Editor’s Note: This is the published version of ForbesBLK newsletter, which offers the latest news and events surrounding the Black community. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday!
Cheers to a terrific weekend on the horizon, ForbesBLK.
We’re staying busy planning for our 2024 ForbesBLK Summit in Atlanta June 23-25, and look forward to sharing more on program lineups soon. In the meantime, behind the scenes, one project that’s been in development leading up to the summit is “The CEO Series.” (If I know our video producer, Travis Collins, that title is subject to change.)
The video series is meant for rising entrepreneurs and CEOs of smaller companies and startups. The mission of ForbesBLK is to champion success in the Black community. I can’t think of a better way for a media outlet to accomplish this goal than to offer exposure.
The idea originated from a brother named Darryl Sharpton, a former NFL linebacker and CEO of an e-commerce furniture company called Edloe Finch. In September 2020, I told Darryl’s story while I was a business reporter at CNBC. I got a call from Darryl more than a year after the piece ran, informing me he sold the firm for more than $100 million. According to Darryl, he received the offer because someone saw that article.
Since then, I’ve always wanted to tell stories like Darryl’s. I can do that now with ForbesBLK, this newsletter platform and the power of the Nasdaq MarketSite.
The CEO Series is designed like an elevator pitch, allowing top leaders of for-profit companies to showcase their firms and products to attract future investors as well as customers. We’ll discuss capital raises, what problems companies are solving and why the public should care. The interviews will also explore macroeconomics and how it impacts business.
ForbesBLK Newsletter
ForbesThis week, we launch with April Showers, CEO of Afro Unicorn.
Showers, 43, has an amazing story; she taught me about the world of product licensing. Our conversation was insightful, and we’re already talking about adding Showers to a panel at the ForbesBLK Summit to dive deeper into the topic.
In 2019, Showers started her business by printing T-shirts and using the power of social media to grow an audience. She dedicated every Saturday morning to going live on Instagram and sharing stories about building her brand.
That commitment paid off.
Afro Unicorn’s line has grown from only T-shirts to over 20 products, including children’s book bags, hair accessories and toys sold at Walmart and Target, all with the design of a black unicorn. Showers tells Forbes that the company had $15 million in sales in 2023, up from $5 million in 2022.
For me, Showers’ trajectory emulates Darryl Sharpton’s. Here’s hoping the added exposure from The CEO Series will bring a similar outcome—an offer that surpasses $100 million.
Enjoy this week’s newsletter and CEO series. Be sure to keep up with me on LinkedIn and Instagram.
