Black business development
^^The classic broad survey of the topic.. good overview of the history
Economic development- comparative perspectives
Jewish, Chinese, Japanese business strategies, organization, tactics.. good reads
for detail on how these other minorities leveraged business development..
^^A classic, comparing Black, Japanese, Chinese models.. Offers important
insights as to why "buy black" campaigns since the 1920s often fail, along
with key organizational tactics such as the CHinese 'hu', 'ko' or Japanese
'tanayamoshi' - the famous rotating credit associations leveraged by Asians.
Worth the read by serious students of black economic development..
^^A fair background read. Contrary to the myth of heroic Horatio Algers who did
it all on their own by individual grit and gumption, from the time many Jewish
immigrants stepped off the boat they were plugged into multi-region networks,
stretching from Poland to Peoria. Offers key insights into organizational
tactics. For example may of the peddlers were "sponsored" not only by the
usual family links but by better established merchants. The bigger Jewish "compadre"
provided easy financing and inventory credit, and "franchised" out product to the
countless Jewish peddlers roaming the highways and byways. At the end of the month
the tired front-line troops returned to settle up and restock, slowly expanding their routes
and networks. SOme in time, over many years, became established merchants themselves.
The peddlers were not too proud to go where the dollar was. Some rednecks in the old
south objected to their easy relations with black customers for example.
How would that apply today? Well as just one thought experiment, why do so many small black
entrepreneurs have to struggle on isolated, with no credible network to back them up? I mean
real cultural networks not shady "multi-level" pyramid operations. Where are the black
brokers, boosters, and bankstas that can finance thousands of young black men and put them
on the street pushing competitive black-produced or sourced product or services? One way
the Jewish networks end-run the need for storefronts, properties or political connections
is the use of the peddlers who were mobile, and did not need all the fixed overhead.
SOme of these deep-pocketed black celebrities, entertainers and sports people have the
resources to put thousands of young black men into legitimate businesses. Naturally
they would have to target niche or specialized products and services, linked not only to
the peddlers, but small vending stalls, rolling transport men, home-based producers etc etc.
And yes of course there can be no exact duplicate of the peddlers above as to time and place,
but the general principle of mobile operations, networks, businesslike but sympathetic sponsors
and brokers, and end-running bureaucratic or structural obstacles can be applied.