CEI

Session 1: Understanding and Improving Your Personal Financial Position | Tuesday, July 13 | 12:30p-2:30p During this workshop, participants will learn what it means to become bankable and how the personal finances of the entrepreneur are connected to the business. This session includes a deep dive into the components of a personal financial statement and why it is such a critical part of the funding package for small businesses. Attendees will also examine the debt to income ratio versus the debt service coverage, as well as, one’s personal credit score versus the business’ credit score. This interactive session will also allow participants to begin the process of developing their own personal and business budgets to form the foundation of their financial statements. Register for Session 1 here Session 2: Examining Your Business' Financial State and Needs for Growth | Wednesday, July 14 | 12:30p-2:30p During this session, participants gain insights into how to get their business finances in order including ensuring that your balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows are accurate. Attendees will receive tips on accounting systems, banking, equity needs and other important aspects of becoming bankable. Participants will also learn how to examine the financial […]

Register today for the Small Business Matters Summit 2021 to learn best practices for preparing your business for future opportunities in St. Bernard Parish! The event will take place at 3710 Paris Rd, Chalmette, LA 70043 in the Art, Science, and Technology Building at Nunez Community College. The event takes place on Thursday, July 22nd, 1:00pm-6:00pm. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. Click here to register!

Learn How to Become a Vendor of Choice for Major Corporations!Join the Urban League of Louisiana's Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation for its 3-part, signature series, the "Best Practices in Corporate Contracting" sponsored by Chevron. This series will provide entrepreneurs who are seeking corporate clients with best practices for building the financial and operational capacity required to do business with medium- to large-sized corporations. Tuesday, August 3 | 10:00am-11:30amFacilitator: Lakeisha Robichaux, Lakeisha Robichaux, LLC As small businesses set their site on growth, it is imperative that capacity building strategies be deployed to ensure that your firm can effectively and efficiently manage larger contracts. Access to these larger contracting opportunities is important, but the benefit is null and void if you do not have the capacity to meet the expectations of larger, more complex opportunities. During this session, learn specific strategies for building financial and operational capacity, including:  Attracting and retaining high-quality workers Controlling operating costs and scalability Improving internal controls such as financial systems, inventory and human resource management platforms Wednesday, August 4 | 10:00am-11:30amFacilitator: Nenette Lusk Gray, Lemonade Creative Marketing During Part 2 of “Capacity Building for Corporate Contracts”, participants will gain insights into additional strategies for building financial […]

Scale Up! Louisiana is a statewide, community-based, entrepreneurial education intensive hosted by Urban League of Louisiana’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This program provides early stage, women- and minority-owned firms with the education and resources needed for scalability and profitability. In order to participate, entrepreneurs must commit to a business education program that is delivered via 11, 2.5 hour web class sessions. Participants must also commit to utilizing additional resources and services to support their business outside of the curriculum, including: individual and group counseling sessions, technical assistance, pre-recorded videos, business plan assignments, and engagement with an assigned business advisor. The Urban League of Louisiana is working to increase access to entrepreneurship training in the communities that it serves – based on the challenges, opportunities, and small business development needs that are unique to selected communities across the state of Louisiana. The Urban League of Louisiana, in collaboration with Mastercard, will host its fourth Scale Up! Louisiana series, online, beginning in August 2021 for eligible small businesses in the Greater New Orleans area. The series will take place via 11, 2.5 hour web sessions. Other sponsors include AARP and Louisiana Economic Development. This series is also funded through a Cooperative […]

During this special online series, Black-owned small businesses will gain insights and learn concrete steps that can be taken to reach the full financial potential of their businesses.The Urban League of Louisiana's Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation understands that one of the keys to closing the racial wealth gap in the Black community is through entrepreneurship and other pathways that yield economic independence and prosperity. The COVID-19 pandemic, social injustice, and the economic downturn have presented challenges that have stunted the growth of many Black-owned small businesses, and some have even closed their doors. This means: rethinking your business model towards scalability, agility and resilience; examining your revenue model and growth metrics to ensure profitability; optimizing your pricing strategy for profit and cash flow; and leveraging the right financial resources to meet your growth needs. Thank you to our community supporters - Liberty Bank, Greater New Orleans, Inc., and the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce! Session 1: Building Scalable, Agile, and Resilient Small Businesses Tuesday, August 10 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Desiree YoungSession 2: Revenue Models and Metrics Thursday, August 12 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Lori JacksonSession 3: Pricing for Profit Tuesday, August 24 | 1:00pm-3:00pmFacilitator: Desiree Young Session 4: Leveraging the […]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted small businesses. Many businesses have had to close or limit operations, lost revenue, and terminate or furlough employees. While these are challenging times, small businesses have an opportunity to deliberately pivot their business to meet the needs of a changing world. What You Will Learn: • How to finalize your new opportunity including the business model and revenue streams • How to explore changes to your financial, operational, marketing, and staffing • Best practices in brainstorming goals, priorities, and actions to be taken Once participants have identified and assessed the feasibility of their new opportunity, it is imperative that a strategy is developed to reposition the business by building a new and improved foundation including confirming the new financial, operational, marketing, and staffing models. This also includes new processes and revenue streams for the business. This session will include best practices for recalibrating their business strategy by aligning goals, priorities, and actions. The facilitator for this series will be Malaika Moran, Owner and Lead Strategist of SocialStep Marketing and Consulting. There is no cost to attend this informational webinar; however, you must be registered on GoToWebinar to participate. Please secure your […]

Louisiana residents affected by Hurricane Ida are now able to register for disaster assistance with FEMA and to obtain needed support from the SBA. Disaster assistance is available to renters, homeowners, private non-profits, and small businesses in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vernon parishes affected by the hurricane effective Aug. 26th. Disaster assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. In addition, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to homeowners, renters and businesses. Please join us on Wednesday, September 15th to learn more! During this session, those impacted and seeking assistance will learn how to obtain FEMA and SBA assistance, including: • FEMA Registration Requirements and the Process to Receive Assistance • SBA Loan Eligibility and Application Process • Denials and Requests for Reconsideration Guest speakers include: • Susheel Kumar, Public Information Officer, Office of Disaster Assistance, Field Operations Center – West, U.S. Small Business Administration • Jo Ann Lawrence, Deputy District Director, Louisiana District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration There is no cost to attend this session, […]

Please register for "COVID-19 Perspectives: Session 3 - Reorganize, Retool, Recharge" by visiting https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3872764044088802573 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted small businesses. Many businesses have had to close or limit operations, lost revenue, and terminate or furlough employees. While these are challenging times, small businesses have an opportunity to deliberately pivot their business to meet the needs of a changing world. What You Will Learn: • How to evaluate the needs, opportunities, and gaps within the new business model • How to map the new business support model, training, and counseling needs • How to determine the tools and operational supports needed to ensure success Pivoting ones business to meet the changing needs of the market can require an operational overhaul. During this session, participants will learn: 1) how to reorganize one’s business support model, including employees, suppliers, consultants, mentors, accountability partners, and others, with risk management in mind, and 2) how to assess and pivot the business’ structure, operations, staff, and 3) the tools being used to create efficiency, increase productivity and meet the needs of its customers. The session will include […]