Inc. Magazine publishes an annual list of the top 5000 fastest growing companies in America. At their website, Inc.com, they’ve published a subset of the 5000 List called, ‘The Top 10 Black Entrepreneurs,’ which highlights an impressive group of leaders whose ambition, passion and success personify the entrepreneurial spirit.
Included on the Top 10 Black Entrepreneurs list are:
ClearCorrect, a Houston company that manufactures clear dental braces, and whose 3-year growth rate was a whopping 8,625 percent.
Urban Lending Solutions, a Pittsburgh-based real estate firm, whose 2010 revenue exceeded $127 million
A10 Clinical Solutions, a woman-owned clinical research firm in North Carolina, whose 2010 revenue was 19.7 million
The founder and CEO of A10 Clinical Solutions, Leah Brown, says her maternal great-grandfather, Allen “Papa” Carney, was a free African American man who had 18 children and insisted his sons become entrepreneurs.
“I didn’t know until recently that I came from a long lineage of entrepreneurs until my family history was explored, but it helped me understand where my entrepreneurial drive comes from,” says Brown, whose company grew 1,011 percent and employs 270 people.
This list is a great read, and a great inspiration for those who have felt pessimistic about starting or growing their own business. The entrepreneurial spirit is contagious. Catch it, and pass it on!
