Getting to the Next Level: Business, Race and Our Common Goal to Be Competitive

Mel Gravely, the popular author of, When Black and White Make Green and The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship, is back with Getting to the Next Level. The book is full of the real lessons learned from the most successful minority business owners, the corporations that are most committed and the communities that truly understand their role in growing successful diverse businesses. Getting to the Next Level is direct, candid and at times challenging. The book makes no excuses, places no blame and finally makes the path to success clear. If you want to get to the next level this book will show you what it takes including answers to important questions like: Why is access essential but not sufficient? What are the two ultimate indicators of long-term business success? What lies in the trap of minority business programs? What is the most important element of business capability? How do you build effective business relationships? Getting to the Next Level is a business parable with many characters you will recognize and others you will enjoy meeting. The pace is quick and the solutions are practical. This book holds the key to getting to the next level of thinking, expectation and business opportunity. A must read for diverse firms and those who hope to understand our common goal to be competitive. Fenton s biggest and longest standing customer was about to leave. He knew the loss of business would surely mean the end of his company. His business had grown and he had enjoyed his success over his ten years in business. But now it seemed he could lose it all. He was not sure what had changed so rapidly but he knew he was in for the fight of his life. Fenton called on, Hugh, who had been his mentor since his early years in business. With Hugh s guidance, Fenton and his management team began a journey they thought would save their customer relationship. What they discovered could actually change the business forever.

Dr. Melvin Gravely, II is the founder of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. a think tank whose mission is to improve the results of minority business development activities. He is an advisor to chambers of commerce, business support organizations, major corporations and minority businesses across the nation. He is a popular speaker and a noted thought leader in minority business development. Dr. Gravely is the editor of The Entrepreneurial Thinker newsletter and the author of five other books including the two others in this series The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship and When Black and White Make Green. He has a BS in computer science from Mount Union College and an MBA from Kent State University. Dr. Gravely s Ph.D. is in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from the Union Institute and University. He currently lives in Cincinnati with his family.