“What have you done for your people today”

Dr Julian Richardson
Co-founder of Marcus Bookstore

Antoine Hicks

Born and raised in San Francisco, Antoine Hicks comes from a family rooted in Black entrepreneurship and community building. His great-grandparents, Dr. Raye and Dr. Julian Richardson, founded Marcus Books in 1960, now recognized as the oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the country. More than a bookstore, Marcus Books became a cultural institution dedicated to advancing Black authorship, business, and community. While the family business was built through resilience, hustle, and commitment, Antoine recognized the importance of pairing that drive with strong financial and operational systems. He went on to study mathematics at UC Riverside before continuing his education in accounting and finance at UC Berkeley.

Antoine later joined Red Bay Coffee as its fourth employee, helping grow the Oakland-based company from a small LLC generating $45,000 in annual sales into a multi-million dollar corporation that secured millions in additional funding. Working alongside founders Keba and Rachel Konte, he gained firsthand experience building and scaling a mission-driven Black-owned business through multiple phases of growth and reinvention.

Today, through The Clinic of FineOps, Antoine continues that legacy by helping entrepreneurs and small businesses build stronger financial foundations, sustainable systems, and long-term community impact. His work is grounded in the belief that strengthening local businesses creates stronger local economies and expands access to opportunity, equity, and shared resources.

Mission

Our mission is to strengthen Black entrepreneurship through financial strategy, business consulting, and sustainable operational support. We help businesses build stronger financial foundations, increase retained earnings, access critical resources, and develop systems designed for long-term growth. Grounded in service, community, and entrepreneurship, our work is focused on creating stronger businesses that contribute to stronger local economies.

Vision

We envision a future where Black-owned businesses have equitable access to the resources, capital, and opportunities needed to fully realize their economic power. By strengthening Black entrepreneurship and closing the wealth gap, we move closer to a society where opportunity is more evenly distributed, communities are more self-determined, and systems built on inequality lose their power to divide. In that future, equity is not aspirational, but foundational.

Values

Community. We believe strong communities create strong businesses. Our relationships, networks, and shared resources are foundational to long-term growth, accountability, and collective success.

Entrepreneurship. We believe entrepreneurship is a tool for building equity, creating opportunity, and strengthening local economies. By helping businesses grow sustainably, we invest in long-term community wealth and self-determination.

Service. We believe anything worth doing is worth doing well. We hold ourselves to a high standard of care, professionalism, and integrity in service to the people and communities we support.

The Solution

  • Black-owned businesses represent nearly 8% of all U.S. businesses, yet generate less than 1% of total business revenue. Compared to their peers, Black-owned firms are more likely to operate with limited access to capital, fewer financial resources, and fewer opportunities for long-term growth. Black entrepreneurs are also significantly less likely to inherit business ownership, generational wealth, or networks connected to entrepreneurship.

    These disparities are not a reflection of talent or ambition. They are the result of longstanding inequities in access, investment, and opportunity.

  • Strong businesses create stronger communities.

    When Black entrepreneurs have access to financial knowledge, operational support, capital, and connected networks, businesses become more sustainable, communities retain more resources, and economic power grows locally.

    We believe:

    • Supporting Black-owned businesses expands opportunity and representation.

    • Strong entrepreneurial networks create pathways for shared growth, investment, and collaboration.

    • Sustainable businesses help close the wealth gap by creating long-term community equity.

    At The Clinic of FineOps, our work is centered on helping businesses build the financial structure, operational clarity, and strategic foundation needed to grow with intention and longevity.

“For my people standing staring trying to fashion a better way from confusion, from hypocrisy and misunderstanding, trying to fashion a world that will hold all the people, all the faces, all the adams’ and eves’ and their countless generations”

- Margaret Walker “For My People”