Jay Z Research Paper

According to Merriam Webster dictionary an entrepreneur is a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses; taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. An innovator is a person who introduces new methods, ideas or products. When people talk about successful entrepreneur’s names that may come to mind are Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Walt Disney, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg and others. All entrepreneurs had to overcome obstacles to achieve success but one entrepreneur or innovator who is overlooked is Jay-Z because of his untraditional road to success.

Shawn Corey Carter was born December 4th 1969 he grew up in a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York called Bedford Stuyvesant

Shawn Carter has a very successful investment portfolio. Before Shawn Carter became the successful entrepreneur he now is, he had to start from somewhere. Like a true entrepreneur, Jay Z built Roc-A-Fella records up from the ground with his former partner Damon Dash. They started their Label in 1995 because other record labels were not willing to sign Shawn Carter whose stage name is Jay Z. As a result, Jay Z retained ownership rights to his entire music catalog so he still receives dividends from his older musical projects. His investment portfolio includes Roc-A-Fella records, along with Rocawear, 40/40 clubs, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Barclays Center. Rocawear was a clothing brand that made 700 million dollars in sales in 2007. He sold the clothing line to Iconix Brand group for 204 million dollars so the clothing line has done well for him. His 40/40 clubs are high end sports bars and they’ve continued to grow. He has one inside of the Barclays center which is another investment of his. He invested money into shares of the Brooklyn Nets which is his hometown team. Ultimately he had to sell his shares of the Nets due to his new business of Roc Nation Sports. He would had created a monopoly which is considered illegal.When Jay Z sold his stake in the Nets, it was still a win for him because he “turned $1 million into $2.35 million over the course of nine years, a gain of 135%.” He’s

Roc Nation is a “full-service entertainment company, inclusive of artist, songwriter, producer and engineer management; music publishing; touring & merchandising; film & television; new business ventures; and a music label.” Roc Nation is home to a diverse set of artist who are well known globally such as Rihanna, Shakira, J. Cole and more. Shawn Carter is also the founder of Roc Nation Sports which is a sports agency and subdivision of Roc Nation. The agency is representing premier athletes in every sport. Athletes like Dez Bryant, Miguel Cotto, Todd Gurley, Kevin Durant, and Skylar Diggins are all a part of the Roc Nation Sports family. Carter’s love for sports ultimately lead to the decision of Roc Nation Sports creation. Roc Nation and Roc Nation Sports main objective to their clients is to ensure execution in marketing, endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, and brand strategy. Both divisions main objective is to elevate their client’s career on a global scale. Shawn Carter’s music label and sports agency are both very successful along with his many other business