About Us

Helping Black-Owned Businesses Grow, Scale, and Thrive.

You’ve built something special. But if customers don’t know you exist, they can’t support you.

That’s where we come in.

At Black & Mortar Marketing, we help Black-owned local businesses stop being the "best-kept secrets" in their town and start becoming the go-to choice in their communities.

Through strategic marketing, automation, and customer growth systems, we turn visibility into revenue, so you can scale without constantly chasing customers.

Why We Exist

Too many Black-owned businesses 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.

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

Growing up with a father who was an entrepreneur, Darnell never planned to be an entrepreneur himself. Stability led him to a career in physical therapy, earning a doctorate and spending over a decade helping people recover.

But something was missing, he wanted to solve bigger problems and create real impact.

In 2019, he launched his first business and quickly realized having a great product or service wasn’t enough, without marketing, customers wouldn’t come.

He went all in, investing thousands of dollars in marketing training, testing real strategies, and helping businesses grow.

In 2022, he helped a Black-owned auto detailing business generate over 150+ leads per month and increase revenue by 30% within three months.

That success led to referrals, more clients, and turned into a proven system for helping Black-owned businesses scale.

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 jobs, build wealth, and strengthen communities.

You’ve put in the work, now it’s time to get seen.

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.

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.