Sharing the wisdom and insights from successful black business leaders and entrepreneurs:
“I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am.”—Beyoncé
“I realized I was more convincing to myself and to the people who were listening when I actually said what I thought, versus what I thought people wanted to hear me say.”—Ursula Burns
“If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to engage the problems.”—Majora Carter
“Many people don’t focus enough on execution. If you make a commitment to get something done, you need to follow through on that commitment.”—Kenneth Chenault
“[Don’t] let anyone convince you that your dream, your vision to be an entrepreneur, is something that you shouldn’t do. What often happens is that people who are well meaning, who really care for us, are afraid for us and talk us out of it.” — Cathy Hughes
“Belief in oneself and knowing who you are, I mean, that’s the foundation for everything great.”—Jay-Z
“When looking at trends I always ask myself basic and timeless questions about business, and the one I seem to always come back to is, how is this different than anything else in the marketplace?”—Daymond John
“In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting.”—Magic Johnson
“I believe in destiny. But I also believe that you can’t just sit back and let destiny happen. A lot of times, an opportunity might fall into your lap, but you have to be ready for that opportunity. You can’t sit there waiting on it. A lot of times you are going to have to get out there and make it happen.”—Spike Lee
“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”—Oprah Winfrey
And while not an entrepreneur in the classical sense, these words from Harriet Tubman define exactly who we are: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”
“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” — Madam C.J. Walker
Sources: envatotuts+; Black EOE Journal; Goalcast
Photo Madame CJ Walker: By Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.) (photographers). – Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History : Archives Center. P.O. Box 37012 [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61548583
Beyonce stock photo by DFree/Shutterstock
Daymond John stock photo by Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock
