WASHINGTON (AP)—Roland Martin is talking revolution in this buttoned-down town.

“We’re going to do this one by one, person by person, block by block,” the talk show host and TV personality says.

Martin’s revolution has nothing to do with health care, bank bailouts or federal spending. It’s all about the lush puff of maroon silk underneath his chin.

An ascot...

MAKING A STATEMENT—Roland Martin fixes his pocket square after putting on an ascot, May 14, in Washington.

(NNPA)—No one ever said starting a business was easy. There doesn’t exist a successful entrepreneur that at one point didn’t struggle or doubt himself or herself.

As more and more people start or consider starting their own business, it is important that they understand the core steps that are required to launch successful ventures. These steps include spotting, assessing, selecting and executing upon opportunities.

Almost 20 years ago, Ola R. Jackson decided to combine her love of helping women in need with her marketing and advertising skills by creating a local publication titled Onyx Woman—a magazine for women of color in Pittsburgh. Fast-forward two decades and Jackson has parlayed her magazine into a multimedia network that encompasses print, broadcast, motivational seminars and the Internet.

OLA JACKSON

The woman who proudly features distinguished Black women in her various mediums will be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2010 Western Pennsylvania Minority Business Champion.

Jackson and eight other local small business owners and advocates will be honored at the Western Pennsylvania SBA May 28th Awards Luncheon to be held at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel Pittsburgh.

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures are at an all-time high. It’s shocking to review statistics about millions of people who’ve fallen behind on their mortgage payments. It’s alarming to read stories about people you don’t know struggling to keep their homes. It takes on an entirely different perspective when you meet face-to-face with real people who are on the brink of foreclosure.

In recent months, I’ve worked with hundreds of people who are depressed and scared out of their mind because they’ve fallen behind on their mortgage and cannot catch up. These are real people, some of whom you see and mingle with everyday.