Black Business Legacy in Pasadena: Challenges and Opportunities Persist

Ishmael Trone [Courtesy photo] As Black Business Month concludes, Ishmael Trone, a second-generation Pasadena African-American entrepreneur, offers insights into the enduring challenges and emerging opportunities for Black-owned businesses. Trone, CEO/President of F&M Business Center and Unyque Financial Realty, comes from a family of trailblazers.  “My parents started the company in 1969. They were the first African-American bail bondsman in the city of Pasadena,” he said. In 2000, Trone purchased his parents’ operations and transitioned the business into tax and real estate services. Trone sees familiar hurdles for Black businessmen and women persisting across generations. “I believe that the challenges are pretty much the same today as they were when my parents started,” Trone said.  He identified two main obstacles: lack of access to capital and preconceptions about neighborhoods. Elaborating on financial challenges, Trone explained, “There is still a disproportionately small amount of venture capital and bank loans that we are still struggling to go after compared to white counterparts.” The negative perception of Black neighborhoods as dangerous further compounds these issues, Trone said. This perception makes it difficult for Black-owned businesses to start, expand, and sustain operations in these areas. Recent national events, however, have sparked positive changes, he said....