Black Business News | Directory of Black-Owned Businesses

July 11, 2020

Black Male Nail Technician Defies Odds, Enters Billion Dollar Nail Industry

Darnell Atkins, Black male nail technician

Only 2% of nail salon workers are Black and almost all of them are women, but 29-year old Darnell Atkins, a nail technician from the Washington, DC area wants to change that. Known as Nen10doe on social media, Darnell is defying gender norms to get his piece of the multi-billion dollar industry.

Introducing the First Black Woman-Owned Skateboard Company

Founded by artist Latosha Stone in 2013, the skateboarding lifestyle brand Proper Gnar is experiencing a precipitous rise in popularity and product orders following its recent feature on performing artist Beyoncé Knowles’ Black Parade Directory of Black Owned Businesses. Posted on Juneteenth 2020, the list of small businesses features entrepreneurs who use their Black excellence as a form of protest and activism.

Atlanta CEO Creative Mike The Rapper Raises $100K For Black-Owned Dope Coffee Startup

Launches Black Sheep Accelerator To Help Founders Of Color Raise Investment Capital

Creative Mike the Rapper, Founder of Dope Coffee, with his COO

Launched by Atlanta based MC & Dope Coffee CEO Creative Mike The Rapper, Dope Coffee is the hot startup coffee brand taking the nation by storm in the wake of Black Lives Matter protest. After dropping the Black Jesus EP “Revolution for Black Lives”, Creative Mike hit the startup world by storm first winning the PG Shark Tank $7,500 Pitch Competition in Houston Texas on January 9th before the COVID-19 pandemic ensued. Unrelenting, Creative Mike pressed ahead with Dope Coffee doing an impossible feat for founders of color, attracting outside capital.

July 10, 2020

Meet the Founder of the Black-Owned Watch and Fashion Accessories Brand, NCMPRBL

Black-owned brand NCMPRBL (pronounced N-Com-Par-Bull) is a watch and fashion accessories brand providing timepieces and fashion accessories that are designed with excellence and inspired by experience. Established in 2019, the brand’s goal is to advance the way you think about Black culture by providing quality nostalgic inspired style at a competitive price.

July 9, 2020

Black Woman CEOs Make History With Partnership to Teach Financial Literacy to Underprivileged Youth at Yale and Howard Univ.

Derricka Harwell, CEO of BeautifyCredit; Neko Cheri, the Executive Director of State of the Black Dollar and Founder of Invest Gary; and Sierra Nicole, Creator of Financially Lit

(left to right) Derricka Harwell, Neko Cheri and Sierra Nicole

Meet the prominent business professionals of color who are successfully leading our Black and Brown communities to financial empowerment, credit achievement, and powerful investing (generational wealth) through education. They are Derricka Harwell, CEO of BeautifyCredit, award-winning, published author of Beautiful Credit and founder of the “Beautiful Credit Tour” - an 18 city tour to inner-city high school youth to educate them on credit, free of charge; Neko Cheri, the Executive Director of State of the Black Dollar and Founder of Invest Gary, and lastly, Sierra Nicole, creator of Financially Lit & owner of a successful business development and automation company.

Black Woman-Owned Farm Thriving During Pandemic

Samantha Foxx, founder Mother's Finest Urban Farm

Mother's Finest Urban Farm, a Black woman-owned farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, has become one of the best sources of fresh quality produce during the pandemic. The owner, Samantha Foxx, who considers herself as the farm mother, specializes in beekeeping, poultry care, vermiculture, and more.

July 8, 2020

'My Black Receipt' Campaign Hit $5M in Transactions Spent With Black-Owned Businesses in 16 Days

Kezia Williams, founder of My Black Receipt campaign, with supporters

My Black Receipt, launched by Kezia M. Williams, CEO of the Black upStart, has reached its goal of tracking more than $5 million spent from 18,000 consumers supporting Black-owned businesses. It only took them 16 days. Since then, the campaign has continued to produce tangible transactions with Black businesses totaling well over $7.6 million.

Helpful Resources:

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]