MADEINC
MADEXXX
exceed $2.5 billion is only the second African-
American woman to start her own network only
after Cathy Hughes who built Radio One from
the ground up and slept on the radio station
floor for 18 months after losing her home
in order to keep her business running. More
recently, Hope Wiseman, Founder of Mary
and Main, became the youngest Black cannabis
dispensary owner in the U.S. after spending over
$250,000 in licensing fees just to compete in a
less than diverse industry.
According to The 2018 State of Women-
Owned Business Report, the number of
women-owned businesses grew 58% from
2007 to 2018, and the number of firms owned
by black women grew by 164%, nearly three
times that rate. There are currently 2.4 million
African American women-owned businesses
in 2018. It’s exciting to consider what these
numbers will look like in a decade with millions
of women blazing the trail. According to Black
Enterprise, within the next 45 years, black
America may make up almost 20 percent of the
U.S. population and own more than 2.5 million
rapidly-growing enterprises.
Every generation bears the responsibility of
shortening the distance to the goal for the
generation that comes after them. Years of
people and initiatives have accelerated the
progress of this generation of black girls that
dream of owning their own businesses and
leading innovation through entrepreneurship.
Organizations like MADE Maven, Girls
Who Code, Polished Pebbles, Girls with
Gifts, National Urban League, EmpowHER
Institute, The Gray Matter Experience, Women
in Entertainment Empowerment Network
(WEEN), Petals and Belles, The National
Society of Black Engineers are resourcing the
future of black business leadership for women
and girls. The distance has been shortened. The
idea of self-made is evolving.
I, too, believe that I am my ancestor’s wildest
dreams but for this generation of young black
talent my dreams for them don’t feel that far-
fetched. They seem real. I can see, touch, and feel
them coming into fruition. The soil has been
labored and countless programs, mentoring
relationships, and journeys of inspiration have
laid the foundation. Wealth creation seems
close. Equity in corporate workplaces seems
close because of diversity, equity, and inclusion
executives like Ezinne Kwubiri , and Valeisha
Butterfield Jones, and Wendy Lewis pushing
companies to make diversity efforts real.
Access to capital and seats at the table seem
close because Arlan Hamilton and Backstage
Capital is shortening the distance. Luvvie
Ajayi shortening the distance through public
speech coaching at the Do Better Academy and
elevating the stories of black founders through
social media.
The reason
why so many
of us have
had to be
self-made
is because
we were
ambitious
but under
resourced
We should all be
shortening the
distance for the
next generation
as they redefine
self-made. Across
generations we are
making the future
of entrepreneurship
together.
Halleemah Nash is a social entrepreneur
and impact executive operating as the
Founder of Rosecrans Ventures, a startup
that provides coaching and workplace
navigation support to underrepresented
Gen Z talent, and Chief Partnerships
Officer of The Academy Group- a startup
that invests in young people from under-
resourced communities and prepares
them to own, operate, and incubate highly
successful companies across sectors.
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