TITLE:
Black Women Entrepreneur Success Strategies, against Many Odds
AUTHORS:
Carolyn Bennett, Kim A. Critchlow
KEYWORDS:
Business Owners, Black Women Business Owners, African American Women Business Owners, Women Business Owners, Strategies, Success, Entrepreneurs
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.14 No.5,
September
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: Unsustainable business strategies have the potential to lead to adverse business outcomes when starting new business ventures. Business owners are concerned with having effective business strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore successful strategies that were used by Black women business owners starting new business ventures to sustain their businesses for more than 5 years. Participants were seven Black women business owners who developed successful strategies to sustain their businesses. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a review of publicly available documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: entrepreneurial development, business success strategies, and challenges to outcomes, and measuring successful strategies. A key recommendation for Black women business owners is to educate themselves regularly and consistently about available resources and emerging business trends. Implications for positive social change include achieving personal and professional fulfillment and serving as catalysts for economic empowerment, community revitalization, and cultural transformation.