Soul Food: Fifty-two Principles for Black Entrepreneurial Success [Hardcover]

Robert Wallace (Author), Robert L. Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2000

Soul Food retells with candor the singular stories of fifty-two real entrepreneurs and it presents the practical ideas and principles culled from each. These are wisdom-filled snapshots detailing the lessons and triumphs of African American business builders. Soul Food fills a gap in the small business literature and presents the challenges and solutions that are of immediate significance to this large community of entrepreneurs. Written by a nationally recognized business consultant and speaker, this book covers all of the pathways to business success, but from a uniquely African American perspective.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert L. Wallace, author of Black Wealth through Black Entrepreneurship, is a nationally known speaker who presents lectures and workshops to small business owners around the country. He has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post on the topic of minority entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. He has been profiled on ABC News, and interviewed on numerous radio and television programs. He lives in Columbia, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738203521
• ISBN-13: 978-0738203522
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,045,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 52 basic principles for business success, February 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul Food: Fifty-two Principles for Black Entrepreneurial Success (Hardcover)

Soul Food: 52 Principles Of Black Entrepreneurial Success is an informative guide for the reader who is facing the special challenges shared by black Americans seeking to engage in an entrepreneurial enterprise in today's highly competitive local, regional, national, and global marketplaces. Robert Wallace has organized 52 basic principles for business success into four strategic categories (Preparation, Development, Maintenance, Self-Actualization) making Soul Food exceptionally "user friendly". Soul Food is highly recommended, essential reading for those seeking tangible and immediately applicable solutions to their problems as black businessmen and entrepreneurial.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bon Voyage, February 16, 2001

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soul Food: Fifty-two Principles for Black Entrepreneurial Success (Hardcover)

In the Introduction, Wallace suggests that certain enduring business principles are analogous to a lighthouse which helps ships (and their captains) to make their way through dangerous situations. These principles provide entrepreneurs "guidance and safe passage as they navigate their way through the tight straits of the economy and successfully dock their ships at the port of entrepreneurial success....The purpose of this book is to provide guidance and understanding on the underlying business strategies that impact black entrepreneurial success in America." In fact, most (if not all) of the 52 principles can be of substantial benefit to anyone. Wallace organizes his material within four Parts, suggesting a program which has a one-year timeline:

Principles of Entrepreneurship Preparation [Weeks 1-13]

Principles of Building Entrepreneurial Success [Weeks 14-26]

Principles of Entrepreneurship Maintenance [Weeks 27-45]

Principles of Self-Actualization [Weeks 46-52]

As Wallaces explains, these various principles are introduced to the reader through "short, heartwarming true stories that were shared with me by successful black and minority entrepreneurs over the past twenty years. Each has an accompanying principle to be meditated upon for a week." Each of these stories illustrates how an individual was introduced to the principle and how she or he was able to leverage the event to help achieve a specific goal. Following each goal is a technical analysis of the pertinent principle.

One of the books greatest benefits is derived from a "Wisdom to Take Away" summary at the end of each chapter. For example, here is a portion of one of four mini-commentaries provided at the conclusion of the chapter devoted to Week 1: "Despite the difficulties, all of us are endowed with three types of assets: time, talent, and treasure. All of us are provided with 24 hours in each day to embrace and utilize these assets." Wallace is quite correct when suggesting that an entrepreneurial venture shares much in common with a voyage. Hence the appropriateness of the lighthouse metaphor. While reading the book, encouraged to think in terms of the one-year timeline while urged to focus on significant details in appropriate sequence, the reader really does have the feeling that Wallace is his caring as well as knowledgeable navigator. I suggest that those who share my high regard for this book also check out Marc Allen's Visionary Business. Both books share much in common (eg thoughtful, well-written, practical, and reassuring) even as they approach similar subjects from somewhat different perspectives. For those (regardless of race or gender) who are about to begin or are now embarked on an entrepreneurial "voyage", the two books are essential resources.