ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

African Americans have traditionally been a race whose roots are planted deeply in religion, and it doesn't stop on Sundays at the church door. "Our spirituality spills over into our daily and business lives as well," says Paula McCoy-Pinderhughes, BLACK ENTERPRISE small business editor, "and that could not be truer than in the case of Sandra Rozier."

President of Spears Global Marketing and Development L.L.C., a marketing management firm in Pontiac, Michigan, and the first African American to own a Choice hotel, Rozier gives thanks to God for "leading my decision into business ownership," and credits BE for providing the platform at a previous BE Entrepreneurs Conference to take that leap of faith (see "New Places, New Faces," this issue).

"I established contacts at the Entrepreneurs Conference and kept an open line of communication afterward--even if it was just to say `How are you?'" says Rozier. "Now I take other people who are interested in becoming business owners with me, in the role of a mentor, to the Conference, so they too, with God's help, can fulfill their dreams of business ownership."

But with that leap of faith comes fear. Black businesses are sometimes too cautious about implementing the right tools to turn their fledgling companies into corporate monoliths (see "Making the Switch," this issue).

As an entrepreneur, McCoy-Pinderhughes understands and empathizes with the daily challenges faced by many of today's black business owners. "Throughout the course of the year, I have met with, talked to, read letters from, and traded e-mails with hundreds of entrepreneurs," she says. "I've heard your concerns and have tried, through the pages of the Enterprise department, to inform you of available capital, match you with numerous organizations to help direct you, and profiled countless companies that could share their valuable experiences so that your firms could learn from mistakes made by others and flourish from their advice. And I've introduced two new items to Enterprise--Teach Me and Time & Money--in hopes of broadening the information in this department, and increasing the overall value of our magazine to readers in general. Bottom line: We must look to each other for inspiration when the odds seem insurmountable."

McCoy-Pinderhughes adds: "At the conference, I came to meet entrepreneurs who were ready to `cut some deals and network southern style at Nashville's Opryland Hotel.' At the Small Business Awards Gala, I sat at a table of future business leaders and mingled with today's titans. All told, it's an experience that keeps me energized and eager to do what I can to contribute to their success."

--The Editors