8 Minority-Owned Businesses to Discover (and Support!)
What’s your favorite minority-owned business?
As our world moves toward racial equality, we can all benefit from the small moments and actions that unify us.
Even a seemingly small move, such as supporting a minority-owned business in your area or online, can move mountains.
Types of Minority-Owned Business
Minority-owned businesses come in all shapes and sizes! A minority-owned business is a company that is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by individuals who belong to a racial or ethnic minority group. The business may be a small locally-run store, restaurant, or office-based company. It could be in the technology, manufacturing, construction, retail, or service industry. There is no end to the variety, value, and types of minority-owned businesses contributing to the community and economy.
Benefits of Minority-Owned Business
A minority-owned business is a place of both economic and social power. These businesses are diverse and inclusive, promoting equality in work and creativity. They may serve niche markets, providing specialized expertise that addresses the specific needs of a minority community.
They contribute significantly to community empowerment, building wealth and stability within minority communities. At the same time, participation in minority business networks provides access to mentoring, partnerships, and resources that support business growth and development.
At Outbrain, we’re grateful to connect with over one billion people a month across our platform – people of all races, sexualities, genders, and ages.
And given this reach, we’ve worked in the past to help our network support minority-owned businesses. In 2021, we ran a special campaign, called Amplifying Together, sponsoring several of these businesses with Outbrain ads. Each sponsored business was founded by phenomenal people with phenomenal stories, and nominated by our very own Outbrain family.
Minority-Owned Business Examples
We hope you’ll discover 8 of the inspiring Amplifying Together businesses below – and perhaps they may become your next favorite brand.
1. Clare – The Warby Parker of Buying Paint
If you know anything about Warby Parker, and how the brand disrupted an entire era of commerce, you’ll know how big that statement is.
At the helm of all D2C brands lies one factor: making typically complex commerce experiences simple. And that’s exactly what Clare does – ending the hassle that is paint shopping once and for all.
All of which started a few years back with Interior Design expert Nicole Gibbons. And to Nicole, behind every Designer is a process – one that does not include the overchoice of endless paint swatches, the multiple painful trips to the hardware store, or the unknown mixes of colors.
So, she streamlined the process — including Clare Color Genius™, a fun, two-minute quiz to personalize your paint recommendations.
With color choices from Goodnight Moon to Rosè Season to Golden Hour, I challenge you to try shopping Clare without wanting to purchase every paint available.
2. SOUND – The New (Healthier!) La Croix
Yes, another analogy – because just as Warby Parker took storm on commerce, La Croix took storm on sparkling water.
That is, until SOUND was founded – not your usual sparkling beverage. This unsweetened, organic tea and sparkling water mash-up was developed by not one, but two nuclear power engineers, Tommy Kelly and Salim Najjar – talk about a career pivot.
And this pivot goes beyond the fantastically refreshing taste and beautiful packaging, bringing the health benefits of tea, from reduced cholesterol and inflammation to lower cortisol, to a light, cold, and carbonated classic.
My personal fave? Blood Orange & Vanilla with Black Tea. No, actually, Grapefruit & Lavender with Ginger Tea. Wait, no, Blueberry & Cinnamon With Hibiscus Tea.
Let’s face it, it’s all amazing! Try a sampler on for size, and discover your own favorite SOUND flavor. Talk about botanical, fruit extract goodness.
3. Moisture Love – A Natural, Curly-Haired Favorite
Don’t let the business degrees fool you – here’s yet another amazing brand founded by an industrial engineering expert, Jeannell Darden.
Having worked at big brands, from L’Oreal to P&G, Jeannell saw first-hand the inner workings of the beauty industry. She also experienced the love/hate relationship people tend to have with their natural hair, and wanted to rid the “hate” from that equation.
Thus, Moisture Love was born: a curated hair collection singularly focused on one thing: infusing your natural, highly-textured hair with the moisture it craves (and needs!).
All using proprietary “Hydralure” technology, Moisture Love products are scientifically formulated to infuse long-lasting, pH-balanced moisture to hair of all shapes and sizes.
Need more convincing? These products are entirely plant-based and super cost-efficient. Try Moisture Love and see for yourself!
4. Brotherman Comics – Comics That Went Down in History
Subconsciously, much of what we contextualize comes down to relatability, especially in entertainment such as books or comics. That moment when you can’t seem to put a book down because you feel a kindred spirit with a character you’re reading about.
That’s what inspired brothers Dawud Anyabwile and Guy A. Sims to create Brotherman Comics, and the hero himself, Brotherman. And not only did they spawn a “black comic movement”, this duo made history, landing artifacts and memorabilia from the Brotherman series in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
5. Upendo Art – The Everywhere Artist
What do Adidas, Gatorade, Microsoft, and Nike all have in common? Upendo Taylor.
But, seriously, much of the art you see in your everyday just might have been inspired by Upendo himself, including the latest iteration of the Gatorade logo, the pinnacle of its brand identity. Worth mentioning – he’s also one-half of Leroy Jenkins, the brand that inspired the floral menswear trend. Yes, the same one you’ve likely seen Jay-Z sporting throughout the 2010s.
This big-brand Creative Director turned Independent Artist is as kind as he is creative. Inspired by inspiring others, Upendo believes by continuing on these traces of inspiration is how we can all affect real change.
And lucky for you, you can gain inspiration from Upendo himself as a few of his pieces are up for grabs – from hand-pulled silk screen canvases to designed throw blankets.
6. Juice Easy – Made Clean Beverage Choices Cool
You may be surprised to see what a devastating hurricane could help inspire. That’s just what brought this family-run, juice-cleansing innovator together, as they were looking to help Houston get back on a healthy footing after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Juice Easy founders Bobby Humbert and Ashley Mcafee quickly outgrew their post-hurricane, home-based operation and began opening retail locations throughout Texas. And their intentions went much deeper than the typical health foods brand, as this pair focused on bringing healthy alternatives to cities that may lack these health-conscious options.
7. AndNoire – The Amazon for Black-Owned Brands
This fantastic trio of founders – Travis Pinnock, Condola Brivitte, and Danielle Skeen – wanted to make it easier for people to support black-owned businesses. So they launched AndNoire, supporting brand discovery for consumers and the marketplace for black-owned brands.
As consumers are looking for small (and big!) ways they can help support — from protesting to buying locally. AndNoire attempted to make it easier.
8. Stanback Studio – Shop the Vibe
Last, but certainly, not least, Stanback Studio of artist Zuri A. Stanback.
In 2021, Zuri launched UrbanShout, inspired protest art, and coined a style he dubbed “Hierograff”, mixing the vibrancy of graffiti, high regard for the written word, and spiritual connection with ancient glyphs. That style was amplified throughout the #BLM movement, as he shared a protest story within each and every piece he created.
Today, Zuri runs his own photography studio. Follow @zuristanback on Instagram for more.
Minority-Owned Business Success
While this short list of amazing minority-owned businesses is just a tiny fraction of what we can all do to help find the balance to racial equality, it’s a fantastic start.
A huge thank you to all of the founders of these amazing brands for allowing us to hear and share their stories. Now, we hope you’ll share them further, and continue discovering, supporting, and taking action.
