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Yep, first and foremost we KNOW it takes a GREAT deal of effort to hire someone in the first place, you are concerned about paying them and you have to take the time to train them. You wonder if it’s worth it. The answer my friends is YES it is. You will KILL yourself working 14 hour days, the years will fly by and you will not have a life. I know MANY black entrepreneurs who endure this on a day to day and it’s not smart. You CAN hire someone and you DON’T have to do the work yourself, you just have to find ways to pay them like hiring them a month at a time or part time. When we make money that is NOT the time to go out and treat yourself to a new car or some extravagant gift (though you should treat yourself) but this is the time to ease the tension and to fork over some of the day to day to someone else to free you up to focus on the things you probably have been ignoring like sales or billing. You will certainly hire the wrong people from time to time as I have and here are some suggestions to avoid costly mistakes in hiring… (click “NEXT” after each segment above or below)

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Hire people who have a career interest in your field.

I have struck gold with this several times. When People feel like there is a benefit to them, they tend to show more interest and they are more eager to work. Make sure you are not greedy and preventing them from meeting people in your field but meet the first few people with them to see how they represent themselves and your business.
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Interns are Nice BUT…

They are doing if for college credit and you may find some great ones or you may find others that are a complete waste of your time. If they are doing a full load during the semester, they are going to be very busy and they may not be able to dedicate the time and effort you need.
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Stop being Greedy and PAY

I know many black entrepreneurs that have the money to pay someone they are just greedy and don’t want to and they want everything for next to nothing or free. Here is where that famous saying come in handy.. .You GET what you pay for and if you pay for nothing you get nothing.
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Come up with written instructions on how to do the job..

This will save you a TON of time and effort from repeatedly explaining to new people how the job is done. When you hire people who don’t work out you will not KILL yourself training them over and over taking valuable time out of the day that you need to run the business.
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Hire People who Think Like You.

Ideally, you want people who can mimic you hence the saying, I need 2 of me, when you find someone like that, it takes SO much stress and strain off of you. If you hire a younger person who is interested in your field you will most likely come across someone like this.
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Hire an Older More Experienced Person and Pay what You Can

I have hired older workers in my industry and I have felt guilty about offering them $10.00 an hour like I would someone younger but if that’s all I have in my budget and they are doing the same job, then that’s all that I need to do. There are times that older workers are very set in their ways, as we all are when we get older and want to do things their way and that’s fine with me as long as it gets done. You don’t want someone who will get people in your industry on the phone and talk about the good ol days, business is still business and we all have jobs to do so you may need to watch and monitor what’s happening on your dime.

Miami Entrepreneurship Center (MEC261) offers trendy office spaces, at below market prices, for startup companies on month-to-month terms for as little as $595. The center also offers flex membership for $99 per month; that allows members to use their co-working space, Wifi, amenities and access to all MEC261 events. The center is located at the 261 North East 1 Street in the Jane building downtown Miami. Plans for the building include housing a tech incubator, a fashion incubator, a co-working space, and a maker space. All in one location. This type of black entrepreneurial centers are no longer just in California, they are popping up across the country expanding the startup communities across the U.S. (Chicago, Austin, New York, Denver, Las Vegas and now Miami).

This startup friendly initiative is an “all-you-can eat” office package for tech-startups that are looking for modern, yet cozy feel to their workplace. MEC261 has leased out 60% of its 15 offices and will soon be completely leased out. “Elebev chose MEC 261 as our first home as we wanted our team to get exposure to the dynamic black entrepreneurial energy that comes from working in true community-based space. We are all very excited to be here,” said Nestor Villalobos CEO and President at EleBev (ARTICO). Studies have shown that co-working stimulates ideas and provides the much needed networking necessary to be successful.

MEC261 has established big plans over the next few months including the opening of their event space, which will provide a centralized location in downtown Miami for not only the startup-community but for any downtown entity in need event space seating for up to 500 attendees. In a recent interview, “MEC261 will not only provide fun office space for startups, but also much needed mentorship and introductions to startup capital partners like EDC, Florida Venture Forum and EarlyShares.com,” said Maurice Lopes, Executive Director and Founder of the Miami Entrepreneurship Center.

For any questions please contact either one of the references below.www.mec261.org

Greetings Biz Tipper readers. Take a second to check out this website and watch the video of how this man created a great product that everyday people can use….

With a 9-to-5 job and a crowd-funding campaign launched on August 18th, a San Diego inventor is seeing instant success with a product created in his garage on evenings and weekends. MantelMount (www.MantelMount.com), the easy-to-install TV mount that allows anyone to pull a large flat screen down off-the-wall to eye-level and swivel it left or right, announced today that within 16 days of its 30-day Kickstarter campaign, it surpassed initial funding goals by 400%, generating more than $100,000 in sales from over 400 supporters.

MantelMount’s patent-pending construction combines high-quality automotive pistons with lightweight alloys and state-of-the-art counterbalance technology. Its up-and-down, tilt-and-swivel adjustability allows MantelMount users to enjoy the preferred view of any flat screen plasma, LED or LCD TV. Sore necks and glare caused by TV’s mounted too high on the wall have become a thing of the past.

Through Kickstarter.com, “backers” have the option to “pledge” or pre-order a single MantelMount unit, at prices between $199 and $249, whereas a regularly priced MantelMount will be $389. Currently, a limited number of units remain available at the lower price points. With close to 500 units recently manufactured, MantelMount plans to send out its first shipment immediately after its 30-day Kickstarter campaign comes to an end.

“It’s very exciting for us reach the $100,000 mark in just over two weeks of launching. My team and I are extremely pleased with the high volume of pre-orders, positive emails and referrals we’ve received. We can’t wait to ship these units for our new customers to enjoy,” said MantelMount Inventor Brian N. “We’ve also been approached by several domestic and international distributors. I guess they recognize MantelMount offers a real solution to the frustrations caused by TV’s mounted too high on the wall.”

Having already exceeded its initial funding goal, and with only 9 days remaining, the start-up will continue to offer discounted units to backers through Kickstarter, so it can further increase production and lower manufacturing costs. If funding continues to grow at this rate through the end of the Kickstarter campaign, Brian may just be able to quit his day job and work on MantelMount full-time.

To see MantelMount in action or for more information, visit http://www.MantelMount.com. To pledge for the product, visit the MantelMount Kickstarter Page.

There are many things that set winners and losers apart in the small business game.  I’m sure you have heard the old saying… find your passion and the money will come. That’s incredibly true and passion is FIRST. If you are in business ONLY to make money chances are you will fail miserably. You will not be dedicated to the creative end or quality service and it will be garbage in and garbage out. For the true black entrepreneur who wants to win… here are some tips.  (click “NEXT” to see each segment)

1. Create Win/Win Strategies

If you are going in and trying to create ways to benefit yourself only you will NEVER and I mean NEVER grow. The client will not see the advantage of working with your brand (unless it is SUPER successful) and you will appear as a greedy, selfish opportunist

2. Give Credit to others

There are some black entrepreneurs who will tell you to always take credit for what your business does and make it APPEAR you are doing everything but I don’t agree with that. Once again, it appears selfish and behind every successful black entrepreneur, there is HELP. Give credit where it is due and your employees will appreciate you more.

3. Surround Yourself with the right people at all costs

NEGATIVE PEOPLE WILL KILL YOUR SPIRIT, YOUR DRIVE and EVEN YOU. GET RID OF THEM! There are people who are just draining. Every time you pick up the phone they have their list of complaints and woe-isms and you feel like you need a nap after that. Find other people who are on FIRE and who LOVE life and who LOVE being black entrepreneurs. The world is your oyster and we all only have a few good years on this earth. Do not waste yours on people who refuse to get up and see the light. It’s not up to you to save the world but you can damn sure make a great impression on it.

4. Work Hard, Work out Hard and Play Hard

The balance for black entrepreneurs is hard. We always do more than one the most but you MUST and I mean you MUST find balance. Enjoy the fruits of your labor but not FOOLISHLY. I say that to say don’t go out blowing all of your savings on a new car and not have something stashed for emergencies.

5. Set a schedule and Stick to it

2 to 3 hours a day making calls 1 hour for accounting, Lunch with a client twice a week etc. The beach all day Thursday.

6. Don’t Make Excuses

Especially for other people. You never know what you can have until you ask and most times twice. Usually, you will get it.

7. Don’t wait for Permission

This is a HUGE mistake many of us make… HELLO, WE WORK FOR OURSELVES? Why are we waiting for someone to tell us it’s OK to live our lives or call on potential clients or treat ourselves to a reasonable benefit of our hard work and labor? You don’t need permission that’s WHY you work for yourself.

8. Have Repeat Clients

Do great business. Make them want to come back. Look, if you are only in business to make money because you have found a way to milk clients, it will not last and/or you will never grow. Your style will become dated and you will become a joke. ALWAYS look for ways to expand and ALWAYS go above and beyond the call of duty for clients.

9. Mentor Others (not related) who are like You

If you want to be truly blessed, bless others. There is something about the unselfish act of giving someone younger an opportunity that will open the floodgates for you. I’m not talking about a relative I’m talking about someone who is young and eager and reminds you of yourself especially when you wanted an opportunity and nobody would help you.

10. Worship with others

I’m not talking about church necessarily. You can worship with other black entrepreneurs or perhaps a better word would be “Fellowship” you will get amazing blessings out of giving and receiving.

11.Provide Advice for Other Entrepreneurs

We all go crazy from time to time, keep your phone line open for other black entrepreneurs who need your advice. If you find the situation is always you helping them then it’s not a good match but if you are helping each other it’s a great marriage. I would not advice doing this with a competitor, no matter how close you think you might be.

When times get tight friendships rarely exist in business and I’ve head competitors do some unscrupulous things to me, thank God my clients look out for me and let me know what’s going on and what they have tried to do. My relationship with my clients affords me that extra benefit.

12. Follow your Gut/Intuition

I’m not sure how old you are but think back on the times your gut or intuition or as some call it “spirit” told you something and you did not listen. I’m sure there was a price to pay. Listen to that voice inside of you that tells you to act and ACT. Don’t think about it trust your instinct.

13. Take the Lead/Take Control

Once again you are a leader, not a follower and you don’t need permission. Go for it

14. Meet with Staff

They may not want to do it but make it fun. Do it at a nice restaurant. Your staff can give you amazing insight on what you might be missing.

Apple is set to acquire headphone maker and music company Beats Electronics for a reported $3.2 billion. This deal could literally nudge rapper/producer Dr Dre into billionaire status and make him one of the most respected black entrepreneurs in the history of the music industry. He didn’t do it alone, he worked with Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine as his business parter to build this incredible 7-year-old  empire. Originally the duo worked with Monster electronics on a deal to distribute Beats but the deal went south a few years ago and Iovine and Dre cut ties with Monster. Since then, Monster has put out their own line of headphones along with many other big name celebrities , none anywhere near as successful as Dr Dre’s Beats. Sources state the announcement will take place next week and Apple will shell out a reported 3.2 BILLION dollars. This deal between Beats Electronics and Apple, itself a very progressive company, will be the most money paid by Apple for any business. The headphones sell on average for $300.00.

Beats Electronics was just sold to Apple for a reported 3.2 Billion dollars. This is the most money Apple has paid to buy any company. The purchase has catapulted Dr Dre into iconic status as the first hip hop billionaire. How did he do it?  Starting out as a producer for the rebellious gangsta rap group NWA, Dr Dre may have never imagined almost 30 years later the group members would have gone in various directions and he would be where he is today.

He showed his amazing production skills early on not just with NWA but also starting out producing music like Michelle’s smash “Something in my Heart” showing he could do more than produce rap. He went on to produce for MANY major singers and rappers after that and even had his own now-iconic album The Chronic on his own Death Row records in 1992. An album that is ranked by many in the hip hop community to equate the iconic status of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

7 years ago, Dre introduced his $300 headphone line called Beats with business partner/record exec Jimmy Iovine and his massive respect from fans as a producer immediately shifted in massive sales of the headphones. Many other artists tried to follow suit but failed. He was first, he had established the brand recognition and a demand was created for his headphones. Here are 10 things ALL black entrepreneurs can learn from Dr. Dre. (click “Next” for next segment)

Those who say the least, and do the best, make the most NOISE

You rarely see Dr Dre on late-night TV shows, online or at many events. The entire Beats line was promoted in a very unique, straight to the point no hype way. The lack of public appearances and the “distance” has also worked for Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson, Sade, Stephen Spielberg, Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Russell Simmons, Diddy and only a handful of other celebs who spend most of their time perfecting their craft and skills instead of doing what 99% of other celebs do, promoting their next project.

Dre has been superior at everything that he has touched in the industry starting with producing. When your product is superb it will speak for itself. There is little need for hype and the best promotion is word of mouth. (click “Next” for next segment)

Surround yourself with the right business people

You can surround yourself with the right people all day and they can encourage you to be your best but the right business people will encourage you to take risks and be the best business person that you can be. Jimmy Iovine is a lot like Dr Dre. He does not make a lot of appearances but his record label success earns him the ultimate respect from the industry. He is brilliant when it comes to marketing.

Without question, he borrowed a few pages from Steve Jobs’ book as well as Christian Louboutin in marketing Beats as well. He created a demand for a high priced must-have gadget that sold itself. the red cord separated the headphones from all others and the unique Beats logo seemed to be everywhere. Dre and Iovine needed to work for hand in hand and Iovine saw the opportunity. Dre didn’t have to do much more than to sit back and watch Jimmy work his marketing magic and that’s what happened. (click “Next” for next segment)

It’s all in the presentation

The presentation and packaging of Beats headphones is nothing less than stellar.  When the headphones were introduced they were like the iPhone without the history YET, within 2 years they exploded. The separated from Monster products to have more control of marketing and producing the headphones and I actually stood 3 feet away from Monster CEO Noel Lee when he was asked about Beats leaving the Monster brand.

Without repeating what he said the move HAD to hurt the company now, with the sale to Apple, even more.  Iovine and Dre probably needed Monster to help distribute the headphones initially but then realized they needed more control a couple of years later which was smart. Monster has many other products they constantly promote that reviewers are often on the fence when asked if the more expensive Monster products are better than less expensive competitors. (click “Next” for next segment)

Understand Branding and Leverage

There is an old saying.. “Use what you got to get what you want….” In this case, it is exactly what happened. Dr Dre’s name will forever be synonymous with NWA, Gangsta Rap, Producing and Hip Hop. He used that leverage to add Headphones, Electronics, Philanthropist, College Course Curriculum and now he is Hip Hop’s first Billionaire. (click “Next” for next segment)

Step outside the box

Many black colleges were upset that Dr Dre gave $35 Million to USC instead of a historically black college.  While he may have his own reasons for giving to USC had he given the money to a historically black college it would have appeared to be confusing to Beats biggest customers.  Without question, MOST Beats Headphone buyers do not go to historically black colleges and the donation would have never gotten the worldwide press that it did had he given to a black college. Now he has put himself in a better position to give (by his choice) a lot more to MANY colleges.

The move may have pissed many black colleges off but it was brilliant on Dre’s behalf to give to USC. The wing has his name and it gives him more leverage to introduce a curriculum at other major universities. (click “Next” for next segment)

Know Your Value

This is incredibly important, you MUST know what you are worth and NEVER let anyone tell you that you are worthless. Set your price and RARELY waiver. If someone comes to you for your support THEY know your value… do you? Dr Dre understands his value which is what makes him an amazing businessman. His no-nonsense approach means that if you get 3 seconds of his time, you better make it important.

Even TMZ reporters were intimidated by him during a recent interview where they followed him. He was very short with his answers, he gave credit to others who might be considered competition and he didn’t let people into his world. This only helps to build his iconic status. (click “Next” for next segment)

Think Big(ger)

Dr Dre said in an interview he wants t be like Apple. A few years ago he may have been laughed at for saying that but today, it’s extremely possible. (click “Next” for next segment)

Give Back

The donation to USC shows he is not greedy or self-imposed. In addition, the added benefit it’s a huge tax break. (click “Next” for next segment)

Become an Icon

Why not dream to become an icon instead of just an black entrepreneur. Life is short and being an black entrepreneur is how most (if not all) business Icons start off. (click “Next” for next segment)

Frederick Hutson is the CEO of Pigeonly, a platform that identifies and organizes data on the incarcerated. A born black entrepreneur, he launched and sold his first business at the age of 19 while on active duty in the Air Force. He left the military (with an honorable discharge) to build his second business which he also sold for a profit. The serial black entrepreneur’s love for business continued when, at 21, he saw his friends’ St. Petersburg FL-based businesses struggling and thought of a solution — a more efficient way to traffic marijuana.

During a four-year federal prison sentence a new idea surface, one that would give him an opportunity to affect the lives of people no one else was paying attention to – inmates, Pigeonly was born. The platform uses algorithms to collect and organize data on the nation’s incarcerated, transforming it into usable information that benefits inmates and society. Its sub-brands, Fotopigeon and Telepigeon, products that help inmates stay connected to the outside world by fulfilling printed photos from the mobile phones of their loved ones and providing cost-effective VoIP phone calls.

Hutson leads a team of 10 from their Las Vegas headquarters and recently secured a $2 million dollar seed round of funding from investors including Erik Moore (Base VC), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Kesha Cash (Jalia Ventures).

Entrepreneurs have surely experienced those days when you notice things are not going well immediately. There is some truth to the adage “I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning” and it appears that it’s all downhill from there. So what can you do to turn that around and make the day more productive? Here are some of the things I have done in the past that have worked…(Click “Next” after each segment)

Go Back to Bed!

If you can afford to, go back to bed for a couple of hours. You would be amazed how this actually works and your day is off to a better start. Don’t for get to set your alarm.

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Change your Routine

Is there something that you usually do at the end of the day that you can do at the beginning of the day? Can you do something that you have been holding off on for a while this morning? Have you ever gone to the grocery store between 9 and 4 PM? It’s practically empty. How about getting some shopping done for the week? It’s bright and you can take your time and still take calls if need to.

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Have a talk with yourself

Ask yourself what is REALLY bothering you. Most of the time you will see that THAT is what needs to be resolved. Did someone piss you off or has something been on your mind that you have not dealt with that needs attention etc. If you can, tackle the issue and handle it within the 2 hours so that you can be free to go on with the rest of your day.

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Take a Walk

The psychology behind walking is often underrated. You get your organs working and put yourself in a meditative state and finally you are giving your body a much-needed mental and physical cleansing

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Treat Yourself

Treat yourself to breakfast or lunch at a restuarant or stop by a newsstand and read through a few magazines for an hour. Have what you want within reasonable portions. Quite often we feel underappreciated as black entrepreneurs and there is nothing wrong with treating yoruself every now and then.

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Work out

Instead of going into the office, go to the gym and get a great workout in. Go to yoga class or even get a massage

As always, here are some quick tips to build your business. These are things that we often overlook but could generate more revenue, of course, this is on top of providing great service. Not a lot of budget? Use services like Fiverr and Upwork.

1. Hire a young Social Media Whiz

Kids are becoming marketing machines and they are better at it than expensive ad agencies because they don’t rely on flawed research…..THEY LIVE THE LIFE.  Advertisers are now going directly to kids with huge youtube followers to push their brands and this may signal a problem for marketing agencies who have controlled how we think for far too long. Social media marketing is less biased and more factual and you should jump on this trend NOW. Grab a high school or college kid that’s always online to help promote your business. Truth be told you may also not want to skimp on what you pay them either (after they have proven themselves) because they can be extremely valuable. (click NEXT above or below)

2. Stop Chasing Dead Clients

There are some clients who will never support you, no matter what you say or do. Move on and pursue clients who are not familiar with your brand (click NEXT above or below)

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3. Create an App for your business

I suggest Wiziapp if you have a website. This can be somewhat cumbersome but the push notifications are the benefit. So if you have a new product out and you want clients around the world to know about it and they opt to have a push notification, this could generate great revenue. (click NEXT above or below)

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4. Ask Satisfied Clients to Promote you on Yelp

MANY people use Yelp as a way to determine if they will support your business. Make it easy for your clients by emailing them a direct link and asking them to recommend you. (click NEXT above or below)

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5. Take Potential AND Established Clients out to Lunch

This is one of the oldest methods in the books that still works today. Clients like to see who they are dealing with. Make the effort and meet them for lunch. Don’t talk about competitors, even if they do and eat before you come so that you can hear everything they are saying to you.

By Michael Glauser, Next Avenue Contributor

The Silicon Valley approach for building companies has become the main strategy taught at many business schools. It goes like this: You create a prototype you can quickly test, preferably in the tech industry. You find a group of users and gain proof of concept. You raise capital and scale the business as rapidly as possible. You plan an exit strategy that may include going public or selling to an industry buyer. You shoot for a 10X return to investors. You make a lot of money.

This summer, our team at My New Enterprise (a company I co-founded that helps aspiring black entrepreneurs) rode our bicycles 4,000 miles, from the west coast of Oregon to the east coast of Virginia, and interviewed 100 successful black entrepreneurs on Main Street USA. (Watch videos of them here.) Not one of them followed the Silicon Valley approach.

In fact, very few had any business training and none had any training in black entrepreneurship. Nearly half of these business builders are over 50 years old; some are in their late 60s and 70s.

(MORE: 10 Tips for ‘Senior’ Entrepreneurs)

Here are five lessons we learned from this unique and experienced group of successful black entrepreneurs:

1. Start With a Clear Purpose

All the black entrepreneurs articulated a clear and powerful purpose for starting their business — and none mentioned money as a major driver. Rather, they started their companies to do what they love, solve a problem, provide awesome service, live in a more desirable location, create jobs and give back to their community.

A driving purpose for Gail and Will Williams, founders of Idaho Sewing for Sports in Grangeville, Idaho (which makes padding and tubing products for ski areas and resorts) is to create jobs and a place of healing for people who have a difficult time finding work.

(MORE: Starting a business After 50)

2. Stick With What You Know

Most of the black entrepreneurs we met launched their companies in industries they knew well from prior experiences.

Sam Spayd, founder of Aero Legends in Florence, Ore. is a retired Air Force and commercial airlines pilot. He purchased a beautifully restored World War II biplane and offers the magical experience of “Open Cockpit” flying over the cliffs, beaches and lighthouses of the spectacular Oregon coast. Sam’s goal is to share this experience with as many people as possible (read the rest of this great story here)