Page 8-"The Portland Observer-’November 14, 1990
• Portland Observer
BUSINESS
I
L
SBA launches WNET program
The Small Business Administration
will expand a national mentorhsip pro
gram lor women in business into Oregon
during 1991. The Women’s Network for
Entrepreneurial Training (WNET) will
be launched in Portland in December
1990 with the active support of many
others, said Inge McNeese, Representa
tive for the Women Business Owner
programs at the SBA Portland District
Office.
The WNET program was created to
link successful women business owners
wit women entrepreneurs in the early
years of business development SBA wants
to build on the strength of seasoned en
trepreneurs and offer women business
owners the wisdom and encouragement
of role models. In a year-long, informal
exchange, WNET mentors and women
entrepreneurs are linked for mutual sup
port and learning. There is no fee for
participating in the WNET program.
Women in business who have founded
their own firms are eligible. Mentors
should have five years and protegees at
least one year experience as business
owners.
The mentorship program is a coop
erative effort between SBA and other
organizations. Eightgroups havcalready
signed on as sponsors and others are
expected to follow, said McNeese. Join
ing with SBA in the WNET program:
The Oregon Federation of Business and
Professional Women, the Institute for
Managerial and Professional Women,
the Oregon Chapter of Women Con
struction Owners & Executives, U.S.A.,
the Oregon Association of Minority
Enterprises, Women Entrepreneurs of
Oregon, Washington County, the PSU
Business Association, Women’s Yellow
Pages and the Service Core of Retired
Executives, Portland Chapter.
Women business owners who are
interested in the mentorhsip program
and would like to apply should contact
Inge McNeese at the SBA Portland Of
fice, (503) 326-5202.
OAME To
Announce New
HQS Site
The Oregon Association of Minor
ity Entrepreneurs will formally announce
its receipt of the property at 1130 NE
Alberta at the site for its headquarters on
November 16, 1990. OAME will also
kick-off a Capital Campaign for remod
eling and additions to the existing struc
ture. The property has been donated by
US West Communications in coopera
tion with the Portland Development
Commission. This is an Oregon first.
A Capital Campaign Chair has been
Sf^ected, Mr. Carl Tallon, from Pacific
Power & Light. A News Conference will
be held on Friday, November 16, 1990,
at the new location, 1130 NE Alberta, at
12:00 noon.
Support O ur Advertisers!
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•Portland Observer!
Trl-Met Employee Commitment To Black United Fund Up
?
*
Amina Anderson, Director of the
Portland area office of the Black United
Fund of Oregon, received a check for
S14,793.00 November 5, from Bill Al
len, Tri-Met Executive Director of Op
erations, as Tri-Met employees’ annual
contribution to the fund. Also attending
were Gene Williamson, Tri-Met Man-
<1
ager of Service Quality, and Tri-Met
chairman for the United Way-Black
United Fund campaigns, and Harvey
Garnett, Tri-Met’s loaned executive to
the United Way campaign.
Now in their third year of participa
tion with the fund, Tri-Met employees
increased their contribution 68% over
last year’s donation. * ‘Tri-Met employ
ees work every day with the citizens of
Portland. Our operators often see people
in need and see the benefits of the many
social service agencies supported by the
United Way and the Black United Fund,
“ said Allen.
Whatever happened to minority
business? ’Conclusion
BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT
We have covered a lot of
ter ritory in this series of
five ar tides. Many ex
amples have been given of
both succes and failure in
hope that sufficient caution has been ad
vised that the ill-prepared will hesitate
to embark on a perilous joum ey-and
that those with sufficient resources of
finance and talent will be encouraged to
endeavor and prosper.
Sometimes caustic, and sometimes
“ high on enterprise” , I have tried to
provide sufficient citations of real-time
experience to lend an air of credibility to
these recitations. And at all times there
has been a determined effort to gel across
the point that there is no substitute for an
adequate amount of research and inves
tigation. No texts, manuals or hearsay
will serve instead. Too, I made it quite
clear that the nearest thing to real-time
experience is that of the “ Trade and
Professional Association” whose reca
pitulations of the experience of the prac
ticing members of their organizations
deliver d ear and reliable expositions of
what is going on in the real world of
commerce.
Again, they provide written ma
terials, videos, workshops, seminars and
teleconferences in the areas of critical
relativity: accounting procedures, sales
and markdeting, production equipment
and tools, business trends, governmen
tal relations and legislation, taxation,
legal considerations, you name it. And
again, at your public library consult
“ Gales Encyclopedia of Associations”
for a complete listing of American
Organizalions-Agricultural to retail,
medical to legal, fisheries to logging,
chemical to fashions!
1 mentioned several years ago
that I was never so disappointed as when
the Minority Business People funded to
providccomprchcnsive information and
direction to would-be business persons
would descend daily upon my private
offices seeking to use my personal busi
ness and industrial library in order to
advise their clients in an effective man
ner: “ What arc the leasing techniques
being employed now for small opera
tors? Have you got anything on equip
ment trusts? Who arc the main local
underwriters for insurance on vans leased
to social agencies? Who publishes the
best standard accounting manuals for
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medium-size markets? Who does this?
Who does what? I hope that you are
finding the system more informative
these days.
I found early on that you can not
necessarily rely upon that corp of “ Retired
Persons”
the
field. I . The problem often is just
that-they “ are retired” , and if you have
had to come up with an idea that is very
innovative and entirely new, heaven help
you if you have not done that adequate
job of research I have emphasized. I re
member back twenty years ago when a
group of “ retired advisers” were sent
by to advise me, they mostly stood around
in awe; what’s that? How does that
work? They felt, poked and exclaimed
at the latest in plate makers for printing
and the on-line teletype equipment that
fed in the data for the process. You
might have some difficulty too with
some of the university people who are
assigned to you: Community College
instructors are often from an immediate
“ real world” .
Be sure to take a look at this
week’s “ Perspectives” column on page
two, where I make the case, as in previ
ous weeks, for the small business opera
tion that can begin successfully at home,
or in a small store or plant--if you utilize
the available technology. The daily
newspapers and television almost daily
cite the success stories of small entre
preneurs, many of whom remain com
fortable small, and others who go on to
nationwide franchising or other types of
distribution and expansion. Of course
there arc failures, but what else is new?
Ti e important point is that there are
viible vehicles for the the innovative
ani the committed to “ get over” .
On the other side of the coin you
may be considering that old adage that
“ there is safety in numbers” -num bcr
of dollars, number of participants, number
of politicians and rhetoric spouters. Be
cautious with your small resources be
fore you get aboard one of these fast
moving, socially-driven programs. Be
fore you get all enthused and arc per
suaded to participate in a BUYOUT OF
PROCTOR & GAMBLE (that was actu
ally and seriously projected), just re
member the history of Portland’s own
“ The Albina Corporation” .
Also, we should note one of the
feature recitations in the 1960s book,
“ Whatever Happened to Minority Busi
ness” . Here, a multi-state, Detroit-based
African American Socio-Business
Combine (I guess that is what you’d call
it) decided to go in the “ soap manufac
turing business” . The group of bed
partners, strangers to commerce included
the Urban League, NAACP, Black
newspapers, and the many urban coali
tions in cities surrounding the main fo
cal area, Detroit. On the experience
side, there were tongue-in-cheek sign
ers of certain nebulous guarantees a su
permarket chain of stores in these cities
and a large bank with the usual widely
heralded “ Minority Commitment” .
I can make a long story short
here, the inevitable happened, which
does when there is inadequate research
and a venture is hope-driven instead of
experience-driven. Let me just cite two
instances. Considering that the soap
powder was well-manufactured, well-
advertised and met consumer expecta
tions, what could have wrong? Well, for
one thing the product didn’t get to the
consumer very well. For one thing the
soap was manufactured and packaged at
a Detroit hub and had to be shipped to
outlying cities and suburbs as well as
local outlets. Fine, you say, for that was
(is) the case for distribution by others.
But in their cost projections this outfit
did not allow for L.C.L. (less than a
carload) shipments for which railroads
and truckers charge much more. This
happened because the plant started up
with inexperienced inncrcity labor who
unable to keep up production schedules
could not get the merchandise to the
freight dock on time.
The other problem occurred in
the retail stores themselves. As I com
mented about the school district and its
failure to get minority curriculum and
lesson plans into the hands of the teach
ers, the soap powder simply did not get
the prominent shelf display space needed
for mass sales. Most of the time it
remained in the back room of the mar
kets because competitive brands always
employ “ detailers” who police the
shelves in all stores to be sure that their
merchandise occupies prominent space
on the shclvcs-if it missing, they dis
card their coats, loosen their tics and
proceed to the back room to grab a hand-
truck and bring it up front. Our firm
didn’t do this-didn’t know about his.
Well, as they say at the carni
val “ you pays ycr money and you takes
ycr choice.” That’s the way it is. Good
luck.
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BY: CYNTHIA BROWN
amily is the key to the success of Waves Hair
Design, 1926 N.E. Sandy Blvd., owned and oper
ated by Veronica and Clarice Banks. The sisters
started their business ten years ago at the original
location on N.E. 15th and Broadway. Since then
they’ve moved three times, expanding their space each time
and expanding to include their brother Joe as a stylist and,
most recently, Veronica’s daughter Tiffany as a manicurist.
“ Being in business asafam ilycan cause problems. But
it’s also a strength,” said Veronica.
“ Things that might close another
business you’re forced to work out if
you’re a family. But being family
doesn’t get anyone out of anything,
either.”
Both Clarice and Veronica credit
their parents for their success. “ We
get strong support from our mother
and father. When things get shakey
they call a family meeting and we
resolve it. Our father wouldn’t let us
go out of business,” commented
Veronica.
z
The sisters arrived at the deci
sion to be self-employed by different
routes. Veronica always had an in
nate ability to work with hair and
taught herself many of the techniques.
‘ ‘ I was always doing everyone’s hair-
I just went to (beauty) school to get
licensed,” she said. After graduating she worked for Penny’s
and the Hair Barn and eventually started a salon with another
sister, Teresa. When Teresa moved to Denver Clarice stepped
in.
“ I always knew I wouldn’t punch a time clock or sit at
at desk,” said Clarice. “ I’m very creative and in my own
business 1 can make my ideas a reality.”
Each sister contributes different strengths to the part
nership. Veronica has a more laid-back approach. “ I go
home and go to sleep and let tomorrow take care of itself.
Clarice is a worrier.”
“ I’d say I’m, more aggressive in business,” concurred
Clarice. “ And I don’t like anyone telling me what to do.”
They also credit their success to their commitment to
continuing their education. Theirs was the first salon in
Portland to offer curl rclaxers and many other styling prac
tices. “ We keep up on the latest techniques. Everything
that’s new on the cast coast takes five years to get to
Portland, so we regularly go to training seminars in New
York, Atlanta and Chicago,” said Veronica. After attending
the seminars (sponsored by companies such as Nexus, Se
bastian and Revlon) they return and train their employees.
* ‘ Beauty schools in Portland are conservative. They just
teach the basics. It’s up to the person to educate them
selves,” they commented.
The sisters also give credit for their longevity to their
loyal employees. “ Everyone’s been here between four and
ten years. That’s added to our success because, in this
business, there is a high turnover,” said Clarice.
“ Even if someone leaves, goes to another shop or opens
their own business, we keep close ties,” added Veronica.
Clients are also warmly welcomed into the Waves fam
ily. Anyone who walks in is guaranteed to be treated well.
“ There’s a thin line here between clients and family,” said
Veronica. “ Some of our clients have been here since we
opened.”
The sisters repay that loyalty by keeping their prices low-
haircuts range between $10 and $20. We started when prices
3
were high to begin with, and our prices haven’t changed in 10
years,” they said.
Marketing techniques the sisters use are sponsoring
fashion shows at the Red Lion with the emphasis on hair,
which regularly draws between 1200 and 1800 people and
their famous yearly dance, “ Just for the Heck of It” every
June; and, two weeks ago they threw a “ Time to Party with
W aves” dance at the Sheraton.
The decision to move to 20th and Sandy was with an eye
on increasing their visibility and clientele, * ‘We were kind of
hidden in the Hollywood district but now w e’re on a busier
street and it’s close to the Convention Center,” said Clarice.
“ We think it’s going to be a plus, but it will take time.”
Veronica and Clarice believe in the importance of com
munity service and consider themselves role models for other
young women of color. “ 1 hope we are. That’s one of the
reason wc decided to stay in business during the rough
times,” commented Clarice. Both are members of O-OMNE,
the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, and both
have been asked to sit on the Oregon Board o f Cosmetology.
Clarice is involved regularly with the Urban League and the
Self-Enhancement program.
And what are the trends in hair fashions for the future?
“ Whatever you want, basically,” said Clarice. “ Especially
the soft look-a lot of body but no curl-and sculpture.”
Waves Hair Design is a full service salon offering cuts,
hair weaving and straightening, perms, and fashion consult
ing including hair, make-up and wardrobe. Their number is
232-6263.
Quincy Jones hopes to foster blacks’
pride in musical heritage
Fr,ends of Black Stud,es
Quincy Jones at 57. "Now I have
my life in my hands," he says.
Artist Blames Nervous Breakdown
on Getting Hung Up on Materialism
New York, November 15-Lament-
ing that black Americans have no sense
of their musical heritage, jazz musician-
producer Quincy Jones said he hopes to
do something about that situation before
he dies.
“ You know, we have culture that is
vastly underrated,” Jones said in an inter
view to be published this Sunday in
Parade magazine. “ Especially by us
Americans, Black and white,” he added.
“ We don’t have a clue as to what it’s
about. The Europeans know. The world
knows.
“ There’s a stauc of (jazz saxaphon-
ist) Sidney Bechet in Paris. When the
Europeans come over here, they expect
to sec statues of Charlie Parker or Louis
Armstrong in front of Radio City. But
we just think of them as a couple of black
dudes who played nice.
“ And black people, we have no
sense of our musical history. And that’s
a shame, man. I just hope, before I get
out of this world, I can do something
about it. One thing we can look up to
with pride is our heritage. That is a
legacy that the whole world admires.”
Commenting on his work with
Michael Jackson and Kool Moe Dee,
Jones said, “ I know there arc some real
bad racial things happening out there
that are polarizing some of us. And that
freaks me out. But consider what hap
pened to Michael Jackson in the ’80s.
Little kids all over the globe had a black
hero. That changed the truth about the
world in which we live.”
Jones, who had a nervous break
down four years ago, blamed it partly on
being “ hung up” on materialism. “There
was too much going on,” he recalled.
“ People were buggin’ me about a lotta
things. Lots of Pressure. I didn’tw antto
cat. I couldn’t be around people. I didn’t
feel whole. That scared me to death,
cred by getting in touch with his spiritual
self. “ I (now) have my life in my hands,’
he declared.
presents
“BLACK COWBOYS
AND
BUFFALO SOLDIERS
P a u l S tew art. P o u n d e r & C u ra to r
f’/rrt A’ Ante) ic a tl Hit’s / A ltiSC U H I
Deni er. Colorado
We Tell It Like It Was.
L o c a tio n :
I r id a ). November 3<>. 1990
Red I ion I loyd ( enter
5:3O-"’:.M) pm
L lo y d
7 O U
B u i l d i n q , 70U NE
M u ltn o m a h ,
3 rd
F lo o r ;
Room s A , H , t C .
Tickets Available At:
PSt Ticket onice
F r id a y 1 1 -1 6 -9 0
/ :0 0 a n
S<K> SW Mill
at
Or By Mail
LETS COMT1HUK TO HMK 1990 THE YEAR OF PROFIT.
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