Taking trips to the local beauty supply store is the norm for the majority of the Black community. Whether it be to pick up hair for a new protective style or to re-up on natural hair products, the store is the place for one’s needs. However, not many beauty supply stores are led by Black owners. According to a report, “Of the 9,000 beauty supply stores the Black Owned Beauty Supply Organization estimates are in the United States, about 3,000 are owned by Black people.” Closing out Black Business Month, AfroTech is highlighting a few Black-owned beauty supply stores.

Black women are the beauty standard, period. Janell Stephens — founder of Camille Rose — has taken her love of beauty beyond the small kitchen that was the birthplace of the natural haircare line back in 2011. “What I’m most proud about is the fact that I am able to provide jobs and a comfortable living for my family as well as others,” Stephens told AfroTech. Beauty is more than what meets the eye for Stephens. In fact, it is more about celebrating yourself and those around you.

In 1900, James Weldon Johnson penned the poem, “Lift Every Voice And Sing.” Later, his brother J. Rosamond Johnson would put music to that poem, which would be one day known as the Black National Anthem. Written initially to commemorate the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, the anthem is now a song of pride for Black people and speaks to the audacity of hope and a future far beyond many people’s wildest dreams. For years, Black men and women have latched on to that audacity, and through innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, they created a life and a future they could be proud of. As the United States celebrates Black Business Month in August, it is a time to reflect on the glorious past and strategize for a more promising future. LinkedIn is a partner in that strategic effort and collaborated with YouGov to gather data about the state of Black businesses that can help shed light on the great strides the community has made and the opportunities to advance. During its...

Who knew that entrepreneur Ja’Nye Hampton’s first high school job of working at a flower shop would present a full circle moment for her owning her own shop in Detroit? Even the Detroit native counted herself out of the flower business as a busy teenager just hustling to make a way. What started as an after school gig eventually led to Hampton discovering her passion for making flower arrangements and founding Detroit Flower Company. It’s that opportunity that’s helped her create more jobs for young girls in her local community and put small businesses on the map in her city.

Ally Financial is supporting Black Business Month the best way companies can by investing money back into Black communities. In an effort to address issues of low capital and lack of access to funding for Black founders, the digital financial services company has pledged to make a hefty $30 million investment into venture capital funds created to support Black and people of color, a press release reports. A sum of $25 million will go toward SoLa Impact’s recently launched $300 million Black Impact Fund and the remaining $5 million will be invested into the Fearless Fund — a venture capital fund created by women of color for women of color. In addition to these investments, Ally Financial will also work closely with Fearless fund to develop a series of programs to promote more Black entrepreneurship and wealth growth. “Black-owned businesses are the backbone of many communities throughout the country,” Diane Morais — President of Consumer and Commercial Banking at Ally Bank — said in...

The world of social media has grown to become an interesting place for influencers, where they can build communities and become their own business-owners. While some people establish careers as influencers with intention, others like Marley Mauvais stumble into it accidentally. But carving her own lane in the digital social space has allowed her to create an unconventional, yet successful brand through fruit content creation. Mauvais — a plant-based content creator and self-proclaimed fruit influencer from New Jersey — like many young people struggled to figure out what her career path would be after college. Even after earning a bachelor of science degree in entrepreneurship from Long Island University, she still hadn’t figured out if running a business was meant for her. “I always knew I was an entrepreneur,” she tells AfroTech, but after her first business flopped she moved back home to take a year off to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. At that same time, she...

For many Black entrepreneurs, the true path to economic freedom and independence starts with the launch of a business – but entrepreneurship doesn’t have to stop at one venture. Just take it from serial entrepreneur Ryan Fletcher, a former A&R executive juggling multiple thriving business endeavors. Fletcher — a Brooklyn native and graduate of Purdue University — grew up surrounded by music, so naturally he believed his calling was to get involved in the music and entertainment industry. After working at places like Def Jam Recordings and Downtown Records, he started dabbling in his own side hustles that quickly turned into buzzing businesses like Yacht Club Company — a Black-owned yacht experience based in Tulum — and ECOGAVE — a biodegradable straw company. In addition to helming his own businesses, Fletcher is also one of three co-hosts of the Guys Next Door Podcast — a show that details the experiences of millennial Black men today. All of these ventures are a part of Fletcher’s...

At Drexell & Honeybee’s in Brewton, Alabama, restaurant owners Freddie and Lisa Thomas-McMillan display classic Southern hospitality. With their business philosophy, “Feed the Need,” they operate on a donation-based system without turning anyone away reports Good News Network . Guests from all walks of life can come in and enjoy southern cuisine served family style. After their meal, tucked in the corner of the mom and pop soul food establishment, is a donation box where guests can leave a donation that fits their needs. These donations go right back into running the restaurant meaning the owners get virtually no profit, says Black Business . In a video by It’s a Southern Thing , Lisa explains that she learned the lesson of giving back to others as a young girl which has carried on into her adult life. “We don’t have any suggested prices, everybody gets treated the same,” she said in the video . “If you go to the box and don’t have one red cent— no one will ever know. And we won’t...