estimated read time: 6½ minutes
Venture Noire founder
Keenan Beasley helps Black business founders thrive by Davina van Buren
Photo: Lonny G a
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My goal was never to be an entrepreneur. It was to fulfill my passion and purpose.
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Although Keenan Beasley grew up in a family of nine to fivers, he has always had the heart of an entrepreneur. As a kid in Los Angeles, he collected recyclable cans for the deposits and mowed yards during summer so he could buy Christmas presents for his sister and parents. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in law and systems engineering, Beasley embarked on a corporate journey as a marketing executive, managing and leading such multibillion-dollar brands as Tide, Gillette and Garnier at Fortune 100 companies like Procter and Gamble and L’Oréal USA. As a senior executive in these powerful ecosystems, Beasley not only mastered business fundamentals, but he also discovered why mission-focused organizations value a team-player mentality: “What makes a great company is that everyone works toward a shared vision, which eliminates the ego,” Beasley says.“You don’t work for people; you work for the company. Ideally, everyone has the same clear vision for the organization – then you can create a roadmap to achieve that.” These lessons served Beasley well in 2014 when he started BLKBOX, an integrated marketing firm in New York City. His team of young, hungry entrepreneurs delivered everything from brand development and creative solutions to a unique custom insights and analytics platform. They soon garnered an impressive portfolio of clients including Facebook, Beachbody, Western Union and Taco Bell, earning industry recognition and media accolades.
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EleVate Magazine
May 2021, Issue 1
PERSERVERANCE
COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION AND CONFIDENCE VENTURE NOIRE FOUNDER KEENAN BEASLEY