(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.

Teleseminar

MAY 19—Pittsburgh Coaches Association will host “Internet Marketing Crash Course—Identifying the Biggest Bang for Your E-Marketing Buck” Teleseminar from 12-12:30 p.m. William Weil, managing director of Pittsburgh SEO Consulting Group, will help individuals to identify the right site for marketing their business. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-820-9731 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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.

Federal Community Development Bloc Grants were designed during the Carter administration as a mechanism to revitalize depressed urban neighborhoods. Increasingly, however, cities like Pittsburgh used the funds to pay salaries for administrators, buy equipment or pave roads—and rarely roads in the qualifying neighborhoods.

Now Pittsburgh councilman Rev. Rickey Burgess has had enough. He has introduced legislation that would require the grant funds to be allocated and used as intended.