African-American Self-Employment Through Ecommerce
- By Charles Bowlds
- Published 09/7/2009
- Economics
- Unrated
Self-employment has, and continues to be, a time tested way toward establishing wealth and prosperity. Self-employment has been a crucial aid used by other ethnic groups to create a haven of economic growth within their perspective communities, and reduce discrimination that they faced in the mainstream economy.
These ethnic groups have included pre-World War II Chinese and Japanese immigrants in California, to Cuban refugees in Florida, and the Chinese in New York City. Although self-employment is increasingly significant, particularly under the current economic circumstances, disparities in self-employment when it comes to African Americans are statically evident from other racially identifiable groups.
According to 1997 U.S. Census data, African-Americans own only 4 percent of small, entrepreneurial businesses, and earn 0.4 percent of total receipts for all small businesses, and has made the determination that, self-employment status of African-Americans is weak in the United States. Given that small businesses comprise half of all private-sector employment and have created about 70 percent of new jobs each year over the last 10 years, it is imperative to the economic survival of African-Americans to identify the barriers to Self-employment and find solutions.
There is no doubt that race has played, and will continue to have a substantial impact on the economic development of African-Americans. Nevertheless, it appears that even in the face of certain economic disaster within African-American communities, when it comes to African-Americans, the holy grail of self-employment continues to elude us. Nationally, we have lower rates of self-employment than non-African-American groups who serve African-American consumer demand in American cities. And, although more African-Americans are starting businesses at a higher rate than before, their participation level in business compared to their numerical percentage of the national population is still less than that of Whites, and also much less than that of some of the other minority groups in the United States.
The fact is that the development of successful African-American business enterprising network is inherent to many benefits that support us both individually and collectively as a community. Self employment within African-American communities develop new sources of capital; help to develop a solid and independent economic infrastructure; creates new jobs; and provides the goods and services to the community which re-circulates our communal wealth which is now estimated at 700 billion and is predicated to top 1 trillion by 2010.
A study by Robert W. Fairlie with the Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz titled “Trends in Self-Employment Among White and Black Men: 1910-1990” provides some historical insight into the anomalies which have acted to preclude African-Americans from pursuing, what has been proven to be a solid way of producing wealth, prosperity and economic self reliant independence.
This report seems to bear out three distinct factors which have impeded upon, what I earlier referred to as, the holy grail of self- employment, among us as African- Americans which is; discrimination, racism and an indoctrinated self imposed mind set, that keeps us seeking our financial needs and aspiration through jobs; various government contracts; sports; or entertainment all of which denotes dependence upon the dominant culture. As hard as we might try to quell the scrooges of racism, with all of its venomous effects, it still requires a collaborative effort between both African-Americans and Caucasians, in order to become a non-factor within our mutual environment. The undeniable fact is; today our collective communities exist upon the unproductive foundation which consist of an array of individual opinions, and not upon the firm foundation of well researched institutions that have been designed, researched, constructed and instituted toward addressing the disparities which impeded upon our growth and development.
That in and of itself, first requires a independent economic foundation that derives its independence from the support of the people in which it serves. It is critical; especially at this time, when our sole providers (corporate American/US government) are in economic distress, that we collectively and individually, identify the fundamental components of self thinking that will allow us to take more responsibility and control for participating in our own economic well being. In order for us to move toward some form of economic independence requires from us, some aspect of a unified organizational effort. Unity or collective organization is achieved either through leadership or the coalescence of the individual around a central theme that eventually results in the organization of the group.
African-American leadership have had their chance, and chose to place our economic future upon jobs being created within the general market; a acquiesce that historically accepts African-American unemployment as being double the national rate, as opposed to some form of independent self sufficiency. We can accomplish this transformation through the realization that the concepts of an individual are eventually transformed into the concepts of a group if, and only if, the concept holds individual value that is transferable in such a way that eventually coalesce individual concerns into a organized group.Since my critique is about the economic empowerment of African- Americans, and the psychological adjustment that we must be willing to undertake in order to effectively pursue our economic development, I would like to invite you to visit a revolutionary new concept that is designed to do just that.
Because, the mind-set of self reliance will also require a practical endeavor in which to focus our newly found sense of self reliance, and we don’t have to look far to discover that technology is more than worthy of our consideration. Technology is in fact the only option on the horizon that has the full potential to meet and address the economic disparities that challenge our economic progress and survival. This great challenge will help us to find our finest moment, it will sober us up from relying on false hopes and illusionary beliefs that currently cloud our economic progress, it is during these times that we are more likely to rise above our ruts and start searching for new ways and truer answers.
The African American Connection (AAC) is a company that has been in development for over a decade, and dedicated to exploring technology for the purpose of finding real solutions to the economic problems facing us as African- Americans; regardless to politics, religion, cultural ideology or social economic barriers. You will find it to be as comprehensive in meeting economic needs, as it is fair in defending our decency; it is a journey into a whole new concept of financial freedom which has been expressly designed as a self reliant tool for achieving collective financial independence through the spirit of self participation, and has been specifically designed upon individual value and prosperity.
It is the most viable option for more effectively managing our collective purchasing power by connecting our goods or services to the powerful 700 billion consumer market of African American buyers throughout the continental United States, and in fact ,throughout the world economy.
The African American Connection (AAC), developed by Charles Bowlds is a comprehensive, multifunctional online marketing institution that can improve the economic status of African-Americans by simultaneously connecting the entrepreneur with millions of African-American consumers.
Crystal Washington, owner of Houston-based marketing firm,
Black-Market Exchange, teaches social networking strategies for businesses.
She says, “People know that social networks are a valuable tool to grow business, but many wonder where to start.” Her goal is to keep you from wasting time aimlessly searching for potential clients.
These ethnic groups have included pre-World War II Chinese and Japanese immigrants in California, to Cuban refugees in Florida, and the Chinese in New York City. Although self-employment is increasingly significant, particularly under the current economic circumstances, disparities in self-employment when it comes to African Americans are statically evident from other racially identifiable groups.
According to 1997 U.S. Census data, African-Americans own only 4 percent of small, entrepreneurial businesses, and earn 0.4 percent of total receipts for all small businesses, and has made the determination that, self-employment status of African-Americans is weak in the United States. Given that small businesses comprise half of all private-sector employment and have created about 70 percent of new jobs each year over the last 10 years, it is imperative to the economic survival of African-Americans to identify the barriers to Self-employment and find solutions.
There is no doubt that race has played, and will continue to have a substantial impact on the economic development of African-Americans. Nevertheless, it appears that even in the face of certain economic disaster within African-American communities, when it comes to African-Americans, the holy grail of self-employment continues to elude us. Nationally, we have lower rates of self-employment than non-African-American groups who serve African-American consumer demand in American cities. And, although more African-Americans are starting businesses at a higher rate than before, their participation level in business compared to their numerical percentage of the national population is still less than that of Whites, and also much less than that of some of the other minority groups in the United States.
The fact is that the development of successful African-American business enterprising network is inherent to many benefits that support us both individually and collectively as a community. Self employment within African-American communities develop new sources of capital; help to develop a solid and independent economic infrastructure; creates new jobs; and provides the goods and services to the community which re-circulates our communal wealth which is now estimated at 700 billion and is predicated to top 1 trillion by 2010.
A study by Robert W. Fairlie with the Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz titled “Trends in Self-Employment Among White and Black Men: 1910-1990” provides some historical insight into the anomalies which have acted to preclude African-Americans from pursuing, what has been proven to be a solid way of producing wealth, prosperity and economic self reliant independence.
This report seems to bear out three distinct factors which have impeded upon, what I earlier referred to as, the holy grail of self- employment, among us as African- Americans which is; discrimination, racism and an indoctrinated self imposed mind set, that keeps us seeking our financial needs and aspiration through jobs; various government contracts; sports; or entertainment all of which denotes dependence upon the dominant culture. As hard as we might try to quell the scrooges of racism, with all of its venomous effects, it still requires a collaborative effort between both African-Americans and Caucasians, in order to become a non-factor within our mutual environment. The undeniable fact is; today our collective communities exist upon the unproductive foundation which consist of an array of individual opinions, and not upon the firm foundation of well researched institutions that have been designed, researched, constructed and instituted toward addressing the disparities which impeded upon our growth and development.
That in and of itself, first requires a independent economic foundation that derives its independence from the support of the people in which it serves. It is critical; especially at this time, when our sole providers (corporate American/US government) are in economic distress, that we collectively and individually, identify the fundamental components of self thinking that will allow us to take more responsibility and control for participating in our own economic well being. In order for us to move toward some form of economic independence requires from us, some aspect of a unified organizational effort. Unity or collective organization is achieved either through leadership or the coalescence of the individual around a central theme that eventually results in the organization of the group.
African-American leadership have had their chance, and chose to place our economic future upon jobs being created within the general market; a acquiesce that historically accepts African-American unemployment as being double the national rate, as opposed to some form of independent self sufficiency. We can accomplish this transformation through the realization that the concepts of an individual are eventually transformed into the concepts of a group if, and only if, the concept holds individual value that is transferable in such a way that eventually coalesce individual concerns into a organized group.Since my critique is about the economic empowerment of African- Americans, and the psychological adjustment that we must be willing to undertake in order to effectively pursue our economic development, I would like to invite you to visit a revolutionary new concept that is designed to do just that.
Because, the mind-set of self reliance will also require a practical endeavor in which to focus our newly found sense of self reliance, and we don’t have to look far to discover that technology is more than worthy of our consideration. Technology is in fact the only option on the horizon that has the full potential to meet and address the economic disparities that challenge our economic progress and survival. This great challenge will help us to find our finest moment, it will sober us up from relying on false hopes and illusionary beliefs that currently cloud our economic progress, it is during these times that we are more likely to rise above our ruts and start searching for new ways and truer answers.
The African American Connection (AAC) is a company that has been in development for over a decade, and dedicated to exploring technology for the purpose of finding real solutions to the economic problems facing us as African- Americans; regardless to politics, religion, cultural ideology or social economic barriers. You will find it to be as comprehensive in meeting economic needs, as it is fair in defending our decency; it is a journey into a whole new concept of financial freedom which has been expressly designed as a self reliant tool for achieving collective financial independence through the spirit of self participation, and has been specifically designed upon individual value and prosperity.
It is the most viable option for more effectively managing our collective purchasing power by connecting our goods or services to the powerful 700 billion consumer market of African American buyers throughout the continental United States, and in fact ,throughout the world economy.
The African American Connection (AAC), developed by Charles Bowlds is a comprehensive, multifunctional online marketing institution that can improve the economic status of African-Americans by simultaneously connecting the entrepreneur with millions of African-American consumers.
Crystal Washington, owner of Houston-based marketing firm,
Black-Market Exchange, teaches social networking strategies for businesses.
She says, “People know that social networks are a valuable tool to grow business, but many wonder where to start.” Her goal is to keep you from wasting time aimlessly searching for potential clients.