 |
News & Inspiration For and About Black-Owned Businesses |
| Home | News/ Blog | Events | Publications | Organizations | Grants/ Funding |
Meet Jacqueline Carrington, a wife and mother of 3 children from Los Angeles, who is the founder and CEO of People of Color, a Black-owned nail polish brand that was created to complement the various shades of brown skin. She had worked in the hospitality industry and the property management industry before leaving her job to pursue a dream as a full-time entrepreneur.
Meet Dennis R. Maple, the chairman and CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc., the company behind The Goddard School, one of the country's largest early childhood education providers.
Bukola Somide, and her 8-year-old daughter, Olusomi, the creators of the first-to-market African American interactive Somi, the Computer Scientist doll, are celebrating having won the 2022 ExCITE Innovation of the Year award presented by CodeCrew. The doll helps to increase a child’s knowledge and interest in STEM.
Shaneisha Dodson, founder and CEO of a popular Black-owned retail platform for kids called Brilliant Girl, has launched the Sugamama doll, the world's first 18-inch Black superhero doll. She says that her company's goal with all of its designs is to create more representation for black girls in the toy industry.
Meet Chid Liberty and Georgie Badiel-Liberty, a husband and wife from Rhinebeck, New York, who have reportedly sold their 236-acre farm for $13.7 million. They had been the owners of the upstate property for nearly a year after buying it for $8.5 million in 2021.
Three African American entrepreneurs — Michael Nance, Ademola Adewale-Sadik, and Walker Brumskin — who met while attending Yale Law School are now the founders of Yellow Banana, a Cleveland, Ohio-based retail firm that owns and operates 38 Black-owned grocery stores with annual revenues in excess of $130 million. Most recently, Chicago’s City Council’s Finance Committee has granted them a $13.5 million subsidy to buy and transform six more grocery stores.
Lorraine Love, an African American entrepreneur from St Paul, Minnesota, has made history after recently opening LaNoire Bridal, the first-ever Black-owned bridal store in the entire state of Minnesota.
| 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...]
|