For Black-owned employer firms, ESOPs, worker cooperatives and employee ownership trusts may offer succession paths when a family transfer, outside sale or management buyout is not obvious.
OWNERS · TODAY
TODAY'S BBD500 SPOTLIGHT · Speaking & Business Growth
VIEW PROFILE →Ashley Kirkwood
Founder of Speak Your Way to Cash, attorney, author and business strategist who helps experts turn speaking, intellectual property and corporate relationships into revenue.
MORE FROM THE BBD500More people
More people
to know.
The BBD500 is Black Biz Daily's curated stage for Black founders, executives, investors, educators, authors, consultants, creators and business authorities whose work deserves to be seen. It is not a popularity ranking; it recognizes useful authority, demonstrated impact and sustained contribution.
EXPLORE THE BBD500 →01Investment & Enterprise
Magic Johnson
Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, investor and entrepreneur whose portfolio has included entertainment, food service, real estate, sports and community development.
02Entrepreneurship Education
Kezia M. Williams
Founder and CEO of The Black upStart and an educator serving Black entrepreneurs. She builds culturally relevant programs about business creation, AI skills, wealth and economic ownership.
03Food Entrepreneurship
Jessica Spaulding
Founder and CEO of Harlem Chocolate Factory. She shares lessons about artisan manufacturing, neighborhood-rooted branding, retail, financing and building a culturally distinctive food business.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHINGThe questions
The questions
shaping what
comes next.
The Brief tells you what matters now. This desk follows the deeper business shifts our newsroom believes deserve sustained attention.
THE CALENDARFOR FOUNDERS · STARTUPS · ENTREPRENEURS
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BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit for Men 2026
ORLANDO, FLORIDA · CONFIRMEDVIEW EVENT →NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange 2026
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