Business Briefs
Business Profile
i! Businesswoman teaches the keys to a successful life
?iy CAROLE RAGINS
^ommunrty News Editor
Mainstream society focus most
of its attention on the alienation,
-frustration and hopelessness filling
the hearts of many African- Ameri
cans, but a local entrepreneur has
developed a pragmatic solution to
alleviate those pains.
Bessie Singletary is founder
and president of Manipulating Your
Intra Conversation (MYIC), a local
consulting business that initiates
training, motivational and personal
workshops for corporations and
businesses throughout the city and
nation.
Singletary says she conceived
of the idea to launch MYIC in 1983
when she was at the crossroads in
"Tier life and wanted to change
careers.
"I asked myself, do you want to
watch people live the life of a
dream or do you want to create the
"dream?" she said. "I started praying
and seeking for understanding in
what is my purpose.
"It's a sad thing to live a whole
entire life and not leave something
on this earth that someone could say
Bessie Singletary was here."
Singletary had a successful 10
1/2 year career in banking and
finance at First Citizens Bank but
was frustrated with her position. "I
was tired of getting pushed over, I
was tired of not getting promotions
and 1 knew it had to be up to me to
do something about it. I had out
grown banking and was tired of the
corporate status," she said.
Shortly after completing her
degree at High Point College in
r
1986, Singletary says she left her
banking job to fully develop her
business. The challenge of creating
a successful business was enough
fo? Singletary to take the risk.
"Without a challenge, 1 don't have
anything to overcome. I have noth
ing to gain knowledge from, there
fore I cannot grow," she said.
While working on her business,
Singletary also worked at the Win
ston-Salem Urban League and
developed programs such as the
Reading Olympiad, a computer
class, and the mentoring program,
Med-Law. These programs are cur
rently in full force at the Urban
League.
In January 1991, Singletary
says she decided to place all of her
energies into her business. After
clinching contracts from major cor
porations such as AT&T and Food
Fair, Singletary built her clientele
base. She has continued to conduct
workshops for employees on all
scales of management ? from
engineers to janitors.
Singletary says she teaches
individuals techniques on how to
manipulate their conversation. "The
conversation is so much a part of
our being that we tend to ignore it
and the importance of it. You can
make it or break it through your
conversation."
Singletary found through her
research that successful people fol
lowed a similar pattern which was
through self-identification. Single
tary says it is most important for
people to like themselves from the
inside and create their own positive
environment to grow in.
"Once you begin the confi
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MONEY WATCH
By THEODORE R. DANIELS
Insurance check up
don't, you need to get out your life insurance policies to see if they
t ait Worth as much as your insurance agent Said they would be at this
, time of your life. What you don't know about your insurance policies
? etas but you or your family's standard of living should you prema
turely die.
The fcomputer-generated projections or illustrations relate^ to the
buildup of cash values or savings that insurance agents and insurers
use to sell iife insurance do not always*come true. Over the past ten
| years or more* insurance companies have moved to enhance the
I Investment appeal of cash value life insurance policies. In doing so,
insurance companies have shifted a large part of the risk to policy
holders. The total cost and benefits of a life insurance policy bought
today will depend on other variables* such as future interest rates and
the insurer's ability to keep its operating costs ik>wn. Hie particular
policy's death benefit and saving value could only come true if the
assumptions about interest rates, expenses, and the like hold true in
the future.
An aggressive or anxious insurance* agent who is trying to make
a sale may not discuss with you the risk of a policy underperforming
in a low interest rate period such as one that we are currently experi
encing now. The current recession is causing interest rates to remain
low which Will have a negative impact on the projected earnings of
the savings or investment features of your life insurance policy as
presented m fee illustration given to you by your insurance agent
In light of the current economic condition in this country, you
should contact your insurance agent and ask for a new or second
illustration based on the interest rate the insurer is currently paying
on the savings or investment features of your policy. This is very
important for individuals who have universal or variable life insur
ance policies that were purchased when interest rates were high.
Because purchasers of universal or variable life insurance policies
might have to pay higher premiums to keep the same amount of cov
erage. If they don't, the value of their policies might go down or the
| death benefit could be reduced or the insurance coverage could even
^canceled.
When you call your insurance agent, tell him/her that you would
also like to look at interest rate history and how well other life insur
ance policies have performed over the years. This will help you
determine if you have the best life insurance policy available to meet
? your needs. And while you are with your agent ask him/her what is
| guaranteed by your policy and what is not.
It may alio be wise to have an independent company to evaluate
your current life insurance policy or one that you plan to purchase.
- The National Insurance Consumer Organization will evaluate cash
" policies. The organization calculates the rate of
return on a policy for $30. It will charge $20 for each additional poli
cy. This service is worth the investment. The National Insurance
Organization is located at 121 N. Payne St, Alexandria,
Va. 22314. *
dence of liking yourself, your self
esteem increases," she said. "I teach
individuals if you can look a person
straight in the eye and say I am
good at what I do you have made it
as far as your self-identification is
concerned. Otherwise, if you say
you're not good, then you really
aren't good. That's the bottom line."
Singletary says the most appar
ent problem that people create for
themselves is wasting time tending
to other people's business. "We
waste more time trying to run other
people's lives when we don't have
our own together. When you do
that, you don't have time to focus on
your own life. I tell people, God has
not given me anything that he hasn't
given you. You have to get in tune
with yourself and once you do that,
you know your strengths and weak
nesses and then you are able to
work on your personal characteris
tics."
"I try to tap an awareness
through my personal development
workshops. I help people tap into
their subconscious minds and bring
it to the conscious mind to make a
person aware of who they are from
the inside," she said. "I try to
change people's thinking patterns
and show them how to work smart."
Singletary has conducted work
shops in Mississippi, Florida, Puer
to Rico, and Las Vegas. She is opti
mistic that the company will contin
ue to grow and be a significant link
illllB
' Hiknti i 35
* >
Bessie Singletary is busy setting up appointments and making travel plana to conduct motivational
workshops in all parts of the country. She believes that everyone has the potential to excel. She says
all it takes is reaching from within and visualizing your fate.
in the motivational workshop arena.
Singletary also has a teller pro
gram called Bankers Assistance,
where she gives training to people
interested in banking and finance.
She also operates three other busi
nesses within MYIC. They are
Besire Group, a marketing and con
sulting business, Perry and Associ
ates, a public relations firm and
Unique Travel, a travel agency.
Singletary's business partner,
Irene Perry, helps her to manage the
Besire Group and Unique Travel
Agency businesses.
Although Singletary has her
her hands full, she is available by
appointment.
. I t
of affordability.
?m ' *
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