Photo courtesy of The Atlanta Post

A black-owned national management consulting company CEO, David Kelly, shares his broad perspective on how black businesses can thrive in a difficult economy while becoming less dependent on salaried employment and taking control of their own financial destinies. David shares his mistakes, accomplishments, disapointments and triumphs as his business who grown and endured over the years.

Read more at The Atlanta Post: NOVAD Management Consulting CEO Shares Entrepreneurship Essentials

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Where does the ideal startup founder come from? Whom is he or she connected to?

LinkedIn was curious, so the business social network decided to find out. It mined the data of its more than 115 million users to understand the background of entrepreneurs. The result is an infographic that dives into the educational and corporate characteristics of the typical startup founder.

Interesting stats that demonstrate that entrepreneurship isn’t simply for the young and relatively inexperienced.

Read more at Mashable.

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• LinkedIn Explores What It Takes To Be an Entrepreneur [INFOGRAPHIC] (mashable.com)

Equally as impressive as his on-court domination was Jordan’s methodical construction of a now billion-dollar retail empire –Air Jordan.  And, despite the fact that he hasn’t taken a professional jumpshot in more than seven years, his dynasty is more secure than ever and growing stronger – and more profitable – each year.

Michael Jordon is/was a legend both on and off the court. His basketball prowess was only matched by his marketing savvy and he continues to make major money moves throughout his retirement from the game. Andrea Williams provides an excellent feature about this truly amazing athlete and entrepreneur at the Atlanta Post.

Sometimes you just have to pursue your dreams. That’s what Anthem Addisu did when he decided to forego his $150,000 annual salary for a full time career as an MC who has performed as the opening act for B.O.B. and Lupe Fiasco. This Duke University graduate organized himself prior to taking a huge leap of faith and executed a plan of action that is beginning to pay off as he develops his music career.

Do you have enough hustle to make your dreams become a reality?

Majora Carter via SecondAct.com

Second Act, an online portal catering to readers over 40, recently showcased its “Game-Changers of 2010″, fifteen people dedicated to “taking on society’s biggest, most intractable problems and, against all odds, making a huge difference.”

The story features a pair of African Americans who are quietly making their mark:

Majora Carter founded the nonprofit Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 to help rid the Bronx River of trash. She is a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and is now expanding her own private, Bronx-based consulting firm, the Majora Carter Group, which helps other organizations duplicate her urban activism efforts in other cities.

Will Allen is an urban farmer who mentors youth and helps raise organic food for the poor. His efforts also won him a “Genius Grant”, sn honor worth $500,000. He is joining First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against obesity, and his nonprofit Growing Power Inc. raises enough chemical-free vegetables to feed 10,000 people while also selling to restaurants and wholesalers.

Read the entire story of these amazing entrepreneur-activists here.

A.G. Gaston. Photo from NPR

The recurring breakthroughs in technology and opportunity sometimes make it easy to ignore history. Yet the entrepreneurial spirit that many hustlers now embrace was just as prevalent in past times.  NPR highlights African American trailblazer Arthur George (A.G.) Gaston, a business visionary and contributor to the civil rights movement.

Gaston achieved a fantastic level of success as an African American in the 20th century according to Suzanne E. Smith, an associate professor of history at George Mason University and the author of Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit.

“A lot of black entrepreneurs are really fighting today to maintain their competitiveness. I think if Gaston were alive today, he’d be somewhat sad about that,” she says. “Until his death, he wanted to believe that African- Americans would maintain a certain loyalty to black entrepreneurs.”

Gaston became a  multimillionaire by the middle of the 20th century through several businesses, including an insurance company, a funeral home business, a savings and loan, and a motel. Martin Luther King Jr. stayed at the Gaston Motel during his organizing in Birmingham–Gaston bailed him out of jail to the tune of $160,000 when the civil rights leader was later arrested.

A.G. Gaston’s ventures are all closed in the present day, with the exception of his funeral home. Still, the man’s business success–despite labeling by some as an ‘Uncle Tom’–is a powerful story of perseverance that is rarely given mention.

“In general, entrepreneurship has not been incorporated enough in civil rights history,” Smith says.

Hustletown readers: Check out the full story and audio here. What past entrepreneurs have inspired you? Tell us in the comments section below!

Lisa Price

The Hustletown Chronicle strives to recognize achievement and the hustling spirit in our community. Seeing our people change the world around them only gives us more competitive drive, and we want to be sure to pass that motivation on whenever possible!

Check out the Atlanta Post for an intriguing list of “10 Dynamic and Influential Black All-Stars of the Last Decade”. Entrepreneurs such as Lisa Price–recognized for business success with her signature line, Carol’s Daughter–join the list of influential politicians and educators.

Hustletown readers: We would love to share stories of your entrepreneurial success! Please contact us to query for interviews and potential feature stories in 2011!

Gregory Perkins. From the Atlanta Post

A story from the Atlanta Post chronicles how Gregory Perkins, the man behind African American Expressions, decided to fulfill a perceived need in the market and achieved success.

Perkins relied on his faith for the decision to establish his greeting card business despite the established presence of companies like Hallmark and American Greetings.

“I am a man of faith and I wanted to serve God,” Perkins said. “I started the company with the idea that we could do better than Hallmark by creating cards the way we [African-Americans] saw ourselves instead of the way they saw us.”

Perkins eventually took another leap of faith–quitting his full time job with benefits to pursue his dream wholeheartedly. The company started out wholesaling, and now offers products in specialty shops and Wal-Mart over twelve years later.

“The first year we were doing $17,000 and the second year it was $45,000,” Perkins said. “Now we’re up to four or five million [dollars] a year.”

Read more of his amazing story here!

Hustletown readers: Do you or a fellow hustler have your own entrepreneurial success story to share? Please contact us–we would love to share your business and insight!

“The astonishing growth in the number of African Americans who own their own business is cause for celebration,” Lee says. “There were 1.9 million Black-owned businesses in 2007, up 60.5 percent from 2002.”

Black Business Secrets offers straightforward strategies on personal finance, building a profitable company, and outhustling your competition. Lee considers himself a business coach, but also includes key insights from African American businessmen such as Bob Johnson, Gwen Richardson, and Russell Simmons.

Read more about Lee’s new book here, or check out his blog for more business insight.