entrepreneurship
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Wrapping Paper Roll Call: Give Their Hustle Some Glow
If there’s one gift the work-from-home set would likely love to receive this season, it’s boundaries. While there are definite benefits to eschewing the commute and daily lunch budget for comfortable pants (or none at all) and working from bed (if you insist), there are also significant downsides as the lines between that aforementioned work…
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Black Ambition: Pharrell Launches New Initiative for Black and LatinX Entrepreneurs
Award-winning producer and fashion icon Pharrell Williams has announced the launch of his new nonprofit initiative, Black Ambition, “dedicated to Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products/services start-ups.” In a press release sent to The Root, the initiative will also include two prize competitions: The Black Ambition HBCU Prize…
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'Those Not Real People': Master P Pushes New Food Brand Aimed at Replacing Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben
Man, you gotta love Percy Miller. The man who gave us No Limit Records in the mid-late ’90s, kept us entertained with club-bangers and hood-flicks through the early 2000s and has never stopped being a shining example of relentless hustle and God-tier Black entrepreneurship, is now promoting a new food brand to replace recently ditched…
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Ex-Lawyer Launches the 1st Black-Owned Stock Exchange in U.S. History
When we talk about white privilege and systemic racism, one thing that always comes up is generational wealth. It’s a thing white people disproportionately benefit from and a thing that is virtually nonexistent for Black people, as history has shown us far more instances of Black wealth being sabotaged (*cough* Black Wall Street *cough*) than…
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Why #BuyBlack Has Never Been the Path to Black American Economic Empowerment
The slogans “Buy Black” or “Support Black Businesses” have existed for some time as clarion calls for black consumers to patronize black owned (or seemingly black owned) establishments. We see it hashtagged and sprawled across graphics calling for exclusive 30 day “buy black challenges” to spur economic growth in Black communities — often touted as…
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Will Madam C.J. Walker’s Home Become an Incubator for Black Women Entrepreneurs?
He’s co-built a beauty empire on his grandmother’s legacy, brought Essence magazine back to fully black-owned status, and at this summer’s Essence Festival (his first as owner), announced The New Voices Fund, a $100 million investment in black women entrepreneurs. Now, Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO of Sundial Brands (Shea Moisture, Nubian Heritage, etc.) and…
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Hair-Care Pioneer Miko Branch Is Teaching Millennials Do’s and Don’ts of Running Business
Miko Branch, co-founder and CEO of the multimillion-dollar Miss Jessie’s natural-hair-care line, is hoping the tale of her success will inspire others who might want to follow in her footsteps. “It’s more like the cherries on top, to be able to stand in my shoes and know where I came from, and know I had…
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Born Into This: Romeo Miller on Failure, Success and Entrepreneurship
Believe it or not, Romeo Miller’s first job as a child was selling yo-yos and Pokémon trading cards. Yep, the actor-rapper-producer formerly known as Lil’ Romeo (who is also a child of hip-hop royalty) had a lil’ hustle growing up. Go figure. Now, decades later, Miller is at the helm of a hip-hop empire and…
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The Root’s Young Futurists, Where Are They Now: Jordan Williams
Some might say that Jordan Williams is a natural-born entrepreneur. The Atlanta native started his first business at 10 years of age with Kids Toys Inc. Years later, the resourceful teen and his friend Brandon Iverson founded a clothing line, Young Moguls Brand. The 2015 Young Futurist has since gone on to be selected for…