How To Be Rich, Nicca – The Come Up – Part Deuce

I would meet Master P, JT the Bigga Figga, E-40, Rappin 4-Tay, Coco Quick, and a lot of cats who would go down to Phunky Phat to get their CD cover art work

I would hire Underwood Works to do all of my graphics and go there almost 2-3 times per week to proof the work that they would do. I would pay for my designs out of my paycheck from my job that I had working in downtown Oakland, CAon 22nd and Webster at Shared Medical Systems. When I would show up at Underwood Works, which would eventually become known as Phunky Phat Graph-X, I would meet niggas that would be trying to do the same thing as me and be independent and push their music out to the world.

I would meet Master P, JT the Bigga Figga, E-40, Rappin 4-Tay, Coco Quick, and a lot of cats who would go down to Phunky Phat to get their CD cover art work, posters, and other graphics work done by Phunky Phat Graph-X. I would go on to see first hand the work that was taken to build and grow No Limit Records that the world now knows today as earning and grossing over $250 Million dollars.

When we were all coming up though, nobody even dreamed of being able to make it up as high as No Limit has. Master P was struggling to get things together just as we all were. He was living up in Richmond, CA which is a crazy environment and even the record store that he had up there was in the cut. He and I also sold music to Ts Waiuzi Record Store in East Oakland near Eastmont Mall. Again, no one knew that people would blow up the way some folks did. The point is that everyone was striving and driving to move ahead regardless of their situation. We didn’t care if we didn’t have the
money or the banks wouldn’t loan us any cash to move our company’s ahead. We didn’t care if we didn’t have enough money to get the thing looking excellent from day one.

P rounded up his brothers and launched The Real Untouchables after a bullshit deal with Jason Blaine over at InaMinute Records up in Emeryville, CA. I knew Jason Blaine from a
function that Lachlan McIntyre, owner of 4080 Magazine threw in Berkeley. Lachlan was also trying to come up and created a hip-hop magazine that focused on hard core West Coast Hip Hop.

How I Survived The Great Recession

The other and last thing is diversification. I do not have only one source of income.

Many people ask me how did I personally survive this great recession or great depression and how I kept my company afloat during this crazy time. Well, first of all, it wasn’t and isn’t easy. There has been some crazy low times in business over the last 6 years to keep it completely 1 Hunid with you. Secondly, my firm, Spinks Technologies, serves a niche technological market called middleware application development. Some people refer to it as EDI, others as EAI, and still others as Service Oriented Architecture.

But, forget all those big technological words for a minute. I survived by faith, first and foremost in God. No joking. No kidding. No hype. No bullshit. Faith is what pulled me through in some difficult times. Then, I learn constantly and learn new technologies, new software, and new methods. I am a classically trained software engineer but most importantly, I’m a business man. So, to that end, I always look for opportunities and not just to work at a job.

What has saved me is that constant looking for opportunities and the creation of opportunities myself. So, the niche market that I serve helped since not many people know how to do what we do from a technological standpoint. Faith is what kept my mind and spirit right in difficult times. Constant praying, affirming, and reading the Book of Job helped immensely. Having good friends and family around me and not isolating myself also aided in helping me through the recession. No amount of money beats family and friends that surround you in tough times.

The other and last thing is diversification. I do not have only one source of income. I have 4 ways to get paid and four different companies to aid in doing this. I’m not saying that all of them have me wearing the greatest diamond studded chain but they make money so that if one goes away, the other is there to replace it. This is the key to sustainability tomorrow. Even if you’re not in a position to do this today, plan for other sources of income tomorrow when you get on your feet.

Minority Business Success Starts with a plan

How does the small nimble minority business succeed in such a large space? Well, the first thing to know is that the Federal and State government has set aside programs for minority business.

Creating true wealth in the United States for minorities and specifically for black owned businesses start with creating a sick tight plan of attack and a strategy on how to make money. Obviously, in these harsh economic times this is a seemingly tall order but it can be done. Business is tough to come by for everybody but one place that people sometimes overlook is the government market.

There are many tall tales about the government spending billions of dollars on contracts but what people do not tell you is that most of these contracts are with large prime goverment contractors such as Lockheed Martin and others.

Gerard Spinks' business guide

Gerard Spinks' business guide

This doesn’t mean that you will easily sign your business up with the small business association and start making tons of money. Been there done that.

I set up my minority business as a government contractor in 1998 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Went to all the meetings with the SBA in downtown San Francisco. Got registered as a MBE Minority Business Enterprise, a small disadvantaged business, and a 8A contractor. I thought the money would start pouring in to my account as I would easily win government contracts. Not so and far from the truth of even what the SBA tells you.

My company, Spinks Industries, took years of hustlin’ to come up on the government market and learned one major thing after working with a partner firm to grow their business to $35 million in contracts; you must create a business plan and provide it to the SBA to become an 8A contractor and you must learn to write business proposals and respond to requests for proposals from agencies. No easy task because the proposal writing process itself is tedious and requires expertise across a number of disciplines.

A Black Kids’ Guide to Business Success

I would succeed if it killed me. I would make a million dollars. I would claim it and I would actualize it at all costs in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would be successful with out you, my pops.

Gerard Spinks’ Open Letter to a black father who I’ve seen once in my life:

A Black Kids Guide to business success

A Black Kids Guide to business success

Dear Dad Pops,

I’m sure you are a good dude. If you’ve ever seen a black man become successful in life and the Internet, you’re looking at him right here. I was surprised when my moms showed me pictures of me that I had signed when I was my daughters age around 7 or 8. Yes, I was the one looking real geeky studly and interesting at St. Philomena’s elementary school in Peoria, Illinois. I don’t know how my moms got me to sign those pictures because I never saw you.

I vaguely remember seeing you once when I was getting ready to go off to college to St. Ambrose College University in Davenport, Iowa. Moms never had any money so she sent me off to St. Ambrose with $20, a skillet, and a bag of clothes. Yes, she expected me to do well but she had nothing else to offer. Wish you were there. Actually, at St. Phil’s, being around all these white kids, everyone had a dad. It used to make me feel real crazy that you weren’t there but their dads were at the basketball games and taking them to play JFL (Junior Football League) that some call Pop Warner Football.

I always longed for a dad especially as I started playing sports and doing well average in high school. Some of the white kids really hated on me and even the coaches didn’t want to see me succeed because I was black. If I could only tell them that my dad was there and supported me, it probably wouldn’t have been so tough and hard on your son. At any rate, I had to fight through this nonsense, the hatred, the dissing, and somehow make a success of myself. Moms told me to just keep playing and stop listening to everyone.

How to do this I have no idea. Really could have used your help and guidance. Moms didn’t did know exactly how but she did. She already had two boys, I was her youngest so she did have some experience. Anyway, I learned how to be successful without you. It was hard. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears. While at Texas, I really needed help and called mom for some money. She couldn’t help. She had none. She never had money She had God and that was all we needed. Even though some of the kids in high school thought we were doing well because I had success in football, we were broke we had cash flow issues, always. Forever on food stamps Forever relying on God’s grace and power. It was our secret though.

When I called out for help to moms and wishing you could help, I realized in that moment that no one could help me God was guiding me and taking over. I realized that I was raised in a situation where I could count on no one other than myself for success God. I realized as a very young kid that it was up to me and only me God to succeed. Yes, pops, this kind of sucked because other people around me had help. They could go home and get help. I couldn’t. I vowed at this moment to turn my life around and be the success that I envisioned and that I saw all these white kids have. Their parents literally sent them to the University of Notre Dame. They made sure they went to great colleges and universities in the midwest. My moms made sure I knew how to apply for food stamps be successful by listening and relying on God. I would do it. I would succeed if it killed me. I would make a million dollars. I would claim it and I would actualize it at all costs in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would be successful with out you, my pops by putting God first and having faith and belief in what God had created, ME.

What To Write In A Message In A Bottle

If you’re standing on a beach looking out over the ocean or a body of water, ask yourself…

Gerard Spinks; digging deeper

Gerard Spinks encourages you to dig deeper


I know you’ve all heard this Police record “Message In A Bottle” on an album called “Regatta de Blanc”. If you haven’t, go take a listen. If you’re standing on a beach looking out over the ocean or a body of water, ask yourself, “What would I write and what would I say in a message to put in a bottle?”

I would start by thinking of the person who will intercept your bottle, find it and read it. Think about what shore they may be on and think about your message going to a complete stranger. What do you want to tell them about you. What should they know that is pertinent about you today? What if the message reaches them and you’re 25 years old today and they get it when you’re 32?

This is how you should look at launching your business. The message will get to the recipient but tell them what you want them to know about you not only now but in 7 years. Tell them who you are, what your dreams are, why you wrote the letter to them, and what you hope to accomplish by writing the letter to them.

If you seek money, fame, and fortune, tell them that in the letter. If you seek a great job doing what you love, tell them what you love. If you seek stronger family ties and connections with your mother, sisters, and brother, tell them that in the message in a bottle. Tell the world what it is you seek and put it in the bottle and let hope float!

The 162,000 Job Breakdown

The economy gained 162,000 jobs in March 2010. Where? The undagroundmilli got you. #business

The economy has spoken and all kinds of people are throwing this number out without breaking it down. Where are these 162,000 jobs? What kind of jobs? Who is hiring? Sit tight, the UndagroundMilli has got you covered. I’m going in:

This data was compiled from The Street.

“Among the sectors, employers added 40,000 temporary help services jobs in March, while the health segment added another 27,000. Construction picked up 15,000 and manufacturing payrolls rose by 17,000, though the report also said financial services shed 21,000 jobs.

Doug Roberts, chief investment strategist at ChannelCapitalResearch.com, noted the monthly improvement. But he also remains concerned because a bulk of the gains were in temporary positions, both in the private sector and in census workers. Roberts is also awaiting the next two months to determine whether the growth has staying power.

“Basically it’s the beginning of recovery, but the real question is how strong it’s going to be,” he said. “We’re definitely experiencing a cyclical recovery in employment, but the real question is how sustainable is that when it’s not government inspired.” “

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Get more web visitors with no money

You can increase web traffic on a shoestring budget

One little known secret of increasing viewers to your website lies in putting anchor text on your webpage. When you have anchor text to quality websites like Wikipedia, or other reputable company’s or websites, it increases your page rank and the Google robot sees your website during indexing each night. The anchors on this website is the text embedded in here that you can click on. The plain text that I’m writing with means nothing to the Google robot when it sees your webpage. And, if you NEVER update your website, the Google robot operates on a out of site, out of mind mentality. It overlooks you completely if you never update your website or blog.

The other way to be seen on the Internet is by writing articles on your specific niche. I suggest everyone who abandoned their blogs years ago, start blogging about your niche and adding anchor text to your blog of keywords that you want people to see in order to increase web traffic. Even though you may not be a writer, to win traffic on the Internet today is all about writing articles to have the Google bot see your site. No writing, no traffic, and no money. If you don’t know how to write, email us to get started on having my team write articles for you for a fee. We will write articles for you for $50-$200 depending upon what you need Spinks to do and how comprehensive it is. Some writings require a ton of research and this takes time.

You will also need to add Google analytics to your webpages so that you can start to measure the success rate of each individual webpage. If you need us to become your webmaster and get this going for you, please feel free to contact us for individualized pricing on your needs at gds (at) spinksindustries (dot) com. So, step 1 is to start to add anchor text to your website and step 2 is to start dusting your blog or website off and add new content. Your goal should be to add new content to your blog at least once per day or three times per week. Good luck on increasing traffic today.

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You Are What You Say You Are

People always wonder why I call myself the Underground Millionaire. They always want to know if I have one million dollars in cash sitting at my home.

People always wonder why I call myself the Underground Millionaire. They always want to know if I have one million dollars in cash sitting at my home. I say this and I mean it: you are exactly who you say you are and act as you are. In other words, if you say you’re a millionaire but your actions are those of a criminal, you will never ever be a millionaire. Not for long any way.

If you say you are the best writer in the world, and put forth action to be the best writer in the world, you will become the best writer in the world. You must act with conviction and your action must match your intention.

You cannot intend to be something and act completely opposite of your intention and hope to succeed. Many people fail with that simple sentence and fact alone. You must not only say it and claim it. You must act it out every single day in order to achieve your dreams. Keep pushing and driving and you will make it.

How To Avoid Being Outsourced Out Of A Job

With the economy the way that it is, there is no avoiding getting outsourced. All companies are trying to reduce overhead and save money. The first way to do this is to cut salaries, cut positions, and get rid of jobs or have the jobs sent to a country where labor is cheap. The only [...]

With the economy the way that it is, there is no avoiding getting outsourced. All companies are trying to reduce overhead and save money. The first way to do this is to cut salaries, cut positions, and get rid of jobs or have the jobs sent to a country where labor is cheap.

Indian IT Industry Moves Into The Consumer Market

The only real way of countering this outsourcing problem is to make sure that you have skills or work in an industry or position where you cannot do the work in another location or country. If you’re thinking your job might be outsourced you need to keep all of your options open. If the company looks like they’re moving jobs away, they are. The first step is to NOT be in denial of this process.

When a corporation tells you they are moving to another country and downsizing, don’t believe that you are so special that they are going to keep you there. One day, they are simply going to come in and give you a 5 day notice. Corporations do this so that they keep you loyal and keep you in the job until they can gracefully move the job.

You must look for another job asap and don’t rest on your laurels. Too many Americans rest thinking that this will never happen to them. Many people on Wall Street felt this same way and my friends who work on Wall Street have been without a job or income for a year at times. You can’t rest. They will end the job. Be prepared by looking now or launching a business and really going hard on your business.

Gerard Spinks is the CEO of Spinks Industries; a web original content producer and online marketing agency based in Atlanta, GA USA.

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The Guide To Surviving An Economic Tsunami

A real Tsunami or massive flood like the one that hit New Orleans impacts low lying areas first and foremost with complete and total destruction. The same thing holds true for economic tsunamis. The economic kind first rears it’s head and impacts those who are economically and sometimes mentally in low-lying areas. [picapp src="d/e/b/8/Antonio_Margarito_v_6b17.jpg?adImageId=6636944&imageId=3697922" width="380" [...]

A real Tsunami or massive flood like the one that hit New Orleans impacts low lying areas first and foremost with complete and total destruction. The same thing holds true for economic tsunamis. The economic kind first rears it’s head and impacts those who are economically and sometimes mentally in low-lying areas.

[picapp src="d/e/b/8/Antonio_Margarito_v_6b17.jpg?adImageId=6636944&imageId=3697922" width="380" height="265" /]

To survive this, we need to move from economic low levels to medium or higher levels up the economic ladder. We must be focused on getting out of low-lying mental areas that will always be destroyed first. To get out of flat areas, you must first be focused on getting out. This means that you cannot become comfortable with the low level. You must recognize that the low level will always get destroyed and it’s only a matter of time before you sit right in the eye of the storm unable to move out of the path of destruction.

The first step is awareness and a non-acceptance of the condition of being in a flat area. The second step is in knowing full well that an economic tsunami will hit. It is only a matter of time. Do not become complacent with this and feel that everything is ok and that you don’t need to get out there. Get out. You must make a plan to get out and move up the economic ladder and improve the life of you and your family.

Now, I know most people are going to say that this is much easier said than done. This is not true. You can get out and move up the ladder. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to do this though. You must be committed to changing yourself and your life. You must be hyper ready for change and you must be prepared to take action right now to move your life out of your present condition.

Gerard Spinks is the CEO of Spinks Industries; a web content developer and online marketing agency based in Atlanta, GA USA. You can get started with a comprehensive marketing plan at http://www.spinksindustries.com.

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All posts are original content by Gerard Spinks Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, GA USA