l^lje Charlotte ^osit
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1996
7A
STRICTLY BUSINESS
Mid-level
marketing
networks
CHARLES ROSS
Your
Personal
Finance
Focus on Leadership eelebrates 10th elass
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Focus on Leadership is show
ing its age now. The organiza
tion is recruiting its 10th class.
It now has an impressive list
of graduates from its program of
training community leaders.
That list includes Beverly Earle,
Hoyle Martin, Joan Kennedy
Ross, Bill Scurry, Darryl
Williams, Nasif Majeed, Kevin
Patterson among 150 gradu
ates.
Said Cynthia Sifford, a Class
VII graduate: “Focus is one of
the best programs to find out
the history of the black commu
nity in Charlotte. Rev. Shipman
of Walls Memorial teaches a
class on African American lead
ership and the church that’s
extraordinary. Even past gradu
ates come back to hear his
class.”
Focus on Leadership began in
1986 and is one of the nation’s
few leadership development
programs targeted at African
Americans in urban communi
ties.
A group of community leaders
met under the direction of Ron
Leeper, a former Charlotte City
Council member, to discuss the
need for black leadership devel
opment. The Black Political
Caucus was the parent organi
zation.
Focus on Leadership was for
mally announced to the commu
nity on Martin Luther King Jr.’s
birthday in 1988.
“We are very pleased with the
program,” said current presi
dent Rev. James R. Covington.
Multilevel marketing net
works, or MLMs, are used to
sell everything from vitamins to
panty-hose. How do MLMs
work?
Among the MLMs the most
common is the “stair-step struc
ture.” First, you make an initial
investment in a start-up kit, for
an average of around $90. Then
you sell the product and recruit
others to sell it as well.
Compensation plans vary;
usually you earn commission on
what you sell and on what is
sold by your distributors, but
only after you recruit a mini
mum number of distributors,
(often three to five), and achieve
a minimum sales volume. You
also make commission on sales
by people brought in by your
recruits, and so on down the
line.
Trouble comes when you
.stockpile products until j’ou can
sell them in order to maintain
your sales quotas. This can
leave you with a garage full of
unsold products.
How much can you make?
People involved in MLMs talk
about making a fortune, but the
vast majority of MLM partici
pants do not get rich.
Experts say that earnings, of
from $200 to $1000 a month is a
reasonable expectation. But you
could make a lot less. Many par
ticipants make little or nothing,
or even lose money. A near
exclusive territory can help in
that you don’t compete with
your recruits for sales prospects.
So many charges of exaggerat
ed earnings have been made
against MLMs that companies
no longer make earnings claims.
But dealers often do, producing
slick promotion videos and liter
ature. For a truer picture of
what you can expect in the way
of earnings, contact the compa
ny's headquarters directly. And
don't expect to get rich
overnight. The successful partic
ipants spend a lot of time and
hard work achieving their earn
ings.
Pyramids: are they legal?
When some people think
about Multilevel Marketing
organizations, they think about
pyramid schemes. Although the
pyramid structure in itself is not
illegal, pyramids are under
scrutiny by state and federal
See MULTI-LEVEL on page 8A
A finger-licking opportunity
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS III
Churchs Chicken is increasing franchise opportunities for African Amelcan entrepreneurs.
Churchs increases minority ownership
By Sara Helm
SPECIAL TO THE POST
ATLANTA - Churchs
Chicken, along with its par
ent company, America’s
Favorite Chicken, is increas
ingly being recognized as one
of the nation's leading compa
nies offering the best fran
chise opportunities for
African Americans.
Churchs and AFC have
made significant investments
that foster minority owner
ship and inner city develop
ment. The success that such
opportunities can bring are
strongly reflected in the
growth and accomplishments
of Churchs' franchisee Lewis
Siplin.
According to Siplin, owner
of five Churchs franchises in
Valdosta, Ga. and
Jacksonville, Fla., “Churchs
was one of the first companies
to enter African American
communities and its restau
rants quickly became a
favorite meeting place for
people of all ages.”
“In 1968 when I started at
Churchs as a cook, there
weren’t a lot of opportunities
for African Americans to
work in their own communi
ties,” he explains. Six years
later, after military service,
Siplin returned to Churchs to
begin a longtime partnership
with the company.
“I recognized that the
opportunity was good.
Churchs was one of the
fastest growing chains in the
country, adding about 100
restaurants a year,” he adds.
“I was promoted to manager
and decided to make my
stake at Churchs. I’ve never
looked back because all along,
Churchs has provided the
training, education and
opportunities that I've needed
to make it."
During the ‘70s and early
‘80s, Siplin was promoted
through Churchs’ operations
management ranks in
Jacksonville, New Orleans
See CHURCHS on page 8A
People on the move
R.E. Stegall has been named
president and CEO of Stegall
& Castleberry.
Stegall takes the new title
after bu3dng controlling inter
est in Castleberry &
Company, a Charlotte market
ing and advertising firm that
has been in business since
1975. Ruth Castleberry, for
mer head of Castleberry &
Company, remains principal
and will continue her role as
strategist for the firm’s
clients.
“This move allows me to con
centrate on the work I enjoy
most - client strategy,”
Castleberry said.
Stegall has 18 years of
strategic planning experience.
“I’m excited about the oppor
tunity of growing this firm
and working with such a
strong team,” he said.
• The U.S. Department of
Transportation wants to do
business with disadvantaged
businesses.
dot’s Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business
Utilization is outlining the
department’s procurement
process and procedures for let
ting bids and procuring ser
vices.
For more information, call
(800) 448-2585 or write 2350
Coral Way, Suite 301, Miami,
Fla. 33145.
“Other leadership development
programs charge well into the
thousands of dollars for a pro
gram like ours, but we are able
to pull together a quality pro
gram that is available to eveiy-
one.”
Focus on Leadership classes
consist of 16 sessions starting in
January and ending in June.
See FOCUS on page 8A
Money
Management
Financing
business
expansion
By Amanda S. Danchi
SPECIAL TO THE POST
Sooner or later, all growing
businesses reach the point
where they need to raise funds
for expansion. According to the
North Carolina Association of
CPAs, the key to financing the
growth of your business is will
ingness to try both traditional
and not-so-traditional ways to
find rnpirnl Horo’^: a rundown
of.-oiiK' ideas to gel \ou startcMl.
• Look to your nearest and
dearest: Many of the most suc
cessful companies would not
have been created in the first
place had it not been for the
financial backing of friends and
relatives. Of course, borrowing
from relatives and friends can
get sticky. If you decide to go
this route, be sure to have a
written agfeethent that clearly
spells out the terms to which
you and your benefactors have
agreed. Ahd'Bid
don’t set the interest rate too
low or the Internal Revenue
Service may re-characterize th
loan in order to infer interest at
the statutory federal rate. This
situation also may result in gift
tax consequences.
• Cash in or borrow from
retirement funds: Consider
cashing in the retirement plan
you took from your last job or
withdrawing money from your
Keogh account. But be aware
that you’ll be required to pay
income tax on all funds you
withdraw, and also be subject to
a 10 percent penalty if you are
imder age 59 172. If your spouse
has a 401(k) plan at work, a bet
ter alternative might be to bor
row against the plan.
Employers’ rules vary, but you
usually can borrow the lesser of
one-half of the present value of
your vested benefits, or $50,000.
Generally, you’ll need to repay
the loan withing five years, and
if your spouse quits or loses his
or her job, you’ll probably have
to repay the loan all at once.
• Apply for a home equity loan
See HOW on page 8A
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