Cornel Beard, founder of Charizma Agency, built his Minneapolis-based creative studio around the idea that design should do more than look good — it should move people. Read how his journey from Army service to art school led to a culturally rooted firm helping organizations tell meaningful stories.
Black Business Spotlight
This space is dedicated to offer snapshots of Minnesota’s Black-owned businesses.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
The Birth Revolution
Nadine Ashby is creating a radical shift in birth work. The Birth Revolution centers Black, queer, and trans birthing people through affirming training, support, and joy-filled community care.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Mind the Crown
Adrianna Willis founded Mind the Crown to empower Black women through self-care, affirmation and mental health advocacy. Her work amplifies the message that therapy, boundaries and joy are essential.
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W&W Protection
W&W Protection is more than a security firm. Founder Will Dinga built it to offer men with complicated pasts a shot at stability, growth, and leadership — proving that one opportunity can change everything.
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Flow Hair and Beauty
Black-owned Flow Hair and Beauty in Uptown Minneapolis offers more than hair products. The shop provides a healing space for people navigating medical hair loss and builds community with care.
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36 Lyn Refuel Station
36 Lyn Refuel Station marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration of local culture, clean energy, and community. Under Lonnie McQuirter’s leadership, the store has become a national model for socially conscious retail.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
BrightRay
BrightRay blends West African tradition with natural self-care through its triple-butter body products and holistic approach to wellness.
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Truly Natural Hair Studio
Truly Natural Hair Studio in Minneapolis offers a wellness-centered approach to natural hair care, led by owner Chanda McDaniel’s 30+ years of expertise.
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Justice 929
Selwyn Jones, uncle of George Floyd, turns grief into action. Through Justice 929, he pushes for reform, builds tech for safety, and keeps fighting for justice.
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The Kitchen by Baked Brand
South Minneapolis entrepreneur Destinee Shelby built Baked Brand from scratch — growing a bakery into a soul food restaurant and launching the Black Entrepreneur State Fair.
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The Coven
The Coven, founded by Alex West Steinman and her co-founders, offers a coworking space that centers women, nonbinary and trans people while remaining open to all, and that grounds itself in reciprocity, community care, and transformative access.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Hotworx Union Park
Natalia Davis, owner of Hotworx Union Park in St. Paul, has merged her passion for community health, family values, and generational entrepreneurship into a project that has already impacted lives, including reducing inflammation and improving mobility for people with multiple sclerosis.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
House of KLynn
Katherine Rogers, founder of House of KLynn, is a couture fashion designer who has spent over 37 years in the industry, creating timeless, well-crafted attire for clients and A-listers alike, and is now sharing her journey and expertise with the world.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Local fashion icon has global mindset
Richard Moody is a globally connected show producer, model, and community advocate known for his commitment to creating space for Black artists, youth, and creatives to shape their own path in the fashion industry.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Taylor’d Cosmetology School
Taylor’d Cosmetology School, Inc. was founded in 2023 to provide beauty education tailored to Black hair, skin and nails, with plans to expand to nail and hair programs in the future.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
JunkNMyTrunk Junk Removal
Brayshaun Gibson, the owner of JunkNMyTrunk Junk Removal, has grown his business from a solo hustle to a structured operation, offering junk removal, demolition, and eventually waste management, while also creating job opportunities for others.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
The Wellness Paradigm
Kinshasha Kambui founded Wellness Paradigm, a sanctuary for Black people to experience holistic wellness free from judgment or exclusion, after experiencing personal trauma and discovering ancestral wisdom in her healing journey.
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Nature’s Syrup Beauty
Nature’s Syrup Beauty founder DeVonna Pittman has built a legacy brand by creating products that moisturize natural hair, while also sharing her journey and entrepreneurial advice through her books and lounge.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Black Business Enterprises
Nancy Korsah, founder and CEO of Black Business Enterprises, has empowered Black entrepreneurs by creating a community-driven initiative dedicated to supporting and uplifting Black-owned businesses, and has now expanded to include a brick and mortar location in downtown Minneapolis.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Route1
Route1, a social enterprise fiscally sponsored by the Social Good Fund, is a Minnesota-based organization that supports emerging farmers of color and promotes health equity by providing fresh produce to marginalized communities.