Excerpt from Black Enterprise "40 Rising Stars 40 & Under" February 26, 2012 (http://www.blackenterprise.com/2012/02/13/40-rising-stars-40-under/)

Samanta Joseph, 34 
CEO 
Samanta JosephSamantaShoes.com 

Changing the game in the retail shoe industry, Joseph runs a company that designs and retails stylish, comfortable shoes for women challenged to find footwear in their size. Her inspiration: the need to find durable comfort on city streets. “I ripped apart a pair of my very expensive shoes to see how they were made. I did some research and realized that they were made for women with high arches and insteps.” Joseph decided to design shoes that were more comfy for a wider market. 

Designing shoes has been a passion of Joseph’s since she was a child, and her business, launched in 2003, grossed approximately $1 million in 2010. 

Dream vacation: Petit Martinique, an island off of the island of Grenada. "The thing I love about the island is that there are no electronics–no TV, no telephones, no computers. So when you’re there, you’re just engulfed in the serenity of nature and can have some good old family time." 

Dream car: "Anything with a DVD player in it that will entertain my 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son!" 

Phone: Samsung Smiley 

Laptop: Lenovo X200 "It’s lightweight and compact and does everything I need it to do." 

Other tech tools: Canon Powershot SX210IS "I love this camera so much because it has the Powershot compactness but the operating system of an EOS, like the Canon Red Deluxe D. It has a super zoom and the digital quality of the pictures is so awesome." 

Favorite store: Crazy 8 "I shop mostly for my kids, so anywhere I can get quality at an affordable price is where I will live." 

Favorite beverage: "A natural, very tasty veggie fruit juice that my dad makes."