Existing Ryze members: Sign in here

The African American Network Dedicated to Investing, Entrepreneurship and Upward Job Mobility

Black Wealth Network Message Board -- Moderated

[This Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts] 1 - 20 of 154  | Previous  Next  [ First | Last ] 04/28/05 Minority Businesses Find Support; Youths Hear Lessons in Business From Rappers & More # Delores Chamblin Minority Businesses Find Support http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69909367&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Thomas said minority businesses should try teamwork with each other, not just with large corporations. "What's going to make diversity people across the nation hold hands and sing 'Oh happy day' is when instead of partnering with a big company, three or four minority- or women-owned businesses say they are going to partner together and take on the big guys," he said. (Excerpts) OPPORTUNITIES; Youths Hear Lessons in Business From Rappers http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69967097&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& More than meets the ear, rap artists today are likely to own the studios that produce their music, design their own clothing lines and develop their images with restaurants and lucrative licensing and advertising deals. Rapper Jay-Z, for example, wears many hats as producer, fashion designer, club owner and part owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team. They're brands, and kids see them as business leaders. While older adults can't seem to get past the crude images and the gun talk and violence in rap music, young people say they get from these stars ideas about how to succeed in life. Young people may be more tuned in to such messages because today's rap artists have a higher propensity to be business owners than artists of the past, said Pepper Miller, an ethnic marketing expert. They're not like the old-school artists such as MC Hammer, who went broke. "I do look up to people like P. Diddy. He's more than a rapper. He's a businessman with a nice bank account," said Steven Jenkins, 16, an 11th-grader at Solomon Juneau High School. "I want to be like him one day. I want to own my own business and wear the nice suits." In other words, it's not just about the thug life and bling-bling; it's about wielding economic influence -- from owning real estate to stocks to your own clothing label or record company. But some local experts are skeptical of the message behind rap music. I must admit that I have a hard time seeing the good in rap music. The majority of it seems to focus on exploitation of women and criminal activity. There's not much in the lyrics that talks about economics and how the real world works. "I don't see a pro-business message," said Mark Schug, professor and director of the Center for Economic Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "You don't hear about education, responsibility and deferred gratification. It's just the opposite.(Excerpts) Senate Panel Agrees to Study Minority-Lending Disparity http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=70008787&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Sen. Gary Siplin walked into the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee meeting Monday wanting to make it a felony for a bank employee to reject a home-loan application because of the borrower's skin color or ethnicity. Instead, the Orlando Democrat had to settle for an amended bill calling for a study of the minority lending issue. "Blacks, Hispanics, Haitians can't get loans from banks in this state," said Siplin, who told the panel that members of his family have been rejected for loans despite having all the qualifications for approval. Siplin acknowledged there are numerous state and federal laws banning lending discrimination, but he said there's "an obvious loophole" in the system. Siplin's bill would have made it a crime to discriminate in mortgage lending. But Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said there was a problem with the bill as written. Posey said a white banker intending to discriminate could insulate himself by having his employees do the actual rejection. In fact, a minority employee could find himself prosecuted for carrying out the orders of his boss. Senate Minority leader Les Miller of Tampa agreed with Siplin that there's a problem in Florida, but also agreed with Posey that the bill needed to be tweaked. Siplin agreed to an amendment calling for a study of the minority- lending issue, which the committee approved, but said he'll back with his bill every year until it passes ----- Palm Beach Post Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/27/05 Black Financial News Publication Establishes Black Chip Stock Index; Program Loses Funds & More # Delores Chamblin Citizens Capital: Black Financial News Publication Establishes Black Chip Stock Index http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69939652&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Citizens Capital Corp. (Pink Sheets:CAAP) today announced that its Media Force affiliate publication, Black Financial News, has released its May 2005 issue which includes the historical establishment of the Black Chip Stock(tm) Index, a market value weighted indicator. The May issue also continues with "Lessons Unlearned", part two of a three part series on Jim Crow. The Black Chip Stock Index represents an assemblage of African-American owned companies whose equity is publicly traded. The Black Financial News shall also operate as a daily, on the hour, broadband Internet, market and world news broadcast segment with coverage of the Black Chip Stock Index(tm) companies. (Excerpts) Another Small Biz Loan Program Loses Funds http://www.blackenterprise.com/ExclusivesEKOpen.asp?id=1126 Some African American bankers are concerned that a drop in funding by the Bush administration to a federal program that enables banks to provide business loans to entrepreneurs in predominately urban communities will impede financial institutions ability to assist small and midsize business owners in starting and expanding businesses-and may diminish the entrepreneurial spirit. The decrease in monies represents nearly a 24% drop in allotted grants to financial entities for 2005. Some bankers contend that the lower availability of funds will hinder both banks and entrepreneurs-banks won't be able to loan as much money to business owners to establish and expand their businesses. “The urban core of the metropolitan area is where the majority of African American small businesses are based and we depend most on these funds in order to help them expand their businesses.” (Excerpts) Chrysler Group COO Tom LaSorda Encourages Minority Suppliers and Students to Take a 'Leading Role' in the Automotive Industry http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69887819&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group's Chief Operating Officer, told minority suppliers and students that there is tremendous potential in the automotive industry if they are willing to take a "leading role" to help companies remain competitive. LaSorda's comments were made during the 17th annual National Association of Black Automotive Suppliers (NABAS) Scholarship Award Banquet at Cobo Hall. "There are dramatic and exciting challenges ahead of us in the automotive industry," said LaSorda. "We need a continual infusion of talent and innovation to keep pace with the demands of our business." LaSorda also emphasized the Chrysler Group's leadership in reinvesting in the communities where it operates, which are almost exclusively in urban areas with large minority populations. DaimlerChrysler has also created programs to build its minority supply base including its annual Matchmaker event, which was designed to help suppliers at all levels establish long-term relationships and encourage minority-to-minority business. Another supplier development program is the Minority Enterprise Initiative (MEI). MEI launched in 2000 and is a mentoring program that provides minority suppliers with comprehensive business assessments and hands-on assistance in order to help them improve their processes and be better prepared to supply high volume goods and services to the automotive industry. NABAS, whose mission is to advocate the advancement of black-owned businesses in the automotive industry, hosts an Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner to raise funds to provide scholarships for academically gifted African American high school seniors who have a desire to establish a career in the automotive industry.(Excerpts) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/22/05 Closing Black-White Gaps; Airport Concessions Limit on Wealth is Now U.S. Law # Delores Chamblin Official Speaks of Closing Black-White Gaps ; National Urban League Vice President Gives His Prescription for Wealth http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69532104&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers Marvin J. Owens' words were simple. He believes they could close the equality gaps between blacks and whites in the United States. "We need to learn to invest and reinvest in people," said Owens, vice president for economic development and housing at the National Urban League. He recalled: Years ago, he was working on a project in Brooklyn, N.Y., that turned dilapidated buildings into beautiful apartments for low-income folks. Six months later, there was graffiti on the outside, garbage inside and problems with the care of the hardwood floors. "Unless we concentrate on people, no matter how much we build, it will not last," he said at the annual awards luncheon of the Urban League of South Bend and St. Joseph County. Owens left the lunch crowd with a set of prescriptions for lifting the wealth of blacks. Among them, he said, boost small businesses. He stressed that 85 percent of minority businesses are sole proprietors -- that is, "the chief cook and bottle washer is trying to do everything." "We've got to grow small businesses so they can employ more people," he said. Also, he said jobs programs should be complete: "It is not enough to do job training if there is not a company to accept them (trainees) when they come out." And once they have jobs, he said, help them to save and manage their limited income. Stress minimum wage issues, he said: "In too many cases, people are working too hard -- 40, 60 and 70 hours a week -- and still can't meet their minimum monthly requirements." He encourages Congress to seek affordable health care for those who cannot afford it. "If we don't have healthy workers, they won't come to work," he said. "They become a burden on every economic engine we can find." Emphasize reading and preschool education, he said, and give kids access to technology, he said. Tithe thyself, he said: "We must learn to give back." (Excerpts) Airport Concessions Limit on Wealth is Now U.S. Law http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69539555&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& A new federal rule takes effect Thursday that could alter the way cities and airport managers hand out concession contracts worth millions of dollars to minorities and women at O'Hare, Midway and other airports across the country. The U.S. Department of Transportation has enacted a new standard for such contracts that for the first time imposes a limit on the personal wealth of vendors who win contracts because they are designated as disadvantaged business enterprises--or DBEs. The new limit, $750,000, is already used in Chicago. Owners of several companies operating at the airports in Chicago were unaware of the new rule. Federal rules required that airport managers and cities seek out minorities and woman-owned businesses to run concessions at airports that received federal dollars. (Excerpts) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/20/05 Appeals Court Lifts Ban on Minority Program; Kidpreneurs/Teenpreneurs Conference # Delores Chamblin Appeals Court Lifts Ban on Minority Program http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69387996&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& A ban on Missouri's minority- and women-owned business set-aside program has been lifted by an appeals court, assuaging fears that small firms would be passed over for state contracts. Without comment, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals here lifted on April 7 a preliminary injunction that had eliminated the state's minority- and women-owned business contracting requirements. U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner in Kansas City issued the preliminary injunction Jan. 24. Fenner's action stunned minority- and women-owned subcontractors around Missouri, who could no longer count on revenue from state contracts. Fenner found that there was evidence that Missouri's program was unconstitutional. Missouri members of the National Association of Women Business Owners are supporting a move to scrap the existing contracting program, said Christine Bierman, a Public Policy Committee member for NAWBO in St. Louis. "It is not race- and gender-neutral and it doesn't withstand a litmus test," she said. Instead, the state should switch to the system used by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Bierman said. That program designates firms as "disadvantaged business enterprises" rather than minority- or women-owned. An attorney for NAWBO has advised the group that the state isn't likely to win on the constitutionality of its existing program and will be tied up in court for years. Several black business owners recently said they want the state to change its contracting rules to goals rather than requirements to avoid constitutionality issues. NAWBO also plans to ask Blunt to issue an executive order establishing a new minority- and women-contracting set-aside program or reaffirming the order issued by former Gov. Mel Carnahan, Bierman said. A trial date on the suit has been moved to July 5 from May 23. (Excerpts) Wendy's to Host 10th Annual Kidpreneurs/Teenpreneurs Conference http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69379290&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& The 10th Annual Black Enterprise Kidpreneurs/Teenpreneurs Conference, hosted by Wendy's International, kicks-off its three-day business learning program on May 18 at the Wyndham Anatole in Dallas. Running concurrent with the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, the Kidpreneurs/Teenpreneurs Conference is designed to teach youthful participants the basics of business ownership while encouraging saving and investing. The program offers step-by-step financial instruction at three levels: Presidents Club (ages 14 to 17), Future CEOs (ages 11 to 14), and Junior Executives (ages 7 to 10). Attendees will learn how to develop an idea into a business plan, set and achieve goals, advance leadership skills, collaborate on projects, and market their businesses using television, radio, and newspapers. The event culminates with a final graduation ceremony followed by the announcement of the Kidpreneur/Teenpreneur of the Year. (Excerpt) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/18/05 re: Looking for TOP networkers for NEW elearning biz GLOBALLY !! # Christopher Nesmith Hi sharon can you use this tool to help your business. It's a world wide VOIP(digital Phone) video phone with more than a dozen calling features. check it out. www.localphonevoip.com > Sharon Tan wrote: > Hi all, > >We are from Singapore and are looking for leaders who would like to have a share in the new and fast moving elearning business GLOBALLY !! > >In just 3 years, we have penetrated more than 28 countries in the world like Japan, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, China, Philippines, UAE .... > >This is a great opportunity to increase your income, do not miss it!! > >Take massive action for your business!!! For furthur enquires, please email to: > >wealth_design@yahoo.com OR >egang@starhub.net.sg > >Best Regards, >Ang & Sharon > Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/18/05 hi yah all - I am looking for investors or people to visit my fund raiser # Tess I am new here and would love to hear from others. I do several online businesses but am trying to raise funds to build a orphanage in Bibiani Ghana. Please feel free to stop by and say hi. Also feel free to see my fundraiser site Fundraiser Here Investors can also send me message if interested in helping. God Bless Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/18/05 Black Biz News ~ Bridging Black Income Disparities Gap; Brochures Boosts Black Owned Firms & Mor # Delores Chamblin 'It's Good Business' http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69272614&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Jonathan Clark has never had trouble finding work for his lawn- care and building-maintenance business, Quality Care Maintenance Corp. He has had trouble turning a profit. Clark is attempting to turn his 13-year-old Harrisburg business around through the Harrisburg Regional Chamber's fledgling Business Diversity Development Program. Program coordinator Janis Leftridge chose Clark, who is black, as the first small business owner to participate. Whites are a minority in Harrisburg; according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 survey, only 32 percent of the city's population is white. However, the Census also found whites own 85 percent of the city's businesses. To spur minority business development, Harrisburg Regional Chamber hired Leftridge and created an advisory council of business leaders in the area. The chamber wanted to give minority business owners more than dollars to help them get going. Leftridge said she wants to target businesses that have been in existence for several years, but need help turning a profit. She went to conferences and researched efforts in different cities. Eventually, she and the advisory council decided to model the Harrisburg initiative after a program in Cincinnati that matches existing minority-owned businesses with successful big companies. This program is different from those in other midstate cities that mostly focus on start-up businesses. Here's how the program works. A minority- or female-owned business successfully bids a contract with a large company in the area, such as Hershey Entertainment. Over the course of a year, the small-business owner meets with department heads of the big company to learn better management, accounting and hiring practices. The chamber helps the small-business owner apply for loans and look for ways to expand his or her business. The National Urban League is taking a similar approach to minority business stimulation. The organization is opening centers in bigger U.S. cities - such as Cincinnati - that will link established businesses with entrepreneurs, helping them write business plans, find sources of capital and figure out how to expand their businesses. At this stage in the program's development, Leftridge recruits existing minority-owned businesses to participate. They have to be willing to show their financial statements, income taxes and business plans to Leftridge and their mentor, which she said is the biggest obstacle in bringing people into the program. "Although I am a woman and African-American, I have never looked at that as a disadvantage," Cobb said. "My business actually reflects the demographics of this country, and that is where business is beginning to go. But I do need the chamber's program to help open doors." "Before, there were certain doors I couldn't get in," Clark said. "Now, being in this program, you're at least getting in the door and getting looked at." (Excerpts) Brochure Boosts Black-Owned Firms http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=69272615&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Alice Sanders has a plan to help minority-owned companies benefit from Lancaster County's tourism trade. Sanders is executive director of Base Inc., a Lancaster nonprofit group that works with people who want to start or expand businesses. Late last year, the organization launched the Lancaster County Destination Management Co. The program counsels minority-owned firms on how to market themselves to visitors and other companies serving the county's tourism industry. The most visible part of the destination-management company's work so far is a brochure that is available at several area hotels. The brochure, "There's more to Lancaster than you know," includes contact information for various black-owned businesses, including restaurants, nightclubs and hair salons. The brochure also lists churches and civic organizations. Sharon Ford, who owns Sistaz Hair Salon in Lancaster, said many people she knows think Lancaster County is full of Amish people. Ford's business is listed in the brochure. I think (the brochure) is a good thing," Ford said. Base also is looking for ways to link minority-owned businesses such as uniform shops and food vendors with hotels, resorts and other tourism-related companies. Many companies that need suppliers are not aware there are minority owned firms that could do the work, Sanders said. Minority- owned firms could hire more workers and find new sources of revenue if they could land more contracts, she said. "(These businesses) are out there but the door isn't being opened to them," she said. "We want to get the word out." Sanders also works with the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau to find ways to make the county's attractions more relevant to minority tourists. She is chairwoman of the bureau's multicultural advisory committee and is a consultant for the East Lampeter Township-based bureau. The committee's job is to develop tools the bureau can use to convince minority tourists to come to the county, said Wendy Nagle, the bureau's president. Ford hopes the new approaches will help her business. The brochure has attracted only two tourists to her salon so far, but Ford is not discouraged. She is grateful to get her name out to potential customers. "You never know where your business is going to come from," she said. (Excerpts) African American Income Disparities and Bridging the Gap http://powernetworkingseries.blogspot.com/2005/04/african-american-income-disparities.html African American Income Disparities have gained widespread attention over the last couple of months in many publications. The root of the problem of income disparities may be solved by creating an early track for financial empowerment for future generations. Mr. Earl Graves of Black Enterprise is calling for all African Americans to make a declaration of financial independence and to become home owners by the age of twenty five. I agree with Mr. Graves philosophy of early home ownership. I would also encourage all African Americans to begin to cultivate financial literacy in their offspring at an early age. Percy Sutton made a statement that affected my life at an early age, he stated that "we do not grow up in a culture of business". He also said that "All of my life I have had access to people of abilty, but did not have access to capital, I believe anything is possible if one has access to capital and people of ablity". Oftentimes, in life what we can not do alone we can do together. We will begin to bridge the gap when we begin to teach our children the value of savings, and investing at an early age. The establishment of youth entreprenuerial programs will be an added benifit to our future generations. The earlier we begin this new model of achievement, the more we will be able to stay ahead of the learning program. Every African American Businessman and Businesswomen should look to mentor a member of the future generation to ensure an ongoing legacy, and to maximize the time our future generation will have to work with business concepts. W. E. B. Dubois was an advocate of planning and stated that we should plan our lives fifthy years in advace. He also said that "To live life without planning is to live life as if life is not a serious thing". I had the experience of running the Haircut Hut Barbershop Franchise for a period of over ten years. In this experience I learned how to make a million dollars, and it created a tremendous amount of leverage for me in my life. I was able to take the running of a simple barbershop and catipult that experience to open doors for me such as being elected to the Board of Directors of the 100 Black Men, Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce, Hempstead NAACP Board, West Indian Chamber of Commerce, and recieve the Nassau Council Chambers of Commerce/Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the year award in 1995, and the Nassau Council Chambers of Commerce/West Indian Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year award in 1998. In order for African Americans to bridge the gap between income disparities we must start sooner than later. In our space, in our time, we can and must make a difference. ---- Phil Andrews is the Public Relations Director for Blackbusinesscircle.com and is the CEO of P.A. Public Relations Co. in NYC. (Excerpts) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/16/05 Looking for TOP networkers for NEW elearning biz GLOBALLY !! # Sharon Tan Hi all, We are from Singapore and are looking for leaders who would like to have a share in the new and fast moving elearning business GLOBALLY !! In just 3 years, we have penetrated more than 28 countries in the world like Japan, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, China, Philippines, UAE .... This is a great opportunity to increase your income, do not miss it!! Take massive action for your business!!! For furthur enquires, please email to: wealth_design@yahoo.com OR egang@starhub.net.sg Best Regards, Ang & Sharon Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/13/05 Denver Nonprofit Will Offer Computer Classes for Entrepreneurs # Delores Chamblin Denver Nonprofit Will Offer Computer Classes for Entrepreneurs Source: The Denver Post Publication date: 2005-04-11 Arrival time: 2005-04-12 http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68898155&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Apr. 11--A Denver nonprofit is preparing for next month's launch of The Works, a computer lab for burgeoning business owners -- many of whom are women and minorities. "This gives entrepreneurs the resources so they don't have to get all the equipment themselves," said Michele Vitela, the lab's director. The 770-square-foot computer lab in north Denver features 10 desktop computers, 10 laptops, several digital cameras, scanners, printers and overhead projectors. Pilot classes started in March, with an official opening slated for May 4. Classes cost about $10. The Works will offer business classes for software like Microsoft Excel, Word and, eventually, PowerPoint and QuickBooks. Internet research tips, unlimited high-speed Web access and one-on-one assistance in developing and maintaining business plans will also be offered. "It gives entrepreneurs the tools to stay on top of their finances," said Jason Page, who teaches many of the software-related classes. Professionals in the fields of marketing, law and management also will be brought in, Page said. The MicroBusiness Development Corp., a Denver nonprofit, was the driving force for the lab, at 3003 Arapahoe St. Computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co., which employs about 6,000 people in Colorado, provided much of the financial muscle, donating $250,000. The lab also is intended to be a gathering place "that helps bridge the digital divide," said Kersten Hostetter, executive director of the MicroBusiness Development Corp. The nonprofit provides business loans to 134 entrepreneurs in metro Denver, many of whom are women or minorities, she said. "It's a resource for people who have an idea but don't know the basics of business," said Leonard Teague, 23, an MBA student at Regis University who hopes to start a carwash business someday. "It's definitely important, especially for the African-American community." Teague, who is black, said he has attended a pilot class and learned how to manage a balance sheet, create templates for financial statements and do business forecasting to help predict the potential impact of increasing prices. "It helps take away the doubt when you're starting a business," he said. Other business owners said the program helps entrepreneurs gain vital computer and business skills. "They teach you how to upgrade yourself so you can run your business better," said Joyce Robinson, who owns Denver- based Elegant Catering with her husband, Evis. "When you are trying to scratch it out, (the classes) make it smoother." WHAT'S AVAILABLE Pilot classes started in March, with an official opening slated for May 4. Classes cost about $10. Classes offered: --Microsoft Excel --Microsoft Word Software classes to come: --PowerPoint --QuickBooks Other skills and resources: --Internet research tips -Unlimited high-speed Web access --One-on-one assistance in developing and maintaining business plans ----- Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/12/05 THE RESULTS ARE IN: Financial Literacy Gap Widening Among Black Youth # Delores Chamblin Is this the beginning of the "Silver Rights Movement?" Check out the article below. THE RESULTS ARE IN: Financial Literacy Gap Widening Among Black Youth http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68852819&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers Source: Business Wire Publication date: 2005-04-12 The black-white gap in financial literacy has not just persisted but is growing, according to a national report commissioned by Operation Hope, Inc. and released today, at the "A Day of HOPE with Andrew Young" event. The report is a result of a survey conducted by Dr. Lewis Mandell of the University of New York at Buffalo and the Jump$tart Coalition. Since 1997, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy has been measuring the financial literacy of young adults in their last year of high school. Of the 4,074 students who took the pencil and paper national survey on financial literacy in 2004, 506 or 12.4% were African-American, providing a large enough sample to provide meaningful results. Eighty-six percent of African-American students "failed" the exam compared to fifty-eight percent of white students. "Within every crisis lies the seed of opportunity, you cannot have a rainbow without a storm first," explained OHI Founder, John Bryant. "Financial illiteracy, combined with the remnant legacy of the history of our race in this country, is the crisis, but it presents a tremendous opportunity. It is up to all of us, inside and outside of the community, in the private and public sector, Black, White and Brown conservative or liberal, Republican and Democrat alike, to make this change happen." The national report, available on-line (www.operationhope.org) took an in depth look at the level of financial literacy among African American youth. The survey encompasses a succession of annual studies that have been conducted since 1997 in four areas -- income, money management, savings and spending. The key survey findings include: -- Savings Deficiency: The data indicates that young African-Americans place relatively more emphasis on spending than on saving. -- Educational Disparities: African-American youth are less likely than Whites to receive education in money management or be given the opportunity to play financial games including stock market games at school. The survey indicates that 53% of white students learn money management in school as against 44% of African-American students. -- Lack of Parental Guidance: Fewer African-American students than white students report learning money management from their parents and a higher proportion report receiving a regular (no chores required) allowance from their parents. While receipt of a regular allowance was formerly thought to promote financial literacy through forced budgeting, consistent results from the Jump$tart surveys have shown that it detracts from financial literacy, serving instead as an "entitlement" which may discourage self-reliance. Supporting these findings on the point of racial disparities is an: USA Today article by Yolanda Young titled "Blacks Suffer from Economic Crackup" where she asserts, based on an independent study conducted in October 2004 by the Hispanic Pew Institute, that "the net worth of whites is 11 times that of blacks." To remedy the disparities, Operation HOPE, Inc. is challenging traditional views on the causes of poverty in America. OHI correlates the survey findings to lack of community involvement and self-reliance, discrimination, and partisan politics related to public assistance programs. John Bryant, Operation HOPE's CEO, and Ambassador Andrew Young, National Spokesperson for the organization share a vision of broadening the scope of social economics solutions from a Civil Rights agenda to a "Silver Rights" movement. The Honorable Andrew Young, aide to the late Dr. King, said, "Martin Luther King Jr., myself and others, succeeded in integrating the lunch counter, the public building and the school house, but never the dollar. Dr. King would be proud that Operation HOPE is continuing his work to eradicate poverty in America. Furthermore, capitalism, in a capitalist society, with no true access to capital and the tools of capitalism, is nothing more than a sophisticated form of slavery." Along these lines, the honorable Young cites, "In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, 'you cannot legislate goodness, and you cannot pass a law to force someone to respect you. The only way to social justice in a capitalist society is through economic parity.'" John Bryant consents, "This is precisely the sort of change, as well as a paradigm shift within the (traditional civil rights) movement, that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was calling for in his vision for his final life's work, the Poor People's Campaign. Some 40 years later, this is precisely the work that Ambassador Andrew Young and I have called for in a new movement; a silver rights movement. And within the Silver Rights Movement, financial literacy is the first 'silver right' of this generation and the economic era we all live in today. With the silver rights movement in 2005, I have said, 'if the 20th century was about race and the color line, all over the world, or civil rights, and the first civil right was the right to vote ... then in the 21st century the primary issue will be class and poverty, or what I call 'silver rights,' and the first silver right will be financial literacy. If you do not know better, you cannot do better.'" Operation HOPE, Inc. (OHI) is a national leader in economic empowerment tools and services and America's first nonprofit social investment bank and a national provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment programs. OHI's HOPE Centers, a growing network of inner-city banking centers, have created more than 800 new homeowners and small business owners, more than $125 million in funded loans, and more than $210 million in commitments for homeownership and small business loans from their 250 bank and corporate partners. OHI's Banking on Our Future program has delivered financial literacy education and related services to more than 140,000 children across the country. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a network of private and community partners, OHI's HOPE Coalition America has provided free financial counseling and casework services to Americans affected by natural disasters and national emergencies in 125 cities in 35 states to date. www.operationhope.org, www.bankingonourfuture.org, and www.hopecoalitionamerica.org. Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/06/05 BlackBizWorks Announces its $500 Business Grant Program # Carole Times On April 19, 2005 BlackBizWorks (BBW) opens the doors to its basic business boot camp. The New Biz Boot Camp, which teaches the basics of business start-up, is comprised of five (5) 1-1/2 hour teleclasses (conducted once a week) and can be taken from the convenience of home or office. The program also offers the participants an opportunity to receive a $500 seed money grant. Diana McCray, Vice President of Operations and co-owner of BlackBizWorks, states that while the boot camp doors are open to everyone, her company's focus is on minority entrepreneurs who have few alternative resources to obtain seed money for starting a business. "There are few requirements to join the boot Camp but entrepreneurs should have imagination, initiative, and a willingness to undertake new challenges" notes Carole Times, co-owner of BlackBizWorks. Both Diana and Carole agree that their no-nonsense training methodology can quickly turn a individual from wanting to be in business to an entrepreneur who knows how to start a business. Classes will consist of no more than 25-30 trainees. Individual coaching is also available. To become eligible for the grant (one grant per Boot Camp) the New Biz Boot Camp participant must: Not currently own a business or the business owned is new; Sign up for boot camp (there is a fee of $39.00); Join one of BlackBizWorks free coaching teleclasses beginning the week of April 11; Attend at least three of the four New Biz Boot Camp teleclass sessions; Write a one page startup proposal ( which includes plans for the seed money and why BBW should pick you to receive the grant). Both the Boot Camp Teleclass and the free Teleclasses are sure to fill up fast. Don't miss out by procrastinating. Join today! Haven't you waited long enough to start your business? BLACKBIZWORKS www.blackbizworks.com support@blackbizworks.com REMINDER: TO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR THE NEW BIZ GRANT PROGRAM, THE NEW ENTREPRENEUR MUST SIGN UP FOR ONE OF OUR COACHING CLASSES ON APRIL 11 OR 13. Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/05/05 Young Leaders Of The Future # Delores Chamblin 30 LEADERS Of The Future Source: Ebony Publication date: 2005-04-01 Arrival time: 2005-04-04 http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68303413&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers * Jasmine Brett Stringer, 25, Atlanta, corporate account manager, Bakeries and Foodservice Division, General Mills; responsible for a $100 million account; first African-American and youngest person ever to hold this position; studied atthe Euro-American Institute of Technology and worked for Lucent Technologies in France; president, Atlanta Chapter of American University Alumni Association; member, advisory board of After School Class; volunteer, Dress for Success Atlanta and INROADS Atlanta. * Farrah Gray, 20, New York, author who became a millionaire at age 15 when he sold his Farr-Out Foods for more than a million dollars; at 15, was asked by U.S. Dept. of Commerce to consult with an entrepreneurial institute; at 15, became youngest board member of United Way of Southern Nevada; businesses have included Kidztel prepaid phone cards, NE2W Venture Capital Fund, and Teenscope interactive talk show; recently published Reallionaire; Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out. * Richard E. Andersen, 29, Bridgeport, Conn., men's accessory designer who founded and is president of REA by Design; created patented men's necktie that buttons onto shirt to stay in place and allow for various stylish looks; clientele includes numerous celebrities and other well-known men; volunteer aide to Bishop Kenneth H. Moales Sr., pastor of Prayer Tabernacle Church in Bridgeport; extensive volunteer work with the Cardinal Shehan Center, a nonprofit center that offers various programs for inner- city youth. THEY are young, gifted and Black. And while they have dedicated time and effort to get a solid educational foundation, they also have demonstrated a strong and focused mission to give back to their communities and especially to those less fortunate. In keeping with our tradition, EBONY canvassed the U.S. in search of young people age 30 and younger who have established themselves as leaders or who are demonstrating that they have what it takes to be a good leader. We found a wealth of young people who are excelling in academia, medi- ;a cine, religion, the arts and community service. On these pages we present a sampling of talented young African-Americans who are excelling and giving back. Here are EBONY'S 2005 Young Leaders of the Future. * The Rev. Roslyn Satchel, 30, Atlanta, minister, attorney and community activist; executive director, National Center for Human Rights Education; associate minister, Big Bethel A.M.E. Church; advisory board member, Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic & Social Justice; Soros Postgraduate Justice Fellow; recipient, Herman Dooyewsrd Prize in Law & Religion, the Children's Justice Act Award, and the National Association of BlackSocial Workers Harambee Award. * Samira L Brown, 26, Boston, student, Harvard Medical School, where she was 2003 Patti LaBeIIe Emerging Scholar Awardee and Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow; for Student National Medical Association, she is regional director to the Executive Committee, chair of the National Internal Affairs Committee, and Region VII Director; at Xavier University, she was homecoming chairperson, class president, homecoming court member and presidential cabinet member. * Father Ricardo X.-Z. Bailey, 30, Marietta, Ga., parochial vicar (assistant pastor), St. Joseph's Catholic Church; assistant master of ceremonies to Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory; district chaplain, Knights & Ladies Auxiliary of St. Peter Claver (Gulf Coast District); chaplain, Northwest Atlanta Metro Serra Club; member, Vocations Board, Archdiocese of Atlanta; police chaplain in training, Fulton County Police Department. * Ba-Shen Bacon Welch, Ph.D., 29, Jacksonville, N.C., professor, government/history programs, Campbell University; co-founder, Mentorship in Marriage, which facilitates mentorships for newly married couples; former instructor, Virginia Commonwealth University; graduate fellow, Howard University. * Myron B. Labat Jr., Ph.D., 29, Kiln, Miss., assistant principal, Pass Christian High School; Junior Knights Commander, Knights of Peter Claver Pierre Blanc No. 6; youth minister, St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church Christian Youth Organization; former board member, Boys and Girls Club. * Nicholas M. Bassey, 29, Washington, D.C., deputy director/Ella Baker coordinator, Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools program; former assistant program manager, Emma and Joe Adams Public Service Institute, Morehouse College; recipient, Benjamin E. Mays Award for Outstanding Community Service, presented by Morehouse College Office of Community Service. * Tracy Williamson, 27, Indianapolis, label director, Tyscot Records and gospel music producer. and songwriter; founded the Stillthriving Early Growth Productions at age 12; wrote and produced songs for artists, including the Ranee Alien Group, DeAndre Patterson, Chicago Mass Choir, and two Gospel Kids compilations for Tyscot * Elmore Patterson 111,29, Montgomery, AIa., medical administration specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration; second lieutenant, U.S. Army Reserve; volunteer, St. Joseph's/Candler Health Care System. * Nichole A. Francis, 29, Nashville, associate/public policy advisor, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz law firm; former national field director, Democratic National Committee; former board member, Community Forum and Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis. Nikki A. Bethel, 29, New York, manager, human resources, Home Box Office; former associate, global diversity division, Morgan Stanley; board chair, Museum of Contemporary African Disaporian Arts, Brooklyn; recipient, 2001 Women Who Dare to Be Different award from U.S. Rep. Edolphus Towns; regularly mentors young people and is often motivational speaker during high school career days. Terrance L Jones, 28, Canton, Ohio, constituent liaison, Canton mayor's office; board VP, Canton Academy Community School; founder/ director, Students Taking Educational Paths (STEP); board member, Stark Co. Family Council, M. L King Commission and Stark Co. Community Action Agency. Johnita W. Mizelle, 30, Chicago, principal, the Williams Capital Group; board member, National Association of securities Professionals, N.Y. Chapter; member, NASP Annual Pension Fund Conference Planning Committee, and executive director of Finance & Scholastic Training, NASP Chicago Chapter. Mister M. Frisby, 29, Philadelphia, author whose self-published novel, Blinking Red Light, led to a two-book deal with Penguin/ Riverhead Books; second novel, wifebeafer, is now on bookshelves, and motivational book for young men is due out in 2005; founder and head coach, PhatBack Athletics, a boys track club/mentor program that boasts 100 percent college attendance. Marc Lamont Hill, Ph.D., 26, Philadelphia, assistant professor of urban education, Temple University; lecturer, Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania; former adjunct professor, Arcadia University and Neumann College; curriculum consultant, School District of Pennsylvania and High Tech Charter High School; finalizing Vocab: A Dictionary of Hip-Hop Slang (Optima Books). Erica N. Nelson, 30, New York, sports manager, NYC2012 (which promotes city's Candidacy for 2012 Olympic Games); manages more than 1,800 Olympians and Paralympians worldwide involved in Olympic bid; volunteer assistant basketball coach, Hostos Community College; board member, Women in Sports and Events; co-vice president and board member, Power Play NYC. Jada Miranda, 28, Los Angeles, vice president, HBO Comedy Programming; tutor and volunteer with Adult Literacy Program and volunteer with the Emma Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media, which mentors students interested in the entertainment industry. Patrick D. Jefferson, 30, inglewood, Calif., director, Math/ Science Upward Bound Program, Pasadena City College; faculty member, Loyola Marymount University; president, Assn. of Black Employees, Pasadena City College; grant recipient, Pasadena City College Partnership for Excellence; candidate for doctorate of education at UCLA. Sirene Hargrove-Leak, Ph.D., 30, Winston-Salem, N.C., assistant professor of engineering, Elon University; first African-American female to earn doctorate in engineering at Univ. of South Carolina; recipient, Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for Minorities; patent awarded for membrane flow reversal technique developed as student at North Carolina AST State University. CedrJC D. Sparks, 29, Birmingham, executive director, Mayor's Office Division of Youth Services; one of 25 leaders admitted to National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors' 2004 Leadership Academy; Step Team coordinator, 45th Street Missionary Baptist Church; board member, Western Area YMCA, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and 100 Black Men of Birmingham. William D. Burns, 30, Chicago, deputy chief of staff to Illinois Senate President Emil Jones; former vice president, Chicago Urban League; member, board of directors, Southeast Chicago Commission; former member, Mikva Challenge Board of Directors, Blue Gargoyle Youth Service Center Board and executive committee of NAACP South Side Chicago Branch. Marcie Hodge, 30, Oakland, Calif., elected to Board of Trustees, Peralta Community College District ($100 million budget and four colleges); founder, MLH Psychotherapy Group \Inc., which also operates a community agency that offers mental health, economic improvement and spiritual counseling; earned a master's degree in counseling psychology, and specializes in marriage and family therapy; youth minister, Prayer Mission Church, where she oversees mentoring program. Kizzi E. Montgomery, 25, Detroit, communications coordinator, office of Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick; chairperson, Voting is Power organization, which develops and coordinates voter education efforts and also has goal of voter registration. Debra A. Woodfork, 29, New Orleans, assistant professor, department of communications, Loyola University; board member and communications director, American Institute of Graphic Arts, New Orleans chapter; student advisor, Advertising Club of New Orleans. Katrice L Mines, 30, Sandusky, Ohio, executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County; founder, Inspiring Excellence program for African-American girls; youth director, Emmanuel Temple Church; publicity chairperson, Sandusky Chapter of NAACP; tutors high school and elementary students. Elvin J. Dowling,30, New York City, director of facilities management, and special assistant to the president, National Urban League; member, American Red Cross National Terrorism Education Advisory Committee; founder, Progressive Leadership Think Tank of Palm Beach County; mentor, Gentlemen By Choice Male Mentorship Program; former congressional intern, office of U.S. Rep. Alcee L Hastings (D-FIa.). Aranthan S. Jones II, 29, Washington, D.C., senior health policy advisor for the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust; lead health advisor to the Select Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee for Preparedness and Response; lead advisor to Congressional Minority Caucuses. AlisaS. King, 27, Union City, Ga., optometric technician, mayor pro tern and City Council member; youngest person ever elected to the City Council; recently appointed to the Fulton County Community Relations Board; member, National League of Cities and Women in Municipal Government; member, Synfonette Society/Ladies of Performing Arts. Copyright Johnson Publishing Company Apr 2005 Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/05/05 BankBlackwell Set to Become Nation’s First Black Online Savings Bank # Steve Washington BankBlackwell Set to Become Nation’s First Black Online Savings Bank Date: Monday, April 04, 2005 By: Monica Lewis, BlackAmericaWeb.com Slightly fewer than 800,000 black households earned more than $50,000 in the early 1970s. That number has grown exponentially over the last three decades, climbing to approximately 4 million by 2002. Hoping to capitalize on the climbing number of blacks earning higher incomes is BankBlackwell, soon to be the nation’s first black online banking institution. Earlier this year, the federal Office of Thrift Supervision approved the company’s application to organize a federal savings bank, and last week, BankBlackwell made public its plans to launch the Internet savings bank this summer. The bank plans to serve blacks, their churches and “consumers who seek value, convenience and community,” according to the company’s website. Tomeeka Farrington, a spokesperson for BankBlackwell, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that BankBlackwell executives are restricted from publicly discussing the venture because they are now raising capital for the company. But some banking experts are already pumping their fists in the air in support of the new undertaking. Among them is Jim Bruene, who, in 1995, started the Seattle-based publication Online Banking Report, a major resource for banks and technology companies worldwide. “So far, I really like what BankBlackwell is doing,” said Bruene, a former banker who is considered to be an expert on online banking services. Stephen Washington, founder and managing director of Black Wealth Network, agreed. “I think it’s an excellent concept,” said Washington, who started the Cleveland-based online investment service for blacks in May 2003. BWN works with black financial advisors in 39 states and has developed partnerships with Black Enterprise magazine’s Black Wealth Initiative. For nearly 20 years, Washington has been advising Blacks of all income levels how to properly manage their money. Using the Internet is a safe and efficient way to watch your money grow, a goal that more and more blacks are aspiring to, Washington added. “People want to save, and I think if given the choice, African-Americans would prefer to do business with African-American financial managers,” Washington said. “Pending on how well [BankBlackwell is] able to market their product, they should have very good success.” The Boston-based BankBlackwell will be run by James R. Mundy, former chief operating officer of OneUnited Bank, a black-owned and operated bank with branches in Boston, Miami and Los Angeles. OneUnited, which originated as Boston Bank of Commerce, is the nation’s largest black-owned banking institution. Several A-list celebrities, such as Magic Johnson, Janet Jackson and former Motown executive Jheryl Busby are listed as OneUnited shareholders. Now BankBlackwell is working to secure its own all-star team of private investors. Recent reports have the bank claiming commitments of $860,000 from its officers and directors. One of its more notable organizing directors is Omar Wasow, founder of BlackPlanet.com and a technology analyst for MSNBC. BankBlackwell does have its detractors, among them Robert Patrick Cooper, senior counsel for BankBlackwell founder James Mundy’s former employer, OneUnited Bank. Cooper recently told the Boston Globe that Mundy was working on a “skimming strategy that only appeals to the affluent.” Calls left with OneUnited were not immediately returned. Hoping to raise $16 million in initial capital, Mundy’s brainchild will start this summer and offer services including savings accounts, CDs, mortgage and home equity loans, as well as electronic tithing services for faith-based organizations. To reduce overhead costs, the bank will employ a direct banking business model and will conduct business online, by phone and via U.S. mail. BankBlackwell is planning to provide its customers with deposit rates among the nation’s top five percent without a mandatory minimum balance or fees. In its initial filing to the Office of Thrift Supervision, BankBlackwell said black banks have relatively limited reach, unlike their Asian and Latino counterparts. Although the buying power of highly-paid blacks is expected to grow to more than $900 billion by 2008, there are currently no black-owned banks with assets exceeding $1 billion, BankBlackwell officials said in filings to the OTS. They added that there are currently 47 black-owned banking institutions operating primarily in inner cities that were established to offer banking services to low- and moderate-income individuals. Prospective customers must establish a BankBlackwell account by linking it to an existing checking account with another banking institution. This, bank officials say, will prevent problems usually associated with changing banks while keeping the convenience of ATM networks offered by traditional banks. Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/03/05 Why Pay Taxes? Truth About Frivolous Tax Arguments; Bank Focused on Minority Community # Delores Chamblin Why Pay Taxes? The Truth About Frivolous Tax Arguments http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68228683&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Among the arguments cited, one that continues to be promoted by the unscrupulous, is the "Black Tax Credit." This argument asserts that African Americans can claim a special tax credit on their federal income tax returns, as reparations for slavery and other oppressive treatment suffered by African Americans. A similar frivolous argument has been made that Native Americans are entitled to a credit on their federal income tax returns as a form of reparations for past oppressive treatment. There are no such provisions in the Internal Revenue Code. Moreover, the 1RS has recently indicated that it will crack down on promoters of "slavery reparation tax credit" and "Native American reparations" scams. The 1RS has announced that it will label these as frivolous tax returns, which could subject the claimants to penalties. (Excerpt) Establishment is Focused on Minority Community http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68227138&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Capitol City Bank & Trust Co. held its official ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for its first branch in the Augusta area. The minority-owned bank's event drew several notable Augustans, including Betty Beard, Willie Mays and James Brown. "I feel good," Mr. Brown said before leading the packed crowd in singing God Bless America. "I plan to be a major depositor here." Atlanta-based Capitol City Bank, which officially opened for business Jan. 4, is marketing to Augusta's black community. It is the first minority bank to locate in Augusta since Penny Savings Bank closed in 1929. "It is only proper and right for an institution owned and run by minorities to bring an economic outlet to this community," said George Andrews, the bank's president and CEO. Blacks historically have been underrepresented in the banking industry. One of the ways Mr. Andrews' company attracts minority customers is by building relationships with local churches and community organizations. The bank is also known to provide small loans that many other banks shy away from. "We have waited a long time (for a minority-owned bank)," Mr. Mays said. "We're not going to just open our arms, we're going to open our pocket books." If the downtown branch proves successful, Mr. Andrews said, the company could open a second branch within the next 18 months or so. Capitol City Bank started in 1994 with one branch in Atlanta. The company has since grown to seven branches and has seen deposits climb to nearly $140 million. (Excerpts) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 04/02/05 Business Resource Ctr Aids Young Companies; Female-Owned Firms Get Smaller Percentage VC Funds # Delores Chamblin Even at 10 Years Old, Howard County's Business Resource Center Keeps Helping Young Companies http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68151696&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& The center does everything that an entrepreneur may need to get into business, said Richard W. Story, chief executive of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, which runs the center. Cynetta M. Cardwell, the center's manager, said that includes help with a resource needed by every new business - money. However, he noted that one of the difficulties in dealing with startup businesses is that they often think money will be the panacea for all their business ailments. Sometimes what they need is customers, and not a handout, he said. That is where the center's other resources come into play. It also offers opportunities to network with established county businesses, access to research facilities and one-on-one counseling. The Counselors to America's Small Business - also known by its former acronym, SCORE - is comprised of businesspeople who offer their years of industry expertise to growing businesses. Cardwell stressed that SCORE's members are not all retired businesspeople who have left the market, but active businessmen and women who volunteer their time. The center even provides conference and meeting rooms for startups that want to make a good impression. If you're working out of your house, you don't want to have to meet a customer in your kitchen or living room, she said. Among the eight ongoing seminars is Smart Start Your Business, which offers legal and financial advice to entrepreneurs, she said. There are also seminars for proposal development, patents and copyrights, and franchising. For minority entrepreneurs, the center offers seminars about the minority certification process at the state, local and federal levels. The center also provides counseling on how to apply for the government procurement contracts specifically set aside for minority- owned businesses. Companies at the center can also take advantage of the authority's International Trade Center, which encourages businesses to start thinking globally in terms of how to grow their market, Cardwell said. On April 26 the center will hold its Ghana Day 2005 to introduce local businesses to the financial opportunities in the West African nation. (Excerpts) Research Shows Women-Owned Firms Get Smaller Percentage of Venture Capital Funding http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=68151733&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Research shows that women net about 5 percent to 10 percent of venture capital funding - a staggering low amount considering that women lead 28 percent of all U.S. businesses, according to the Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City-based organization dedicated to entrepreneurs. And though concrete statistics on how much VC funding goes to minorities is hard to find, it's fair to say they attract even less, since African Americans own only 4 percent of all U.S. businesses and Hispanic Americans only 6 percent, according to Kauffman. LICA Chairman Jeffrey Bass added that quite candidly, venture capitalists have told me that women have a dual focus on family and business. Bass, who is also a partner with Margolin, Winer & Evens, added that it's sad, but many times women business owners have to go the extra mile to show why they're worthy of an investment. A venture capitalist can care less if the entrepreneur is a man or a woman, Heesen said. A female entrepreneur isn't as likely to ask for VC money because they're not as often involved in technology businesses, and that's where most VCs invest. Another problem, Heesen said, is that women tend to want to keep control of their companies longer than men. In some ways, that's a good trait, but it's not what the VCs want to hear, he said. Minorities face their own challenges, said Ed Diaz, publisher of Latin Long Island and a regional director for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Diaz, part of the April 8 LICA panel, said that more minorities are starting businesses, but that many of those startups are forced to contend with entrenched firms. (Excerpts) Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 03/30/05 (no subject) # James Mathews Prevention Of Illness Eliminates The Need of Being Cured   Do you know tha Japan is the number one healthiest country in the world? That the United States which spends 3 trillion dollars a year in healthcare is ranked 43rd, one place above Nepal, a third world country?   Japan pays to prevent illness.   In the United States we wait until after we are ill or in pain to seek help.   Click on the following link to see the methods that Japan has given to the world.Prevention Eliminates The Need For A Cure Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 03/29/05 I Will Benefactor (Pay Your Way) Into The TOP Online Marketing Program! # Sandra Adams Dear online entrepreneur, I am not going to bore you with hype or try to sell you a vitamin or mortgage refinancing, PROMISE! ==I have $796 Worth Of Silver Pack Vouchers To Give Away == The statement above is fact. I am part of a "Core Business Group" online that is going to take MANY new technologies to the world and all online. How would you like to be one of a few people who help me do this and be rewarded financially for it? =I know you want details and I will keep it short for now= This post is just a door opener. I do not expect any commitment however you have read this far, please finish and hear me out... I am very close to the owners of 3 companies that are very young, ambitious and approachable. These owners are entrusting me and many others to be the marketing arm for them. Here are just a few technologies that they are unveiling and giving me and possibly you the chance to expose to the world and FIRST! **Just a FEW!** =VOIP (Voice Over Internet) with MANY more options than the competitors/AND FREE for you if you're on my team! =The latest online marketing technologies/instructions. This company shows people how to take ANYTHING online and sell for profits. =Information Asset Protection. Imagine being one of the first entrepreneurs in the WORLD to introduce a technology that can safeguard businesses online. Something that NOBODY has introduced before. Imagine the MILLIONS of website owners you and I could approach by email to make them aware of this product that could save them millions and save them from potential FINES! There is much more but I do not want to get long winded here! =I Will BENEFACTOR You And PROVE This Is BIG!= You will NOT pay a dime...And That Is A Promise. I have been given the authority by this company to choose my own "core team." This "core team" that I choose will pay ZERO to join but will be given the starter kit, ETC.! This is real and you have read this far so you deserve a chance at this in my book. I do not even need to talk to you over the phone, a simple email will be enough from you. == Instructions *VERY IMPORTANT* == Email me direct at freeatlast_freeatlast@hotmail.com In the subject line it is VERY important that you put "Benefactor Candidate." I get hundreds of emails and if I see that in the subject line, I will not delete it. In your email, tell me your first name and what part of the country/world you live in. This is a GLOBAL opportunity so it does not matter where you live as long as you have internet access! This is all I need. I will in turn send you an email that has a few more details but more important, a VOUCHER CODE that you must write down. This is the code that you will use to activate the CD Pack that you will receive in the mail FREE! I look forward to your response :-) Regards, Sandra Adams freeatlast_freeatlast@hotmail.com VMG Online Marketing Specialist Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 03/29/05 News: Blacks to Buy Atlanta Hospital & More # Delores Chamblin Community Rallies to Revive Southwest http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=67837786&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& Most people couldn't have cared less when Southwest Hospital and Medical Center closed in January. Fewer than one-third of its beds were occupied and its equipment was so old that most people in southwest Atlanta had taken their health care needs elsewhere. But in less than three months, the institution -- which for 40 years had served a predominantly black clientele -- has become the touchstone of a vibrant African-American community. Now, despite daunting obstacles, this renewed appreciation of the hospital has energized a new generation of black doctors who plan a radical solution: They want to buy the hospital, tear it down and build a new one in its place. The older folks reminded younger people that 40 years ago, Southwest Hospital was the place that served blacks who were denied health care elsewhere. This was the hospital that hired black doctors when others wouldn't. This was among the last few hospitals in the country operated by black people, and the last of three such institutions in Atlanta. That message has been particularly directed at younger black doctors, many of whom trained at Southwest but moved on to richer hospitals. Johnnie Clark, chairwoman of the nonprofit hospital's board of trustees, said she has given several of these doctors a good talking-to. She told them they've been able to succeed because of the struggles of black doctors at Southwest and similar hospitals. They had forgotten, she told them, whence they came. The effort to save Southwest, which declared bankruptcy in September and closed Jan. 8, comes when many hospitals are feeling a financial squeeze. Black hospitals, in particular, are struggling, as many of them serve low-income people without insurance. Southwest cannot reopen as the same kind of facility, supporters agree. The hospital's high percentage of indigent clients drove it into the poorhouse. It would need to attract more people with medical insurance, more people with money. By the time people gathered last Sunday at Frederick Douglass High School, there were more than 1,000 on hand to support reopening Southwest. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who lives in the neighborhood, spoke, as did state Attorney General Thurbert Baker. And when the group appointed a committee to promote the hospital, the person at its head was baseball legend Henry Aaron. The group of about 30 doctors said they would enter a bid Wednesday to purchase and rebuild the hospital. They are preparing to merge their money with an investment group that has a history of turning around failed hospitals. "There is unquestionably a market in that area that can support a hospital," said Michael Rovinsky, a health care consultant in Atlanta. Noting the growing number of middle- and upper-class residents of the area, he added, "There are those who believe that market is a gold mine." The hospital's strong ties to the community will be important. The support expressed by the Atlanta Medical Association will help draw qualified physicians to the facility, he said. The relationship with Morehouse School of Medicine, which had used the hospital to train students, also will help. The doctors say the hospital would focus on ailments that strike hard among blacks, including heart disease, lung cancer and stroke. "We are not going to abandon the poor people," said Dr. Christopher Edwards, another investor in the group. For now, public support is big and growing. "This hospital is yours. What you must do is step up and claim it." (Excerpts) Banking Pioneer Worked for Black Financial Equality http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=67851682&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers James C. Purnell, who died Thursday at the age of 84, grew up in poverty in Memphis, Tenn. But during his life, he pursued a dream of bringing financial security to African Americans, helping to establish Seattle's first African-American bank. With other lodge members, he opened the Sentinel Credit Union in 1958. In 1968, the black community took the next step: Mr. Purnell and his wife, as well as McKinney, were among the 10 founders of Liberty Bank. Mr. Purnell was president of the bank from 1972 until 1986. Sentinel later merged with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's credit union, later absorbed by another entity that became the 1st Security Bank of Washington. Later, the black community pressured mainstream banks to provide services. Mr. Purnell served as president of the National Bankers Association, a trade organization for minority-owned banks, and met with President Carter in 1977, discussing the need to improve financial services in minority areas and encourage minority-owned financial institutions. That year, in response to the practice of red-lining -- the failure by some banks to provide loans or financial services in poor, predominantly minority urban areas -- the federal Community Reinvestment Act was passed to encourage banks to invest in such communities. "If there hadn't been a James Purnell and a Liberty Bank, you mightn't have gotten the attention necessary for African Americans to move into the financial mainstream." Mr. Purnell's daughters both have followed his example in becoming business and civic leaders. Carolyn Jean Purnell, now retired, was the last executive director of Metro before it became part of King County government. She is married to former Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman. Michelle Purnell-Hepburn is vice president and chief financial officer of Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union. (Excerpts) Africa, 24/7 on U.S. Cable TV http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=67815777&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& If ever a place labored under a set of stereotypes, it is Africa. But with the debut this year of the Africa Channel on cable television in the United States, a group of entrepreneurs seasoned in the intricacies of African culture and history hope to change that. "We're personally invested in really transforming the way people think about Africa," said Jacob Arback, a former vice president at DirecTV-International and a co-founder of the new venture, almost three years in the making. Arback and his colleagues say they have secured the rights to 1,200 hours of programs: soap operas, movies and reality, travel, music and variety shows that have already been broadcast on television in various African countries, primarily South Africa. Some shows, including a daily current-events program, "Africa Today," will be produced specially for the 24-hour channel. "When this channel goes on the air, Africa will no longer be known as the Dark Continent," said another of the channel's founders, James Makawa, a Zimbabwean who worked for NBC News as a correspondent in New York and Chicago and in 2000 helped start up the African Broadcast Network, a pan-African network of television stations with affiliates in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the predominant images of genocide, famine and disease in some African nations, he said, interest in Africa remains enormous. "Modern-day Africans say it's different now. They want to be heard and they want to participate in the global economy, but they can't participate if people don't know who they are." Makawa, Arback and the third Africa Channel founder, Richard Hammer, a former executive with Columbia Pictures Television, say they are close to striking agreements with cable systems in the United States to make space for their programs, and are aiming for a debut in July. Their efforts have been helped by the efforts of Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who is now chairman of the channel's board, and by several of its 16 investors, who include two NBA players, Dikembe Mutombo of the New York Knicks and Theo Ratliff of the Portland Trailblazers. "What we get from Africa is only the bad news: Darfur, Rwanda," said Young, who spoke by phone from the Turks and Caicos Islands. "The cable news channels in the United States tell the same story over and over, but there are so many exciting things going on." Young visited Rwanda, where he said a new constitution dictates that a percentage of candidates who lose in elections be seated anyway in Parliament, where 30 percent of the members are women. In Nigeria, he said, doctors practicing traditional medicine were "getting very interesting results in AIDS treatment." Such stories, he said, will "grab people's curiosity" on the Africa Channel, which he and his colleagues stressed would not be aimed solely at the African-American market but at the type of viewers who are already watching A&E and the History, Discovery, Travel and National Geographic channels. Marketing and promotion will be limited by cost, Young said. "We're counting on the grapevine to popularize this channel," he said. (Excerpts) School Has Video Link With Soweto ; IT Project Teams Up Nuneaton and South African Pupils http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=67813598&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers& YOUNGSTERS at a Warwickshire school are using technology to forge new links with pupils in the South African township of Soweto. Manor Park Community School, in Beaumont Road, Nuneaton, has hooked up for the first time by a special video connection with what was once one of South Africa's most deprived communities. Nuneaton pupils have linked up with the Letare Senior Secondary School and the Forest Town School, in Soweto, and have become members of the Grow Africa Foundation, which helps education departments in South Africa. Eventually, this will allow the classes to share lessons live as a teacher will be able to use an interactive whiteboard or video conference to take a class in two continents at once. Adrian Edgington, Manor Park's community development worker, said: "This is an exciting time for the school as we look forward to developing this new partnership. "We will be entering new territory by making cultural links with these schools in this way. Over time, the pupils, staff and the wider community at Manor Park will be able to benefit from participating in this project, which will bring diversity and inspiration to everyone involved." (Excerpts) ******************************************************************************** Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 03/29/05 Give N Take Network # Tenika Durham NEW YORK: Mixx Lounge, 84 7th Ave. South, (btw. Bleeker and Grove), New York, NY 10014 When: Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 6:30pm to 9:30pm Special Feature: 20 Minute Presentation on Free or Low Cost Health Insurance! $10 Non-Members, Free for Members If you'd like to attend, you MUST RSVP for our NYC guest list here: event@giventakenetwork.org Bonus: 2 FOR 1 DRINK SPECIALS UNTIL 8:00PM! Also, the first 10 women to arrive will get a Pampered Hand Treatment in our Comfort Zone area, sponsored by WARM SPIRIT. Bring three friends or more and have a chance at winning a prize!! Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 03/24/05 The 2nd Wealthiest Black Woman in the U.S. # Delores Chamblin Get Ready Palm Beach! ; Sheila Johnson, America's Second Wealthiest Black Woman (Behind Oprah), Wants To . . . 'Knock Your Socks Off' Source: Palm Beach Post Publication date: 2005-03-22 http://content.helloworld.com/pages/helloworld/Story.nsp?story_id=67556480&ID=helloworld&scategory=Computers Call her talented. Call her tough. Call her tenacious. Call her wealthy - the second-wealthiest African-American woman in America, even. But don't - Lord knows, don't - call Sheila Johnson the "little woman." When reminded that she used that phrase in an earlier interview for a British newspaper, she bristles. "Oh, I hate that." The Black Entertainment Television co-founder used the term then to make a point about her past life as the wife of the other BET co- founder, Bob Johnson. "A lot of these men out there wouldn't be where they are if it wasn't for the so-called 'little woman' behind them," she said. "There needs to be someone behind the scenes making sure his life is together, that he is shown in the best possible light. "I was the one who did that for Bob. I made sure he got the credit. But we worked in concert to build that company. It's just that I was raised in an era where you let your husband shine." On a recent Sunday afternoon, Sheila takes in a session of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, where her daughter Paige competes. She is not talking much anymore about the marriage that broke up four years ago, leaving her with half of a fortune that included the sale of BET, estimated at $1.6 billion to $3 billion. She has moved on to a new phase in her life that includes more than just living off her fat bank account. She plans to marry again, open a gourmet food shop in Palm Beach and turn a Virginia farm into a $50 million inn and spa. In some regards, she compares herself to Donald Trump, not because she's flamboyant, but because she proposes bold ideas and produces them, despite opposition. Just ask the Old Guard in Virginia horse country. Johnson bought several pieces of property in Middleburg, Va., including 350 acres from the estate of Pamela Harriman, the famous Washington party queen and onetime ambassador to France. Willard Scott and Robert Duvall have farms nearby, as does candy heiress Jacqueline Mars. But compared with Johnson, they live quietly. When she announced plans to build the $50 million Salamander Inn & Spa on her land, some neighbors complained loudly, calling it "Sheilaburg." Johnson doesn't flinch. This is where she draws comparisons to Trump. "He does what he says he's going to do. That's just how I am, and that's what I'm doing . . . We're going to create a five-star property. I mean it," she said. Johnson plans to build the 58-room inn, upscale restaurant, spa and stable on about 4 acres. She has promised public trails for hiking and for educational tours. With the inn come jobs and cash, but opponents fear that increased traffic and the heightened profile will rob the little town of 650 of its charm. "Right now, I'm in negotiations with the town," Johnson said. "The town really needs a whole new water-sewer system and plant. And I don't want to go on with my project unless I can help them. I really do need to help them, and most of the town knows they need the help. There are a few . . . people who don't want change - and then there's just me. "It's because I exist. My money, my race. It's all of the above. Some person told me, 'They just can't make sense of who you are. They're afraid of you, they've never seen anything like you.' " Johnson sees a need to mend fences. She recently ditched her development team and brought in Prem Devadas, managing director of Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, to run all her Salamander operations. "The old project manager really kept a wall between me and the town, so now it's my turn to go in and try and heal some old wounds and sell the project to them," said Johnson who takes pride in winning hearts and minds. More often than not, she said, once people meet her, they come around. She was born Sheila Crump in 1949, in the obscure Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport. Out of necessity, the Crumps led an itinerant life, but unlike Sheila's ex-husband, who was descended from Mississippi slaves, her family was Northeastern middle-class. Her father was one of only 11 black neurosurgeons in the nation. Racism kept him out of the mostly white hospitals. He practiced in hospitals run by the Veterans Administration. Her mother was a government accountant. Transfers were frequent, so Sheila became adept at making friends quickly and learning to blend in. At age 5, she saw a woman playing a violin, turned to her mother and said that was the instrument she wanted to play. She also studied piano, voice and drama, and found time for cheerleading. After the family settled in Chicago, she made cheerleading captain. She was elected class vice president, made the Illinois all- state orchestra and won a scholarship to the University of Illinois. "Even at the University of Illinois, at that time there were 52,000 students and only 400 African-Americans," Johnson said. "We were a very close-knit group. The (Fighting) Illini basketball team then was 80 percent white, 20 percent black." "They're going great now. You know, I was an Illini cheerleader," she adds with obvious pride. She forgets to mention that she was also the first African- American cheerleader at the school. Bob Johnson, also at Illinois, was three years ahead of Sheila. He went off to graduate school at Princeton, but spent only one semester there before he returned to Illinois, and Sheila. He got an on-campus job till Sheila graduated. They married in 1969, returning to Princeton, together. Sheila taught violin to pay for Bob's graduate work. Then the couple settled in Washington, where Bob became a congressional aide and then a lobbyist for the fledgling cable TV industry. Sheila taught violin at home. She landed teaching jobs at a couple of private schools and in the early '80s organized more than 100 students into the Young Strings in Action orchestra. Queen Noor of Jordan saw them perform and invited them to play in Jordan. She also asked Johnson to help start Jordan's National Music Conservatory. "I still play," Johnson says. "Not very often, but I do play." She once sang the national anthem at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and her most recent recital, "a little thing at Wolf Trap (the prestigious Virginia music festival) for a luncheon," was accomplished with typical Johnson flair. "I was their keynote speaker," she said, "and I thought I'd start out by performing. It was a Bach double violin concerto. I played with a young lady in my office who's a violinist. She's played all her life, so we rehearsed and pulled it off." Music wasn't her only art. She acted with the revered Negro Ensemble Company in Washington. Little did she know the impact that role would have three decades later, when she walked into the courthouse in Arlington, Va., for her divorce hearing. Two days before the hearing, her lawyers told her that Judge William Newman would preside. The name sounded familiar. Then it hit her: She had acted opposite him. "I asked, 'Is it a problem?' and they said no, that it was so long ago. Besides, back then we were all acting, it was nothing at all. Two weeks later, we started dating," she said, giggling slightly. She asked Judge Newman to accompany her to the Washington International Horse Show. Now, almost every winter weekend, the judge and the millionaire fly down to Wellington to watch Paige compete. On Sept. 24, they'll marry. Rotund, full-faced, with a gray beard and casual air, Newman casts a dramatically different picture than his lean, all-business, some say ruthless, predecessor. When Bob and Sheila finished college and headed to Washington, about the only asset they had to share was a vision. She signed the loans as he formulated BET. As it prospered, Sheila hoped it would become a much-needed beacon for African-American culture, informing and entertaining. She created Teen Summit, a program for black youth to discuss not just sex, drugs, and rhythm and blues, but violence, disease, poverty and education. Overall, however, BET, followed a different path, running music videos, old movies and reruns. With the sound turned off, Sheila said, it wasn't much more than soft-core pornography, a "black MTV." Nevertheless, she realized that high-brow programming was an economic risk. Bob Johnson followed the money, moving BET in a direction that attracted Viacom and a $2.3-billion stock buyout. But he also was moving in other directions. His philandering, she told Forbes editor Brett Pulley for his book Billion Dollar BET, proved too much. She divorced him in 2002, but acrimonious as the divorce may have been, they remain cordial. In the ringside clubhouse tent, each keeps a table for the season within earshot. When he threw a party at his Wellington home for the Charlotte Jumper Classic, she showed up. "Bob Johnson was a very good businessman," she said, "but, for me, it's been a rough row as his ex-wife. It's the BET thing, it's the entertainment industry, but it was rough before that." Bob Johnson has steadfastly refused to comment about his personal life. He did not return a call from The Palm Beach Post for this article. "I do business. I do social. I do community, but I don't do personal," he told the Charlotte Observer last October. "It's not relevant to what I do. While Bob Johnson worked after the divorce to become the first black owner of a National Basketball Association team, the Charlotte Bobcats, Sheila wasted no time, either, moving to Virginia horse country and launching her own projects. She has no interest in another TV network except possibly to develop a weekly show from Salamander for the Food Network. Of course, she's building the inn first, and that means winning over the opponents. "I just really in my heart believe it's the best thing to do," she said. "If (her Middleburg opponents) don't want to do it, that's fine. I've already got my own treatment plant designed. And they can look over the fence and see it. But I really want to help them, and they really need this. I really believe in the town." She believes in Palm Beach County, too. In Wellington, Johnson owns a home and a separate farm. The main house, which she paid $3.2 million for in 2000, is east of the polo stadium on Sheltingham Drive, a popular area for the horsey set. Neighbors include horse-racing and jumping legend Bert Firestone, whose daughter Allison is a promising young rider, as is Aimee Aron, who also lives nearby. Cartier's former boss Ralph Destino lives up the street, and only two houses away, her ex has a home. The barn sits on 14 acres on Olde Hampton Drive, an easy canter to the show ring at Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club. It's more lavish than many Wellington homes. It has 2,300 square feet of living area for grooms and other help, and nearly 4,000 square feet of stall space. Anything for the 17 horses they truck around the country for Paige. Last year, the county Property Appraiser's Office put on it a total market value of $8.1 million. But much of Johnson's attention these days is focused across the bridge to Palm Beach, on the building that once housed Herbert's Lafayette Market. If all goes according to plan, her second Market Salamander (the original is in Middleburg, Va.) will open this fall. "We start gutting it in a few weeks, as soon as we get final approval from the architectural review board," she says. "We're trying to upgrade it just as much as they'll allow us, but no matter what, it's going to be a wonderful gourmet market. "I call it a chef's working kitchen. and I'll have chefs in there all day long." Todd Gray, a James Beard nominee who's already involved in Middleburg, will oversee the menu. Johnson promises fresh produce, culinary evenings with food and wine tastings, and cooking classes with guest chefs. "This is just going to knock your socks off," she promises. But all this - the markets, the spas, the high-profile lifestyle - get put on hold in a minute, if her kids need her attention. Paige, now 20, no longer the little girl who rides horses all day, is studying at the Fort Lauderdale Institute of Art. Son Greg, 15, is growing up away from the hoopla at a boarding school where he plays football and basketball. "He will head up my foundation one day," Johnson said of her son. "I'm trying to teach them about giving. I think it's very important that they think of people other than themselves. I give both of them $25,000 a year, and they have to decide how to give it away. They have to follow their heart and their passion. It has to be something that they're passionate about, and we do talk because they can't just throw it away. " I'm trying to teach them philanthropy and just having a generous heart. I think it's very important, because too many times children don't manage money well. My daughter is thinking about it, but she's still interested in animals. My son just put up a whole playground for a public school that desperately needed it. He likes to remain anonymous with what he does. He's now sponsoring five scholarships for underprivileged kids in the Loudoun County area (Va.)." Her fame and wealth has taught the sweet violinist and rah-rah cheerleader to be tough. Every proposal, every request is scrutinized by a small group of advisors. Johnson is the international spokeswoman for the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children; she is on the Board of the Christopher Reeve Foundation; and she endowed New York's Parsons School of Design with a $7 million gift. "It's all in the way you handle it," she said of her wealth. "It can get you into certain areas in life that you need entree into. The cons: You have hanger-on-ers, people that are hitting up for money, people that are stalking you. "It's just a matter of the people you build around you, to protect you. And you have to have a lot of wisdom about when to shut things off and when to turn things on. "In business, you can't succeed if you can't say no. You just kind of brush over critics who say you supported this but you didn't support me. I've learned to establish parameters for myself, and I make my focus very definite. I'll say you just don't fit within my parameters." Usually, in business decisions, her head prevails, but she admits her heart occasionally wins - "Oh yeah. "So, would I have it any other way? Probably not." thom_smith@pbpost.com Sheila compares herself to Donald Trump: 'He does what he says he's going to do. That's just how I am.' And what is the Wellington (by way of Virginia horse country) resident planning to do? Open Market Salamander, a gourmet food shop in Palm Beach Turn her Virginia horse farm into a $50 million inn and spa Marry Judge William Newman on Sept. 24 Who is Sheila Johnson? A business woman: She co-founded Black Entertainment Television A mother: She once walked out of a meeting with Bill Gates when she learned her son had been injured playing sports A musician: She's an accomplished violinist who wrote a music textbook A cultural ambassador: She served as a cultural liaison for the U.S. Information Agency in the Middle East Delores, AfriCreations http://www.africreations.com Post Reply     Reply by Private Message (new win) 1 - 20 of 154  | Previous  Next  [ First | Last ]

Support   |   FAQ   |   What's New   |   About Ryze © Ryze Ltd. Ryze is a trademark of Ryze Ltd.  Terms of Service, including the Privacy Policy