Race.

There’s a loaded word if there ever was such a thing.

Many people get mad just hearing the “r” word. Others try to ignore hearing it and instead dance around it. Sort of like little kids covering their eyes when something frightens them. As if covering your eyes will make fears go away.

Though many black people have a ‘job’ mentality, I have had the benefit of three generations of entrepreneurs in my family.

On my dad’s side, his parents owned farms when he was a kid. Later they moved to San Luis Obispo where they opened a corner general store (way before the Koreans moved in after realizing the value of owning and supporting one another to launch such stores). A cousin owns a dance studio — she’s been in music videos traveled the world extensively and has hob knobbed with some pretty important people. On my mom’s side, her mother owned an antique store probably longer than I’ve been alive. Though she closed up the shop to help my aging grandfather, she still deals in antiques through private collectors and occasionally through a permanent booth at a local flea market.

My mom and dad both have owned businesses, independent of one another. And one of my great uncles owned a saw mill from the time of the depressions on into the 70’s, plus cattle ranches. Gave up the saw mill when his thousands of acres were found to have oil under that dirt, and our (yours and mine) uncle Sam started mailing him monthly checks for the drilling they were doing out there. Yeah, he was a millionaire several times over.

Despite these success models, and one accidental millionaire, I’ve noticed many of my relatives failing miserably at businesses. The main reason is they’ve fallen in love with an idea and then tried to find others who might be interested too. I’m finding the same pattern among blacks in general.

After telling all their friends, family, and ex-coworkers about their business they’ve run out of ideas for making a buck. When the doors stop swinging and no one is calling, they desperately begin selling off personal stuff or take on second jobs to support their businesses. They’ve become reactive instead of proactive at marketing.

Few African American business owners really know how to market a business. Outside of praying and hoping for word of mouth exposure or running the same kinds of ads that don’t work for anyone else, they’ve run dry of ways to make a buck, just like a well that suddenly stops producing. And the worst part is, they never put any ounce of effort into learning how to change this. They just hoping things will be better. Some day.

This is why few African-American businesses will ever dominate their market.

Those who know the value of marketing kick butt in their industries. They make money predictably. And they are less taxed mentally over the day-to-day operations of the business. They take more vacations, spend more time with family, and give more back to the community than those who use the ’shuck and jive’ marketing methods. You know, they smile and act the part in hopes that will bring favor from someone ‘higher up’.

Give me a break!

One reason I respect Korean business owners is they do something many blacks don’t do. They work together. They form alliances that support one another instead of take advantage of one another.

There seems to be a trend among blacks to look down on one another. To view each other as adversaries instead of potential partners. The, ‘what right do you have to be more successful than me’ mentality is so prevalent among us today.

I miss the 70’s. No, not the purple corduroy two-piece pant suits, nor the afros, but the feeling of camaraderie that existed then. I have three white step brothers. When we traveled back then I’d wave at blacks or start up a conversation wherever we traveled. My step brothers were convinced I knew the blacks I spoke to. They just couldn’t believe complete strangers could treat each other as if they knew one another. As if there was a common bound.

A few years back while traveling in L.A. I waved at a black man who had made eye contact with me while we were out shopping. He gave me ‘the finger’.

Obviously today that bound doesn’t exist. At least not as prevalent as it once did. There’s just too much distrust. Sometimes for good reason. “You’ve got to watch your back” because you never know when a stranger might target you for their next scam.

Those three reasons are exactly why African Americans will never dominate the world we live in.

- The immediate mistrust of one another (sometimes for good reason because of a few greedy, dishonest opportunists who surface and ruin things for everyone else)
- Failure to work together for the good of one another
- Failure to look beyond the pray-for-business marketing method

I believe strong marketing companies should dominate the weaker, regardless of race. My wife got mad at me because once I even considered taking a marketing project for a legitimate business end of a Aryan group. Their motto had something to do with improving themselves through every legitimate business means available regardless of race.

Duh! Isn’t that what we all do?!? Or should…?

The more money a business can generate, the more it improves the economy and local communities. Regardless of race.

When it comes to business, race isn’t an issue. Unless you make it one.