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Great insight from Steve Harvey. Very inspirational!

Features Original Editorial and Curated Content Relevant to Small Business Owners from Across Divisions of CBS Corporation

July 1, 2015 – Today, CBS announced the launch of CBS Small Business Pulse, a new digital property aimed at providing solutions for the issues and concerns small business owners face every day. The site, http://cbspulse.com, is a cross-divisional effort across CBS Corporation being spearheaded by CBS Local Digital Media and features content from across the Company’s world-class editorial organizations including CBS News, CBS Radio, CBS Local, CBS Interactive and Simon & Schuster.

“CBS Small Business Pulse brings together the best content from across many CBS divisions plus new, original editorial on the topics that matter most to small business owners,” said Ezra Kucharz, President of CBS Local Digital Media. “CBS Small Business Pulse will provide the insights and knowledge small business owners need to immediately solve the challenges they face by delivering daily, easily digestible information across myriad topics that can easily be put into action.”

CBS Small Business Pulse is structured around six major categories that small business owners must address on a daily basis regardless of their industry: Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing, Sales and Technology.

Content in CBS Small Business Pulse will be fueled by many CBS divisions and include subject-matter experts and business leaders sharing their acumen through articles, interviews, video, podcasts and infographics. Examples include:

· CBS News: In addition to curated content relevant for small business owners, CBS News will also be contributing original content. Following interviews on CBS News’ broadcasts, such as CBS THIS MORNING, producers will record additional segments with business leaders discussing small business-focused issues exclusively for CBS Small Business Pulse.

· CBS Local: Daily original and curated content highlighting small business successes and key learnings from across the country.

· CBS Radio: Video highlights from Small Business Breakfasts held by News format stations around the country.

· ZDNet and TechRepublic (CBS Interactive): Stories about small business strategies as it relates to technology, products and services.

· Simon & Schuster: Contributions include excerpts and original content from Simon & Schuster authors as well as a small business “book shelf” highlighting special offers on relevant titles from their library.
“Small business owners are the backbone of America,” said Rich Lobel, Executive Vice President and CMO, CBS Altitude Group. “So many divisions across CBS offer content and expertise related to small business owner’s needs, it only made sense to harness our world-class editorial organizations to super-serve this vital segment in one single, robust destination.”

CBS Small Business Pulse is advertising supported and offers partners native advertising opportunities where they can share their voice and expertise through sponsored content within relevant content verticals. Founding partners include First Data Corporation, which provides small businesses with the innovative technology solutions they need to reach their fullest potential; Bank of America Merchant Services, a leading electronic payments company providing a host of retail and ecommerce platforms alongside the latest innovative technology; and Office Depot, Inc., a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions and parent company of Office Depot and OfficeMax.

“First Data is thrilled to be partnering with CBS on the launch of CBS Small Business Pulse, which will provide a one-stop shop for small businesses looking for resources and information to fuel their success,” said Gretchen Garrigues, Chief Marketing Officer for First Data. “At First Data, we are committed to providing small businesses with product and technology solutions to help their businesses grow. Partnering with CBS on this initiative is a great way for us to deliver tailored content to small business owners and provide access to information customized to meet their specific needs, without all the noise.”

“We believe that CBS Small Business Pulse will be a valuable resource for insights on how to better run and grow small businesses. We look forward to sharing our thought leadership content on a variety of finance and finance related topics – including digital and mobile payments innovation, cybersecurity, fraud and EMV – the new standards for chip payment cards,” says Michael Roberts, Chief Marketing and Digital Strategy Officer of Bank of America Merchant Services. “For example, our research shows that small business owners feel their risk is low regarding credit card fraud and data breaches, where the actual risk may be much higher. Providing real world insights as an advocate for small business owners is our goal with CBS Small Business Pulse.”

CBS Small Business Pulse is available today online and on the mobile web at http://cbspulse.com.

The month of June not only sees the start of winter but its also the time of year that accountants most look forward to, tax planning time! If you’re a small business owner you don’t want to have to pay more tax than you have to. The following tips will ensure you get the most bang for your buck come tax time.

1. Take advantage of the $20,000 immediate asset write off

Unless you have had your head in the sand for the past month, you would know that the Federal Government announced in the budget released on 12 May 2015 that all eligible small businesses would be entitled to an immediate deduction for asset purchases costing less than $20,000. This measure replaces the $1,000 threshold which was in existence up to the announcement and will be in existence until 30 June 2017.

You will need to ensure that the assets are installed and ready for use by 30 June 2015 in order for the deduction to be available for the 2015 financial year. If you do not require any assets or haven’t got the cash flow to afford them before year end, it is really important to remember that you are able to write off the balance of any small business pool with a written down value of less than $20,000 and get an immediate deduction!  Read more here

Carlton Brown, Occasional Occasions by Carlton

Caterer/Chef/Owner –  Atlanta, GA

Biz Tipper: What is the greatest lesson you learned as an black entrepreneur?

Carlton: I would say that a lot of black entrepreneurs do realize that they have to market their business, but what most don’t seem to get is that imply passing out business cards is NOT marketing. It is important to find your referral partners and potential clients, but it is more important to nurture those relationships. Many go to networking events and pass out cards and sit back and wait for the phone to ring. If you don’t create and nurture your relationships (ie the people that you pass your cards out to and speak to at these networking events), then you would be just as productive simply sitting at home and watching TV. Why would someone you don’t know want to entrust their livelihood or their relationships with YOU if they don’t know anything about who YOU are. Be proactive, sincere and thoughtful in who and what those relationships should be, nurture them, and sit back and watch your business grow.

It started during his morning commute – a tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, clenched jaws and an overall sense of disorientation. So by the time Charlotte-area restaurant owner Kirk Weaver got to his shop, he knew something bad was happening. Aside from death itself, sudden and debilitating illness is one of the threats that small business owners generally fear most. Who will do all the necessary work if the owner goes down sick? But not all such stories end in despair. In the case of Weaver, majority owner of Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill on East Boulevard in Charlotte, when a heart attack clipped his wings in late 2014, his family – especially his two daughters who own a minority stake in the business – rallied to save what they had built collectively. Read more here

 

 

It started during his morning commute – a tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, clenched jaws and an overall sense of disorientation. So by the time Charlotte-area restaurant owner Kirk Weaver got to his shop, he knew something bad was happening. Aside from death itself, sudden and debilitating illness is one of the threats that black entrepreneurs generally fear most. Who will do all the necessary work if the owner goes down sick? But not all such stories end in despair. In the case of Weaver, majority owner of Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill on East Boulevard in Charlotte, when a heart attack clipped his wings in late 2014, his family – especially his two daughters who own a minority stake in the business – rallied to save what they had built collectively. Read more here

 

Unfortunately, Don Lemon was roasted on Twitter once again last night. He opened up a CNN newscast with two large cards in front of him; one with me Confederate flag the other with a sign that spelled “Nigger.” He asked if each one was offensive. He was trying to create shock value, based on a podcast that President Obama had done where he said the word “Nigger’ and the current controversy over the Confederate flag and what it means. Truth be told, the two are not synonymous in this instance. The segment was poorly executed and received. What was his point? A firestorm erupted but not in Don’s favor. The general consensus, was it is too soon after the Charleston shootings to play this game, this was just not the time.

It seems that Don is constantly trying to find himself on the worst possible platform, national TV. I feel bad for him, it makes one curious as to who is behind the curtain at CNN directing him, or worse is he directing himself? He seems to take pride in knowing that he offends people on both sides but one is left to wonder if that is just a response to yet another futile effort instead.

It’s very easy to feel sorry for Don, because underneath it all, it appears he is desperately seeking acceptance and attention. Worst yet, from places he may never get it. Television news is getting more and more dated as millennial’s rely on online methods to get their news and information. Times have drastically changed and you can see how commercial TV news is trying desperately to capture the audience by becoming more and more like Entertainment Tonight, or like Entertainment Tonight was, which is also dated. More and more people are tired of being depressed and sparked by sensationalism. The audience prefers comedy or opinion based news coming from the people who are actually passionate about it. Passion cannot be faked. I, like Don L Lemon, am a last generation baby boomer and even I hate watching TV for the same reasons.

Desperation is ugly and if once you become desperate it is best to pull out and rethink your strategy instead of humiliating yourself in front of everyone. How does this relate to entrepreneurs? Because it’s about passion, sales and marketing. There are some very valuable lessons to be learned from Don Lemon starting with…

Know your target

Knowing your target means that you’re not afraid to speak to them, eat with them, live with them, spend time with them, accept them, love them and get to know more of them. One of the worst things that you can do is tell people how to behave when you rarely have anything to do with them. (Click “NEXT” above or below)

Don’t fake the funk

Don is constantly talking about black issues and black people, but when you look at his social networks he is often surrounded by white and Latin men and women. Recently he’s been called “Uncle Tom” a lot. When this happens, it is always when a black person is playing both sides of the coin. It is painfully evident that Don is not connected to the black community but at the same time he’s making a futile effort to act like he is. You don’t make a sale this way because it does not go over well with the customer. It is no different than when an entrepreneur thinks of money first when starting a business. He or she will almost always fail. Passion wins, Money follows! When you are passionate about something people know it, when you are only trying to make money or fulfill an agenda people also know that.

Surround yourself with the right people

Without even being sure, I can almost guarantee you that Don Lemon is not surrounded by black people at CNN. It is evident with his on air delivery and antics. The best candidates win elections when they’re surrounded with the right team and understands the target! If CNN is asking him to go out and represent himself as a spokesperson for the black community, it would behoove him at best to ask for the right team?

Plan Strategies

It appears that a lot of Don’s strategies are not well thought out. This can be very costly. As a late Maya Angelou once pointed out, “People may forget what you said but they never forget how you make them feel.” In many instances you will not get a second chance to make a first impression. Don started out as a very straight forward news guy then CNN wanted to turn him into a controversial figure which is working, but not to Don’s advantage. It’s no different than the person who is friendly with all of his coworkers and all of a sudden gets promoted to their boss. If he’s a good boss, he will adapt to his new environment or he plays both sides which will lead to an inevitable overall loss. Once Don got into mainstream news, without question, he had to forego a lot of what he learned or knew as a black man in order to compete. Now he’s being asked to circle back and it’s too late. As entrepreneurs we should not adapt to a new environment our job is to create it!

Don’t try to be who you are not

There is an incredibly high price to pay on a platform like national TV when you are asked to change who you are to be a different person in the same arena. The audience has come to know you one way and now you are trying to become someone else in the same space. In a situation like this, it’s best to start over by creating another platform altogether. As entrepreneurs it’s okay to add an ancillary product but it’s not okay to completely change the entire business when your audience has come to know you in one way. Either Don Lemon is insecure or he’s very arrogant and it’s evident. In addition there is a thin line between insecurity and arrogance. It’s okay to be afraid, but only when you can the admit it, a sense of humor also helps. When you fake it, it comes off as arrogant. People are more sympathetic to those who admit shortcomings an/or can laugh at themselves.

Connect with the audience

When it comes to the black community, it is crucial not to hide in plain sight. People pay very close attention to social networks these days, beware of what you post on your social networks. When it is evident that you are not actually friends with the people you target or claim to be connected to on TV it doesn’t do much to serve your purpose. Contrary to the beliefs of other races, just because you’re black doesn’t mean you’re connected to the culture. When you act like you are, you look like and become a token which can result in being called an “Uncle Tom.”  You are basically saying I’m one thing on TV and another thing in my personal life as if people are so stupid they can’t make that connection. As entrepreneurs, we cannot allow other people to tell us who we are. That is why we are entrepreneurs, we already know that!

Capitalize on your strengths

If you want to be successful in business, you must capitalize on your strengths. Unfortunately Don’s greatest strength has become dated. He is intelligent and an excellent reporter on world news and issues but unfortunately he loses all of that when he tries to connect with the black community.  His years of training as a focused professional newsperson make him less personable when connecting with the black community.

Admit your shortcomings

If you’re not the right person for the job  admit it or stop doing it and give the right person the chance to do it before you are asked to leave. At that point what do you have left but a negative reputation? If Don we’re in business for himself, he callwould be broke at this point and forced to leave the business.

Unfortunately, Don Lemon was roasted on Twitter once again last night. He opened up a CNN newscast with two large cards in front of him; one with me Confederate flag the other with a sign that spelled “Nigger.” He asked if each one was offensive. He was trying to create shock value, based on a podcast that President Obama had done where he said the word “Nigger’ and the current controversy over the Confederate flag and what it means. Truth be told, the two are not synonymous in this instance. The segment was poorly executed and received. What was his point? A firestorm erupted but not in Don’s favor. The general consensus, was it is too soon after the Charleston shootings to play this game, this was just not the time.

It seems that Don is constantly trying to find himself on the worst possible platform, national TV. I feel bad for him, it makes one curious as to who is behind the curtain at CNN directing him, or worse is he directing himself? He seems to take pride in knowing that he offends people on both sides but one is left to wonder if that is just a response to yet another futile effort instead.

It’s very easy to feel sorry for Don, because underneath it all, it appears he is desperately seeking acceptance and attention. Worst yet, from places he may never get it. Television news is getting more and more dated as millennial’s rely on online methods to get their news and information. Times have drastically changed and you can see how commercial TV news is trying desperately to capture the audience by becoming more and more like Entertainment Tonight, or like Entertainment Tonight was, which is also dated. More and more people are tired of being depressed and sparked by sensationalism. The audience prefers comedy or opinion based news coming from the people who are actually passionate about it. Passion cannot be faked. I, like Don L Lemon, am a last generation baby boomer and even I hate watching TV for the same reasons.

Desperation is ugly and if once you become desperate it is best to pull out and rethink your strategy instead of humiliating yourself in front of everyone. How does this relate to black entrepreneurs? Because it’s about passion, sales and marketing. There are some very valuable lessons to be learned from Don Lemon starting with…

Know your target

Knowing your target means that you’re not afraid to speak to them, eat with them, live with them, spend time with them, accept them, love them and get to know more of them. One of the worst things that you can do is tell people how to behave when you rarely have anything to do with them. (Click “NEXT” above or below)
—————————–

Don’t fake the funk

Don is constantly talking about black issues and black people, but when you look at his social networks he is often surrounded by white and Latin men and women. Recently he’s been called “Uncle Tom” a lot. When this happens, it is always when a black person is playing both sides of the coin. It is painfully evident that Don is not connected to the black community but at the same time he’s making a futile effort to act like he is. You don’t make a sale this way because it does not go over well with the customer. It is no different than when an black entrepreneur thinks of money first when starting a business. He or she will almost always fail. Passion wins, Money follows! When you are passionate about something people know it, when you are only trying to make money or fulfill an agenda people also know that.
—————————–

Surround yourself with the right people

Without even being sure, I can almost guarantee you that Don Lemon is not surrounded by black people at CNN. It is evident with his on air delivery and antics. The best candidates win elections when they’re surrounded with the right team and understands the target! If CNN is asking him to go out and represent himself as a spokesperson for the black community, it would behoove him at best to ask for the right team?
—————————–

Plan Strategies

It appears that a lot of Don’s strategies are not well thought out. This can be very costly. As a late Maya Angelou once pointed out, “People may forget what you said but they never forget how you make them feel.” In many instances you will not get a second chance to make a first impression. Don started out as a very straight forward news guy then CNN wanted to turn him into a controversial figure which is working, but not to Don’s advantage. It’s no different than the person who is friendly with all of his coworkers and all of a sudden gets promoted to their boss. If he’s a good boss, he will adapt to his new environment or he plays both sides which will lead to an inevitable overall loss. Once Don got into mainstream news, without question, he had to forego a lot of what he learned or knew as a black man in order to compete. Now he’s being asked to circle back and it’s too late. As black entrepreneurs we should not adapt to a new environment our job is to create it!
—————————–

Don’t try to be who you are not

There is an incredibly high price to pay on a platform like national TV when you are asked to change who you are to be a different person in the same arena. The audience has come to know you one way and now you are trying to become someone else in the same space. In a situation like this, it’s best to start over by creating another platform altogether. As black entrepreneurs it’s okay to add an ancillary product but it’s not okay to completely change the entire business when your audience has come to know you in one way. Either Don Lemon is insecure or he’s very arrogant and it’s evident. In addition there is a thin line between insecurity and arrogance. It’s okay to be afraid, but only when you can the admit it, a sense of humor also helps. When you fake it, it comes off as arrogant. People are more sympathetic to those who admit shortcomings an/or can laugh at themselves.
—————————–

Connect with the audience

When it comes to the black community, it is crucial not to hide in plain sight. People pay very close attention to social networks these days, beware of what you post on your social networks. When it is evident that you are not actually friends with the people you target or claim to be connected to on TV it doesn’t do much to serve your purpose. Contrary to the beliefs of other races, just because you’re black doesn’t mean you’re connected to the culture. When you act like you are, you look like and become a token which can result in being called an “Uncle Tom.”  You are basically saying I’m one thing on TV and another thing in my personal life as if people are so stupid they can’t make that connection. As black entrepreneurs, we cannot allow other people to tell us who we are. That is why we are black entrepreneurs, we already know that!
—————————–

Capitalize on your strengths

If you want to be successful in business, you must capitalize on your strengths. Unfortunately Don’s greatest strength has become dated. He is intelligent and an excellent reporter on world news and issues but unfortunately he loses all of that when he tries to connect with the black community.  His years of training as a focused professional newsperson make him less personable when connecting with the black community.
—————————–

Admit your shortcomings

If you’re not the right person for the job  admit it or stop doing it and give the right person the chance to do it before you are asked to leave. At that point what do you have left but a negative reputation? If Don we’re in business for himself, he callwould be broke at this point and forced to leave the business.

Here are biztipper.com we love Damon John. We both have worked in the same music industry so we watched him from his early days in fashion to making some incredibly savvy business decisions that could have taken his business out many years ago long before he became the international Shark Tank star that he is today. Here he give great advice on short term goal setting via Capital One. (see video below)

The news that Detroit was filing for bankruptcy was probably the best thing that could have happened to the city. The news made international headlines and brought investors from all over the world to invest and rebuild the city. If that was the original plan, it was an ingenious effort. The city had previously been plagued by a huge scandal in the mayor’s office where funds had been misappropriated leaving the city in financial ruin.

Zana Smith was a tenant who, like many other business owners, had dominion over landlords who were desperate to rent properties for business owners in a dark economy.  As a result, some opted not to sign new leases and go month-to-month in case they decided to move and/or to have a better grip on the relationships with landlords. Spectacles, a shop that’s been at 230 East Grand River for over 30 years owned by Smith has been asked to vacate the premises. New owners have purchased the building and they are looking to remodel and re-rent the spaces. Unfortunately, the Smith’s are taking a double hit because they also live in the lofts above the store which they have also been asked to vacate. In this situation the landlord has full control. As a real estate agent, I would strongly advise that you consider signing a new lease if you don’t plan to move in a year or so. Depending on the market your rent could increase exponentially if the city allows it and a situation like this happens.  Why not protect yourself especially if you have been at the same location for a number of years.