The year 2020 has been an especially trying one for many Black business leaders. The economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus has disproportionately hurt minority-owned small businesses, according to an August report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife. Further, Black business owners have expressed a range of strong emotions over the police killings and protests against racial injustice that rocked many communities.
For leaders on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies, adaptability has been key to staying afloat. Here, six top Black founders on Inc.’s list share some of their lessons for entrepreneurs from this year:
“Embrace change, plain and simple. As entrepreneurs, we have this crystallized vision of what we want our businesses to become, but everything from market volatility to geopolitical instability can turn our plans upside down. We can build longevity by learning to make the most of unexpected changes, instead of clinging to what could have been.”
