Is the Black Consumer Too Brainwashed or Stupid to Support Black Business?

Often I see in social media and again these attitudes have been expressed like "... do we really support our own? No ! And why ? Because many of us still have that slavery mentality taught to us by or former masters, we act like we care but in reality it's all about us!"

Here's another example - "Well we just solved the problem that is called us. We don't trust us we don bank us, we don't like us we don't f**k with us. So no more complaining about the black plight cuz it just don't exist. We got us f**k up"

Bro it is hard selling any type of business or marketing concept. It isn't easy in the North either. Blacks have built businesses so large whites and Asians try to buy them out.

The adage Blacks don't support Blacks in business is old school thinking. It's tired and untrue. Blacks support Black barbers, restaurants, salons, tax services, rent real estate from other Blacks. And it's not just in the city.

I have Black clients in different industries that make millions from other Blacks. They started in their houses or small and built their businesses to do millions largely from other Blacks. If you got off this platform and taught other Blacks how to market online you'd help lots of them. This is such a waste of time.

People should stop with the limited thinking. 90 percent of all businesses in the US go out of business in 5 years not just Black ones. If you want to build Black economic power you have to create it by having a valuable product or service and going out and selling it. Not lamenting about it on social media.

ML King Jr. got the south to mobilize but had trouble doing so in the north. You have to start where you are and build locally. But if you have a negative message like - you backward Blacks too stupid to support each other in business see how far you get.

Sell value not spread negative thinking. Word to the wise.

Our people have to do business and take the risks to become experienced in business and economic development. When they start businesses they should get successful mentors to teach them marketing, sales, customer service etc.

I once had a store where the 85% of the customers where Black men. I swore Black women didn't like my business and only wanted to buy from other ethnic groups. I changed my location and my business changed to 85% Black women being my customers.

Just a change in location changed my support. Too many Blacks with little or no business experience are going around making claims that are baseless. BTW I will pay a bit more and go out of my way to support our businesses.

For every Black business that is shooty there are good ones. Get good referrals from other Blacks. I had a big billion dollar corporation not owned by Blacks upgrade our cable and Internet access.

Once they upgraded they couldn't get their service to work with my computer. I asked them if I needed to buy a new WIFI card and which one I should use. They couldn't even tell me how to make it work or what equipment to use that was compatible with their upgrade.

I couldn't use the Internet for over a week. Finally I remembered their was a Black owned computer supply store in my hood. I went to them and they gave me a card and my computer was up within a few hours.

A billion dollar non black owned company didn't know jack about the equipment they were installing and I had to go to a Black owned computer store to help me. SMH

Yeah, you think those Black plumbers are bad. Do you know the kinds of algorithms social media sites and search engines use on businesses to force them to advertise? Do you know how once you advertise they rip you off with defaults?

Let me tell you they are straight gangster. Black businesses don't have nothing on these major corporations.

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

The Hair Raising Claim that Blacks Don't Support Each Other in Business

I recently saw a rant about Blacks not supporting each other in business after a successful Black business, Shea Moisture, in the haircare industry, sold a minority stake in their company that was acquired by a mainstream investment group. To put it mildly, a significant number of Black women lamented that the resulting marketing had taken a change in direction from the traditional ethnic marketing to Black women. 

This seemed to cause a significant outcry about yet another successful Black company being bought and whitewashed in the Black haircare industry.

In response some Blacks in social media seem to be taking a more traditional outlook on this business move.  They seem to take the position - it's all about expanding into different market segments and growing a company.  They also usually add that Black women shouldn't take it as a personal or ethnic insult.

Some even rationalized that Blacks don't support Blacks in business any way so a company has to do what's best for it's bottomline sans the ethnic solidarity.

This is what annoyed me in the discussion.  This justification really rubs me the wrong way.

If you want to have a bottom-line approach to business where green is the only color you see that's on you.  But don't try to peddle the negative narrative that Blacks don't support other Blacks in business as justification for your outlook because - it just isn't true!

What people may be forgetting is these companies buy black companies because they have reached multimillion dollar status, often doing tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in sales, because Blacks supported these companies as consumers!  This is how they become valuable targets to mainstream investment groups in the 1st place.

Companies like FUBU, Cross Colors, Essence, Karl Kani and Carols Daughter to name a few became multimillion dollar companies that were valuable to investors because Blacks supported them to a large degree. I don't get why some Blacks are so vested in this negative narrative that Blacks don't support other Blacks in business.

In my experience If Black businesses market creatively and well to black consumers they will flock to them. I've seen it happen a quite a bit. Sheeesh.

They even offered up this infographic as proof of their sentiments...

However, this graphic has little to do with the psychographics of the Black consumer. There are countless Black companies supported to the tune of millions of dollars by Black consumers.

This business infographic, if true, is more a reflection of a lack of mentorships, the scarcity of financial institutions loaning to Black entrepreneurs, redlining, lack of government contracts etc. It has  little to do with Black consumers not willing to buy from Black businesses.

This is a demoralizing type of negative narrative towards the Black community. I work with Black businesses who are making millions from Black consumers, customers, and clients. One of my clients I've had for 8 years, and help market 400 apartments, to primarily Black tenants, is Black owned. I've helped them do about 25 million dollars primarily from rentals to Black apartment tenants.

Another of my Black clients owns a multimillion dollar tax service and Jazz club. Almost all their business comes from Black consumers.

The sad thing is some really smart people are saying things like this. My 1st day in business, about 25 years ago, I made near $5,000 the 1st day and 1st month close to $12,000 - almost exclusively from Black customers. I get Black clients to pay me thousands of dollars without even meeting me personally. So enough of these glib stereotypes about Black consumers.

I wrote a book on business finance. One of the major reasons you have more Latino and Asian businesses is because they have large viable nonprofit business loan organizations like Accion and Grameen bank which have the capacity to afford them billions in loans for their businesses.

The Black community doesn't have a national microfinance organization, with over a billion dollars in capital, dedicated to loaning to small businesses in our community. That's one of the major reasons why we don't have more viable businesses.  It isn't a psychographics issue it is more of a lack of business finance and strategy issue.

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Is the Black Church the Greatest Institution on Earth?

A person on my Facebook newsfeed asked: Is the Black Church the Greatest Institution on Earth?

In my opinion, I think it depends on the Black church. Some Black churches are on a mission feeding the hungry, giving sight to the blind and helping those who are sick. They are into community and economic development. They run homeless shelters and build housing for senior citizens.

Other Black Churches focus on the bye in bye when you die and preach a gospel focused on who is sleeping with whom. They have little social impact. They are good in keeping people in check and capitulating to the status quo. Those churches are underwhelming.

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Give to Your Community in Little Ways that Add UP

Let's not run away from problems in our community. Do you try to make your community a better place? You don't have to be an activist luminary like Martin Luther King, Jr., or Malcolm X to make a contribution in your own humble way. And it can make a BIG difference.

I enjoy living in a community with other bruthas and sistahs in NYC. I like helping build more viable businesses using digital technology. Ironically, I cleaned up a whole block of a business strip street today near one of my clients for free - just to enhance the neighborhood.

I occasionally break up a fight with young bruthas and look out for neighbors. I help shovel the neighbors next to me in snow storms. Small things do matter.

I feel we have to extend ourselves to make our communities better. I lived in the suburbs but like living in our community better with people who are progressive. BTW while I was cleaning up the business strip, I was telling you about, one of the business owners came out to thank me and help me.

We got into a nice conversation and I got a chance to tell him about my digital marketing services primarily using search engine technology. He may become a client.

I sowed positive karma and reaped positive results. The way I look at it a strong business presence in out communities will help people shop here more and also property values will increase and economic development will go up. Is it just me that looks at upgrading our communities this way?

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Is the US On the Express Train to Hell?

I don't make this stuff up peeps. Yesterday night I boarded the LLRR express train to save a lot of time. The NYC subway gets me into the City in 1 1/2 hours while the express LLRR train gets me to the same destination in 15 minutes. So I take it to save a lot of time although it is 3 times as expensive.

I boarded the train (which has had a number of derailments recently but on rainy nights). I sit down and hear an announcement "Conductor 666 report for duty" "Conductor 666 report for duty!"

In my mind I'm thinking: Oh freaking great I just boarded the Express Train to HELL! I'm beginning to get concerned wondering if this is more than a ironic coincidence. I was like thinking is this dayum train gonna derail tonight.

The train took off and it was reaching a real fast speed (faster than what I was comfortable with that night). As it speed towards its destination way off in a distance I see from the train window (which is elevated from the fact that we were speeding on high train tracks) a giant billboard on the side of a large building, miles away, which read "Remain Calm."

Again I don't make this stuff up. I got to my destination safely.

I don't consider myself a prophet or deep religious person. But I felt God was sharing a symbolic message with me, through that life occurrence, for those who will listen. The message is...

The US with the recent election, killings of people of color, xenophobism, corporate takeover of our country, and overall social malaise it may seem we are on a one way express train ride to hell! The Conductor may seem scary but God, the ultimate Train Driver, is in control.

Don't lose hope or panic and remain calm. God is in control.

I typed this while inadvertently listening to Donnie McClurkin's Stand. After you've done all you can do just stand and God will be with you.

Stand, and when you fall down get back up. God is in control!

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Did Integration Undermine the Black Community?

I see so many posts in social media lamenting that integration has undermined the Black community.  The devolution of the Black community is often attributed to integration. Integration is blamed for the lack of "Black Wall Streets" and viable communities.  

Integration forced Blacks to have children out of wedlock? Integration made Black men become unemployed? What's next integration causes me to call my wife and my moma out her name? I mean really?

This video montages I see circulated in social media going viral aren't exactly well researched like a visual social thesis.  They are based on more emotional appeal than facts.

I mean where can I begin on this one? In 1954, the US was at the height of it's economic/manufacturing power coming out of WW2, so a lot of White men and Black men were employed. Today the US is a service economy and many jobs are outsourced so a lot of men of all races are unemployed or underemployed.

I don't know how integration makes you have a baby out of wedlock. I don't get that one.

We have over 144,000 Black businesses doing over a million dollars we never had that during segregation. We certainly didn't have almost 1 million Blacks millionaires during segregation like now. We didn't have billion dollar black businesses either during segregation serving the government and corporations like now.

We didn't have large numbers of Blacks employed by city and state governments with segregation nor corporate CEOs. In a way you could say integration facilitated a transfer of income and in some cases even wealth from the federal government and corporate America to some Black households.

Plus where is all this integration at? I don't see a lot of whites living in Black neighborhoods unless they are going to try to gentrify them. But with gentrification they are trying to buy us out of neighborhoods they want to live in again.

Blacks live in largely segregated neighborhoods still today. Black neighborhoods have different social statuses now. But they are still largely black. If Blacks want to start businesses in their communities nothing is stopping them. There are plenty where I live NYC and ATL. I know a number of them that are packed all the time with Blacks supporting them. Some for decades. Probably what has hurt Black economic development more is wide spread usage of automobiles and the rise of the malls.

Blacks ride out of their community to the mall and buy from major corporations. That isn't because of this faux or quasi-integration we have since people move out of communities to avoid black people still today. That is because of branding and advertising by major corporations and many of us looking for self acceptance by the larger society and seeking it through acquiring status products. Corporations are good at taking everybody's money.

I'm not that impressed with these videos. As far as solutions if we want more businesses we should start our own finance organizations and don't rely on solely corporate banks and credit cards to finance our businesses. We should start national crowd funding and microfinance organizations to finance our businesses like Accion, Grameen, and GoFundme to get capital. They do it for other ethnic groups to the tune of billions each every year.

IMO Thug-e-ration has done more to destroy low income communities than integration. Integration produced for the 1st time some Black communities with higher average incomes than white communities.

However, when manufacturing jobs were outsourced to developing nations it left a lot of Black communities without good union jobs like in Detroit and Chicago. A certain element in these blighted communities started gangs, drug cartels, and criminal enterprises to generate income that also terrorize those communities.

In response the Justice system makes the situation even worst by making gun ownership illegal and taboo in these high crime areas and the two income families with more resources move to safer middle income Black communities leaving those communities with less resources overall monetarily and as far as human capital.

Blacks with business acumen and finances don't even want to start business in certain inner cities because of the criminal element in them. But there some middle income Black communities with a good number of Black business.

Let's stop making excuses on integration. Every movement has an upside and downside. Integration has some downsides but it has created a people with an aggregate income over a trillion dollars even with all the discrimination we face. We have the income of like the 13th largest nation on earth. We didn't have that collective wealth under Jim Crow segregation.

We have more of a challenge now of getting new skills for a techno-service economy and dealing with the Thug-e-ration in some of our communities not so much integration.

Also if we want to go deeper the Thug-e-ration was also facilitated by some elements in the government selling or allowing the selling of drugs to destabilize Black communities which actually is a form of dis-integration.

Money from the sale of guns and drugs in our communities helped to finance wars in developing nations against various forms of Marxism according to high ranking drug dealers and research reporters.

Lastly, it amazes me that we see these heavily militarized police units with body armor to stop and marginalize protesters like Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street. However, drug cartels operate in places like Chicago and Detroit many times in the open or at least pretty obvious to the community with little or no police presence. How ironic.

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Soul Food Sundays at Chocolat Restaurant

Harlem is the home to some great soul food restaurants.  One of the trendiest ones to visit and enjoy good food is Chocolat Restaurant, at 2223 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026.  The restaurant has a modern faux industrial ambience and the wait isn't usually as long as cross town rivals Amy Ruth's or Sylvia's Restaurant.

It is more artisan soul food with a creative presentation.  It is very good cuisine.  On a couple of occasions I've had both the Shrimp and Grits, and  Scottish Salmon - very delish.

The Shrimp and Grits is cooked with bacon (you can ask to have it without) and cheese grits in a delicious shrimp and lobster sauce.  This grilled shrimp dish had explosive seasoning and taste.

On a prior occasion I had the Scottish Salmon and it is a flavorful dish served with a health sauteed kale, crispy leek, and mango coulis.  This is a tasty and healthy dish however I wished it was a little more filling.

My daughter likes the mac & cheese dishes like bacon and mac & cheese.  She gives the mac & cheese dishes at Chocolat a perfect 10! She also liked the boneless Fried Chicken strips.  She said the boneless Fried Chicken strips were good but I think she likes traditional less artsy fried chicken better. 

They also have some creative cocktails which run about $15 and are martinis and red velvet or Godiva mixtures are delightful.   Some good desserts are chocolate cheese cake dessert if you like cheese cakes.

The music is urban R&B and hip hop.  So this eatery tends to draw a 30 something crowd on up.  The music tends to be a little loud.  So I asked the staff if they could turn the volume down in that my daughter is hyper-sensitive to sounds due to her autism.  The staff were great in accommodating us.  The patrons are pretty cool and nice people the couple of times we've gone there.

The waiting staff in Chocolat restaurant is great.  And the overall experience of dining there was comfortable and a satisfying experience.  Chocolat Restaurant is one of my daughter and my favorite haunts in Harlem, NYC.  We strongly recommend going to enjoy a kwel soul food dining experience.

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan