and plan on surviving this economic crisis!

Let’s face it. The economy has not been nice to anyone lately, and this is especially true for us as African Americans. Actually, the condition of the current economy has basically put us into a survival mode by any means necessary.

As financial responsibilities increase for all of us I am beginning to see and hear from friends who are using old fashioned tactics to generate additional income for themselves and their families. It is still true that necessity is the mother of invention, especially during a financial famine. I was especially perturbed to learn about a new study by the Pew Institute, that although African Americans economic circumstances statistically ranks us as last within every economic indicator, we continue to be the most optimistic about this economy. Look, let us at the very least, try and face reality at it relates to us as African Americans and realize that there are only three basic ways for us [or anybody else] to make a living:

1.) A job [you work for someone else]
2.) Criminal enterprise [you steal]
3.) Self employment

I am sure someone told you growing up that, when you become an adult, you either have to work or steal to make a living. If not, ask some of your elders, I sure heard it plenty of times. What I didn’t hear much about, and even up to today, what is not spoken much of in our communities is the world of “self employment”.
Let me share with you a secret that pretty much eliminates the first option for us as African Americans – a job!

Secret 1

1. Today, there are five [5] people looking for every available job
2. The government is broke; the states are broke, the municipalities are broke, and more importantly the people are broke.
3. Currently we are disproportionately suffering from unemployment rates double that of whites and even education is not making a difference.
4. Racism and discrimination are still alive, especially in the jobs market.

Let me share with you another secret that pretty much eliminates the second option for us as African Americans – criminal enterprise!

Secret 2

1.) We [African Americans] make up approximately 12% of the general population and over 50% of the prison industrial complex.
2.) Today, we have a better chance of going to prison, than we do of getting an adequate education.
3.) The number one cause of death among young African American men, is homicide, and we are the cause. [crime related]

Last secret, the secrets of SELF EMPLOYMENT along with what they won’t tell you, where to find the answer – Self employment!

Secret 3

If you want to succeed in business, you really do not need to seek out the so called experts for advice. No one has the keys to your entrepreneurial success, because history has shown that what it takes to be successful in business mostly lies within you. Did you know that in 1910 African-Americans were more likely than white Americans to be employers and almost as likely as whites to be self-employed? Although you still need to remain objective about your ideas, it’s what is in your gut that matters. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs did not have a college education. Here are a few names that you might recognize:

• Mary Kay Ash. The founder of Mary Kay Inc. started a cosmetics business. While she didn’t have a college education or any training, she successfully created a brand known throughout the world. To date, nearly half a million women have started Mary Kay businesses , selling cosmetics. Their appreciation for Mary Kay Ash is unwavering.
• Richard Branson. Richard Branson is best known for his thrill seeking spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out at the age of 16 and started his first successful business venture, Student Magazine. He is the owner of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His companies include Virgin Megastore and Virgin Atlantic Airway.
• Coco Chanel. An orphan for many years, Gabrielle Coco Chanel trained as a seamstress. Determined to invent herself, she threw out the ideas that the fashion world deemed feminine, boldly using fabric and styles normally reserved for men. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.
• Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell started in a mailroom for a music publishing company. He has since become an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) executive for Sony BMG in the UK, and a television producer and judge for major television talent contests including American Idol.
• Michael Dell. With $1,000, dedication and desire, Michael Dell dropped out of college at age 19 to start PC’s Limited, later named Dell, Inc. Dell became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. In 1996, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation offered a $50 million grant to The University of Texas at Austin to be used for children’s health and education in the city.
• Barry Diller. Fox Broadcasting Company was started by a college dropout, Barry Diller. Diller is now chairman of Expedia, and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp which includes Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.
• Walt Disney. Having dropped out of high school at 16, Walt Disney’s career and accomplishments are astounding. The most influential animator, Disney holds the record for the most awards and nominations. Disney’s imagination included cartoons and theme parks. The Walt Disney Company now has annual revenue of $30 billion.
• Debbi Fields. As a young, 20 year old housewife with no business experience, Debbi Fields started Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. With a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, this young woman became the most successful cookie company owner. She later renamed, franchised, then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.
• Henry Ford. At 16, Henry Ford left home to apprentice as a machinist. He later started Ford Motor Company to manufacture automobiles. Ford’s first major success, the Model T, allowed Ford to open a large factory and later start the assembly line production, revolutionalizing the auto-making industry.
• Bill Gates. Ranked as the world’s richest person from 1995-2006, Bill Gates was a college drop out. He started the largest computer software company, Microsoft Corporation. Gates and his wife are philanthropists, starting The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a focus on global health and learning.
• Milton Hershey. With only a fourth grade education, Milton Hershey started his own chocolate company. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate became the first nationally marketed chocolate. Hershey also focused on building a wonderful community for his workers, known as Hershey, Pennsylvania.
• Steve Jobs. After attending one semester of college, Steve Jobs worked for Atari before co-founding Apple Computers. Now without the “Computers” in their name, Apple includes innovative products such as the iPod, iTunes, and most recently the iPhone. Steve Jobs was also the CEO and co-founder of Pixar before it merged with Walt Disney.
• Rachael Ray. Despite having no formal training in culinary arts, Rachel Ray has made a name for herself in the food industry. With numerous shows on the Food Network, a talk show and cookbooks, high-energy Rachael doesn’t slow down. She has also appeared in magazines as well has having her own magazine debut in 2006. She knew she was a success when a website dedicated to bashing her was created.
• Ty Warner. Sole owner, CEO, and Chairman of Ty, Inc., Ty Warner is a savvy, yet private business man. Ty, Inc., made $700 million in a single year with the Beanie Babies craze without spending money on advertising! He has since expanded to include Ty Girlz dolls, directly competing with Bratz dolls.
• Frank Lloyd Wright. Having never attended high school, Frank Lloyd Wright surpassed all odds when he became the most influential architect of the twentieth century. Wright designed more than 1,100 projects with about half actually being built. His designs have inspired numerous architects to look at the beauty around them and add to it.

Are you starting to get the picture? If not, see how many names you can place on a list of people who accomplished this level of financial success and freedom, from working a job – that should help you bring things into focus! It will also, help clarify why all of your life you have been told to get a job, with very little, if anything at all, about starting your own business. Now, if you are beginning to ask yourself:

• What can I do to make things better?
• What can I create that people will want, purchase, and come back for more?
• How do I decide on the price(s) for my service or product?
• Do I need a business partner or do I need to do this alone?
• What resources do I need?
• Who do I contact for advice?
• Where the best place for me to start?

And within this moment you are beginning to say to yourself “I need to do something extra and different to make ends meet and I would like to know where to start” a place where I can receive:

• A fair start-up cost
• Training and support
• Access to products
• The right marketing environment
• The right marketing tools

And, where I can escape the false promises and the get rich quick schemes that are sure to rip me off!

You can start that process today, by learning what a real income opportunity really is, and learn more about the steps you should take to ensure you’ve found the best opportunity for you.

Visit our business opportunity center at: www.aaconnection.com for more information on finding and selecting the best business opportunity for you. Or, to learn more, join us in our next Informational webinar, conducted right over your computer within the convenience, comfort, and safety of your home or office by registering your attendance at: http://www.aaconnection.com/webinar.php.