The Mobile County NAACP Branch #5044 and the Growth Alliance Task Force (GATF) of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce are collaborating on a series of free workshops for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The workshops will be held on Tuesdays in May — 3, 10, 17 and 24 — from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Yvonne Kennedy Technology Center, Room 209, at Bishop State Community College.
GATF is a committee within the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our mission is to strengthen small and minority business thru education, mentoring and training, thereby enhancing the opportunity of success,” says Clarence Johnson, Sr., GATF’s Chair. “Each workshop will be hosted by an experienced entrepreneur or a provider of small business resources.”
Workshop topics are: ‘Beginning Lean: Starting Your Business with Little Funding” on May 3; “Financing and Planning Your Entrepreneurial Dream” on May 10; “Marketing and New Business Development” on May 17; and “Building Your Future: Leadership and Management” on May 24.
“African-Americans comprise 51% of the population of the City of Mobile, and while the city is growing, we are not,” says Ronald Ali, Mobile County NAACP President.
“Through our Economic Development Committee, we are working to increase opportunities for current and future entrepreneurs in our community. As more doors of opportunity swing open to them, we want to make sure they have the necessary knowledge and resources for success,” he says. “Their success will help alleviate under-employment and other economic disparities in under-served areas, and, by doing so, will enhance the overall productivity of our city.”
Tenaysha Carroll, Co-Chair of GATF’s Outreach Subcommittee, says these workshops and a soon-to-be-released Profiles of Success — which highlights small businesses who have grown their business through Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce membership — are an outgrowth of the committee’s 2015 strategic planning session to boost minority business growth.
Each workshop will be comprised of business information, question-and-answer sessions and handouts. The objective is to provide startup and growth information and to answer questions that may be of concern for establishing a business or nonprofit in Mobile, AL.
Though the workshops are free, those who wish to attend are strongly encouraged to register online HERE on Eventbrite.
