One morning I sprang up from my bed and blurted out to my wife
that I was going to revitalize an impoverished section on the south side of
Chicago. I had been working in the loan department at a large global bank
and had observed many business deals being financed but I longed to be a player
in this world of high finance. The only difference was is that I wanted to
bring banking and finance into places that desperately needed capital for
community development. I was in my early
20's at that time and it would take many years of trials and errors before I
would eventually sit at the feet of some of the most powerful people in America
and receive grants and loans to do serious development work. I was also able to raise grant funds to
travel to Europe and South Africa, travel all over the South from the Sea
Islands in South Carolina to the Misississippi Delta and everywhere in
between. I have observed community
development work in most every major U.S. city and have even spoke to and
trained many college students on the joys and benefits of entrepreneurship and
community development.
Now I want to share these stories with the
world because I believe many people really want to go into business for
themselves, earn money and make a difference in the communities where they
live. I believe people want to make
money to sustain their families and have the satisfaction of knowing they are
changing the world for the better.
I’m sure many questions come to mind when starting any business
and even more questions come up when using the business model I use which is
called a community development corporation.
It is non profit so on the one hand you are exempt from certain taxes
and have privileges, but on the other you better make a profit or you will be
out of business. I have raised over $20 million dollars in grant funds throughout
the years using this model and have improved neighborhoods and created
businesses that have put many people to work.
I have friends in both rural and urban settings that use this model
successfully and they too have done extraordinarily well.
My goal is to show you how to do this from start to finish and how
to make money doing. I will show you how
to get start up capital, how to come up with ideas that bring joy and wealth
into you communities, how to finance your learning experiences and what does it
take to get the big multi-million dollar grants and loans. If you desire to earn a living, be an entrepreneur,
use creative thinking, exercise critical thinking skills and build or strengthen
your business and community, then you have come to the right place.
Please leave a response to this blog and I will give you details
on how this information will be made available to you. There will be a small fee but don’t be
alarmed, what you will receive will save you hours and hours of research time
and the live stories I share will have great meaning to you.
Let the journey begin!
