Business Plan Professionals

Robert Kiyosaki is the author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, and this very popular artist and businessman people financial all across the country. He was born in Hawaii, and he is a fourth generation Japanese American. His book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” sold over 26 million copies. Kiyosaki fought in the Vietnam War, and he joined the military directly after college.

Kiyosaki theories about business are very interesting. He differentiates between employee, self-employed, business owner, and investor. He defines employee as working for somebody else. He defines self-employed as when one has his own job, and is his own boss. He defines business owners as some one makes money from his business, and typically where the owner’s physical presence is not required. He defines investor as someone investing money to receive a large income in the future.

He teaches people the difference between liabilities and assets based on his opinions. An asset is anything that generates you revenue. A liability is any thing that takes money from one such as a house or a car. Other business owners and investors take a different approach on business.

Marty Nemko is a journalist for Kiplinger.com. He writes an article on keeping one’s business plan simple. When one keep their business plan simple competition is far less, and the business is simpler to run. He breaks down what should be done when starting your business in steps.

1. Don’t innovate replicate he believes being a guinea pig is too risky.

2. Don’t seek status avoid the more attention one receives the more competition they create.

3. He says invest little heavy start up cost can crush business before it gets started. 4. Minimize rent instead of renting a building; sale ones product from home or high foot traffic location.

5. Don’t take on a partner they deprive one from what they really want self-employment and control.

6. Finally, if the first location is not doing so well start another one. Keep cloning your business until you are comfortable.

Marty Nemko is a career coach and author of Cool Careers for Dummies. He has been self employed for 22 years.

I don’t agree with Marty Nemko at all; his logic is sound, but it sounds like he is afraid to take any risk. In my opinion the bigger the risk the better the results as long as you have the proper plan.

http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/onthejob/archive/2007/job1010.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kiyosaki

Jessica Reedy New Gospel Artist

Jessica Reedy, 22, vocalist was the runner-up on season two of BET's Sunday Best. “Reedy did not win the gospel music competition series, she still feels victorious because she hasn't stopped working since her season aired.” Reedy said “she learned many valuable lessons in the opportunity God has given her for Sunday’s Best.” He has given me a platform to stand before great men and women and share my gift.

For God to pick someone who's still learning, still making mistakes, so imperfect and give me a platform before millions all over the world, it's just an example of how great His unconditional love is! I've learned how to truly appreciate God's love. "

Since appearing on the 2009 season of Sunday Best, Reedy participated in a Celebrity Health Forum presented by BET's Rap-It-Up campaign and Mary J. Blige's FFAWN Foundation. She also brought down the house with a show-stopping performance at Sheryl Lee Ralph's Divas Simply Singing Benefit in Beverly Hills. 



Musically, the statuesque singer is featured on the song “Troubled World” alongside Faith Evans and Kelly Price for Evans newly released CD, “Something About Faith” available now from eOne. She also recorded a tune called 'Praise in the House' for the soundtrack of the Deitrick Haddon movie, “Blessed and Cursed.” She recently released in February 2011 "God Has Smiled On Me" to radio and online more to come as she preps her 2011 debut album.

Reedy has multiple platforms in her digital marketing campaign. Facebook, twitter, YouTube, and her website are just a few things engaging her campaign. Reedy’s Internet presence is not optimize to the best. It can be better, but she is optimized for her name. She has position herself through traditional marketing to enhance her web presence.

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/artistdetail.php?artist_id=3144

http://www.jessicareedymusic.com/

Deitrick Haddon Highlights

Deitrick Haddon is a young energetic gospel artist that has climbed the gospel charts on several occasions. He inspires Americans across the nation with his voice through stories about God. He launched his solo career in 2002 under the Tyscot/Verity record labels. One was his distribution company. His song sinner’s proclaimed the number one spot on the gospel charts soon after release. He joined many artists with his premiere on Soul Train in 2004 with his single Crossroads.

He released another known as 7 days in 2006; this album cross the country like wind taking the country by storm. Deitrick had the opportunity to work with many popular producers who also worked with many other popular artists. The hit song Heaven Knows was the single for this album produced by Haddon himself. Through all the success as a gospel artist Deitrick Haddon and Damita Haddon launch television show giving unsigned artist an opportunity to show their talent. Many popular gospel artists also participated on the show through various episodes.

Haddon had a recording contract with another major record label not known for gospel music, but he did produced gospel for gospel artist under this major record label. Haddon had received many awards, and continues to receive awards today.

Deitrick along with many other gospel artists have done well through the traditional method marketing with minimal Internet marketing. Traditional marketing is the most expensive form of marketing including, radio, billboards, and hard copy flyers and posters. The Internet has changed this marketing model, and has created opportunities for any one become popular with little revenue.

Internet marketing is the smartest way for artist to become recognized. None of the major record labels that Haddon are signed to have no search engine optimization. They spend little money on Internet banners and Internet ads. Haddon is a great artist, but he may be able to increase his awareness if he optimized his internet presence.

Deitrick Haddon Chart History at Allmusic

Lost & Found Album Review". GospelFlava.com.

Crossroads Album Review". GospelCity.com.

Spotlight on Deitrick Haddon". NuttinButGospel.com.

Gospel Artist Highlights 2

Shirley Caesar began sing for peers and relatives at an early age, and they knew she would become some one special in the gospel music industry. She had the opportunity to sing with the great Albertina Walker. She has had the opportunity to sing with some many great artist including, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Delores Washington and James Cleveland while in the Caravans. She began pursuing a solo career and making a name for herself in the gospel music industry around 1966.

Caesar received many awards including Stellar Awards and Dove Awards over the years. She had two Black Gospel Song of the Year Awards. Caesar has been apart of 17 different recording projects, and has created a very high standard for gospel singers. Caesar was not only an award-winning woman, but she was very educated.

“Caesar graduated from Shaw University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1984. She also spent time studying at the Divinity School of Duke University and has received honorary doctorates from Shaw University and Southeastern University.”

Caesar pastors a church in North Carolina that seats 1500, and she has one of the largest congregations as a female pastor. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and has been married to her husband Bishop Harold Williams since 1983. Caesar stated. "I never dreamed the Lord would bring my ministry to where it is, and I feel that I have not yet reached the zenith because we've got such wonderful things planned!" She cites her mother as a strong influence in her decision to give so selflessly of herself. The pastor has committed a sizeable portion of all concert sales to her Outreach Ministries. She continues to deliver weekly sermons and also leads an annual Outreach Ministries conference.

Gospel Artist Highlights

Marvin Lawrence Winans was born into a musical family. He has the gift to tell a story through singing beautiful music. The passion and the drive he used to become successful has inspired an entire country. Many are uplifted by Winans music including families, men, women, and children. Winans has affected people in his personal life, in his music career, and as a pastor.

Marvin began to sing at an early age with his family. Marvin fell into the family web of musicians, singers, and ministers. Marvin’s family helped him enhance his gift of singing and speaking. With his family by his side Winans confidence had grown, and he and his brothers began their music career.

The Winans brothers started a group called The Testimonials Singers. This group eventually changed their name to The Winans. They become one of the most popular gospel groups in history. Marvin continued to sing with this group through the years. He began to sing independent songs with many record labels, and he goes ahead to win many awards.

Winans sang with many different record labels including Light, Qwest/Warner Bros, Sparrow Records, and many others. While singing with these labels Winans won Stellar awards. Marvin had been a part of a least 14 different music projects since the 1970s. Winans had written songs for his solo projects and his family projects. Winans and his family started a church, but Marvin goes on to Pastor another church.

Marvin is the founder of the Perfecting Church. He used his church choir to record three different albums. One of the albums is nominated for a Grammy. The church is located in Detroit. Most important Marvin Winans music has had an effect on my life.

I personally enjoy Marvin Winans music, and his recent song with The Soul Singers has touched home. I think Winans will continue to make great music on in the future. His journey for the lord is just beginning. I think he will continue to be one of the greatest gospel artists of all time.

1. ^ a b http://www.perfectingchurch.org/ - "Pastor Winans"

2. ^ "Flying solo". The Detroit News. 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2009-09-12.

3. ^ "Gospel giant 'Pop' Winans dies". USA Today. 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2010-05-12.

4. ^ Sisario, Ben (2009-04-10). "David Winans, Gospel Patriarch, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-12.

5. ^ Grammy Awards, Allmusic.com

^ a b c Billboard, Allmusic.com

Gospel Artist Liabilities

Four teenage males accused Bishop Eddie Long of sexual misconduct. Artist, actors, and politicians have held the Bishop to high standards, and his 25,000-member church located in Atlanta has also put him on a pedestal. Harlem Gospel Choir had legal issues in 2006. Kirk Franklin also had legal issues in the late 1990s during a revolution in the gospel industry. Bishop Eddie Long, The Harlem Gospel Choir, and Kirk Franklin all had recent court issues.

Bishop Long has been a mogul to the gospel industry for years. His current legal issue has brought some devastation to the gospel market. Long left room for the press and people to criticize the gospel market. Long enter mediation with the four young men last year, and now they have finally reached a settlement. This hurts new gospel artist trying to establish because of the bad press. The Harlem Gospel Choir has face different legal issues.

Organizers of a Harlem Gospel Choir concert sold more tickets than the venue could hold. This led to a problem of people wanting their money back, and they stood outside the venue only able to hear a distorted sound. This would be a potential lawsuit for any venue if tickets were oversold. Other great gospel names have had legal issues.

Kirk Franklin had legal issues in 1998 with his album “Gods Property.” Some artist who actually performed on the project felt they didn’t receive proper royalties after album sold well. “The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Franklin induced God's Property founder Linda Searight into signing an "onerous and one-sided" contract with B-Rite Music.”

In Conclusion, legal issues were and still are present in the gospel industry. Many legal issues have played a significant role in the gospel music industry. Bishop Eddie Long, The Gospel Harlem Choir, and Kirk Franklin has given artist reason to consider the legal liabilities of the industry.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/eddie-long-lawsuit-close-to-being-resolved-says-judge-49980/

http://www.abcprague.com/2006/10/27/harlem-gospel-choir-will-perform-in-prague

"God's Property sues Kirk Franklin". Jet Magazine. 1998-11-02,. Retrieved 2007-11-08.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n23_v94/ai_21256447/

Fred Hammond Highlights

Many gospel artist strides for excellence throughout their career, and only a few actually succeed on a national level. Ones name is at the top of gospel billboard charts, and it has crossed over to the R&B charts. This feels like verification to an artist that his career is a success. Fred Hammond is an artist who has his name at the top; almost every single he create has position itself with the best. Fred Hammond is known for his chart history, singles, and awards.

Hammond began a part of hit productions in the 1980s as part of Marvin Winans gospel group. In 1994, his first album reached the charts; he was the lead singer in a group called commissioned. Some of the members in this group have very successful careers in the gospel industry today. According to the billboard charts Hammond became one of the best over the years because his name or group continuously stayed on the chart. He has many songs that are famous, and this is the reason his group was able to stay charted.

Singles are important in an artist career, and sometimes all it takes is an artist to have a hit single for his career to skyrocket. Let the praise begin was one his first notable singles in his career with a group called Radicals For Christ. Later on he produce another hit single called Power. Every other year it seems Hammond had created a song that not only have hit potential, but also became a hit. Hammond career consists of many hit songs, and many of the songs and albums would lead to him receiving awards.

Not all gospel artist get the level where can receive an award, but Hammond had became a familiar when it came to winning awards. He began winning awards back in 1992 where he won his first Dove Award. The Dove Award follow many more Dove Awards, and he would continue to win multiple Stellar Awards and a Grammy.

In conclusion, Fred Hammond elevated on the charts, made gospel hits, and won awards for them. He continues to perform gospel music today, and still is producing hits of the same quality. In the future Hammond will continue to be great creating a guideline for other gospel artist.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358690/

http://christianmusiccentral.wikispot.org/Fred_Hammond

Tax Form Schedule C

Businesses all have some things in common, but they have many interchangeable parts including the entertainment business. The Internal Revenue Service is a section of the government that most individuals and all American business must report too. All of the different types of business including: sole proprietorship, limited liability companies, partnerships, and corporations. Today I will explain a common tax for known as a Schedule C or a Profit or Loss From Business Form.

The Schedule C is broken down into five parts Income, Expenses, Cost of Goods Sold, Information on your Vehicle, and Other. Each individual part is just as important as the other. The income is calculated from 1099s, W-2s, and other tax forms. This is income that people use to keep their doors open. This form is used for Sole Proprietorships, Limited Liability Companies, and some partnerships.

Part two in my opinion is the part because this is a company gets its most tax write-offs. The expenses for some companies is more than the income, and these companies often times have different income sources from business profits, or these business tend to dissolve if this process continues.

Part Three is the cost of goods sold, and this sections as well as section two may have many other forms connected to them. Cost of goods is a track record of what you have purchase on goods for ones to gain a profit.

Part Four is the section which tracks ones vehicles and automobiles used for work purposes. This includes mileages and dates the automobile was put to use. It also has if your automobile was use for personal use, or for any other reason other than work. They would like for business to keep a hand written mileage log in case of an audit the company can have proof of their mileages.

Part Five is the other sections many times in this anything such as donations and other miscellaneous items that cost money were placed in this section. All sections are used. This form is a common form in business, and this form is very important in the entertainment business. It can make or break your company by itself, so remember Schedule C or a Profit or Loss From Business Form is very important.

http://www.irs.gov

Branding Blog

Many organizations are created for artist to network with artist, promoters, managers, and radio personalities. The National Gospel Radio Announcers Guild is an organization that does just that. The organization is broken down from state to state, and it has several regions located within the state. As a gospel entertainment company one should take advantage of what the guild has to offer.

Majority of the gospel radio announcers are part of this organization. The entertainment industry is developed around networking, and by knowing many of the radio announcers means a better chance of your music being played. The Guild has conferences all over the country with many of them being during the summer. As a company one can travel from conference to conference-developing relationships. One can set up booths for people to buy music; they also have the opportunity to put their press kit directly in the radio personalities hands.

DBC Entertainment group has a direct relationship with the radio personalities is a bonus. This makes it easier for radio interviews and radio promotions to take place from city to city. The radio is the number one way people get exposure for their music, and the guild doesn’t just give exposure everyday people, but to many promoters and distributors.

With the guild giving all the opportunities for networking it creates a community. This community is called the industry, and once you are part of that community things become easier. Opportunities like finding other artist for the record label is one benefit. One can develop partnership with some of the sponsors throughout the network.

In conclusion, The National Gospel Radio Announcers Guild allows opportunity for any gospel entertainment company. One should take advantage of all the opportunities that the guild has to offer. In the end it will benefit us all.

Gospel Artist Highlights

Marvin Sapp leads the nation with his inspirational songs spreading the word of God across the nation. Hit song “The Best In Me” touches lives of the young and the old, and prior to this his song “Never Could Have Made It” swept the nation off its feet. Marvin Sapp has release eight albums either as a solo artist or with a group. Marvin Sapp leads the Lighthouse Full Gospel Center Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sapp goes through trials and tribulations with his church as well as his family.

Melinda Sapp recently died after shortly after Marvin Sapp released “Here I Am” Album leaving him with three children. Through the heartache and pain surrounding Sapp he is still able to keep his composer. He still leads his church family and makes beautiful music. Trials and tribulations make us who we are, and Sapp trials and tribulations have placed him in a position to lead and win many awards.

Leader Marvin Sapp has won many awards as a gospel artist. He has recently won seven stellar awards for his “Here I Am” album and songs. Sapp has the highest gospel song ever rated on the R&B and Hip/Hop charts with “The Best In Me” reaching number fourteen. With gospel rap and gospel comedy having an affect on the gospel industry Sapp is creating a different path. Sapp is laying a new foundation for gospel music in the 21^st century.

In the future, I think the path that Sapp has created will be followed. I think other artist will make a similar style of music, and his foundation will be normal for gospel artist. The reason I think artist will follow this path is because he is making consistent hit songs. He is not going to be able to sing forever, but he has a laid the foundation.

http://www.marvinsappmusic.com/news

http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/09/09/gospel-artist-marvin-sapps-wife-dies-of-colon-cancer/

a b http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/47782/week-ending-march-21-2010-pastor-sapps-chart-miracle/

Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2010-03-24). "Lady Antebellum Returns to Top the Albums Chart, Followed Closely by Marvin Sapp". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-03-24.

Deboer, Terry (2010-03-24). "Marvin Sapp's 'Here I Am' Hits No. 2 on Billboard Top 200, Highest Position of Any Gospel Album". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved 2010-03-26.