This story appeared in the UA News Center.
Written by David Bedsole
A group of five Blackburn Institute students partnered with the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, the EDGE and Selma Resilience Initiative to develop and deliver a one-day certificate program for small business owners last month. The event was the first AEI certificate program for entrepreneurship, growth and innovation.
The students developed relationships with small business owners prior to the event by visiting small businesses around Selma to advertise and recruit. Students also helped with the second annual Selma River Pitch event, like economics and legal history major Micah Adams, who served as a timekeeper.
“I was awed at the passion I witnessed local entrepreneurs exhibit as they pitched their ideas to the panel of judges, passionately explaining the heart and logic behind their projects,” Adams said. “I will always remember the fast ties of heartfelt community shown between the River Pitch participants, and I continue to reflect on the history, deep loyalty and mass potential for economic growth I witnessed in Selma.”
The students won a grant from Blackburn Institute’s Daniel Community Scholars Program that allowed them to cover the costs of transporting participants from Selma to Tuscaloosa and to cover the cost of lunch.
The certificate program featured an interactive agenda with ten coaches who volunteered their time to help.
Executive Director of the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute Dr. Theresa Welbourne, who designed and ran the program, said, “Our goal was not to provide Business 101. We aimed to meet the entrepreneurs where they are today and try to help them by providing individualized coaching and networking.”
“After we worked on creating a project proposal and winning funding with the Blackburn Institute Daniel Community Scholars Program, Dr. Welbourne was key in putting together curriculum and working with the Selma Resilience Initiative to recruit participants and develop curriculum,” said Eleanor Vest, an art history and political science major. “This entire experience has been a masterclass in community engagement.”
In Bloom
Ella Alexandria Love’s Selma-based company, Angelic & Co., creates plant-based, non-toxic, sustainably crafted beauty and wellness products. In addition to her product line, Love mentors and trains emerging entrepreneurs through her Radiant Bloom Internship, a youth entrepreneurship program designed to equip young women with business and leadership skills.
Recently, she was given an opportunity to expand her internship program to serve girls in the Selma school district, and she needed insights about how to attack that problem. At the certificate event, Love approached each coach and asked how they could leverage their expertise to help her build out her internship program. Frederick Spight, a lawyer and incoming program manager with AEI, gave her advice about structuring the contract with the school. Another coach with experience building curricula helped her decide details.
“By the time I got to the last table, I felt more confident,” Love said. “I had most of my program built out and ready to create the proposal and present it to the school.”
Buckled Up
Valerie Brown, founder and owner of Brown Sugar Sweet Treat, started her baking business by selling cakes out of her home kitchen in Selma. She won the Selma River Pitch competition, and as demand for her desserts continues to increase, Brown now faces the challenge of scaling her business.
For example, at the request of customers, she recently expanded her menu to include gourmet cupcakes. And recently, Brown offered a Mother’s Day cake flower decorating class for girls, which required her to bake 26 cakes for the participants. Because of the volume of cakes, finding a place to store them all highlighted the growing pains of operating from a home kitchen.
Through participation in an entrepreneurship certificate program, Brown said she gained valuable knowledge about everything from navigating relationships with banks to partnering with local venues for events — things that will help her as she continues to grow her business. The program also introduced her to the concept of franchising, an idea that appeals to her.
“I’m buckled up and I’m ready for the ride. It has been an adventure,” she said.
With Love
“As business owners, many of us are solopreneurs, and entrepreneurship can sometimes feel lonely and isolating,” Love said. “Events like this really help us to get out of our house, get out of our heads, and connect and see what we can make possible together.” That’s why Love appreciated the networking elements of events like Selma River Pitch and the certificate program. Through River Pitch, Love met and formed a relationship with Brown even though they were initially competitors. The women now have dinner together and discuss their business plans in addition to meeting at business development events.
“She keeps me on my toes,” Brown laughed when asked about Love. “And I want great things for her.” When Brown needed a photographer recently, Love confessed that photography had always held an interest for her. Brown encouraged Love to invest in photography equipment and pursue the passion alongside her other business.
When the girls arrived to decorate the cakes for Brown’s Mother’s Day cake flower event decorating class, Love was there, along with five other team members, to help her friend and fellow Selma business owner. In return, Brown Sugar Sweet Treat awarded Love the Team Player Spotlight for going “above and beyond.”
Good for Brown. Good for Love.
And good for Selma.