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Sonja Mack 14 years ago Go Behind the Scenes of Our November Cover Shoot BLACK ENTERPRISE Associate Photography Director Lonnie Major (right) shows Woolery and Cato outtakes from the photo shoot. Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. That's why, every year, BLACK ENTERPRISE dedicates its November issue to fearless entrepreneurs. This year, we took a look at a unique type of entrepreneur--inventors. Here, we take you behind the scenes of the shoot for the November cover story, Code Name: Inventors. more Renita Burns, BLACK ENTERPRISE Online Producer (left), asks the BLACK ENTERPRISE Facebook and Twitter communities to submit their questions about bringing an invention to market, while BLACK ENTERPRISE Small Business Editor Tennille Robinson (right) goes over some notes. more Hair stylist Clark Vincent (left) and makeup artist Natasha Denis (right) prep one of our featured inventors, Elaine Cato. Cato created the Breakthrough Backless Bra, which she licensed out to undergarment manufacturer Maidenform. Her bra is sold in Macy's and other large retailers nationwide. more While Denis gets Cato perfect, Burns (right) snaps a few images to post on Twitter. Robinson takes questions from her Twitter followers about the challenges of getting a product to market. Cato's Breakthrough Backless Bra was featured on the second season of ABC's American Inventor reality show. Though Cato was only runner-up, she impressed undergarment manufacturer Maidenform and inked a licensing and distribution deal with them. more Denis readies inventor Andre Woolery for his close up. Woolery created the MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband, a tool designed to keep drill bits and other small hardware close by. BLACK ENTERPRISE Associate Editor LaToya Smith captures some exclusive behind-the-scenes video. Woolery and Cato pose as agents of invention. Smith is camera-ready as she introduces Woolery and Cato. BLACK ENTERPRISE Associate Photography Director Lonnie Major (right) shows Woolery and Cato outtakes from the photo shoot. Woolery and Robinson answer questions from Facebook and Twitter. BLACK ENTERPRISE's social media community is full of aspiring inventors and entreprenuers. Cato works the camera. Smith captures every moment of the shoot on video. Woolery explains the steps he took to get his magnetic wristband into Lowe's and Home Depot hardware stores across the country. more Woolery estimates he’s sold 400,000 units to date and earned revenues of more than $1 million. Cato received 25% in royalties for three years, which she says amounted to $50,000 to $70,000 per year. height="250" type="doubleclick" data-slot="/21868623726/site264.tmus/amp4" data-multi-size="320x50,320x250" data-multi-size-validation="false" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"prebidappnexuspsp": {"PLACEMENT_ID": "27198239"}}, "timeoutMillis": 500}'> Show comments