A Few Entrepreneurs To Read About For Black Business Month

Originally published in 2019.

At BLACK ENTERPRISE, every month is Black business month. But since August is officially recognized as National Black Business Month, now is the perfect time to do a little summer reading about some standout Black entrepreneurs.

Travel Noire and Ebony both have roundups of the black businesses they think are worth your support. There are a number of impressive black-owned companies listed, including Me & the Bees Lemonade, started by Mikaila Ulmer, who made a deal on Shark Tank at the ripe old age of 10.

Speaking of the next generation, BET‘s coverage is all about young entrepreneurs, with profiles of “15 kid bosses who are 15 years old and under.”

Even brands are getting in on the celebration. Intuit highlighted eight African American entrepreneurs from its QuickBooks community, including Monique Greenwood, owner and operator of Akwaaba Inns.

American Express, which supports small business year-round, is marking the month by sharing what motivated 11 different African Americans to become entrepreneurs.

“I was motivated by helping others succeed and creating tangible change in the lives of black business owners in my community,” Diishan Imira told Amex. Imira, a former speaker at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit, is the founder of beauty startup Mayvenn, which raised $23 million in funding last year.

If local coverage is more your thing, you can check out amNewYork‘s interviews with black entrepreneurs about how they make it work in the Big Apple. South Florida Caribbean News is doing a series of National Black Small Business Month spotlights. And Qcitymetro is marking the occasion with 10 stories of small business in Charlotte, where BLACK ENTERPRISE held our first-ever FWD summit for entrepreneurs of color earlier this year.

And if you want to learn more about black business without reading a single word, take a look at NewsOne‘s video about Strivers’ Row, a project bringing awareness to black businesses in New York City, or Good Morning America‘s spotlight of Larry’s Seasoned Pickles founder Larry Wilson in a National Black Business Month video.