Small businesses account for over 30 million of all U.S. businesses and some two-thirds of net new jobs. While venture-backed startups generally skew white, male and coastal, these Main Street companies actually look like—and drive—America. To shine a light on these entrepreneurial heroes, Forbes presents the Next 1000. 

This year-round initiative showcases the ambitious sole proprietors, self-funded shops and pre-revenue startups in every region of the country—all with under $10 million in revenue or funding and infinite drive and hustle. Fueled by your nominations and screened by top business minds and entrepreneurial superstars, by year’s end we’ll culminate with 1,000 new faces. Let’s get started with the first class of 250 standouts.

Our Founder & CEO, Nicole W. Brown has made the list!

When Brown started lifestyle brand Izzy & Liv in 2014, all she had was her laptop. That remained true for the first two and a half years, even as the business grew exponentially year-on-year. Now the mother of four can now claim to have built a multi-million dollar business that puts Black women at the core of its consumer strategy. At the end of 2020 Izzy & Liv, named after her two daughters, registered $7.4 million in revenue.

Read the full article on Forbes by clicking here.