# The untold stories of ethnic minority entrepreneurs | Professor Monder Ram | TEDxAstonUniversity

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUw7-mOAWws
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/YUw7-mOAWws
Generated: 2025-11-11T18:44:04.598+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Professor Monder Ram argues that true change in society, particularly for ethnic minority entrepreneurs, requires actively involving these communities in decision-making processes rather than relying on external, often condescending, assessments from established institutions, citing his own experience working with the West Midlands Bank and local government to foster genuine engagement and economic growth.

**Key Points:**
- Professor Monder Ram recounts visiting a Somali-owned grocery store in Leicester where the owner sold essential goods, not just standard items, demonstrating community-level economic activity.
- Ram notes that mainstream institutions often ignore or exploit the stories of minority entrepreneurs, citing an experience where his father's clothing business was deemed 'helpless and exploitative' by external assessors.
- The speaker highlights the success of a project supporting ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the West Midlands, which contributed £25 billion to the economy.
- Ram emphasizes that change happens when communities are allowed to tell their own stories and that external bodies should not impose solutions but engage in co-creation.
- He shares an anecdote about the West Midlands Bank and the Department for Business and Trade initially refusing to support his community organization, but later agreeing after seeing the project's success.
- The core message challenges the traditional narrative of change by asking, "Who gets to tell your story? Rethinking how change really happens."
- The speaker advocates for co-creating solutions with communities rather than imposing them, pointing to the positive economic impact of the supported ethnic minority businesses.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The central theme of the talk is introduced with the slide text: "Who gets to tell your story? Rethinking how change really happens. - Monder Ram."](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-00-05.png)

**Context:** Monder Ram, Professor and Director at CREME, delivers a TEDx talk at Aston University titled "Rethinking Tomorrow," focusing on the importance of community storytelling and authentic engagement in driving economic and social change, particularly for entrepreneurs from ethnic minority backgrounds. Ram uses personal anecdotes from his career, including his experiences in Leicester and working with regional government bodies, to illustrate how top-down approaches often fail compared to collaborative, community-led initiatives.

## Detailed Analysis

Professor Monder Ram emphasizes that genuine societal change, especially for ethnic minority entrepreneurs, hinges on who controls the narrative and how interventions are approached. He contrasts the traditional method of external assessment—which he found condescending, citing an instance where his father's clothing business was dismissed—with a collaborative approach. Ram highlights a successful project in the West Midlands where his community organization partnered with the West Midlands Bank and local government to support ethnic minority entrepreneurs, generating £25 billion for the regional economy. He stresses that solutions should not be imposed from the outside but co-created with the communities themselves, leading to greater relevance and impact. The fundamental question he poses is about empowering the community to narrate its own story of change, moving past superficial engagement to deep, mutual respect and involvement in decision-making processes.

### The Central Question

- Who gets to tell your story?
- Rethinking how change really happens
- The speaker challenges the conventional methods of driving social and economic change.

### Anecdote of External Misunderstanding

- Encounter with an assessor regarding a Somali-owned grocery store
- Father's clothing manufacturing business labeled 'helpless and exploitative'
- Highlighting the disconnect between external assessment and lived reality.

### The West Midlands Initiative

- Partnered with West Midlands Bank and government departments
- Supported ethnic minority entrepreneurs in areas like Newtown and Sparkhill
- Contributed £25 billion to the local economy.

### The Correct Approach

- Rejecting imposing solutions ('not to tick a box')
- Advocating for co-creation and collaboration with communities
- Seeking partners who value mutual respect and engagement.

### The Outcome

- The success of the community-led approach resulted in the government departments agreeing to work with the organization and the finding that ethnic minority entrepreneurs' contributions are significant and often overlooked.

![Screenshot at 00:00: The opening slide showing the event title TEDxAstonUniversity and the speaker's name, Monder Ram, Professor and Director, CREME.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 00:04: The speaker, Monder Ram, begins his address on stage in front of the large TEDx backdrop.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-00-04.png)
![Screenshot at 00:48: Ram gestures while making a point about the interview process and the information gathered about company startups.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-00-48.png)
![Screenshot at 01:15: Ram directly asks the audience about the people downstairs, prompting reflection on community involvement.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-01-15.png)
![Screenshot at 02:35: Ram references the book 'Industrial Relations in Small Firms' which informed his early career perspective.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-02-35.png)
![Screenshot at 04:54: The central quote slide is displayed again, emphasizing the theme of narrative control in driving change.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-04-54.png)
![Screenshot at 07:32: Ram emphasizes the need to 'shake the kind of interventions' that do not involve the community in decision-making.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-07-32.png)
![Screenshot at 09:58: Ram discusses the success of the project and the positive outcome of the community's efforts.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-09-58.png)
![Screenshot at 12:14: Ram returns to the central question of who tells the story, suggesting that external entities often control the narrative.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-12-14.png)
![Screenshot at 15:21: Ram concludes his point by stating that ignoring the work of communities is a critical mistake.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YUw7-mOAWws/00-15-21.png)