In their new book Billion Dollar Boss, authors Kathey Porter and Andrea Hoffman feature 12 successful African American women entrepreneurs and leaders who have built impressive and dynamic businesses and deliver their stories of how they solved various dilemmas while growing their businesses.
The positive impact of African-American women in business makes for a really strong story. According to the 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report commissioned by American Express OPEN, while firms owned by women of color are smaller than non-minority women-owned businesses, their growth in numbers and economic clout is generally far outpacing that of other women-owned entities. Businesses owned by African-American women led that growth, up 296% from 1997 to 2014, generating nearly $50 billion in revenue. It is, in a sense, a second Black Renaissance, creating what we like to call the '50 Billion Dollar Boss.’ African-American women continue to excel and shape society across industries. This book recognizes them for their business acumen and examines how they creatively solved business challenges and identified opportunities to grow and sustain their businesses.
“For too long there have been few 'blueprints' for young women entrepreneurs - particularly African-American women entrepreneurs—to follow. While women are starting businesses in unprecedented numbers, many African-Americans are first-generation entrepreneurs, and there have been few role models for them to emulate and learn from.”
- Kathey Porter and Andrea Hoffman
About the Authors
Kathey Porter is a Supplier Diversity Director and consultant for government, higher education and corporate entities. An expert on small business development, supplier diversity and entrepreneurship, She has been a business instructor for over ten years at several colleges and universities including Virginia Tech – Pamplin, College of Business, Savannah State, University, Savannah College of Art & Design, Strayer University, Columbia College and University of Phoenix. Kathey was previously a marketing executive in the beauty industry, working on multicultural brands for companies including Carson Products, Revlon Professional and Colomer USA. She has owned and operated several small businesses and recently founded BusinessFAB Enterprises, a multiplatform media initiative focused on the development of content, communications, customized networking events and continuing education programs that connect women entrepreneurs to opportunities.
Andrea Hoffman is founder and CEO of Culture Shift Labs (CSL), an advisory firm that tailors growth strategies for executives and corporations and facilitates connections and collaborations among its proprietary database of the “diverse elite”. A top-tier strategist, dealmaker and business development veteran for over 25 years, her clients have included BMW, Credit Suisse, Carnegie Hall, Hachette Fillapacchi, Hermes, Jaguar, Microsoft, Sony Electronics, Time Life, Scholastic, JPMorgan Chase, NCLR, Virginia Tech, Mercedes Benz USA and more. Since its inception in 2006, her consultancy has designed growth strategies for early adopters in Corporate America and paved the way for countless connections and growth opportunities between Fortune 500’s and the “diverse elite”. Andrea is also the co-author of Black is the New Green and the author of RE-FRAGGLE: How & Why Diverse Teams Enhance Innovation.
Website www.50bdb.com
Why LoA loves it….
50 Billion Dollar Boss is a great read for women who are interested in learning from other successful women who have experienced the challenges of being an entrepreneur and taking the leap to run their own business. This collection of successful African American women share their entrepreneurial journeys and offer insights that will guide and support women who have the entrepreneurial spirit for taking a risk and for creating a successful enterprise. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa