In an economy where an unbelievable amount of franchises are failing and companies are closing their doors left and right, many people are not sure they have what it takes to open a business and keep it afloat.

According to Orangeburg business owner Kenneth Middleton, the job of being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. He said it takes a special person, full of hard work and dedication to pull it off.

“An entrepreneur cannot be ordinary,” Middleton said while presenting at a Jan. 30 entrepreneurship workshop at the “Surviving In the Global Recession: The Road to Recovery” Economic Summit sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc and Bank of America.

Middleton urged attendants to build a tough skin and prepare themselves for what he believes is one of the most challenging careers out there.

“Prepare to work harder than you have ever worked in your life and probably for less money,” Middleton said. “It’s a war every day. Are you up for it?”

The owner of Coldwell Banker Middleton and Associates Realtors told attendants that time is the most important resource that an entrepreneur has. When you waste time, you lose possible income, he said.

“Time is money. We have all heard that saying before, but it’s true,” Middleton said.

Middleton encouraged attendants to take risks and to not waste time being afraid.

“Take the risk of being wrong. You don’t have time to pause,” Middleton said. “I have way more failures than I have success, but I’m a warrior now.”

The workshop also focused on the importance of making a business plan before actually opening up business. Middleton said that if you do not analyze all the money, time, products and other factors that go into having a successful company, your business will fail.

“You have to run the numbers. Lay your foundation down, get a job, establish a base first,” Middleton said.

The entrepreneur workshop was one of many seminars and programs at the summit.

The summit also included a job fair, an essay contest, and a panel discussion that consisted of Bowman Sen. John W. Matthews Jr., Gregg Robinson of the Orangeburg Development Commission, David Coleman of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce and Bernice R. Tribble of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association.

Each member of the panel delivered a short lecture addressing the issues of the economy and what is suggested that people do to improve lives during the recession.

Matthews suggested thinking critically about the ways in which money is spent and credit is handled.

“Money doesn’t come with directions,” Matthews said. “You have to learn how to use is and manage it.”

Other workshops included;

“Building Wealth During Economic Downturn” presented by Clente Flemming.

“Will Your Resume Get You Hired?” presented by Carolyn R. Snell.

“Are You Prepared for the Job Market?” presented by Joseph B. Thomas Jr.

Different pressing issues facing the nation will be addressed on Super Bowl Sunday during the first community panel discussion of 2010.

The event will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the parish hall of Trinity United Methodist Church of Orangeburg. It is being sponsored by the graduate chapters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the Orangeburg Wesley Foundation.

Clara B. Robinson, Political Action Committee chairman for Alpha Omicron Zeta Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, says the group sponsored a similar event prior to last fall’s general election.

“We have invited Orangeburg area representatives in the fields of law, health care and politics to discuss how these topics will affect us here,” Robinson said. “They will share their ideas on what we need to do and how we can improve our quality of life.”

Some of the topics up for discussion will be health care, immigration, the economy and the nation’s involvement in two wars.

Rosa W. Kennerly-Dance, Zeta Phi Beta member and moderator, will ask questions of the panel and steer the discussion.

Confirmed panel members include Jim Ulmer and the Rev. Charles Butler of the Orangeburg County Republican Party; Democratic state legislators Rep. Bakari Sellers of Denmark and Sen. John Matthews of Bowman and local pharmacist Rashad Darby.

Ulmer, county GOP chairman, says the panel discussion will offer the audience an opportunity to shape their opinions on issues sure to be addressed during the 2010 election year.

“The purpose is to inform them and see both sides if there are differing views,” Ulmer said.

Sellers says the format more closely resembles an information session rather than a debate.

“I can give an opinion on what I believe to be the national perspective and a more detailed view on the state perspective,” Sellers said.

Entertainment for the event will be provided by Trinity’s Male Chorus, directed by Rogers Jarvis. Refreshments will be served afterwards, at which time audience members are encouraged to question the panel members one on one.

Beta Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will play host to a weekend of activities Dec. 11-13, to commemorate the chapter’s 75 years in service to the Orangeburg community.

The chapter, which was chartered on Dec. 19, 1934, was the first established for graduate members of the sorority in the state and is the second oldest graduate chapter in the South Atlantic Region of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

In keeping with the theme for the celebration, “An Enduring Legacy: Diamonds Are Forever,” a ticketed formal banquet and dance will be held the evening of Saturday, Dec. 12.

The public is invited to worship with chapter members and guests at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 185 Boulevard, Orangeburg. The community is also invited to the “Diamonds and Pearls Tea,” a drop-in reception from 4-6 p.m. at the chapter’s Heritage House, 1938 Russell St.

The celebration will conclude with the chapter’s 26th Annual Calendar Doll Benefit Pageant at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, at the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Auditorium.

Special guest for the anniversary activities will be Dr. Julia Brogdon Purnell of Baton Rouge, La., who was initiated in the Beta Zeta Omega Chapter and served as 16th national president of the sorority from 1962-66. Under Purnell’s leadership, the sorority secured federal funding to establish the nation’s first Job Corps Center for women in Cleveland, Ohio.

Known as a champion for human rights and an eloquent orator, she further expanded the sorority’s sphere of influence by establishing a program office in the nation’s capital and initiating Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the U.S. Congress.

Also being honored for her pivotal role in establishing the chapter is Beta Zeta Omega’s only living charter member, Orangeburg native Geraldyne Zimmerman who became a 75-year “Diamond” member of the sorority in 2007.

Ella Springs Jones, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s South Atlantic regional director and an initiate of the Beta Sigma chapter at South Carolina State University, will join present and former members of the Beta Zeta Omega and Gamma Nu (Claflin University) chapters for the occasion.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is the oldest sorority established by and for African-American college and professional women in the country, founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

In 1944, the local chapter’s Patroness Club was established. It was credited with organizing a PTA in each of the three public schools; lobbying Orangeburg City Council for traffic signals in the school district; and securing an officer to direct traffic and aid children in crossing the street before and after school. The chapter also initiated the Gray Lady Service, a collaborative partnership with the American Red Cross to provide school lunches for at-risk children in the 1950s.

Beta Zeta Omega continues to provide programs that benefit senior citizens as well as youth, working with the community to provide high school scholarships, funding to Edisto Habitat for Humanity, CASA Family Systems, American Red Cross and Special Olympics.

The chapter won the sorority’s National Program Award in 1998.

Debra Watson Norman serves as Beta Zeta Omega Chapter president. Marilyn Gibbs, Abbiegail Hugine, Dorothy Jarvis and Irene W. McCollom are co-chairs of the Diamond Celebration Committee.