Rihanna built Fenty Beauty by fixing ignored demand.

In this episode of I Am Black Success®, Stephen A. Hart breaks down how Rihanna didn’t just leverage influence—she built ownership by solving an inclusive beauty problem the industry had largely ignored. You’ll learn the real business strategy behind Fenty: identifying an unmet market, setting a new standard (starting with 40 foundation shades), and building infrastructure that lasts.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:48 Celebrating Black Trailblazers: Rihanna's Story
01:44 The Launch of Fenty Beauty
02:37 Rihanna's Business Strategy
03:14 Actionable Lessons from Rihanna's Journey
03:59 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser

Key Takeaways
* How Rihanna reframed “inclusion” as an unmet market opportunity, not charity
* Why launching with 40 foundation shades signaled a new industry standard
* The difference between being “valuable” and being in control
* What “influence without ownership” costs creators over time
* 4 practical prompts to shift from representation to ownership mindset

If this sparked something for you, drop a comment: Where do you see unmet demand in your world and what would ownership look like?

Subscribe for the full 28-day Black Trailblazers series, and share this episode with someone building the next standard.

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

How did Aliko Dangote build wealth through manufacturing power?

In Day 6 of our Black Trailblazers series, we break down Aliko Dangote’s deliberate strategy for becoming Africa’s richest—by moving from trading into manufacturing, controlling the value chain, and building the kinds of businesses nations rely on. If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner looking for real business scaling lessons, this episode shows how “upstream moves” can turn participation into power, without chasing trends. 

Key Takeaways

• Why controlling the value chain creates durability, not just cash flow
• The difference between fast wins (trading) and long-term power (manufacturing)
• How Dangote’s “build what’s missing” mindset drives business scaling
• The “one upstream move” framework you can apply this month/quarter
• A reminder that real power is built into systems, not noise

 If this lesson sparked an idea, drop a comment: What’s one upstream move you can make this quarter?

 Subscribe for the full 28 Days of Black Trailblazers in Business series, and share this episode with a founder who’s ready to scale with intention.

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Berry Gordy’s standards built Motown-level business excellence.

In this episode, we break down how Berry Gordy Jr. turned raw talent into consistent, repeatable excellence by building a system, not just signing artists. If you’re a solopreneur or builder trying to scale, you’ll learn how Motown’s “quality control” mindset applies to your content, delivery, and brand reputation. This is a business lesson on standards, scalable systems, and sustainable growth, rooted in Black history.

Chapters
00:00 Day 5 Feature, Berry Gordy
01:09 Barry Gordy's Early Life and Lessons
03:55 The Birth of Motown Records
04:05 Motown's Unique Approach to Excellence
05:10 Practical Business Lessons from Barry Gordy
06:15 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Episodes

Key Takeaways
- Talent is common, systems that protect quality are rare.
- Access gets you in the room; standards determine how long you stay.
- Scaling breaks where quality depends on you instead of a process.
- One enforced standard (checklist, review step, QC rule) can protect your reputation as demand grows.
- Motown didn’t just produce music—it produced professionals, by design.

Call to Action
If this episode helped you think differently about quality and growth, subscribe to the I Am Black Success® Podcast and share it with a builder who’s scaling right now.

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Oprah Winfrey’s real lesson: visibility without ownership breaks.

In this episode of the I Am Black Success® Podcast, Stephen A. Hart breaks down Oprah Winfrey’s rise—not as a celebrity story, but as a blueprint for ownership, platform control, and trust in business. You’ll learn how Oprah turned early setbacks into leverage by building Harpo Productions and why building your own platform matters more than being seen everywhere.

Chapters:

• Introduction
• The Setback That Became the Pivot
• Harpo Productions and Platform Control
• Trust as Business Currency
• Action Steps: Build What You Own

Key Takeaways:

• Why “being visible” can still leave you with zero leverage
• How Oprah’s empathy became her competitive advantage
• The difference between rented attention and owned distribution
• What platform control actually looks like (content, process, distribution)
• Three questions to help you take one step toward ownership this week

If this sparked something for you, drop a comment with your answer to: Where are you visible but not in control?

Subscribe for the full Black History Month business trailblazers series and SHARE this with someone building a brand, a product, or a platform they want to truly own.

#OprahWinfrey #BusinessOwnership #BlackSuccess #BlackHistoryMonth

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

How John H. Johnson built Black media starting with $500.

Before social media and influencers, Black America still needed to see itself and John H. Johnson built the platform to make that possible. 

In this episode, we break down how he turned a $500 idea into Johnson Publishing Company, launching Negro Digest and later Ebony Magazine, and what modern founders can learn about proof, positioning, and representation as business strategy.

Chapters:

• Introduction
• The $500 Proof-of-Demand Move
• From Negro Digest to Ebony Magazine
• Selling the Market to Advertisers
• Representation Is Strategy

Key Takeaways:

• Use proof (subscriptions, demand, traction) to unlock resources when banks say no.
• Build in stages: one product validates the market, the next scales the mission.
• Don’t debate bias—outperform it with data, outcomes, and disciplined execution.
• Controlling narrative can also mean controlling revenue and market influence.
• If you don’t see yourself reflected, it may be an opportunity to build the mirror.

What do you think powered Johnson most? Was it hustle, conviction, or both? Share your thoughts with us.

If you’re enjoying this Black History Month series on Black trailblazers in business, subscribe and share this episode with a founder who needs it.

This is part of our 28-Day Black History Month business trailblazer series.

Next up: Oprah Winfrey. The woman who didn’t just tell stories, she built the stage.

Links & Resources

• Subscribe to the series: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmBlackSuccess
• Newsletter/updates: https://www.IAmBlackSuccess.com
• Connected to Stephen A. Hart on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephenahart

 #JohnHJohnson #EbonyMagazine #BlackEntrepreneurship #BusinessLessons #BlackSuccess #BlackTrailblazers

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If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Most people know Madam C. J. Walker. This episode spotlights the mentor and architect behind Walker's framework: Annie Malone. 

You’ll hear how she built the Poro Company into more than products—training, schools, agents, and infrastructure that scaled opportunity for thousands of Black women.

If you care about Black business trailblazers, real entrepreneurship, and building business systems that last, this is your blueprint.

Mission Fuel In This Episode:

“Success leaves clues”, and Annie Malone left a trail of them.

We cover:

• Who Annie Malone was (and why she’s often overlooked)
• Poro College and the power of infrastructure
• The mentor connection to Madam C. J. Walker
• The real lesson: spotlight is optional, systems are required

Key Takeaways

• Why infrastructure beats attention when you’re building long-term wealth
• How Annie Malone scaled through training, distribution, and a repeatable agent model
• The behind-the-scenes link between Annie Malone and Madam C. J. Walker’s early career
• What modern creators and founders can copy from a system-first strategy
• A reminder: you don’t have to be the face to be the foundation

Listener Question (Call to Action)

What “infrastructure” are you building right now—distribution, training, community, or operations?

Drop your answer in the comments/reviews or tag us with your takeaway.

Next in the Series

This is part of our 28-Day Black History Month business trailblazer series.
Next up: John H. Johnson and the power of media as a system.

Links & Resources

• Subscribe to the series: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmBlackSuccess
• Newsletter / updates: https://www.IAmBlackSuccess.com
• Connected to Stephen A. Hart on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephenahart

Keywords: Annie Malone, Black business trailblazer, Poro Company, Black beauty industry, business systems, Poro College, Madam C. J. Walker, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, agent model, Black History Month, Black entrepreneurs

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Madam C.J. Walker didn’t complain—she built ownership.

In this 10-year anniversary kickoff episode (Feb 1, 2026), Stephen A. Hart launches “28 Days of Black Trailblazers” by breaking down the Madam C.J. Walker story as a real-world entrepreneurship playbook—not a highlight reel. You’ll hear how she turned a personal problem into a product, built a distribution system through the Walker Agents, and proved why ownership and distribution create leverage that outlives attention.

Primary keywords woven in: Madam C.J. Walker, Black trailblazers, Black entrepreneurship.

Chapters

• Introduction: 10 years of the podcast + the 28-day challenge
• The Pivot: from problem to product mindset
• Building the System: branding, the Walker System, and distribution
• Ownership Creates Options: the real lesson behind the legacy
• Next Up: Annie Malone and who history forgets

Key Takeaways

• Why “becoming a student” comes before “becoming the brand”
• How systems (products + training + distribution) outperform motivation
• What “ownership creates options” looks like in practice
• The difference between visibility (attention) and ownership (leverage)
• How wealth becomes impact when it’s reinvested into community

If this episode reframed how you think about business, drop a comment with one system you need to build (product, distribution, training, or reinvestment).
Subscribe/follow for daily episodes in the 28 Days of Black Trailblazers series—and come back tomorrow for Annie Malone.

Links:

• Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmBlackSuccess
• Learn more about the show: https://iamblacksuccess.com
• More about Stephen A. Hart: https://stephenahart.com 
• Improve your brand today: https://bluoakmarketing.com 

#MadamCJWalker #BlackEntrepreneurship #BlackHistoryMonth #EntrepreneurshipPlaybook

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

When you’re one of the few, or the only Black man in the room, leadership comes with a unique mix of visibility and isolation. Every achievement is on display. Every mistake is magnified. And the pressure to be “twice as good” can feel relentless.

In this special episode, our host Stephen A. Hart sits down with Alfred Edmond Jr., Senior VP & Executive Editor-at-Large at Black Enterprise, to talk about the realities behind the title, how to handle hyper-visibility, combat the loneliness of leadership, and turn scrutiny into an advantage.

Whether you’re already in the C-suite or working your way up, Alfred shares insights from decades of leadership and storytelling that will help you navigate the spotlight with confidence, build the right peer network, and create lasting impact.

This conversation also spotlights the upcoming BE XCEL Summit, where Black men in leadership come together to connect, learn, and grow. If you’ve ever felt alone at the top, this is the community you’ve been waiting for.

Learn more about the Summit:

https://www.blackenterprise.com/xcel-summit-for-men-2025/

Use Coupon Code: ALFRED for a $100 discount.

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch the full episode of this conversation on video: 

https://www.youtube.com/@BlackSuccessPod

#IAmBlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackLeaders #BlackEntrepreneurs

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

We are not short on horror stories of racial disparities in medicine. We saw this most recently during the early days of the pandemic, when Black and brown communities were absolutely devastated by Covid-19. And even beyond the pandemic, health disparities and inequity for people of color persist.

Our guest today is Dr. Oni Blackstock. Dr. Oni Blackstock is recognized as a thought leader and influencer in the areas of HIV and health equity. She is a primary care and HIV physician and the founder and Executive Director of Health Justice, a racial and health equity consulting firm, that helps health care and public health organizations to center anti-racism in the workplace and to reduce health inequities in the communities they service.

She previously served as Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Health Department where she led the City’s response to the HIV epidemic. Prior to that, she was Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center where she led and conducted research to develop and test interventions to promote HIV prevention and treatment. She holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, and Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Blackstock is passionate about ensuring that all individuals and communities have the resources and support they need to thrive and achieve optimal health and wellbeing.

Join our host for this #WomensHistoryMonth special series, Jennefer Witter, Founder and CEO of The Boreland Group, for this conversation with Dr. Blackstock.

PLEASE SHARE this episode with 5 Black women (or tag them in the comments). Let them know they need this motivational #MissionFuel TAH-dayyy.

🔥 To listen to the full episode (and download the transcripts), please visit:
https://iamblacksuccess.com 

#missionfuel #blackwomen #whm2022 #health #healthjustice #healthequity

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Change can be scary, and when your pivot concerns your professional life, it can become even scarier ... especially for Black Women and other women of color!

Our guest is Cecilia Nelson-Hurt, a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we have Jennefer Witter, a past guest of the show, taking over hosting duties for the podcast for March. Jennefer is CEO/Founder of the Boreland Group.

🔥 Download transcripts and see our full archives:
https://iamblacksuccess.com 

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

There is an ongoing myth that there are very few Black Women in executive and/or senior leadership positions. Like the pipeline is nearly empty. It’s NOT.

Our guest for this episode is Ebony Reed. Ebony is the Chief Strategy Officer for the Marshall Project, a non-profit that produces journalism about the criminal justice system. Connect with Ebony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebony-reed-7b18564/

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Jennefer Witter, a past guest of the show, takes over hosting duties for the podcast for the month of March. Jennefer is CEO/Founder of the Boreland Group. Connect with Jennefer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenneferwitter

PLEASE SHARE this episode with 5 Black women who need this motivational #MissionFuel today. 🔥

Please consider leaving Trailblazers.FM a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify. We’re actively exploring new partners and sponsors. If interested please email [email protected]

Complete show archive, transcripts and more: https://iamblacksuccess.com  

If someone Googled you today, would your LinkedIn help you or hurt you? 

Most decision makers search before reaching out, and LinkedIn is often the first result. If your profile is outdated or unclear, you are losing trust and opportunities. Our LinkedIn Profile Optimization rewrites and refreshes your profile with clear positioning, credibility markers, and stronger visuals. Book yours at ExpertsOnLinkedIn.com. Black History Month: $200 off with code BH200.

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com