Articles Comments

Nelson Davis | Small Business Expert » Archive

Infographic: U.S. Small Business Facts

While driving home last evening, I listened to the President’s State of the Union speech, waiting for him to mention the importance and vitality of the small business community. That didn’t happen and disappointment is the polite description of what I felt. The spirit of enterprise, self reliance and the urge to create are what built this country. That spirit will be what saves America, not any government agency. Below you can get a quick snapshot of what the small business landscape looks like and have your own opinions about the segment’s importance. Infographic Source: BusinessNewsDaily Sponsored by: Business Plan Software … Read entire article »

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, In Perspective, The Business Mind

Nelson Davis with Frank Mottek

Nelson Davis with Frank Mottek, host of The Business Hour on KNX, the CBS radio station in Los Angeles. The occasion was a breakfast gathering of business owners to learn more about the business of going green. … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Media

Now is the Time

I love the hopeful feeling of having a new calendar and fresh plans laid out in front of me. But of course the New Year doesn’t wait long before euphoria subsides and it begins testing your resolve, persistence and plans. Whether your goals for 2012 were written in indelible ink or simply mumbled to yourself during your commute, the universe somehow seems to know about them and begins delivering the challenges. At some primal level, we know that our plans will only take wing if we get both hands on the steering wheel and are not shy about turning it in a direction we want to go. So, if starting a business is on your list of resolutions, I have some thoughts to share with you. One of the top three … Read entire article »

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Expert Advice, In Perspective, The Business Mind

Martin Luther King Day is For Work

I’m writing this as we approach Martin Luther King Day on which many businesses and institutions are closed but my office will be open for business on his day. Like many national holidays, ML King Day is anticipated by many as a day to sleep in a bit, putter around the house, perhaps attending a parade or just hanging out. Obviously, I feel differently about it. To me, Dr. King and his legacy are about opportunity and dreams. My dream was to own a business. When I was about 12 years old, I met the then Reverend King when he came to speak at our church in Niagara Falls New York. He was then a preacher on tour to raise funds to help support the nascent Civil Rights movement. You see, … Read entire article »

Filed under: In Perspective, The Business Mind

Competing with The Big Dogs – Lavetta Willis

The following is an excerpt from our Making It! TV archive. To see more entrepreneur stories, go to: makingItTV.com. Lavetta Willis went to law school to become a sports agent. However, an interview for an internship changed her life. She was told that women often encounter many difficulties breaking into the sports industry, and she should explore athletic apparel. She was shocked and reluctant to give up her dream. But a few days later, she began remembering her days playing basketball at Notre Dame, and not being happy with the uniforms. She thought they were designed for men only. That’s when she decided that maybe the advice that made her angry, was not such a bad idea … Read entire article »

Filed under: Business Stories, Entrepreneurship, The Business Mind

Off the Books and Underground

Some years ago while taking a walking tour in downtown Los Angeles, the tour guide waved his hand at a commercial strip on Broadway and said something that stayed in my mind. “More cash changes hands every Saturday on this street than in Beverly Hills” was his observation. Notice he said cash and not higher gross sales. There is an unmeasured segment of the small business community that seems to be growing, especially in urban areas. It is a world where cash is not just King, but the entire royal court! Politicians and regulators need to absorb the lessons coming from the off-the-books economy. We’ve all heard the term “underground economy” which refers to individuals and businesses that deal in cash and/or use other methods to conceal their business cash flow. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Business & Politics, Business Concerns, Economy, Money

Grateful Thoughts on Business

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Marcus Tullius Cicero We are nearing the end of a year that has been obviously challenging for most of us, including even the most ambitious small business owners and entrepreneurs. Eleven months ago I was brimming with hope that my business would sprout new wings and land on higher plateaus. The year turned out to be less than sparkling in many ways as some of the dream balloons turned out to be heavier than air! But the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving is my favorite time to absorb the past year’s lessons and top up the hope reservoir for the year ahead. We should all devote significant time to listing the things we are grateful for, … Read entire article »

Filed under: In Perspective

Small Business Essentials

In response to a recent e-mail question regarding how to succeed in a small business venture, I began to distill what I’ve learned from over one-thousand business owners of all sizes, categories and ethnicities. They are people whose television stories I’ve presided over as executive producer of the Making It! weekly TV show. Though the end goals are consistently familiar, the pathways to a thriving enterprise are many. Here are several important things they’ve taught me and our viewers. If you are only focused on what business is trendy today and how much money you can make quickly, the end is already in sight for your enterprise. To succeed long term, you must invest the time to dig deep into your interests and determine what you are truly passionate about. What … Read entire article »

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Expert Advice

More Jobs—Steve and Small Business

Many thousands of words have been written about Steve Jobs as a visionary and titan during the past week. They are well deserved. Today however, I’m looking in on his life as an inspiring story for the small business owners of today and tomorrow. Like many other people, I was snared by the TV commercial in the 1984 Superbowl which introduced the Apple Macintosh, the computer that radically changed the playing field in the early days of personal computer development. That model which became the company’s signature followed Apple’s Lisa which was a flop. We can chuckle now over its 9-inch screen and 120,000 bytes of memory! In a separate live event that year, there was a neatly dressed young man with a bow tie touting the machine as being “insanely … Read entire article »

Filed under: Branding, Business Stories, In Perspective

A Small Business Wiki Leak

Conflict is what I feel about the current plight of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder. I’m an advocate for small business and believe that he is a fellow small business owner. On the other hand I’m not sure that his pursuits are business driven. Looking at the various reactions to the systematic leaking of diplomatic cables, I’m reminded of Jack Nicholson’s immortal “You can’t handle the truth” line from the movie “A Few Good Men.” We ask for greater transparency in business transactions and government actions but when the real facts are poured over us like confetti, there is lots of shouting to stop throwing that stuff around. Whatever the political noise around it right now, I do believe that WikiLeaks is a small business and that is my level of interest. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Non-Profit, On The Media, The Business Mind