Black Enterprise
Black Enterprise is an American Black-owned business-media company best known for its business magazine, entrepreneurial rankings, and multimedia programming.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Black Enterprise is an American multimedia business-media company focused on African American entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, personal finance, careers, and economic advancement. Founded in 1970 by Earl G. Graves Sr., the company established its principal identity through the Black Enterprise magazine, which became a long-running publication covering Black-owned businesses, executives, professionals, investment, and community economic development. The brand's editorial purpose has historically combined business journalism with practical guidance and representation. Rather than covering business solely as an abstract financial subject, Black Enterprise has emphasized the experiences and achievements of African American entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, and institutions. Its coverage has included company profiles, management and career advice, financial education, entrepreneurship, and commentary on issues affecting Black participation in the economy. A major recurring feature is the B.E. 100s, an annual ranking of leading African American companies in the United States. The list was first compiled and published in 1973 and became one of the brand's most recognizable institutional products. It provides visibility for Black-owned businesses while also functioning as a reference point for the scale and performance of African American enterprise. Black Enterprise expanded beyond its core magazine during the 2000s. In 2002, it introduced Teenpreneur, a supplement aimed at younger readers and focused on entrepreneurship and business education. The company has also operated digital media and nationally syndicated television programming, including Our World with Black Enterprise and Women of Power. These extensions broadened the brand from a print magazine into a multimedia platform serving entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, families, and aspiring business owners. The company has remained Black-owned since the 1970s according to the cited reference material. Earl G. Graves Sr. founded and led the enterprise during its formative period, and his eldest son, Earl G. Graves Jr., commonly known as Butch, was named chief executive officer in January 2006. Graves Jr. had joined the company in 1988 after completing his undergraduate studies at Yale University and earning an MBA from Harvard University. The company was reported as profitable by its tenth issue, indicating that it achieved financial sustainability early in its publishing history. Black Enterprise is headquartered in New York City and serves a primarily United States audience through print, digital, rankings, events or programming, and television-related content. Reference material reported a readership of approximately 3.7 million for the flagship magazine and 58 employees with reported 2017 revenue of $22 million; those figures are historical rather than current operating metrics. The company received the 1997 FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award in the business/finance consumer magazine category. Its enduring significance lies in combining a specialist audience, business information, representation, and advocacy for African American economic participation.
History
Black Enterprise was founded in 1970 by Earl G. Graves Sr. as a business publication serving African American readers. Its creation reflected the need for a media institution that would document Black entrepreneurship, business ownership, professional achievement, corporate leadership, and economic opportunity from an African American perspective. The flagship magazine became the central expression of that mission. The publication developed a broad editorial scope. In addition to reporting on companies and entrepreneurs, it addressed careers, management, finance, investment, and the structural challenges faced by Black businesses and professionals. Its approach combined business information with visibility: the magazine presented African American business leaders as subjects of serious economic journalism while offering readers practical guidance for building companies, careers, and financial security. Black Enterprise added an important institutional feature in 1973 when it began publishing the B.E. 100s. The annual ranking identifies leading African American companies in the United States and has served both as a business reference and as a public record of Black corporate achievement. Over time, the ranking became one of the brand's defining properties and helped distinguish it from general-interest business publications. The company expanded its reach beyond the magazine as media consumption changed. Its activities came to include digital publishing and television programming. Two nationally syndicated programs associated with the brand were Our World with Black Enterprise and Women of Power. In 2002, the company also launched Teenpreneur, a supplement aimed at younger readers and intended to introduce entrepreneurship and business concepts to a teenage audience. Leadership remained connected to the founding family. Earl G. Graves Jr., known as Butch, joined the company in 1988 after receiving a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University and later an MBA from Harvard University. In January 2006, Earl G. Graves Sr. named him chief executive officer. Graves Jr. also served as a director of AutoZone, including roles as lead director and chair of its compensation committee, according to the cited reference. The company was described as profitable from its tenth issue onward, suggesting that the publication reached economic viability early in its life. Historical reference material reported approximately 3.7 million readers for the magazine, 58 employees, and $22 million in revenue in 2017. Those data points describe a particular period and should not be treated as current figures without updated reporting. Black Enterprise received the 1997 FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award in the business/finance consumer magazine category. Its continued identity is that of a Black-owned American multimedia company headquartered in New York City, with a portfolio spanning magazine publishing, digital content, rankings, and television-related programming. The brand's historical importance comes from its sustained focus on African American enterprise and from its role in documenting, promoting, and connecting Black business communities.
- 2006
Leadership passes to Earl G. Graves Jr.
[1]Earl G. Graves Jr. was named chief executive officer by his father and company founder.
- 2002
Teenpreneur introduced
[1]The company launched Teenpreneur, a youth-oriented entrepreneurship supplement.
- 1997
Editorial award
[1]Black Enterprise won the FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award for business/finance consumer magazines.
- 1973
First B.E. 100s ranking
[1]The company first published the B.E. 100s, its annual ranking of major African American companies in the United States.
- 1970
Company and magazine founded
[1]Earl G. Graves Sr. founded Black Enterprise as an American business-media company centered on African American enterprise.
Products and positioning
A specialist business-media platform serving African American entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, and consumers, with an emphasis on economic advancement, representation, financial knowledge, and Black-owned enterprise.
Business magazine · 1970
Black Enterprise magazine
The flagship publication covers African American businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, careers, personal finance, investing, and economic issues. It is the core editorial product from which the broader Black Enterprise media identity developed.
Business ranking · 1973
B.E. 100s
The B.E. 100s is an annual ranking of leading African American companies in the United States. First published in 1973, it gives visibility to Black-owned enterprise and has become one of the company's best-known recurring editorial properties.
Youth business supplement · 2002
Teenpreneur
Teenpreneur was introduced as a supplement for teenage readers. Its subject was entrepreneurship, extending the Black Enterprise brand's business-education mission to a younger audience.
Television program
Our World with Black Enterprise
Our World with Black Enterprise was one of the nationally syndicated television programs associated with the company, extending its business and community coverage beyond print and digital publishing.
Television program
Women of Power
Women of Power was a nationally syndicated television program associated with Black Enterprise and focused on the experiences and achievements of women in business and leadership.
Brand decisions
2002
Launch of TeenpreneurProduct launchBackground
The company expanded its audience beyond established professionals and business owners to include teenagers interested in entrepreneurship.
Action taken
Black Enterprise launched Teenpreneur as a youth-oriented supplement.
Aftermath
The supplement extended the brand's entrepreneurship and business-education positioning to younger readers.
1973
Establishment of the B.E. 100sOtherBackground
Black Enterprise sought to document the scale and visibility of African American-owned business through a recurring company ranking.
Action taken
It compiled and published the first B.E. 100s ranking of major African American companies in the United States.
Aftermath
The ranking became a continuing signature property of the brand.
Recent events
Prudential sponsors BLACK ENTERPRISE wealth-gap roundtable[3]
Reported:
Prudential Financial was the host sponsor of BLACK ENTERPRISE's Your Money Your Life Virtual Roundtable, a discussion on strategies and actions aimed at closing the racial wealth gap. The event took place on Dec. 8, 2020.
Sources3 sources
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