{"product_id":"32-ways-to-be-a-champion-in-business-isbn-9780307461896","title":"32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business","description":"As a young man, Earvin “Magic” Johnson admired his father and other small-town entrepreneurs who created jobs and served as leaders in his Midwestern community. He worked for them, watched them, and his interest in building communities through economic development grew even while his basketball career flourished. His fame as an NBA star gave him access to some of the most successful business leaders in the country. It was Earvin’s own entrepreneurial spirit that inspired them to serve as his mentors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEarvin made the transition from great athlete to greater entrepreneur through hard work and by avidly pursuing opportunities. He recognized that densely populated urban communities were ripe for commercial and residential development. He partnered with major brands like Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, and T.G.I. Friday’s to lead a major economic push in these communities. The success of his businesses proved that ethnically diverse urban residents would welcome and support major brands if given the opportunity. Earvin continues to be a leader of urban economic development that provides jobs, goods, and a new spirit of community.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business\u003c\/i\u003e will inspire and enlighten readers who wish to make a similar impact with their careers and business endeavors.EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON—known worldwide for his talent on the basketball court—has an equally impressive career off the court. As the chairman and chief executive officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, he has helped launch major business initiatives focused on revitalizing ethnically diverse urban communities by bringing brand-name businesses into them. He has been voted number one among organizations and individuals in representing the urban community, and is the celebrity most able to influence minority consumer purchasing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor speaking engagements or to book Earvin “Magic” Johnson for your next corporate en­gagement, e-mail: info@magicjent.com.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003eThe Mission\u003cbr\u003eEach of us can make a difference, even if it is one street corner at a time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy father and other entrepreneurs in my hometown, Lansing, Michigan, were my first business role models and mentors. Later, I got to know major entertainment executives such as Joe Smith of Elektra\/Asylum Records and Peter Guber of Sony Pictures because they had courtside Lakers tickets. When we socialized after games, they’d ask me about basketball—and I’d pick their brains about business.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eStill, it was J. Bruce Llewellyn, one of the most successful black men in America, who sent me off with a mission on my journey from basketball player to businessman. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he built an empire that includes one of the nation’s largest Coca-Cola distributorships, a cable and broadcasting company, and \u003ci\u003eEssence \u003c\/i\u003emagazine.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen we met, I got right to the point.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I want to be a businessman after basketball,” I told him. “I want to make a lot of money like you.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMr. Llewellyn let me babble on like that for several minutes before he cut me off with a wave of his hand.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“No, Magic,” he said; “if money is all you want, there willnever be enough of it and you will never be happy. You’ve got to be about more than that.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHe had my attention. What did he mean?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“You have the opportunity to be a leader who can do great things and change people’s lives for the better,” he said. “You can be a businessman who is also a catalyst for change.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis great entrepreneur offered me more than I’d bargained for. Since high school, I’d sought out advice from every successful businessperson I’d met. This was the first person who had a bigger vision for me than I had for myself.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA catalyst for change?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat was a role I’d never imagined. I thought you had to be Nelson Mandela or the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to change the world. I learned instead that each of us can make a difference, even if it is one street corner at a time. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eI still saw myself as an athlete—a player who performed well on the basketball court and hopefully excited a few fans. I figured once my NBA days were over I’d fade from the public view and focus on building wealth and a family.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGod has a way of telling you what you are supposed to be doing. He gets the message out one way or another until you finally pay attention.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThat meeting with J. Bruce Llewellyn was a defining moment. He changed my perspective by challenging me to expand my goals as a person and as an entrepreneur.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA few weeks after my talk with him, God sent another messenger by the name of John Mack, who led the Urban League of Los Angeles for more than thirty-five years. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMr. Mack asked me to join the Urban League. Then he too challenged me.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“You’ve got to become a leader in this community,” he said. “You need to get involved and learn how things work.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBruce Llewellyn and John Mack opened my eyes and my mind to a much bigger world.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eI’d thought I was living large as a member of the Lakers. Yet once I immersed myself in business and joined the Urban League, I realized that an athlete’s life offers a very limited perspective.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOver time, I came to understand the vision others had for me. I made the next big step in my manhood when I heeded the advice of those two strong and committed leaders. They refocused my vision for my life, and I resolved to first make a difference in the world and let the money take care of itself.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eTo accomplish that mission, I went back to school in the classroom of the real world. I was lucky. I had access to brilliant men and women of all races who gave me guidance—from \u003ci\u003eBlack Enterprise \u003c\/i\u003epublisher Earl Graves to Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Hollywood superagent Michael Ovitz.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEven with those great minds to guide me, I had a lot to learn. Certainly, I made mistakes, and I will share what I learned from them in the pages that follow. To stay true to my mission, I will share the story of my journey from basketball to boardroom while also providing guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBefore we begin, I encourage you, just as Mr. Llewellyn and Mr. Mack encouraged me, to think of yourself and your business as catalysts for positive change in your community. Make a difference, and making money will follow.Entrepreneur and Community Leader","brand":"Crown Currency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302397268197,"sku":"NP9780307461896","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780307461896.jpg?v=1767720226","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/32-ways-to-be-a-champion-in-business-isbn-9780307461896","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}