The United States of America is a country that is always developing and strengthening itself through its contributions to the business and industrial sectors, keeping the country as one of the most dominating bodies among all industrialized countries. The population of the United States is quite diverse with racial and ethnic groups represented from all parts of the world, pursuing the American Dream, all contributing to the its thriving economy. African Americans specifically have played a key role in the development of the country’s economy since its inception. There are several successful African Americans entrepreneurs today making substantial contributions to America’s business landscape, operating in a variety of different industries and sectors. The following are some notable African American entrepreneurs who are making their mark on the business world;

Dr Dre

Andre Romelle Young, also known as Dr Dre, is a famous rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. He founded Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, after previously owning a portion of Death Row Records. After having a dominant career in music , Dr Dre famously diversified his business footprint by launching the brand of headphones Beats by Dr Dre, growing it to become one of the largest headphone lines in history.

L. David Patterson

An American businessman, consultant, and financial advisor, L David Patterson has been recognized as being the first African American to hold the office of treasurer in the history of Hawthorne, ca. David is a successful entrepreneur that obtained his degree in business administration with a focus on Entrepreneurial studies. David holds professional licenses in the field of insurance, real estate and investments, including a life and health licences, property and casualty license, and real estate brokers license. He focuses much of his free time on educating the community on financial literacy a well as supporting non-profit organizations (such as Shoes for our Youth) that benefit the children. As a business consultant and financial advisor David has worked with high net worth individuals, small companies and fortune 500 companies, bringing his unique expertise to the table to help them reach their financial and organizational goals.

Robert L. Johnson

Robert Louis Johnson is one of the famous boxers of his time and now is a known American entrepreneur, executive philanthropist, and media magnate. Robert is the co-founder of BET and also owned Viacom in the year 2001. He established RLJ Companies, an investment company that holds and invests in several business sectors. He is famous for being the first African American billionaire and his companies are counted as one of the most prominent businesses established by the African Americans in the 20th and 21st century. He started off his career with an ordinary job in Washington D.C which also led him towards the media industry. He also worked as the director of public affairs in the corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z is already a famous and known name in the music industry, but apart from that, he has made a strong name for himself as a successful entrepreneur having a business empire spanning numerous industries including fashion, beverages, record labels, and real estate and professional sports. He founded the brand Rocawear with Damon Dash, it is a brand that offers clothes and accessories for men and women of all ages. Apart from that, he is an active stakeholder in some major and prominent companies including Iconic Brand Group, Carol’s Daughter, 40/40 club and the Barclays Centre.

Janice Bryant Howroyd

She is the CEO and founder of the Act 1 group and also the first African American female to execute a company that was capable of upbringing the total annual revenue on the amount of $1 billion. Janice developed this company from scratch as when she joined the Act 1 group they were low on funds, supplies and even employees. She joined and brought significant changes by adding a number of services according to the demands and requirements of the clients. Apart from being a famous entrepreneur, she is also an educator, author, and ambassador. She is also recognized on the list of top African females entrepreneurs in the United States.