December 18th Blog

Greetings!

Sincerest Greetings to each of you! I am absolutely delighted to present you with the 28th edition of our Entrepreneurial Alternatives Newsletter. Our theme for this edition is "The Power of Collaborations." I have been asked many times through the years about what is the secret to developing successful collaborations that work in the real world. And, I have been delighted to answer this question. I have had the opportunity to be involved in a number of very successful collaborations through the years, so for me, it is not about theory. It is about practice.

With this in mind, I am absolutely delighted to report that that our most recent collaboration with the Honorable Jay Williams, Mayor of the city of Youngstown, the Youngstown Mahoning Community Action Partnership, the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., which I oversee, and Youngstown State University to create the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy, has been a resounding success! In this edition, we provide a brief synopsis of the 1st Annual Graduation Ceremony of the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy which was recently held in October of 2007. I want to personally congratulate all of the graduates who successfully completed the rigorous requirements to matriculate through the intensive business training classes offered by the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy. The Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy is an affiliate center of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., headed by Dr. Bessie House.

When I first created the Applied Business Curriculum that is now used in the NCE and its' affiliate centers, some individuals said that it would never work. Well, I am delighted to say that after having almost 400 participants to take our classes and helping to create more than 51 new business start-up companies, our system works very well indeed! We are delighted to welcome the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy's graduates into the exciting world of entrepreneurship. We are overcome with joy that they are now moving forward to start their own businesses and create new jobs and wealth in their communities in Mahoning County.

In this edition, we present information about the 1st Annual Graduation Ceremony for the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy and begin our series on the 10 Rules of Developing Successful Collaborations. We also provide a brief synopsis of my recent acceptance of the prestigious Oni Award from the International Black Women's Congress in Portsmouth Virginia and information about an upcoming Wealth Building Seminar being organized by Mr. Melvin Richardson in the greater Cleveland area; and last, we will share with you our Dear Dr. House letters for this week which come from the Chancellor at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis; the CEO of Kenyatta College in Kenya, East Africa; and Austin, Texas.

Quote of the Week

I want to say something very special to Dr. House because she reminds me of what we all must become as Black people in the 21st century.

She is a servant leader..... and our servant leaders are the most humble, they are the most relevant, they are the most open, they are the most teachable, they are the most respectful, and they are the most caring leaders in our community. And, we love you for that. Thank you for committing your life.

-- Mr. George Fraser --
President, Founder, and CEO, Frasernet
Best Selling Author and Entrepreneur


Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy Holds First Annual Graduation Ceremony
by Dr. Bessie House

The Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy held its' first annual graduation ceremony on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at the Chevrolet Centre Community Room in Youngstown, Ohio from 6:00-8:00 P.M. The creation of the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy in Spring 2007 came about as the result of a creative collaboration between the city of Youngstown, the Youngstown Mahoning Community Action Partnership, the National Center for Entrepreneurship (which is headed by Dr. Bessie House), and Youngstown State University. The Honorable Jay Williams, Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, initiated the collaboration because he believed that it was vitally important to develop strategies to help citizens of Youngstown to become self-empowered.

There is no better way to do that than to embrace entrepreneurship for the 21st century. The Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy is modeled on the Cleveland Entrepreneurial Academy that Dr. House directs. The Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy is an affiliate center of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., headed by Dr. Bessie House.

Ms. Sharon Woodberry, Director of Economic Development for the City of Youngstown was the Mistress of Ceremonies. Mr. Herman Hill, Director of the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy, welcomed all attendees to the great event. Opening remarks were made by the Honorable Jay Williams of the city of Youngstown. Dr. Bessie House, President, Founder, and CEO of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. provided a history and program overview for the event. Dr. House reiterated how very happy she was with the results of the 1st year of activities of the Youngstown Entrepreneurial Academy.

According to House, 'when I first created the model for these centers 12 years ago, people said that it would never work. Since that time, the NCE and its' affiliate centers have collectively trained almost 400 individuals and have helped to launch more than 51 new business start-up companies. I would say that the model works very well.' Mr. Herb Washington was the keynote speaker for the event. Washington owns the Youngstown Steel Hounds as well its' parent company, Blue Line Hockey. He is the very first African American to own a professional hockey team and is also the owner of several McDonald Franchises located in the Mahoning Valley and Western Pennsylvania region. He discussed many things that entrepreneurs need to know in order to be successful in business. He emphasized the importance of having honest people around you in the business organization. He also pointed out that "failure is not fatal and success is not final." According to Washington, one of his most important ingredients for success was the ability to stick to something over the long haul. Mr. Arnold Clebone, Regional Director for Economic Development for the Ohio Department of Development, made congratulatory remarks on the program.

Dr. House and Mr. Hill presented graduation certificates to the 16 individuals who fulfilled the rigorous requirements for graduation. Congratulations go out to the 2007 graduating class which include Sherry Berry, Gerald Beulah, Jr., Lori Beulah Mary Boyd, Antoinette Carter, Priscilla Colbert, La Shonda Cross, Tammy Duck, Sonya Harris, Kimberly Kitchen, Danielle Lazaro, Ina Madison, Faye Miller, Eddie Pierce, Jr., Marie Sinkfield, and Lynnise Wells.
Dr. House-Soremekun Receives Prestigious International Award

Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun was the recent recipient of the prestigious Oni Award from the International Black Women's Congress on September 22, 2007 at their annual conference held in Portsmouth, Virginia. According to the leadership of the International Black Women's Congress, "The Oni Award symbolizes the essence of all that is good in African people. The word ONI is taken from the Ife culture of Nigeria. It represents a spiritual force that protects the people. A recipient of the Oni Award has been identified as someone who protects, defends, and enhances the general well-being of African people. A recipient of the ONI is diligent, persistent, and noncompromising. We like to think of her as our unsung heroine. With the creation of the Oni Award, the International Black Women's Congress salutes those women in our communities who keep on working on behalf of African people. They are truly committed. Their vision is clear."

Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun is the Public Scholar in African American Studies, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI), where she holds dual Full Professorships in both the Department of Political Science and the African American and African Diaspora Studies Programs in the School of Liberal Arts. Her research and publications have focused both on African political and economic development processes as well as African American economic development and entrepreneurship. She is a nationally recognized leader, advocate, and expert on entrepreneurship and economic development. She is also an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and inventor. She is the President, Founder, and CEO of the National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., whose main objective is to promote entrepreneurial efficacy and economic growth all across this country. According to Dr. House-Soremekun, "the role of a scholar at an institution of higher learning is to produce and disseminate knowledge that can be used to solve real world problems. I am deeply honored to be the recipient of this wonderful award and am delighted that my research and outreach activities under the umbrella of my entrepreneurial training centers have led to the creation of more than 51 new business start-up companies by people of African descent in recent years. "
Building Effective Collaborations That Work
by Dr. Bessie House

As we move further into the 21st century and realize the point of diminishing returns in our everyday lives, the catchword of the day seems to be collaborations. Over the past decade or so, we have been involved in a number of collaborations and have become aware of 10 rules that can enhance your probability of achieving success. This week, we will provide rule numbers 1 and 2. Tune in for the remaining rules in upcoming volumes of Entrepreneurial Alternatives.

Rule Number 1: Do not enter into collaborations lightly and make sure that you develop your own criteria for the collaboration. We have developed three criteria to govern our own involvement in collaborations and partnerships through the years. First, make sure that you work with an organization that has a good reputation in the community. Second, make sure that the mission and goals of your organization are compatible with the mission and goals of the partnering organizations.

Third, the best collaborations take place when the skills and strengths of the participants do not replicate each other, but rather complement each other. In other words, work with organizations that have strengths in areas in which you may have perceived weaknesses.

Rule Number 2: All collaborations are not good collaborations. Be deliberative in your thinking and decision making process as you consider who the ideal partners for the collaboration might be. Make sure that you have clarity in your thinking process and that you get suggestions from the partnering organizations along the way to ensure their buy-in and support of the project.
Wealth Seminar To Be Offered in Beachwood, Ohio

The Seminar is entitled, "Wealth Beyond Measure". It will take place January 19, 2008, Saturday, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. The location is the Embassy Suites Hotel, located at 3775 Park East Blvd. Beachwood, Ohio 44122.

It's all set and ready to go. At last a seminar designed to help people achieve financial independence and start living their dream.

Matt Bacak, multi millionaire internet marketer will be there to show people how he became a multi- millionaire on the internet.

Matt's program is designed to help small business owners achieve great success by building a list of customers that they can sell to over and over again.

Matt will also show small business owners how to establish joint venture opportunities and create an abundance of cash.

Do you want to market your business on the internet? Great!! Matt's got the answer.

With the upcoming new year everyone will be ready to set new year's resolutions. Well I say don't set new year's resolutions, set goals instead. I will demonstrate, "The Power Of A Written Goal", and how the goal setting process can help you achieve the things in life you truly want and help you develop razor like focus.

You will understand how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Establish balance by setting goals in all six areas of life, which include the mental, physical, spiritual, social, career, and the family.

Only 3% of the people in the world have written goals and they are by far the most successful.

Also speaking will be Joyce Hamilton Johnson the CEO of KAF, Kingdom Authority Financials. Joyce holds an Associates degree in accounting from Cuyahoga Community College. As well as a masters degree in Business Administration from Wesleyan University. You will begin to understand how to take back your rightful wealth utilizing kingdom principles. KAF also provides services which include financial planning and financial counseling.

The contact for this wealth seminar is: Mel Richardson, and he can be reached at 216-956-3640.
Dear Dr. House

Bessie,

This looks very good---thanks for putting me on the list-I'm sharing with some business colleagues-as well as VP Ed Marshall.

Charles R. Bantz
Chancellor - Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis
Executive Vice President, Indiana University

Dear Charles:

It was such a pleasure to get your lovely note. I want to thank you so much for inviting me, Monroe Little, and the other new public scholars to participate in your Diversity Cabinet Meeting a few weeks ago. It was a true honor for us to meet with you and the cabinet members to discuss ways in which we can jointly work to develop more civic engagement opportunities and promote closer ties between Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis and the business and civic communities in this great city. I am delighted to be a part of the IUPUI team. Thanks also for passing our Entrepreneurial Alternatives Newsletter on to other colleagues at the university.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely Yours,
Dr. Bessie House

Bessie,

Much congratulations. A distinct honor.

All best wishes.

Juliet.

Juliet E.K. Walker, Ph.d.
Professor of History
Founder and Director
Center for Black Business History
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas

Dear Juliet:

I hope that you are doing well and that you had a wonderful semester at the University of Texas at Austin. I want to thank you so much for your recent letter of congratulations regarding my speech and award from Tuskegee University. It was a wonderful opportunity and I felt humbled by the award. I want to thank you so much for your tremendous support of our efforts through the years. I truly enjoyed the spectacular documentary that you were a part of titled, "Where Wealth Lives". I must say that you were simply outstanding in your sections of the documentary where you discussed both African and African American involvement in business and commercial activities. You are truly the foremost expert and scholar on the history of Black business in America! I will be using this documentary in a class I will teach at IUPUI next semester on "Minority Entrepreneurship." We will also be using parts of your award-winning book on the History of Black Businesses in America."

Best wishes for a great holiday season and my husband also said to tell you hello.

Sincerely Yours,
Dr. Bessie House

Hello Dr. House:

May I belatedly congratulate you on your new positions at Indianapolis. I wish to also congratulate you for the two awards. Yes, you deserve all the accolades. You have and continue to uplift the lives of many directly or indirectly. I'm proud to have met you. In my last communication, I did inform you that our institution has been accorded interim accreditation by the Kenyan Government to be an independent university. We now have admitted our first undergraduate students (250 of them). They are either pursuing BCom or BScit. We have also moved ahead and established an Entrepreneurship Center very much in its' infant stages. I shall soon be requesting for some sort of formal linkage between this center and your center. I'm trying to convince my governing council for this formal linkage.

I will be presenting a conference paper on the Kenyan entrepreneurship at ARNOVA in Atlanta on 11/15/07. I shall contact you by phone in Atlanta.

Kind Regards,

Dr. Daniel Musungu Oruoch
Vice Chancellor Designate
Kenyatta College of Accountancy University
Kenya, East Africa

Dear Dr. Oruoch:

Thanks so much for your warm letter of congratulations and for updating me on your progress in establishing an Entrepreneurial Center at the Kenyan College of Accountancy in East Africa. We would be delighted to have a formal linkage between your Entrepreneurial Center and the National Center for Entrepreneurship which I created. As you know, the NCE is a national, international, and regional collaboration of business centers which use my very successful model of applied entrepreneurship. As you also know, much of my earlier field work and earlier publications, ie. books and articles, focused on economic and political development in Kenya. I look forward to coming back to Kenya in the future to work with you first hand as you seek to build and enhance entrepreneurial capacity in East Africa.

I will not be able to meet with your colleague in December as you had planned. I understand that you wish for her to tour our centers and learn more about our model. I will get in touch with you with a more suitable time for me in early 2008. We look forward to this great opportunity to develop a collaboration with your university.

Sincerely Yours,
Dr. Bessie House

President, Founder, and CEO
National Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc.

Director, Entrepreneurial Academy of Greater Cleveland

Public Scholar in African American Studies, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

Professor of Political Science
Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies, Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis

Quick Links
# NCE
# E-Academy
# B. House Communications, Inc.
# The Dr. House Minority Business Blog

In Closing
Finally, we at the National Center for Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Academy of Greater Cleveland want to make a call out to any former student of our Centers. If you move or have some other method of contact, please notify us! We love hearing about your new businesses, business plans, and any other successes that you might be experiencing. If you could send us a recent photograph and a small description of your success, we will include them in one of our upcoming editions of Entrepreneurial Alternatives.

Our demand pull is high, and we cannot conceivably get everything that we would like done without your aid. We are looking for volunteers for both of our centers. If you are interested in volunteering for us, please call our Cleveland center at 216.280-8081.

There are individuals in our class that we have not heard from since they stopped attending; keep in touch! Contact information is at the bottom of this blog.

Dr. Bessie House
Public Scholar in African American Studies, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship
Professor of Political Science
Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies

Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis
425 University Blvd.
Cavanaugh Hall Room 504 A
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5140

Email: minoritybusinesses@gmail.com
phone: 216-280-8081
web: http://www.eacademy.biz