Celebrating National Black Business Month: The Stories Behind the Brands We Love
August is National Black Business Month, a time to recognize the entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities shaping industries and creating opportunities across the country.
The observance was founded in 2004 by historian and journalist John William Templeton and engineering entrepreneur Frederick E. Jordan Sr. Their goal was to bring greater attention to Black-owned businesses and the challenges Black entrepreneurs faced, including barriers to funding, capital, and business opportunities.
Today, Black Business Month is an opportunity to do more than simply recognize these businesses. It is a chance to discover their stories, amplify their work, and intentionally support the brands making an impact.
Why Visibility Matters
For BrandNEWS, celebrating Black Business Month is also about the power of storytelling. PR and media can help introduce audiences to businesses they may not have discovered otherwise, while giving entrepreneurs a platform to share what makes their brands unique.
Black-owned businesses contribute to communities, culture, and the economy, while often building brands around experiences and needs that have historically been overlooked. Highlighting those stories can help create greater visibility and encourage continued support.
Black-Owned Brands We Love
The Lip Bar
https://thelipbar.com/?srsltid=AfmBOop0gb6Y1GHJDgiKomDbGDplVUEtNCj5O6DAfYbjkjuVLJT4zpV6
Founded by Melissa Butler in 2012, The Lip Bar began when Butler became frustrated with the lack of inclusive options in the beauty industry. While working on Wall Street, she began developing lipstick formulas in her kitchen, eventually turning that experiment into a beauty brand built around representation, accessibility, and self-expression.
Today, The Lip Bar has grown far beyond its original lipstick concept, becoming a nationally recognized beauty brand. Its story is a great example of how identifying a gap in an industry–and creating a solution–can become the foundation for a powerful brand.
Black Girl Vitamins
https://blackgirlvitamins.co/?srsltid=AfmBOoq8C4L0yuYZOofMCixoaVWjjCOda7mWocF6NEaU1ubJephRYKrp
Founded by Maxine Ugwu and her siblings in 2021, Black Girl Vitamins was created with a focus on the nutritional and wellness needs of Black women. Ugwu's own experience with vitamin deficiency helped inspire the brand and its mission to make wellness more accessible to its community.
The brand demonstrates how personal experience can become a powerful foundation for entrepreneurship. By creating products around a need the founders understood firsthand, Black Girl Vitamins has built a brand rooted in community and representation.
Freedom Apothecary
https://freedomapothecary.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo-WmphK3zdzndeR4HcnFLMDVAyaIUvcW1Q3L1HztOWqrpdFWhS
Founded by Morrisa Jenkins and Bonkosi Horn, Freedom Apothecary is a Black-owned lifestyle and wellness brand centered around self-care, community, and intentional living.
From its curated wellness products to its welcoming retail experience, Freedom Apothecary brings together beauty, wellness, and entrepreneurship in a way that feels distinctly community-focused. Its approach shows how a brand can create an experience–not just sell a product–and build a space where customers feel connected to what the business represents.
The Wrap Life
https://thewrap.life/?srsltid=AfmBOoqaUKW0eGekGwwqo7mnqEiJ1J1KqMne71J5ZxuJU3oU0aKg0pK5
Founded by Nnenna Stella, The Wrap Life began with a simple idea: to create beautiful, authentic headwraps that let people express themselves through hair and style. Stella started the company in Brooklyn and has grown it into a hair-accessory brand focused on beauty, self-expression, and representation.
The Wrap Life's story is a reminder that products can carry meaning beyond their function. Headwraps can be a form of personal and cultural expression, and Stella built a brand around helping customers embrace that identity through style.
Celebrating Beyond August
National Black Business Month may happen every August, but supporting Black-owned businesses doesn't have to be limited to one month.
Whether it's discovering a new brand, sharing an entrepreneur's story, making a purchase, or simply giving a business greater visibility, intentional support can make an impact year-round.
At BrandNEWS, we believe great storytelling has the power to connect people with brands that deserve to be seen. This month, we're celebrating the entrepreneurs behind the businesses–and the stories that make their brands worth remembering.