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According to the 2022 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight, a new report shows that 66% of business owners expect revenue to increase.  Also, 83% plan to obtain funding for their business (up from 70% this spring).  In addition, 77% of entrepreneurs say their business is equipped to survive a recession.  To read more, go to the Black Enterprise website.

Richland Library in partnership with the City of Columbia's Office of Business Opportunities announce this year's  Summer Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) is Mrs. Lasenta Lewis-Ellis!  Lasenta is the president and CEO of LLE Construction Group, LLC and specializes in owner's representation in general construction and contracting, construction and project management, and facility support services.  During her residency as EiR, she will share her "Sidepreneurship" expertise with entrepreneurs and small business owners through an array of free programs…

(Photo courtesy of Black Enterprise and U.S. Small Business Administration) U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with President Reuben A. Shelton, III, Esq., on behalf of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)’s Council of Presidents, comprised of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities (the "Divine Nine") to bring SBA's valuable small business resources into reach for many small businesses and entrepreneurs.  This memorandum furthers the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment…

JPMorgan Chase announced an expanded five-year, $30 million commitment to the financial and career success of students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  This commitment expands on the firm's Advancing Black Pathways initiative which launched in 2019 to chart clearer pathways toward economic success and empowerment within the Black community. To read more on this announcement, click here to go to the JPMorgan Chase news announcement webpage!

For those of you whose business is registered with the federal government, please read the post below from the Alliance of Supplier Diversity Professionals (ASDP): On April 4, 2022, the Federal government transitioned from DUNS numbers to Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI). As a result, vendors will no longer have to obtain or maintain a DUNS number before registering in the System for Award Management (SAM). This change, however, doesn’t mean you should toss your DUNS…

South Carolina Community Loan Fund (SCCLF) recently announced that Truist Bank has invested $3 million in SCCLF's revolving loan fund.  This investment will help SCCLF serve organizations led by women, people of color, and those located in rural and low-income communities which have historically been denied adequate access to capital.  To read more, click on the following link to sodacitybizwire.com!

When raising capital, minority business owners must shift their mindset to focus on the numbers with a concrete, evidence-based rationale for why their companies are good investments.  Less than one percent (1%) of American venture capital-backed founders are Black, and the percentage of minorities and women in decision-making roles in venture-backed companies is not much higher.  To read more, click here to go the Black Enterprise webpage!

OneUnited Bank, the nation's largest Black-owned bank, joins with Lendistry to provide small business loans to OneUnited Bank customers.  OneUnited Bank is continuing its mission to close the racial wealth gap by providing a resource for term loans and non-revolving lines of credit to small businesses nationwide.  To read more on this article, click here to go to the Black Enterprise webpage!

  The Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) has invested $122 million to support the growth of Black-owned banks and businesses.  On March 17th, LISC announced this investment that was closed through LISC's Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF).  Funding for this investment came from major companies such as Netflix and Costco.  To read more on this story, click here to go to the Black Enterprise website!

The FedEx E-Commerce Learning Lab is a multi-faceted four-month program designed to help minority small business owners - primarily women of color - who are looking to develop or expand their e-commerce operations.  To read more on the FedEx E-Commerce Learning Lab or to apply, click here to go to the FedEx E-Commerce Learning Lab webpage!  Applications will be accepted until Friday, April 1, 2022.