How to Succeed in Business Without Being White by Earl G. Graves

During this time, he had the idea of publishing a newsletter on black business people. Graves Associates, a consulting firm that advised corporations on urban affairs and economic development. Here he learned useful political and social skills that advanced his career.Īfter Kennedy’s assassination in 1968, Graves worked for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and established Earl G. This volunteer position led to a three-year job as one of New York Senator Robert F. Eventually, he became politically active, volunteering for the Democratic National Convention during the 1964 presidential campaign. After leaving the military, he became a real estate agent in Brooklyn, New York.

Army, where he attained the rank of captain. Graves graduated from Morgan State University in 1957 and joined the U.S.

Despite the ridicule he received from other students for aspiring to work in the corporate world-which was almost unheard of at that time-Graves responded by becoming an entrepreneur, selling flowers on campus because white florists were unwilling to make deliveries there. Graves entered Morgan State University in 1953, where he majored in economics. His mother led many community activities, and his father was the assistant manager of the Overland Garment Company, an apparel firm in New York City. Both his mother, Winifred Sealy, and his father, Earl Godwyn Graves, influenced their son’s successful career. Graves, the founder of Black Enterprise, a nationally recognized black business magazine, was born on January 9, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York.

How to Succeed in Business Without Being White by Earl G. Graves