This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Executive Producer TaQuoya Kennedy talks with BET founder, RLJ Companies CEO and billionaire Robert L. Johnson, who shares the business decisions and life philosophies that have helped him to become one of America’s most accomplished entrepreneurs.
VIDEO: Watch Robert Johnson’s Power Player profile on the Black Enterprise Business Report
Ranked among the BE “Titans: The Most Powerful African Americans in Business–and How They Shaped Our World” , Johnson made business history when he took BET public in 1991, the first time a Black-owned company was traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2000, he sold the cable network to Viacom for $3.2 billion, making him the first African American billionaire. He acquired the Charlotte Bobcats in 2003, creating the first Black-owned NBA franchise and launched four other BE 100s companies.
Last April, RLJ Companies announced a partnership with manufacturing company Global Building Solutions to develop quick and cost-effective mass housing in Haiti following the country’s January 2010 earthquake.
Also on this week’s edition of The Urban Business Roundtable, contributor Renita Young speaks with international speaker, author, business consultant and designer life coach Kevin Ross, who shares fundamental keys to success in business and offers tips on how to live what he calls a “designer life.”
In my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I share steps new and aspiring entrepreneurs should take to establish relationships with more experienced business owners who can provide the benefit of experience, helping them to avoid unnecessary mistakes as they launch and build their new ventures.
In addition, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today Business Correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.
And finally, great news: the deadline to use the special discount code for UBR listeners to register for the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, scheduled for May 22-25, 2011 in Atlanta, has been extended. Just listen for when I share the code during the show, or connect with me at BE Insider to get the discount. You don’t want to miss the nation’s largest annual gathering of Black business owners; you need to be there and encourage others in your network and business community to attend as well.
If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.
Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each Wednesday for The UBR Morning Post, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.