If something doesn’t exist, create it. That’s exactly what David Cabello did.
After only three semesters at Shippensburg University, Cabello and his twin brother, Aaron, dropped out of college. Natives of Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, the twins moved to Philadelphia, hoping to make a change in the Black community. Working together, the twins created the first Black-owned food delivery service. Their company, Black and Mobile, embraces the African American community by only delivering for Black-owned restaurants in Philadelphia.
Rolling out caught up with David Cabello, who serves as the company’s CEO, to learn more about the business and his experience as a young entrepreneur.
What inspired you to create Black and Mobile?
I basically started delivering for Uber Eats, Postmates, [and] Caviar, and that’s how I learned the system, by making extra money while delivering for them. I’m like, I’m making pretty good money delivering food on a bike. Prior to that, I didn’t even know you could deliver food on a bike. … So, when I started making money on the bike, I’m like, “I like this. I like the system. If I’m making this much money delivering food, how much I can make owning the company?” So I went home, and I literally typed on YouTube “how to start a delivery service”. … A month later, I was ready to start my company. I was researching [and] reading and I found out that there were no Black-owned food delivery services on that level — on a Grubhub, Uber Eats level, there were no Black-owned companies like that — so my goal was to start one.
What type of restaurants are offered to customers through the company?
We got Jamaican food, soul food, vegan food. We got desserts, bakeries. We’re gonna get more African and Haitian, but right now it’s really soul food, like bakeries, vegan food, and Jamaican food.
What obstacles have you faced building a Black-owned business?
The first obstacle is [me] … getting over the doubt. And then the second thing — and I’m still facing the obstacle — is getting Black businesses to trust me. … I’m even cheaper than competitors. They don’t trust me. They’d rather not have a delivery service than to partner with me.
What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs and business leaders?
The first thing is to be different, and don’t be afraid to be different. And then don’t quit. You have to fully commit to your business and your purpose way before you ever even see a lot of money.
