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News, Resources & More For and About Black-Owned Businesses |
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Meet Kimba Williams, MBA, and Dr. Barbara McLaren, a Board-Certified OB/GYN, the founders of Kushae, a feminine hygiene product company headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Back in August, they won first place in the TiE ACCESS startup investment pitch, an annual event committed to investing over $400,000 into startups.
Meet Nana Owusu-Achau, the founder of Agro Kings, a Ghana-based company that produces the thriving locally-grown rice brand called Nana's Rice.
Kawauna Gill and Tamara Coleman are set to open Kanary Bar, the first and only Black female-owned bar and lounge in the entertainment district of downtown Mobile, Alabama despite the racially motivated opposition they have faced from some neighbors. And for them, it's finally a dream come true.
RFG/MPW Environmental & Facility Services has announced that it has been selected to join the Apple Impact Accelerator, a new program for minority-owned businesses that are creating environmental solutions focused on climate change, resource conservation, and smarter chemistry. RFG/MPW Environmental & Facility Services is one of 15 businesses selected for Apple’s first Impact Accelerator cohort.
Alice and Alicia Crowe are identical twin lawyers turned sauce-entrepreneurs who are now working on a different type of case, bottling and selling Emmaline’s All-Natural Hot Sauce, a family-owned line of hot sauce that is three generations old and is made from their grandmother's original recipe. As proud graduates of Howard University School of Law, the two have been working together for 20 years as attorneys in their own practice handling legal cases, but now they are teaming up to keep their family legacy alive.
Meet Penny Clarke, founder of Millie's International Creations, an online fashion boutique that sells high-end, handcrafted African-themed jewelry, handbags, and home fashion. She started the company six years ago when she become a furloughed government employee working in Washington, DC. Since then, after partnering with local female artisans in Ghana, she has grown the business from about $5,000 in monthly sales to now more than $50,000 month.
Attorney Shymane Robinson, founder and CEO of True Lawyer, is now the youngest Black lawyer to have a law firm office on the Southside of Chicago. At just 31-years old, she now has two offices in the city for her real estate and trademark law firm that helps transform black communities.
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| Top Black Business Conferences, Workshops, and Seminars: |
Every year, many Black business conferences are held across the country that specifically cater to established or aspiring African American business owners, professionals, authors, bloggers, and more. Literally thousands of people travel to network and do business at such events. These events are usually held in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and New York, and typically include extensive training workshops, powerful speeches, power networking sessions, grand hall expos, and more. [Find an event to attend...]
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| Top Black and Minority Business Grants and Funding Opportunities: |
From time to time, there are Black and minority business grants available to help African American and other minority entrepreneurs. Sometimes, they grants are offered by major companies, non-profit organizations, and even government agencies. Admittedly, such opportunities can be very difficult to find as many have been discontinued. Others in the past were offered as one or two year programs and did not renew. Despite this, such opportunities are real and are more often offered through local programs compared to national. [Get funded...]
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| Top Black and Minority Business Organizations: |
There are many non-profit Black and Minority business organizations that aim to be of assistance to African American business owners. They are very helpful resources that offer valuable assets including grants, seminars, literature, consulting, and professional networking opportunities. There are also several government agencies that aim to assist minority business owners, including Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and even women of all ethnic backgrounds. [Find the right organization for you...]
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| Top Black Business Magazines, Publications and Blogs: |
Believe it or not, there are hundreds of Black business magazines - that is, business-focused magazines that target African American readers. There are also many publications that are focused on professional career development. Some are local, some are national, and some are even international. Many are even available as digital publications via your laptop, tablet or smartphone. There are also many blogs that can be very helpful and resourceful to both aspiring and established Black business owners. [Find a publication that meets your needs...]
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| Interesting Facts & Statistics About Black-Owned Businesses: |
Black-owned businesses accounted for about 28% percent of all businesses in Washington, DC, the highest ratio in the nation. Second, was the state of Georgia, where 20% of businesses were Black-owned, and the state of Maryland, with about 19% in Illinois. The state of New York, however, has the most Black-owned firms at 204,093 but this only accounts for 10.6% of the businesses in the state. Second is the state of Georgia, third is the state of Florida, and fourth is the state of Texas with the most Black-owned businesses but not necessarily the highest ratios. [Learn more...]
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