About Black & Mortar Marketing

For The Businesses That Hold Their Communities Together

You built something real. So why does it feel like nobody knows you exist?

Your customers love you, your work speaks for itself, and you show up every single day. Early mornings, late nights, even weekends. And through all of it, you've watched competitors, businesses you know aren't as good as yours, stay consistently busy while you ride the feast-and-famine cycle.

That's not bad luck, that's a marketing & systems problem, and it's exactly why Black & Mortar Marketing exists.

Why We Exist

Too many Black-owned businesses are the best-kept secret in their own neighborhood. They are overlooked, under-marketed, and left to figure out growth on their own.

We know the story:

‣ You’ve built a business your customers love.

‣ You rely on word-of-mouth, but it’s not enough to scale.

‣ You’ve tried marketing, but nothing works consistently.

‣ You want predictable revenue without the guesswork.

We’ve seen it firsthand, too many businesses stay hidden despite having incredible products and services.

We’re here to change that.

Why We Exist

Too many Black-owned businesses are the best-kept secret in their own neighborhood. They are overlooked, under-marketed, and left to figure out growth on their own.

We know the story:

‣ You’ve built a business your customers love.

‣ You rely on word-of-mouth, but it’s not enough to scale.

‣ You’ve tried marketing, but nothing works consistently.

‣ You want predictable revenue without the guesswork.

We’ve seen it firsthand, too many businesses stay hidden despite having incredible products and services.

We’re here to change that.

Who We Are

Black & Mortar Marketing is a growth marketing agency built specifically for Black-owned local and service-based businesses.

Not as a trend. Not because supporting Black businesses was the right thing to say in 2020. Because this work was needed long before a hashtag, and it's still needed now that the spotlight has moved on.

We exist because we saw the same pattern over and over:

Incredible Black-owned businesses with loyal customers, real community impact, and genuine quality, being outrun online by competitors who weren't doing better work, just showing up better digitally.

We saw business owners spending their last dollars on agencies that didn't understand their community, their budget, or their business. Getting reports full of impressions and reach while their tables sat empty and their phones sat quiet.

So we built something different.

Our mission is simple:

To help Black-owned local businesses grow, scale, and thrive with marketing that actually works, so they can create lasting impact in their families and communities.

Black & Mortar Marketing is not just another marketing agency. We're a growth-focused agency on a mission to help black-owned local businesses build long-term success.

We don’t just market businesses....we're here to help build legacies.

Meet The Founders

Darnell Peters

Founder & CEO, Black & Mortar Marketing

Most marketing agency founders come from advertising. Darnell comes from a doctor's office.

Growing up with an entrepreneur father, Darnell chose stability, earning his Doctorate in Physical Therapy and spending over a decade helping patients recover from injuries others couldn't diagnose.

But something shifted.

In 2019 he launched his first business and quickly discovered the truth every business owner eventually learns: a great product or service isn't enough. Without marketing, customers won't come.

He went all in, investing thousands in training, testing real strategies, and applying the same diagnostic, root-cause approach he used in the clinic to marketing.

In 2022 that approach produced its first proof point: a Black-owned auto detailing business generating 150+ leads per month and 30% revenue growth in 90 days.

That result became a system.

That system became Black & Mortar Marketing.

A different kind of agency that operates from diagnosis before prescription, results before promises, and proof before pitch.

Darnell founded Black & Mortar Marketing to help overlooked businesses stop being known as the "best-kept secret" in town and become go-to brands in their communities.

Because when Black-owned businesses thrive, they create more jobs, build wealth, and strengthen their communities.

Edwin St. Fort

Founder & CMO, Black & Mortar Marketing

Edwin’s journey into advertising and marketing was ignited by self discovery and cinematic inspiration.

Fictional characters like Marcus Graham from "Boomerang," Gina Waters from "Martin," and Andre Johnson from “black-ish” gave a glimpse into the industry which inspired him to pursue a career where strategy and artistry intersect.

With over 7 years in digital marketing his approach is inherently analytical, creatively charged and strategically sound.

With expertise that extends across a wide range of industries including retail, fintech, consumer packed goods, health and wellness, auto insurance and entertainment. Developing high-impact marketing strategies that increase brand awareness and drive measurable results.

Beyond paid media, Edwin has extensive experience in brand management, email marketing, content creation, and customer engagement strategies.

The 2020 movement to champion Black-owned businesses revealed a pressing need for marketing support.

From there sparked the goal to help Black brands grow by bringing expert-level marketing strategies to aid entrepreneurs thrive in a competitive landscape.

That passion became the driving force behind the creation of Black & Mortar Marketing with Darnell.

What We Believe

Mission

To help Black-owned businesses
gain visibility, attract customers, and scale sustainably through data-driven marketing, creating economic growth, generational wealth, and lasting impact in their communities.

Goal

To turn Black-owned businesses from “best-kept secrets” into go-to brands by building marketing systems that drive sales, increase customer retention, and create sustainable, long-term growth.

Core Values

We prioritize impact, mission-driven marketing, strong client partnerships, and data-driven strategies to help Black-owned businesses achieve sustainable growth, increase revenue, and influence in their communities.

Here's Some Of The Results We've Achieved For Our Clients

AUTO SERVICES

Kings Hydro Detailing

It was very hard to navigate and find the avatar clientele we were looking for. Since working with Darnell, we’ve streamlined customers calling in, calendar syncing and communicating with our customers across the board and our revenue has increased at least 30%. Without this service, it would have been extremely hard to bring in customers consistently.