“By now most people know about emotional intelligence,” says Jarik E. Conrad, Ed.D., author of The Fragile Mind (AuthorHouse; $29.95) and president of the Conrad Consulting Group L.L.C. in Jacksonville, Florida. “But ask them to define it and the room goes silent.”

Because emotions influence actions and decisions, knowing your level of emotional intelligence (and, if necessary, improving it) can make the difference between those interactions and situations you effectively build upon and those with which you struggle.

Chuck Bush, a film finance adviser based in Los Angeles, believes that his ability to manage diverse personalities, out-of-control egos, his own feelings, and all the components of film deals requires tremendous emotional intelligence.

“Hollywood is filled with people with difficult personalities and big egos,” says Bush, president of Great Road Capital Inc. Studying people and how they interact with others, and managing stress with yoga, meditation, and running, have all helped get him where he is today, the 38-year-old says. “Over time I’ve had to develop my skills, especially my ability to be patient and empathize with other people.”

Some have an innate capacity to identify, assess, and manage their emotions and those of others, while others find it challenging. “Regardless of one’s starting point, your level of emotional intelligence can be increased with assessment, training, and a lot of practice,” says Conrad.

Here are a few practical steps you can take to begin developing your emotional intelligence:

Find your level. A licensed professional can administer a formal assessment test to determine your emotional intelligence level. The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations is a member organization that offers a number of measures for determining one’s social and emotional competency. Another service is Multi-Health Systems which provides psychological assessments.

Recognize the trigger points. Identify the people or situations that make you feel angry, sad, or depressed. Next, figure out why this happens and, if you can, avoid these scenarios. If they are unavoidable, attempt to work through them. This, too, can be done on behalf of others; knowing the triggers of those with whom you work closely can prevent you from agitating them. Rely on friends, mentors, and trusted colleagues to provide observations as well.

Listen well. There’s more than one way to listen to others. Hear and understand much more by using your observation skills. Body language such as facial expressions, hand gestures, and body positioning can provide more information than words. Also, make a conscious effort to understand the opposite side, even if you don’t agree. This strategy will help you develop empathy and avoid letting negative feelings cloud your ability to process your thoughts.

Stay active. Your physical well-being significantly affects your emotional well-being. Participate in activities that stimulate your body and mind. From yoga to reading to running to knitting, a number of activities and hobbies can help alleviate stress. Such outlets come in handy when feelings go awry.

This article originally appeared in the March 2010 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Working as a collective, Jenkins along with several other businesswomen weathered the economic downturn. (Source: Ron Wyatt)

“I had to be very proactive in addressing this recession before the bottom fell out,” says Princess Jenkins, founder of The Brownstone, a women’s fashion boutique in Harlem. So in November 2008 Jenkins invited a group of designers that are regularly carried in The Brownstone to her store for a meeting. When they gathered, Jenkins presented them with a proposition: to form a partnership and collectively host a series of promotional events around the city.

Agreeing to meet and contribute $100 a month to fund the initiative, Jenkins and the women Traci Lilly and Norma Lilly, Adrienne Lockett, Sandy Baker Harriet Rosebud and Denise Goring, who design jewelry, hats, and clothing—formed an informal partnership with the intent of creating “a highly visible fashion footprint in Harlem,” says Jenkins. The goal was to drive sales of their individual wares, collectively, by driving business to The Brownstone.

Strategic alliances are an important and economical strategy. However, such collaborations are only as strong as both the purpose and the players. “Partnerships depend on cooperation,” explains Leonard Greenhalgh, professor of management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. “You have to have common objectives, your mission statements have to be compatible, and there must be trust between the parties.” Luckily, such was the case with Jenkins and her partners.

Last April the women combined their expertise, resources, and client lists to host about 150 people at the partners’ first fashion show and shopping experience. A $35 ticket to the event included a show, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and a $25 gift certificate for the day. Each partner walked away from the event with professional photos, a video, dozens of new customers, combined ticket and merchandise sales in excess of $25,000, and enough positive buzz in and around the community to continue driving customers to The Brownstone through the harrowing months to come. Teaming up for vendor booths at citywide events as well as a holiday gift catalog followed.

“Other businesses in the community were shrinking back because of the bad economy,” recalls Jenkins. “But, through partnering together, we stood out in a big way.” Sales at the 850-square-foot boutique increased by 25% compared with sales from the previous year, rounding out to a little more than $325,000 for 2009.

Greenhalgh, also director of Tuck’s programs for minority- and women-owned business enterprises, believes that businesswomen tend to form these types of collaborative relationships more easily than men. But he adds that the idea of working with someone else can be challenging for any entrepreneur. “In general, entrepreneurs don’t like being dependent on other people and, not surprisingly, they have a tendency to keep to themselves, making good alliances difficult to find.” The particulars of any business alliance should be put in writing and signed by all those involved to ensure agreement.

Jenkins says the partners’ challenges were typical of any group. “Things like consistency, dependability, accountability, and not being afraid to have an open and honest dialogue when things go awry become very important.” The group continues to meet once a month and plans to continue the partnership.

This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

(Illustration by Ray Alma)

However one defines success—love, the freedom and ability to do as you choose, the path of self-discovery, marriage and family, a six-figure salary, houses, cars, a six-pack (abs, not beer that is), etc.—human beings appear to be in constant pursuit of it. And we receive mixed messages about how to achieve it all.

In this endless pursuit, we will likely face disappointment over unfulfilled expectations that can cause us to build up the same anticipation in others and let them down as well at some point. But feelings of disappointment, along with their potential to demoralize and immobilize us, can be tamed and possibly avoided altogether when expectations are managed effectively.

Managing Others’ Expectations
Successfully navigating another individual’s unfixed wants and needs in order to fulfill their expectations—whether known or unknown—can be tricky. “It takes strong analytic, communication, problem-solving, planning, and implementation skills,” says Vickie Cox Edmondson, Ph.D., an associate professor of management at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Good rapport, which is an open honest relationship built on mutual trust and respect, is the foundation that allows you to really use all of those skills,” adds Nick F. Nelson, a former project manager, now principal and COO of Liquid Soul Media, an Atlanta-based marketing company. “Sometimes people don’t know what they want or need, but they will still hold you accountable for fulfilling it,” says the 37-year-old who oversees the day-to-day operations, creative process, and execution of all LSM’s professional services. So, even after requirements have been communicated in writing or discussed, be forward thinking and ask lots of questions to discover the unknown. “For example, a good question is, ‘What does success in this relationship and or project look like to you?’” says Nelson. Edmondson also recommends you identify potential problems and develop plans to address them during the planning stage rather than waiting. When problems do arise, offer solutions. “And following-up with the person afterwards,” Nelson adds.

Managing Your Own Expectations
“The problem with managing our own expectations is that people convince themselves their own expectations are the truth,” says Thomas A. Gordon, a licensed psychologist and founder and principal of TAGA Consulting (www.taga consulting.com), a corporate leadership solutions and change strategy consulting firm based in Philadelphia. “But one has to continually adapt to all sorts of contexts, challenges, and changes in order to be sustainably successful. Consider richly diverse, knowledgeable views and dance with the possibilities.”

From a psychological point of view, Gordon says failure to manage expectations well, both in our personal and professional lives, is caused by poor focus, destructive or depleted energy, and dysfunctional partnering. “We partner with people with whom we don’t share like minds, but we assume we can solve problems together,” he adds. Gordon also cites favoritism and feeling invalidated on the job, as well as a lack of resources—including money, equipment, time, and respect—as causes.

“When we’re wounded, angry, guilty, and depressed, we don’t operate from a clear appreciation of our purpose, self-worth, and realistic capacities; we feel clouded, unclear, and unsure how to really win on a given field of play.”

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING

Some find expectations (high or low) are so powerful that they become self-fulfilling prophecies, while others believe expectations (namely the high ones) lead to enormous disappointment. The best expectations are neither high nor low, but G.R.E.A.T (Grounded in Truth, Realistic, Engaging, Adaptable, and Thoroughly thought-out). To limit disappointment Edmonson and Nelson offer the following tips.

M.A.N.A.G.E expectations:

Monitor the relationship or work-life situation by asking thoughtful and relevant questions and actually
listening to the answers.

Adapt to changes, which will inevitably occur, by identifying and challenging your own rigid thinking.

Negotiate your position with honesty and integrity and look for opportunities to partner with others, at work and in your personal life, who do the same.

Anticipate potential problems/challenges/issues that could arise and address them before they do.

Grow continually in genuine knowledge of yourself and others, as well as diverse perspectives on the issue(s).

Expect the best outcome—let a positive attitude, belief in yourself, faith in God, mantras, etc. be your allies.

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Indecisiveness can be attributed to a host of limiting beliefs and circumstances, including: stress; lack of knowledge or professional guidance; not knowing where to turn for help; lack of support from family or friends; and lack of motivation. “There are a lot of people who certainly would do better if they knew better,” says Pamela Everett Thompson, a clinical psychologist, professional life coach, and owner of Building Bridges to Better Lives P.C. in Atlanta. “But quite often my clients’ indecisiveness is caused by fear—fear of going against the grain and being rejected by loved ones; of making a mistake; of being less than perfect; even fear of success.” Thompson has a mantra for those paralyzed by fear: “Completion is better than perfection; and most mistakes are correctable.”

LaVonne Dorsey, a career and life coach, and founder of Welcome to Living in Seattle, notes that conflicting messages are a common cause of indecisiveness. “We’re moving so fast and we’re driven so much by others’ expectations that we’re often not even aware of what we actually want. Most of my clients’ indecisiveness stems from a conflict between what they want to do in their heart, what they think they should do in their head, and what others want from them.” She advises those grappling with conflicting messages to ask themselves what they really want. “Then bring your entire being into the decision-making process—head, heart, and intuition.”

These resources can help you start the process:

No Matter What! 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love (Wellness Central; $24.99) by Lisa Nichols

First Things First (Free Press; $16) by Stephen R. Covey

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Penguin; $16) by David Allen

Coaching and therapy can help you along the path of self discovery if you’re committed to making a change. Ask a trusted co-worker, friend, or family member for a referral. Or locate a personal or professional coach at www.coachfederation.org.

This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Competing with the well-established ethnic haircare elite was tough for the Sacramento native. “Starting off as an unknown brand we received a lot of ‘no thanks’ from salons that we wanted to partner with,” says the 36-year-old. But, the newcomer brought with her new perspectives on caring for naturally curly hair as well as a modern approach. She started a grassroots campaign online by posting news of her upcoming line to message boards, chat rooms, and other online communities where frustrated women from all over the world logged on to share their haircare woes. “We started accepting orders before the company even launched,” says Dellinger, who says CURLS was born in 2003 out of sheer necessity. At the time, Dellinger, who is black with Creole roots, says the haircare products she came across were either for straightening hair or they contained synthetic oils that weighed it down. Eventually the wife and mother of three began experimenting with homemade “concoctions.”

The former Intel marketing manager invested $50,000 of her own money, the bulk of which went toward hiring a cosmetic chemist who helped her create the products made from natural and organic ingredients such as green tea extract, soy protein, and pomegranate seed oil. “Natural and organic ingredients in hair products means your hair won’t just look good, but will keep healthy in the long term,” says Dellinger. Initially, the products were sold via e-commerce and solely targeted ethnic women. And although she was told to “expect to be in the red” during her first two years in business, CURLS saw gross revenues of $86,000 in its first year.

Today, CURLS is comprised of seven employees with products available online, in salons, and in retail stores in the U.S., the UK, and Canada.

Now, Dellinger has expanded her products’ reach and marketing initiatives, inviting anyone with curly hairdos—regardless of ethnicity—to use CURLS. Niche marketers like Dellinger have helped broaden the term “ethnic” within the hair, beauty, and cosmetics industry to include people of multicultural backgrounds.

And ethnic haircare products will reach $1.7 billion by 2012. Of course, Dellinger is looking to snip a piece of the action. She expects a distribution deal with retailers in Brazil to help bring revenues to $7 million by year’s end. “We have an extremely loyal client base,” says Dellinger. “But we’re still a very young company and it’s a male-dominated industry, so paving my way and getting respect is something I still have to work very hard at.”

This story originally appeared in the July 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Actual revenues were significantly lower than his projections suggested—they should have been 50% higher. “As a business we saw revenues drop, we reacted accordingly,” he recalls. “We cut costs, renegotiated contracts with vendors, eliminated services, and brought the services we could in-house. We cut employees who were not pulling their weight and had people doing more than one thing. Rather than laying people off, we decided to fall a month behind on paying the lease for two of our offices. And that’s how tight things got.”

Cancryn says he figured things would get better and the next month, he would just double-up on the payment. But things did not get better, so he was forced to lay off six employees over the course of the next two years. “It was a last resort.”

While layoffs, salary cuts, and furloughs can help some small businesses stay afloat during an economic downturn, living through it can be traumatic— causing feelings of anger, anxiety, insecurity, and a sense of betrayal for those who are let go as well as for those employees who remain on the job. And, like Cancryn, business owners may feel a personal sense of failure for having to take such measures. Left unchecked, any of these negative emotions can wreak havoc in a workplace already weakened by financial crises.

“The first casualty is usually morale, quickly followed by performance and retention of top talent,” says Chris Bryant, founder, executive coach, and national speaker of Beverly Hills, California–based Rapport Strategies Group. With fewer resources, small business owners must face these difficult times and make hard choices.

In doing so, they regrettably have to manage the results. According to a 2007 study conducted by the global professional services firm Towers Perrin, there is a strong connection between employee engagement and company financial performance (see charts). In Closing the Engagement Gap: A Road Map for Driving Superior Business Performance, engagement is defined as employees’ willingness and ability to contribute to company success. Findings conclude that “the more engaged the workforce, the better the company is likely to perform on a range of key financial metrics.” With a direct correlation between ­productivity and employee morale, a solid confidence and engagement throughout your company—from the top down as well as the bottom up—is necessary if you intend it to increase profitability and thrive.

All Together Now

“First, be aware that what it takes to motivate employees during a downsizing period is different than during a period of growth,” says Bryant. In times of prosperity, employees basically feel grounded and can focus on their daily tasks. But these days your employees are likely to be distracted and disengaged by the reports of “doom and gloom” bombarding the airwaves and the rumors swirling around the office at work. Now, more than ever, they are looking to you for positive leadership and reassurance.

For example, one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader, to show your employees your loyalty toward them and usher in an environment of camaraderie, is to be the first person in the company to take a salary cut. “If you take this step, they are sure to follow if they care about saving the company and preserving a job for themselves later,” says Adrienne Graham, chief talent acquisition consultant and CEO of Hues Consulting & Management Inc. in Alpharetta, Georgia.

It’s also important to let employees know that it requires a team effort to get through the tough times, according to Tanisha Russell Day, managing consultant of KEY HR Consulting L.L.C. (www.keyhrconsulting.com) in Teaneck, New Jersey. “When they see you roll up your sleeves and assist with duties outside of your core responsibilities, that will promote teamwork and boost morale.”

Communication is critical during times like these. Pretending things are OK or keeping silent about the state of the company are big mistakes. “Before this recession you could just tell your employees how things were going to be done. Today, you need to ask them to participate,” says Douglas Duncan, a 30-year human resources veteran and president of Maplewood, New Jersey-based Your HR 9-1-1.com.

For example, when you are looking for places to cut costs, instead of singling out one department to take the brunt of it or making across-the-board cuts, ask your people where they think they can save the company money or what revenue-generating ideas they may have, such as utilizing free or low cost Web conferencing systems such as Skype or telecommuting to save money on utilities. “If you ask them to cut back, you cut back as well and show them. It could be carpooling to work, converting travel meetings to Web conferences, or bringing in your lunch. You can scale back on expensive items and client entertainment expenses,” says Graham. “Whatever you choose to do, make sure your staff knows about it.”

During an economic downturn, employees often feel high levels of stress and powerlessness—a toxic combination. It’s up to you to remind them that you are all invested in the success or failure of the business together. Making the effort to invite each employee into the fold during formal and informal settings and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of the business in new ways can calm fears, create a sense of camaraderie, and enhance productivity.

Letting Go Gracefully

Cancryn says he didn’t want any of the employees he fired—mostly support staff he interacted with on a daily basis—to feel betrayed. So, before letting anyone go, the 49-year-old exec spoke to each of them individually so they would know their positions were in a vulnerable spot. “I told them where we were as a company, I shared my decision-making process about the layoffs, and I also gave them a chance to give me their feedback,” he recalls.

“They weren’t really surprised by the news because they already knew what was going on in the economy and they could see that the work just wasn’t there for them the way it had been in prior years. But, I think they appreciated the communication because they still came to work, they did a good job, and most weren’t speaking negatively about me or the company itself.”

Experts applaud Cancryn’s approach, noting that open communication with employees about pending layoffs is a key ingredient to keeping morale high. “If you know a lot of people are going to be laid off, it’s better for everyone to hear about it as much as possible beforehand,” says Russell Day. A failure to communicate openly and honestly with employees can be a recipe for disaster.

Layoffs may be necessary to help your company’s bottom line, but a poorly managed execution is a distraction that can burn bridges, destroy morale, and hinder productivity. If you must terminate an employee, do so with kindness, honesty, and respect—for the good of that individual, the morale of the co-workers they are leaving behind, and your company’s reputation. How you operate during these tough times will impact how well you move forward once they’re behind us.

This story originally appeared in the July 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

Today, with nearly 11 years of sobriety under her belt, Motton is a newly christened entrepreneur. Of course, the 52-year-old stresses that her transformation did not happen overnight.

Motton says she had a lifetime struggle to quiet an inner belief stemming from childhood that she “just wasn’t good enough.” She turned to drugs and alcohol in college to cope, but recreational use developed into a lengthy battle, with her life slowly spiraling out of control. “I always had a job, traveled the world, and I was good at communicating with people,” says Motton on hiding her indiscretions. “As a user you learn how to become very manipulative.” But once close family members discovered her addiction, Motton says she felt “it was almost a relief.” “Those were extremely dark times in my life. It’s only by the grace of God that I’m still here,” she adds.

In April of 1997, Motton checked herself into a rehabilitation center, and after a year of intense therapy, she emerged with a new perspective.

By 2001, the 30-year sales and marketing veteran, had landed what appeared to be a dream job as a vice president of marketing at a major financial services firm in New York. But the demands of the position left the single mom feeling besieged and unhappy. “I felt robotic and mechanical,” she says. “I didn’t really feel that I had a purpose. And after all that I had been through in my life, there had to be a deeper meaning for me.”

Motton left her lucrative financial career in early 2007 and with $10,000 in personal savings launched Neero & Ana Inc.– named in part after her 16-year-old son, Dana. The New York-based company (started in 2004 as a part-time venture) specializes in organic satin products for men and women, including a line of signature satin pillowcases — a favorite of actresses Kerry Washington and Kimberly Elise. “Taking the risk to own a business was nothing compared to the risk that I took with my addiction,” Motton admits.

Last year, the company saw gross revenues of nearly $400,000, and expects partnerships with hotel chains, dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, and charitable organizations to help revenues swell to more than $1 million this year. “This solidifies what I think of myself,” Motton says, “that I am valuable and that I can be everything that I want to be.”

B.E.’S SUCCESSPERT SPEAKS:

E. Carol Webster, a licensed psychologist and author of Success Management: How To Get To the Top and Keep Your Sanity Once You Get There, offers these action-steps to address addictive behavior:

Get help. A licensed mental healthcare provider can identify and  treat co-occurring disorders, which may be the catalyst of an addiction. Options such as 12-step programs are free and offer 24-hour group support in cities worldwide.

Reassess everything. During your recovery, take time to reflect on inward and outward issues influencing your behavior. Shoot for better balance. Also, don’t be afraid to completely shift gears if necessary. The people you’re around, places you frequent, and things you’re involved in all influence your actions, so examine your life and priorities — choose wisely.

This story originally appeared in the June 2008 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.

As founder and director of Lexington Plastic Surgeons, Jones gradually went from one location and one part-time employee in 2000 to a full-time staff of 10 and four locations across the country — New York City; Hackensack, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; and Beverly Hills, California. Over the course of the journey, he found not only a niche, but a booming business; in 2007, Lexington Plastic Surgeons grossed $2.3 million. Revenues are expected to reach $3 million by the end of this year due to pursuing new markets as well as opening additional offices.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that nearly 12 million procedures were performed in the $12.4 billion cosmetic surgery industry in 2007, with nearly a quarter of those being performed on ethnic patients (a 129% rise since 2000).

The board certified Maryland native and graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons likes to think he plays a small role in this growth.

Today, Jones’ patients — some of whom travel from as far away as Europe to see him — include men and women of various ethnicities and ages. Their most commonly requested surgical procedures are rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), liposuction, face-lifts, Botox, the Brazilian butt lift, and breast augmentation. Jones, 39, performs rhinoplasty and face-lifts using techniques he’s developed to minimize and eliminate the unsightly scars that mainstream procedures can leave on ethnic skin.

“They don’t teach you how to be a businessperson in medical school,” says the husband and father of four. Luckily, Jones majored in economics as an undergrad at Columbia University.

With help from his wife, Jones turned the ground floor of their townhouse into his first office and procedure rooms. Forty-thousand dollars of their personal savings went toward the new office space, malpractice and business insurance, medical supplies and equipment, and payroll. “We hired a receptionist, hung the shingle, and opened the doors,” Jones says. “Nobody came.” It was a rude awakening after years of hard work and preparation.

The medical establishment frowned upon commercial advertising at that time, but Jones had a hunch. If the ethnic community knew a practice existed specifically geared to their needs, they’d come in droves. So he went against the grain, investing in newspaper, radio, and eventually television advertising to get the word out. By the second year of operation, gross revenues had doubled.

Next year, Jones plans to launch Lexington Plastic Surgeons Medical Spa and Salon — a Manhattan-based one-stop-shop where patrons can receive beauty as well as plastic surgery procedures. Also in the works are new offices in Chicago and Atlanta by 2011.

Lexington Plastic Surgeons; 120 E. 61st St., New York, NY 10065; 888-LEX-DOCS; www.lexingtonplasticsurgeons.com

Born to a 16-year-old mother on a plantation in Delhi, Louisiana, Love, 65, was raised by his maternal grandparents and grew up working in the fields picking cotton and baling hay. His dream was to become an inspirational orator like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but his disability—a severe stutter that often rendered him mute—kept his vision at bay.

But the 6-foot-8-inch grandson of poor sharecroppers also had a gift as a skillful athlete. He was invited to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a football scholarship, which later changed to a basketball scholarship after he saw the size of the football players, and majored in food and nutrition to ensure he’d always be around food. “We didn’t have a lot when I was growing up,” he remembers. “I was always pretty hungry.”

Love never did become a dietician, but he didn’t go hungry either. He was drafted into the NBA in 1965 where he played 11 seasons—eight of those in Chicago, where he led the Bulls in scoring for seven straight years. (In the history of the franchise, only Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have ever outscored him.)

A back injury forced Love to retire from the league in 1977. Unable to communicate with prospective employers, he spent the next seven years working odd jobs, eventually landing full-time employment at a Nordstrom department store in Seattle as a busboy and dishwasher earning $4.45 an hour. He refused to play the victim, though. “I decided to become the best dishwasher in the world. I never complained, I prayed every night, and I just believed things would change,” recalls Love. “In life, everything always changes. Whether it changes for the best or the worst depends on us.”

Love’s change came in 1986 when Nordstrom’s owners noted his hard work and offered to send him to speech therapy. Within a year, his communication skills had improved so much he was promoted to corporate human resources director for the store’s restaurant division and became a spokesman for the entire company. Love’s childhood dream had finally come true. But that was not the end of the story.

In 1992 Love received a call from Steve Schanwald, executive vice president of business operations for the Chicago Bulls. “Bob had a story about overcoming adversity that needed to be heard,” says Schanwald. “So we hired him to go all over town telling it. And now he goes all over the country telling it. He is truly one of the kindest, happiest, most generous, and most positive and optimistic people you would ever want to meet.”

Once unable to speak, Love—now in his 16th year as the Bulls’ director of community affairs—spoke candidly about his plight in Black Magic, a film about black college basketball players during the civil rights movement, airing on ESPN. He says he never tires of talking, especially to children, encouraging them the same way his grandmother built up his confidence. He never forgot her lesson: Always hold on to your dream.

“It’s tough,” says Gwenay, 36, who owns a majority stake in The Coniglio Co. and serves as its president. Her husband is the company’s vice president. “Because I’m a woman, people walk into our company and assume I’m the secretary.”

Yet, in spite of the many challenges, the couple has been happily married for six years, and their Cleveland-based firm is thriving—grossing $2 million in 2007 by specializing in general contracting and the installation of custom cabinetry for public- and private-sector clients. For 2008, with contracts currently in the pipeline and by offering their services outside of Cleveland, the couple projects reaching gross revenues between $6 million and $10 million.

The Coniglios met in 1995 when they were both employed at Cleveland-based Case Western Reserve University, helping oversee construction and maintenance projects. In 1994, Tom founded The Coniglio Co. as a part-time business. In early 1997, the couple decided to expand the business.

Gwenay restructured Tom’s original business plan—steering the company beyond typical office space contracts to higher-end projects within healthcare, education, and retail. The couple quit their jobs and operated the company full time, tapping $25,000 of their personal savings to cover startup costs.

Gwenay, who specializes in marketing, sales, planning, project evaluation, operations management, and human resources, assumed 51% ownership of the firm while Tom, 45, who manages the firm’s finances and oversees day-to-day operations in the field, maintained 49%. This structure gave the company dual minority status as an operation that is both female- and black-owned, allowing the partners to compete for set-aside government contracts. Tom adds, “Gwenay gets to have the final say in all our business decisions. It’s been really interesting watching her vision unfold.”

Within a year, the business generated $1 million in gross revenues, but when the Coniglios tried to develop it into a general contracting practice, they found themselves in a proverbial Catch-22. “We couldn’t bid on public or federal government projects as a general contractor without being bonded,” says Gwenay. Yet, the bonding agencies would not extend them the payment and performance bond they needed until they acquired a substantial work history. General contractors are required to have a payment and performance bond (a type of surety bond that provides the funds necessary to complete the terms of a contract if the general contractor defaults on the project) just to be eligible to bid on commercial projects.

The turning point came in 2005 when Gwenay completed a grueling yearlong application process for 8(a) certification by the SBA, thereby becoming more attractive to the bonding agencies.

Today, The Coniglio Co. is bonded for up to $6 million. The 25-employee enterprise recently completed a $700,000 renovation contract with Cleveland State University.

The Coniglios have defied the odds and built a family and a family-owned business on solid ground.

The Coniglio Co.; 4400 Commerce Ave., Cleveland, OH 44103; 216-391-1800; www.theconigliocompany.com