Tobi Oluwole’s Nigerian parents sent him to Canada at the age of 15, hoping to give him a chance at a “better life”. But the road to that bright future they envisioned for their young son, was not as easy as it seemed.

Photo: Leilah Dhore/How She Hustles In honour of Small Business Month, ByBlacks spoke with Emily Mills of How She Hustles about what it really takes to successfully build your own business. Mills is fresh off the launch of her latest project - the Startup & Slay Digital Series sponsored by CIBC, Futurpreneur Canada and Ryerson University.

Tracey-Acadia and Allister Thomas are the husband and wife team behind Soulful Image Magazine, with Tracey as the Editor-in-chief and Allister as the Creative Director. Soulful Image is a ministry magazine dedicated to encouraging, uplifting and inspiring people from all walks of life.

“I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man.” - Jay-Z (Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix)

If you’re reading this, you were probably just as shocked as I was to hear that Harlem Underground was closing for good. The place has been known for the soul food and unforgettable Caesars, but it’s also been a hub for black culture in Toronto for the past ten years. It’s one of three restaurants successfully owned and operated by cultural icon, Carl Cassell, over the past 18 years. The decision to close didn’t come easily but, as Carl puts it, he’s “ready for something new.”

Nancy Falaise has over 18 years experience as a hairstylist, with a particular passion for curly hair. She’s on a mission to eradicate the stigma associated with the Afro/curly texture. It is a passion born out of hardship and loss. As a young Black Canadian girl she was constantly rejected for being biracial, with extra insult added because of her tight curls. It would take a life altering experience to make Falaise take a deeper look at herself and see the beauty of her natural curls.

More and more Black women are going natural and embracing their kinky-textured hair. But this was not always the case.

Growing up black in the ’80s and ’90s, most of us can remember times of playing video games with our friends for hours on a Saturday afternoon (of course, only if our mom let us!). Back then, hours would pass like minutes. Deeper friendships were formed, and pacts were made to do it all again next weekend!

For section leaders, artists, DJs, and promoters alike, carnival season is big business. Blood, sweat, and tears literally accompany each and every year of carnival preparations for the professionals that make it what it is, and you truly can’t imagine a carnival season without the pillars of music, mas, and fetes.

The Principals Of Silvertrust Media and Afroglobal Television Are Also Making A Difference Through The Transformation Institute For Leadership And Innovation.

Imagine walking into a store where everything on the shelves is made by a black person. Such a store is a reality, thanks to Michael and Mak, proud owners of Melanin MRKT in Pickering, Ontario.

Ajoa Mintah, daughter to Ghanaian immigrants and founder of Four All Ice cream in Kitchener, Ontario, started off her career in what was a stable, secure field as a licensed engineer doing product development in the automotive industry. After about six years of working in that field she moved into consulting. Almost a decade later she made a major shift.