Crisis Deepens - Unemployment Grows - Black Entrepreneurs Must Be Bold!

Bro. Bedford 

Go here for a forthcoming new book, Unshakable Leadership, in which I have a chapter.  

I am clearing out some old emails and came across this one from author, speaker and business expert Bro. Bedford - FROM 2009!  

What do you think?  Are Black entrepreneurs in crisis? And, if so, what should we do about it?  Please post your comments below.  

Back when I was a young child we used to love going to haunted houses. Mainly, because of the adrenaline rush you got from a good scare. But today there are things a lot spookier going on than that strange-looking person in the Freddie Kruger costume.

Today, many Americans are scared to death. Not because of any
fake ghouls and goblins, but because of the tremendous impact
the economy is having on their current livelihood.

For those filled with the entrepreneurial-spirit... those who
aren't scared stiff by the "impending doom" being reported on
the news... this time of apparent uncertainty offers an
unprecedented opportunity to build or grow a solid business
fast with minimal downside.

In times of recession and depression it is important to
remember that wealth transfers from the meek to the bold.

The question becomes...

Are you ready to join the ranks of the bold?

Are you ready to join the ranks of entrepreneurs who are not
scared?

Are you ready to join the ranks of the entrepreneurs who are
taking names and making money?

Here is a key point I really want you to get:

If you don't have a successful reference to model yourself
after in business and life... do the opposite of what the
masses are doing.

How does that apply to you and your business?

Well, as corporate America is forced to pinch their pennies,
and hand out pink-slips left and right, you should be preparing
to 'ROCK & ROLL!"

Seriously, you have a choice... you can either grasp and cling
for security like most people are doing or you can be on the
lookout for the opportunities all around you.

But, the challenge is... you can't do both at the same time.

While those that are "nervous" and "scared" are burrowing down,
savvy entrepreneurs are advancing on their goals faster than
ever.

Currently, the unemployment rate is close to 8% and it's
getting worse... For the meek things seem bleak indeed. But,
for the bold, this is an unprecedented opportunity to seize the
moment.

To Your Victory and Success,

Bro. Bedford 

Go here to download Bro. Bedford's book for FREE.  

 Plus go here for news about my forthcoming chapter in a new book. Unshakable Leadership.  

 http://www.brobedford.com/ 

 Please share this with anyone who can benefit from it.  

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Why Cash Circulation Is Better than Cash Accumulation

We all know cash is king.  But whch is better - cash grow or cash flow?  Check out this great video from Myron Golden.  

What methods are you using to increase your cash flow?  Please comment below and please share this with anyone who can benefit from it.  

 

100 Years Since the Destruction of Black Wall Street

Two weeks ago marked the 100th Anniversary of Black Wall Street.  

This documentary by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), The Legacy of Black Wall Street,  concentrates on the years leading up to the destruction and the massacre which accompanied it.  

Historically, enslaved Black people migrated to the Oklahoma territory in the company of their American Indian owners, as part of the Trail of Tears.  As the land was owned by the Native People, after the Civil War, African Americans were allowed to buy it. They set about building a Black community, Greenwood,Tulsa Oklahoma. 

When oil was discovered, Tulsa became a boom town.  Black people employed by white Oklahomans became wealthy, and their community thrived. Doctors, lawyers and millionaires settled there.  Notably, Black male and female entrepreneurs with vision also settled in Greenwood.  They arrived, not just to make money, but to help Black people to build their own businesses, providing advice and support to budding entrepreneurs.  They were the embodiment of Ujaama - co-operative economics. 

Then, on the 31st of March, 1921, a Black man, Dick Rowland, who went by the name of "Diamond Dick" rode the elevator, just as he had done every day for years.  But on that particular day, the white female elevator operator accused him of assault.  As usual, the alleged assault was used as a pretext for violence.  See also:  White Women's Role in White Supremacy. 

Diamond Dick was arrested and imprisoned prior to standing trial.  A white mob gathered, and we know the rest.  100 years later, this is no less shocking,  And the residents and business owners never received compensation.  

The Legacy of Black Wall Street describes the beauty of Black Wall Street, with its first-class hotel, cinemas screening Black films, and more.  This just goes to show how much was lost.  Black Wall Street gave people hope that things could improve.  It proved to Black people that they could aim high.  Similarly to such great figures as Harriet Tubman, it represented Black people's dreams, ambitions and aspirations, and proved that they were possible to achieve.  Thus, it was a threat to white supremacists, who wanted only to keep Black people down.  

See also:  The Black Wall Street - Before They Die.  

We know now that many other thriving Black communities were similarly attacked and destroyed by white supremacists.  Go here for Rosewood.  

Do you think this kind of destruction could still happen today?  And what can we do to prevent this from happening?  What solutions should we employ?  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

Go here for more Black history blog posts.  

 

Black Unemployment Rate Twice That of the White Population

Dr. Boyce Watkins

In The Five Things I Hate about Being a Black Entrepreneur, Dr. Boyce Watkins has outlined some of the challenges Black entrepreneurs face.  One of them is that the Black unemployment rate in the United States is typically twice as high as that of white people.  In other words, we have half the amount of disposable income white people have to invest in our own, and each other's, businesses.

If you are ready to start using more effective ways to find the job you want, check out my blog post, Black Success:  Finding the Job You Want.  It links to my free job search consultations.

Please share this with your networks and anyone who can benefit from it.  Thanks. 

Free Advice from Black Business Experts

Melinda Emerson

As I'm sure you know, some of the editions of More Black Success feature advice by Black business experts.

What you may not realise is that all of the Black business experts I have interviewed provide business advice themselves.   You can contact them for advice or for ongoing mentoring and support.


And some of them offer free resources. 

I recently tried to donate copies of More Black Success to the City Business Library.  While they were initially very interested, in the end, they did not add MBS to their collection.  I was very disappointed.  However, you can still download MBS here. 

My own business advice involves using the power of your unconscious mind to help you achieve the results you want.  For more information, see:  How Does This Affect Your Performance? 

The Gentrification of Peckham and Other Black Areas

I enjoyed this event on Saturday.  As I live just down the road from Peckham, South London, and have for many years, I was particularly interested in this topic. 

Like pretty much all of the events held by London Black History Walks, "The Gentrification of Peckham and Other Black Areas" as very well presented.  It started with Tony Warner going through a short history of migration and gentrification which took in the Black history o f London from Roman times to the present day, including the Elizabethan era and the two World Wars, as well as the experience of Black people in Brooklyn, including Spike Lee, and in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  

Back in the 1950s and '60s, many Black people in London and the UK were forced to become homeowners, as this was the only way to provide accommodation for themselves and their families.  

The authorities will sometimes allow local areas to become run down in order to make them more attractive to investors.   This has also involved encouraging the use of drugs and guns in Black areas.  There is evidence of this in the U.S., and he referred to "Operation Jackpot" in Stoke Newington in Hackney, East London.  

Tony's presentations are always packed with factual details and always highly engaging.  

The presentation by Charmaine Brown focused specifically on Peckham and covered the area's history as well as reviewing how much Peckham has changed.  

Brown clarified the distinction between improvements and gentrification.  The Council first started making improvements to the area several years ago.  However, with gentrification, a new type of resident moved in - people who do not have any investment in the "social capital" of the area.  

She characterised "social capital" as a personal interest and investment in, and involvement with, the local area, its people and its culture.  Thus, there is often a divide between the current residents and those moving into the area.  Added to this is the fact that, with property prices skyrocketing, locals often feel unable to own their own homes, and can find themselves moved out of the area completely. 

Like many of the Queen Nzingha lectures, this one left me feeling sadness and frustration.  Althought the problem was well explained and illustrated, there was little focus on solutions.  

I was particularly saddened by a short film featuring author Alex Wheatle, in which he talked about the ways in which the Brixton and Tulse Hill areas have changed.  He walked around Brixton Market but did not mention that none of the shops and businesses inside the market are Black-owned.  They are all owned by white and Asian business owners.  It was like that more than 30 years ago, when I first came to London, and it's still like that now. 

He also stated that Dick Sheppard School in Tulse Hill has been closed and replaced with a gated community.  Again, this was particularly sad for me as, many years ago,  I used to teach at a Saturday school based there.  

We need to focus more on solutions, and on actions steps we can take today, here and now, such as, for example, those described in Maggie Anderson's Empowerment Experiment and Our Black Year.  We need to take ownership of our communities. 

To read about The Empowerment Experiment and Our Black Year, and to watch a video about them, see Strong Black Business Community.  

Black Success: How to Build a Successful Online Business

Tonya R, Taylor

How can you start and build a successful online business?  
How can you tell if your social media strategy is working for you?   

How can Black business owners get fast results in creating an online presence?  

I was joined by online business specialist Tonya R. Taylor, founder of SavvyBizBuilder.com

Tonya is known as the “Savvy Online Business Builder” for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners who need more time to focus on running their six figure business and want fast, proven results ensuring potential customers can find them online. She believes without traffic, what’s the point of having a website to begin with!  

Listen to the audio below for Tonya's suggestions about how to build a successful online business.  

SavvyBizBuilder.com 

Click here for more Black Success audios.

Plus click here for details of how you can win a FREE Black business consultation with Zhana worth $300 (£200).  

Discover Books Internet Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Win a FREE Black Business Consultation

Are you a Black business owner?  Are you a start-up, a budding entrepreneur and/or in need of help or advice on growing your business?  If so, you could win a FREE business consultation worth $300 (£200). 

Click here for details of how to enter the competition to win a FREE consultation on how to grow your Black-owned business.  

Black Success: How to Attract a Steady Stream of Customers

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of customers who want and need what your business is offering. 

We often get distracted by silly things.  But when we focus, we can come up with a never-ending stream of creative ideas and strategies to have customers banging on our doors. 

Please listen to the short audio below to find ways to grow your business.   

If you would like to ask me a question about how to grow your business, please post it in the comments section below.   

Click here for more Black Success audios.  

Current Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Was the March on Washington a Waste of Shoe-Leather?

Is marching a waste of shoe-leather? This is what John Henrik Clarke said about marching.

Before the March on Washington, Malcolm X predicted that African Americans would still be marching 50 years later – check out this video clip.

Malcolm claimed Black people did not have the moral high ground because we did not own our own businesses, and therefore could not employ our own people, as other communities did and still do.

However, his argument was naïve because we know that banks and financial institutions discriminated against Black business owners and would-be entrepreneurs.

And when Black people did set up their own thriving business communities, these communities were sometimes brutally attacked, as was the case with the Black Wall Street.

Still, when we look at the situation today, where Black people often do not patronise businesses in our own communities, but instead rush to spend our money in other communities, we need to remember Brother Malcolm's words. It's up to us to employ our own people, just as other communities do. In order to do this, we need to build a Strong Black Business Community. 

I believe it was important to have a nationwide March on Washington.  It was a significant moment in history and still has an impact today.  But is it still useful to keep on marching?  I don't think so.  What do you think?  Leave your comments below.   

Click here to remember the 1963 March on Washington in words and pictures.  

 

Your Best Business Strategy

What is your best business strategy?  This is one of the questions I asked Coach Kevin, author of From Ghetto to Greatness, in More Black Success Volume 8.  

Coach Kevin shares his best strategy, what difficulties he has overcome and much more.  Click here to download your copy today.  

See also:  Remember Your Greatness. 

The Black Market - Economic Empowerment

This was the second Black Market event in London hosted by Black History Studies.  I attended the first one a few months ago, and it was very positive.  The second one include a film festival.  

It's all about economic empowerment.  

We can all learn from this.  This is just an example of what is possible for our Black-owned businesses. 

Plus click here for the Strong Black Business Community. 

Buy Black: The Empowerment Experiment

I am sure you have heard about Maggie Anderson, the sista who decided she and her family would buy only from Black-owned businesses for one full year.   

Anderson expects that her effort to support African American-owned businesses will inspire her community become more active their sometimes struggling neighborhoods.

Anderson wrote about her experience in Our Black Year, her recently published book co-authored by Ted Gregory.  The idea came about because she and her husband John wanted to embark on their dramatic adventure as a means to "inspire economic empowerment." 

Forthcoming Our Black Year events include visits to the Association of Black Women Lawyers and the African American Chamber of Commerce.  I am sure you wish her every success, as I do.

Click here for details of how you can promote your small business globally.  

Click here for the Strong Black Business Community. 

Here's to your success! 

Want to Be on My Radio Show?

When people come to your town, they are looking for YOUR business.  You need to be where you can be found.  So I am compiling an International Directory of Black-Owned Businesses.  

I shall be presenting a series of radio broadcasts to talk about the importance of international networking for Black-owned businesses.  Click here to listen to the first show.  

Would you like to be a guest on one of my shows?  If so, click here to contact me with details of your business. 

The Directory will be downloadable.  With a one-time payment of $50/£30, your business can be listed forever.  So when tourists and visitors arrive in your town, or are making plans to visit your town, they can find your business.  

You will have to agree to include a link to the Directory on your website.  So thousands of websites all over the world will link to the Directory - and people can find your business.  

To book your listing, or for more details, click here to contact us or click here to contact us. 

We look forward to doing business with you.  

 

How to Get Ahead

I have a range of products and free resources to help you get ahead with your finances, your career, or finding work.  

To break into a range of careers, including 
 - media 
- politics 
- business and 
- the corporate world, 

read Black Success Stories Volume 1.  I interviewed Black achievers and asked them how they achieved their success - and they told me.  I put the information in the book.  

If you are looking for work or want to increase your income, or you know someone who does, I can help.  See Finding the Job You Want for more information.  

Want to build your business?  I have free advice from Black business owners in More Black Success.  

For overall success in every area of your life, check out my Black Success Audios. 

Here's to your success!  

$50,000 in Three Days

Marcus Garvey

I saw a documentary entitled "The Promised Ship" last night, screened by Black History Studies.  Did you know that Marcus Garvey raised $50,000 for the Black Star Line in three days?  This was from poor banana-growing communities in Costa Rica in the early 1920s.  

Check out the video below for more info.  

What does this tell us about the potential of Black-owned businesses today?  Remember, Garvey did this without the internet, without mobile phones, without any of the modern methods of mass communication that we have available.  

Black businesses potentially have enormous economic clout.  I have been talking about this on the radio and we will continue to talk about this.  See also:  Black Businesses:  Our Economic Clout. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 on the subject of our economic clout.  

Business Bootcamp with Mavis Amankwah

I recently attended the Business Bootcamp with Mavis Amankwah of Rich Visions.

As a successful Black business owner and PR guru, Mavis was one of the people I interviewed in More Black Success Volume 10.

At the business bootcamp, we were given loads and loads of valuable information about how you can successfully set up and run your business.  

One thing we were told was that people to interact with your Facebook page – not just “like” your page. Otherwise, they will never see your content.

Click here to read my interview with Mavis (you can download it for free).

Boost Your Business

Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing social networking sites on the net.

Want to find out more about Pinterest and how you can use it to boost your business? Go here: http://www.squidoo.com/fast-and-easy-ways-to-make-money-online#module159039783

Want an invitation to join Pinterest? Go here: http://www.squidoo.com/fast-and-easy-ways-to-make-money-online#module158772751

Plus, click here for more ways to boost your business.  

Plus click here to check out Strong Black Business Community.  

Here's to your success!  

Preview: Kwanzaa: Do Black Consumers Buy Black?

As the season of Kwanzaa approaches, we are asking, Do Black Consumers Buy Black? We will be joined by Charles Taylor, author of Kwanzaa: How to Celebrate It in Your Home. For more info, and to listen in, scroll down.

Listen to internet radio with Zhana21 on Blog Talk Radio

Click here to listen or phone in, on Saturday the 3rd of December, 4:30 p.m. EST, 9:30 p.m. GMT.

If you miss the broadcast, you can still listen to the recording there.

Click here for lots of Christmas and Kwanzaa gift ideas.

Click here to read about Kwanzaa.

Why Are There No Black Entrepreneurs?

Okay, so this guy - founder of Tech Crunch Michael Arrington - is saying he cannot name ONE SINGLE BLACK ENTREPRENEUR in Silicone Valley. In fact, he seems to be saying there are NO BLACK ENTREPRENEURS at all!

So I must be a figment of your imagination. In fact, you are not reading this at all.

Obviously, our brains are too tiny.

Click here for free advice from Black business experts.