Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Aug. 15, 1985, edition 1 / Page 17
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By Asdrey C. Lodate Past Staff Writer “By and large, black business owners do not understand bow capitalism works.” That’s the contention of Lawrence J. Toliver, vibe president of Small Business Services, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Adding that too frequently the aspirations of black hmtnsas owners are not high enough, he continues i> that bUck. do notapprecUte “bow 1 important it is to always grow. They 11 reach plateaus where they’re making a comforbtable living and begin to guard that level of living as opposed to continuing to grow.” Tne importance of continued growth to the health ot a business becomes evident when you realise that, aa competing businesses get larger, your business loses ground. “When others around you grow,” Toliver points out, “they increase their ability to take business from you.” For example, a business that buys in larger quantities can spend less per item. If you do not keep growing, you in effect steadily fall back in relation to your competitors, “so growing’s the only way to go. But not many people know that,” He insists, “If your business is not growing, it’s not healthy.” /The Chamber vice president estimates that there are about OOQ black-owned businesses in the Charlotte area. This estimate includes such self-employed occupations as barbers and taxis, as well as other types of business. About one-third of these are what Toliver refers to as noo-tradttkmal businesses, i.e., they do business with the general community or with other businesses, rather than., operating Just within the black community. Some examples of Ooq traditional businesses in Charlotte are CPA’s, office supply companlfc fuel and oil, and automobile dealer ships. There has been some progress in non-traditions] businesses locally, Toliver notes. “I think things are Lawrence Toliver - .CCC vice president gradually improving,” he com ments. The emphasis is on “grad ually.” There has been no rapid upsurge in minority business activi ty or business starts, nor on the size of new Arms, he says. Black busi nesses almost always start Out as small stores or service organiza tions, accoitfing to Tbtfvir: What keeps so many black owned businesses from becoming greater successes? Toliver be lieves there are three primary rea sons. One is that many fail to learn 1 , ,1 Special To The Pori Raleigh - Governor Jamas G. . Martin has proclaimed August 11-17 as Social Security Wert in North In his proclamation the Governor stated that “August 14 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act which created the nation’s Unemployment. Insu cdfce security, ituKpMdSSoeT aria dignity for millions of Americans who have worked all their lives, andt v; for those who suffer In the face of life’s contingencies.’’ The Governor added that almost every American now benefits from the Social Security program. Nearly all Americans reaching age 63 today are eligible for Social Security benefits. More than 120 million people in the United States and 3.1 million North Carolinians work in Jobs covered by the sys tem, end 314,000 North Carolinians are receiving monthly cash benefits. Through Medicare, Social Security helps eldsrly and disabled indivi tbe rising costs of ■== medical care. / i Elaine Stoops, Assistant Secre tary for the N.C. Division of Aging, calls Social Security the most signi ficant piece of domestic legislation enacted in this century. “Born of adversity and tempered by crisis, Social Security has done more to lift and keep Americans out of poverty than any other governmental initia tive," she said. “At the time of the sjgnln#o<, the Social Security Bill byi^ President Franklin 0. Roosevelt millions of Americans Were out of work and the country’s industrial plants and financial institutions were in disarray.” The original Social Security law authorized old-age insurance bene fits for workers in commerce and industry to be financed by a pay roll tax on workers and employers, she said. Over the years, coverage was extended to dependents of retired workers, and survivors (1999), to farm and household work- _ era, to tbe self-employed, and to' members of the armed forces (1950). In addition, disability in surance was provided (1968) and Medicare enacted (1986). ■ bow. to do business with large cor porations. Not only does a small business who wants to sell to a large company need to identify who makes the buying decisions, but the small entrepreneur must cultivate a productive relationship with that person in order to change that key person’s buying habits. A second problem, points out Toliver, is that “many would-be black entrepreneurs are in too much of a hurry. It takes a lot to learn any market, and it's best to learn from someone who knows the market. People think they can work for a company for a year and then start their own business, but it doesn’t work that way," be remarks. It takes a long time to thoroughly learn the ropes, and, Toliver suggests, it’s best to “learn a market at some one’s else's expense.” A third major difficulty facing small black businesses is that of raising money. “If you don’t have Franchises cost a lot of money, and despite the fact that some fran chising parents are making assist ance available, there has been only slow and gradual progress in this area. A key reason, Toliver be lieves, is that "the people in the black community who have capital or assets do not invest in other black people. They play it safe with their money.’’ How can black businesses, or those hoping to establish their own businesses, overcome these ob stacles: Next week we’ll talk to a number of successful black entre preneurs in Charlotte for their com ments -si 4i..* faP',1 Tt So • af.wl . m ■' T MEN'S, LADIES, ^ CHILDRENS ^ SIZES W ASSORTED^ /K 5mfs y\ COLORS^ Aijkl ■ i mat ft. ffi ifrt Itla 2 mm AUAau -— J. -7^. ntar GxrGry ttzm avoifnntm m GVGry urytG. THIS WE • W . v ^ CENTER CUT Rib Pork to Chops. Lb *17® USDA CHOICE HEAVY WESTERN GRAIN FED BEEF, CENTER CUT Boneless Chuck Roast . ^iO>e«Wtr' - LIMIT 3 PKGS CUT UP MIXEO FRYER PARTS PLEASE OR GRADE A . Holly Farms AQ ^ Whole Fryers L. "tv WISE REG P°t* A. chi, maf A g£l - l CALIFORNIA O’Henry »-^hes m ALL PURPOSE ■■■■- ■« - White Potatoes._ LARGE BROWN EGGB..DO/ KROGER GRADE A Large Eggs . . . ' j <nr .“?• IN OIL OR WATER LIMIT TWO KROGER Chunk Light Tuna. . 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The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 15, 1985, edition 1
17
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