black business Archives - Rolling Out

Game Changers is a collective of Black business owners in Chicago who add value to the community through their good works. The organization is the brainchild of Sibyl Holloway of SIB’S Breakfast Club and was established to shine the light on business owners and professionals who are using their influence to change the community for…

Footage of a mother’s unique Christmas gift to her son is going viral on social media. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Black Culture Entertainment began circulating a viral Facebook video that captured the mother surprising her 16-year-old son with a home-based business: his own brand new barbershop in their backyard. The video begins with the teen…

Christelsie Johnson is an accomplished makeup artist and esthetician with an impressive portfolio. She has worked with numerous celebrities, television networks, magazines, partnerships with numerous companies and has provided training for beauty professionals globally. Johnson has always had compassion and a philanthropic arm for women who have been impacted by cancer. She has worked effortlessly…

John Hope Bryant, Businessman, entrepreneur, and author takes a seat at the table to talk about Operation HOPE. The One Million New Black Business New Black Entrepreneurship Initiative and its goal to help create one million new Black-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2030.

Shaquille O’Neal is known for his wit as much as he is his athletic ability and having been the most dominant force in NBA history. Part of that humor and his ability to entertain has often been at his own expense, in the form of nicknames and in this case, it would be ever appropriate…

Robiar Smith, the founder and owner of R.B. Pest Solutions on Chicago’s South Side, is driven by legacy. The former IT professor and consultant has taken her training in the corporate world and created a business that honors her family and blazes a trail for other Black women. Rolling out spoke with Smith about why…

When 25-year-old Philadelphia native David Cabello realized that there was no Black-owned food delivery app on the market, he and his twin brother Aron put their minds to work to create Black and Mobile. Black and Mobile, which was founded in 2017 and launched in 2019, specializes in food from Black-owned restaurants. Cabello launched the…

CEO Munson Steed along with co-host, Kevin Hooks converse with the partners of UP Community Fund. The capital fund experts, David Sharp and Tawruss Sellers provide tips on how Black businesses can get funding during the pandemic.

Lucas Payne is the co-founder and president of Force Energy Group LLC and the CEO of Force Medical Supply. He has been highly driven and passionate about the reality of green energy. Force Medical Supply was created out of the need for for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Payne,…

Nicole M. Jackson was born and raised in the Bronzeville community on the South Side of Chicago. She has consistently been an active member of her community. Her time as a teacher at McCorkle Elementary and the principal of Hales Franciscan High School demonstrates her love of adding value and giving back to her community.…

Ebbie Parsons

Rolling out tech correspondent Meagan Sunn spoke with Ebbie Parsons III, Ed.D., of Yardstick Management about supporting HBCUs, mission-based for-profit businesses, diversity, equity and inclusion and advancing the next generation of Black business leaders. Yardstick Management is one of the nation’s leading Black-owned management consulting firms supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for many of…

Rolling out tech correspondent Meagan Sunn spoke with Jason Kelley, Greg Jackson Jr. and Sabrina Harvey, co-founders of a new Black technology company called The Wave, who describe how their group chat for Black professionals grew from 13 followers into a full-fledged business supporting African American businesses across the country.

Earl G. Graves Sr., a quintessential American businessman and founder and publisher of the groundbreaking magazine Black Enterprise, passed away on Monday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 85. Graves served in many roles throughout his career, including as an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a civil rights advocate, a bestselling author and, above…

While on a national book tour the CEO of Steed Media Munson Steed participated in a discussion on Black Business at Chicago State University. He explains the importance of process when it comes to running and maintaining a successful business.

Lerae Funderburg is the founder and managing partner of Funderburg Law, a boutique law firm focusing on business and entertainment transactions and intellectual property protection. She works almost exclusively with Black business owners, especially mothers, in helping them to create their businesses, protect their brands, and build their legacy. What attracted you to the legal…

Terrell Scott Sr. understands the importance of legacy and culture. He has taken this understanding and launched a business that puts the historic Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago at the center of his passion. It is an expression of class and a nod to the value of Black entrepreneurs. Scott launched his line of watches at…

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Amari Shoto found her love for food at an early age. Baking with her grandmother turned into watching the Food Network for hours on end. From those experiences, she taught herself how to bake and in college, Amari got a degree in hospitality management that would turn her hobby to a…

We’ve learned a lot about Ermias Asghedom, aka Nipsey Hussle, since his untimely death on March 31, 2019, all of which has contributed to the void felt within the hip-hop community and the Black community as a whole since he departed. Most people knew Hussle as an artist, but his creative endeavors extended beyond the recording…

Black businesses closed out Black History Month by gathering at Malcolm X College for the third annual WDB L.E.G.A.C.Y. Awards Gala. The gala’s goal is to bring 600 startup and established businesses together to network, share ideas and add value to each other. The event, held Feb. 23, 2019, also recognized six community leaders who…

For more than 60 years, H.J. Russell & Company has stood as one of the most successful African American real estate companies in the country. Founded by the late business titan and philanthropist Herman Russell, H.J. Russell & Company specializes in real estate development, construction, program management and property management. Today, Russell’s legacy continues to stand strong…