ENTREPRENEURSHIP & EMPATHY · Nancy Korsah, founder and CEO of Black Business Enterprises (BBE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, joins Heartbeat Narratives for a lively and reflective conversation about entrepreneurship, identity, community, and living life with purpose. Molly’s sister-in-law and a true citizen of the world, Nancy was born and raised in Montichiari, Italy to Ghanaian parents before moving to the United States and eventually building a life and business in Minnesota. Nancy reflects on growing up Black in Italy, moving to America, finding confidence through adversity, traveling the world as a flight attendant, and learning to connect with people across cultures. A multilingual entrepreneur who speaks seven languages, she shares why human connection is at the heart of everything she does—and how her love of people led her to build BBE, a thriving community supporting Black entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country. She also takes us back to one of the wildest chapters of her entrepreneurial journey: leaving Minnesota at 17 with $160, building a successful cleaning business in Los Angeles, hiring a team, and eventually cleaning homes for celebrities including Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Harvey, all while navigating life as an immigrant. From building businesses and creating generational wealth to traveling the world, supporting local businesses, and imagining the future of Black entrepreneurship, Nancy shares hard-earned lessons about resilience and confidence. She also shares why she believes one of the most powerful ways to support small businesses is simple: slow down, spend locally, and choose community over convenience. Filled with laughter and unexpected twists this is a conversation about what it means to choose connection everyday. Thank you for listening! Learn More 🌐 Black Business Enterprises (BBE): blackbusinessenterprises.org 🥂 Black Business Ball: blackbusinessball.com. 🎤 BBE Youtube + Hello Nancy Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@blackbusinessenterprises2805 Episode Highlights 01:48 Nancy’s roots in Ghana and Italy 02:47 From New Jersey to Minnesota 04:36 What makes her heart beat 05:47 Building confidence 08:55 The love-at-first-sight mindset 11:57 Finding purpose through service 13:29 The Black Business Enterprises (BBE) origin story 16:20 Success stories that keep her going 18:48 Her vision for the next generation 20:57 The Hollywood hustle 25:56 Scaling a cleaning business 26:12 Cleaning celebrity homes in LA 28:15 Getting her documentation papers and moving on 29:32 Business lessons, mishaps, and everything in between 30:57 The freedom to fly 32:35 Self-care through travel 33:35 Nancy loves Korea 36:02 Seven languages, almost a polyglot 38:35 Spend local, support small 42:52 Inside the Black Business Ball celebration 44:30 The ultimate auntie rivalry 46:09 Signing off with your girl, Nancy
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & EMPATHY · Nancy Korsah, founder and CEO of Black Business Enterprises (BBE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, joins Heartbeat Narratives for a lively and reflective conversation about entrepreneurship, identity, community, and living life with purpose. Molly’s sister-in-law and a true citizen of the world, Nancy was born and raised in Montichiari, Italy to Ghanaian parents before moving to the United States and eventually building a life and business in Minnesota.
Nancy reflects on growing up Black in Italy, moving to America, finding confidence through adversity, traveling the world as a flight attendant, and learning to connect with people across cultures. A multilingual entrepreneur who speaks seven languages, she shares why human connection is at the heart of everything she does—and how her love of people led her to build BBE, a thriving community supporting Black entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country.
She also takes us back to one of the wildest chapters of her entrepreneurial journey: leaving Minnesota at 17 with $160, building a successful cleaning business in Los Angeles, hiring a team, and eventually cleaning homes for celebrities including Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Harvey, all while navigating life as an immigrant.
From building businesses and creating generational wealth to traveling the world, supporting local businesses, and imagining the future of Black entrepreneurship, Nancy shares hard-earned lessons about resilience and confidence. She also shares why she believes one of the most powerful ways to support small businesses is simple: slow down, spend locally, and choose community over convenience.
Filled with laughter and unexpected twists this is a conversation about what it means to choose connection everyday. Thank you for listening!
Learn More
🌐 Black Business Enterprises (BBE): blackbusinessenterprises.org
🥂 Black Business Ball: blackbusinessball.com. 🎤 BBE Youtube + Hello Nancy Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@blackbusinessenterprises2805
Episode Highlights
01:48 Nancy’s roots in Ghana and Italy
02:47 From New Jersey to Minnesota
04:36 What makes her heart beat
05:47 Building confidence
08:55 The love-at-first-sight mindset
11:57 Finding purpose through service
13:29 The Black Business Enterprises (BBE) origin story
16:20 Success stories that keep her going
18:48 Her vision for the next generation
20:57 The Hollywood hustle
25:56 Scaling a cleaning business
26:12 Cleaning celebrity homes in LA
28:15 Getting her documentation papers and moving on
29:32 Business lessons, mishaps, and everything in between
30:57 The freedom to fly
32:35 Self-care through travel
33:35 Nancy loves Korea
36:02 Seven languages, almost a polyglot
38:35 Spend local, support small
42:52 Inside the Black Business Ball celebration
44:30 The ultimate auntie rivalry
46:09 Signing off with your girl, Nancy