A new report from GoodCall.com reveals which U.S. metro areas provide the best opportunity for success for African American-owned businesses, based on the firm’s analysis of official government data. A total of 378 metro areas were assessed based on economic health, educational attainment, networking opportunity and unemployment rates.

Vicksburg ranked 67th overall and second out of 17 communities in Mississippi, coming in after Jackson.

“African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population yet only own 7% of the country’s businesses,” said Paul Southerland, Lead Analyst for GoodCall.com. “In addition, African American-owned businesses employ less than 1% of all total employment in the country and drive less than .5% of total revenue. We at GoodCall.com feel it is important to identify the regions that stand out against these statistics- those that are affording black entrepreneurs the best chance possible to succeed.”

Several local business owners weighed in on the study, noting owning a business is tough at times, regardless of race, but that Vicksburg is as good a place as any to settle down and open up shop.

Jefferson Funeral Home’s James Jefferson said his business has been passed down through generations for 120 years.

“Vicksburg is a nice place,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The people are friendly. Contrary to the sheriff’s polls, I think it’s a fairly safe place to live and raise your children.”

Jefferson said it’s important for businesses to find a niche and fill a gap in the community.

“It’s not hard to have a business here, but it is what it is,” he said. “We love it, and we just try our best to serve the public to the best of our ability at a time when they’re dealing with the loss of a loved one.”

Jefferson said he has known other African American business owners across the state with varying levels of success.

“Most of the people I know are in the funeral home industry,” he said. “Those who are in counties that are less populated than we are, depending on the area, they might be a little slower.”

According to the study, only 13 percent of black small business owners report being able to obtain the credit they need, which is something Jefferson points to as a problem for many new business owners.

“Business-wise for the average African American it goes like this, 90 times out of 100 they’re going to be underfunded by the bank on their business ventures,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll have a good business plan, sometimes they wont.”

Jefferson said timing is important, along with asking questions like what type of business and does the community have a need for that business.

“We have a wide variety of businesses here, which is a good thing, but there is still a vast potential to grow,” he said. “We (African Americans) have to do more with less, and that will strain you sometimes. I’ve seen some, it will break them, and there’s some I didn’t think would make it and they did.”

Jacke Hall, Hall’s Gifts & Treasures Floral Design owner, said it’s always a little iffy when a business is first starting out.

“You have to get noticed and recognized,” he said. “That’s done by advertisement and the quality of work and service.”

Hall, who has been in business about a year, said it’s been rough at times as a new business owner, adding that he feels he gets more support and referrals from other businesses owned by African Americans.

This could be problematic, considering African-American owned businesses account for just 7.1 percent of all firms, according to the study.

Things are starting to pick up more now, Hall said, since he has been in business for a full year.

“When people look for something, they like security, knowing it’s going to be there,” he said. “They want quality and they want the best that they can get. Now that I’ve been here for a year, things have uprooted and taken off.”

As for other African American business owners, Hall said he knows a few, or at least he knew a few.

“A lot of the ones I knew who were in business but they weren’t in business long,” he said. “One was in Jackson, there  are one or two here that haven’t made it.”

Ben Blue, the owner of Edible Arrangements, said owning his own business hasn’t necessarily been easy, but it hasn’t been totally hard either.

“There are some challenges that are there, but that’s going to happen in business,” he said.

Blue, who has been in business for two years, said things are going good.

“I put God first and give it to him and ask for guidance and move forward,” he said. “I never thought about if it was going to be hard because I was black, I just looked to him as my provider. As long as I have him in the mix of it and the head of it, we’re going to be alright.”

Shape Up Sisters owner Linda Fondren said she and her business were welcomed back to Vicksburg with open arms.

“I came back to my hometown of Vicksburg, Miss. because of the ease of being able to open and operate a business,” she said. “I found that the city and the county were willing to work with new business owners who came to town.”

Fondren said those in local government helped her to get the permits necessary for Shape Up Sisters.

“My businesses are successful, and they’re successful because of other businesses that work together,” she said. “There are many programs that give us a chance to get together as a community that give us a chance to network and talk about what we do, and that’s not so in bigger communities. This is what’s good about Vicksburg; we are people who want to help each other.”

Fore more information about the study, visit http://www.goodcall.com/data-center/2015s-best-cities-for-black-entrepreneurs/.