6 Black Women Founders Redefining Business in 2025
Black Business Month—Black Women Are Redefining Power In Business: Meet 6 Leaders Changing The Game - Page 2
There’s a powerful truth in seeing Black women thrive in business: when we rise, the whole world shifts. Black women now own an estimated 2 million businesses—that’s 14% of all women-owned firms and nearly half of all Black-owned businesses in the U.S. From 2019 to 2024, revenue among Black women-owned firms grew by 80%, with employer firms led by Black women seeing a staggering 102.8% surge in earnings.
Still, in a landscape where Black women make up over 13% of the female population, we generate only 3% to 5% of women-owned business revenue and employment—proof that every success story is hard-won.
As Black Business Month winds down, it’s time to spotlight six women who are not just running companies but reshaping industries with brilliance, resilience, and vision.
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1. Dr. Glenicia Nosworthy of Glo By Glen
Courtesy of Glo by Glen
At the intersection of medicine and aesthetics, Dr. Glenicia Nosworthy has built Glo By Glen, a practice rooted in what she calls Beauty Hacking™. Trained at the Morehouse School of Medicine and Lenox Hill Hospital, she blends internal medicine with cosmetic treatments and lifestyle adjustments for a truly holistic approach.
Her services range from cosmetic injectables and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF)—a blood-based treatment that uses a patient’s own cells to restore skin—to microneedling for hair growth and glass facials with botulinum toxin (Botox). She also offers NeoGen plasma skin regeneration (PSR), a non-surgical facelift that uses plasma energy to tighten skin.
Perhaps most transformative are her stem cell therapies, which restore the body’s ability to regenerate at the cellular level. In a market often focused on quick fixes, Dr. Glen reframes beauty as something deeper—a long-term investment in both vitality and confidence.
2. Dr. Nikki Brooks-Seevers of Zen in a Jar
Zen in a Jar (ZIJ) began as homemade gifts and has grown into a lifestyle brand known for turning everyday routines into rituals of luxury. Founder Dr. Nikki Brooks-Seevers first created sugar scrubs and body butters while pursuing her doctorate, using her creativity to balance academics with entrepreneurship. When demand grew, she made the leap from federal IT project manager to full-time business owner.
Today, Zen in a Jar ships internationally from its production and retail space in District Heights, Maryland. The brand’s line has expanded to include body oils, candles, and curated gift sets—all designed to make self-care feel intentional rather than rushed.
What sets ZIJ apart is its grounding in family legacy and creativity. Inspired by her grandmothers’ perfumes and her mother’s encouragement, Brooks-Seevers has built a company that combines heritage with innovation, offering accessible luxury to a loyal and growing community.
3. Toni Harrison of Etched Communication
Etched Communication, founded by Toni Harrison, is a public relations firm specializing in high-stakes strategy. Harrison has guided leaders through billion-dollar mergers, political battles, and global crises, making her one of the most trusted voices in communications today.
Her firm’s work extends across corporate, government, and nonprofit clients, bringing newsroom sharpness into the boardroom. Etched has grown more than 150% in two years, thanks to Harrison’s focus on cultural fluency—ensuring that strategies resonate with diverse audiences while staying rooted in clarity and truth.
Harrison has been recognized nationally as a PR News “Top Woman in PR” and has won multiple American Business Awards for campaigns that combined precision with empathy. Under her leadership, Etched is proving that public relations is a tool for resilience, accountability, and shaping narratives that matter.
4. Ariana McGee of Navigate Maternity
Ariana McGee turned a near-death childbirth experience into a mission to save other mothers’ lives. She founded Navigate Maternity, a health technology company that created one of the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared blood pressure monitors designed specifically for pregnant and postpartum women.
The device, paired with a mobile app, allows women to track their blood pressure in real time and alerts care teams if dangerous patterns appear. This innovation is especially critical for Black mothers, who face disproportionately high risks of complications like preeclampsia.
With more than a decade of experience at major medical companies BD and Biogen, McGee combined her professional expertise with lived experience to create a solution trusted by hospitals and healthcare systems. As a mother of four, she represents both the personal and professional drive behind maternal health innovation—and a future where fewer families face preventable loss.
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5. Shavon Brown of English-Brown Winery
Shavon Brown has turned her family’s tradition of entrepreneurship into a boutique wine business rooted in heritage and hustle. As the founder of English-Brown Winery, she carries forward a legacy tied to her parents’ businesses, including the well-loved Gigi’s Music Café in Southern Florida.
English-Brown specializes in small-batch wines crafted in-house by Brown’s own hands. From crisp Rieslings to the tropical Endless Summer blend, Brown creates flavors that reflect both technical skill and cultural uniqueness. Each bottle is part of a larger vision: building community through gatherings, partnerships with local chefs, and her monthly Women’s LinkUp events that connect women entrepreneurs.
The winery remains intentionally boutique, focusing on quality and authenticity rather than mass production. Brown has created a business that is as much about storytelling, family, and connection as it is about wine.
6. Veronica Shelton of Oak Theory
Oak Theory, co-founded by Veronica Shelton and her business partner Hannah Ryu, is a creative studio specializing in user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design. UX/UI refers to how apps, websites, and digital tools look, feel, and function—from the flow of the screens to their ease of use.
The studio has grown into a seven-figure business serving clients such as Google, Vanderbilt, and Columbia. Shelton, a neurodivergent Black woman with experience at powerhouse brands including Disney and Sephora, brings expertise in solving complex problems with technology and leading with vision. Her leadership reflects not only her technical skill but also her lived perspective, shaping Oak Theory’s approach to inclusive, forward-thinking design.
While co-founder Ryu contributes a human-centered design philosophy, Shelton’s presence as a Black woman in the top 0.1% of women of color leading in tech underscores the significance of Oak Theory’s success. Through their editorial platform Under the Oak, Shelton continues to shape conversations about technology, leadership, and authenticity in ways that expand both access and impact.
The Legacy in Motion
Black women in business are not waiting to be discovered. We are here, building companies that solve problems, create community, and change industries from the inside out. The six women featured in this list are proof that innovation is not abstract. It has names, faces, and measurable impact. Each has chosen to take ownership of her work, her story, and her legacy—and in doing so, she clears space for others to do the same.
Black Business Month may be ending, but the work continues. These founders remind us that our businesses are central to our economy. When we recognize that, and when we support it, we’re investing in the future.
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