When it comes to turning dreams into reality, hard work, dedication, perseverance, and opportune moments are more critical to success than an arbitrary timeline based on age. However, society continues to pressure people to grind harder and rest less, as if patience isn’t a virtue. History has proven that time is only a construct, noting that it is never too late to manifest dreams. Whether they had a breakout moment in their late 20s or figured out the secret formula in their 30s, these celebrities prove that dreams never expire. Jay-Z The 54-year-old rap legend didn’t have his breakout moment until he dropped his first album, Reasonable Doubt , at age 26. He is now an accomplished billionaire in the music game, with several businesses and investments in his portfolio. Lupita Nyong’o View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lupita Nyong’o (@lupitanyongo) Many people’s first introduction to Nyong’o was her performance in the critically acclaimed film “12 Years A Slave.” Although...

If it weren’t for injuries stemming from baseball, Micah Johnson would have never had an NFT collection worth millions of dollars. Johnson’s story was recently told in Fortune Magazine, where he revealed that, per CryptoArt, the primary and secondary sales of his NFT collection totaled $19 million. But that’s not how things were meant to go in his initial plan. Johnson started out as a baseball player. From 2015 to 2017, he played for teams like the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and The Atlanta Braves. But after suffering a series of injuries, including a torn shoulder and a fractured wrist, Johnson hung up his baseball mitt and picked up a paintbrush, devoting his time to becoming a full-time visual artist. But things changed again in 2019 when Johnson realized he was expecting a child with his long-term partner. He’d learned about NFTs as a way to possibly make more money selling his art, and put together his first NFT collection. The first sale from his digital art...

If you watch television long enough, you’re led to believe that Black women millionaires only exist in the public eye. The acting, modeling, singing, and “influencing” girlies certainly have their place in the business world — and far be it from us to say otherwise. But for those of you who wish to pursue your wealth anonymously, in peace and quiet, without strangers in your business on Instagram all day, there’s more than a little bit of hope for you. Earlier this year, CNN released a report about the wealth gap between Black women — especially — and their non-Black counterparts. “America’s Black women hold more than 90% less wealth than American White men,” reported the outlet. “ Only 0.5% of Black women own their own businesses — White men are 24 times more likely to own their own business than Black women. Access to funds and investment is a major barrier to successfully opening a business — Black business owners are 20% less likely to fund their startups with bank business...

There’s a stereotype regarding Black billionaires and Black and wealthy individuals where many believe fortunes mostly come from being musicians, actors or athletes. This sends a message that we cannot obtain wealth outside of these industries, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, there are many Black millionaires in the United States that have found success outside of music, sports and entertainment. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the amount of Black billionaires that are too scarce compared to white billionaires who dominate in industries like the tech space. According to Forbes’ 2021 World’s Billionaires List, there are 724 billionaires in America yet only seven of them are Black. That’s just enough to seat at one dining room table since Black billionaires only make up less than one percent of the nation’s billionaire population. This low number comes as no surprise, but it’s an alarming figure that highlights the widening racial wealth gap in this country. Yet...

For generations, Black Americans have been taught that our golden ticket to wealth and becoming Black millionaires is by making it as athletes or entertainers. But that’s a very one-sided picture that has been painted for us that fails to acknowledge the many Black entrepreneurs that found success outside of those expectations. Individuals beyond the realm of big-name sports figures, music and movie stars have managed to use their intellect and skills to break into the millionaires club. Thus, dispelling the myth that Black people can only reach seven figure incomes from arenas and stages. Of the many Black millionaires that thrive in sports, music and entertainment, here are some who represent across finance, tech, and real estate.

Single moms often bare the burden of supporting an entire family, both at home and on the job. But when New Orleans native Mignon Francois was offered the opportunity to turn her baking talents into a lucrative business, she took the last $5 that she had to feed her family and turned it into a million-dollar company. From 2005 to 2007, Francois found herself struggling to financially support her family after a Nashville job offer for her then-husband fell through. Fortunately for her, a nearby neighbor knew of her baking talents and offered her what seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime, Black Business reports. Her neighbor approached her with a cupcake request, ordering 600 total with each priced at $1. Though she knew she only had $5 left to her name, Francois proceeded to purchase the ingredients to start baking at least 60 cupcakes – turning around a $60 profit that same day. Since then she’s continued to bake and went on to launch her business, The Cupcake Collection —...