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News & Inspiration For and About Black-Owned Businesses |
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Meet Robin Rogers, the founder and CEO of 4BEBO, an online directory that makes finding and supporting Black-owned businesses easy and free. Robin, who grew up with seven siblings and a single mom on welfare, says that she quit her 6-figure job working for a Fortune 500 company for almost 20 years because she wanted to do all she could to help create and sustain more Black-owned businesses.
Marcus Gram, a 31-year-old entrepreneur from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the founder of Joyner Vending, a Black-owned vending machine business that is one of the fastest-growing companies in the US. In fact, it is projected to make $500,000 in sales in 2022 alone just 4 years since it was launched.
The group of African American real estate developers who are building a Black-owned micro home community called South Park Cottages in College Park, Georgia, were able to sell out all of their award-winning-designed, technologically-advanced micro homes in just 50 days.
Meet Dianna King, a software engineer and food connoisseur from Atlanta, Georgia, who is also the co-founder and CEO of Eat UNrestricted, one of few lines of plant-based vegan cheese products owned by an African American woman.
Aaliyah Alicia Thompson, a 21-year-old African American woman from Stockbridge, Georgia, has made history as the first woman with autism in the country to open her very own beauty bar. She recently opened Aaliyah's Beauty Bar in Clayton County (just 15 miles from Atlanta) to provide hair and beauty care services.
Donta Rose, a 28-year-old engineer and entrepreneur, has opened his own Grocery Outlet supermarket worth $5 million within a new development in his former neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gregory Lowe II, an African American entrepreneur from New York City, launched 100 Coconuts in 2018 after he learned about the many health benefits that coconut water has. From that point forward, he became the first and only Black owner of a coconut water brand.
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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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