Photo courtesy of Destined for Success Management

Jarvis Green, defensive player for NFL team, the New England Patriots also happens to be an entrepreneur.  This past September, Green opened a restaurant near his hometown in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

The grand opening included many special guests: New Orleans Saints Players, Skylar Green, Randall Gay, Seattle Seahawks Howard Green, NY Giants Corey Webster, and many others.

A cozy and relaxing sports-related environment, patrons enjoy southern recipes and a wide array of cocktails, including a wine tasting area.

The Capitol is designed to feel like a neighborhood kind of place, but in an urban setting.

Jarvis took the time to answer some questions for me recently and told me about his business and his football career.  His two most important accomplishments as a football player, he says are, “Winning superbowl 38 and 39 as a New England Patriot. Sometimes it’s not always about the money, it’s about winning championship.”  His greatest business success, no surprise, ” My new eatery the Capitol. In my 7 years of football and the investments that I have made that was good and bad, this has to be the best decision that I have made. It has been a challenge but it made me grow up fast in the business.”

Image details: 40/40 Club Host Mary J. Blige & Jay-Z’s After Party served by picapp.com

When you look around, you realize that there are several rap stars who have branched out into all types of businesses. One great example is Jay-Z.

His earlier business ventures included being the CEO of Def Jam Records and an owner and founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. Roc-A-Fella Records also spawned Rocawear, a clothing line that helped bring a bit more refinement to hip-hop fashions. Jay-Z has moved on from all of these businesses, however, and is involved in a completely different, and very cool, venture.

Jay-Z is a co-owner of an upscale sports bar called The 40/40 Club. It started in NYC, but there are now locations in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, with new clubs planned for Tokyo, Japan and Macau, China.

When they say “upscale” in the descriptions of this place, they are so not kidding. The clubs are absolutely lavish. According to the mega-star, “I love sports and wanted to create an environment that is conducive to my lifestyle, while being able to watch the games at the same time.” Let me tell you, if this is his lifestyle, we should all be so fortunate.

The New York location has 23 televisions (LCD and plasma, of course) and is something like 8000 square feet. There are all different sizes of rooms for private events, and the furnishings alone are enough to make me willing to sit and watch golf, if that’s what it would take to hang out in this sports bar.

The name 40/40 is an allusion to the exclusivity of the club and comes from baseball. To get in the 40/40 Club, a player has to have 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. Only four baseball players in history have managed it. Fortunately, it sounds like the bar lets in a few more than that on a Friday night.

Image details: Jennifer Lopez Madre’s Restaurant Grand Opening served by picapp.com

Seriously, is there anything that Jennifer Lopez cannot do? She sings, she dances, she acts . . . and she owns a restaurant.

Back in 2002, J-Lo opened a Latin restaurant called Madre’s in Pasadena, California. The food was inspired by J-Lo’s Puerto Rican grandmother’s cooking, and the decor reflects this heritage, as well, with lace curtains and hardwood floors. Lopez even hand-picked vintage china to get just the right feel for this gathering place.

And, boy, have people gathered. There were more stars inside than out on opening night, with Nicole Kidman, Jay Leno, Christian Slater, Ben Affleck, Dave Navarro, Carmen Electra, and Kobe Bryant all in attendance.

Fortunately for Jennifer, things continued to go well after the big grand opening. The restaurant has been featured in several magazines and has made a lot of “best” lists, including best Latin cuisine by Sky Radio and best celebrity-owned restaurant by City Search.