Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2005

Abstract

This research paper examines the role of Mentoring and Role Modeling in enhancing entrepreneurship among African Americans in Cleveland Inner City. The paper analyzes indepth interviews of 15 African American entrepreneurs. The interviews were carried out among existing and upcoming entrepreneurs. Some of the interviewees are using the mentoring services to enhance their business potential. From the interviews, it is concluded that there seems to be low psychological capital among Black entrepreneurs in the inner city which requires the intervention of social capital in the form of mentoring and role modeling. The mentoring is done by successful African American entrepreneurs and Black professionals using different approaches. These include one to one informal approach, and community approach while business associations use a formal approach. This is going on despite the challenges that both the entrepreneurs and the mentors face. The critical thing is, it is community initiated, grounded and based. It also emerged that other ethnic group mentors act as role models to the Blacks in the Inner City.

Keywords

African American business enterprises, mentoring in business, inner cities--Ohio--Cleveland, community, mentoring, role model, African American, inner city

Rights

© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Department/Center

Design & Innovation

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.