Ellington

Justin Reed gets it. He can see why African-American junior high and high school kids said in the Interprise Poll, Junior Achievement's 2003 nationwide survey, that they wanted to become entrepreneurs more than they wanted to be doctors or lawyers or teachers. "You can be your own boss," said the 10th grade Calloway High School student. "You can make a lot of money."

Eighty-six percent of the African-American students in the poll conducted in classrooms throughout the U.S. last October and November said they wanted to start a business—that's up five points from the 2000 survey.

Junior Achievement, a national youth business program, uses hands-on activities to teach young people, like allowing them to start and run their own enterprises.

Cynthia McMillan, director of operations for Junior Achievement of Mississippi Inc., said that she has no figures for career preference for kids in the state.

Most of the 35 students in two 10th-grade classes at Calloway High School also thought that entrepreneurs made the big dough and answered to no one, and some said there was one other good reason to start a business: Entrepreneurs wouldn't have to deal with workplace racism.

Disenfranchised people often see starting their own businesses as more desirable than working for others, said Karen Johns, executive director of Diversity Pipeline Alliance, a co-sponsor of the poll. "Native Americans and Latinos also have a tradition of that."

Hispanics own 1.4 million of the 3-million-plus minority-owned businesses, while African Americans own 880,000, according to the Census Bureau. Minority-owned businesses generate $591 billion in yearly revenue and grow at four times the rate of other businesses.

Past the Bling-bling
Popular culture has certainly sparked young African Americans' interest in business. Hip-hop stars and sports greats have made business-owning sexy. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has built a $250-million empire; so has basketball great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Students at Calloway said the success of these celebrities definitely is making an impact on kids, but Johns doesn't know if they can see past all the bling-bling to the hard work it takes to run a business: "I don't think they know how difficult it is to raise capital or come up with a business plan. I don't think we have enough of that kind of know-how or business expertise in the black community."

The Virginia-based alliance's mission is to catch kids of color at a very young age and get them into the pipeline to become entrepreneurs. The organization works with companies to help young people get internships and exposure to all aspects of the business world. The alliance emphasizes a good education as a foundation and particularly works to increase the number of people of color at white-male-dominated business schools. Johns says this early interest in business hasn't translated into African Americans earning any more of the 100,000 business degrees bestowed each year, however.

"I think it's wonderful that they have a spark of interest this early," she said, "but that just means we have to work even harder to get them into college and business schools."

'You Have to Grind'
When political activist Al Sharpton spoke at a Jackson State University School of Business celebration earlier this month, he said that African Americans must develop "an entrepreneurial spirit." He said black people are "reckless" consumers who spend their money in everybody's community but their own

Business owners have to do more to teach kids what it takes to become entrepreneurs, Johns said, and so do schools. "I think we do a very poor job preparing our kids for the real world. I don't think they have any idea what it's really like," she said.

Staxx says amen. The 26-year-old owner of Official Block Wear, a hip-hop clothing business based in Jackson, said he had no idea how challenging owning his own business would be even though he grew up watching his grandfather run his own nightclubs and was exposed to the business side of sports through his father, a professional baseball player.

"I was just on the outside looking in," he said. "It wasn't until I got out there on my own that I found out what it was like."

Staxx, whose given name is John Tierre, says while members of his family were his role models, he also admired Master P, a rap artist who built an empire by distributing his own music. "I liked the way he carried himself," Staxx said. " I liked the way he marketed, the way he did business."

But Master P, Simmons and others have not conveyed to kids exactly what goes on behind the scenes at their businesses and how difficult it is to be successful, Tierre said. "You have to fight for it. You have to grind. You have to put in the work."

Use Hip-Hop to Market
Staxx, who studied business administration at Jackson State University, tells entrepreneur wannabes that they can use hip-hop to market anything—clothes, movies, music—but they need college or some sort of post-secondary education to provide the foundation they will need to succeed. "College is where you learn about business plans and returns on your investments and people skills. People have to like you because sometimes you have to sell yourself and your product," Staxx said.

Staxx's hard work is paying off; he is moving his clothes into the regional market, throwing product parties in places like Monroe, La. and Memphis, Tenn. He eventually wants to be all over the place and says things are looking good: "Right now, the demand is higher than the supply."

But doing well is important so he can eventually do good, says Staxx. "The bling-bling is cool, but it's about donating money and sponsoring things in the community."
Kids in the Junior Achievement survey most wanted to start professional service businesses and retail businesses. About half the Calloway students said they want to start their own businesses, and some said it would be easy. Others said it would be difficult, but worth it.

Going High-Tech
Niger Porter, whose role model is computer visionary Bill Gates, says he wants to start a computer company. The 16-year-old wants to create software to help people build better Web sites.

Kenneth Rowan, a 16-year-old athlete, wants to start a batting-cage business.

About half the Calloway students said they knew entrepreneurs who own businesses that African Americans have traditionally started—barbershops, beauty salons, car washes and restaurants.

Magic Johnson, who owns all kinds of businesses from coffee shops to movie theaters from Harlem to Los Angeles, spoke about the importance of African Americans owning businesses in a Fortune Magazine profile. "When I was an NBA player, I was always dreaming of business plans. As a black man you have to. Minorities make money, but we don't generate wealth. But a business generates wealth—it is power, it is something you can pass on to the next generation. That is what is needed in the black community," Johnson said.
Three-fourths of all teens, 13 to 18,
surveyed want to become entrepreneurs.

This is how it breaks down further:

Boys 80%
Girls 71%
Asian Pacific Islanders 89%
African Americans 86%
Hispanics/Latinos 79%
Whites 69%

Types of Businesses They Want to Start
Professional Service 30%
Retail 27%
Internet-based 17%
Restaurant or Food 13%
Trade Service 7%

Why They Chose Business Ownership
Greater job satisfaction 81%
More independence 49%
Greater job security 41%

Reasons Not to Start a Business
Can't get start-up capital 38%
Fear of failing 29%
Too much work 8%

Source: Interprise Poll, 2003 Junior Achievement nationwide survey

Previous Comments

ID

77701

Comment

I read this article with much appreciation and respect for those who are standing up and saying that they have what it takes to be the boss, not just of a business but their own destinies as well. What a fine example to be imitated by those that young people especially will relate to and hopefully follow in their footsteps. Great reporting! Love to see local business men and women spotlighted.

Author

c a webb

Date

2004-04-22T20:19:12-06:00