I Am Black Success®

How did Aliko Dangote build wealth through manufacturing power? In Day 6 of our Black Trailblazers series, we break down Aliko Dangote’s deliberate strategy for becoming Africa’s richest—by moving from trading into manufacturing, controlling the value chain, and building the kinds of businesses nations rely on. If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner looking for real business scaling lessons, this episode shows how “upstream moves” can turn participation into power, without chasing trend...

Oprah Winfrey’s real lesson: visibility without ownership breaks. In this episode of the I Am Black Success® Podcast, Stephen A. Hart breaks down Oprah Winfrey’s rise—not as a celebrity story, but as a blueprint for ownership, platform control, and trust in business. You’ll learn how Oprah turned early setbacks into leverage by building Harpo Productions and why building your own platform matters more than being seen everywhere. Chapters: IntroductionThe Setback That Became the PivotHarpo Pro...

Most people know Madam C. J. Walker. This episode spotlights the mentor and architect behind Walker's framework: Annie Malone. You’ll hear how she built the Poro Company into more than products—training, schools, agents, and infrastructure that scaled opportunity for thousands of Black women. If you care about Black business trailblazers, real entrepreneurship, and building business systems that last, this is your blueprint. Mission Fuel In This Episode: “Success leaves clues”, and Anni...

When you’re one of the few, or the only Black man in the room, leadership comes with a unique mix of visibility and isolation. Every achievement is on display. Every mistake is magnified. And the pressure to be “twice as good” can feel relentless. In this special episode, our host Stephen A. Hart sits down with Alfred Edmond Jr., Senior VP & Executive Editor-at-Large at Black Enterprise, to talk about the realities behind the title, how to handle hyper-visibility, combat the loneliness of...

Change can be scary, and when your pivot concerns your professional life, it can become even scarier ... especially for Black Women and other women of color! Our guest is Cecilia Nelson-Hurt, a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we have Jennefer Witter, a past guest of the show, taking over hosting duties for the podcast for March. Jennefer is CEO/Founder of the Boreland Group. 🔥 Download transcripts and see our full archives: https://iamblacksucce...

Are you a Unicorn? Have you been called a unicorn? Unicorn is a popular term used when there is an “only” or a “few” and it often means – according to Wikipedia – “a very rare find”. In celebration of Women’s History Month, I’m turning over my hosting duties, all month long, to a dear friend and a past guest of the show, Jennefer Witter. Jennefer is the CEO and founder of The Boreland Group, a 20-year-old boutique public relations firm headquartered in New York City. Jennefer’s agency special...

How Can You Grow Your Solo Business? Join me as I share in conversation with the one and only Ramon Ray, who is going to share some key tips and insights NOT for building a billion-dollar brand but JUST getting to over $100k in revenue-building a great business that generates a few hundred thousand dollars in revenue! In case you hadn’t heard about Ramon until now ... Ramon Ray is an in-demand expert on small business success. He's has started five companies and sold two of them and is a fi...

"If the racial wealth divide is left unaddressed ... median Black household wealth is on a path to hit zero by 2053—about 10 years after it is projected that racial minorities will comprise the majority of the nation’s population. Median Latino household wealth is projected to hit zero twenty years later, or by 2073." The Road To Zero Wealth. --- Join Gary Cunningham, CEO of Prosperity Now, as he tackles the income and asset gap and highlights ways to build Black wealth for a more inclusive ...

When you're navigating somewhere using Google Maps and you've got an accident on your route, Google will typically offer you to accept a different route... and that’s what I did in this valley season of my life. I accepted the alternate route. This is the 2nd part of a 3-part Reboot mini series. All three episodes are live right now (episodes 228-230).* In this episode, I share: What happened to me in this 3-year valley season and why I accepted an alternate route to keep me moving t...

It’s New Year’s Day and a dear friend of the podcast, Mignon Francois, opens up the year for Trailblazers.FM with this bold statement and challenge to each and everyone of YOU in our BlazerNation community: Throw The Whole Resolution Away... 😮 Say what?? Listen, you DO NOT want to miss out on the most inspiring 21-minutes that will help you get your year off on the right footing and position your mind, your actions and the results you'll achieve over the next 365-days of this year! Our fea...

How do you build, grow and scale your black-owned business? Today’s guest is Samia Gore. Samia Gore is the first Black female founder of Body Complete Rx, who’s been able to break significant ground in the male-dominated, nutritional supplement industry. She’s since gone on to generate over $10m in the past 4 years in her business. -- Please help us by SHARING this podcast with others. We believe that these inspiring stories are going to move other aspiring Black trailblazers to m...

Our episode guest is Stephen Powell, the chief programs and partnerships officer of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, founded by Essence Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Susan L. Taylor; he leads and oversees the organization’s affiliate network, program expansion, partnership development, training, and technical assistance efforts. Some of Stephen’s most notable honors include GQ Magazine’s Movado Leader Award; Black Enterprise Magazine’s 100 Modern Men of Distinction; and an O...