Before founding Naturalicious, Gwen Jimmere was let go from her job at Ford with just $32 to her name. She’s now the first African American woman to hold a patent for a natural hair product and has turned her personal haircare creations into a multimillion-dollar business.

MORTAR Executive Director Allen Woods is joined by president of the board Kala Gibson to talk about building communities by empowering the next generation of minority businesses

Angelica “Angie” Nwandu reinvented the way Black celebrity news and digital content is distributed and consumed when she launched The Shade Room in 2014. Today, the platform boasts over 23 million followers on Instagram and is one of the most actively-engaged pages on the entire social media platform. On this episode of Elevate Black Inc., Nwandu opens up about her entrepreneurial journey, how she built a robust digital community, and the evolution of The Shade Room.

Ramon Ray leveraged his high-energy personality and “have fun” philosophy to create a unique professional brand and to become a bestselling author, international speaker, and “celebrity CEO.”

Curt and Jonathan Moody, father-and-son team of Cincinnati-based architecture firm Moody Nolan share how they emerged as industry leaders, rebounded from setbacks and created a dynamic, multigenerational business

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Detroit retailer Hot Sam’s was started in 1921 by Sam Freedman and operated by the founder’s family for generations. By 1994, it became black owned when employees Tony Stovall and Cliff Green became its owners. The two discuss how they met a series of business challenges, maintained their partnership and transformed Hot Sam’s into an African American institution.