By: BWP NewsWire

The way blacks think about business has decimated the revenue base of black businesses. And the culprit: the support mentality.

Orig. Publ: 2002-03-19 00:00:00 Second Publ: 2004-09-19 00:00:00 Third Publ: 2005-03-21 00:00:00

The Way Black Consumers Think About Black Business

The Jerry Craft cartoon above illustrates the average way in which blacks patronage their businesses. Hey, nice business, nice site, but you don't have all I need so I think I'll hop on down the street. (Be sure to check out Mr. Craft's Cartoons and Products. They're excellent)

Poll Results:

For several weeks the BlackWebPortal.com has been polling our audience on how they approach shopping from a business. The two ways present are:

1. To Buy Something From a Business
2. To Support a Business

Here are the Questions:

Poll Results
When you buy books from a Black Book Store from your community, are you supporting the store or buying a book from it?
Supporting the Store	82.91 %
Just Buying a Book	17.09 %

Poll Results
When you buy books from Barnes and Noble or Borders are you supporting the bookstore or just buying books?
Supporting the Store	4.35 %
Just Buying a Book	95.65 %

Poll Results
When you buy food from a McDonald's, do you consider yourself supporting the business or satisfying hunger?
Supporting the McDonald's	7.45 %
Just Satisfying My Hunger!	92.55 %

When you simply buy something from a business it is because you need or want to buy something from the institution. Whether rollers, tea, books, or milk, you must buy something to fulfill your need or want.

When you support something you do not necessarily want to buy from the institution. You are going to be a good person that day and support this most likely fledgeling enterprise. So you give it your support. Since it obviously needs your help.

BLACK BUSINESS QUANDARY

Our polls show it: Black Attitudes about Black Business are about support. While black attitudes about other businesses are about simply buying.

The question that remains is how to move black businesses perception from a support point of view to a just doing business point of view.

HISTORICAL ROOTS

In the late 1800's and up to 1950 there was never any problem just buying from black businesses since blacks were not allowed to buy from white businesses. Shop owners had a steady stream of clients and their survivability was guaranteed.

However, because of slavery and Jim Crow blacks longed to be in the (dareIsay) master's shop to prove how equal he or she was to their former owners. So if the master charged $2.00 for a loaf of bread and a black shop owner charged 50 cents, the white-sold bread was purchased. The black person skipped away happily that he was able to purchase a $2 loaf of white bread from his former white master. 'Now I'm Equal'

The problem with this picture is that blacks and whites were always equal. The only difference is that whites used their technology and divisive techniques to beat us down through the centuries making black people believe in white superiority. This is the trick and it continues to this day.

THE BEAT GOES ON

So the beat goes on. Black business owners tie their hands by not advertising in black newspapers, magazines, and so forth, forcing those firms to hunt for dollars.

Meanwhile black consumers support black businesses thus keeping them poor and strapped.

CHANGE FROM WITHIN

The only way to change the community is by changing our attitudes about buying. Blacks have a huge community deficit because of the legacy of plantation style thinking. Many of our leaders haven't helped change our buying mindset (except Louis Farrakhan) since they continue to lobby corporations for pieces of the pie.

The real solution is a change in attitude toward ourselves as consumers and owners. Most other communities inherently support their own enterprises, but they don't have the historical legacy to fight. But you have to start somewhere.

HOW TO GET STARTED

If You're a Customer

If you (a black customer) want to change you have to first admit that you are black and that maybe you have been unduly influenced to think that white-person's ice is colder than yours! Ice is ice and it freezes at the same temperature no matter the situation. The same attitude should be given to every shoe, shirt, dress, sandwich, and camera you buy.

Next you should realize that as a consumer you may one day become a business owner so you should check the support attitude at the door. As a business owner you are already helping your self approach financial freedom and really don't require support (just the drive to sell and support your product) to thrive. Just ask any successful entreprenuers!!

Finally you should find black businesses near you by using the BlackWebPortal.com Yellow Pages and/or local black pages in your area. One of the best ways to find them is by town or zipcode.

For Business Owners of all Types

If you are a business owner one of the most important things is to provide great customer service. This includes having a clean shop or web site, prices clearly marked, and a way to provide client feedback.

I have found that by providing good customer service the product lines of my business have grown nicely. I have also found that by providing CLEARLY MARKED PRICING that the natural barter that occurs simply disappears. So business owners that have shops or sell at expositions, clearly mark the prices on your goods. This will establish your product price legitimacy.

A LONG WAY TO GO

We have a long way to go in regaining our market share, but both black consumers and business owners must acknowledge their shortcomings to improve their community's financial base.

Owners have to make their shops more professional and invulnerable to 'iffy' pricing and possible poor customer service. However, good customer service does not include your clients teaching you how to run your business.

Consumers on the other hand have to weed their minds out of the support black business mentality since business owners sell products to solve a consumer's needs and wants.

We can solve our community deficit problems by treating ourselves equally and by shrugging off the plantation mentality of buying and selling to our own people.

Want to learn more about how to change your mind about black buying and selling:

1. Black Folks Guide to Business Success
2. Miseducation of the Negro

The books listed above are the best guides in your attempt to erase the white-wash of your mind.

The article is the copyright property of the BlackWebPortal.com. If you wish to duplicate this article in your newspaper or your web site in full, it must be mentioned that the author is Robert Rucker and the website of origin is the BlackWebPortal.com.