News

News & Press Releases About The Black 411™
(PRWEB) March 30, 2006   BFE Telecom Launches The Black 411™ to Help
Consumers Find and Locate Black Businesses The Black 411™ is a new revolutionary
information service that helps consumers find and locate Black Businesses
nationwide. The service works similar to traditional information service accept it is
targeted at helping consumers find and locate black businesses; we even bill our
service on your local phone bill like traditional information service. Fort Lauderdale,
FL (PRWEB) March 30, 2006 -- BFE Telecom, inc. ("The Company") announced today
they are launching the revolutionary new Service The Black 411™. The service is
designed to help consumers find and locate Black Owned Businesses across the
country. The service will officially launch on April 30th, 2006, but we are currently
signing up subscribers and businesses to the service beginning in January of 2006.
BFE Telecom Inc., is a black owned Telecom company targeted at promoting Black
Business through technology. The company was founded in 2005. The company was
founded by Lawrence Spear a Telecom executive with over 20 years in the telecom
field. Mr. Spear has held several key executive positions with several telecom
companies, and most recently was VP of Sales and Marketing for the telecom division
of a fortune 500 company. "I have spent years finding and creating solutions for major
companies throughout the world, and I saw an opportunity to create something that
would make a difference in the lives of my own people". said Mr. Spear. Spear further
added, "This type of service is long overdue and necessary. There is a huge gap
between the financial resources and opportunities for Blacks and Black businesses in
this country, and the mainstream. We have over 36 Billion Black Americans in this
country, and we also spend over $750 Billion annually, yet our businesses only
receive .4% of the receipts generated in this country. The Black 411™ will help to level
the Economic Playing Field. If we can strengthen the black business that will lead to
more job creation, better schools, cleaner safer communities, and it will provide
additional options for our youth. The new service is designed to simplify the way that
consumers find and locate Black Owned businesses. The service is especially useful
to the Black Business person, or someone who travels a great deal. Sometimes you
may find yourself in a new city or part of town and you are in need of a haircut or
some good home cooking. The Black 411™ will be there to help you locate the type of
business or service you need. There are Black entrepreneurs in many diverse fields,
but because there is not a simple way to locate and find these businesses when we
are making a purchase, oftentimes we end up spending our dollars with a non-black
owned businesses when there was a black business or professional who could have
satisfied our needs. Mr. Spear said, "This service is not anti anything, we are just Pro
Black,", Other communities have been doing this sort of thing for decades. The Black
411™ will make finding and locating black owned businesses a simple phone call
away. There are over 1.2 Million Black owned businesses in the United States, and as
stated earlier, they represent less than 1% of the of the total receipts generated in this
country. Blacks as a population demographic represent roughly 13% of the population,
but we are a mere fraction of a percent of the total wealth creation machine of this
country. I think it was the great W.E.B. Dubois who said, ‘To whom you give your
money, you give your power’. Blacks are a nation of consumers, and we are giving
our wealth right back to the group that enslaved us for over 300 years. We are the
leading consumers of many types of products including electronics, automobiles,
wines/spirits, apparel, and much more; and worse, we spend our dollars with people
outside of our communities and we only re-circulate .3 cents of every dollar back in
our community. Mr. Spear said, "The analogy I like to use is that we basically take
ever dollar that we earn, and than go across town and give .97 cents of it to a stranger
who is going to use it to strengthen his community", the most disturbing part about it
is that we don’t do it with just a few dollars, we do it with over $700 Billion dollars each
year”. The Black 411™ will initially launch in 4 cities, New York, Atlanta, Washington
DC/Maryland., and South Florida. We have a very aggressive launch plan to have the
top 10 cities for Black Business and Black Population completed by the 1st quarter of
2008. The service will be marketed utilizing independent agents across the country, as
well as an aggressive campaign on Black Radio, Black Television, Black magazines,
Black Newspapers, and more For more information about BFE Telecom, or to register
your business with The Black 411™ Service. Please contact Michelle Dotson, 888-785-
8644 About BFE Telecom, Inc. BFE Telecom inc. is a Black owned
Telecommunications company that is focused on promoting black owned business
through Technology. The primary service of BFE is The Black 411™, a revolutionary
new information service that is designed to simplify how consumers find and locate
Black Owned Businesses across the country. The company is headquartered in South
Florida, and the initial cities for The Black 411™ service are New York, Atlanta,
DC/Maryland, and South Florida.. The Black 411….The Time is Now… We Can’t afford
to Wait….

Source. BFE TELECOM Inc.. The Black 411™ is a Registered Trademark of BFE
Telecom CONTACT: Michelle Dotson Director Communications for BFE Telecom Inc.
888-785-8644

(PRWEB) May 11, 2006 No More Excuses...The Time is Now...We Can't Afford to Wait:
The Black 411 is Here: After months of planning and preparation, and overcoming
numerous obstacles, the Black 411 is ready for its nationwide launch. Fort Lauderdale,
FL (PRWEB) May 11, 2006 -- Pretty soon there will be no more excuses for Consumers
not to patronize Black Owned Businesses. "The Revolutionary Black 411 is finally
ready to launch", says BFE Telecom President and Founder of The Black 411™,
Lawrence Spear. During a recent national interview Mr. Spear talked about The Black
411™ and how difficult it was to launch the service. "Over the past 12 months we have
overcome tremendous obstacles to get to this point, but I never had any doubt that we
would find a way to overcome the obstacles, and defeat the people who didn't want
this to happen". This service is special, it is something whose time has come. The
Black 411™ is a nationwide system that consumers can dial a simple 10 digit number
local access number and reach live operators that will provide them with listings and
information of Black owned businesses. We will provide listing of all sorts of Black
owned companies: banks, attorneys, beauty shops, restaurants, barbershops, night
clubs, accountants, doctors, tailors, authors, promoters, grocery stores, trucking
companies, employment agencies, car dealers, and so much more, "I have been truly
amazed at the unique nature of the Black entrepreneur, we literally have all types of
companies in all areas of the country", added Mr. Spear. The Black 411™ is currently
loading over 1000 businesses into our database, and we are signing up more each
day. The cost to register your business is a low $300 per year, and from now until the
end of June we are running a special where customers can register for a promotional
rate of $100.00. Our initial goal is to have at least 1000 businesses signed up in each
major city. We are currently working aggressively to reach that goal. Subscribers can
register to use the service for a mere $5.00 per month. What is unique about this
service is we bill the amount to your local phone bill. Right now consumers pay
anywhere from $1.25 to a $1.75 to call directory assistance, we charge a flat rate of
$5.00 for unlimited calls to the service! You can call 10 times or 100 times and it still
will only cost $5.00 per month!!! Additionally, you will only be charged during the
months you use the service. If you don't use it next month there will be no charge.
"We are so excited to be this close to launching the service", said Mr. Spear in a
recent interview, "pretty soon there will be no excuses, a person can just call us to
find any type of business or service provider they are looking for". The Black 411™
will initially launch on a limited basis, "we are starting our operators working from 8:30
A.M. until 6:30 EST Monday through Saturday, by the end of the summer we will be
running for 12-14 hours, and by the end of the year we will be 24 hours a day", said Mr.
Spear. The Black 411™ wants to first make sure we have the businesses signed up to
make the service viable for our customers. As mentioned earlier The Black 411™ is
currently loading approximately 1000 business into our customer profile system, but
our goal is to have at least 1000 in every major city". For now The Black 411™ will
continue signing up customers all over the country, and we hope to have reached our
goal of 1000 in each of the target major cities by the end of the summer. We
encourage any Black Business owner to call us today to get signed up. You can call
our offices at 888-785-8644, or go to our web site. Mr. Spear finished interview by
saying, "This service is going to change the economic landscape of this country, there
will no longer be any excuses for not trying to utilize Black Businesses. We know that
there will be times when it is not possible, or we just want to spend our money
elsewhere, for convenience, or price, or numerous other reasons, but if we can simply
re-direct 2 or 3% of our buying power, think about how positive that will be in our
communities". The Black 411™...The time is Now... We can't Afford to Wait. # # #

(PRWEB) June 13, 2007   The Black 411™ Announces Plans to Launch Nationwide
The Black 411™...Time is Now...We Can't Afford to Wait. The Black 411™ announces its
plans to launch its service nationwide in the 2nd half of 2007.Fort Lauderdale, Florida
(PRWEB) June 13, 2007 -- BFE Telecom (www.black411.net) announced plans to grow
its customer base nationwide in the 2nd half of 2007. "We have spent the last year
concentrating on the technical aspects of the service and in a few key markets, now
we are expanding our efforts to sign up customers nationwide" said President
Lawrence Spear, "The reception for the service has been overwhelming at times. It is
obvious that with the economic conditions that Blacks are facing in the country that
we now start to control more of our own destiny". The Black 411™ is a Targeted
Directory Assistance service that allows consumers to find and locate Black owned
businesses across the country by calling live operators that will provide listing of
Black businesses. Unlike traditional directory assistance callers do not have to pay
$1.50 to $2.00 per call; instead consumers pay one flat rate, $5.00 per month and they
call as often as they would like. "This service is not your old directory assistance",
offers Larry, "we focus on providing information that is targeted to our users. You
simply tell us the type of business you are looking for, and the city, and we provide
the nearest information we have. You can ask for the hottest jazz club, the best rib
joint, or lawyers or doctors in your area. We cater to providing a full spectrum of
businesses that our customer base utilizes.". BE Telecom has also signed a contract
to partner with a major telecom carrier to help provide the service nationwide which
will upgrade the service level and provide the customers with a service experience
that will be 2nd to none. "Our vision is to provide our customer base with a unique
service, but one that will not compromise service or availability. Our partnership with
the nationwide company will begin in the early 3rd quarter, and will be another option
that our customers will have". added Mr. Spear. The Black 411 is going to change the
way we find products and services, and will help to strengthen our economy at the
same time. The Black 411 is aggressively signing up businesses with a discounted
$100 to list your business, and we have reduced our Consumer registration to only
$5.00. As the country continues to struggle economically, and as major employers
continue to out source employment, blacks continue to find themselves as the last
one hired first one fired. It is now more important than ever that we focus on growing
the Black Economic and Business sector. We need to create successful companies so
that we can create jobs and can create valuable services for our communities.

About BFE Telecom: BFE Telecom was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Spear a 20 year
Telecom executive. The core service of BE Telecom is The Black 411. The Black 411™
is a Targeted Directory Assistance service that helps Blacks find and locate Black
Owned Businesses across the country. The company is headquartered in South
Florida but is relocating to Atlanta Georgia in the 2nd half of 2007. The Black 411™....
The Time is Now...We Can't Afford to Wait....We encourage all readers and listeners to
go to our website and to sign up as a user or to register your business for this
revolutionary service

NewsWeek Article   BY: DANIEL MCGINN
T HEY WERE THE CHILDREN OF THE ORGANIZATION MEN those gray-flannel-clad
climbers whose zeal for corporate life remains a defining image of the 1950s . But by
the time the first baby boomers began entering the work force in the late 1960s, times
were changing. College degrees had become more prevalent. Women were seeking
out careers that were once off-limits. Industrial jobs were giving way to even more
office work. And America’s postwar fascination with materialism—look, there’s
another new car in the driveway of another newly built suburban home! —was on the
wane. When it came to work, baby boomers wanted something more than steady
paychecks, and predictable promotions and the ultimate gold watch. Many wanted
their work to be, above all, meaningful.
That quest continues for them today. Boomers are a wide demographic: the oldest, at
60, are nearing the age when their parents probably thought about retiring, while the
youngest, at 42, are just hitting the sweet spot of their careers. Some are fantastically
wealthy; some struggle in poverty. But most have approached their working lives with
a self-determination unlike any previous generation—and for many, that means
starting a whole new career in mid-life. “There are tens of millions of people involved
here, [asking, “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’” says Richard Fein,
author of “The Baby Boomer’s Guide to the New Workplace.” Every day, a few more
boomers blast those “new contact info” e-mails out as they pursue new professional
adventures. Some are trading high-paying jobs to move into non-profits or
government positions. Some are starting businesses—or trying to parlay an individual
passion (for quilting, say) into a way to make a living. Not all these moves are
voluntary: for many people nowadays, the journey toward a new career begins with
the pain of a pink slip.
And not everyone will find what they’re seeking. Harvard political scientist Russell
Muirhead, author of “Just Work,” says the notion that one’s occupation should deliver
something more meaningful than a paycheck began with the 19th— century
Romantics, but it’s boomers who've truly embraced this ideal. They expect in some
sense that their careers will help them realize their authentic self,” he says.
Traditionally, making a career change required finding another job. But for the
generation that counts iconic company founders like Bill Gates and Michael Dell
among its members, there’s often a smarter route: creating a job of your own by
starting a new business. David Thompson got a taste of start-up life when he was chief
marketing officer at WebEx, a hot web-conferencing firm. In 2000, WebEx was slated
to go public—potentially making Thompson and his colleagues rich— but as the tech
market softened, the IPO was delayed. “I had this huge emotional reaction,” says
Thompson, now 44. Reappraising his lifestyle, he saw a guy who ate horribly, slept too
little and rarely exercised. So he took a nine-month sabbatical, doing yoga and losing
40 pounds . Soon afterward he launched his own firm, Genius.com, Inc., which
develops software to support salespeople. As his own boss, he often works from
home and schedules time for quiet reflection. “Everybody is so damn busy, no one
thinks about what they really want,” he says. Now, after years of craziness, he says,
“my life finally has some balance.”
That serenity is hardly the norm among folks who Inc. themselves. Many say their
transition from having a well-defined job to being master of everything (from fixing the
copy machine to balancing the books) adds to their stress, at least initially. Seven
months ago, when Larry Spear, the 45-year-old vice president of sales and marketing
for a Florida utility, lefi to create his own telecom start-up, he knew he’d miss his
prestigious title and his six-figure salary. But at BFE Telecom (it stands for Black
Financial l Empowerment), he’s launching projects like the Black 411, which lets
callers throughout the United States dial a special number to locate black-owned
businesses they can patronize. “I feel alive—I feel like what I’m doing matters,” he
says. “I’d like my kids to think, “Hey, my dad did something more than make money.
He did something very cool’.”
With life expectancies rising and traditional pension plans evaporating, these folks
may need to keep their new careers going for years to come. Most predict baby
boomers will work longer than their parents, and not just for financial necessity, but
also to prevent boredom. According to a report called “The Future of Retirement” by
the HSBC bank, “later life is increasingly seen as a time of opportunity and re-
invention, rather than of rest and relaxation.” The AARP says close to 70 percent of
Americans plan to work at least part time during their “retirement” years—for money
as well as a sense of purpose. Among human resource pros, there are countless task
forces studying ways that companies can better accommodate seniors. The AARP
even gives annual awards to the Best Employers for Workers Over 50; last year’s
winners included Volkswagen, Michelin and Whirlpool.
               With KAREN SPRINGEN in Chicago,
                JOAN RAYMOND in Cleveland and
                JAMIE REND in San Diego
SOURCE:
NEWSWEEK Magazine
June 19, 2006. Volume CXLVII, No. 25

Business Week Coverage

BW SMALLBIZ -- IDEAS Books That Matter We asked entrepreneurs which books were
most influential in helping them build their companies. The result: Our summer
reading list Carol Bartz Executive Chairman, Autodesk "A little book called THE
CONATIVE CONNECTION, by management consultant Kathy Kolbe, has been by my
side for years. It explains motivations and work styles better than anything else I've
read. In any business, you have to bring out the best in people. The only way to do
that is to understand them."

Randy Boudouris CEO, MAGNETNotes "The story that keeps me going is that of Teddy
Roosevelt in THEODORE REX, by Edmund Morris. Here was a President who had a ton
of critics but kept moving forward with his vision. The message is good for all small
business owners: It's not the critic that counts."

Larry Spear Founder, BFE Telecom "Stories of people's lives give you inspiration when
things get overwhelming. For me, inspiration came from WHY SHOULD WHITE GUYS
HAVE ALL THE FUN?, by Blair S. Walker and Reginald F. Lewis. Lewis, the first African-
American billionaire, came from meager beginnings, like a lot of us. He climbed the
ladder and led the first major leveraged buyout of Beatrice Foods. This book lets you
know that sheer hard work really can make a difference. It's inspirational no matter what
color you are."

Harvey Mackay Founder, Chairman & CEO, Mackay Envelope "I tell entrepreneurs not
to read books. Rather, underline them. Beat them up. Turn the pages. And go back all
the time for advice. A book that will stand the test of time and one that I absolutely
devoured is Thomas Friedman's THE WORLD IS FLAT. If a business person doesn't
understand that everything is portable and the world really is a very small place, he or
she better read this book."

Doug Ducey CEO, Cold Stone Creamery "No.1 on my shelf is THE EFFECTIVE
EXECUTIVE, by Peter F. Drucker. There was a time when the growth of my business
was completely out of control and my time wasn't my own. The business was
essentially unmanageable. This book taught me how to be more efficient. I would
have been lost without it."

Dwight Aspinwall Co-founder, Jetboil "I'm a people-obsessed kind of guy, so it's books
about people that have really influenced and helped me out the most. EDISON: A
BIOGRAPHY, by Matthew Josephson, has to be the most influential. Thomas Edison's
life story gives a lot of credence to sticking with an idea and then working hard to
make that vision real. Edison is the classic American inventor, the hands-on guy. In
any small business, you invariably need to be hands-on, and then you learn how to
relinquish control."

Tony Hsieh CEO, Zappos.com "THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell, talks about
the power of word of mouth, and that's exactly what we've built Zappos on. Rather
than spend a lot of money on marketing, we instead focus our resources on providing
the best online shopping experience, which results in more word of mouth and
therefore more customers."

By Joan Raymond