Celebrating Durham’s Black Entrepreneurs

August 31, 2022 | By

Nutishia Lee

This story is adapted from the E3 Durham e-newsletter, a monthly newsletter that features updates on the efforts of our community’s incredible entrepreneurs, upcoming events and workshops, and news from around the Durham Community. Stay up to date by subscribing to our monthly E3 Durham e-newsletter.

 

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Celebrating Durham's Black Entrepreneurs

This National Black Business Month, we celebrate Black entrepreneurship and recognize Black-owned businesses in our community. At the heart of E3 Durham is the desire to build an ecosystem where the needs of our small businesses are prioritized. Where aspiring entrepreneurs have the ability to start their journey without the fear of the unknown, or the belief that they are doing it alone. 

When entrepreneurs are better connected to one another, to the organizations who exist to help them thrive, and to the business resources that will allow them to grow, the entire community is better for it. The businesses we build today are creating the generational wealth that has long been denied in Black communities.

As we build up and move forward, we also reach back and pull forward those around us. Let us continue to be intentional in the ways that we celebrate the dedication, hard work, and resiliency of Black business owners as we shop at, partner with, and promote Black-owned businesses.

Virtual Learning Opportunities
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 17, 2022! It’s time for another round of virtual workshop sessions, where you'll have the opportunity to gain valuable skills and have the chance to ask questions of some of the preemminent experts in our community!

In case you missed it, or were interested in attending more than one of the workshops offered in a session, we’ll have four of the workshop topics from last week’s Pull-Up event presented again in a virtual format. With such rich and informative content, we know it’s hard to choose just one.
 
10:00-11:00 AM | Small Business Common Financial Management Mistakes, Presented by Infinity Bridges Inc.
1:00-2:00 PM | The Customer Isn't Always Right: Balancing Integrity with Service, Presented by Durham Tech Small Business Center
4:00-5:00 PM | Identifying Your Real Customers, Presented by Helius Foundation
7:00-8:00 PM | Elephant Bites: Steps to Creating a Successful Business Plan, Presented by the NCCU School of Business

Pull-Up with us September 7th!

The Local Lender Offerings session moderated by the SBA's Patrick Rodriguez at the August Pull-Up at Provident event.

The E3 Durham community is growing and we were so excited to see many new and familiar faces at last week’s Pull-Up at Provident. It is inspiring to have entrepreneurs engage in dynamic discussions and take part in sessions that are jam-packed with valuable insights. Read more about Pull-Up at Provident events in our recent article “Supporting Founders and Entrepreneurs in Durham to Equitably Start, Grow, and Scale their Business” and be sure to join us for the next one on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 5pm. 
 
RSVP FOR SEPTEMBER 7 PULL-UP

Workshop session topics include:
Book a 30-minute, one-on-one financial, entrepreneurship counseling session with LaTasha Best-Gaddy of Infinity Bridges, Inc. Sessions are free and available before each event at Provident1898, from 1 - 5 pm.
Sign up for a session on Calendly. 
 
RSVP FOR SEPTEMBER 7 PULL-UP

“I was able to get some really good tips on strategic planning, as well as guidance on when one should think about switching to an accounting system.”  

Derek Williams, owner of Simple Haven, LLC
Spoke Spotlight:
Infinity Bridges, Inc.
LaTasha Best-Gaddy, Chief Strategist of Infinity Bridges, Inc.

E3 Durham's trusted local, community-based organizations, or “spokes,” are experts who know and understand our small business ecosystem.

Spoke partner Infinity Bridges, Inc. is a financial consulting and training firm that provides innovative solutions to systemic economic development challenges for women, minorities, veterans and teenage business owners. Their business development services include strategy implementation with business planning, marketing, financial management, funding opportunities, operational improvements, leadership, crisis management, and organizational facilitation.  

We are excited to have Infinity Bridges, Inc. serve as a counseling spoke, providing business counseling sessions and workshops on a wide variety of business-related topics designed to help small businesses thrive.
 
VISIT INFINITY BRIDGES

E3 Durham Business Owner
of the Month
Linda Hobbs, owner of As One Wellness. Photo courtesy of asonewellness.com.

Linda Hobbs, MSS, MBA, LCSW, RYT, owner of As One Wellness, is an Emotionally Focused Couple Therapist in Durham helping couples to build secure bonds through therapy and meditation. Below you'll find an excerpt from her website. 

“I love reconnecting Black and Intercultural Love. We are unique, passionate, and sometimes suffer in silence and isolation. Our love and happiness, our deep emotional and physical connection, matters. I help disconnected couples who want their sexy best friend back...
If you want more closeness, fun, and pleasure in your relationship, a deeper connection, you’re my people.” - Linda Hobbs
 
VISIT AS ONE WELLNESS
Want to be featured as an E3 Durham Business Owner of the Month? Join the E3 Durham program!

News and Announcements
We are excited to announce that we are launching new E3 Durham social media profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram! We’ll be sharing news and updates regularly to keep you up-to-date on all the amazing things happening in our community.

Please take a moment to visit our pages and don’t forget to Like or Follow. We encourage you to comment on and share our posts and look forward to connecting with you! 
 
BLK BIZ SUMMIT

BLK BIZ SUMMIT is a business conference that focuses on the needs and development of businesses owned by African Americans. The event will feature keynote speakers, including E3 Durham's hub, Forward Cities, and spoke organizations, and panel discussions on topics relevant to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals. 

Participants will be able to network with experts in financial planning, strategic planning, marketing, and sales. There will also be opportunities to learn more about the E3 Durham program and to register to participate. 

Registration is free and open to the public at www.giveittothepeople.com
 
NC IDEA FALL 2022 GRANT CYCLE
Early stage, growth-oriented companies can apply for one of two different NC IDEA grants:
  • NC IDEA MICRO awards $10K project-based grants to young companies looking to validate and advance their idea.
  • NC IDEA SEED offers $50K grants to early stage companies, often the critical funding they need to scale faster.
Apply now through 8/29 at 5:00pm. Learn more at https://ncidea.org/fall-2022/. 
*Note: Applicants may only apply to either MICRO or SEED (not both) during the grant cycle.
 
STORIES
SHARE: