The Black Business Directory
About Us
Last updated: September 8, 2026
The Black Business Directory, Inc. (“THEBBD”) is a North Carolina company that operates thebbd.black — a free, nationwide directory of Black-Owned businesses, available on the web and as an app for iOS and Android.
Company information
- Legal entity
- The Black Business Directory, Inc.
- Trading as
- THEBBD
- Headquarters
- 2810 Yonkers Rd Ste 5A, Raleigh, NC 27604, United States
- Website
- thebbd.black
- Contact
- [email protected] · (919) 449-5141
- Sector
- Online business directory and consumer mobile application
What we do
THEBBD (The Black Business Directory) holds listings of Black-Owned businesses, for people who want to support Black-Owned businesses. In essence, a Black version of Yelp and TikTok — a directory you can search, review and browse on a map, combined with a feed of short-form social video posts made by the businesses themselves.
Visitors can:
- Search by business name, service, or category, or open a map and see what is nearby, sorted by distance.
- Open a business profile with its hours, phone number, address, website, photos, services, and customer reviews.
- Watch short-form video posts from the businesses themselves, and save, share, and review the places they visit.
How the directory is built
The business listings were acquired by searching the internet and doing research. As such, over 100,000 businesses are listed. The businesses are categorized by ownership and by type of business. And all business listings are free.
Because listings are built from public research, a listing exists whether or not its owner has ever visited THEBBD — which is why owners are given a way to take control of the entry that already describes their business.
For business owners
Business owners can claim and control their business listings. Naturally, only a business owner can maintain a business listing with current information and communicate with prospective customers.
Claiming is free and requires verifying ownership: the owner supplies the phone number published on their own Google Business Profile, a link to that profile, and a screenshot of it. Once verified, the listing carries a Verified badge and the owner can edit hours, contact details, photos, services, and video posts. An owner can start a claim here: thebbd.black/sms-optin.
How text messaging fits in
Text messaging supports one part of the service only: verifying business claims. When an owner claims a listing and gives express written consent on the claim form, THEBBD sends a one-time verification code to the phone number published on that business’s profile, and messages about the outcome of that claim — typically one to three messages in total.
No marketing or promotional text messages are sent, ever. Consent is optional and is never a condition of claiming a listing or of any purchase. Phone numbers are never bought, rented, sold, or imported, and opt-in data is not shared with any third party.
The opt-in is documented in full, including the exact consent wording and a screenshot of the unchecked checkbox, at thebbd.black/sms-optin. See also our SMS Terms and Conditions and SMS Privacy Policy.
How we make money
THEBBD is free for consumers to use, and free for business owners to list and claim. There is no subscription, no listing fee, and no charge for the verification messages described above. THEBBD does not sell personal information.
Policies
Contact
The Black Business Directory, Inc.
2810 Yonkers Rd Ste 5A, Raleigh, NC 27604
[email protected] ·
(919) 449-5141