d-mars.com Business Journal 69

Business Journal April 2013

Inspire, Inform & Educate

69 th Edition

In the Business Zone

INSIDE

Strictly Business

By Noel Pinnock At the epicenter of all businesses regardless of industry are four mission critical functions: planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling (POAC).

PAGE 18

Own a Business? Take Advantage of These Tax Deductions

By Mena Freeman As a business owner, you have many opportunities to generate tax deductions throughout the year.

PAGE 22

Roosevelt Petry Jr., CEO of GP Industrial and MR. D-MARS

Entrepreneurship and Personal Development

By Jasmine Stone An entrepreneur has two factors to face when running a business: Internal and external.

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Are You A Social Entrepreneur?

By Daniel and Victoria Matea Social Entrepreneurs design business principles to not only bringing in profits but also use that to reach out and solve serious economic and social problems in the world today.

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2013 Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.�

~ Les Brown

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Behind The

Journal

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Publisher’s Message

Keith J. Davis, Sr.

SR. PUBLISHER Keith J. Davis, Sr. VICE PRESIDENT Kevin Davis Kimberly Floyd

Are you “in the business zone?” What is the business zone, you may ask? The business zone is the place where everything in your company is synchronized to fulfill your mission, create profitability, and deliver premium customer service to your clients and customers. We have reached the end of the first quarter, are you where you projected you would be? This month’s journal is full of tools that may be useful in evaluating your business temperature. We encourage you to check it out and pay it forward, by sharing it with a fellow business owner.

As always again, thank you for your continued support of d-mars.com. When you support d-mars.com, you are supporting more than just our company; you are supporting the communities in which we live and work.

Working together, we can succeed in making positive things happen.

EDITING CONSULTANT Sharon Jenkins OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Johnny Ray Davis, Jr. ACCOUNTING MANAGER Eugenie Doualla

CONTENTS

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE C.T. Foster Eric D. Goodwine S. Angela White PHOTOGRAPHY L.C. Poullard Grady Carter Tony Gaines MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Andrea Hennekes LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ferland D. Antwine Yong Kwon DISTRIBUTION Booker T. Davis, Jr. Rockie Hayden CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sharon C. Jenkins Jasmine Stone Jesse Muhammad Mike Peterson Cynthia Nevels Drew Miles Noel Pinnock Naz Daud Errol Allen Steven Brown Mena Freeman Jason John Joni Sterling Daniel & Victoria Matea Nathan Tatum Rod “Storytelling” White Sonia Dixon Christina Robinson Grochett

Petrochemical Giant Roosevelt Petry, Giving Back ...............................................................

2013 Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs ......................................................................

Founder Jerome Love Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary of the Texas Black Expo .....................

Strictly Business .........................................................................................................................

New Business Owners – A Cautionary Tale ................................................................................

The Customer is Wrong – Now What? ......................................................................................

Government Contracting ...........................................................................................................

Own a Business? Take Advantage of These Tax Deductions ....................................................

The Secret of Passive Income .....................................................................................................

Make The Right Connections! ....................................................................................................

Leadership with a HEMI In It .......................................................................................................

The Federal Trade Commission and Houston Based Collection Agencies ................................

Entrepreneurship and Personal Development ...........................................................................

7 Reasons Why ALL Business Owners Should Consider Business Coaching ...........................

Failure: A Misunderstood Key to Business Success ................................................................

Business Ethics: Managing Your Relationship With Competitors .............................................

Important Strategies for Building a Mail List .............................................................................

Get your Business Supported by Small Business Administration .............................................

The Height of Fashion ................................................................................................................

Are You A Social Entrepreneur? ................................................................................................

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**Correction The 4 C’s of Customer Service was written by Errol Allen and Empowerment & You was written by Noel Pinnock, CCC in the Feb – March 2013 Business Journal on page 17.

The by-line was mistakenly transposed.

MR. D-MARS Tip of the Month “It takes more than capital to swing business. You’ve got to have the A. I. D. degree to get by - Advertising, Initiative, and Dynamics. ”

~ Ren Mulford Jr.

D-MARS.com Business Journal 7322 Southwest Fwy, Suite 805 Houston, Texas 77074

713-272-9511 . Phone 713-272-6364 . Fax

CONNECT WITH US ONLINE @d-mars.com

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Petrochemical & Refinery Giant Roosevelt Petry, Jr. Giving Back …

By Jesse Muhammad Contributing Writer

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In this age of smartphones and I-pads, there seems to be an app for everything you can think of that can help you at the click of a button.

However, tenacity of purpose, the will to endure, the heart to serve humanity, and the business character to enjoy longevity of success are intangibles not readily available for downloading; this comes from within the individual.

That’s the aura you feel when you’re in the room with entrepreneur Roosevelt Petry Jr., CEO of GP Industrial Contractors, Inc. (GP) in Port Arthur, Texas.

“If I had listened to what others said I couldn’t do or shouldn’t be doing, I wouldn’t be sitting in this position today,” he says as he sits in the conference room at GP headquarters.

For this particular interview, Mr. D-Mars felt it was very important to bring three African-American male college students to learn from Petry by asking him questions and seeing firsthand what it takes to be great in that field.

The Mr. D-Mars’ delegation consisted of his son Keith J. Davis, Jr., along with Marcus Moody and James Jones. All three attend the University of Houston.

No Easy Road to Success

Petry’s upbringing in Beaumont didn’t include being handed opportunities on a silver platter. This drove him to create a lane instead of waiting for someone to carve one out for him.

“My sister and I started mowing lawns.

And at one point we grew our little business to making twenty dollars per yard. Back then, that was a lot of money in our pockets,” he says with a laugh. “Then I graduated to getting paid to cut peep holes in people’s doors. I always had good jobs, but something in me always wanted to keep something going on the side.”

In the late 1980s, Petry moved from Beaumont to Port Arthur. After suffering an injury while working a job in a refinery, he went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Lamar University.

He had ambitions of becoming an attorney, but a particular encounter would reroute his life’s journey toward ultimately being a trailblazer for African-Americans in the petrochemical industry.

“I wanted to go to law school and was talked out of it. Deep down I always knew I could do this, but not being given a fair opportunity back then made it difficult,” he reflects.

Along with two partners, they successfully started GP. Petry would eventually buy them out and sixteen years later, he still sits at the helm of the multimillion dollar corporation.

“To get in to be just a contractor was very rough.

I remember times when just to get in the gate, you had to wait for hours. There were games being played on you because of the color of your skin,” he says.

GP has multiple Texas facilities in Port Arthur and Henderson. Along with building refineries and petrochemical plants, the company specializes in pipe and steel fabrication, fitting, welding, structural steel assembly, Engineering, warehousing, janitorial, project management, field services, meter fabrication and more.

“I now have certain minority certifications,

but I don’t want to be recognized as a minority. I want to be recognized as a good businessman. I think you limit yourself when you sell, “I’m a minority.”

What you should sell is your quality, your competitiveness, and the fact that you can meet a schedule. Those are the things that we sell.”

Their portfolio of vast high end clientele includes Fluor, URS Corp, Motiva, Valero, Bechtel/Jacob, KBR , TOTAL, ExxonMobil, Shell Oil, and DOW chemical. GP has successfully delivered on major projects such as the Toyota Center Arena (home to the Houston Rockets), Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field), and South East Texas Medical Center just to name a few.

“To see an African-American male in an industry where we are the minority is inspirational,” says Davis, an author and construction management major. “Though no industry is easy to break into, knowing there is a pathway being laid is motivation for me.”

“Energy is where our young people need to get involved in; any part of it. Get in, specialize in different areas and grow it,” Petry advised the attentive young college students.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X during their first and only meeting in person. Petry gets one of the college students to read the inspirational caption at the bottom that deals with peace and power.

“I have this image here to send a message to those who deal with me that depending on what you bring into my office, you will either get the peaceful side of me or the powerful side,” he says with a grin.

On display in the large office are dozens of awards and recognitions for his company’s honorable service. Photos of the company’s Vice-President and his wife of 25 years, Marlene Petry, take up nearly an entire table. He’s not shy about expressing his gratitude for having such a strong spouse.

“My wife has always been very supportive and a solid rock. She’s a good part of what we do. I respect her input. That makes your marriage stronger when you feel your input is valued,” he says.

The power couple doesn’t have any children, so he was more than excited to share his wisdom with the younger generation.

“Don’t ever be afraid of competition; it’s a good thing. It keeps you on your toes.

When you’re doing business, honor your word. Let your word be your bond,” he added.

“The way I look at it is if you tell me I can’t do it, you’re really saying that you can’t do it. Don’t let others set your limitations. You set your own destiny. Don’t let anybody tell you what you can’t do. When you set your heart to it, you can do anything no matter who you are.”

Moody, a junior construction

“Giving is one of the biggest

things you can do.” ~ Roosevelt Petry Jr. A Family Man and Mentor

As Petry gives a tour of the headquarters, cheerful staffers, who enjoy working at GP, greet Mr. D-Mars and his delegation.

Hanging outside Petry’s office door is a picture of the famous handclasp between

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engineering major, said, “This was a great opportunity for us to see an AfricanAmerican male making a great impact.

He taught us a lot about business, being organized, how to be responsible and not be careless. He’s a great example of handling your business. I look at him as a role model.”

Moody is business partners with Jones, a senior business marketing major.

Their budding company, JJ & Moody Enterprises, focuses on selling cars and making real estate deals.

“After meeting Mr. Petry, I realized I need to learn how to be better organized and learn how to communicate better in a diverse way. I need to expand beyond just knowing how to communicate with our people,” says Moody.

“My first impression of him was that he’s humble, straight forward, honest, hardworking and well-structured,” said Jones. “After hearing his story, you realize that it has not been an easy journey. He taught me that you can’t let people beat you down, always stay positive and push for what you believe in.”

Pouring Out Love in the Community

Petry then gave his guests a tour of the various surrounding properties that bear the GP logo along with his personal residences. The students got a chance to see pipe being cut as well as hear Petry describe some of the heavy machinery used by his skilled workers.

Another site was a former Port Arthur Federal Bank building, soon to be GP offices, while others are empty warehouses that will be home to more petrochemical plants—which means opportunities for those seeking employment.

“We can help others even more by creating opportunities and building careers, not jobs. And there is a difference,” he says while standing in the center of one of his properties.

All of this coupled with several empty lots, one would think Petry would have a street named after him. However, that’s not his aim.

Rather, Petry can’t seem to stop talking about his joyful philanthropic efforts.

“Giving is one of the biggest things you can do. We give to everybody. I don’t care if you’re Hispanic, Asian, White or Black. You have to support the kids and the senior citizens.”

“Petry has meant so much to this community. He has hired people who are down on their luck or just out of prison.

He never gives up on people. God has blessed him to build up this company because of his heart. We’re not just friends, we’re family,” says Michael Sinegal, who serves as the Jefferson County Precinct 3 Commissioner.

GP has helped people go to law school and awarded countless scholarships to local Lamar College.

“You can’t just be on the receiving end, where you’re just getting, getting, getting and you never give back to your community. When you give, you don’t tie strings to it. You give freely. You don’t have to go around telling everyone what you did. Just do it and it will take care of itself,” he says.

Jones added that what Mr. D-Mars did for them is something that should be duplicated.

“I think that experience was very important in developing young business men these days. You can hear about it, but to actually experience it makes a lot of difference and has a greater impact on you. It should happen more in the Black community because young people might not believe success stories like that exists outside their community.”

Christian Bible Institute and Seminary honored Dr. Roosevelt Petry Jr., by conferring upon him an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree for his life work, community service and outstanding achievements and accomplishments.

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2013 Top 50 Black

Professionals & Entrepreneurs

MR. D-MARS - d-mars.com

Business power breeds business success! - MR. D-MARS

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n light of this momentous occasion, I am reminded of an old James Brown song that became an African American anthem in the 1960’s, “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud!” I am proud of the many African American men and women who have found the courage to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and climb the corporate ladder to undeniable success. From a personal perspective, I have firsthand knowledge of what it takes to build a thriving business from the ground up. I have also witnessed my professional peers putting their hand to the plow and not looking back, because they were compelled by something greater than them to go forward. That kind of bravery should be rewarded; it is akin to that of the Black Moses, Harriet Tubman who led over 70 slaves to freedom.

Economic liberty is the new currency for African Americans. As evidenced by the awardees that grace this directory, they are cut from a different Kente cloth. Integrity, commitment to community, faith, and family are the key cornerstones that mark their greatness. They are givers and not takers who strive to leave an economic legacy for the generations that come behind them. Emptying the bank for the sole purpose of personal gain is not in their DNA, they strive to build community and make it a better place than what they found it.

That is why we celebrate their success that is why we choose to say “Thank You.”

Napoleon Hill Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.

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Community H eroes

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Irvin Ashford, Jr. - Comerica Bank

I am honored to have been selected as a Top 50 Black Professional and Entrepreneur. It is always an honor to be recognized by your community for doing the work that you love so much. The honor not only belongs to me, but to my Comerica Bank colleagues, the community groups I work with and my family.

Sharon Phillips - Multicultural Connections & Preventable Crises As a Community Hero Award Honouree for the 2013 Top 50 Black P & E event, I was reminded; the choice to anticipate good for the future creates power for the present. What a prestigious, inspiring and pronominal well organised event by Mr. Keith Davis and his entire team @ D-Mars.com.

Trailblazer

Roosevelt Petry, Jr. - GP Industrial Contractors, Inc.

The Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs Awards Ceremony was outstanding! There was a lot of power in the room; electrifying it with genuine respect and excitement. The d-mars.com team successfully created an atmosphere for some great networking and an abundance of opportunities to form long standing business relationships with like-minded individuals.

Super Trailblazer

Calvin D. Wells - City of Houston I am pleased to have attended the award function (Top 50 BPE). The main thing that touched me the most, I learned how people reach out to other businesses. I am confident that this is the answer to small business progress. “EVERY FLOOD BEGINS WITH ONE RAIN DROP. EVERY STORM STARTS WITH A COOL BREEZE�.

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Super P &E

Dannette Kay Davis - Kay Davis Associates

Being a part of the “Top 50 Professionals and Entrepreneurs” event was an honor. It was a wonderful event and describing the talent in the room was beyond words. Mr. D-Mars has the right idea with this creation of a showcase for the various Black professional Groups and we appreciate his organization.

Troy B. Smith - Troy B. Smith Professional Services The P & E Awards Ceremony was an elegant affair with some powerful players from our community being honored for their professional and personal achievements. It was a prime occasion for African Americans to network, from the established seasoned business professional and entrepreneur to their junior counterparts.

We all left there richer because of this experience and I look forward to next year’s event.

Helen Callier - Bradlink, LLC

TopP & E

On behalf of the Bradlink team, it was awesome opportunity to be recognized by d-mars.com as a Top Entrepreneur in Houston and and we applaud them for having this event. For small business owners this award was huge. It was not only an honor to be part of the inaugural class; this event set the bar for future small business awardees and I am grateful to say Bradlink was there in the beginning.

Jason Medlock- Texas Life Health & Dental

I’m so proud to be a top 50 entrepreneur recipient. Thank you MR. D-MARS for all you do for the houston community.

It was a blessing to be honored as one of the inaugural Top 50 P&E. The event and the publication was first class, and I’m truly honored to be a part of this distinguished group.

Tristen Sutton - State Farm Insurance

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Up & Coming P & E

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Chivon L. Jones - C. Jones Allstate Agency

I was very blessed for the opportunity to share the evening with and to be acknowledged as an Up and Coming P&E amongst great leaders and pioneers in the community. It was a great night in Black History in Houston. Congratulations again to all who were recognized and thank you to my peers and to d-mars.com for the recognition, I look forward to celebrating many more.

Supplier D iversityChampion

Donovan Casanave - Shell Bringing diverse communities together for the common goal of recognition; what a unique niche‌. well done!

Che’ McFerrin - Reliant an NRG Company It was indeed an honor to be recognized for something that I absolutely love to do and happen to have the pleasure of getting paid to do it. Access and exposure to opportunity is what Entrepreneurs seek everyday, I am extremely lucky to be an instrument in making that happen on a daily basis. I was elated to meet new and get re-acquainted with others professionals in the city that have accomplished and are making tremendous developments in their careers. Congratulations to D-Mars for making the recognition, bringing us all together and for hosting a wonderful event.

Top P & E Sponsors

Errol Hughes - Porsche of West Houston

We at Porsche of West Houston would like to Congratulate the Top 50 Professionals & Entrepreneurs of Houston, Texas & d-mars.com for its visionary approach to business networking. Porsche has a consistent standard of excellence which along with hard work, functionality, and beauty go hand in hand with top tier productivity. Thank you for welcoming Porsche of West Houston to assist in this historic affair.

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Community H ero

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Barbara Maye - BBVA Compass

The Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs Awards Ceremony was off the chain! I was especially impressed by the number of African American males that were there. I left enthused after seeing what we as a people have done in the marketplace.

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Up & Coming P & E

Kisha Armstead - The Popcorn Bar

If you own a business or thinking of starting one, this is the event for you! Great networking opportunity and truly inspiring...

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Founder Jerome Love Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary of the Texas Black Expo ventures, that marketing and advertising is the key to a successful business. Yet many businesses don’t think they can afford it.

Thus he sought to build a medium to allow small business owners an affordable way to promote their business to the masses, as well as allow corporate sponsor an opportunity to reach the community that they serve.

In equipping himself for the journey, Love states, “I will be 100% honest; I am not sure how we made it through the first expo as I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, it was simply the favor of GOD.” He never lacked in confidence, and did some natural things, for example, read some books on marketing and that kind of stuff, but at the end of the day, the first Black Expo was nothing short of a miracle. Not only did Nate Ragland former marketing director of Black Expo USA miraculously move from Atlanta to Houston during his transition to Houston and teach him how

By Sharon C Jenkins

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Contributing Writer

he Houston Black Expo was founded in 2002 by visionary, Jerome Love at the young age of 24 years old. Houston had never seen the likes of a tradeshow of its nature, in recent years. The Expo’s central focus is to create an economic synergy within urban communities across the state of Texas. “If we were able to build stronger businesses in our communities, these businesses would in turn give jobs to the youth and the owners would become mentors. The businesses would become sponsors and supporters of events. We shouldn’t always need to look outside for support; we need to have the wherewithal to be able to support our own community,” according to Love. Thus the inaugural Houston Black Expo was launched in May 2004, and by its third year, the Black Expo was widely regarded as the largest urban festival in the southern United States.

On June 21, 2013 the Texas Black Expo (formerly the Houston Black Expo) will mark its historic tenth anniversary at the George R Brown Convention Center. This three day weekend event has historically highlighted the products and services of more than 200 small businesses, numerous corporate sponsors, featured state of the art demonstrations, local, regional and national entertainment and lots of fun activities for the entire family, and at its peak drew close to 20,000 attendees.

Love didn’t grow up with dreams of entrepreneurship. He was prepared after leaving college to get a “good” job and settle into a normal life. This all changed when he realized there was no such thing as a “good” job. In 1998 he started his own clothing line and traveled across the country marketing it at various tradeshows. His dream of building a clothing enterprise was short lived after he found himself in debt and his business hemorrhaging. In order to pay the bills he decided to concentrate on another endeavor he began in college, real estate.

Within a few year he was selling an average of 2 homes a month and had acquired more that eight rental units.

Though he was very successful in real estate Love would still promote his clothing line periodically at tradeshows with his last one being the Dallas Black Expo in 2002. This experience sparked his interest in starting a Black Expo of his own in Houston.

At the time he experienced Dallas Black Expo his pastor Dr. Dana Carson decided to move his church to Houston. Though he was prospering in Austin, Love felt called to his ministry and he faced a major challenge, follow the ministry or make money. He decided to leave his established network and move with the ministry. In recognizing that his cash flow was going to take a serious reduction, he started looking for another business venture that would help him stay afloat financially. He decided to launch the Houston Black Expo. He wanted to help some of the entrepreneurs in his church who needed to get established in the Houston market. In addition, he recognized from his personal business

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to run a Black Expo, but he got money to finance the venture from a former real estate client who was a multi-millionaire that bought his first listing when he entered the real estate business. Love stated, “One day he called me out of the blue and said ‘Hey Jerome, if you ever got any business ventures you need funding for, I will be more than happy to put up the funding if you do the legwork. I was like, ‘Wow. Okay.’ So that’s where I got my money for the Expo. This guy gave me $42,000 on a handshake.”

About the Texas Black Expo The Texas Black Expo is a non-profit organization created in 2007. It operates with a mission to foster business growth and development, educate and expose youths to the world of entrepreneurship, and provide events designed to inform, economically empower and establish the local community.

The Texas Black Expo goal is to establish

April 2013

affiliate chapters throughout the state of Texas that are committed to fostering the same organizational initiatives as the headquarters organization located in Houston, Texas, allowing the Texas Black Expo to expand its reach more extensively.

The “Summer Celebration” unites hundreds of small business vendors, corporate exhibitors, seminars, activities for children, health screenings, hair and fashion shows, and national entertainment such as Angie Stone, India Arie, Will Downing, Shirley Caesar, Deitrick Haddon, and Karen Clark & Kiki Sheard.

The event is highly anticipated and locals view it as an integrated part of Houston’s community fabric.

This year’s lineup: The Texas Black Expo is from June 21st through June 23rd at the George R. Convention Center.

Sybil Wilkes is the host for the Diva’s Dialogue. Wilkes is the co-host of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a nationally syndicated radio program heard in over 100 markets with an audience of more than eight million. The headliners for the Old School Hip Hop Concert are Mint Condition and Doug E. Fresh. There will also be a College Fair co-presented by the 100 Black Men of Houston, a Corporate Breakfast, and an Elected Officials Lunch sponsored by the Texas Legislature Black Caucus on Friday, June 21st. Stay tuned for more information about this year’s scheduled events by going to www. texasblackexpo.com.

While Love is extremely passionate about the Black Expo, Love new passion is teaching and training others about being a success in business and in life. “I am irrationally passionate about empowering young leaders, especially in the area of entrepreneurship and business dealings because I think that is the key to having a strong nation and building our community.

The key to turning our nation around is empowering a new generation of leaders, starting with the youth.”

As a result of this passion Love penned his first book entitled, “Get Up, Get Out & Get Something” in 2007, and in 2009 he released “Get Up, Get Out & Get Your Diploma” along with a five part student development curriculum which is utilized in school districts in Texas as well as

Louisiana.

Founding Black Expo and writing his books, help to launch Love into another career as a highly sought after motivational speaker. Love was featured on Yahoo.com business leadership profiles, and he has been selected as the keynote speaker for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization’s National Conference for five consecutive years. In addition, he has shared the stage speaking at conferences with business icons such as Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline.com, Susan L. Taylor, Publisher Emeritus Essence Magazine and Dr. Gene Landrum, founder of Chuck-ECheese. Love was also handpicked by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as the keynote speaker at the city’s 2009 Mayoral Economic Development Summit.

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On a personal note, Love shared that he has grown to learn how to value people, their support, and show his appreciation because at the end of the day, you can’t do anything by yourself. “When you are young you think you are invincible and can do everything yourself, however now I recognize that you can’t do anything alone and though I may get the credit, we needed every vendor, every sponsor, and every person that came through those doors.

They are all responsible for the Texas Black Expo being here today and making it the successful annual event that it is. For your continued support over the last 10 years, I’d like to sincerely thank each and everyone of you.” Happy Birthday Texas Black Expo!

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Strictly Business

By Noel Pinnock, CCC Contributing Writer

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t the epicenter of all businesses regardless of industry are four mission critical functions: planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling (POAC). Planning is an essential function in mapping out the business “blue print” and proper course that is required to reach a desired goal or outcome. Since most businesses exist to be proficient, increase profits, develop efficiencies, grow and survive overtime in their respective industries, it is preponderant that they organize and control activities that are targeted to meet head counts, provide services, manufacture products, or seal deals. At the end of the day, it is all about the business.

I have been blessed to work in the public industry for over two decades. It is an intrinsically rewarding job that is everevolving. Currently, my department is charged with promoting and protecting the health and social well-being of all residents in the City of Houston. Yeah, that’s a magnanimous weight to shoulder but when the rubber meets the road it is strictly about the business of serving people and to serve people we have to be strategic in our delivery but more importantly consistent.

My mother use to say, “A clock that is five minutes off is right all the time!” Why? Because it will be consistently wrong every hour on the hour. The difference between a viable and unviable business is equivalent to the difference between doing right things and doing things right. Although it is of high importance to do right things, it is just as critical to ensure you doing things right. We must get focused and stay strategic in our “POACing” because the future of the business is always at stake.

Hip Hop group, EPMD, produced a song called Strictly Business. Strictly Business was a lyrical mammoth that spoke to EPMD’s mentality about their commitment to provide the consumer with the hottest album offered at that time. The song went on to be awarded five out of five stars in 2004 by Rolling Stones magazine and continues to receive critical acclaims by being heralded as the 4th-best hip hop album of 1988 and the 11th-best hip hop record of all time. So, what was their secret to success? In a past interview, the duo reported that they had planned, organized, and controlled the production at 80%

perfection. Whereas, their competitors were striving for the perfect blueprint, the most pristine arrangements and controlled environment, their focus was getting the product pushed out to saturate the market, so that meant they had to actuate at 100%.

Actuate is defined as the ability to get focus and put into motion or execute.

We can suffer from the analysis paralysis syndrome and let a dream or business plan die because we spend a significant amount of time planning for every contingency or alternative. Reflection moment, no one can consider every alternative in a given situation because of neurophysiological and language limitation factors. These factors limit the extent to which we (businesses) can make a fully rational decision, thus we possess only “bounded rationality” and must make decisions by “satisficing,” or choosing that which might not be optimal but which will make us happy enough. This was popularized by Dr. Herbert Simon, an American political scientist, economist, psychologist, and professor.

It is time to get focused and direct our energies to stay in a “strictly business” state of mind.

Question, are you ready? If your response is “Yes,” then plan, organize, control activities in your business at 80% perfection but actuate at 100%! The secret to achieving organizational success is no longer elusive but it is within your grip if you execute. To become a more Strictly Business person, one should: • Strengthen your work habits.

Discipline means doing the right things at the right time for the right reason. Review your priorities and follow-through to see if you’re on track. And do something necessary but unpleasant every day to keep yourself disciplined.

• Take on a challenge.

To strengthen your mind and resolve, pick a task or project that will put you in over your head. Doing that will require you to think sharply and act with discipline.

Keep doing that and you will find yourself capable of more than you imagined.

• Tame your tongue. If you sometimes overreact emotionally, a first step to improvement is to stop yourself from saying things you shouldn’t. The next time you want to lash out, hold your tongue for five minutes, and give yourself a chance to cool down and look at things more rationally. Use this strategy repeatedly and you will find yourself in better command of your emotions.

Be mindful that potential energy is good but potential energy leads to inertia when stagnation prevails, strictly business.

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New Business Owners –

A Cautionary Tale

By Joni Sterling

Contributing Writer

A

ssociated Press published the story below in April 2012. It tells the tale of what can happen when a new business owner does not understand their tax responsibilities and regularly review their income and expenses. Not to worry, it has a happy ending.

Don’t let this be you! Get a copy of IRS Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records and check out the Starting a Business page on the IRS website. Both will help you through the process of setting up your business, understanding your business taxes and keeping the records you need to manage your new venture.

For more IRS help, check out the Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center.

And if the accountant mentioned in the story doesn’t sound like someone you’d want on your team, see Ten Tips to Help You Choose a Tax Preparer.

Associated Press April 4, 2012 Can’t pay the IRS? One business owner’s solution

By Joyce M. Rosenberg Associated Press Not having enough money to pay taxes is a small business owner’s nightmare.

Debra Locker Griffin has gone through it. She found out at the start of 2010 that she owed the Internal Revenue Service $15,000. She had started her company, Locker Public Relations, in Lexington, Ky., just over a year earlier. The realization that she had that big of a bill was a shock.

The good news is that Griffin found a way to pay the bill. Her story offers valuable lessons that may help many small business owners avoid this scary situation.

The problem

When Griffin launched her company in September 2008, she hired a certified public accountant to help her with her firm’s finances and taxes. Her accountant didn’t tell her that she needed to meet with him at least once a quarter so he could go over her income and expenses and help her plan for tax season.

“I was new to this and didn’t know what I was doing. I should have been checking in with him and I didn’t, and he didn’t check in with me,” she said.

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He also didn’t tell Griffin that she needed to pay her income taxes quarterly and that she needed to pay self-employment taxes.

It was a big shock when her accountant told Griffin that she owed the government $15,000 for 2009.

“His reaction to me was, ‘Wow, you had a much better year than I had anticipated,’” she said. “I am sure I cried. I literally had no idea where to get $15,000.”

The solution “Fortunately, I had a good relationship with my bank, and they allowed me to take out a line of credit,” Griffin said. That gave her $8,000 toward her tax bill. Griffin got the loan even though banks in general were wary about lending after the financial crisis of 2008.

Another $3,000 came from her savings.

That left Griffin owing the government $4,000. So she asked the IRS to let her pay on an installment plan.

“I didn’t expect them to be helpful at all, but they were,” Griffin said. “It was as simple as calling them. And it was very cut and dried: How much do you want to pay per month?”

Griffin had the payments automatically withdrawn from her checking account each month. It took 1 1/2 years to pay off the IRS. She’s still paying down her credit line.

Griffin also fired her accountant. She now has one who keeps track of her finances and tax payments.

“I’m much smarter with my taxes.

For 2010, I owed just $4,000, and for 2011, only $1,500. My (Certified Public Accountant) has watched me and really taught me what I have to do. And we meet about once a quarter,” Griffin said.

Joni Sterling is a Sr. Stakeholder Liaison for the Internal Revenue Service, Houston TX Sta keholder Lia ison establishes relationships with practitioner and industry organizations representing small business and self-employed taxpayers. We provide information about the policies, practices and procedures the IRS uses to ensure compliance with the tax laws.

We also elevate issues that affect tax administration. To establish a relationship with us email us at sl.southwest@irs.gov

April 2013

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April 2013

21.

The Customer is Wrong – Now What?

By Errol Allen Contributing Writer

I

remember this conversation like it was yesterday. During a corporate stint with a major insurance company, I advised a customer that I would be handling her insurance claim. Almost immediately she spoke of being informed that her policy did not allow for the usage of a rental vehicle. “I have full coverage which means I should be put in a rental car while my vehicle is being repaired!” is what she emphatically repeated. After checking her policy, I advised her that unfortunately, her policy did not include rental coverage.

She became extremely irate and accused the company of misleading her in the definition of full coverage. While I was not privy to the initial conversation when she became a policyholder, this was now a situation for me to handle.

The old adage “the customer is always right” is not always true. Whoever created that adage may have meant that even when the customer is wrong, they’re still right if you want to keep them as a customer.

Periodically when servicing customers, it becomes apparent that the customer is wrong - “wrong as two left shoes” as my Dad used to say. They may have misread, misinterpreted, misunderstood or perhaps been misinformed by someone else within your organization. Whatever the case, it’s now up to you to navigate through these dangerous waters. Here are a few tips to assist in keeping yourself afloat: 1. Preserve the customer’s dignity When it’s apparent that the customer is wrong, be careful not to “rub it in”. Refrain from statements such as “That’s not correct.” or “I don’t know where you got that information.” Put your investigator hat on and ask questions such as “Can you please tell me where you received that information?” or “Would you allow me to verify that for you please?” Doing so has a two-fold effect: 1. It shows the customer that you’ve taken their statement into consideration 2. It gives you an opportunity to develop your plan of action to resolve the issue as well as retain the customer.

2. Apologize - Even though you know the customer is wrong, go ahead and apologize for the misunderstanding.

Doing so will assist in removing some of the tension from the situation. Remember that the customer is a feeling, human being. Depending on the situation, the customer may be somewhat embarrassed by the predicament. Mentally place yourself in their shoes for a moment. Your apology creates a pause in the situation, thereby creating space for you to be heard by the customer. I have found that when one attempts to resolve an issue without acknowledging the customer’s frustration via an apology, it can take twice as long to bring the situation to a close.

3. Exhibit Kindness When Delivering Bad News - Where your resolution options allow for you to meet the customer’s request, it’s pretty simple - you just resolve the issue.

Often when the customer is wrong, internal boundaries prevents one from resolving the issue in the customer’s favor. In my example with the policyholder, corporate policy did not provide the option for me to place the customer in a rental vehicle when rental coverage does not exist on the policy. It was now up to me to tell her that she was ineligible for a rental vehicle.

It’s important to be kind when delivering unpleasant news. Someone within the organization may have provided incorrect information. Your customer will appreciate your willingness to empathize. I stated “I understand how frustrating this can be, especially now. Unfortunately, because the policy does not contain rental coverage, I am unable to place you in a rental vehicle.

However I can call the rental car provider and request that you be given a discounted rate for a vehicle. May I do that for you?

“While she was not totally pleased with the outcome, she was appreciative of my offer to save her some money on the rental car costs. If other options are available, utilize them. While they may not be exactly what your customer wants, they may assist in resolving the issue and providing some degree of satisfaction to your customer.

4. Educate Your Customer - Cautiously When a customer is wrong, it’s important at some point during the interaction that they be provided with the proper information.

Proceed with caution here. You must be able to gauge if your customer is receptive to this information. What’s their voice tone like? What is their body language saying?

If chatting online with the customer, what words are they choosing to communicate?

When I reached this moment with my customer, I asked “May I assist you in getting the rental coverage added to your policy? The cost is very minimal - in fact so minimal that it may surprise you.” She was agreeable to my request so I proceeded to conference her with the proper department in order to get the coverage added to her policy.

5. Apologize - Again - It always good to close this type of interaction with an additional apology. Okay, now I hear someone saying “I already apologized once.

Isn’t that enough?” I say go ahead and go that extra mile. Remember, the customer really does not want to be wrong, so you want to reassure them that you want to retain their business. A simple closing statement such as “I’d like to apologize once again for the misunderstanding” can go a long way in soothing the customer’s ego. Think long-term here!

Sometimes customers are just plain wrong. How you handle the situation will determine if they remain a customer.

Remember to: 1.Preserve The Customer’s Dignity. 2 Apologize 3. Exhibit Kindness When Delivering Bad News 4. Educate Your Customer - Cautiously and 5.

Apologize - Again.

Government Contracting

By Cynthia Nevels

G

Contributing Writer

overn ment cont rac t ing – where are we now? For weeks, many have been watching the news to determine if the sequester will impact their job or business.

Many agencies have been squeezed by sequestration. NPR reported today the National Parks Service is among the federal agencies starting to feel the pain of across-the-board budget cuts.

What about small businesses? How are they feeling about the across the board cuts? Are suppliers and vendors worried about the cuts and the impact it may have on their business?

There are many resources out there created to help small businesses position themselves to win government contracts.

For instance, The Office of Government Contracting (GC), a division of SBA, works to create an environment for maximum participation by small, disadvantaged, and woman-owned businesses in federal government contract awards and large prime subcontract awards. GC advocates on behalf of small business in the federal procurement world. What about local cities and states? There are billions of dollars of awards issued annually to small to midsize businesses. Government agencies will always need paper, steel and butter. But the challenge remains – connecting more opportunities to minority, women and

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veteran owned businesses.

Karen Becerra, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the award-winning management consulting and contract compliance firm, The Principle Partnering Group, LLC., is one of our contributing experts. (PPG). Karen leads and directs the firm’s daily activities with a track record of helping companies of all sizes establish, manage, and maintain successful businessto-business collaborations. Frank Wengler, Vice President in charge of AECOM’s aviation planning and engineering practice provide helpful tips for small-to-midsize business owners and sales executives who are looking to boost business development in the government market.

Top 10 Tips for Small Businesses Seeking Government Contracts 1. Create a long-range plan and strategy.

Get out early.

2. Develop and cultivate relationships with the right primes.

3. Utilize the friendships and relationships you have with employees who may work for a prime you are targeting.

4. Make a personal connection with the decision maker(s).

5. Listen to the primes to get a clear understanding of what the project needs are.

6. Be aware of your capacity and capabilities and your fit into a project.

7. Help the primes win the project through unique skills, tools or special intellectual property.

8. Collect your references.

9. Sell yourself.

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April 2013

Own a Business?

Take Advantage of These Tax Deductions

By Mena Freeman Contributing Writer

W

hen you’re in business for yourself, every penny c o u n t s . T h a t ’s w h y it’s important to take advantage of as many tax deductions as you can. But the time to start planning for these deductions is not tax time – if you wait that long, it’s often too late.

As a business owner, you have many opportunities to generate tax deductions throughout the year. Whether you are selfemployed or run your own corporation, you can plan ahead to save tax dollars by taking advantage of all the deductions to which you’re entitled. Here are some to consider: • Home office deduction: You may deduct expenses allocated to that portion of your home that you use exclusively and regularly for business purposes.

To qualify: Your home must be your principal place of business or be used to meet with clients in the normal course of business. If your home office qualifies, you can deduct a pro rata share of your total rent or mortgage interest payments, real estate taxes, depreciation, homeowner’s insurance and utilities.

Planning Idea: It’s easier to qualify if you set aside a whole room exclusively for business use.

• Business Use of Automobile – Business owners commonly use personal cars to run work-related errands, visit clients, or buy supplies. While the cost of commuting from your home to a separate office is not deductible, if you qualify for the home office deduction (above), you can deduct the cost of traveling from a home office to any other work-related location.

How to calculate your deduction: Two methods are available. You may deduct either: 1) a standard IRS-approved cost per mile driven; or 2) the actual costs of vehicle operation, based on the portion of total miles driven for business use.

In most cases, mileage is the simpler calculation, but in either case, the IRS requires you to document all business miles.

Planning Idea: Keep a notebook in your car. For every business trip, log the starting and ending odometer readings, the business purpose and the date.

• Gifts – If you give gifts to clients, such as a fruit basket at the holidays, the IRS allows you to deduct only $25 per person annually. However, with smart planning, you may be able to increase the deduction. For example, you may deduct

the cost of wrapping, delivering or insuring gifts above the $25 limit.1 Planning Idea: If a gift is intended to be used by a number of people, not an individual, you may be able to deduct more than the $25 limit. For example, suppose you regularly send a $100 holiday fruit basket to the president of a client firm.

Ordinarily, only $25 would be deductible.

However, if you send the same basket to “all employees” of this firm, the full amount could be deductible, thanks to the $25-per-person gift deduction allowance.

• Employee Meals – If your business provides free meals for employees and does not include their value as taxable compensation, you generally may deduct only 50% of the cost. However, there is an exception called “meals for the convenience of the employer” that can increase the deduction to 100%.

To qualify for the 100% deduction: You must show that the free meals you’ve provided: 1) were consumed at a worksite; 2) were offered to at least half of all employees; and 3) met a business purpose, such as increasing productivity.1 Planning Idea: If you regularly “order in” food for employees and pay for it, document on the receipt how many employees participated, how many were present that day, the date and time of the meal, and the business purpose.

• Business Interest Expense – With the exception of the interest payments on a home mortgage, most personal interest is not deductible. However, 100% of the interest on business-related loans may be deductible.

To claim this deduction: Be sure to separate business loans from personal ones by using a separate consumer credit account, credit card, or bank loan for your business-related expenses.

Planning Idea: If you borrow money and use it for personal expenses, the interest is not deductible, but if you use the money for business expenses, it may be deductible.

These are just some ideas for businessrelated tax deductions. Be sure to talk to your tax advisor throughout the business tax year, so you can plan appropriately to help reduce your next tax bill.

Prepared by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. The information contained in this article is for general, informational purposes only. Consult your tax advisor for specific guidance on your business-related expenses. For more ideas on deductible business expenses, visit the IRS’s Web site at www.irs.gov and download a copy of Publication 535, Business Expenses.

The Wealth Design Group 3040 Post Oak Blvd. #400 Houston, TX 77056 281/220-2012 – cell 972/841-4299

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April 2013

23.

A

sk anyone whether they are interested in increasing their wealth, and all of them will say yes. But ask them if they are serious about it, and half will shrug.

Those people who are truly committed to action will make a real difference in their own lives. The major difference between the wealthy and the poor is that wealthy people take action (since they are committed to their wealth), whereas the poor are people who tend to think about change, but rarely take the actions necessary to make it.

If you are serious about increasing your wealth, then you are going to want to read this article, because it’s the starting point - this is where it all gets very serious, and where change will follow. Are you really committed? As you are still reading, you must be. Many people have heard of “passive income” but very few fully understand what it means. Passive income is defined as income that you do not have to work for. In other words, if you are on a sunny beach vacationing with your family, you can still be earning money.

The key to generating ongoing and growing wealth is to work for passive income, instead of working income. For example, if you are a Doctor, Lawyer, Waiter or Astronaut, once you stop working, you make no money. Your working income is gone. You may have plenty of money, but you don’t make more unless you put on your work clothes, get in the car, and go to work. The rich tend to focus on earning passive income instead, so

The Secret of Passive Income

By Sonia Dixon

that their wealth grows each day, whether they go to work or go to the Riviera to work on their tan. And that is why the rich keep getting richer while everyone else gets poorer. Do not think that building passive income is easy - it’s not, it all takes planning and commitment. Let’s think of it another way - you could spend 40 hours this week working for an insurance company as an office clerk, and you might make $10 or $12 an hour at the end of it. But spend 40 hours working on building your passive income and you can get that $10 or $12 an hour (or much, much more) rolling in all day, every day - even on weekends!

Imagine earning $400 before you even get up in the morning. Imagine earning $50 as you eat breakfast. Imagine going on holidays for a week and coming home to find a check for $2000 in the mail. That’s passive income. So how can you make this happen? Well, step one is to not quit your day job, as it will take some work before you are able to live off of your passive income and quit the 9-5.

Building passive income is long-term thinking - not short term, so in the meantime you need to keep paying your bills. But remember, the wealthy are those that take action. The poor are those that

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come home from work and ‘switch off”.

The wealthy take action. If you are serious about increasing your wealth you will too.

Sonia Dixon is a book reviewer, coach and author. Affiliate Programs are just about internet marketing, business, autopilot, residual income and a new affiliate program, or starting an affiliate program.

For an even easier and faster way to make money, go to: http://makemoneyonline. ebooksgain.com/ Article Source: http://www.articlesphere. com/A rticle/The-Secret-of-Pa ssiveIncome/216060

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April 2013

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April 2013

25.

Make the Right Connections!

Understanding Student Interests The job of any respectable educator is to help students discover and understand their interests. Educators play a critical role and resource to students planning their future career path. Whether through providing career assessments and/or listening to a student’s proposed course of action, educators help students create a career path to meet their personal and professional goals.

Understanding Employer Needs

By Christina Robinson Grochett Contributing Writer

I

f you were to survey 10 of your closest friends asking what they are most proud of, their occupation would most likely be one of them.

Whether it’s the challenge of reaching the top or being able to make a difference in the lives of others, there are many reasons for people to take pride in their career.

Education is one of the most rewarding career paths. Educators have the ability to help mold and shape the minds of tomorrow’s leaders. Additionally, educators take great pride in helping students reach their ultimate potential, possibly obtaining a career in a chosen profession or simply fulfilling a personal goal of lifelong learning.

Many times, educators find themselves serving not only as a lecturer, but also a resource and role model to their students through mentoring, coaching and training. It’s an educator’s responsibility to understand what their students need in order for them to experience the most success post-graduation.

Continuously serving as a resource throughout a student’s professional career is what sets apart many educators. One major point of pride for an educator is connecting what students learn in the classroom to a fulfilling career. Many educators feel that helping a student obtain their degree is only the first step to a lifelong education process.

At University of Phoenix,® educators provide students with valuable resources, both inside the classroom and out, to help them determine their future career path.

However, to successfully assist students, educators must understand many different concepts surrounding student success, including:

Demonstrating what is most important to potential employers allows students to better understand what skills they need to focus on while in school. Employers and students should expect education to mirror the dynamics in the workplace.

The majority of University of Phoenix students are working adults, and faculty members are working in the fields they teach. Therefore, the University has a unique perspective on workplace dynamics and skills employers demand in today’s global economy.

Understanding Educational Needs

the road of infinite opportunities.

A bout The Author Christina Robinson Grochett is the Campus Director of University of Phoenix Houston Campus. An accomplished leader and champion of higher learning, she was selected as one of the 2010 Women of Influence by Houston Woman Magazine, one of the Top 10 business women by the American Business Women’s Association in 2008 and a Cambridge Who’s Who 2011 VIP for the Education Industry. Under her

Beginning the journey to a new career is a long, challenging road. By developing a career plan, educators help students incorporate their academic journey to develop the competencies that employers are seeking in the workforce today. The classroom continues to evolve to closely mirror the workplace and the skills employers demand – essentially bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Understanding Financial Responsibilities Many universities inform students of financial obligations, best payment options and the type of education and time investment required to complete a degree. Educators take the time to get to know their students and their interests, and provide them an education plan that is financially responsible and relevant to their helping them fulfill their short- and long-term goals.

At University of Phoenix, students are led by our dedicated faculty to grow their knowledge and skills, positioning themselves for career growth. Educators experience a great sense of gratification and pride while helping students open the door to lifelong learning and reaching their maximum career potential. Educators are proud to make a solid investment in the future of students by preparing them for

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leadership, the Houston Campus were selected as a 2009, 2010 and 2011 Best Place to Work by The Houston Business Journal and was awarded with the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Awards from the City of Houston for Workplace Flexibility and Innovation.

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April 2013

Leadership The Federal Trade with a HEMI In It Commission and

Houston Based

Collection Agencies

By Rod White Contributing Writer

H

ow many of you have seen the television commercials that taunt “tough trucks” by emphasizing that they have a “HEMI in it.”

A Hemi engine (from hemisphere) is an internal combustion engine in which the roof of each cylinder’s combustion chamber is of hemispherical form.

Leadership is like that… A true leader has an internal fire burning that fuels a relentless drive to succeed no matter the endeavor. Internal combustion occurs through the individual chambers in the HEMI… A great leader has to have full control of many individual chambers that make up their style.

Helpfulness is the trademark chamber of the strong leader… please understand the helpfulness does not mean “doing the job for others” it simply means that the leader is a tremendous resource that is always ready willing and able to help all those around them by leading followers to the right place to get the job done.

As the late Zig Ziglar always said, “You can have everything in life that you want; if you just help enough other people get what they want.”

Great leaders understand this and are always willing to help others.

Enthusiasm is an awesome chamber…

Not many would argue that Vince Lombardi was a great leader in the sports

world. I love the following quote; it is applicable to our daily professional and personal lives. He said, “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” How true! I often hear people complain about the jobs that they have, and I can only shake my head. I wonder how their view of their jobs and their lives would change if they were “fired up” with enthusiasm!

Motivational chambers loosely defined; a motivating force, stimulus, or influence … I have often said, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying.” In other words, a great leader will “walk their talk” in order to ensure that those that they inspire will have a proper role model. When we tell people to do what we say and not what we do, they typically end up doing what they see us do. Leaders have the responsibility to do incredible things. Moreover, when what they do matches what they say, those that they motivate will do great things!

Inspiration, like motivation is vital and speaks more to persuading those that follow them to take action. I have attended many motivational seminars over my career and invariably the seminars that have the biggest impact were the ones when I was inspired to act! A great example is a seminar that I attended about five years ago. I wanted to become a motivational speaker and for years did nothing about it. Inspired by my success coach, I took immediate action, and joined Toastmasters International the next day. That decision changed my life! Today not only do I speak professionally, I have written my first book and I am working on the second.

Helpfulness, Enthusiasm, Motivation and Inspiration… does your leadership style have a HEMI in it?

By Nathan Tatum

Contributing Writer

T

he Federal Trade Commission has been cracking down on collection agencies in the Houston area. Houston, Texas has the majority of the nation’s collection agencies, followed by New York, Florida and California.

Each retail agency has guidelines called the F.D.C.P.A. (Fair Debt Collections Practicing Act), which help control collection agencies from illegal practices that are often used by collection agencies around the country.

The Federal Trade Commission, assisted by local law enforcement in the Houston area have began to investigate illegal tactics used by such companies, and are actually filing criminal charges, not only on the company, and the company’s owners, but also on the employees as well. Violations can be a fine starting at $5000.00 to as much as $250,000.00 and above, depending on the degree of the violations caused by the company. They can even file criminal charges against company owners, and have them put in jail when they allow their employees to use scare tactics to get debtors to pay their

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outstanding debts.

Consumers are now being educated on what their rights are, through internet research, and soliciting the expertise of law firms that specialize in targeting collection agencies for such illegal practices.

On the same note as a business owner you must ask yourself if these laws protect consumers from being responsible for paying their outstanding debts. Many law firms are now coaching debtors on how to entrap companies to violate these laws, to get them out of paying their debts, and even in exchange, put money into the debtor’s pockets after the collection agency suffers entrapment. The success of our present economy partially relies on the repayment of credit issued to the debtor. The collection agencies take on the responsibility of contacting the debtor for the repayment of their outstanding debts. My question is what laws are insuring that creditors and vendors will be repaid, to insure that they can stay in business, because without the repayment of these debts, how can they finance their companies?

This is another case where the cure is often worse than the problem. Think about it!

April 2013

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April 2013

Entrepreneurship and Personal Development

By Jasmine Stone

A

n entrepreneur has two factors to face when running a business: Internal and external.

The external factor involves the environment, the market, and other components outside the entrepreneur and the business.

The external factors are parts of a business that you have virtually no control over. These factors present the greatest risk to a business considering the fact that you cannot do anything but adapt to them.

External factors include both opportunities and threats. Opportunities are those external factors that can cause your company to prosper, provided you are able to respond to them correctly.

Threats are those which can cause your downfall if you do not learn how to adapt.

Sometimes, entrepreneurs even experience opportunities turning into threats and vice versa. Of course, a situation either becomes an opportunity or threat based on his or her perception.

Now we come to the internal factor of business. The internal factors include the strengths and weaknesses of the entrepreneur and his or her venture. An entrepreneur’s personal development affects business because of the plain and simple fact that it is a part of the internal factor.

An entrepreneur’s personal development touches business more often than people may think. You see, although more and more people say that separating your personal life from business is very crucial, it is just too hard, if not impossible.

An entrepreneur’s personal development affects business because this determines how well an entrepreneur can respond to the external factors. You see, personal development has a great impact on how you take the problems that face you in business.

Many people think that if you develop yourself professionally, then you can let go of your personal life when you are at work.

Unless you have multiple personality disorder, however, you cannot just forget about your personal life once you are handling your business. An entrepreneur’s personal development affects business because the way an entrepreneur adapts to the external factors is determined by his or her personality.

You see, you may gain the know-how and the facts from school, but character development is only taught by life. So how do entrepreneurs gain personal development?

Well, to tell you the truth, most entrepreneurs get it from their childhood.

You see, there’s nothing like real life experiences to develop your character.

When you have faced different problems and overcome the toughest challenges of life, business can actually be a breeze.

Some entrepreneurs develop their

characters through years on the job. This is the reason why experienced entrepreneurs are more likely to succeed than new ones.

You see, years on the business can help you cope with the different external factors that you face. Some entrepreneurs can even claim to have desensitized themselves to the different problems that one can face on a business.

However, it is said that the true character of a person is not measured by how long he resists falling, but by how often he keeps getting up. You see, the best kind of entrepreneurial character development for business is how to take your hit and not be defeated.

As an entrepreneur, you will be facing defeats in your life. Bruises will form over your business reputation. Competition will leave you wanting to quit. Despite all these, you need to stand up and be victorious.

Even through different trials, you must stand. Financially speaking, you need to lay it all on the line for your dream. Given time, you will realize that all the risks you took were worth the success. Hold on to your dream whenever anything threatens to break you apart. In times of trouble, let the development of your character show.

Juggling personal life and business can be hard for the entrepreneur. Balance is essential to every entrepreneur. Despite the fact that new business ventures need a constant eye, you must learn how to take care of your personal life as well. Learn how to prioritize important things. Here is a lesson: handling life and work is like juggling glass balls. You are afraid to drop one, but trying to keep them all in the air can wear you out. However, you have to realize that some of those balls are actually made of rubber and will bounce back even if you drop them.

Find tips about pruning grapes, shrimp plant and other information at the Gardening Central website.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere. com/A rticle/Entrepreneurship-andPersonal-Development/207149

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April 2013

29.

7 Reasons Why ALL

Business Owners Should Consider Business Coaching

By Mike Peterson

1

. You feel that you are married to your business and that it demands working all hours.

If you are ready to start taking control of the hours that you contribute to the business and get better results then you should consider Business Coaching.

2. Your business does not generate enough profit to justify your efforts.

If you want to continue doing what you have always done it should come as no surprise that you will get the same results. A Business Coach will challenge this and get you focused on taking actions that grow profits and allow you to work on driving your business forward. It will involve change, so you need to be open to this for it to be successful. The results though could literally be to increase your revenues and profits within months of starting the program.

3. You believe that the business will suffer if you are not there all the time; taking a holiday is out of the question.

Unless your business can run without your being there every day, then it might come as a shock to some to learn that you are, in reality, an employee of the business not a REAL Business Owner. Business Coaching will help you to put in the business processes and to develop your management team so that the business will thrive whether or not you feel like going to work today. Long holidays and time spent improving your golf handicap all, suddenly, become a reality. Life is short. Why are you in the business at all?

4. You have fallen out of love with your business?.

Do you sometimes think life would be simpler without all the hassle?

Business Coaching will reignite your passions and help you redevelop your visions and goals for the Company.

5. You have a lot of business experience, however you haven’t really invested in yourself in years.

You may send your staff on training courses but your own requirements have moved beyond generic training.

As a result, you have neglected yourself.

Investing in Business Coaching is not a personal indulgence. A business coach will work with you to improve specific aspects of your own performance and provide one-to-one support and motivation to achieve and build upon the improvements. The relationship between you and your business coach

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ensures swift and maximum impact on you and the businesses performance providing a measurable ROI. 6. You have lost sight of where the business is going and why?.

As an “outsider”, your Business Coach can see the wood for the trees.

They are not blinded by industry preconceptions or your businesses previous way of doing things - “we’ve always done it this way” is not in their vocabulary! They will ask you the difficult questions you have been avoiding and challenge you to take action.

7. Because you are already good and recognize that it’s going to take that bit extra to become Outstanding!.

In the same way that top sportsmen and women will always seek out the top coaches in their field, you too need a Business Coach. Your Business Coach will hold you accountable, demand results, push you, cajole you and also be there to congratulate you on a job well done! For a lot of people being a business owner can be a lonely job - one of the many roles your Business Coach plays is that of a sounding board and a confidant, someone who genuinely cares about the issues you face and is there to help you find solutions to the problems quickly and effectively. It may not be their main function, but it is an invaluable one.

Mike Peterson writes articles on Business Coaching. For more information about Business Coach, Executive Coaching visit www. businesscoaching.co.uk.

Article Source: http://www. articlesphere.com/Article/7-ReasonsWhy-ALL-Business-Owners-ShouldConsider-Business-Coaching/123032

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April 2013

Failure:

A Misunderstood Key to Business Success

By Drew Miles

I

called one of my mentors recently about a new idea I was exploring to promote my business. It concerned promoting one day seminars which would require an investment of $50,000 each. I explained that although I was new at this aspect of the business, I was working with someone who had done similar, though not identical events so I felt a high level of confidence for our success.

I figured I’d try it once and if it worked out, I would continue. If not, I would cut my losses and drop the idea.

His suggestion was “Drew, you’ve got to plan to do at least three or four of those events before you work out the kinks. Be prepared to lose money on the first few.” In other words don’t do the event if its overall success depends on you getting it right the first time. No one gets anything 100% right the first time through.

Here’s what happened. The first event lost over $20,000. We made some changes to the format and the second event broke even. It was only after the third event that we got the system to the point where it made money.

If I had gone with the “I’ll give it one try” approach, we would have failed. Planning ahead to gain the benefit of our learning experiences lead to our ultimate success.

I just finished a speaking engagement in Vancouver. During one of the breaks, two ladies approached me and asked my opinion about the current state of their business. They had taken several real estate courses, read a number of books, and attended four different “wealth building” seminars; yet they still hadn’t purchased their first property. In fact, they hadn’t even made their first offer. Sound familiar?

It is a very common problem.

They took me up on my invitation to discuss their situation over a cup of coffee. For the first five or ten minutes they expressed their frustration about not getting started and about making a

significant investment yet not seeing any return. They shared how their personal situation was getting in the way of their business dreams. In about ten minutes the cause of their problem became obvious: They were trying to conjure up and solve every conceivable problem they might face ahead of time instead of taking their first step forward.

Now, I’m a believer in planning and problem avoidance techniques. Yet, may people get bogged down in the “what-ifs” and never get into the game. In just a few more minutes together we outlined a three step plan to get them “unstuck” and on their way to actual real estate investing.

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Never start something if you can’t afford to withstand a few learning experiences.

You can’t plan ahead for every conceivable twist of the road, and throwing more money into more courses is not the same as putting the pedal the metal and getting out there on the road. Failures are there to teach us something, and to make our ultimate success that much sweeter.

During my years of law school, I completed an internship with a New York Supreme Court Justice and second legal internship with a law firm and also began investing in real estate. Immediately upon graduating law school and passing the bar exam, I opened my own law practice. From 1988 to 2001, I practiced with my partner under the name Miles and Gillard, where I concentrated in the area of real estate and business law. Now my primary focus is on helping people save money on their taxes and protect themselves from the potential financial ruin of lawsuits.

Drew Miles Find Out More: http://www.americantaxreliefonline. com/?kw=article Article Source: http://www.articlesphere. com/Article/Failure---A-MisunderstoodKey-to-Business-Success/63767

April 2013

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Business Ethics: Managing Your Relationship With Competitors

By Naz Daud

A

s a business, your competitors are just that: competitors.

However, the way you treat your competitors may affect how your customers and the media perceive your business, your ethics, and your friendliness. For those reasons, and more, it’s important that you carefully consider how you act with your competitors. In this article we provide guidance on how you can have a good relationship with competing businesses while limiting the impact this will have on your business success. When customers see you have strong ethics in how you deal with your competitors, they will know for sure that you’ll treat them right.

Congratulate Their Success When a competing business does something well, you should be prepared to say so. If for example, a competing business has managed to gain greater traction than you, then you should point out that they have done really well, and are a good business, while also pointing out the advantages your business is able to offer that your competitors cannot. This is a good demonstration of the strong ethics within your business, and will certainly leave a positive impression.

Recommend Business Their Way

If you and your competitors are able to cater for different categories of customers, then why not recommend them when you can’t offer a service to a certain customer?

This will make you look good, and they might also be able to do the same for you in return. In the end, both of you will end up with more business as a result.

Sales and Marketing Strategies When it comes to sales and marketing, it can be tempting to point out the negative aspects of your competitors. And, in some cases, it may be an essential part of closing the sale. However, rather than criticizing your competitor, why not mention both positive and negative points of their service?

Such as: yes, you are correct, Company A is able to offer lower pricing than we can.

For customers that are more price sensitive, and that 100% up-time isn’t essential, they can be a great solution. We cater for more IT-dependant organizations and employ 3 times as many engineers per customer.

Company A also uses an overseas callcentre, which is a great way to keep costs down, and provide a more efficient service, but we prefer to assign each customer a dedicated account manager.

However, on some occasions your competitors may not provide a good service. In this case, you should be as

polite and tactful about your competitors as possible. You should also cite sources, such as articles and media coverage that supplement your point. After pointing out any negative issues, you might also wish to explain how the company responds to the issues you raised. This will show a certain level of objectivity on your part and will demonstrate that your business has strong ethics and is willing to appreciate your competitors’ problems.

Don’t Bite When a competitor speaks negatively about your business, it can be hard to know what to do. Especially when you want to ensure your business appears to be

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friendly and considerate of business ethics.

Although it’s important to respond to any issues in an articulate way, you should avoid getting involved in any tit-for-tat.

This will help your business to keep its reputation intact.

CityLocal is a business franchise opp or t u n it y f or work- a t-home entrepreneurs. The website has information on what’s happening in your local area through our UK directory. www.citylocal. co.uk and www.citylocal.ie Article Source: http://www. articlesphere.com/Article/Business-Ethics-Managing-Your-Relationship-WithCompetitors/162368

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April 2013

Important Strategies for Building a Mail List

By Jason John

B

uilding your own mail list can be a great cost saving initiative for your small business, but you must know that there are many aspects of building your own list. A mail list is a collection of contact information of a specific group that can be used over and over for direct mailing campaigns.

When you have come to a point that your business is ready to build a mail list of existing and prospective customers you must seek out the services of a web site such as aweber. Sites such as these will allow you to organize and mail your mail list.

When you are ready to build your mail list you are wise to seek customer information at any point possible. Some of these places for data collection can be on your website, at the point of sale, via sales and customer service calls, and in your location.

You can also gain members of your mail list easier by offering something of value such as a great discount, a free giveaway, or important and valuable information.

Offering something in exchange for your customer’s information will make them want to join your list.

If you build your own mail list, though, you must know that people move daily and change their contact information, so the information on a mail list can be

outdated quickly. Running your mail list through monthly cleansing processes such as NCOA’s and phone appends will allow you to ensure that you are only contacting viable sales leads.

Business Direct Marketing Concepts that really works: Mail advertising has proven to be extremely effective and a marketing tool that fits within most small business budgets. However, new business owners often under estimate the amount of time it takes to assemble a mailing list.

Outsourcing business direct marketing campaigns can save a business owner valuable time and money, and often the quality of mail pieces is superior.

The purpose of using mailing companies for your business direct marketing is to simplify the work while still providing a quality product. The typical business direct marketing company provides printing, production, and mailing services along with a targeted mailing list.

Most companies provide additional services like business direct marketing design services and copy writing services.

For example, if a client does not have a logo, one can be created for them.

There are multiple factors when deciding which business direct marketing company to use, such as quality of paper, the printing

process, and the quality of the mailing list provided. When looking for design work, request samples to make sure you like their design style.

Some businesses may prefer a business direct marketing company that focuses on their specific business. These business direct marketing companies have prewritten and predesigned fliers and postcards keeping the design and image cost low.

NOMINATE YOUR 2013 TOP

It is important when using a business direct marketing service that a proof can be reviewed before an order is placed. So always ask for a review copy.

Looking for a Mail List Broker to buy mailing lists from? Visit the top Mail list broker BBDirect.Com Article Source: http://www.articlesphere. com/Article/Important-Strategies-forBuilding-a-Mail-List/265833

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For general questions about the directory or the event, please call

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April 2013

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34.

April 2013

Get your Business Supported by Small Business Administration

By Steven Brown

S

mall Business Administration (SBA) is an independent federal agency that is tasked to support the small business companies those are owned and operated by women, service disabled veterans or the minority group of individuals. There are several types of business support programs in SBA from which you have to select the one which will best support your business. 8a Certification is one most popular small business development program that helps a small company do business with the federal agencies and get established to the most competitive market field. Now in order to obtain the certification a small business firm has to go through a list of eligibility criteria that includes registration to the essential databases. The databases validate your business entity and so you must be well aware of the registration process to complete them successfully.

CCR Registration is one of the most popular registration databases where every small business has to get indexed no matter even if they are not applying for the federal contract acquisition program. However, if you are applying for 8A Certification or similar other small business certification program it is not essential to get registered

to the CCR unless a particular federal agency asks for the validation specifically by means of CCR Registration. So, before you get started with the application process it is advisable that you some knowledge about the program itself.

In case you find it difficult to go through the specified CCR Registration process, there are several other ways through which you can complete the program successfully.

For that you need to have complete awareness of the program or the guidance of professional business consultants. The start-up companies find it difficult to learn the program or afford their resources to

go through the process. That is the reason why professional business consultants are popularly being hired. To the very first place you need to log on to the official website of CCR where you need to find the “Create New Registration” and click on to the “Start New Registration”. The DUNS number will be needed to start the registration process. 8A Certification requires you to be into the business for at least two years and so the registration systems.

The minority business certification programs take not more than three months to get completed if all such essential

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factors are already done. It is therefore wise to bypass the procedural hassles from the very beginning. Professional business consultants help their clientele to go though these processes seamlessly and to win a prospective federal contract the fastest way. Now being a service incapable veteran you need to check with the program specifications of SDVOSB which involve less procedural hassles and restrictions. You can check with the official website of SBA to get more details of the certification programs.

The professional consultants are available online. It is advisable that you talk to the consultants in person before hiring them for the fraudulence is always there. Small business certification programs are there to uplift the minority class of the country and that is the reason you must leave no stone unturned to avail the advantage.

Steven Brown is a professional internet marketer. To get the minority business certification, federal contracts government sales or marketing to federal government visit 8acertification.net Article Source: http://www. articlesphere.com/Article/Get-yourBusiness-Supported-by-Small-BusinessAdministration/264446

April 2013

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April 2013

The Height of Fashion ...

Photos by: Couture Noir

C

outure Noir 2013 introduced the new face of philanthropy to Houston, Texas. Our mission is to model the fact that you do not have to wait until you reach old age to make a concrete difference in your community. This event was spearheaded by the Ukomadu Foundation.

The foundation introduced this cultural shift with style, a fashion show, coordinated by 20 year old Shun Paris, who is a beauty to behold. She featured four of Houston’s best emerging Black creative powers: André Redou, Lauren Carmon, Lena

LeDay, and Lisa Reed (along with Body arts creation by Robby Riojas).

“No one could come out of Friday night’s event thinking it was an ‘African’ or ‘African-American event.’

For just a few hours, we did away with those labels and had so much fun as one family,” said George Ukomadu.

We ensured the evening was grounded with strong leadership; honorary chairs, Kim Roxie (Lamik Beauty), Councilman Larry Green (District K), and Keith Davis (D-Mars) were at hand to direct the festivities.

The evening began with the highest

honor bestowed upon mayoral aspirant, Dr. Ben Hall III, who received the 2013 Ukomadu Foundation Community Leadership Award for his excellent work in the Houston community and for his exemplary leadership as an entrepreneur (The Hall Law Firm).

Alongside many of Houston’s top BlackPreneurs present that evening, one could also spot in the crowd, Grammy-Award winning artist Yolanda Adams. The 10 BlackPreneurs who were honored with Certificates of Recognition from Councilman Larry Green’s office were: Kevin Davis, Kimberly Floyd, Tarus

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Morgan, Brandon Herndon, Sandi Johnson, Sterling L. Carter, Errol Hughes, Bruce Johnson, Jacqueline Terrell, and Dr. Michelle L. Edwards, NP. They were rewarded for excellence in BlackPreneurship and community service.

Ukomadu Foundation is non-profit organization dedicated to exploring and engaging the artistry of Philanthropy, Storytelling, and Spirituality in the global Black culture.

If you were there that evening, you understand exactly what they mean. ~UK

April 2013

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April 2013

Are You A Social Entrepreneur?

By Daniel and Victoria Matea

T

he term Social Entrepreneur is the combination of two separate ideas: The venture of solving Social Economic problems through the Entrepreneurship Principles of a business! Social Entrepreneurs design business principles to not only bringing in profits but also use that to reach out and solve serious economic and social problems in the world today. You have probably heard the term “give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for his life”. Well, we set up businesses to teach the poorest and most poverty stricken areas how they can not only eat now, but have a future where they can become the teachers also.

Social Entrepreneurs is not something that should be taken lightly. True Social Entrepreneurs are not only motivated, whole-heartedly, to their cause, but they also take huge risks to set up respectable business to conquer such overwhelming obstacles. No longer do the world’s problems seem too monumental to overcome. With the combination of hundreds, thousands, of Social Entrepreneurs working side-byside it is only a matter of time before the

world can fish as well.

To accomplish such tasks it will take more than just one Social Entrepreneur.

It takes a joint effort with people just like you! Together we can work as a team to battle each social economic problem at a time, and reap the benefits of establishing ourselves as a business force to be reckoned with. No longer can big companies look down on volunteers and aid workers who work hard to help the world but receive no financial security to help establish their cause. With Social Entrepreneurs we will not only established ourselves as a financial force to be respected, but we also use that to reach out and pull people less fortunate than us out from under the feet of the Big Business mindset. With your help we will change the way people do business forever!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to make a difference! Do you want to be remember as someone who did absolutely nothing in your life worth any value, or do you want to be remember as the person who revolutionized the way we view the world today? Most of us have a desire to set up a business that will give us financial freedom, but very few of us have the opportunity to

reap not only the benefits of that business, but also the priceless reward of knowing you are helping others as well. It is time we wake up. No longer are we going to be dust in the wind, blown all around but never becoming a firm foundation.

There is a business revolution happening in this world, and you can either be the one that started it or be the one that gets left behind by it. Here with us, you will discover how to dedicated yourself to not achieving your goals and dreams, but also helping others do the same. Join us, and let’s start changing the world one Social

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Entrepreneur at a time!

Reading This Article Could Change Your Life Forever! Daniel and Victoria Matea are Health Awareness and Social Entrepreneur Gurus. Come Discover a Simple Way to Having The Health You’ve Always Wanted With The Financial Freedom You Deserve! Discover More with DANIEL-AND-VICTORIA! Also, Read The #1 Article On The Web Malnutrition... The-Silent-Killer Article Source: http://www. articlesphere.com/Article/Are-You-ASocial-Entrepreneur-/244807

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