The Urban League of Louisiana is proud to announce the virtual activation of its 2020 Women in Business Challenge: Scale Up! sponsored by Iberia Bank and AARP Louisiana. The WIB Challenge provides female entrepreneurs with the education, tools, and resources needed to scale their businesses towards profitability and sustainability. During the event, program finalists will pitch their “Scale Up! Plan of Action” for a chance to win $10,000 in funding support.
The Women in Business Challenge will be held on Friday, September 25, 11:00 am-12:30 pm via webinar. This event was previously scheduled to take place in March 2020. In response to COVID-19 safety precautions, the Urban League of Louisiana has decided to host this annual event virtually.
During the event, an esteemed panel of judges will select the winner based on the effectiveness of the pitch presentation, scalability of the business model, and proposed use of award funds. Congratulations to the 2020 WIB finalists:
Maryam Henderson-Uloho, SisterHearts Thrift Store
A thrift store located in Arabi, LA that also provides work, shelter and a fresh start for formerly incarcerated men and women. https://sisterheartsthriftstore.com/
Emily Swietlik, Swiet Studio
Offers wearable art in the form of jewelry and costumes while providing jobs and empowerment opportunities to women in developing countries.
https://swietstuff.com/
Dorothy Nairne, Delta Builds
Provides eco-friendly building materials, glass containers and household products manufactured from recycled materials.
https://deltabuilds.com/
Shondricka Carter, Carter Capital, LLC
Offers tax preparation and planning, accounting, business consulting, personal financial literacy, budgeting analysis, product management and marketing, as well as QuickBooks training and support.
https://cartercapital-102207.square.site/
“The Urban League of Louisiana is excited to launch its first ever virtual Women in Business Challenge”, said Judy Reese Morse, President and CEO of the Urban League of Louisiana. “As we all continue to pivot and adjust to the safety measures prompted by COVID-19, hosting this traditionally in-person event virtually allows us to continue supporting and promoting our women-owned businesses in a responsible way.”
This is the 8th year that the Urban League of Louisiana has hosted the Women in Business Challenge impacting more than 80 female entrepreneurs over the years. Through this program, both winners and finalists have gone on to successfully grow their businesses in the Greater New Orleans Area.
To register for the event, please visit https://tinyurl.com/yyhurt9v. To learn more about the Women-In-Business Challenge, visit https://urbanleaguela.org/wib-2020/. To learn more about other programs offered by the Urban League of Louisiana’s Women’s Business Resource Center, visit www.urbanleaguela.org/cei.