BMORENEWS.com

Thomas Hardnett of Phyllis Wheatley Centers and Alexis Coates of dEVNIX

"When we find a man who has ascended heights beyond ourselves,
who has a broader range of vision than we do,
who has a sky with more stars in it than we have in ours,
we may know that he has worked harder, better, more wiser than we.
He was awake while we slept. He was busy while we were idle.
He was wisely improving his talents while we were wasting ours."
- Frederick Douglass  

(BALTIMORE – February 23, 2009) – First of all, a very special Happy Birthday wish goes to my little queen, N’yinde Amaari Glover. “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” She turns 8-years old today.
 

And so when I heard Richmond McCoy, the President and CEO of Urban America allude to faith in God, I was pleasantly surprised. God does run this ship. And if He is for you, it doesn’t matter who might be against you. ‘He will not have his seeds begging for crumbs.’ For His faithful, He is always there. And like the old folks sing, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’s right on time.”

Now, on to the matter at hand: The entrepreneurial grind!

Last week, hundreds descended upon the New Baltimore Hilton and the Baltimore Convention Center for a litany of events, namely the 6^th Annual Baltimore Black Business Week Soiree by BMORENEWS.com, VMG’s 10^th Annual Minority Business Summit, and Career Communication Group’s (CCG) 23^rd Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards.

Whew! That was one busy week. Through it all, I have to tell you that I am inspired. For me, this annual series of events is a true celebration of entrepreneurship and everything necessary for an individual and a business to stay afloat in what Richmond McCoy describes as a “frozen market.”

Nate Chapman, the former CEO of the Chapman Company, told me about three years ago that for anybody to stay afloat during these arduous economic times is proof positive of one’s own individual tenacity and determination to succeed.

After all, this is the worst American economy ever.

My mind flashes back to the early 20^th century when the good black people in Tulsa, Oklahoma were demonstrative of this same entrepreneurial grind. While others were doing badly, including white folks, there existed in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood a phenomenon called “Black Wall Street.” There, a number of black businesses thrived, including newspapers, doctors, and shop owners. There even existed several black multimillionaires. However, because of the race riot of 1921, this mecca of black life in America was burned to the ground.

And so, he we are today: 2009. Names like Tyrone Taborn come to my mind. For the uninitiated, Taborn heads CCG and is a world-leader in the realm of publishing and technology. His entrepreneurial grind inspires so many around him that there is no wonder why his understudies go on to do marvelous things. Another name that comes to mind is our beloved LaRian Finney. Despite a downward spiraling economy, Finney has found a way to make something out of nothing. A modern-day Willie Adams, Finney is relentless at putting together a plan to help businesses further brand themselves in this otherwise forsaken marketplace.

Now, let’s not be fooled. There are indeed others: John Bugg of John Bugg State Farm is one. And let’s not forget Debra Keller of Keller Professional Services, Lance Lucas of Digit All Systems, Thomas Hardnett of Phyllis Wheatley Learning and Training Centers, Ed Fox of Central Security Investigations Agency and the Baltimore-Chinatown Partnership, Shina Parker of Integrity Title, Kevin Scott of Benedetto Haberdashery, Carlton Douglass of Douglass Funeral Home, and Shelond Stokes of gREIBO Media.

And there are more - like K.C. Carter of People Productions, Kevin Johnson of Commercial Interiors, Michelle Wike of All Staffing, Andra Cain of Cain Contracting, and Marvin Harris, founder of Starvin Marvin Bail Bonds and at least two other businesses.

Here’s the hit: For anybody out there – from the salon owner to the booth renter to the funeral director to the shop owner to the Maddox family down at Times Printers to dEVNIX CEO Alexis Coates – stay up! Keep your eyes on the prize, keep your back straight, and despite the unexpected blows that are bound to come, stay true to the entrepreneurial grind.

As noted in our many videos from last week, failure is a part of the journey. Actually, I view them as temporary setbacks. For me, failure means you’ve quit. So, there are going to be losses. This is a risky path of life without a smidgeon of a doubt. Storms will blow and rains will fall.

However, like Jewel West often tells me, if at first you don’t succeed, try until you do.

Yes, the G&E bill is due, the car note is due, the phone bill is due, and the baby needs a new pair of shoes.

As the son of an entrepreneur, I know first-hand the struggle. And I can tell you what I was told: “Confucius says that he who works hard some day gets paid.” I can tell you that there is no feeling like making that sale and collecting that cash and going to make a deposit even though the odds were against you. I can tell you that despite the hurricanes that might befall you, others have made it. And so can you. God, to say the least, is in charge. And so when I heard Richmond McCoy, the President and CEO of Urban America allude to faith in God, I was pleasantly surprised. God does run this ship. And if He is for you, it doesn’t matter who might be against you. ‘He will not have his seeds begging for crumbs.’ For His faithful, He is always there. And like the old folks sing, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’s right on time.”

Remember, if it were easy – as noted by the black dean of development, R. Donahue Peebles, last week – everybody would be doing it. He said that entrepreneurship is a lonely road. No, it is not for the faint at heart. Everybody else needs to go get a job.

Personally, I think there is a special blessing for the black entrepreneur. I have always believed that. For me, this black entrepreneurial class in America signifies some of the greatness within our race, both locally and internationally.

Again, stay up, stay focused, and keep it simple. And as Finney often states, make a plan and then execute it.

‘Til next time …keep watching www.bmorenews.com, ‘the news before the news where we uncover the truth.’

We hope that you too are inspired to embrace the entrepreneurial grind!

Tags: black political economy