Can you believe it’s the month of December already? It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Retailers are open extended hours seeking to claim the money in your wallet. Every charitable organization known to man is soliciting you for money. Friends and family are dropping hints about certain gifts that they would enjoy this year. People in the office are asking you to chip in on a gift for the boss. Your church is passing around an extra offering plate for a present for the pastor.

You believe in your heart that “it’s better to give than to receive” but in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “Give me a break.” “No can do,” says mortgage, car note, student loan, credit cards, lights, gas, cable, house phone, cell phone, Internet, insurance and Uncle Sam. We understand that you’re in a giving mood but don’t forget you have bills to pay!

by Shantella Y. Sherman
For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Toy Majola’s love for shoes started with the very first pair she ever owned. A Kwa-Zulu Natal (South Africa) native, Majola said that what separated her passion for shoes from others was her belief that shoes should be an extension of a woman’s personality.

One of Majola’s works of art with custom heel designs.

“No matter how pretty the shoes my mother bought me, I always had her add some style to it like gluing on a button or some glitter. As a schoolgirl, I was known for my fashion-forward shoe styles,” Majola said.

Business luncheon

DEC. 2—The board of directors of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania will host their Annual Business Luncheon at 12 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Downtown. The keynote speaker will be Robert P. Kelly, chairman and CEO of BNY Mellon. Reservations are requested by Nov. 27 and the cost is $65 for members and $75 for non-members. For more information, call 412-392-0610.

(NNPA)—Once you’ve started thinking about launching a business, you may begin to calculate your own role in it. Are you the right type of person to make a success of the new venture? There’s a great amount of detailed work surrounding the notion of being an entrepreneur. Are you able and willing to dedicate yourself? Do you have the passion necessary for achieving your dreams? There’s nothing wrong with not being an entrepreneur. It is more important to discover your unique career skills finding something of value that you are driven to pursue. If your plan involves being an entrepreneur it requires a disciplined approach and acceptance of learning through potential failures during the process.