Cold Calling, It Ain't Easy.
I've spent the last month googling and calling community leaders in Atlanta. With the economy tanking, getting a business appointment is like pulling teeth. Nevertheless, I will continue to pitch because I've meet some wonderful entrepreneurs so far and they are just 1 or 2 referrals away from bigger and better success.
The story of every black professionals and entrepreneurs in Atlanta is different, but there seems to be one common theme to all of them, unrealistic expectations.
- The "Tiger Woods" or soon to be Obama expectations where people demand nothing less than perfection because as one of the few examples out there, you represent the entire black community and everybody rides on... your coattails
. - OR The "Flavor' Flav" expectations where the smallest accomplishment is dubbed a miracle and any criticism means you're a hater or you just ain't keeping it real.
What is a community dollar? It's a dollar earned or spent on a business owned in and by your community.
The best example of it is a Chinese American buying a $1 bottle of coke in Chinatown. It is not to say that people should buy exclusively from their own community. We all work hard for every dollar earned so we demand the best product and service in exchange.
Yet there are real and tangible benefits to be considered from both the buyer and seller when growing community dollars => The Well Being of Wealth.
- Wealth is generated from Business
- Business is Income and Expense
- Income and Expense are dollars changing hands
- As a member of any community, would you not want every dollar to change hands in-house as many times as possible before passing the buck outside?
In the end, I would encourage every one to give black owned businesses in Atlanta both a fair minded chance and a dollar. In these tough economic times, it's important to fortify our economic bridges with community dollars. On my part, I will try to present as many of them as possible on this website, feel free to send me information about yours here.
