According to the inaugural FitSmallBusiness study, Black entrepreneurs have a lot to celebrate. In 2018, the top 100 Black owned companies generated $30 billion. From 2007 to 2012, the number of Black owned firms increased 34 percent, there are now over 2.6 million in the country. The message is clear: Black entrepreneurs and Black people are […]
The Waltons are the richest family in the country, with three individuals ranked in the top 15 wealthiest Americans. The Waltons, of course, made their fortune through Walmart, the largest employer in the United States and the largest company in the world, by revenue. Walmart was founded by Sam Walton, whose first “Walton’s Five and […]
Airbnb does tens of billions of dollars in bookings annually. Most of that money is turned over to hosts, who take in strangers into their homes for cash. It can be lucrative but there are caveats. You can’t make much as a host unless you live close to a desirable vacation destination. Also, you’re taking in complete […]
Mary Woodruff and husband James opened Woodruff’s Café & Pie Shop in 1952 and the 103-year-old still helps run the business. At that time there were very few Black owned businesses in Monroe, Virginia, a small town not very far from Lynchburg. Mary and James built a café and an apartment upstairs, which they lived […]
Langston Hughes once said, “I’d rather be a lamppost in Harlem than the governor of Georgia.” Things seem to have taken a shift, however, as the state of Georgia was ranked the best state for Black entrepreneurs, according to the inaugural FitSmallBusiness study. The study factored in metrics such as cost-of-living, startup growth, Black business success and social equality. Gone […]
Photo: Valerie Rowan, Founder Here’s an ugly fact: Black owned businesses largely depend on non-Black manufacturers. Whether the products are made in China or in North America, the raw materials and manufacturing generally come from elsewhere. Until Black people own the means of production, even as entrepreneurs, true freedom is still outstanding. In the beauty […]
Mind’s Eye Comics (MEC) carries all of the comic books you’d expect from any other store but there’s a twist: it’s the only Black owned comic book store in the entire state of Minnesota. It’s the sort of place that a comic enthusiast can fall in love with but also, the type of place that […]
No one is in touch with the needs of Black people like barbers and hair stylists. Each week they touch people and listen to them talk about their fears and greatest hopes. Barbers also experience problems in their own home, something Robert (Mac) McKenzie knows very well. His daughter suffered from eczema, psoriasis and dry […]
Spelman College boasts notable alumni like Marian Wright Edelman, Alice Walker and Stacey Abrams. As brilliant and accomplished as those women are, no one would have believed Spelman would produce such world-changing figures when the school started. The school, in fact, wasn’t even named Spelman when it was launched. HBCUs have a special place in […]
Dr. Angela D. Reddix is the architect of ARDX, a multi-million dollar healthcare management and IT consulting firm. The firm employs over 100 employees and has been awarded well over $100 million in contracts from federal agencies, all in just over 10 years. All of that is impressive but Angela’s greatest legacy is still growing: […]