Cathy Hughes’ Advice to Black Women in Business
July 7th, 2007 Filed under: Uncategorized — Small Home Business AuthorMeet one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time!
Cathy Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Radio One, Inc.,
the largest African American owned and operated
broadcast-company in the nation. Radio One is the first African
American company in radio history to dominate several major
markets simultaneously and possesses the first woman-owned
radio station to rank #1 in any major market.
Cathy Hughes knows what it takes to overcome major hurdles in
the male dominated arena of business and entrepreneurship.
I recently interviewed Ms. Hughes for her perspective on black
entrepreneurship and specifically asked her to give her advice
to black women considering business.
Bro. Bedford: What advice would you give Black Women
about going into business?
Cathy Hughes: The most important aspect of a woman going into
business I think is really identifying and forming a support
group. So often people who love us feel a need to protect us
and they sometimes over protect us and make us squeamish and
afraid to be adventurous.
You have to be BOLD and ADVENTUROUS if you are a woman going
into business. Even though more and more women are going into
business, it is still a male dominated game.
In my case it was my mother, I cant tell youmy mother would
cry, she would beg me, Please get a government job, youre in
Washington D.C. Youre smart and people like you, Give Up!
Youre sleeping on a floor in a sleeping bag. Cathy, people
think youve lost your mind; they think youve had a nervous
breakdown, whats wrong with you. Go get a good Government job
and stop trying
My mother was not trying to stop me from being a successful
Entrepreneur, she was worried about me, and she was scared for
me. I had lost everything to try to hold on to this business
and she was ready for me to throw in the towel out of love and
protection. But guess what? It was also so discouraging.
So I started lying to my mother. When she would call and ask
have you turned it around?
I would say, Oh yeah momma things are just great!
Guess what? In lying to my mother about my business turning
around and doing great, I started to believe it myself. And
once I started to believe it myself, guess what? It started to
happen! (Laugh)
I tell women so often, your husbands, your brothers, your
sisters, your mothers, your fathers, your neighbors, sometimes
even your financial advisors and your lawyers are the first to
want to protect you.
There is still this thingits so interesting because Black
Women dont get a lot of help, but we get a lot of protection
allegedly. A lot of advice on what we should be doing, which
discourages us, because Black women are full of PASSION and
EMOTION. So if someone tells us were making a mistake most of
us, unless were just knuckleheads, we stop and analyze it.
Am I really acting crazyI am sleeping in a sleeping bag and
cooking on a hot plate like my momma said. Maybe I am not
really realizing
So you have to put on blinders you have to be myopic, you have
to keep your eye on the prize you cannot sometimes share with
people; youve got to lie.
When people say hows it going? They may be getting ready to
foreclose on your underwear, but youve got to say, I cant
tell you, today was just Fabulous! (Laugh)
Bro. Bedford: Best day Ive had
Cathy Hughes: Best day Ive had since Ive been in business
(Both Laugh)
You say it enough the first person that youre going to
convince is yourself, because who is hearing it more than
anybody else, YOU!
Your attitude really does determine your altitude.
With women we normally cant get a lot of financial or other
help. Sometimes you dont need the finance you just need
someone to give you a helping hand. But Lord have mercy do
people give us advise under the guise of Im just trying to
protect you; Im just trying to look out for you.
Well if youre trying to look out for me loan me that $10,000 I
need to make payroll. (Laugh) I dont need you discouraging me.
Its funny because people want to be politically correct, they
dont say to you point blank you shouldnt be doing this.
Theyll say, Do you think its really worth it? Do you think
that maybe youre sacrificing too much? What about you? What
about your personal life? Im trying to build a business
right now. My business is my personal life.
So I tell women dont get discouraged and try to find somebody
in a comparable situation if not maybe the same situation, but
a comparable situation.
People are amazed, Entrepreneurs call me frequently and theyre
like, you took my call. Yeah, because I cant tell you how
lonely it was for me when no one would take my call. It may
have taken me a few weeks and sometimes if I get backlogged
maybe a couple of months.
Ive called people back and theyre like, I forgot I called
you Ms. Hughes, I will return your call youve just got to be
patient because sometimes its just a word of encouragement that
we need to get over the hump.
