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Should I Buy A House Vs Buying An Apartment Complex

If you’ve never owned any real estate and your in the market looking at homes and apartment buildings, you make want to consider who’s going to pay for that piece of real estate.  Let’s say you’ve found a house you like and an apartment building in the same area.  The mortgage on the new house is $1500.00 and the apartment building is $1500.00. 

One person decides to buy the new house for his family.  Now, he’s the only one responsible for that piece of real estate.  So, if he loses his income, he’s going to more likely lose the house and hurt his credit.  Now the other person decided to buy the 4 family complex.  His mortgage is also $1500.00, however he decides to rent out 3 of the units for $500.00 each, which covers his mortgage.  So whether he has a regular income or not his still keeps his piece of real estate. 

Also, the second person decided to add solar panels to the property and switch everything over to electric, and increase rents to $850.00 for each unit.  He decides to pay all utilities for those three tenants.  He gains an extra $1050.00 in rental income and he still does not have to pay any of his income into this piece of real estate.  He also gets to save up to buy the house the first person lost and the tenants from the apartment complex are paying for that house to. 

I have been blessed to live outside of the United States in my active duty time in the Navy: 3 years inJapan and 1 year in Africa. But my time in Africa was life-changing and eye-opening. I'd love to share what that time taught me about life and business: http://www.afipittman.com/2014/08/29/3-things-living-in-africa/. ;

Everywhere you go these days, the mental health of our community seems to be a primary subject and concern. We have finally come to grips with the fact that not all of our problems are financial and social. Some of our problems are borne of unspoken misery and unresolved pain.

That’s why I published a book earlier this year filled with healthy living tips for the mind, body and soul. “Broken In Plain Sight” provides a perfectly crafted fictional, highly imaginative platform that proves that love is the common denominator to vibrancy and healing. The novel-like feel works to illustrate the underlying reasons for unhealthy lifestyle habits and offers practical and innovative solutions for living healthier.  In its fictional, diet-guide like format, the book exposes the struggles, secrets, and corruption within an African American family and their journey to find love, truth, and healing.

Now, six months later, my new book, “Broken In Plain Sight”, has been nominated to receive The Henri at The 2012 Christian Literary Awards in November 2012. See for yourself why it was nominated and purchase your copy today. In order to take home this prestigious award, I need your vote! If you liked my book, I would greatly appreciate if you would take a minute and vote for it.

Just visit http://www.awards.joyandcompany.org/about. You’ll need to create an account, then after receiving your password, you’ll need to “Login” and follow the prompts which include clicking “2012 AWARDS” and selecting READER'S CHOICE to CAST YOUR VOTE for “Broken In Plain Sight” in the Fiction Category.  Voting will close on September 30^th. Please tell your family and friends to vote!!!

Broken in Plain Sight is engaging, entertaining and enlightening. It’s available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well as Kindle and Nook. Too many of us are broken in plain sight and don’t have to be!

Thank you in advance your support and vote!!!

Bridgette

Dear Black Business Space CommUNITY,

Centuries ago, Aesop (the famous Black greek philosopher), provided us with a compelling parable that instructs as well as warns us about how to do business.

Its message could not be more timely: The fable recalls the story of a poor farmer who discovers in the nest of his goose a shining golden egg. He is suspicious, and starts to discard the egg, but then decides to have it appraised to determine its worth. He discovers the egg is pure gold!

The farmer is overwhelmed with his good fortune. He becomes even more excited when he finds that each day, as he visits the nest, there is a new egg.

Imagine his excitement as day after day he awakens to the thrill of finding a new egg! It all seems too good to be true. However, the farmer becomes wealthy beyond belief.

Then, with his newfound wealth, comes greed and impatience. Instead of waiting for each day to pass, he decides to get all of the eggs at once. He greedily opens the goose, only to find that it is empty. Not only are there no eggs, but now there will never be anymore. He has killed "the goose that laid the golden eggs."

For us, "Black business networking" is that goose. As Black entrepreneurs we have an enormous capacity to help Black people universally achieve economic health and financial freedom. However, with that incredible opportunity comes significant responsibility.

We have to do business THE RIGHT WAY! If we do, we ensure continued freedom and prosperity for everyone.

For that reason, the National Black Business Trade Association, established "Codes of Good Business Practice". These Codes have been adopted in order to define the duties, responsibilities and rights of members among themselves, the Black community, and the public in general as well as with the National Black Business Trade Association, Inc. (NBBTA) office and staff.

The purpose is to develop relationships which are more conducive to successful business practices, financial and community development, as well as the advancement of African peoples worldwide. While at the same time maintaining the right of each member to engage in a free and independent business enterprise.

CODE 1: Treat your customers, suppliers, employees, contractors, prospects and public as you would want to be treated. We are dedicated to the principle that if “you help enough people get what they want out of life, you will automatically get all you want out of life”. Service to others will always return great dividends. Its called, “synergy”. People working together in harmony and cooperation will accomplish much more than the same number of people working separately.

CODE 2: Each of us is an attitude away from greatness. Each of us is unique and special, with our own set of beliefs, talents, strengths, abilities, perceptions and values. Each of us is a product of our lifetime experiences. We base our decisions and actions upon these experiences. Each person has a unique contribution in life - each of us has innate worth and value. An attitude of total unconditional acceptance of others will cause each of us to allow for differences and help eliminate prejudice and judgmental thinking. By allowing another his own opinions and actions, individuals actually enhance their own self-esteem. We seek first to understand and then be understood.

CODE 3: The power to change your life is within your reach. We believe that each individual has the God-given right and responsibility to live freely. Each, as a mature, adult business person, must be given the right to operate independently and be allowed the freedom to succeed or fail based upon individual efforts and abilities. We are each responsible for our own well-being and growth - personally and financially. We seek to be compensated in the marketplace in direct portion to the value we bring to the marketplace.

CODE 4: What we do, we do for our children (future generations). The proper raising and education of our children is our collective responsibility. In addition to all else, we must teach them the importance of ownership, equity participation, international economic reciprocity and entrepreneurship as alternatives to laboring in the job market. We must lead by example, encouraging the creative process in all, bringing others along as we grow.

CODE 5: We each have the responsibility to deal with openness, honesty, and kindness in business and in life - to cause the best results possible. Once a difficulty or problem exists, the most effective manner to correct it is to go back to the root cause of the problem and treat that - not just superficially treating the effect. Following the ancient principle of “whatsoever you sow, so shall you reap!”, we acknowledge that each of us will reap exactly what we give out. Each of us will reap a life harvest - the size will depend upon our generosity at planting time, the quality will depend upon our diligence to tend the crop and the kind will depend upon the kind of seed we’ve sown. Eventually all our thoughts, words, actions and attitudes will come back to us. The principles exist that those dealing honestly, fairly and with integrity will find success, friendships and ultimately - happiness and peace.

CODE 6: One who masters the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.

These Codes reflect the positive nature of our mission and our desire to be of service to Black people throughout the world. If you look closely, you will notice that the first code really is a summation of all that follows.
Treat your customers, suppliers, employees, contractors, prospects and public as you would want to be treated. We are dedicated to the principle that if “you help enough people get what they want out of life, you will automatically get all you want out of life”.

Together, I believe we can fight the universal tendencies toward greed, negativity and impatience. I believe we can do business the old-fashioned way, with integrity and honesty. If we conduct our business THE RIGHT WAY, the goose will be healthy and our mutual abundance will be unmeasured. In the end, the only way to do good is to be good.

Peace and Blessings,

Lee Green, Chairman, National Black Business Trade Association (NBBTA)
and Founder, BlackBusinessSpace.com

Networking Increases NetWorth

Juniques

www.jusmcc.org

We’ve all probably gone through this feeling at one time or another – amidst all the hustle and bustle of a seemingly great life, you still feel like something is missing. There’s that little part of you that feels restless, even while everything else seems to be in place. Your mate and the kids “seem happy” with the job you are doing, home affairs appear to be running smoothly, and your career may even be at its peak. Yet something still just doesn’t feel right, and you can’t quite figure out what that is.

You may be feeling this way because you have given blood, sweat and rivers of tears for the people you love but not for the person you should be loving the most – yourself! This does not mean that you should only be thinking about yourself from now on. However, you, as the beautiful soul that you are, personally need undivided attention – you need to feed your body, soul and spirit because together they comprise the only YOU there is!

Most women find it difficult to focus on themselves and their needs due to societal conditioning. They constantly worry too much about things falling apart if they let go of feeling responsible for everyone else. But think of how things will go completley haywire if you run your energy into the ground by attending to the needs of others and not your own. Pretty soon your body and spirit will have to step in and create “me time” for you. This could mean that you will fall ill, begin to forget the important things or just feel plain’ole worn out.

When deciding to make the most important decision and the extremely valuable move to commit to your own personal needs and wants; you must be ready to release the “small ideas” you have had about your life. This is not about measuring up with some parameters for comparison – your happiness is not about keeping up with the Jones’; it’s about attaining daily habits and routines that allow your spirit to sing…everyday. Life is not an uncharted race of trying to beat out somebody else; it’s about being happy with where you are in your life at any given moment.

You are a unique individual with needs that are different from everyone else. When you begin to focus on these, you will be amazed at how much better you will feel and how all of your relationships will improve. Attending to our own personal needs and wants helps us identify where we have been standing in our own way and allows us to grow into the spirits that we have always wanted to be. Once you set out on the course to “radical transformation,” you may not like what you find immediately, but the journey of identifying your truth then living your life from it will be the greatest reward.

Be aware that you will definitely feel “uncomfortable” in the beginning. Beginning to take time out for you when you are use to doing things for everyone else can make you feel so guilty. And if you grew up in the church…you will struggle with the falacy of “by doing things for yourself, you are not being a good Christian”…NONSENSE!!!

Once I started to peel back the layers of my personality, removing the shackles of society, and discovered that I was not perfect…it was damn near devastating. I had such a hard time shifting my focus to me when all my life I had seemed to focus on everything and everyone else. But it has to be done, the choices and decisions you will begin to make will determine the roadmap ahead. Like me, I feel that once you really begin tothink about it, you will want to take on a path that will lead you to a greater sense of self-awareness, connection/reconnection you’re your truth and the courage to live your life according to what “feels good” to you. Take a look below at these “radically transformative tips” that will help you focus on yourself so you can begin to enjoy your life:

1. Devote exclusive time for yourself each day. Set a definite hour for yourself alone and bask in an activity that you absolutely love. It can be time in the tub, a walk in the park, a manicure at the salon, sitting on your patio sipping coffee and doing nothing else – whatever it is that pleases you. Do something strictly for pleasure and not to move you further along in your career or in your relationships. This time is strictly for you. Learn to play…hell, by a set of jacks or a tonka truck and get busy. You could also use this time to reflect in your journal, dream the biggest dream you can imagine, and write down all of the things you will do and have once your dream is realized.

2. Give value to your overall needs, and be in-charge of them – the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional. Don’t make the mistake of thinking these needs are dependent on someone else or that you can only have satisfaction and happiness when somebody else does something to you or for you. You have the power within yourself to attain these needs and that is the only way you will become a whole person. Want to strengthen your relationship with self and show up to a dating situation whole…then (excuse my slang) but…get-chu some bidnez! Making the other person 100% responsible for your happiness is not attractive nor is it healthy.

3. Feed your mind, body and spirit with good and healthy things. Find positive energy to stimulate you, positive thoughts to motivate you and positive people to be around. Feed your body well – eat healthy, taking in lots of fruits and vegetables and get plenty of water. Do like I do, since I don’t like to eat them, I blend them and drink them all together. Feed your mind with informative material. Read lots of motivational books, listen to audiobooks and attend pleasurable events. I’m not one to read the newspaper or watch the news. How do I stay up on current events you ask? Trust me, there are tons of others who enjoy feeding their mind and spirit with the negativity of the world…if I want to know, I’m sure they will be willing to share. If you can’t detach from the news completely, at least limit the amount of time spent watching, listening or reading the news.

4. Limit your time on the TV – if you need to, watch the “feel good” programs that let you laugh about life and stimulate your spirit. Listen to soothing music. Music has that magical ability to relax or stimulate your mind, depending on what you need at that particular moment.

5. Spend time doing something you love. If you are able to do it daily, do so. It can be a hobby like people watching (oh wait…that’s one of mine…giggle) gardening or a creative pastime like painting, pottery or craftworks. Whenever your creative outbursts are at their peak, translate that into action; whatever that means to you. It’s always nice to be doing something beautiful.

6. Create your own gratitude journal. Did you know that a lot of bestselling motivational books started from the authors’ personal gratitude journal? You can begin to write down even just five things you’re grateful for each day. Pretty soon, you’ll see your list growing and you’ll begin to notice how good it is to focus on the positive things in this world. I bet you’ll be writing longer reflections and short stoties in no time because you’ll be writing about the good things rather than dwelling on the occasional obstacles of life.

There really is no better way to take good care of yourself than focusing on your needs and wants. Feeding yourself constantly allows you meet the challenge of each new day with a positive attitude and a happy heart – fully content with where you are at each present moment. And when you are ready to kick it up a notch and “Radically Transform” your life…you know where to find me. You can reach out to me directly or radically transform in the comfort of your own home. The choice of HOW you do it is yours…all I ask it that you step up to the plate and “MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

PROGRESS, PROGRESS, PROGRESS!

Ok if you started this with me you should be progressing and moving foward in your progress in positive thinking, having a positive outlook, and changing your life for a better future. How are things going? Have you experienced a change in your attitude, personal life, business, your atmosphere? If not what is holding you back?

Let's take a moment to think about how we can demolish all of the henderances out of our lives so there is nothing holding us back from being able to move forward into a life full of joy, prosperity, and complete fulfillment. Since death and life is in the power of our tounge, meaning the words we speak over ourself, then we may need to change how we talk about our future. Instead of saying "I'm broke, I don't have the money, I'm not capable" demolish that way of talking and switch your words from "I don't, I can't, I'm not" to "I have, I can, I am!"

So with your list that you created of all the things you invision yourself having, being, and doing begin to speak about those things in present tense. Speak about those things as if you already have it and it already exists. Doing this will further affirm into your atmosphere that the things you have declared you will have will manifest.

Here are some words to begin to speak just as a sample list of affirmations:

I am successful

I have everything I want and need

I drive a (input the name of the car you invision yourself driving)

I am Joy

I am Peace

I am love and I am loved

I am respected by everyone and I respect others

I have and abundance of wealth

I have prosperity, I am prosperous, I am successful

I live an abundant and full life

Money comes easily and frequently to me

My business is successful (It's good to name your business on this one to be specific)

I am giving toward others

I have so much wealth and abundance that I am able to give without reservation or hesitation

I have all of the business connections I need

I am always in the right place at the right time meeting the right people that will help me grow my business, life, relationships.

These are just a few example affirmation phrases that you can speak over yourself daily to begin changing your outlook, life, and circumstance!

Live your best life today!

~Tamishia Clayborn~