Join the Urban League of Louisiana for its signature “Becoming Bankable Series: Preparing to Access Capital”, March 7-9, 12:30pm-2:30pm! This series is sponsored by Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. For small businesses, there are certain indicators that are very telling as to whether or not obtaining a traditional business loan will be possible. These include the personal credit score of the owner, time in business, profitability, debt service coverage, and collateral. In considering these factors and others, it is imperative that entrepreneurs understand how to best position themselves to access capital and what they can be doing today to advance their business closer to becoming bankable. Session 3: Action Planning for Becoming Bankable and the Funding Package | Thursday, March 9 | 12:30p-2:30p The final session of the series will focus on assisting participants in developing a plan of action for improving their financial position over the next 6-12 months. This session also provides participants with final guidance on developing a funding package. This session will cover best practices in finalizing a loan package, obtaining support, and how to prepare for follow up questions. Common mistakes and items overlooked will be revealed so that participants know […]

A Recipe for Success: Leveraging Best-in-Class Accelerator Programs to Grow Your Food Service Business Monday, March 27, 1:00pm-3:00pm Location: Southern Food & Beverage Museum, 1405 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70113 Accelerator programs can be a game-changer for start-ups and growth stage businesses in the food service industry. During the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week’s NOEW In Your Neighborhood series, the Urban League of Louisiana’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and its partners will share how food service accelerators are helping diverse entrepreneurs to grow and scale their operations through guidance on food costing, operational efficiency, branding and marketing, site selection, expanding to consumer packaged goods, and more! The event will take place on Monday, March 27th, 1:00pm-3:00pm, at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, 1405 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70113; and will highlight the PepsiCo Foundation's Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, and feature Louisiana-based, Black-owned food service entrepreneurs who have leveraged the programs benefits to recover, grow, and sustain their operations. This session will also feature insights from PROOF, an accelerator, incubator, and food service consulting firm based in Chattanooga, TN. Founded and led by food and beverage industry veterans, the mission of Proof is to […]