2020 is now over. We’re entering a door where a new year awaits, and with it come new opportunities, new possibilities, and new challenges. True, the pandemic has crippled many business owners across the world, but there are many who’ve adjusted and stayed afloat amid this hurdle. They are the ones we need to watch out for this year—businessmen and women who have braved all odds and flexibly maneuvered the abruptly changing landscape of the commercial world. Here are the top 10 entrepreneurs who are sure to capture the public eye in 2021:
- Grant Cardone
Cardone Capital has helped many individuals, men and women visionaries, ride their own waves of success, by giving them advice, services, and motivation. Through the company, CEO Grant Cardone teaches budding entrepreneurs how to start a business and scale their income.
Nobody knows the value of hardwork and determination than Cardone. He started his billion dollar business from scratch. Building it from the ground up, Cardone met all sorts of challenges but it did dishearten him.
Now, he has written many books, including eight business books and thirteen business programs, which were produced so others could help themselves become successful.
Instagram: @grantcardone
Website: www.grantcardone.com
- Zachary Sarf
Zachary Sarf is the Co-Founder of Create Every Opportunity Inc. and FlipFlop LLC. Zachary built his first business (FlipFlop) when he was still a sophomore in college.
Create Every Opportunity (CEO) proved to be successful, and Zachary decided that he wanted to do more in terms of social entrepreneurship. He decided to look into education and realized that the system didn’t provide anything related to real-world problems.
Website: www.createeveryopportunity.org
- Akilah Darden
She is passionate about helping people, whose purpose is connecting people to others, and a builder creating infrastructure to help people. Akilah Darden, with an Architectural Engineering degree has spent the last 21 years building in the commercial construction industry. In January 2020, Akilah took her talents and started her own commercial construction management firm. Akilah has been married for over 13 years and has four children: 10- and 8-year-old sons and identical twin daughters who are 6.
You would think Akilah wouldn’t have time to do anything else, but she pours herself into her family, her company, and the community. She heads up a board that mentors high school students in construction, architecture, and engineering and sits on boards to assist with educating students with emphasis on children of color.
When you first meet Akilah, you wouldn’t know or find out that she has mentored many women from administrative positions to management and executive level positions while mentoring minority construction subcontractors to success on her projects.
Website: www.dardengroupllc.com
- Charlie Mccoy
Charlie Mccoy is an investor, serial entrepreneur, and men’s grooming expert, with 20 years of barber and beauty industry experience. He spent 5 years with L’Oréal parent company at Kiehl’s since 1851, has a Babson education, and is the founder and CEO of Artisan Luxury Brands, a cpg parent company and creative agency based in New York City.
Mr. Mccoy, 36, works as an industry leader to build both brick and mortar and e-commerce businesses. He has founded 5 successful companies in the past 3 years and leads a diverse team of creatives. He owns and operates a global portfolio of growth brands.
He is on a mission to revolutionize what it means for Indy brands to disrupt the consumer personal goods market with new ideas and collaborations.
Website: www.artisanluxurybrands.com
- Reggie Hubbard
Reggie “Maestro” Hubbard is a photographer and influencer destined for greatness. He is the Founder and CEO of Maestro Images LLC, a digital photography company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that offers affordable photography services for all of its clients.
Reggie is a United States Army Veteran with over a decade of service and a reserve police officer for a law enforcement agency in the Metro Atlanta area. A man of sheer will, Reggie is ambitious and passionate about developing others. His favorite quote, “I train to be perfect, perfect I will never be. Therefore, I will always train,” will forever be etched at the front of his mind to help combat complacency.
Reggie has been featured on platforms such as FOX, NBC, and CBS and is rapidly becoming an authority figure in the photography industry.
Instagram: @ma3stroimages; @ma3strocreativestudios
Website: www.ma3stroimages.com
- Melvin G Acquaah
Sabathil, pronounced “Sabath-EL,” whose government name is Melvin G Acquaah, is a hip-hop artist born in Bronx New York raised in Jersey, and resides in Arizona. He has been performing with his late brother, local Arizona artist Thaahum, Thaahum meaning the “Commander of the stars.” He also named Melvin “Sabathil,” meaning “Before Adam.”
The brothers formed a group of four with two other local artists, naming themselves The ETMCs. As the extraterrestrial MCs, the group was short lived. Gaining exposure, the duo did local shows, opening up for the groups Souls of Mischief, KRS-One, and Ghostface Killah.
After the passing of his brother, Sabathil embarked on a solo career. The completion of his debut solo album, Alpha Centari was the realization of a promise to Thaahum. The six-song collection includes the track “Like Me.” Earlier this month, the rapper released a new video for the song. With over 100,000 views on YouTube, it is already generating quite a buzz.
“Like Me” opens with trippy ambient keys that float in the air above the mix. After the brief intro, the beat drops. It is a slow groove with elements of old-school hip-hop, modern trap, and a low subterranean bass.
It is a cool beat, but the real star of the show is Sabathil’s expert flow and smart rhymes. Rolling through palm trees, the rapper delivers a scathing battle rap with plenty of disses, bragging, and a touch of sci-fi. He continues his previously established extra-terrestrial theme with lines like, “I fly so high they call me the 10th orbit.”
Instagram: @sabathil720
YouTube: Sabathil720
- Gloria Kloter
Gloria Kloter (AIA, NCARB, CODIA) is an award-winning architect and interior designer from the Dominican Republic who currently lives and works in Florida, USA.
She won the AIA Tampa Bay 2020 Kelley Award. She also got recognized by NCARB, AIA Florida Architect Journal, AIA YAF Connection, and was nominated as the Women in Architecture Tampa Bay for April 2020. Gloria also travels all over the country to speak in conferences on topics around motivation, leadership, women empowerment, and trends in architecture.
Gloria does individual mentorships and even created a private Facebook group called Foreign Architects, where she grooms and gives insights to up and coming architects from different parts of the world. She also occupies a seat on the local AIA Tampa Bay chapter’s Board of Directors, where she founded and chairs the Women in Architecture and Young Architect committees.
Through her company, Glow Architects, Gloria Kloter puts foreign architects, women architects and Archi-Moms in the spotlight and shows how much women can contribute to how the world is designed and laid out.
Website: www.glowarchitects.com
- Megan Nager
Megan is a SAG actor, writer, and digital content creator whose work has been featured on networks such as Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, Tru TV, Amazon, and MTV. After working closely with several production companies both in front of and behind the camera, Megan decided to open her own production company, Wake and Make Media, in 2019. Wake and Make Media has created both short form and long-form content, music videos, commercials, and social media ads. Along with her partner, Megan has worked with companies such as Endeavor Content, MTV, Ciroc, 9Gag, Ciroc, and more. Today, Megan works in both Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Instagram: @meganagercomedy
Facebook: Megan Nager Comedy
Website: www.megan-nager.com
- Derek Distenfield
Derek Distenfield is the operational mastermind behind GSD Venture Studios and GSD Labs.
He is also a keynote speaker, start-up mentor as well as a columnist for Forbes magazine. GSD Venture Studios builds innovative Artificial Intelligence companies that are pushing boundaries on how emerging technologies are being built and utilized. GSD portfolio companies have achieved $2 million run rates to $100 million from work-tech to aging in place. GSD is expanding rapidly while capturing top talent to help companies #GoGlobal. GSD Labs is an accelerator focused on helping international companies secure funding and expand in the United States and beyond.
Instagram: @ddistenfield
LinkedIn: Derek Distenfield
Twitter: @dDistenfield
Website: www.gsdvs.com
- Jeremy Abramson
Jeremy Abramson is recognized around the world for his expertise in mindful movement, mindset, and neuroscience. He currently coaches top level executives and entrepreneurs, empowering them to unleash their full potential in all areas of life, not just business. Many people know Jeremy for his infectious energy, childlike joy, and dynamic stage presence. He speaks on stages and leads workshops all over the world, teaching companies and organizations how to lead with love, gratitude, compassion, and wellness. Jeremy is also the host of the Thrive University Podcast, where he interviews the top minds in health, medicine, and entrepreneurship.
Instagram: @coachjeremy305
LinkedIn: Jeremy Abramson
Podcast: Thrive University Podcast
TikTok: @thecoachjeremy
Website: www.thejeremyabramson.com
Opinions expressed by US Insider contributors are their own.
