Innovation, perseverance, and resilience are some of the attributes entrepreneurs need to weather the current economic downturn. Couple this with the few business owners who aren’t looking to simply survive, but rather have challenged themselves to thrive and grow and it yielded our nominees for the 2009 Black Enterprise Small Business Awards. And from this unique group cull our winners.
Announced during the Small Business Awards Luncheon at the 14th Annual Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference and Expo hosted by General Motors and ExxonMobil in Detroit, this year’s honorees prove that positive performance is possible even now. From a teenpreneur who’s found a small way to make a big impact to young entrepreneurs going globally green and from innovation at its best to a family-owned business bustling, we applaud their standout efforts and look toward them for inspiration and guidance.
Here, the 2009 Black Enterprise Small Business Award winners and first-ever Community Champion Award winner open up on how they’ve surpassed expectations, the challenges they face and what advice they can offer others also looking to win amidst this new business reality.