A comprehensive analysis of racial disparities and the determinants of entrepreneurial performance—in particular, why Asian-owned businesses on average perform relatively well and why black-owned businesses typically do not. Thirteen million people in the United States—roughly one in ten workers—own a business. And yet rates of business ownership among African Americans are much lower and have been so throughout the twentieth century. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, businesses owned by African Americans tend to have lower sales, fewer employees and smaller payrolls, lower profits, and higher closure rates. In contrast, Asian American-owned businesses tend to be more successful. In Race and Entrepreneurial Success, minority entrepreneurship authorities Robert Fairlie and Alicia Robb examine racial disparities in business performance. Drawing on the rarely used, restricted-access Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) dataset compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, Fairlie and Robb examine in particular why Asian-owned firms perform well in comparison to white-owned businesses and black-owned firms typically do not. They also explore the broader question of why some entrepreneurs are successful and others are not. After providing new comprehensive estimates of recent trends in minority business ownership and performance, the authors examine the importance of human capital, financial capital, and family business background in successful business ownership. They find that a high level of startup capital is the most important factor contributing to the success of Asian-owned businesses, and that the lack of startup money for black businesses (attributable to the fact that nearly half of all black families have less than $6,000 in total wealth) contributes to their relative lack of success. In addition, higher education levels among Asian business owners explain much of their success relative to both white- and African American-owned businesses. Finally, Fairlie and Robb find that black entrepreneurs have fewer opportunities than white entrepreneurs to acquire valuable pre-business work experience through working in family businesses.

With a focus on a diverse group of Latino entrepreneurs in the Houston area, Valdez explores how class, gender, race, and ethnicity shape Latino entrepreneurs' capacity to succeed in business in the United States.

Aims to help African Americans live well, earn more, and be successful in business by offering advice and information about careers and business trends.

In Minority Business Success, authors Leonard Greenhalgh and James Lowry chart a path for the full participation of minority businesses in the U.S. economy. Today, minorities are well on their way to becoming the majority of our workforce and a large part of our entrepreneurial endeavors; their full contribution is essential to national competitive advantage in a global economy. The beginning of this book summarizes demographic changes in America and shows why it's in the national interest to foster the survival, prosperity, and growth of minority-owned businesses. The authors outline why these businesses are vital to the solution to our current economic woes. Next, the book turns to what minority firms must do to take their place in major value chains, and, finally, the book examines what governments, corporations, and support organizations ought to be doing to foster minority inclusion. In total, Greenhalgh and Lowry lay out a new paradigm for developing minority businesses so that they can fully contribute to our national competitive advantage and prosperity.

Since its publication in 1991, Entrepreneurship and Self-Help among Black Americans has become a classic work, influencing the study of entrepreneurship and, more importantly, revitalizing a research tradition that places new ventures at the very center of success for black Americans. This revised edition updates and enhances the work by bringing it into the twenty-first century. John Sibley Butler traces the development of black enterprises and other community organizations among black Americans from before the Civil War to the present. He compares these efforts to other strong traditions of self-help among groups such as Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Greek Americans, and exciting new research on the Amish and the Pakistani. He also explores how higher education is already a valued tradition among black self-help groups—such that today their offspring are more likely to be third and fourth generation college graduates. Butler effectively challenges the myth that nothing can be done to salvage America's underclass without a massive infusion of public dollars, and offers a fresh perspective on those community based organizations and individuals who act to solve local social and economic problems.

A guide to entrepreneurial freedom with only one focused hour a day, covering time management, marketing, business assets, and more.

The 20th Century has been marked by enormous change in terms of how we define race. In large part, we have thrown out the antiquated notions of the 1800s, giving way to a more realistic, sociocultural view of the world. The United States is, perhaps more than any other industrialized country, distinguished by the size and diversity of its racial and ethnic minority populations. Current trends promise that these features will endure. Fifty years from now, there will most likely be no single majority group in the United States. How will we fare as a nation when race-based issues such as immigration, job opportunities, and affirmative action are already so contentious today? In America Becoming, leading scholars and commentators explore past and current trends among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the context of a white majority. This volume presents the most up-to-date findings and analysis on racial and social dynamics, with recommendations for ongoing research. It examines compelling issues in the field of race relations, including: Race and ethnicity in criminal justice. Demographic and social trends for Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Trends in minority-owned businesses. Wealth, welfare, and racial stratification. Residential segregation and the meaning of "neighborhood." Disparities in educational test scores among races and ethnicities. Health and development for minority children, adolescents, and adults. Race and ethnicity in the labor market, including the role of minorities in America's military. Immigration and the dynamics of race and ethnicity. The changing meaning of race. Changing racial attitudes. This collection of papers, compiled and edited by distinguished leaders in the behavioral and social sciences, represents the most current literature in the field. Volume 1 covers demographic trends, immigration, racial attitudes, and the geography of opportunity. Volume 2 deals with the criminal justice system, the labor market, welfare, and health trends, Both books will be of great interest to educators, scholars, researchers, students, social scientists, and policymakers.

What does it really take to become a successful entrepreneur? Just ask those who have succeeded. 'The Entrepreneurs: Success and Sacrifice' is author Kip Marlow's inspiring new book that gathers the success stories of small business owners who have transformed small businesses into highly lucrative enterprises through vision, persistence, and plenty of sweat. Culled from Marlow's interviews on his popular radio show, "Entrepreneurs Club Radio," this highly motivational collection is an invaluable learning tool for anyone who wants to get ahead in their own business. There's Scott Marincik, the founder of Solv-All cleaning products and services, who went from maxed-out credit cards to revenues in excess of one hundred million dollars. Or John Allin, founder of Snow Management Group and Snow Dragon Snowmelters, who turned the accumulation of snow into a sizable slush fund. Equally impressive is Cathy Horton, founder of Nutek & Renegade Brands, who developed green products that outpaced the leading brands. You'll also find stirring accounts such as the rags-to-riches tale of Diana Richards, founder of Vacuum Systems International, who went from near homelessness to cleaning up by way of an invaluable service for vacuum maintenance. In The Entrepreneurs, each featured businessperson tells his or her own story about starting and growing their businesses, while sharing the lessons they learned, the strategies they employed, and the secrets of their success. The book also expands upon the art of being flexible and changing when the market changes. In aggregate, these candid profiles paint a vivid picture of the characteristics and habits of the visionary risk-takers who shrug off nay-sayers and embrace the unsure waters of forging new businesses. Now more than ever, start-up companies are the key to a robust American economy. By taking cues from individuals who have overcome lean times, lack of support, and uncharted territory, others who aspire to launch or expand a small business will have the information and inspiration they need to hit the ground running and stay the course until they have turned potential into profit. With clarity, focus, and determination, anyone with a concept and some conviction can join the ranks of the entrepreneurs. Take it from the shining examples celebrated in this indispensable business book: There's plenty of room at the top! "A retired entrepreneur and business radio show host offers thumbnail profiles of entrepreneurs in an engaging format that makes for light, quick reading. Here the business-owner wannabe will read about 22 self-made men and women who overcame all sorts of odds to build their own successful companies. For instance, Scott Marincek developed an environmentally safe cleaning liquid in his mother's kitchen, turning it into a $100 million business. Arline Kneen got interested in business in her early 40s and today, at 96, she continues to work as an independent travel consultant. Each of these stories is a little nugget of encouragement for those with a burning desire to strike out on their own. The tales are cautionary as well: Many of the individuals speak candidly about facing widespread skepticism and starting seriously underfunded businesses. The commonality, however, is the entrepreneurs' passion to pursue their dreams and do whatever it takes to succeed. Readers looking for a do-it-yourself game plan will not find it here; rather, they'll get a taste of the trials and tribulations of successful people who forged their paths in diverse industries. -Kirkus Indie Review

Learn how to address racial wealth disparity in the United States today From the life, professional experiences, and research of former Harvard Business School professor Steven Rogers, comes his boldly stated, A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues. This informative epistle investigates the causes of racial wealth disparity in the United States and provides solutions for addressing it. Through extensive data and historical research, anecdotes, teaching, and case studies, it presents practical ways White people can work with and help the Black community. It teaches readers that eliminating the $153,000 wealth gap between Black and White people is the solution to over 75% of our problems and offers solutions to help improve Black-White racial relations in the United States. In straightforward language, filled with facts, stories, advice, and sometimes even humor, A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues encourages every White person to share his/her wealth with the Black community—plain and simple. This book recommends that you spend a portion of your annual household budget with Black-owned companies. If more money is spent at Black-owned businesses, those companies can grow and create more jobs for Black people. Rogers also proposes White people make large savings deposits into Black-owned banks. These are the financial institutions that are the backbone of the Black community that provide loans to the Black community for businesses, education, automobiles, and home mortgages. And finally, he resolutely encourages White people to support government reparations to Black Americans who are descendants of Black men and women, who were enslaved from 1619 to 1865. Those who read the book will: Understand the root causes of racial disparities in America Discover how you can personally contribute to reducing the inequality between Black and White people in the United States today Get concrete recommendations on how to redirect your spending to Black-owned institutions to help decrease the racial wealth gap This groundbreaking book provides financial recommendations that you can put into practice today, using his helpful instructions in most of the chapters, to address the systemic inequality between White and Black Americans. Read A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues and be part of the path forward.

A completely updated and revised edition of a bestselling book that has helped tens of thousands of people learn how to network effectively, Success Runs in Our Race is more important than ever in this fluctuating economy. With scores of anecdotes taken from interviews with successful African Americans -- from Keith Clinkscales, founder and former CEO of Vanguarde Media, to Oprah Winfrey -- Fraser shows how to network for information, for influence, and for resources. Readers will learn, among other things, how to cultivate valuable listening skills, which conferences blacks are most likely to attend when looking to build their business network, and how to effectively circulate a résumé. More than a guide for personal achievement, this is an information-packed bible of networking that also seeks to inspire a social movement and a rebirth of the "Underground Railroad," in which successful African Americans share the lessons of self-determination and empowerment with those still struggling to scale the ladder of success.