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As with all of my comments I take a personal approach. I don't consider CBP a small business because I couldn't quit my job to run it. I've been in business since 2011 as my full time job, and I've had the business since 2005. During that time the most difficulties I encountered dealt with Black people. White people went out of their way to support the ventures and I had to extend my reach to very small towns to help and get Black support. As a matter of fact, in every business I've been in my prosperity derived from working with other races. My downfall came in trusting and working with Blacks. I've had some success when trying to do a few things with Blacks, but those Blacks were not American. I hate to be vague, but it would take too long to explain it all. I guess what I'm saying is I agree with Troy that the problem of black business is profoundly affected by the behavior of Blacks. Whites and others have the same problems, but our fractured behavior compounds the problem for us. We simply don't share information or help others without expecting reciprocity or ownership. Other cultures understand there is a hierarchy and that you can gain by working with the structure as opposed to working against it. Blacks want to be the boss immediately and will fracture a relationship to start their own thing even if they aren't ready to do the job correctly. We tend to desire accolades as opposed to doing the work and sustaining. In regard to the players, I've never really done a followup, but I would have to say the graduation rate is pretty darn high. I really only worked with guys who were overlooked. Those guys tended to work a lot harder than others and that translated to more success in the classroom. The camps and website have actually produced at least 5 high school coaches and 1 college coach, 1 NBA player and in my head a lot of those guys have become successful fathers and husbands. I should probably put together a book about that time because that would be a pretty good story. Right off I'd have to say at least 50% earned degrees. Some are working on their doctoral degrees or are in grad school.

Jerry Tarkanian (who died this week) former coach of UNLV, Fresno State and Long Beach State basketball is famous for a quote. The coach never claimed he was a saint — his problem, he said, was the hypocrisy. "In major college basketball, nine out of 10 teams break the rules … the other one is in last place," he wrote. I always revert to my experience in basketball when discussing sports. I coached at a neighborhood school in San Diego. I never cheated. Our rival down the street was a comparable program. Then they hired an AAU coach. The starting lineup at this school went from being 5-8 to 6-4 to having three 6-8 kids over the summer and the number 1 ranked player in the city. They also had a Reebok deal with fresh new uniforms and free shoes whenever the kids wanted. Now this is the poorest area in the city. I had worked hard to build my program and heading into my fifth season the team had improved every year with homegrown neighborhood talent. I didn't recruit at all. I tried, but I had nothing to offer, so I worked. We played this new neighborhood school. My tallest kid was 6-6 and played soccer for most of his life and weighed about 100 pounds. At the end of the game this AAU, new high school coach came to shake hands and I had bad sportsmanship. I said "Fuck you man". The dude had taken the job from a brother who was a teacher at the school and who worked hard after hours to help the kids in life. There weren't many brothers as head coaches in San Diego. Besides I was pissed about this all star team, but I was more pissed that we had a chance to win, but I blew it through mental mistakes. The dude yelled that I couldn't coach and I lost it. I had worked so hard to build everything the right way. I was working ridiculous hours and building my guys up as best as I could in a gang infested neighborhood and all of a sudden even the kids I was helping outside of basketball wanted to transfer and leave. It was frustrating. I even had coaches leave and go to the other school. At the end of that last season, I finally gave in and recruited a dad/coach who was at another school so he could bring in the top rated freshman in the state to my school. I gave the dad the assistant coaching job and the JV job. I guaranteed him control just so he could bring in his son, and this 6-6 kid who ended up being the number one leading scorer in the state. In the process my actions told my kids by default I didn't believe we could win against these AAU teams masquerading as high school teams. I told them by my actions that you have to cheat. I couldn't really face them because I had become a hypocrite. I never coached that team. I left and moved to Memphis. They went on to win the League championship and were the city runner ups and went to the state tournament. All firsts for the school. Every sport cheats, but the biggest cheat and scam in all of sports is the NCAA.

Is this malaise just present among Blacks? Percentage wise does the white majority have more independent entrepreneurs and businesses that thrive through networking and cooperative patronage? Or is the average white person like the average black person, just a wage earner working for a company where they hope to earn promotions and salary raises and retire with a good pension? It does take a lot of energy and drive and vision and money to start your own enterprise in capitalistic America, which is apparently why so many small businesses fail. In this uncertain world, people opt for security; risk takers are in the minority and you only hear the inspirational exceptions to the rule who succeed.The many that go under don't get any publlcity. Do you guys ever watch "Shark Tank on ABC, a reality show where wanna-bes try to get the panel of 5 millionaire moguls to invest in their projects. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Damond John, the black founder of FuBu(a real rags to riches success story) are among the panel. This program showcases how hard it is to excite investors about your product and half the contestants go away without making a satisfactory deal while others opt to take a chance and settle for what they hope will work in their favor. "Sharks" is a good name for the panel members because they mercilessly attack those whose ideas they think are not feasible, leaving them to make their exit with their tails between their legs. The black race needs a do-over; it needs to refine its hustle. So many times when they are given a chance at doing business they are not prepared and can't deliver. Time and time again black contractors are awarded jobs by the city of Chicago, and they always end up embezzling funds and doing the half ass jobs that gets them replaced. Chicagoans will be going to the polls to vote for mayor next week, and one of the candidates is a self-made black business man, a millionaire who owns 4 McDonald franchises and a medical equipment supply company. But he's very inarticulate, mumbles Ebonics, and has no political finesse. In a debate with the other candidates, he kept referring to them as "whitey's". His campaign gives no specifics as to how he will delivers on all he promises. and he promises everything. Of course, he's no worse than his slippery shady opponents but he continues to embarass himself, explaining why one of his sons has disowned him by saying he didn't think the boy was his anyway because his momma wasn't no good and that was why he put her out. I luv it. Somebody has to make up the bulk of consumers and this seems to be the niche of Blacks folks buying what they want, instead of what they need.