pictured above: the ladies of PolitixLA.com, M. Celeste Williams + Ngwebifor Fobi

My wonderful friends Ngwebifor and Celeste (pictured above) are the two responsible for the entity affectionately known as Politix. They continue to furnish events that attract the progressive-minded demographic and through these efforts, they contribute to the betterment of the city from which I dwell. As you may [or may not] know, my sole purpose is to connect the progress and serve the community…so I’m behind their efforts 100% AND they’re cool people AND they are products of the HBCU experience!

I encourage you to visit their website and get connected. I plan to be in attendance of their upcoming shindig on Saturday (May 23)…hope to see you there. More info below:

Date/Time: May 23, 2009 at 9pm-1am

Location: Bond Street Lounge, Thompson Hotel

Event Description: A multi-cultural networking event, offering “movers and shakers” across LA County an unprecedented opportunity to connect!

Click here to view event flyer »

On Saturday, March 21st, I shall embark on a journey of self-assessment and finding purpose. For starters, I will participate in a day-long workshop engineered by a good friend and business colleague of mine (introduced by JaMaar Everett), Mr. Jullien Gordon: the purpose finder. Jullien has identified his purpose as “helping as many people in the world find their purpose”. (that’s the WHAT) // The HOW? He has developed a new venture and workshop series traveling around the country administering the Driving School for Life: www.drivingschoolforlife.com | Jullien Gordon’s 2009 License To Live Tour

Driving School for Life is a one-day motivational experience designed for anyone who wants to leave their mark on the world, especially career transitioners, students, and entrepreneurs.

The day consists of thought-provoking group activities, discussions, and writing exercises to develop your passions and align them with your life purpose and profession. Participants gain insight about themselves and develop a personal vision and strategy to realize their dreams.

With that said, I’m beyond excited to sit amongst thought-leaders, progressive-thinkers, creatives, and young leaders as we share experiences and help one another in this journey called LIFE. The main thing I am considering is “what do I want to get out of this workshop?”…after drawn out thought, I think the main thing(s) I want to get out of the workshop is identifying the HOW. I’m almost certain about my purpose (connecting the progressive + serving the at-risk community), so I’m more interested/focused on the HOW: how to grow influence in the community? how to encourage potential funders? how to connect all of the dots (leveraging capitals)? etc.

All in all, this shall be an interesting experience and again, I’m anxious to take part in it. Stay tuned…

By David Smallwood (Urban Influence Magazine)

You’ve come up with a brilliant idea that’s going to make you millions and get you featured on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” You’re going to be an entrepreneur.

But first, one of the first things you have to figure out is what kind of business are you going to set up? Are you going it alone as a sole proprietor or taking on a partner? Do you need to incorporate yourself?

One of the most important considerations in selecting the structure is deciding which will best serve you at tax time, according to the experts at www.entrepreneur.com. You need the structure that protects your business and family assets in case of any liability, in addition to giving you the best tax breaks.

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by Jullien Gordon

Before the business plan, the pitch deck, the company name, the logo, and the business cards, the most powerful thing you have as an entrepreneur is a vision that people can believe in. A powerful vision will attract the right people, opportunities, and ideas.

One of the myths about visionary companies revealed by James Collins and Jerry Porras in “Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” is that it doesn’t take a great idea to start a great company. The reality is that few of the visionary companies the research began with a great idea. Several began without any idea at all. Most just began with a few people dedicated to realizing a singular vision.

Your product will evolve over time, but your vision should remain constant. Your first product may fail, but if you’re truly committed to the vision, then you will go back to the drawing board to try to find another way to achieve it.

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by Jullien Gordon

If you guessed a raise and a promotion, you’re only partially right. The only two things your employees really want are to to feel valued and and to create value. Virgin and Johnson & Johnson have developed company cultures that put employees above shareholders. In his book “Losing My Virginity”, Richard Bronson, Founder and CEO of Virgin, states “Convention dictates that a company looks after its shareholders first, its customers next and last of all worries about its employees. Virgin does the opposite.

If you start off with a happy, well-motivated workforce, you’re far more likely to have happy customers. In due course the resulting profits will make shareholders happy.” Johnson & Johnson’s 60 year old Credo places employees second after customers, but before community and shareholders. Both companies recognize that their employees are their most valuable assets and thus create organizational cultures that allow employees to demonstrate their value.

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by Jullien Gordon

Attracting and Retaining Great People

Two dedicated team members is better than five dedicated team members and and one undedicated one. Undedicated people have the ability to kill the productivity of everyone on the team to their level of dead-ication. They may have been committed in the beginning, but over time, things change and people change and their commitment to the vision may not be as strong for whatever reason.

It’s nothing personal to give them the boot, but the CEO must always remember that the vision is more important than any individual while at the same time recognizing that his/her team is the most valuable thing to that vision. People tend to join organizations for one or more of three reasons: the vision, the team, the technology.

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There are not just Americans and Europeans sitting at the entrepreneur table in the 21st century.  Today, entrepreneurs are connecting around the globe for opportunities.

Turns out Nigeria is one of the fastest growing economies on the planet.  The International Monetary Fund expected GDP growth over 9% this year and forecasts at least 8% gains in 2009.  Most of the boom is due to oil and commodities.  Fortunately Nigerians seems to recognize that diversifying the economy beyond oil is necessary to move forward as a nation.

President Yar’Adua has proposed support for companies outside the oil sector in his 2009 budget. But for Nigeria’s media, talk is cheap.  They are demanding explicit plans to help entrepreneurs.

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I just recently enjoyed an interview of Magic Johnson on the Tavis Smiley Show. I really have no idea how to respond or how to communicate the feeling it gave me after viewing the clip, but the only real word I can think of is motivation.

It’s truly inspiring to see someone like Mr. Johnson have such a positive effect on the urban community, more specifically Los Angeles. Seeing the difference, knowing the difference, and sharing the same interest in the community leads me to be nothing but admirable for his many efforts and business happenings. Wow.

As I treck through this thing called life and map out my plan of business and community involvement, I will always be a student of “the game”, learning and absorbing, observing and executing.

When time permits, please view the link and be inspired just as I was:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=tavi08s18bfq591

New Book “32 Ways to be a Champion in Business” Offers Tips Gleaned From His Career After Basketball

In his new advice book “32 Ways to be a Champion in Business,” Earvin “Magic” Johnson explains how he translated his fame as a basketball player into a career as an investor and businessman off the court. The title references the number that Mr. Johnson wore when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 to 1991 – when he announced his retirement after having been diagnosed as HIV-positive. He returned to the court for the Lakers briefly in 1996.

Mr. Johnson, 49 years old, is CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, a closely-held company based in Los Angeles that brings retail outlets like Starbucks and movie theaters, to urban areas. In Business Week’s October 2008 listing of the 100 most powerful people associated with professional sports, Mr. Johnson ranked No. 58.

Mr. Johnson’s book comes at a time when the public’s appetite for such titles appears to be waning. The number of business advice titles fell significantly, to 7,651 in 2007 from 8,719 in 2006, according to Books in Print, which is owned by R.R. Bowker, a provider of bibliographic information. The number is expected to fall again this year as readers turn from get-rich-quick texts to books that explain how to survive in a tough economic climate. Mr. Johnson was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal’s Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg.

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