FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Fort Wayne is making headlines. A report from the Brookings Institution ranks the city fifth in the nation for Black-owned business growth. The report states between 2017 and 2022,132 Black-owned businesses were created, which marks a 203.1% increase in that span. Whil e making up 12.7% of the population, Black entrepreneurs account for 2.3% of business owners. That may still seem like a low number to some. But Ramadan Abdul-Azees, president of Black Chamber Fort Wayne, said he was surprised to see the city rank that high. He said the city has not always been embracing of diverse businesses and business owners. Andrea Robinson, economic development administrator for the City of Fort Wayne, said creating a startup business is hard, but Black businesses may face a new level of challenges when beginning to set up. "Small businesses are starting from home out of their garage or out of their dining room and they want to grow but they're not really sure how," Robinson said. "Having access to any kind of funding or capital can be a challenge, especially for people who have spent a lot of time being unbanked." Both Abdul-Azees and Robinson said this new uptick in Black-owned businesses can be attributed to the birth of support - from community and city programs. Two business owners who found this support are wife-and-wife entrepreneurs, Sasha and Azaria Chaney. They both completed BUILD Fort Wayne, a program that teaches business owners the ins and outs of running a company. They are also both recipients of a SEED business grant. With the help of these programs, they were able to live their entrepreneurship dreams.Sasha running Legendary Barber Lounge and Azaria running Legendary Life Juice Bar, both in the same suite on Washington Boulevard. Sasha Chaney, owner of Legendary Barber Lounge. Azaria Chaney, owner of Legendary Life Juice Bar. "If you don't know anybody else or seeing anybody [running their own business], it may feel like impossible," Sasha said. "I feel like I spent the first five years not knowing about these resources, and it was just me. I feel like if you do have these resources when you start out, you can avoid a lot of complications." Read the full press release on the Brookings Institute Study by Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. and the City of Fort Wayne here. ...read more read less