Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
How to Do Business with a Fortune 500 Company
We can either talk about how opportunities are not being handed to us or we can discuss how to take advantage of the opportunities that are being given?
As a small business owner, I want to be part of a dialogue about how money can be made NOT about how I am being hindered from making money. What do you want to talk about?
There was an article about the discrimination by major organizations against black businesses via the “NON URBAN DICTATE” initiative. This particular initiative is geared towards black and Hispanic consumers NOT black businesses. That doesn’t make it any more palatable, it is just a point of clarification.
With that said, there ARE major organizations who want to do business with minority and women small business owners. They understand that African Americans and Hispanics will be the new majority in the 21st century.
Therefore, they are looking to do business with minority business owners that can help them maximize the revenue that can be generated via these communities. I have said it before and I will say it again, in a capitalistic society, the bottom line is revenue.
Did you know that Macy’s had a Workshop at Macy’s initiative that held workshops this past Spring? These workshops were specifically targeted to minority and women small business owners to prepare them to do business with Macy’s.
The hard truth we need to face about ourselves is that, more often than not, we are not prepared to do business with major organizations like a Macy’s.
Are you ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes?
If you want to know how to do business with Fortune 500 companies, go to the Four Steps to Getting Business With Fortune 500 Companies to read and listen to the discussion I had with Ms. Lynda Ireland, President and CEO, of the New York/New Jersey Supplier Diversity Council (The Council)
In addition, I spoke with Corey Smith, Former Director of Supplier Diversity at NBC Universal to get additional tips on what it takes to get business with a Fortune 100 company! As a corporate member of The Council, his organization looks to The Council to provide viable vendors who can do business with NBC.
Let us not perish for lack of knowledge
As consumers and small business owners, we should be focusing our attention on the companies that respect us as viable consumers and viable strategic business partners.
If you are a serious about making money and about your business, then take the time to read and listen to my discussions with Lynda Ireland and Corey Smith. Nuff’ said!
Bio: Danielle Douglas is President of Inspire Enterprise. Get more great information to learn How to Be a Successful Entrepreneur
Friday, June 24, 2011
Are You Planning to be an Accidental Entrepreneur? If so, think again!
Some bad news!
The unemployment rate continues to plague us. African Americans have been the hardest hit with unemployment. According to a survey that was done by Dr. Boyce Watkins, 38% of you have experienced a lay off in the past three years. If you haven’t personally experienced a lay off, you know a friend or a family member who has.
Across the board, we are in a dismal state: unemployment, wealth creation, and the value of our homes have diminished substantially. Recently, there has been much talk about how hiring has significantly slowed down again. We don’t need the economic reports to tell us what we already know.
Some good news!
Did you know that from 2008 to 2009, African Americans and older Americans had the greatest increases in starting their own businesses?
Although, that can be considered great news, we still must be cautious in our optimism. These challenging economic times can and has been a primary motivating factor for individuals to start their own businesses when they have been laid off for a significantly long time.
And now some ugly news!
One of the worst reasons to start a business is because you believe you have no other options. It’s like getting married just because the woman is pregnant. It requires too much sacrifice and hard work to do it for that sole reason. Here are Ten Questions You Should Answer if you are considering entrepreneurship.
For a lot of us who have started our own business, we have tapped into our personal savings, 401k plans, and/or home equity. Of course, we expect a return on investment. More often than not, that doesn’t happen. Ninety-five percent (95%) of small businesses go out of business in five years.
Am I advocating NOT starting a business? Of course not!
If you have always wanted to start a business and you see this as an opportunity to do so, great! Most successful entrepreneurs started out in a traditional work setting where they learned some great skills that enabled them to make a successful transition to entrepreneurship. So, you have one thing in your favor.
If you want to know what else it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, read The Decoding of the Successful Entrepreneur – Here’s the Secret Formula.
What I am advocating is that if and when you take that leap into entrepreneurship make sure you acquire the essential business skills necessary to be successful. A lot of small business owners fail because they are great at their craft but don’t have the “know how” to run a successful business.
Don’t Just Do It!
Like marriage when entrepreneurship is done for the “right” reasons and there is a solid foundation of skills and know-how, it can be wonderful. When not, it can suck all your financial and emotional resources right out of you. Be Prepared!
Bio:
Danielle Douglas is President of Inspire Enterprise. Get more great information to learn How to Be a Successful Entrepreneur.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
If You’re Not Telling Your Own Story, Someone Else Is.
We all said our goodbyes to the Oprah Winfrey Show last month with regret, with glee, or with indifference.
However you may feel about Oprah, she deserves respect due to her ascension as one of the most powerful and influential women in the media industry. She has risen from talk show host to owning her OWN network which gives her the ability to decide what she wants viewers to see.
She was able to capitalize on this opportunity because of her great success with her own production company, HARPO Productions, which produced her show as well as other successful shows like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Rachel Ray. The verdict is not quite out yet on The Nate Berkus Show.
Recently, there was an article written about the relevance of Essence magazine for today’s black woman.
Although major companies like BET and Essence magazine were started by African Americans, they have since been bought by major conglomerates. The crux of the problem was touched upon but not really addressed. “Other” folks continue to define who we are and tell our story.
We fail to keep in the forefront of our minds that we live in a capitalistic society where the only thing that matters is what will bring in the greatest revenue. We get angry. A perfect example is the Father's Day Hallmark card for single black mothers. We ask ourselves and each other, why can’t they ever see the positive things that are going on in our community and write about that?
If we want our story to be told correctly then we have to tell our own story and manage the images and perceptions that other people have of us. It is imperative that we are sitting at the boardroom table where those types of decisions are being made. This applies to every aspect of our lives may it be media, entertainment, sports, and etc.
We have to give Oprah some credit. She could have BUT she didn’t sell Harpo Productions to the highest bidder after twenty five years. She decided to parlay her power into a bigger opportunity to bring about even greater influence. She decides what shows go on HER network.
We should take note. It should be clear to us by now that we must control our own destiny and create our own history. In a capitalistic society, where money yields power, one of the primary means to do that is to become extremely successful entrepreneurs in major industries.
I understand Oprah is not THE only black entrepreneur who has had significant success in the boardroom. Of course, there are others who are famous and not so famous!
Nevertheless, the time has come for us to create what we want for ourselves instead of waiting or expecting others to give us what we believe is our just due.
Bio:
Danielle Douglas is President of Inspire Enterprise. Get more great information to learn How to Be a Successful Entrepreneur.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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