Noah Stephens captures the beauty of Detroit as a photographer and essayist. (Image: Stephens)

We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.

WHO: Noah Stephens

WHAT: Photographer, Founder, Essayist for ThePeopleofDetroit.com

ANNUAL SALARY: $45,000-$65,000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

THE GIG: Stephens, who calls himself a “one-man media content provider,” spends a lot of his days finding and shooting subjects for The People of Detroit photo project. Typically, his subjects are people he runs into throughout his day in the city. Each photo is accompanied by a biographic essay. “When I select a subject for the project, I make sure that person tells you something about Detroit you would not otherwise know. How do they fit into Detroit and the lager social context of urban living?” Stephens says. “Media coverage I saw of Detroit didn’t reflect at all the city that I know. The whole purpose of TPOD is to provide an alternative narrative. Contrary to what you see in the media, there are actual people here and occupied buildings. People live here.” Stephens also does corporate and retail photography.

THE PERKS: Like a lot of entrepreneurs, what Stephens appreciates most about his career path is freedom. “I like being the author of my own destiny. I can communicate my ideas to the world without editing, completely unrestrained,” Stephens says. His subjects sometimes provide opportunities as well.  A couple months after he photographed David DiChiera, director of the Detroit Opera House and founder of the Michigan Opera Theatre, Stephens ended up with box seats to the opera, a first for him.

THE WORKDAY: Stephens usually works at least eight hours, during a day that could include anything from shooting, editing, or mingling with guests at an exhibition of his work. Last year, a creative director in China stumbled across Stephens’ work online and hired him to shoot a McDonald’s commercial in Shanghai. TPOD was recently awarded with a grant from the Knight Foundation so, Stephens expects to use the funds to further expand the reach of his creation.

THE ADVICE: Follow your dreams. “Do something you are actually passionate about and do it with authenticity,” Stephens says.

Tina Wells, Small Business University Instructor

TINA WELLS
Marketing Expert, Founder, Buzz Marketing Group
Black Enterprise Small Business University Instructor

The Process: Tina Wells, founder and CEO of Buzz Marketing  Group, wakes up around 6:30 a.m. and makes herself an espresso the old fashioned way: on her stovetop.  Since Buzz Marketing Group is international, no matter how early she wakes up, several e-mails and text messages await her.

The Vision: The seeds of Buzz Marketing Group were planted when Wells was 16 years old and doing product reviews for New Girl Times Magazine. The demand for teen input on products was so great that Wells decided to start her own company right out of her bedroom.  Buzz Marketing Group has gone from a one-person staff run by Wells to an international network of thousands of teens and tweens. (Actual grown-ups run the business these days.)

The It Factor: Many companies today provide market research, but Wells believes her company stands out because of Buzz Marketing Group’s reach and the depth of their knowledge.  “Our tagline is ‘Where insight meets activation’ and that really sums it up,” Wells says. “Everything we do is informed by rigorous research. We’re not giving clients feedback based on what we think is a good idea. We give results based on surveys, focus groups, interviews and other information gathering tools.”

The Defining Moment: By the time Wells began attending Hood College, her business was already two years old.  When Wells told a professor, Anita Jose, about her teen market research business, Jose immediately recognized the potential and instructed Wells to use the next semester for independent study so they could work on a plan.  “She was instrumental in helping me construct my business plan, and I still use it today,” said Wells. “I’m probably one of the few people who really took full advantage of my undergraduate years. As I was working on my business plan and I had questions about statistics or psychology for example, I would just go and get advice from my statistics and psychology professors.”

The Life: Wells is the oldest of six children and considers family time to be of the utmost importance. “I decided a long time ago that I would not work on weekends. I might check e-mail and things like that, but no full-on work,” says the entrepreneur and author of Chasing Youth Culture and Getting It Right: How Your Business Can Profit by Tapping Today’s Most Powerful Trendsetters and Tastemakers. Wells also just hired a new senior vice president of marketing, which allows her to truly take on a more executive role. “I can trust that my team will take care of the day-to-day business so that I can focus on strategic, big-picture initiatives.”

Register now at blackenterprise.com/sbu to see weekly video courses from Armstrong and other industry experts on how to build, grow and nurture your business. On top of that, you’ll have a chance to win more than $50,000 in prizes, including one-on-one consultations with successful entrepreneurs like Emerson, a small business makeover for your biz courtesy of Dell, and much more!

Visit blackenterprise.com/sbu for more details now!

Radio pioneer, Hal Jackson (Image: File)

According to reports, legendary radio industry entrepreneur and pioneer Hal Jackson has died. Reports indicate the cause of death as unknown, but cite “illness.” He was 96.

Jackson was a radio industry heavyweight, having began his broadcasting career as the first African American radio sports announcer. He was the voice behind early Howard University and local Negro league baseball games in Washington, D.C.

In 1939, he made another landmark move as the first African American host at WINX/Washington with his own nightly interview program, The Bronze Review. He would go on to host a talk show, jazz program and a blues program on WOOK-TV in Washington, D.C., as well.

In 1954, he became the first radio personality in New York to broadcast three daily shows on three different stations, with at least 4 million listeners tuned in nightly to hear his mix of music and interviews with top music icons of the time.

In 1971, Jackson teamed up with Percy Sutton, another radio industry pioneer, to co-found the Inner City Broadcasting Corp. (ICBC), which acquired WLIB, becoming the first African-American owned-and-operated station in New York. The next year, ICBC acquired WLIB-FM, changing its call letters to WBLS, a top radio market performer for decades.

ICBC, of which Jackson served as group chairman, would expand to markets including San Francisco, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Jackson, the first minority inducted into the National Association of Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame, was also a National Radio Hall of Famer, and he was named a “Giant in Broadcasting” by the Library of American Broadcasting.

(Image: Thinkstock)

Sometimes a person’s facial expressions and body language can tell a story well before any words have been spoken. From tensed shoulders and crossed arms to raised eyebrows and slight grins, people give away their distaste or utter joy about things way before uttering a sound.

AOL Jobs details how body language can be hurting or helping you in the office setting, especially when it comes to interviews and client relations.

Eye rolling. Although eye contact can be either good or bad, depending on how long you maintain it, rolling your eyes is never a good idea. Oftentimes people will roll their eyes when they disagree with someone or when they think the other person has said something dumb. The problem is, people generally aren’t even aware that they’re rolling their eyes — so it’s important to become really cognizant of what you’re doing so that you don’t offend your interviewer.

Posture. During an interview, you want to sit up straight — but not to the point where you look like an ironing board. By doing this, you will show that you’re interested in the conversation you’re having with your prospective employer, while not appearing too stiff.

Read more at AOL Jobs…

Are you getting the results you want from your career? The promotions, accolades, etc? You have been working hard in your field for who knows how long. See the progress that you want come to life. Change your mind and get empowered for a more confident you then apply it to your job by managing and building a cohesive team. The book bundles featured this week will promote career advancement for a variety of professions. For a chance to win, visit our BE Rewarded site. For a full list of the books enclosed, see below:

Empowerment/Self-Help:

Stand Out: Find Your Edge. Win At Work. By Marcus Buckingham

Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your Life and Revealing Your Genius To The World by Simon T. Bailey

The Fearless Fish Out of Water: How to Succeed When You’re The Only One Like You by Robin Fisher Roffer

Inside the Huddle by Antoine Orr

Diversity & Team Building:

The Power of a Positive Attitude: Discovering the Key to Success by Roger Fritz

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

None of Us Is As Good As All Of Us: How McDonald’s Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity by Patricia Sowell Harris

Management:

Chaotics: The Business of Managing and Marketing in the Age of Turbulence by Philip Kotler and John A. Caslione

The Accidental Sales Manager by Chris Lytle

The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resource Professionals by Shawn Smith, J.D. and Rebecca Mazin

(Image: Thinkstock)

Kevin Liles has taken his experiences as an undergrad, who chose a career that wasn’t his passion, to a top-level music executive (head of Def Jam and EVP of Warner Music Group), and poured them into entrepreneurial endeavors that advocate for education and purpose.

President and CEO of KWL Enterprises, (an umbrella company that includes a music management firm that represents Trey Songz and Estelle), Liles recently launched a philanthropic campaign called the Make It Happen Career Motivations Challenge to help people across the nation discover their purpose.  A career assessment tool part of the challenge serves as a virtual guide, providing a detailed report on a professional’s leadership style, motivational qualities and personal strengths.

BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Liles to talk why he decided to incorporate education into entrepreneurship, why assessments are important — no matter where you are in your career path — and why it’s vital people follow their passion and purpose.

Black Enterprise: Let’s talk about NextGenEDU. What inspired you to start an ad company focused on education? Throughout my life, even with me starting at Morgan State University as an electrical engineer, I felt the need to have educated people around me, making educated decisions. Coming from where I came from, to have everyone around me making important decisions in my life, be educated to the point where they’re smarter than me. Throughout the past 20 years of my life, I’ve dedicated to seeing that education is two-fold: There has to be book knowledge, but also education from experience. I wanted to show people you can’t just call yourself a CEO without going through the steps to be one.

Many young people see the boss concept promoted in popular hip-hop music today, and oftentimes romanticized the concept. What does it really take be a young boss or CEO?

What hip-hop has told us is that we can be anything we put our mind to. We gave people the courage that ‘I believe in myself, therefore I am what I believe myself to be.’ I think we have to continue to focus on is starting with education. And while you’re getting educated, get employed, whether internship or actually going to work. I was working three jobs getting through school. Then on top of that, I always talk about entrepreneurship and then empowerment.

I want people to call themselves CEO, but I just want them to go through the process of it. And you don’t have to wait for a piece of paper to do it.

Many youth see examples of millionaires and bosses who didn’t finish high school or college or dropped out and still found success. Why is it important to urge pursuit of education to a youth culture enticed by these stories of success?

I’m not one to take the smallest part of the bell curve and say everybody can do that. Some of the greatest companies in the world — I’m talking valuations over $30 billion to $40 billion—every one of the CEOs have some form of college education.  Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates may not have stayed there, but they started there. They took the initiative to learn skills, came up with ideas, and were able to take the marketplace … but everyone else around them h — the CFO, the chief administrative officers — as an education.

As part of your Make It Happen challenge, there’s a career assessment tool. Why is this important — even for those who are already employed or at mid-level in their careers?

When I came out of high school, I had a guidance counselor and social studies teacher who got me into the engineering program that started at Morgan State University. The days of localization around guidance counselors are gone. So, I feel we need virtual guidance counselors.

If you’re driving your car, and the light comes on indicating you have engine trouble, you’re going to take your car in and get it assessed. With the unemployment rate being so high for minorities and youth, don’t you think it’s time to get your oil checked? Don’t you think it’s time for you to press reset on your life, and find out who you are, why you are, what you are. Don’t you want to say, ‘I never worked a day in my life,’ because you’ve found something you’re so passionate about that it didn’t seem like work.

That’s why we must consistently assess ourselves whether you’re 13 years old, 21 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old. We have to assess ourselves every single day, making your own owner’s manual. Why don’t you have your own guidebook that says these are things I love, and everyday I’m going to work on the most important thing, and that is me.

For more information on the Make it Happen Challenge and career assessment, visit KevinLilesChallenge.com.

As a music manager of award-winning talent, Yandy Smith has to manage stress while getting results. (Photo: VH1)

Working in entertainment can be very rewarding. In this industry, we work hard to play hard. The rewarding part for me, as a talent manager and business owner, is watching my work come alive and seeing the fruits of my labor come to fruition. But, the stress level is almost always at an all-time high. More often than not, things don’t always work out as one would plan. It’s not always smooth sailing, but when it is I’m so grateful.

Working well under pressure is a skill many employers value and one in which you need to make your specialty. You should be able to tackle anything thrown at you. Take when I had to put together an entire video shoot for my former client Jim Jones in only five days. I had to find a location, a director and handle a whole bunch of other intricate details that go into the production of a video. Talk about stressful! But, I got it done, my client was happy and the video was hot!

I’m going to give you five steps on how ‘Make it happen, captain’ while holding it all together:

Breathe: Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and start stressing over things you have no control of. Instead, take control of your actions. Take a deep breath and prepare to tackle the job at hand.

Evaluate the situation: Ask yourself, what is it that I need to do to make this happen? Who do I need to get this done? You need to know who, what, when, and how before jumping into action.

Prioritize: This is the MOST important part of the process! In order to successfully handle any stressful situation, you need to create a to-do list. This list will help keep you on track and moving towards the finish line.

Delegate: If you have the luxury to do so, solicit the help of an assistant or co-worker. I often call on the help of my assistant or an intern to move things along. Delegating duties from your to-do list is a great way to get the job done quickly. Remember, teamwork makes the dream work!

Spring into action: Now, you’re equipped with all you need to accomplish the task.

Working under pressure is unavoidable and difficult. But, knowing the steps to take helps to decrease stress and improve productivity. Now, you’re prepared to make it happen by any means.

(Image: ThinkStock)

Fear can be a major issue that many people deal with on a daily basis, from the most confident, high achiever to the office shrinking violet. One thing fear can definitely hinder is progression and ultimate career advancement. Oftentimes, people want to progress and excel, but fear making that next step, whether it’s pushing for that promotion, positioning themselves for better opportunities, or making a radical move toward their purpose.

Procrastination, comfort and stagnation are all by-products of fear, and many workers could be running from their goals because of it.

Madame Noire explores why people often fear greatness and run from their goals, and give tips on how to overcome those feelings of “Should’ve … could’ve … would’ve.”

Check the expiration date on your dream: On any given night, you might catch me sucked into the vortex that is Youtube catching up on the latest choreography.  In fact just the other night I was rating routines made to Beyonce’s “Dance for You” (of which the original I must admit is damn hard to top). My latest obsession, Dance Moms: Miami has me revisiting adolescent dreams of being a professional hip hop dancer, Fatima Robinson-style.  But the talented tiny dancers on that show make me realize one thing more and more each episode:  You can’t just wake up at 20 years old and decide you want to be a professional dancer.  Certain dreams require cultivation and training over a span of several years.  You could treat expiration dates like some people and use them simply as a guide (after all Jay-Z released Reasonable Doubt at 27).  But some careers have a short lifespan and if you haven’t met certain marks by a certain age, your dream may no longer be within reach.  Be realistic, if you’re 30 and considering trying out for America’s Next Top Model, you may want to catwalk to a career change.

Read more at Madame Noire …

Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, CBS Entertainment

Making power moves that celebrate and bring together multiple ethnic cultures has long been a top priority for Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, who joined CBS Entertainment as a publicist in 2000. After spending nearly a decade overseeing publicity strategies for primetime series, movies and specials, the Howard University graduate was appointed to her a newly created executive position as vice president of entertainment diversity and communications on the West Coast to build diversity efforts across the company.

THE GIG: Widely respected throughout the industry for her assiduous work ethic and winning personality, Smith-Anoa’i is deeply committed to identifying solutions that address the state of diversity within the industry.  She is the force behind the network’s highly-lauded diversity workshop, CBS Diversity Discussion, which each year brings together the industry’s multicultural leadership under one roof for frank dialogue on inclusion and diversity with CBS executive producers/showrunners and CBS executives.

THE WORKPLACE:

BlackEnterprise.com: Why is diversity important?

Smith-Anoa’i: As it relates to television, we are broadcasters and strive to reflect diversity on a whole: ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability and other ideologies which all exist in society for our viewers, both in front of the camera as well as behind.  Diversity is not just the right thing to do— it is an important and integral part of the business model that should be respected as such.  Diversity makes dollars and sense. One of my favorite motto’s is “Everything is better with Diversity sprinkled on top!”

Despite the best efforts of many, why has diversity remained such a problem in Hollywood?

Diversity on a whole is a global issue that will continuously be a work in progress. It takes one person in a decision-making position to say, ‘Make it happen,’ whether that be within the realms of casting, writing, directing, development, etc. I challenge myself and others on a daily basis to find obvious and practical solutions to this specific problem. There has been progress, however, much more needs to be done and is being done day in and day out.

How important are African American executives in “curing” the diversity problem in film and TV?

I change the dynamic of a room just by being there and not even saying a word. Having more diverse perspectives is always a combination for success. When you know better, you do better and it is important and invaluable to have a voice that can ultimately bring change and raise a level of awareness that was not there before.  It is pertinent to incorporate people of color at every phase of the process to insure a clear picture of Diversity is being painted.”

What are your long term goals?

To continue walking the walk, talking the talk and providing a voice for progress, inclusion and change… When diversity becomes the norm and is no longer viewed as a thorn in the side, I will rest. Bottom line, everyone wants to feel acknowledged, included, respected and not invisible.

(Image: Thinkstock)

In today’s economic climate, where the jobless rate is 8.1% overall and 13% for African Americans, many employed Americans are grateful to have jobs— even if they hate doing them. This can breed an environment where many are underemployed, unfulfilled and downright bitter, leading to less productivity and worse — workplace crimes and company sabotage.

In a tough job market, disgruntled workers can be highly detrimental to a company’s bottom line, which is never good in an economic climate that is already challenging. “Disgruntled employees can cause irreversible damage to your brand, alienate your most valuable clients, and create ‘expensive-to-fix’ mistakes. Plus, they give your happier rivals the competitive edge,” says Kathleen Brush, a global management consultant who has worked as the “Turnaround Executive” for companies both domestic and international.

BlackEnterprise.com talked with Brush about how unhappy employees ruin their own brands as well as ruin the companies they work for, and how to avoid problems before they manifest in loss of profits, expensive prevention tactics and brand depreciation.

BlackEnterprise.com: Let’s talk about disgruntled workers. What type of damage can they do to companies?

Kathleen Brush: They can do a lot of damage. There are different types of disgruntled workers. They can be dissatisfied or not motivated, and they can unwittingly do damage to your brand, such as providing bad service to customers. There are also those who are really dissatisfied, and as a result, company can run the risk of having to deal with thefts, tardiness, slander on the Internet and missed deadlines.

Why is it important to boost morale with incentives, even in a challenging economy?

One of the things I see is that you’ll find talk about theft prevention and how to monitor employees. What they don’t talk about is that the biggest reason workers are dissatisfied: bad boss behaviors. A nasty boss or a boss who can’t control their temper can do enormous damage. And the boss has all the cards [in terms of a power position]. Some bosses first response to a disgruntled employee is ‘Oh, just get rid of him.’ But wait, that could be an excellent performer who is simply unhappy with bad boss behaviors and other factors at the job.

Oftentimes incentives can mean salary increases or extra perks that can cost extra money some employers simply don’t have. How can employers boost morale in other ways?

A lot of incentives are no cost. In the case of bosses who are kind, compassionate, inspirational and even tempered, the employees like to work for them so they wouldn’t be inclined to be against the company. Being someone employees respect has no cost. For the most part, money is not a sole motivator when it comes to job satisfaction. There are so many other things that can happen that can demotivate an employee that have nothing to do with salary or incentives.

Even for a person focused on career growth, incentives don’t necessarily have to be tangible. You could have intangible benefits of mentorship or a sponsor who employees like, who they have a great relationship with, and who’s likability is high. People like to work hard for people they like working with or for.

What are some ways to turn around a work environment that seems to breed disgruntlement?

Supervisors, CEOs and managers:  Recognize importance of good boss behaviors. It’s not okay to have boss who speaks unkindly to employees. It’s not okay for boss to be disorganized and arrogant. Employees don’t respond well to bosses that exhibit those behaviors. Getting management training or an understanding of awareness of those behaviors might help in eliminating them.

Another big company-wide demotivator is when a company is not operating with a good strategic plan. Employees come to work and are not sure of what they are to achieve. Keeping employees in the know about the goals and values of the company for which they work is key, and be explicit. Let them know the bigger picture.

Also, the small gesture of gratitude or ‘Good job’ goes a long way. Let employees know when they’re doing well and thank them for their hard work from time to time.