Economic Development for Black Entrepreneurs
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Read All About It
The Roots Collective Website Shora Foundation's mission is to provide a safe place culture for those in under-resourced areas by creating opportunities and transforming communities.
The Problem
Knoxville’s Black poverty rate is 42% while only making up 17% of the population. A very startling statistic.
The Solution
Shora Foundation will provide a shared, co-working space and access to social and financial capital through its Roots Collective Growth and Development Center in Knoxville, TN.
The space, housed in a Black community, equates to a safe space for African-American entrepreneurs. Additionally, business resources—financial, academic, and social—will help businesses grow and empower entrepreneurs, ultimately to close the wealth gap adversely affecting African-Americans. Through an ecosystem of partnerships, we will also help African American owned startups reach $100,000 in sales within their first five years.
Our team, with over fifty years of combined entrepreneur-development experience, has dedicated our professional lives to developing and resourcing small businesses for success. Now we’re consolidating this experience and access for all entrepreneurs who go through The Roots Collective Growth and Development Center.
The Impact
African American owned entrepreneurs will directly benefit from our programming. The Roots Collective will help them identify sustainable business solutions. Our goal is also to close the wealth gap within five years. It’s our duty to serve this under-resourced minority population by working to close this tremendous gap particularly by developing small business start-ups for Black women.
Our solutions meaningfully contribute to African American’s power and influence because we are giving them tools and resources they need to have a successful business. The Roots Collective will actively deal with and dismantle the idea of imposter syndrome and the startling lack of access afforded to people of color.
We will know that we are making progress by collecting data on the number/amount of sales our clients are making. We will also take surveys to make sure we are meeting our clients needs. Lastly, we will know there is success when our clients are able to hire their first employee and receive $100,000 in sales within their first five years.
We will have a deep and intense impact on a small population or geography. By locating the Roots Collective in the predominantly Black community, the success of our entrepreneurs (which we feel confident about) will greatly impact its geographical proximate community. Essentially, this equates to higher living standards and more resources to areas like health and education.
What we’re doing is unprecedented. There has not been intentional economic development through small businesses in a low income, Black community.
We need your support. We can't do it without people sharing in the mission and vision. The time is now.
Read All About It
The Roots Collective Website Shora Foundation's mission is to provide a safe place culture for those in under-resourced areas by creating opportunities and transforming communities.
The Problem
Knoxville’s Black poverty rate is 42% while only making up 17% of the population. A very startling statistic.
The Solution
Shora Foundation will provide a shared, co-working space and access to social and financial capital through its Roots Collective Growth and Development Center in Knoxville, TN.
The space, housed in a Black community, equates to a safe space for African-American entrepreneurs. Additionally, business resources—financial, academic, and social—will help businesses grow and empower entrepreneurs, ultimately to close the wealth gap adversely affecting African-Americans. Through an ecosystem of partnerships, we will also help African American owned startups reach $100,000 in sales within their first five years.
Our team, with over fifty years of combined entrepreneur-development experience, has dedicated our professional lives to developing and resourcing small businesses for success. Now we’re consolidating this experience and access for all entrepreneurs who go through The Roots Collective Growth and Development Center.
The Impact
African American owned entrepreneurs will directly benefit from our programming. The Roots Collective will help them identify sustainable business solutions. Our goal is also to close the wealth gap within five years. It’s our duty to serve this under-resourced minority population by working to close this tremendous gap particularly by developing small business start-ups for Black women.
Our solutions meaningfully contribute to African American’s power and influence because we are giving them tools and resources they need to have a successful business. The Roots Collective will actively deal with and dismantle the idea of imposter syndrome and the startling lack of access afforded to people of color.
We will know that we are making progress by collecting data on the number/amount of sales our clients are making. We will also take surveys to make sure we are meeting our clients needs. Lastly, we will know there is success when our clients are able to hire their first employee and receive $100,000 in sales within their first five years.
We will have a deep and intense impact on a small population or geography. By locating the Roots Collective in the predominantly Black community, the success of our entrepreneurs (which we feel confident about) will greatly impact its geographical proximate community. Essentially, this equates to higher living standards and more resources to areas like health and education.
What we’re doing is unprecedented. There has not been intentional economic development through small businesses in a low income, Black community.
We need your support. We can't do it without people sharing in the mission and vision. The time is now.
Organizer
Tanika Harper
Organizer
Knoxville, TN
Anonymous
Beneficiary