Customer Reviews

Black Enterprise Lessons from the Top: Success Strategies from America's Leading Black CEOs (Black Enterprise Books)

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This is a book of African American business success stories. Until now, the eleven self-made black business leaders featured-The Titans of the Black Enterprise 100s-were virtually unknown outside the United States, and even to American business students. Yet, they run America's largest black-owned companies and have been the vanguard of an entrepreneurial revolution. Achieving success despite lack of capital, diminished access, and outright racism, they used inspiration and drive to seize opportunities and break barriers. They are black America's wealthiest and most powerful players, providing employment, training, and advancement for large numbers of African Americans.

The eleven chapters of this book each tell the untold story of these titans and the contributions they and their companies have made to American industry and life.

Their stories and ideas will instruct, inspire, illuminate and motivate the reader to build on their success. This book is a source of inspiration and motivation to the next generation of captains of industry of all races and both genders the world over.

Derek T. Dingle is an editor-at-large for Black Enterprise magazine. For more than a decade, he has covered the B.E. 100s, which profile the 100 largest black-owned businesses, and he recently served as writer for B.E. 100s Exclusive, a newsletter for CEOs of these companies. In addition to his role as the managing editor of BE several years ago, he served as president and CEO of Milestone Media, Inc., which was America's largest black-owned comic book company.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently managing partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management.

This is a book of African American business success stories. Until now, the eleven self-made black business leaders featured-The Titans of the Black Enterprise 100s-were virtually unknown, even to American business students. Yet, they run America's largest black-owned companies and have been the vanguard of an entrepreneurial revolution. Achieving success despite lack of capital, diminished access, and outright racism, they used inspiration and drive to seize opportunities and break barriers. They are black America's wealthiest and most powerful players, providing employment, training, and advancement for large numbers of African Americans.

They represent, in many ways, the economic evolution of post-war African Americans. The first step in the effort for black equality was driven largely by the Civil Rights Movement, which led to the social and legal reforms of the 1950s and 1960s. Next, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which eliminated such barriers to political activity as the poll tax and illiteracy test, gave rise to the increase in black political strength with the election of blacks to Congress in the late 1960s and 1970s. Those events were followed by the propulsion of black economic power in which African Americans gained an opportunity to amass wealth and achieve the American Dream that had been elusive for so long. In the 1980s and 1990s, blacks, who gained access to the nation's leading universities and major corporations, leveraged their education and experience to acquire and finance new companies as well as develop enterprises through emerging technologies.

The eleven chapters of this book each tell the untold story of these titans and the contributions they and their companies have made to American industry and life. Their stories and ideas will instruct, inspire, illuminate and motivate the reader to build on their success. This book is a source of inspiration and motivation to the next generation of captains of industry of all races and both genders the world over.

Derek T. Dingle is an editor-at-large for Black Enterprise magazine. For more than a decade, he has covered the B.E. 100s, which profile the 100 largest black-owned businesses, and he recently served as writer for B.E. 100s Exclusive, a newsletter for CEOs of these companies. In addition to his role as the managing editor of BE several years ago, he served as president and CEO of Milestone Media, Inc., which was America's largest black-owned comic book company.

This book is great for inspiration, and a motivation. I'm happy I ran across this book. It's interesting to know to background of some of the great black american c.e.o. . The book was shipped fast and packed well.

Titans should be required reading for African Americans who doubt the promise. In spite of our nation's ills, some of these individuals made millions in the 40's. Think about that! Given the current state of affairs (The Don Imus incident) it's clearly evident that race is still an extremely sensitive issue in this nation. Consider current racial disparities then consider the concept of dark-skinned African American male millionaires in the 40's. It's an unbelievable achievement! If they were able to do it and create dynasties for their families in their time, what's stopping present day African Americans from reaching their financial goals and dreams? This book is yet another small piece of evidence that determination, dedication and delayed gratification are the true components of dream realization. It helps prove that good luck is created by hard work. It also ensures - through family connection - that marketable qualities (strength, education and delayed gratification) are passed on to the next generation creating traditions of success; a quality commonly seen as lacking in the present day African American male arsenal. It's important to note the small successes within the framework of the African American family unit before welfare measures. I'm usually hesitant about grading generously, but I think this book - brief though it may be - with it's snippets of successful African Americans lives, reinforces the ethos of hard work and just reward based on good ole fashion merit. Well done!

This is an excellent read. I was appreciative of the profiles and will look forward to being included in the next issue! LOL!