EXCLUSIVE: Entrepreneur Courtney Adeleye Gets Candid About Selling Black-Owned Businesses & Community Backlash: ‘You’re Hit With Some Tough Decisions’

EXCLUSIVE: Entrepreneur Courtney Adeleye Gets Candid About Selling Black-Owned Businesses & Community Backlash: ‘You’re Hit With Some Tough Decisions’

Entrepreneur Courtney Adeleye is opening up about the tough decisions Black business owners can face when deciding whether to sell the companies they’ve built.

During an exclusive sit-down with theJasmineBrand founder Jasmine Brand for “Visionaries Only,” the platform’s entrepreneurship interview series, Adeleye discussed the complicated conversation surrounding Black ownership, building valuable companies and knowing when an acquisition makes business sense.

“We’ll say, ‘Oh, well, look at this Black-owned hair company. They’ve been Black for all this time.’ Well, look at their valuation, though,” Adeleye said. “They’re not even worth anything. They can’t pass it down. It’s not worth anything.” She continued, “You’re hit with some real decisions… I’m a businesswoman core and core, through and through.”

Adeleye, who built The Mane Choice before selling the haircare company, said reaching certain levels of revenue can sometimes require an acquisition. “When you look at real business, it’s not a one-time thing,” she explained. “If you can do it once, nine out of 10 can do it again.” She added, “Do you need to sell the second time? Probably not so much. You probably needed to do it the first time, not so much the second time.”

Still, Adeleye said she understands why the issue can be particularly sensitive in the Black community. “This is kind of newer to us, getting to these kinds of levels. So I get it. Like, we’re passionate about it,” she said. “I would be telling a lie if I say… I don’t understand why people [are upset]. I definitely get it, but also get that no one can understand what I’m going through if they’re not walking in my shoes either.”