HOUSTON – Inspired by Pharrell Williams featuring Jay-Z song “Entrepreneur,” a new video highlights Black entrepreneurs and businesses in the Houston area. The inspirational video dropped Sunday and has already garnered more than 10,000 views across social media platforms.
The visual travels through the streets of Houston, featuring local Black-owned businesses such as the Turkey Leg Hut, She’s Happy Hair, Unity National Bank and Wanderstay Houston Hostel and influential Houstonians like Mayor Sylvester Turner, restaurateur Marcus Davis of The Breakfast Club and entrepreneur Khaliah O. Guillory of the Nap Bar. The video also spotlights local civil rights and community organizations, media companies, lawyers, and investors.
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Most impactfully, the video draws attention to the many success stories of local entrepreneurs and business owners.
For example, real estate investor Chris Senegal is protecting Fifth Ward from gentrification by purchasing property though group investing, according to the video. He has raised $1 million by taking investments as low as $250. Now, Senegal has $7 million in real estate development in Houston.
About 20 years ago, Davis created The Breakfast Klub, a southern and home-style breakfast restaurant in Midtown. The business grew from one location to a hospitality company that runs Reggae Hut, Alley Kat Bar & Lounge and two locations for The Breakfast Klub in George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
In 2018, Deidre Mathis opened Wanderstay Houston Hostel, becoming the first Black woman in the country to own a hostel. She is also well-traveled, visiting 44 countries across all seven continents.
Tiffany Williams, Phil Yates and Kiley Summers recently launched 1301 Ventures/Diversity Fund Houston, providing capital and resources to tech founders. The $3 million venture capital fund will invest in Black and Brown companies, per the video.
Warren Broadnax, the CEO and co-founder of She’s Happy Hair, has expanded the virgin hair business to seven locations in about eight years. The brand has made $90 million in total revenue.
Reading with a Rapper, founded by two Prairie View A&M University graduates, is an innovative program encouraging children to improve their reading skills through rap skills, per the video.
Tyla-Simone Crayton is the 16-year-old CEO of Sienna Sauce. Her products are sold in more than 70 retails stores throughout the country and her business makes six figures annually, per the video. She also received an investment from Grammy award-winning artist Chamillionaire.
“There are way too many dope, Black entrepreneurs in Houston to fit them all into one video,” said Williams, the founder of Twice Media Productions, a Houston-based marketing company that produced the video.
The video was directed by Williams. While Cleo Dishmon served as the director of photography.
Other local businesses and entrepreneurs featured:
- Darryl King owns five companies with officers across the world and he and his companies have given nearly a half-million dollars in donations and scholarships.
- Chris Hollins is a restauranter, attorney and the first Black and the youngest county clerk for Harris County.
- Kim Roxie is the owner of the organic makeup line, LAMIK Beauty.
- Khaliah O. Gullioy runs the Nap Bar, the first-of-its-kine, on-demand napping experience for busy professionals
- Phillip Dunn seeks to redirect $1.2 trillion of Black buying power to Black businesses through his online community, Black Business Focus Group
- Millionaire twin brothers, Dr. Sterling Carter and Stephen Levi Carter built Sterling Staffing Solutions, a staffing agency to address the disparities in the healthcare industry.
- Marvin Pierre established 8 Million Stories to provide youth that have been pushed out of the school system with an opportunity to finish their education and obtain employment.
- Ray Shackelford, the president of the National Urban League Young Professionals
- Ashley P. Turner, Houston’s first daughter
- Symphony Webb, the founder of Urban Culture Apparel
- HAUL’s Entrepreneurship Center has graduated over 5,000 businesses over the last decade
- Day Edwards, the founder of Church Space
- Travion James, the founder of Global Security Advancements
- Arneisha Nissi Sadler, the founder of Emeniss Call Center
- Cecil L. Ivey Sr., the founder of Cindy’s List Funeral Concierge
- Dommonic Belson, the founder of clevtech
- Michelle Levi McDaniel, the founder of Elite Image Tax and Notary Service, LLC
- Landi and Rob Spearman, with Organized SHIFT
- 36ixty Visuals, a visual marketing firm based in Houston
To view Houston’s Black business directories and small business resources, visit here.
Here is the full video of Houston-area, Black-owned businesses: