This Small Business Month, Olympic track and field star Allyson Felix has some advice for our littlest small business owners — and their parents. She may be the most decorated U.S. track and field Olympian of all time — and a 2022 honoree of theGrio Awards — but Allyson Felix also knows how to get down to business. After enduring a high-profile 2019 split from her sponsorship deal with Nike due to the brand’s maternity policies, Felix found a new home aligned with her values at Athleta. Then came the pandemic, which delayed her ability to join the Olympic track and field team for a f ..read more

 Meet the mompreneur changing toddler travels with her company Baby Vend. Epitomizing the balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship, founder Jasmin Smith turned to her eight-year-old son, whom she unexpectedly had to pick up early from school, and said, “Give Mommy 20 minutes to talk to the news, then we’ll be on our way home.”  Jasmin Smith, founder of Baby Vend. (Photo courtesy of Jasmin Smith) “That’s the story,” Smith said, smiling into her smartphone’s front camera with the silhouette of her son looking out the backseat window in her blurred Zoom background. “You’re interv ..read more

Kindred Space LA is a game changer, offering support throughout your pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal health schedules, and birth options at home or at Kindred Space. Midwife care is on the rise in the United States, but it’s still during a time when Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than their white counterparts, according to the CDC. Kindred Space LA is a game changer where they offer medical support throughout your pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal health schedules and birth options at home or at Kindred Space. Based out of Los Angeles, Kindred S ..read more

In addition to Johnson, billionaire Mitchell Rales, co-founder of the Danaher Corp., and a group of other limited partners are part of Josh Harris’ latest pro sports enterprise. The Washington Commanders reportedly have been sold for $6 billion, a record amount, and the deal involves Earvin “Magic” Johnson as a partner. According to The New York Times, Josh Harris, an owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, has consented in principle to buy the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder.  Harris is the head of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the investme ..read more

Hip-hop artists Wande and Porsha Love sit with artist manager Erinn Knight to discuss the state of women in the highly male-dominated genre of hip-hop. In the 60s, before our art form was called hip-hop, women were the leaders of the culture as emcee’s and producers. Going back to the icons of the 70s and 80s, fast-forwarding to 90s with a variety of female show-stoppers of today, these trailblazing artists have empowered all women and destroyed the roadblocks for their counterparts. During the 1980s, rap music became a household theme that changed the culture forever. During this time, w ..read more

Black women aren’t just living the “soft life”; they’re profiting from it through culturally-crafted retreats. Christina Rice is showing them how to do it.  Christina Rice’s wellness journey started on a yoga mat in a room filled with women who didn’t look like her. Occasionally, she’d lock eyes with another Black woman across the room, they’d exchange an “I see you” nod, and it was back to the mat. Eventually, as Rice got her yoga teacher certification and started chronicling her journey, she started to notice more and more Black women showing up on yoga mats, too. That’s when she had wh ..read more

Entrepreneur Candace Holyfield Parker may be the “Six Figure Spa Chick,” but a $1M revenue loss taught her to stay ready for the inevitable. Social media is where we all share our highlight reels, and it’s no different for entrepreneurs. We often hear their success stories about their first five-figure month, but we rarely hear about that six-month stretch when no money was coming in. They just go silent.  Not Candace Holyfield Parker. Widely known as Six Figure Spa Chick, the spa owner and serial entrepreneur is ready to share her losses. And she’s lost — big.  Parker says ..read more

“I think Black women are really, really honestly integral to the tech ecosystem,” says Nkonde, “because we’re coming in often with uniquely different points of view.“ Throughout March, which is Women’s HIstory Month, theGrio is honoring Black women by highlighting super sisters leading the way in their respective industries. Today, we are profiling AI ethicist Mutale Nkonde and exploring her progressive work in technology. Nkonde is founder and chief executive officer of AI for the People, a communications firm focused on reducing algorithmic bias. AI ethicist Mutale Nkonde is founder and ch ..read more

Now in its third year, Pharrell Williams’ nonprofit organization Black Ambition continues to open doors of opportunity for Black and brown entrepreneurs. 2023 is already gearing up to be a busy year for award-winning artist and full-scope creative Pharrell Williams. Just weeks after announcing his new position as Louis Vuitton’s menswear creative director, Williams continues his efforts to uplift Black and brown communities through the Black Ambition project.  (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images) “We’ve accomplished so much in such a short time, and it’s been amazing to see our impact so ..read more

The media mogul also discussed the critical need to improve the nation’s educational systems and services for vulnerable citizens. Media mogul Byron Allen addressed racial disparity in corporate America and educational inequity as he accepted the inaugural “Legendary Honor” during a conference hosted by Harvard Business School’s African American Student Union. But Allen, chairman of Allen Media Group, didn’t limit his remarks to systemic racism in corporate America and schools. Before an audience of prominent Black leaders, executives, financiers, influencers and future leaders, Allen addres ..read more