oct. 25 - nov. 25 Inspire, Inform & Educate 45 Edition

MR. D-MARS & ??????????

By Christina R. Grochett

Strong Leadership in the Face of the Changing Economy

Tips on building Strong Leadership due to Economical Changes.

PAGE 7

Recognizing the Importance of Leadership Leadership is Action, not position

“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”- Ray Kroc

INSIDE

16th Annual African-American Business Achievement Pinnacle Awards

The rising need for virtual assistant services

The Houston Citizen Chamber of Commerce honors Houston area African-American business owners, highlighting leadership and commitment to the community.

PAGE 15

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Virtual Assistant services can help you start with on-line marketing.

Senior VP Irvin Ashford, Jr.

Comerica Bank

See pg. 6

Billy Briscoefor Harris County

Treasurer

Bill Whitefor Texas Governor

Derrell WrightAttorney

Dannette DavisKay Davis Associates, LLC

Anthony PriceMo Mo’s Chicken

& Waffle

Ann Bennettfor Harris County Clerk

MR. D-MARS & Bobby JohnsonTop secret qualities of an

entrepreneur for success

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Top-secret qualities of an entrepreneur from their success stories.

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We all recognize influential figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Dorothy I. Height as leaders who have paved the way to make our society and community a better place. But what about those significant figures who don’t have a holiday dedicated to them? How do we recognize and highlight our community members who work fearlessly every day to make positive changes for society?

In the midst of the mid-term elections, we thought it would be appropriate to dedicate October’s issue of the Business Journal to “Recognizing the Importance of Leadership.” We hope to inform you, our readers of the political leaders in the city and the changes they are making for the betterment of our communities. We hope to inspire them with stories of those who make leading a way of living. And we hope to entertain you with stimulating articles that will inspire you to become community leaders and strive to be the best in your own lives. In addition to motivating you, we will highlight individual leaders, organizations, community leaders and business owners that are establishing themselves in leadership roles within the community.

Strong leadership helps shape our community’s future and in this month’s issue, we want to stress the importance of leadership and success.

As always, please support our advertisers and the newest edition to the d-mars.com enterprise, the d-mars.com Health & Wellness Journal. Because of your support, we are able to continue being a leader in the Greater Houston area, bringing you a quality paper while we serve as a voice for our community.

Publisher’s Message

Keith J. Davis, Sr.

CONTENTS

D-MARS.com Business Journal

7322 Southwest Fwy, Suite 806Houston, Texas 77074713-272-9511 . Phone

713-272-6364 . Fax1-800-453-8752 . Toll Free

www.d-mars.com

MR. D-MARSTip of the Month

Bobtail Express: Delivery Service at its Finest……………...........................Credit matters: what aspiring entrepreneurs need to know………..............Strong Leadership in the Face of the Changing Economy……...................Furniture Matters…………………………………………………….…………..Leadership for today takes a lot of guts.......................................................The RISING NEED for Virtual Assistant Services………………………….....16th Annual African-American Business Achievement Pinnacle Awards....Impacting the World…………………………………………………….............Ann Bennett’s Vision for Harris County Clerk…………………………..........Standing up for Injustice in our community…………………………….........Swimming Upstream, Not Waiting for Superman…………………………....Financial Storm: “New Box” Investment Strategies…………………….......Are you a leader?.........................................................................................Look for the Pearls………………………………………………………….......Top secret qualities of an entrepreneur for success…………………….......Real Talk: Building a winning team…………………………….......................“How Do You Spell Success?”…………………………………………….......Online distractions when you work from home………………………...........Feeling financial strain?...............................................................................The 2010 POWERADE Texas High School Jamboree…………………........Improve productivity by changing your mindset…………………….............

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“The only real training for leadership is

leadership.”~Antony Jay

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“d-mars.com is certified with SBE, HUB, DBE & Port of Houston SBDP.”

SR. PUBLISHERKeith J. Davis, Sr.

VICE PRESIDENTKevin Davis

JR. PUBLISHERKeith J. Davis, Jr.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONSChristopher P. Kirksey EDITING CONSULTANTReShonda Tate-Billingsley

ACCOUNTING MANAGEREugenie Doualla

OPERATIONS COORDINATORBrandale Mills

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEMike JonesC.T. Foster

PHOTOGRAPHYLeon GalbreathGrady Carter

MARKETING CONSULTANTSJohnny Ray Davis, Jr.

MULTIMEDIA DIRECTORAndrea Hennekes LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGNERSGhuzzala Malik (Faith)Myron Davis

DISTRIBUTIONBooker T. Davis, Jr.Johnny Ray Davis, Jr. CONTRIBUTING WRITERSBrandale MillsChristina Robinson GrochettMichelle RodriguezIrvin Ashford, Jr.Margo Williams HandyCharlotte JacksonNicole ByrdCraig A. NicholasShari WrightDr. David JonesCarla LanePastor Chris HartwellNoel Pinnock

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Bobtail Express owner, Bobby Johnson, knows what it means to be a leader and defy all odds. Equipped with a high

school diploma and a few community college business courses completed, Johnson set out to become a self-made entrepreneur.

“My role at Bobtail Express exemplifies one of hard work, and in-tegrity,” Johnson said. “Being an entre-preneur means you are accountable for your business and how well it does in the business community.”

Johnson said if new entrepreneurs want to be successful, they have to re-main persistent even when faced with obstacles and challenges. This will help them stay abreast of industry trends, technology and applicable laws that govern the respective industry are im-portant, he said. In addition to perse-verance, Johnson said entrepreneurs should assist those hoping to own busi-nesses in following their dreams.

“Community members should be willing to mentor others to impart wis-dom and insight that will help to ensure the next generation of entrepreneurs,” Johnson said.

Although Johnson said he didn’t have a role model to help shape his ca-reer, he credits his faith in God and re-lentless spirit to his success. Leadership is important to keep an organization

moving toward its common goal and to keep business expansion in the forefront of the company’s vision, he said.

“A leader by definition is someone whose personality and skills afford them the ability to lead others and to accom-plish a task, agenda or the plans business at hand,” Johnson said.

Professionalism Breeds SuccessWhen Bobtail Express was found-

ed, owner Bobby Johnson started with only one truck operating the business from his home. Now, he owns a fleet of trucks with his operations based out of a business district in Northwest Houston.

“The over-arching goal of my organization is to continue to grow and expand in this current economic crisis,” Johnson said. “We have suc-cessfully been in business for over 20 years, servic-ing the delivery needs of major Fortune 500 companies.”

Bobtail Ex-press is a service-

oriented company that values the de-livery needs of its customers. In ad-dition, Bobtail Ex-press is competitive and will customize a rate structure that is cost effective for customers. Bobtail Express also has 24-hour dispatching with GPS tracking in their equipment. The Company is certified as a Minority Vendor for the City of Hous-ton, a member of the Houston Minor-ity Business Council and a HUB for the

State of Texas.“We pride ourselves at Bobtail Ex-

press; we believe that having safe equip-ment and drivers is an important fac-tor for the community,” Johnson said. “Bobtail Express has a Satisfactory rat-ing with the Federal Highway Admin-istration.”

Johnson said there are several ben-efits of becoming a client of Bobtail Ex-press, including a customer guarantee for safe and expeditious delivery.

“Our staff works closely with our clients to keep them abreast of their shipments at all time, and to resolve any

problems that may arise quickly and professionally,” Johnson said.

As a community leader, Johnson has dedicated his service to helping in-dividuals and businesses in their time of need.

“We want to provide a reliable and professional service to the local business community and to business abroad,” Johnson said.

In addition to participating in toy drives in the Houston area, Bobtail Express has assisted the Houston Food Bank after the devastation of major hur-ricanes in the city.

Johnson said his inspiration and commitment to the community is re-flected through his business’ superb cus-tomer service and humble beginnings.

“My motivation came years ago while working as an owner operator for a local freight forwarding company, which later became a global organiza-tion,” Johnson said. “While working for this company, I was a part of the busi-ness expansion process for the opening of each new regional location; in turn, inspiring me to start my own business.”

Bobtail Express has several levels of ser-vice, from pick-up and delivery in one hour to a “same-day” delivery service to anywhere in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisi-ana. Bobtail Express can also service delivery needs with their 26’ ft. bobtail trucks, trac-tor-trailers or flatbeds. For more informa-tion, please call 713.466.5224 for a quote.

By Brandale Mills, Contributing Writer

Bobby Johnson, Tamiko Brock & MR. D-MARS

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Irvin Ashford, Jr.

Credit matters: what aspiring entrepreneurs need to know

Many of the entrepreneurs of to-morrow do not sufficiently understand that credit decisions today can have long-lasting consequences that can ei-ther enable or hinder receiving the start up capital for the business of their dreams.

Many American families are living in debt and the majority of college grad-uates aren’t getting off to a good start when it comes to maintaining the health of their personal credit. According to a 2009 Sallie Mae study, recent college se-niors graduated with an average credit card debt of more than $4,100.

What are some fundamental truths of credit everyone should know?

Credit is a very powerful tool that takes years to build and only a short time to destroy. Poor credit can make it extremely difficult to obtain financing for a home, a car or that next great busi-ness idea.

Secondly, like a driver’s license, credit is a privilege, not a right. While it may sound great to buy now and pay later, one must earn this privilege by properly managing credit over time.

What are the different types of credit?

The most common forms of credit, or the provision of money, goods or ser-vices with the expectation of future pay-ment, fall in two categories:

Revolving Credit. Perhaps the most common form of credit, revolving

credit, like traditional credit cards, gas cards or department store charge cards allow repeated transactions up to a cer-tain credit limit.

Mortgages & Loans. Lines of credit like car notes, home mortgages or small business loans allow the consum-er to borrow money that must be paid back with interest.

How is your credit score calculated and who can review this information?

A credit score is a number repre-senting the creditworthiness of a person or the likelihood that a person will pay his or her debts. Banks and credit card companies use your credit score to eval-uate the potential risk of a loan or line of revolving credit, and lenders use it to de-termine who qualifies for a loan, interest rates and credit limits. More and more, insurance companies and employers are also reviewing credit scores to evaluate character and financial risk.

While most people think their cred-it score is based solely on the percent-age of on-time payments, your credit score is actually based on several factors: 35% is determined by how you make your payments (on-time, in full vs. the minimum); 30% on your current level of debt; 15% on how long you’ve been managing credit account; 10% on the establishment of new credit; and 10% on your credit diversity.

How can I build my personal credit?

By Irvin Ashford, Jr., Contributing Writer

When starting to build your personal credit, the rule of thumb is to keep it simple. Don’t apply for multiple credit cards; instead, carry just one ac-tive card and manage it properly by making payments on time, every time and try to avoid simply paying the minimum amounts each billing cycle. And remember that over half your credit score is based on timely payments and keeping your debt level low, typically under 35% of your credit limit.

How do I build my business credit?

First, to help separate your business credit from your per-sonal credit in the eyes of re-porting agencies, instead of us-ing your social security number,

apply for a separate tax identification number and establish a separate busi-

ness address, separate bank accounts and a separate business name and phone listing.

And like your personal score, mak-ing payments on time factors heavily toward increasing your score. Business credit cards, installment loans and even loans between relatives or investors can be reported to the credit monitoring agencies. Additionally, suppliers and vendors can also report payments to data companies that collect financial in-formation on your business.

If you manage your credit matters properly today, you will have a much better chance of being successful in the future in terms of purchasing a home, a car or receiving the start-up capital for the business of your dreams.

IRVIN ASHFORD, JR. is a senior vice president and Texas Market Community Development & External Affairs Director for Comerica Bank (www.comerica.com)

Comerica Bank Member FDIC Equal Opportunity Lender

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Strong Leadership in the Face of the Changing Economy

By Christina Robinson Grochett,University of Phoenix South Texas Vice President

During an economic downturn, professionals – whether employed or unemployed – experience a certain level of anxiety and fear. As the unem-ployment number in the United States stayed unchanged at 14.9 million in August, many of those individuals are feeling helpless. This statistic also weighs on the minds of those currently employed, who are thankful they still have jobs, but anxious to demonstrate their worth in the face of impending changes.

Leadership is integral in helping employees and businesses through these tough times and emerging stron-ger on the other side. Effective leaders stimulate their workforces by engag-ing employees and creating a positive work environment, which ultimately maximizes efficiency and helps achieve business goals.

Companies who do nothing to grow employees during an economic downturn will emerge less competi-tive and risk losing good employees and their intellectual capital when the economy improves.

Investing in employees doesn’t have to mean spending large amounts of money. There are many things you can do to motivate employees and keep them engaged without a signifi-cant investment. Below are some tips to help you.

Communicate: Communicate often with the

team. Transparent and honest man-agement styles often earn the most re-spect from employees. Whether shar-

ing new policies, business plans and solutions for issues, workers who feel as though they are in the know aren’t left wondering what is going on and don’t automatically assume the worst-case scenario. Also, don’t be afraid to make employees part of the problem-solving process. It’s easier to gain buy-in from employees who feel their voices are heard.

Motivate:Employees who are fearful for their

jobs are less productive and often have negative attitudes, which tend to be contagious. Leaders who understand the need to nurture and motivate their workforce experience better morale. When employees have more confidence in their roles and their work, they are more loyal to the company and work harder for the business.

Motivation can be as simple as recognition at an all-staff meeting, a reaffirmation that the employees are talented, or a thank-you from senior management. It can also take the form of awards such as an informal “jeans” day, an appreciation event like a catered lunch, a telecommute day for employ-ees once a month or an off-site team-building activity.

Improving employee morale does not necessarily have to cost money. Sometimes an investment of time, communication and understanding is just as effective. Whether it is a simple “thank you’ or an impromptu day off, employees who believe in their leader-ship have a sense of pride and owner-ship in the company.

Train: When the market experiences

change, an important step for leaders is to provide quality training to ensure employees have the most up-to-date skills and stay competitive in the in-dustry. The investment in additional education or training opportunities provides an employee with a greater sense of self-worth and increased confi-dence about their role and career path for the future.

Guide: A great leader creates an efficient

work environment that nurtures em-ployees’ talents and skills. Leaders of-

fer positive feedback and constructive criticism to employees, but also act as a mentor by listening to their problems and helping them create solutions. When the lines of communication are open, employees feel like a part of a team and a valuable link to manage-ment. Sometimes, all they want is to be heard and to feel appreciated.

In an unsteady economy, many businesses immediately evaluate and assess the situation. Whether making difficult decisions of financial cutbacks, one simple tip to keep in mind is that it all begins in attitude.

Leaders visualize the bigger picture and recognize what it takes to achieve favorable results with hard and smart work. By focusing on the way that things can be and not just as they are, effective leaders make decisions that move their business forward.

Even bad news, if shared appropri-

ately, can bring a team closer together. When employees see leadership in the organization, they feel a vested interest in their job and a renewed commit-ment to the company.

Christina Robinson Grochett is the State

Vice President/ Director of South Texas for Uni-

versity of Phoenix. An accomplished leader and

champion of higher learning, she was selected

as a 2010 Women of Influence by Houston

Woman Magazine and one of the Top 10 busi-

ness women by the American Business Women’s

Association in 2008. Under her leadership, the

Houston campuses were selected as a 2009 Best

Place to Work by The Houston Business Journal

and were awarded with the 2009 and 2008 Al-

fred P. Sloan Awards from the City of Houston

for Workplace Flexibility and Innovation.

Let us Promote your Business, Your Event, or You!

Advertise today in D-MARS Business Journal

713.272.9511

Credit matters: what aspiring entrepreneurs need to know

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Furniture Matters Early Planning is Key to creating the successful Interiors Project

Kay Davis Associates, LLC (KDA) describes their core service as “niche” project management. They are Furni-ture Consultants (FFE) whose profes-sional services include space-planning, preparation of specifications, budgets, oversight, provision of furniture and move management.

Dannette Davis, Principal Owner of KDA, describes her team approach to the client as full service and turn-key.

A New Approach to an Old Problem

KDA suggests that their consultant role should be similar to that of a Proj-

ect Manager and added in early plan-ning stages of a project.

“When conceptual decisions are be-ing made, we can support the process and provide information, strategy sug-gestions for approach, budget estimates and the provision of early ‘typicals,’ which aide with accurate decisions on use of furniture,” Davis said.

Davis suggests that the inclusion of this service throughout the entire pro-cess of design and construction or reno-vation will ensure constant inclusion and less mistakes as the project concludes, which saves time and money. Furniture installation and moves become the last-ing impression made on the client. This process can be planned and it should be seamless to the end User.

Staying in Your LaneDuring its 10 years of business, Kay

Davis has primarily focused on Higher Education, K-12 and Public Entities. Davis said her experience working in

Higher Education as a Facilities Profes-sional helps her to appreciate and un-derstand the culture also shaping her approach to her work.

“Space planning must work for the client because KDA understands what happens after the contractor completes his work and how an owner can be stuck with unresolved problems,” she said.

Davis said it is important that cus-tomers, including students on school campuses get the desired results from furniture and that it lasts appropriately.

“As a consultant, Kay Davis and As-sociates listens to the client’s needs dur-ing strategy sessions, ensuring that the end result matches the need,” she said.

ResultsKay Davis has completed numer-

ous projects with clients, including Houston Community College, Texas A & M University, City of Houston, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Prairie View, Metro, Har-ris County, HISD, and others. KDA is a women-owned, Small Business Enter-prise and holds several M/WBE certifi-cations, including HMBC and State of Texas and the City.

The office located at 2216 Wheeler includes a showroom where “intimate events” for industry related products will be held.

For more information please contact Dannette Davis @ 713.541.5468.

Dannette Davis

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Leadership for today takes a lot of guts

By Michelle RodriguezContributing Writer

Leadership use to come very easy, but in today’s economy, it presents a handful of challenges. As a leader of to-day, you have to know how to win big; how to make tough decisions; and how to lose with dignity and come back to-morrow and do it all again. Most lead-ers are not that flexible.

Leadership is not only for the peo-ple at the top, you have to find the pow-er from within and be prepared when the call for leadership comes. Your leadership skills really starts with small things. I remember always volunteer-ing to go first in school. Once, when I was 10, I had an assignment to read in front of the class. I wanted to make an impression, so I volunteered to go first and instead of standing in front of the class in a normal way to read my as-signment, I pulled a table up and stood on it and recited my assignment with great enthusiasm. The class came alive and everyone started trying to provide

a better lead into their assignment. I got an A+ on that assignment but I wanted more; I wanted an A+ in life. What you do when you are young sets a pattern, a lifestyle for you, and also sets the pace for others to follow. You won’t always be right in the decisions you make (my teacher could have easily said to me, ‘Are you crazy? Get down from there). But the beauty of risk-taking is the learning curve. And risk-taking is a very impor-tant leadership trait.

Mike Myatt, a very famous CEO Coach once told me, “Being right isn’t the goal – accomplishing the mission is. If you can only lead those who agree with you, then you will have a very small sphere of influence. Stop and think about this for a moment – his-tory is littered with powerful leaders who have fallen, failed, or who have been replaced, usurped or betrayed. Fear doesn’t engender loyalty, respect or trust – it breeds resentment and malcontent.”

At the end of the day, the compe-tencies of leadership can be learned by anyone but it’s important to find your leadership potential and work on it daily! This works because in my $600 Billion industry you rarely find a Black woman president in the room that built a company from scratch that deals with clients that are the top 10 Leasing Com-panies and Banks in the Leasing World. But nevertheless, it has been done and so the time is now to work on leadership for today and tomorrow!

Michelle Rodriguez is the President of HSW Financial, one of the nation’s lead-ing buyers and servicers of commercial debt. HSW, with offices in Texas and California, buys both performing and non-performing commercial portfolios from banks and Equipment Leasing and Finance companies.

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Leadership for today takes a lot of guts

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The improvement of the web hap-pens side by side with the surge in busi-nesses specializing in virtual assistant services. What is the reason behind this? Well, just because the steady improve-ment of the internet has seen a similar increase in the number of business peo-ple who desire to bring their companies online in order to hit a greater number of prospective customers. The expertise of these entrepreneurs, however, is lim-ited to traditional advertising, and they need to have somebody to help them. Providers of virtual assistant services can help them start with the on-line marketing.

Does it pay off to offer virtual assis-tant services? Yes, it does! Starting with the creation of online business websites to the promotion of these sites, these are projects that could be entrusted to vir-tual assistants.

Online advertising is among the virtual assistant services with appeal-ing promise. Amateur on-line business owners seek all the assistance they can get in terms of forming a plan that could help them advertise their prod-ucts. Besides that, they ought to have a strategy that will help them attract extra revenues sooner. What they demand is a

plan that will get their company closer to as many consumers as possible.

Typical marketers will surely find these kinds of duties difficult. Novice web entrepreneurs would aim to ad-vance right away, so they’ll most possi-bly get the service of a virtual assistant to take care of the job. Professional en-trepreneurs may recognize what to do, but chances are they will not have time to do it – they will still need a virtual as-sistant. Aside from internet marketing, vendors of virtual assistant services can help in a few duties like the research and collection of information pertinent to the growth of the business.

All the stated possibilities open a large door to virtual assistant service providers. But what exact services can a virtual assistant service vendor deliver? And in what way could a supplier thrive in this area? The most profitable service a person can offer is web marketing, the marketing of sites for the purpose of driving them to the top of the SEO page. Search engine optimization covers numerous areas: writing of copies and keyword analysis, pay-per-click promo-tion and email campaigns, together with building of backlinks and social net-working. All a person must do is choose

which service he will provide.A supplier must always keep in

mind specific guidelines in order to thrive well. To begin, he must under-stand the popular services required by online entrepreneurs at the moment. This will show more opportunities for extra customers and more profit. How-ever, in spite of familiarizing with the different virtual assistant services, one may also prefer to choose a single ex-pertise in the market. This is a must to form a distinction among the sev-eral other virtual assistants at present, a strategy that can help a person boost his reputation in his preferred field.

With virtual assistant services still getting more developed, there are vari-

ous prospects waiting for people who desire to embark on the field. Given the correct tools and capabilities, someone can deliver virtual assistant services even when home-based.

Free yourself from the boring leg-work of link building services for more website traffic and concentrate more in growing your business. Outsource those mundane task to an internet marketing virtual assistant services group and let them help you rank for your keyword in the search engines to get more visitor traffic and sales!

For More Information, visit SEOLink-BuildingTeam.com.

-GreatArticlesforMoms.com

The RISING NEED for Virtual Assistant Services

Let us Promote your Business, Your Event, or You! Advertise today in

D-MARS Business Journal

Call US TODAY! 713.272.9511

Food for the Soul

Anthony Price

By Brandale Mills, Contributing Writer

Growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Anthony Price suffered many of the hardships and setbacks that came

with being an African-American male coming of age in the 80s. With a posi-tive attitude, prayer and a strong ambi-tion, Price overcame those obstacles to create Houston’s hottest new restaurant, Mo Mo’s Chicken and Waffles.

“Fifth ward was once a vibrant Af-rican-American business community,” Price said. “With the success of inte-gration many years ago, some business owners and community members have lost touch with what’s important for the African-American community.”

Price and his longtime friend and business partner, James Prince, have long been committed to investing in their surrounding community.

“It is important that those of us

from Fifth Ward, Third Ward, South Park and other black communities give back and provide the proper foundation for future business owners to follow,” Price said.

In an effort to “give back,” Prince purchased and Price renovated the property located in Fifth Ward. After soliciting several local business owners to fill the retail spaces and receiving a lackluster response, Price decided to take matters into his own hands.

“I thought to myself, ‘why am I searching for someone to occupy the restaurant space when I can do it my-self.’” Price said.

Price said he got a few laughs when he told people he’d be preparing food,

but he was determined to give the com-munity what he thought was missing.

Mo Mo’s Chicken and Waffles serves home-style breakfast, lunch and dinner with their signature dish being their gourmet waffles and home cooked chicken wings. They also serve soul food, including ox tails, pork chops, sea-soned catfish and collard greens.

“Our goal is to provide a quality meal at a reasonable price in a pleasant atmosphere,” Price said.

Just two minutes from Downtown Houston, Mo Mo’s Chicken and Waf-fles is a premiere location for business lunches or for those looking for a south-ern dine-in experience. Those looking for a soulful late-night snack can come to Mo Mo’s until 4 a.m. Thursday-Sat-urday.

“Our food is truly food for the soul,” Price said.

And with waffles “just like Big Mama used to make,” who can argue with that.

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Tyra M. Metoyer, Contributing Writer

Houston – The Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce celebrated 75 years of service to the Greater Houston community as a champion for entrepre-neurship and Black business. Terence and Deidra Fontaine and Dwight and Genora Boykins served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the 16th Annual African American Achievement Awards where a ballroom filled with members, support-ers, corporate citizens and local, state and national leaders were inspired by a keynote address from former Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman.

In commemoration of this historic milestone, the Chamber recognized stalwart businesses and entrepreneurs who are a part of the fabric and legacy of African American business in Houston. The Excellence Award was bestowed upon Percy “Frenchy” Creuzot, Jr, posthumously, and Endurance Awards were presented to Hank’s IceCream; Johnson Funeral Home and Provost and Associates – all of which have been in business for more than 25 years.

2010 Winners

Advocate Award:The Advocate Award was created

to honor an organization that has been a true champion for African-American small businesses in the Greater Hous-ton Metropolitan area. These organi-zations are diligently working to ensure the stability and growth of small busi-nesses through its diversity supplier programs, community outreach and education. The finalists for this year’s Advocate Award were: Comerica Bank; Prairie View A&M University and the Texas A&M University System.

Advocate Award Winners

Prairie View A&M University and the Texas A&M University System

Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M have been connected since their inception in 1876. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of eleven universities that educate more than 120,000 students, with seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center that reaches another 22 million people through service each year. Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest public institution of higher education in Texas. With an es-

tablished reputation for producing en-gineers, nurses and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 aca-demic majors, 37 Master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools.

Mack Hannah, Jr. Upstart Award:This category is named in honor of

humanitarian, community and land de-veloper, banker, financier, and diplomat, Mack Hannah, Jr. who was Houston’s first black millionaire and a past presi-dent of HCCC. The criteria states that these businesses must be: 51 percent African American owned, a for-profit business in operation for no more than two years, and located in the Greater Houston Area or surrounding cities. The Mack H. Hannah, Jr. Upstart Busi-ness Award recognizes a business on the path to entrepreneurial greatness. The four finalists this year represent a diver-sity of companies and industries. They are all innovators and are already suc-cessful in their own right. The finalists are: Brooks and Davis Real Estate Firm, LLC; Simply Sweets and Zion Promo-tional Products.

Mack Hannah, Jr. Upstart Award Winner

Larry W. Brooks & Michael G. DavisLicensed Real Estate Brokers & Owners

Brooks & Davis Real Estate Firm, LLC, provides high-level expertise in real estate sales in the state of Texas. The company has over 15 years of combined experience in the Real Estate Indus-try. Brooks & Davis Real Estate Firm, LLC has five distinct customer groups: sellers and landlords of residential and commercial property; buyers of residen-tial and commercial real estate; tenants looking to lease and rent apartments, multi-family dwellings, homes, and commercial properties; residential and commercial landlords wanting property management services; and licensed real estate sales agents. Brooks & Davis is able to facilitate the services of our wide

customer base through the use of our Phoenix System which allows us to be effective and productive when satisfying the needs of our clients.

Pinnacle Awards:Pinnacle Award nominees must also

be 51 percent African American owned, a for profit business for a minimum of three years, and located in the Greater Houston Area or surrounding cities. Of the following 10 finalists, four winners were named 2010 Pinnacle Award win-ners: Sherra Aguirre of Aztec facility Services; Jennifer Dean of Dean’s Pro-fessional Services; Roshunda & Isaac Jackson of Joie De’ Linens and Event Planning; Dr. Allison Scott Cuillier of Lasting Impressions; Jackie Adams of Melodrama Boutique; Paul A. Can-nings, Jr, Robert P. Burrell, and Curtis D. Groves, Jr.of RPH Consulting; Dell Trahan of T&K’s Mobile Detailing and Pressure Washing; Ramona Riley of The DeJohn Group; Roderick Rice of Ther-apy In Motion; and Michelle “Mikki” Thompson of Urban Divas Hair Studio.

Pinnacle Awards Winners

Sherra Aguirre, President and CEO

Aztec Facility Services, an interna-tionally recognized company was found-ed April 1, 1981 by Sherra Aguirre. She has been contracting building services to commercial and industrial facilities for more than 29 years. Her firm provides janitorial, housekeeping, landscaping, window cleaning, carpet cleaning and related facility maintenance and man-agement services for Fortune 50 clients. One of the firm’s most prized accom-plishments is the achievement of ISO 9002 quality certification in July 1995. Aztec was the first janitorial firm regis-tered in the United States. Aztec won the U.S. Department of Commerce Mi-nority Business Development Agency’s “Service Firm of the Year” award for an eleven state region; the Houston Busi-ness Council named Aztec “Supplier of the Year”; Aztec has also been honored as the “Woman Owned Business of the Year” and received the “Prime Supplier”

award by the Houston Women’s Busi-ness Council, in addition to Oklahoma and Regional awards.

Jennifer Lynn Dean, President & CEO

Dean’s Professional Services – Smith & Dean, Inc., an award-winning staffing, staff development, & consult-ing firm opened its doors in 1993, spe-cializing in medical staff consulting. Since that time, the company has ex-panded to include other areas of staffing including: clerical, administrative, envi-ronmental, legal, accounting, I.T., and a now has training division. Dean’s Pro-fessional Services is listed in the Hous-ton Business Journal’s Book of Lists as one of the Largest Permanent Placement Firms, Largest Temporary Placement Firms, and Largest Minority owned Businesses. In addition, the company is on the Fastest 50 Women Owned Busi-nesses list and the Fast 100 companies list with the Houston Business Journal. In 2010, Dean’s Professional Services received the Inc. 5000 award for fastest-growing private companies in America.

Dr. Allison Scott Cuillier

Dr. Alison Scott Cuillier is a na-tive Houstonian who knew at the age of 12 that her career calling was dentistry. In 2002, she and the late Leslie Bowie Wells Brooks, set their sights on leaving their mark in history, when they opened Lasting Impressions Dental Group, conveniently located between the muse-um district and midtown Houston. The loss of her founding business partner, due to illness, caused her to have to over-come significant obstacles. Rather than

16th Annual African-American Business Achievement Pinnacle Awards

Brooks and Davis Real Estate Firm, LLC

Aztec Facility Services

Dean’s Professional Services – Smith & Dean, Inc.

Lasting Impressions

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allow both of their dreams to falter she managed however, through hard work, determination and initiative to main-tain the office and expand her number of patients. Lasting Impressions Dental Group offer a number of services that will fit all of your dental needs- from extractions, root canals, white color fill-ings, veneers, cosmetic smile makeovers, implants, and even braces!

Melodrama Boutique opened De-cember 19, 2002, as a boutique that be-

Melodrama Boutique

lieves, “image and style compliments the moment”. Jackie Adams business is built around her personal philosophy of style. She believes we should be prepared for spontaneous moments by being at your best. She teaches customers how to make their fashion fit their lifestyle, whether it’s sporting attire or ball attire the same principles apply. Melodrama carries lo-cal designer handbags and jewelry with

Jackie Adams

moderate price points to high end lines for the clothing. Offering unique styles, great fabrics, and across the board fits for women with curves. Promoting her busi-ness with special events from book sign-ings to trunk shows and themed events, Adams coordinates fashion shows with local churches and speaks with teenag-ers on dressing appropriate with style for their ages.

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Friends,

I am Billy Briscoe a native Housto-nian and resident of Harris County and your candidate for the office of Harris County Treasurer!

I am a graduate of Hampton Uni-versity, the University of Houston Law Center, and the University of Michigan Business School. As a lawyer and ex-perienced professional on business and public law matters, I have more than 15 years of experience representing Fortune 1000 companies and governmental en-tities on a range of issues including tele-communication, energy, transportation

and economic development for small and minority business owners. As the next County Treasurer I will bring these experiences to bear in restoring the pub-lic’s confidence in Treasurer’s office and in attracting industry to our region.

My door is open and I am ready to listen so that I can best serve to con-stituents of Harris County. Please do not hesitate to contact my office so that together we can begin a dialogue to improve the quality of life of our com-munity.

This election is critically important. We simply must get out and vote to continue the path forward.

Please remember that early vote be-gins Monday, October 18th and lasts until Friday, October 29th, and that Election Day is Tuesday, November 2nd.

If you are ready for new and effec-tive leadership that you can be proud of, please join my campaign for Harris County Treasurer. I would be honored to have your support!

With warmest regards,

The time is Now for Change…..

Impacting the World

By Charlotte JacksonContributing Writer

Can you imagine enjoying your work so much that you would do it even if you were not paid to do it? Imagine a working environment where you are empowered to do what you are good at, where enthusiasm is the norm instead of the exception. If you were able to come to work knowing that your position al-lows for creativity, a sense of humor and the ability to not only shine, but to make a difference, wouldn’t you arrive early and stay late?

Working alongside mentors who care more about the final outcome than “tooting their own horn” makes for a much more productive and ef-fective environment. Take a group of young people, ages 18 to 30 who are full of passion and life, introduce them to those individuals who are older, who have already begun to impact the world by volunteering hours of their personal time for causes such as eradicating life-ending illnesses, improving the quality of life for those less fortunate and edu-cating others on their area of expertise where each are accepting of the other no matter the economic statue, religious preference, gender or race and you be-gin to understand what a family truly is. Now, take that family and imagine that you have relatives not just in your own neighborhood or city, but through-out the United States and in countries around the world totaling over 1.2 mil-lion people. What you have is the op-portunity to organize and execute blood drives, reading programs for young chil-dren, recognition of unsung heroes, the ability to spotlight the often forgotten members of society, to raise awareness of the “orphan illnesses” and so much more. What you have is the Rotaract.

Derived from “Rotary in Action,” the international service organization

for young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, Rotaract is perhaps the least known yet most important part of Rota-ry International. Important as this part of Rotary is where individuals have the opportunity to develop leadership skills which will naturally improve with time so that by the age where they can join Rotary, they become world-changers.

Worldwide involvement by com-mitted individuals who believe in “Ser-vice above Self,” Rotary Clubs have effectively worked to eradicate polio throughout the world in all but three countries. Add their experience with fundraising, organizing sister clubs and sharing knowledge to the passion, which younger people naturally want to develop and this younger group could very easily be the group that finds a cure for HIV and AIDS.

Rotaract is a worldwide service or-ganization which promotes “Fellowship through Service.” The membership is open to those between the ages of 18 and 30 years of age and can be set up either as a campus-based club at a local college or university or as a community-based club. Rotaract Clubs have the ad-vantage over many other organizations for this age group in that their “parent” organization has existed for over 100 years, has clubs in over 160 countries who will gladly lend support both fi-nancially as well as by mentoring the members.

Right here in Houston, the Rota-ract Club of San Jacinto College North has the distinct honor of being one of the longest consecutively active Rota-ract Clubs in North America. In the past few months, members of this club have worked together to provide back to school immunizations, school supplies and resources for over 1,980 individu-als on the east side of Harris County as well as to bring laughter and new skills to children in often single parent homes by providing activities for the Kids Club at a local apartment complex. An exam-ple of one night of activities would be when, in less than two hours, the Rota-ract members read a story about Hawaii, taught the children how to hula dance, taught them a Hawaiian song, worked with them to make mock volcanoes and shared a salad with the children rep-resentative of a salad made with fruits native to Hawaii. The young people impacted lives by giving of themselves. Together with other Rotaract Clubs, they are collaborating on ways to pro-

mote World AIDS Day on December 1 as well as to promote Homeless Aware-ness Week in November. The members are truly showing leadership by impact-

ing the lives of others.If you would like more information on

Rotaract, please feel free to contact me at Charlotte.Jackson@yahoo.com

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Ann Bennett’s Vision for Harris County Clerk

Ann Bennett wants to bring Trans-parency, Integrity, Accountability, and Modern Technology to the Harris County Clerk, an office that she says has been less than transparent and account-able to the voters of Harris County.

“The Probate, County Civil and Criminal Courts at Law should have

been equipped with the support servic-es needed to efficiently and effectively manage the county court system long ago. I will bring the modern technologi-cal advances needed to move the Harris County Clerk’s Office (the third largest county in the United States) into the 21st Century,” Bennett said.

Bennett is a native fifth generation Texan who moved to Houston in 1972 and married native Houstonian Ealy Andrew Bennett in 1979. Together, the couple has one son, Ealy Bennett II. She attended Texas Southern University nights and weekends in the School of Journalism and Communications while working at KTRK-TV. Bennett has also worked as a legal secretary for 12 years for plaintiff and defense law firms in the Houston area.

Bennett has worked in the Har-ris County District Courts for over 14 years as the Court Coordinator of the 55th and 152nd District Courts until 2006.

“It is vital that the County Clerk have a good working relationship with the Probate Courts, County Civil and Criminal Courts at Law, lawyers, liti-gants, and the citizens of Harris Coun-ty. Every citizen at some point will need the services of the County Clerk’s Of-fice, and every citizen customer deserves customer friendly and user friendly ser-vices,” she said.

Bennett said she recognizes the duties of the county clerk are to serve as clerk of the county probate courts, county courts at law, and the county. In addition to those responsibilities, Ben-nett hopes to keep and maintain the integrity of records pertaining to the county courts, real and personal prop-erty records, records of vital statistics; is-sues marriage licenses, administer other licensing and recording requirements, conduct countywide special and general elections, and handle early voting.

“I understand the importance of maintaining the integrity of records

entrusted to the County Clerk. I have acquired the skills, knowledge, and ex-perience in my career being a public and customer servant, court coordina-tor to three State District Court Judges, legal secretary in defense and plaintiff law firms, and working with heirs of many Texas Spanish and Mexican Land Grants,” Bennett said.

“I am asking the citizens of Harris County, Texas to elect me as the next Harris County Clerk because I have the necessary skills, knowledge, and ex-perience to be an effective leader and administrator, the moral integrity to do the right thing, the desire to bring transparency and accountability to this office, and the insight and knowledge to bring Harris County Clerk’s Office into the 21st Century,” she added.

Bennett has designated Thomas N. Thurlow, a 50-year veteran Houston lawyer and long time Democrat, as her Campaign Treasurer.

In times of cutbacks on every spec-trum of the banking and loan indus-try, entrepreneurs are finding it harder and harder to launch business ventures because of the lack of funding. Most entrepreneurs by nature are resource-ful beings, but more and more aspiring entrepreneurs are becoming agitated by the fact that they are limited because of the decline of the mighty dollar. With the continued advancement in tech-nologies and the social networking rev-olution, there just might be an answer

to the dollarless syndrome many en-trepreneurs are suffering. The answer: Crowd funding.

According to Wikipedia: Crowd funding (sometimes called crowd fi-nancing or crowd sourced capital) de-scribes the collective cooperation, atten-tion and trust by people who network and pool their money together, usually via the Internet, in order to support ef-forts initiated by other people or orga-nizations. Crowd funding occurs for any variety of purposes, from disaster relief to citizen journalism to artists seeking support from fans, to political campaigns, and now for the purpose of

Have a great business idea but no funding?Crowd funding may be your ticket to making your entrepreneurial dreams happenBy Nicole ByrdContributing Writer

financing start-up companies.This new age Internet second-

chance financing called webnomics, provides an opportunity for entrepre-neurs to stay in the game and tap into the financial resources needed to make their dreams happen. It allows those in-dividuals with a viable business idea to engage monies from a group of support-ers at a very low cost.

How does all this work? Compa-nies like Kickstarter.com hold funds in a protected escrow account. Entre-preneurs soliciting funding for projects must set a target amount and a deadline and if not reached, all the money is re-funded back to the investors.

There are several crowd funding strategies that can help entrepreneurs seeking seed money:

• Pledge approach - where are all pledges are all voided unless target amount is reached as in the case with Kickstarter.com

• Sponsorships - advertisement as a sponsor in return for monies in-vested in your business venture.

• Microfinance Loans - the entrepre-neur decides on some type of eq-uity in the venture being proposed in exchange for the loan.

These new way of getting start-up funding allows entrepreneurs to de-feat the requirements of conventional financing. So, in spite of the media

imposed recession, entrepreneurs can choose not to participate in the current banking antics and bring their passions and dreams to the marketplace. There are several websites that support these programs and are doing very well. Here are a few to get you started:

Http://kickstarter.comhttp://rockethub.comHttp://cofundos.orghttp://catwalkgenius.comhttp://quirk.comhttp://profounder.com

If you are ready to dive in and start accumulating support for your project, do your research first (due diligence is a habit all entrepreneurs should embrace) Two, create a strategy for the funding initiative before signing up on any of the below websites (map out your expenses, and know how each dime will be allo-cated) and last but not least, put some type of reward program in place to say thank you to those who support you in your next big dream.

Nickcole Byrd is a business professor who specializes in helping women turn busi-ness ideas into income. Nickcole has taken her passion and zeal for the business world and women’s empowerment to start her own Life Success Coaching Business. She is cur-rently an author, radio show host, TV Show Host and speaker. She is the creator of a The Business Chic mentoring program and The Purple Book of Success. You can email her at nickcole@nickcolebyrd.com.

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By Carla Lane, Contributing Writer

I have been in the job market for six months, and wouldn’t you know it, I now have not one, but two job offers. I am overjoyed! But here’s my dilemma. How do I make sure

I am able to get the best offer from the best firm?

Like buses, we can wait for-ever for a job offer and then two come along at once.

While it is great to feel in demand, multiple job offers pose a dilemma. What do you do if the first offer re-ceived, while representing a good career move, isn’t your ideal and you believe the dream job could be just a phone call away? How long can you hold out before accepting or declining the offer? Not treating any offer or future em-ployer with full respect can mean that two job offers quickly turn into none and you create bad feeling along the way with potential employers.

It is possible to juggle more than one job offer, but the situation needs careful thought and consideration.

Here are some guiding principles that should help secure the best possible outcome and ensure you don’t burn any bridges with future employers.

There are inherent risks in juggling more than one offer and to manage the situation successfully you need to use your intuition combined with a prac-tical analysis of each offer. Compare the two roles carefully and assess their short-, medium- and long-term op-portunities. Factors to consider include scope for training and development, the culture of the organization, the people you will be working alongside and how well it fits with your own values. Also, include practical considerations such

as commuting time and cost. Match these against your own priorities and expectations to help decide which comes out top. Make your compari-sons on a like-for-like basis wherever possible and, while it’s perfectly natu-ral to have a preference based on gut feel alone, try to be objective.

While having two job offers on the table puts you in a position of strength, it is essential not to be tempted to play one off against the other or indulge in unnecessary stalling tactics, which may irritate a future employer.

But by all means go back to glean more information about the role, particularly if you are using a recruitment agency, which can serve as a handy intermediary. It is also entirely acceptable to ask

for a few days to make up your mind, especially if the job involves relocation. You could ask to spend some time at the company and to be introduced to key personnel who you will be work-ing alongside and whom you haven’t met yet. These tactics will buy you time while you decide and will also show that you are serious about the offer.

Reneging on a job offer because you have received a better one threatens to damage your integrity with not just the first employer, but the second one, too. If you had no qualms about letting the first company down, who’s to say you won’t behave in exactly the same

way again when you get a better offer a few months down the line?

Calculate the risk of potential dam-age to your reputation and future job prospects against the benefits of the seemingly more attractive proposition. If you genuinely feel, on reflection, that the first job will be a bad fit and your employment with the company is be unlikely to last, there may be a case for going back on your decision, but it should never be taken lightly.

Once you’ve accepted the preferred offer, inform the other employer of your decision as soon as possible. Be sure to personally contact the person who in-terviewed you at the organization to thank them and provide a short expla-nation of why you’ve turned down their offer. By taking the time to be courte-ous at this stage you will leave a favor-able impression, which may be useful at some point down the line.

If you only do five things1. List the pros and cons of each

opportunity 2. Buy some extra time if necessary 3. Be upfront and honest 4. Avoid accepting an offer and

then backing out 5. Politely follow up with unsuc-

cessful employers

Congratulations and Good Luck!

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Standing up for Injustice in our CommunityBy Brandale Mills, Contributing Writer

Derrell Wright, Attorney

Attorney Derrell Wright has always been a voice against injustice.

“I feel that every U.S. citizen has rights and when those rights are vio-lated, there should be justice of some kind,” Wright said.

Wright graduated from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Mar-shall School of Law in 2001 after work-ing as police office for over seven years. Wright has served and protected the public for his entire professional career.

“The work I do, protecting the rights of individuals, will make this world a better place,” he said. “A world in which people and corporations are held accountable for their actions.”

Wright understands minorities don’t always get fair treatment in the judicial system, so he’s dedicated his law practice to assisting community members in get-ting fair treatment in the legal society. Wright said growing up, he saw time af-ter time people being taken advantage of in the judicial system.

The system was not set up to serve minorities. I want to be there to help them compete in the current judicial system, he said.

“If you have been wronged in some type of way, it is my duty as a part of my community to make sure that we are heard and that we made whole from any unfair treatment or damages we have re-

ceived,” he said. In addition to his work in the com-

munity, Wright has served as an advocate for those seeking legal advice or help. His practice specializes in personal inju-ry, family law and real estate law. Wright said he primarily focuses on these types of law because they are issues that affect everyday people.

“If you feel that you have been mis-treated, you should immediately contact an attorney who has the legal knowledge to address the situation that you are in,” Wright said. “Whether it is a criminal action or a civil action, always speak with a legal advisor who can protect your rights before they are ever violated.”

Swimming Upstream, Not Waiting for Superman By Craig Anthony Nicholas, Contributing Writer

America is beholden to grass roots pioneers whose activism, organizing, and ministry have raised the bar for giving back. In the pattern of Marva Collins, Mary McCloud Bethune, and others who have contributed to a great heritage of empowerment and freedom through education, Houston’s own Bea-trice Mayes is championing a legacy of achievement in our community.

Since 1966, her leadership as founder, principal, and namesake of Houston’s oldest continuously-running school of its kind, Beatrice Mayes Insti-tute Charter School (K-8), has ushered academic recognition and progress as few schools have achieved. Recognized as “Exemplary” seven out of the last 10 years and ranked in the top one percent among all schools in Texas, what sets Beatrice Mayes Institute apart is Mrs. Mayes’ teaching style and approach to education.

“It’s a family thing . . . Relationships are very central to us,” says Beatrice Mayes, “The fabric is different because of our staff devotion and commitment to children mastering the well-rounded discipline as opposed to test teaching.”

Mrs. Mayes is fully involved in ev-ery classroom, hands-on, asking “How

can I help the teacher,” and sets the ex-pectation by talking with every class be-fore matters get to discipline. As the re-nowned thought leader coaches teachers on how to use their own style, creativity, and autonomy to best deliver the end result for each child, there is no bureau-cracy. The heart of the faculty is shown by teachers that come at six a.m. when classes begin at eight a.m.

What distinguishes the exposures offered is not simply K-8th graders learning Spanish or first-grade scholars reading novels, but how this gem of a school takes everybody as its own.

Mrs. Mayes’ son and Chief Execu-tive, Thomas Mayes, says “On their best day, we don’t know what unique chal-lenges the students will throw at us, yet we have to get them to excel. Every day is a struggle, but we don’t give up. We work together and get it done.”

Quite a few men on staff coach the young men, support them like family, and are not going to let them fail. The open door policy enables ‘Men with Di-vine Purpose’ to provide strong mentor-ship to the middle school men and assist in the overall mission.

One Hundred Black Men is a spon-sor for this year’s “Fathering the Future”

Symposium at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church. The 2010 Conference on Urban Education at Reliant Crown Plaza aims to engage family, faith, and community leaders on their roles in re-sponse to changes in family structure, educational policy, and school admin-istration. Strategic partnerships have been fostered with Houston Endow-ment, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Tour de Hood, and Junior Achievement. One Economy, a broadband tech training collaboration with Comcast, will pro-vide a screening of filmmaker Robert Townsend’s Internet TV series, ‘Diary of a Single Mom’ for parents and out-side community to address how matters people deal with everyday may offset what happens in the classroom.

Family involvement as firm sup-porters in their child’s learning relation-ship and emphasis on character are key. Parents are proud when they see the dif-ference from where their child was and the results in development. So much is invested into each one that gradu-ates are grateful to walk back through the school’s doors to reconnect with the heart of this sacred family. Notable graduates include Dr. Kenyatta Gibbs of Texas Children’s Hospital Board, Dr.

Billy Gilbert M.D., and Erica Graham, candidate for Civil Court Judge.

Mrs. Mayes first began tutoring a young man that was so far behind in every capacity that his mother was frustrated. The child returned to pub-lic schools two years ahead. Beatrice Mayes Institute Charter School and its early education center, Wonderland Private School (Pre-K), were born when Mrs. Mayes went from being unsatisfied working everyday for someone else to quitting her job to pursue her gift for children and teaching.

Now at capacity with 430 students in Houston’s Historic Third Ward, more capital relationships are needed to implement expansion plans for this remarkable academy. Nationally recog-nized for dozens of honors awards for outstanding achievement and excellence in education, Beatrice Mayes keeps a song on her heart, “I Will Trust in the Lord.” Strong vision, passion, and pur-pose shape this servant-mentor who is compelled by these words from Psalm 138:8, The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me.”

The mark of a leader is to produce results undeniable to the world and leave a message embedded in a people committed to carry it forward. Man-kind reaps dividends from the active partnership between community, par-ent, teacher, and student where a new generation adopts a culture of rising to the challenge of academic excellence. Certainly, the future leaders from Bea-trice Mayes Institute Charter School are swimming upstream for scholastic achievement, not waiting for Superman.

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Investing in these times can be daunting in light of the financial storm we have endured the past three years. It makes sense that many are fearful and want to hold onto their money or bet-ter yet hide it under their beds. But, we have seen some major storms – Ka-trina and Ike- the past few years and I believe we need to take some of the same resolve and perspectives gained from those experiences and apply them

to our investing strategies. It is time to rebuild our portfolios– differently! New ways of thinking emerged as a result of these storms and it is that type of energy that is needed in investing in what I call the ‘New Box’. Not outside of the box, just simply new. Look, I am not saying I have the cures to investor woes but I will offer up some sensible ideas. Here are my ten ‘New Box’ investing strate-gies for the coming years. I say invest in: Relative National BankThe astute investor does not quash dreams but looks for opportunities in places least expected and one may be lit-erally sitting at your dinner table. Long before banks allowed certain groups to borrow money, a person turned to fam-ily. Maybe it’s time the neighborhood started enjoying Aunt Pearl’s food at the restaurant you and she own. The point is to focus on opportunities found in “Family Inc.” Reality EstateIt is extremely difficult to buy a house nowadays but the need for housing per-

sists. You should buy an undervalued property and base your rental fees off of Section 8 rates. And, give yourself a reality check – this is not a game to be played with ego. It will take work – hard work - but if done right can be one of the best investments made. Time ShareBuy a reasonably priced time-share about 100 miles from where you live and begin having reduced cost vaca-tions. I call them “staycations” where you save money by staying close to home. This savings is an investment of yearly reduced cost burden which allow for those savings to be used in other money making pursuits. Clean CarsA down economy changes behavior. This may lead to a business opportunity of which you may not have thought. We are a nation of car drivers. That be-ing said, we are also a nation currently of lost drive-ways – owners moving to multifamily units. No driveway equals an absent water hose. If there is no wa-ter hose, people migrate to places where there are ones – i.e., a car wash. Go in with some entrepreneurial minded col-leagues and build one! StorageAs people begin to downsize, some will find it extremely difficult to let items go, coupled with the fact that the new square footage of their dwelling won’t allow for all of their stuff. So, storage facilities, in my opinion, are a good place to invest either in a publicly traded company or look to open up one yourself. HealthFood budgets are getting tighter and waists will get bigger still as people try to find cheaper ways to eat. Poor diets are comprised of cheap foods typically. Diabetes and hypertension will continue to rise as a result. I say you may want to invest in a diabetes or dialysis treat-ment center with that medical doc-tor in the family. Green companiesCommunity colleges and universi-ties are full of individuals learning the green technologies and initia-tives. Government money is re-ally behind this movement! This is one of the “new” industries that will continue to grow. Although relatively small now, the lowering of green house gases, reduction of carbon emissions and finding innovative ways to reduce trash

production is a varied sector with a lot of upside. Definitely an opportunity to create a business focused on training or development of a green product line. Oh! StocksWith the internet, we now can essen-tially become our own brokers. Our eyeshave been open by the crisis and we should not look back. Make a little room for them in the “New Box”. CollegeIf college bound, study the market, see where there may be a shortage of jobs, and tailor your studies accordingly. Fill a need and not your want for a while. I say take a utilitarian approach. Power – of YouKnowledge is never going away and one needs to set aside money for con-ferences or classes to increase one’s knowledge base. Enhancing your cur-rent skill set and consistently learning new trades may lead one away from the corporate grind and into ownership. Additionally, the contacts you meet at these events, if utilized sensibly, may lead to business ventures being devel-oped. Do not underestimate the power of people and - YOU!

Marilyn Logan is a financial guru and therapist and author of “I Can’t Afford To Marry You!” A Guide To Understanding The True Cost Of Love. She can be reached at www.marilynlogan.com.

Financial Storm:“New Box” Investment Strategies

By Marilyn Logan, Contributing Writer

Watch my new T.V. Show “The Money Lady” HCCTV

Monday/Wednesday @ 3:00 p.m.

Or Go to: hccs.edu/hcctv

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By Dr. David Jones, Contributing Writer

I often tell my faculty and staff that if I consider myself a good leader and no one is following, I’m just taking a walk in the park. Thankfully, that has not been the case during the tenure of my educational leadership. However, many leaders fail and fail drastically due to the fact that they see leadership as dictator-ship or ‘my way or the highway.’

In my opinion, one of the attributes of a great leader is the empowerment of those around him; he makes every-one better, more competent and want to work under his/her leadership. There are many leadership styles and you can argue for or against any of them. Nev-ertheless, one must take a close look at those that are highly effective and those that are not. If leadership wasn’t impor-tant then why are we seeing annual sala-ries of Fortune 500 CEOs well over five hundred thousand dollars not including bonuses?

If you asked one hundred successful leaders what the secret to their success, you’ll get many varied answers. There are the textbook ingredients that we as leaders engraft within our style of lead-ership, but more importantly, the per-sonality of the individual can be a pro or con to effective leadership.

Which personality/style is your natural one? Does your personality push you toward being maintenance-oriented and a good custodian of successful busi-nesses, or are you more of an innovator by temperament? Here’s a simple self-di-agnostic you can use to find out (taken from Chapter 3 of Business Innovation For Dummies). To identify your basic leadership orientation, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I focus on doing things con-sistently and carefully?

2. Do I find routines boring and dull?

3. Do I take pride in perfecting my skills?

4. Do I get the most enjoyment out of trying new things?

5. Do I insist that employees and team members do things cor-rectly?

6. Do I insist that employees and team members try new ap-proaches?

Maintenance LeadershipIf you answered yes to Questions

1, 3, and 5, your default leadership is toward maintenance. You’re probably particularly good at keeping a successful business or operation going smoothly and well. However, this maintenance leadership will tend to reduce the amount of creative thinking and experi-mentation you do, and make it more difficult for you to lead innovation and change. You’ll need to make a conscious effort to change your leadership in order to allow innovation to happen.

Innovation LeadershipIf you answered yes to Questions

2, 4, and 6, you probably didn’t answer yes to the others, because people usually favor one or the other leadership. Your leadership is creative, and your tendency is to look for new ideas and approaches. You ought to find it fairly easy and natu-ral to adopt innovative leadership tech-niques and to inspire others to become more creative. Your weakness may be in persisting long enough with one idea to bring it fully through development and refine it into a profitable routine.

Mastering Both LeadershipsYou need to be able to shift your

leadership and not be stuck with just one approach. Knowing your basic ori-entation helps you understand not only your strengths but also your weaknesses.

A maintenance-leader is great at keeping things running smoothly and doesn’t get bored with the pursuit of ef-ficiencies during scale-up. However, he may tend to forget about creativity and fail to lead the way to the next big thing. Maintenance only makes sense as long as what you’re maintaining is worth it. At some point, you need to trade it in

for a new model.The innovation-leader is a natural

when it comes to finding the next great idea and working on it, but begins to lose focus and get bored just when the inno-vation’s kinks are finally ironed out and it’s time to profit by using it efficiently.

Which is your strength: innovating or maintaining? Whichever it is, know your strongest and weakest qualities and make a point of hiring people who can help you with both. I’m a natural innovator myself, but the Dean of Stu-dents at my school has more a mainte-nance leadership style. He’s really good at making things hum along efficiently, and he keeps a close eye on the everyday detailed items that are necessary to keep the school running smoothly. Some days he takes the lead, when his leader-ship fits the need at hand.

I’ve found I’m so strongly oriented toward being a visionary/innovator leader that it’s hard for me to see to in-trinsic details and action steps essential to accomplish the big picture, therefore, I hire great people that are excellent in the details, action steps and procedural guidelines to accomplish the tasks at hand. However, most people are less extreme in their leadership style and can put the small pieces of the puzzle in place while working on the big picture.

More important than any book you may read, an effective leader is one who knows thyself and what works in getting people to maximize their potential as they follow leadership. A good leader must operate within his/her abilities and delegate to competent people those ar-eas of weakness. The great Shakespeare said it best: “To Thyself Be True.”

Are You A Leader?

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By Carla Lane, Contributing Writer

Look for the Pearls

Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside its shell, or an attack from outside. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. This sac is made by the mollusk secreting a nacreous liq-uid that surrounds the irritant until it eventually becomes a pearl. In other words, what begins as an annoying irri-tant eventually becomes a valuable trea-sure. The same is true in life.

Life can be so irritating. More often than not, it is the little things that an-noy me the most. Things like, the lost set of keys, the misplaced cell phone, the empty orange juice carton placed back in the refrigerator. But then there are times when people are the problem. They show up uninvited or call when I am running out the door, already late for an appointment that I really don’t have time to keep.

I am convinced that these tiny ir-ritations are a tool to rub off some of our rough edges. For it is in these times it is most important that we maintain a positive attitude. Maintaining a posi-tive attitude requires you to broaden your perspective and suspend judgment. Your attitude is directly related to your

perception and interpretation of events. It is important to recognize that all of our experiences - especially the most difficult and most irritating ones - offer seeds of opportunity and growth.

Sometimes these seeds are subtle and hard to find, but they are always there. Have you ever had a situation that at the time you thought was ter-rible, only later to find out that it was one of the best things that ever hap-pened to you? While it is good to have this realization after the fact, the key is to have this understanding at the time of the event. In these moments it is im-portant to remember that there will be something good that will come - even if you can’t see it right then. You simply must trust that with time you can find the positives and/or opportunities that come from the experience.

Trying times can either break us or make us. Those broken are haunted by unpleasant memories. These memo-ries are like shadows that lurk in front, behind, beside, beneath and above. It is also a cage that traps the mind, pre-venting it from entertaining possibilities of triumph and success. Those that are broken are convinced that they will not succeed therefore, they will not try.

For those of us that failure could not and will not break, failure is not a ghost, but a friend who has taught and continues to teach us well. It is also a stepping-stone to wisdom. We are con-vinced that true failure only happens when one gives up.

Looking back, I can honestly say that the greatest treasures in my life have been discovered during the darkest times of my life. A divorce stripped away years of fear and doubt, and insecurity, leaving me confident and fearless. The possibility of losing the only job I had ever had my entire adult life, prompted me to start my own business. A trying

economy has reminded me of who truly holds my future. Over the years, weak-nesses have given way to strengths and failures have led to successes.

I am reminded by the pearl that a mess is the perfect setting for a miracle. A sliver of hope and a seed of victory are buried at the center of every prob-lem and in every trial or difficult mo-

ment of life, there is a buried treasure. When the tough times come, just look for the pearls.

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Journal

Top secret qualities of an entrepreneur for success

Every day in your life you hear about successful people, including sportsman, speakers, businesspersons. Why are they at the top of success? Do you ever think about it? What do those people have in common? If you look into their success stories then you can notice some common things. Here you can read some top-secret qualities of an entrepreneur from their success stories.

1. Self confidenceSelf-confidence and faith in oneself

is a vital trait. Self-confidence means trusting your own strength and capabil-ities. The globe of entrepreneurship is not unknown to failure and disappoint-ments. To go on in such a cutthroat world, an entrepreneur must have the capacity to look within himself and lo-cate the drive and determination to fol-low his venture. An entrepreneur must have the good sense to face any misfor-tune and undertake any problems that may be encountered in the world of big business.

2. Employ new ideasSuccessful entrepreneurs employ

new ideas every time. They check ev-ery change. Why you do same that not working? Bring some new ideas to force your business. For example look at the advertisement of selling products. They change their advertisement ideas every time. When they don’t locate some-thing extremely easy, they try to correct it to serve them superior. So think out of box as successful entrepreneurs do.

3. Accept Criticism and RejectionCriticism or rejection is important

for success. Successful entrepreneurs al-ways accept their criticism. They deal with them appropriately. They stay

on their plan and too focused on their goals. They learn from criticism and improve their performance. You should know how to deal these.

4. Hard WorkerIt is very common factor and you

better know about it. And no doubt about it that entrepreneurs are almost always very hard workers in nature.

5. CompetitiveSuccessful entrepreneurs are always

looking for competition. Many expert coaches tell you that the steadiest qual-ity found in successful entrepreneurs is the pure will to win,

6. Effective LeadershipSuccessful entrepreneurs are natural

leaders. They know how to make deci-sions that turn into perfection. For ex-ample Henry ford (American founder of the Ford Motor Company and A great leader) did not believe in accountants; he amassed one of the world’s largest fortunes without ever having his com-pany audited under his administration.

7. Highly energetic and self MotivatedSuccessful entrepreneurs are always

full of energy. They boost their energy from motivation. Motivation is like a fuel for your success mindset. If you want to get success then you have to be motivated. Easiest source to get moti-vation are success stories and seminars. You can use both for motivation.

These are just the Top 7 secret qual-ities of an entrepreneur for success. All one needs to do is to find the right mix of these values, excellent timing, per-haps a bit of luck and, of course, faith in oneself. So, do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? Go over these qualities and values mentioned and reflect if you do have these.

Naven is a small business owner and business coach and contributor to greatar-ticlesformoms.com.

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THE EXPERT NETWORKTop secret qualities of an entrepreneur for success

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THE EXPERT NETWORK

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THE EXPERT NETWORK

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THE EXPERT NETWORK

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THE EXPERT NETWORK

Real Talk: Building a winning team

By Pastor Chris HartwellContributing Writer

There are specific and strategic re-lationships that must be established and nurtured in order for one to accomplish their dreams and reach their fullest po-tential. We all have “blind spots” in life.

Share your dreams with open-minded friends and loved ones. Some people may be hesitant to talk about their visions, but sharing your dreams is vital to your success. Ask for support and seek honest and uplifting feedback. When you share your vision with clar-ity and enthusiasm, your loved ones will likely also become excited and will sup-port your endeavors.

In order for us to achieve our dreams, there are certain individuals that we must have in our lives. These individuals have specific roles to play in the development of our mentality, per-spective, and dreams. No one can effec-tively realize their dreams without the support, encouragement, and guidance of these individuals.

The first is a mentor. The purpose of a mentor is to encourage, motivate, and inspire you to do your best. Your mentor will believe in you one hundred percent. A mentor should have already blazed the trail that you are intending to travel; having already experienced their share of bumps and bruises along the way. It is hard for someone to lead where they have never been.

Secondly, you will need a manager. A manager’s primary responsibility is to help you design goal-oriented strategies, and then help you work through each action item week after week. Your man-ager helps you to move closer to your goals. A manager must be articulate and detail-oriented. Sometimes we can vi-sualize our dreams but have a hard time conceptualizing the steps necessary to accomplish them. Your manager should be able to hear your heart’s desires and goals and then apply a useful work tem-

plate to help you reach them. The third team member is a coach.

Your coach will be there to help you identify changes that can potentially improve or simplify your path to suc-cess. These changes may not be obvious to you, and failure to implement them could be preventing you from moving forward. A coach is also there to offer constructive criticism. In order to ob-tain the greatest benefit from this rela-tionship, you will need to swallow your pride and realize that your coach is only trying to bring out the best in you. You may feel as if your coach is picking on you when they point out things that seem insignificant, but they are aware that small things today can turn into huge liabilities tomorrow.

Lastly, each dreamer must have a personal trainer. Your personal trainer may be the most important person in helping you fulfill your dreams and reaching your potential. Webster de-fines potential as the inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being; or something pos-sessing the capacity for growth or devel-opment. This definition is important because many people assume that poten-tial is unlimited. But in actuality, each of us has subconsciously set invisible limits that confine our lives and limit our potential. While we may sometimes fantasize about achieving great accom-plishments or embarking upon exciting adventures, we “know” in our hearts that these things are only dreams, and seemingly beyond our reach. As a result, those things remain unfulfilled dreams. Your personal trainer will keep you mo-tivated and on track, encouraging you to move forward, and helping you to deal with any roadblocks along the way. This personal trainer will understand your potential and will stretch your physical, mental, and emotional stamina so that you can reach your desired end.

For more information please visit www.hartwellministries.org or email pastor Chris at pastorchartwell@gmail.com.

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“How Do You Spell Success?”

By Author Noel Pinnock, B.S., M.P.A., C.A., CCCContributing Writer

“Leadership begins with you and accomplishments rest in the arms of those who you lead and inspire” is a phrase I stress in my team meetings. When I serendipitously constructed the statement, I did not truly realize its im-pact and cascading effects. Productivity and morale increases when people pos-sess ownership and it is this dynamic that drives organizational, community, and personal success. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish a pre-determined objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Success can be defined in many different ways. According to the Merriam Dictionary, success is the achievement of something planned or attempted. Obtaining success is not an insurmountable task but it is in-tentional; it is not an enigma but it is predicated by leadership.

Are leaders born? Well, this is a highly debated question because so many perspectives are floating around. Which of the following statements about leadership are true?

– Leaders are born with a natural ability to lead.

– Leaders are individuals who have been assigned positions of au-thority.

– The terms “leader” and “man-ager” essentially define the same role.

If you answered ‘no’ to all the statements, then you are correct. Some believe that in order to be a leader and promote intentional success, the per-son must have the genetic fortitude or work in a position of authority. While others believe that individuals can be

trained to function in a leadership ca-pacity. Well, these perspectives are not totally inaccurate because it is my per-sonal belief that great leaders have an innate desire to selflessly serve as well as develop themselves on an ongoing basis to keep their saw sharpened. To that end, everyone and anyone can be a leader; however, there is a major dif-ference between effective and ineffec-tive leadership. US Former First Lady, Rosalyn Carter (b. 1927) once said, “A good leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t want to go but ought to be.” A leader possesses passion, pur-pose, and practical skills; he or she is not the lone ranger but rather has a paradoxical blend of humility and con-fidence. Leaders lead because they:

– Look at possibilities and visual-ize what might be;

– Elevate the expectations of those working with him or her;

– Activate commitment by defin-ing the way; and

– Develop trust.

Are you looking to be a leader in your community, job, or home? If your response is yes, then there is not one formula to make the transition. Remember, the leader that positions him/herself too far in front of his/her troops begins to look more and more like the enemy, which means in order to be a leader you must have follow-ers. Followership is an elected func-tion as people have to elect to follow you and in return, you must develop a bond of trust with those who share in your vision. Trust is a two-way street. A leader shows that he or she is willing to entrust part of the vision to others in order for them to carry it out (remember my coined phrase). By empowering others to do their part, a leader earns their trust and success is only inevitable.

So, how do you spell success? Well, my response is simply, L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P! Remember, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers {leaders} are few; therefore, pray to the Lord (God) of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest (Matthew 9:37-38 NIV). The harvest is ready and there is much work to do! If you are leading, inspiring, informing, and educating, then keep up the good work but if you are not, then it is never too late to start.

Online distractions when you work from home

If you’ve watched the news at all in 2009, you’ve probably heard that the economy has taken a turn for the worse. A lot of people believe that Internet and online business is the thing that is go-ing to turn the economy around. For a lot of people, that has already proved to be true. People everywhere have turned to the internet looking for solutions to their income problems, and they’ve found them.

Of course, there is no magic an-swer to everything and you can’t wave your hands and instantly make $10,000 a month, no matter what that ad on television told you. While there are hundreds of ways to make a living on-line, there are also hundreds of ways to lose your money online. It is of crucial importance that you take the time to research before you make any big deci-sions online.

Think of it as if you were buying a new car. You don’t just go to the car dealership and buy the first car you see when you walk into the showroom, do you? Of course not. You shop around, compare features, consider pricing, ask

about finance options, you even care-fully consider what color you want your new car to be. Choosing an online op-portunity should be treated with the same care and consideration.

There are a number of things you want to avoid when you’re looking at jobs and opportunities online. First of all, look for the big red flags. If some-thing asks for a large sum of money up front, it should be approached with cau-tion. That’s not to say that you won’t need to ever make an investment, be-cause plenty of legitimate opportunities require investment. However, you do need to be careful when offering your financial information and any kind of large sum of money in exchange for an opportunity or to learn about a job.

Another red flag is when the job de-scription or sales page doesn’t really say a lot about the company or what you’ll be doing. If they can’t tell you how you’re going to make money, then chances are you might not want to know. Look at the offer details carefully before decid-ing if you want to click the big orange button to find out more.

Look for contact information on the website or in the advertisement you’re interested in. Do they tell you who they are or who they represent? Lack of contact information can be a fast giveaway that someone doesn’t want you to reach them when you have ques-tions. Who will you call if there’s a prob-lem or you need help with the venture? Is that really the company you want to do business with?

If you want to work from home and are having a difficult time getting start-ed, please visit us at www.EasyWahm-Websites.com. We are a group of work-

at-home moms that want to help others to achieve their dreams of working from home. If you’re not sure about a particu-lar opportunity or idea, we’ll be glad to help you research it. We want you to avoid scams, and we want to spread the word about companies that are taking advantage of people who want to make a living working from home.

Loretta Oliver has been working from home for the past nine years and enjoys blog-ging and is striving to meet her 2010 goal of becoming a super affiliate. You can find great things from Loretta at http://www.lorettaoli-ver.com. www.greatarticle formoms.com.

Feeling financial strain? Use the holiday break to create a new plan

The holiday season is filled with family, friends and celebration, but it can also be overwhelming with financial stress. Ac-

cording to a SleepBetter.org survey, 44 percent of parents expressed worry about being able to afford the holidays last year. A natural solution for combat-ing this stress is tackling it head on. Use the holiday break to reflect, set goals and develop a new routine that works better for you and your bank account.

One option to consider: Direct sales presents an opportunity that’s easy to start, and those who are dedicated will be financially rewarded. Using this sea-son to start up a business and promote it at holiday gatherings is a great way to cushion your budget, adding peace of mind for the year ahead.

It’s easy to get started. Many di-rect sales companies ease the experience

of starting your business. Costs should be modest, under $50, for example, for the purchase of a sales kit.

Be your own boss. With a flexible work schedule, you set your own hours and might even squeeze in appoint-ments with clients at holiday gather-ings. “Because I choose when and where to spend time on my business, I’m able to attend more holiday events,” said Janelle Crane, a distributor for XanGo, LLC, (www.xango.com), a health and wellness leader in direct sales. “Better yet, these occasions allow me to lever-age my social networks to help grow my business.”

It’s a growing industry. Direct sell-ers in the U.S. grew from 15.1 million in 2008 to 16.1 million in 2009, and experts predict this trend will continue. With over 200 companies listed with the Direct Selling Association, you’re bound to find one that has products and

a business model that fits you.How do I choose a direct sales

company?• Pick a company with a proven track

record. Research and verify each company’s credentials, including membership in the Direct Selling Association and having good stand-ing with other industry groups.

• Consider products you use in your personal life. Represent products with which you feel familiarity and enjoyment, and your natural enthu-siasm will shine through.

• Look for products with proven sci-ence. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and direct sales provide time for distributors to talk about prod-uct benefits in detail. For example, distributors selling XanGo Juice—a premium mangosteen beverage—point to research validating health benefits experienced by consumers

around the world. According to a study published in Nutrition Jour-nal, XanGo Juice lowered levels of C-reactive protein (a key marker of inflammation), which may indicate a corresponding benefit to heart health.

• Pay attention to the compensation model. Compensation should be based on the sale of products, not recruiting new members. Dr. Law-rence Chonko, a University of Texas at Arlington professor of business ethics, advises that, “Direct sales can be financially rewarding, but it requires hard work. A legitimate direct sales company will offer a fair compensation plan that rewards distributors at all levels.” Learn more about getting started in di-

rect sales at www.directselling411.com.

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The 2010 POWERADE Texas High School Jamboree Presented by Elite Action SportsSportsscapers Sports and VYPE Magazine

D-MARS.com is teaming up with Elite Action Sports to present the POWERADE Texas High School Jam-boree 2010. The Jamboree was created as a platform for student-athletes who wouldn’t necessarily get the opportuni-ty to be seen by college coaches and get the chance to compete at a high level for college scholarships.

Entering its eighth year, the POW-ERADE Texas High School Jamboree will be held November 26-27 at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. Over the 16 games, several national powers will be represented in the likes of Houston Yates, Bellaire, Westbury Christian, Alabama powerhouse Central Park Christian and New York’s Our Savior

New American, just to name a few. In the past, this event has seen the likes of former NBA forward Gerald Green, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cava-liers, Glen “Big Baby” Davis of the Bos-ton Celtics, Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons, Damion James of the New Jer-sey Nets and DJ Augustine of the Char-lotte Bobcats.

Rick Nelson, president of Elite Action Sports and the director of the Houston Elite Grassroots Program, has a mission of providing a positive envi-ronment for academics and the game of basketball for young men and women.

“In sports, the principle of working as a team is essential to achieving cham-pionship success,” said D-MARS.com

president Keith J. Davis, Sr. “With this partnership between D-MARS.com and Elite Action Sports, we are setting out to show the community that there are ways to achieve your goals in life whether it is through entrepreneurship or athletics. Strong team players make some of the best leaders.”

In addition, D-Mars staff will be

giving presentations about D-Mars dur-ing half-time of various games and there will also be a booth available to sign-up for D-Mars mailing list.

For more information, contact Elite Action Sports at 832.651.9032 or visit their site at www.txjamboree.com. For more information about D-Mars, please visit www.d-mars.com.

left to right: Everett “Doc” Nelson II, Everett Ricky Nelson, Sr. & Evony Nelson

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THE EXPERT NETWORK

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Improve productivity by changing your mindset

There are many methods and tools for productivity, but first and foremost, it requires a change of mindset. Without having the right mindset, even the best methods and tools will only give you modest results. On the other hand, hav-ing the right mindset gives you strong foundation for the productivity tech-niques and methods to run smoothly.

So how can you improve your pro-ductivity by changing your mindset?

Love what you doDo your tasks with love. If you have

this mindset, you will no longer feel the tasks as a chore. Instead they will be something you happily do. They will be fun.

To see the power of this principle, just take a moment to look at your life. Can you recall doing something you love? How did it feel? Next, can you recall doing something you don’t like? How was the feeling compared to doing something you love? You probably no-

tice significant difference between them. For the thing you love, you effortlessly do it. You do it with enthusiasm and ex-citement. Results will naturally follow. On the other hand, doing the thing you don’t like is a struggle. You must drag yourself to do it and you suffer along the way. It’s difficult to achieve maximum productivity in such condition.

Perhaps you notice that I wrote “love what you do” and not “do what you love.” Why? Because the former is proactive while the latter is not. You can’t always choose to do things you naturally like. There will be times when you must do something you don’t like. If the mantra is “do what you love”, then your performance will be depen-dent on the kind of tasks you have. You will perform well when you do the tasks you like and you will perform badly otherwise. This, however, isn’t true pro-ductivity. To be truly productive, your performance must be consistently good. No matter what kinds of tasks you have,

you must perform well. That’s why the key is to “love what you do” and not “do what you love”. You should learn to love whatever tasks you come across, wheth-er or not you naturally like it.

Replace your negative self-talk with positive one

It all begins with our mind. We love something because we have positive self-talk about it and we don’t like some-thing because we have negative self-talk about it. For instance, for something we love we may say something like:

• I love it.• It’s exciting.• I can’t wait to do it.

On the other hand, for something we don’t like we may say something like:

• It’s boring• It’s difficult• I wish I don’t have to do this.

Can you see the difference? To re-place negative self-talk, with positive

one, here are some things you should do:

Find something positive about the task

If you want to have positive self-talk about a task, you should have some-thing positive to begin with. While we may naturally look at the bad side of things we don’t like, we should take the effort to find something positive. What can you get from the task? What reward will you receive? The reward might not be immediate. It could be far in the fu-ture, but I’m sure you can get something from it. For instance, the task may teach you the traits of patience and persistence which will be useful in the future.

Watch your self-talkOur self-talk may run automati-

cally that we barely notice. But, if you take closer look, you will recognize the kind of self-talk you have. So don’t just do things on autopilot. Watch your thoughts and identify the kind of self-talk you have.

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