Economic Growth United States Project #47051

GIVE LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS A FAIR SHOT!

by CAN I LIVE, INC

GIVE LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS A FAIR SHOT!

Project Report | Sep 24, 2024
Empowering Visionaries: Making Dreams Come True!

By Racquel Williams-Jones | President & CEO

We are thrilled to share exciting progress from the Resident Owned Business Incubator (ROBI) as we continue to empower entrepreneurs and change lives. Over the past few months, we have celebrated significant milestones, all made possible by the generous support of our donors.

Piranha Pitch Success

ROBI recently completed its 8th Piranha Pitch competition, a hallmark of our program where aspiring entrepreneurs have the opportunity to present their business ideas and win financial support to take their ventures to the next level. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our recent winners:

1st Place: Tasheile Foster – $3,000 (Glitz Glam Collections)
2nd Place: Daija Cain – $2,000 (Sign on Beauty)
3rd Place: Klavonna Steele – $1,000 (Karley's Kolections)

These dynamic entrepreneurs represent the heart of ROBI’s mission: giving individuals who have often faced immense obstacles the resources and confidence they need to build successful businesses.

Expanding Our Reach

In an exciting new development, ROBI is transitioning to a fee-for-service model, which will open our program to students and entrepreneurs beyond the DC metro area. This will enable us to reach even more individuals across the nation who are eager to start their own businesses.

As part of this expansion, we are completing the necessary steps to become eligible training providers on the Eligible Training Providers List (ETPL). This will give us reciprocity with the American Job Center Lists in Maryland and Virginia, allowing us to support even more entrepreneurs in these regions. The application fee alone for this process is $3,000, a substantial investment that will enable us to offer our program to a wider audience.

Empowering Entrepreneurs Against All Odds

This quarter, we successfully licensed 12 entrepreneurs who are battling extraordinary personal challenges, including foster care, child custody battles, and homelessness. It is often heartbreaking to witness the adversity that some individuals must overcome just to have a chance to pursue their dreams. Yet, it is precisely this courage and resilience that fuels our commitment to them.

With your support, we continue to offer these brave individuals not just hope, but the tangible resources they need to succeed. From personalized coaching to website development, domain hosting, and branding support, ROBI ensures that each entrepreneur is fully equipped to enter the competitive marketplace with confidence and legitimacy.

The Audacity to Dream

We believe that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, deserves the opportunity to create their own path to prosperity. America has historically built wealth on the backs of the poor, and now, it is time for the poor to have their own shot at wealth creation. The Resident Owned Business Incubator exists to level the playing field and to give disadvantaged entrepreneurs a fighting chance at success.

As the visionary behind ROBI, I know all too well what it means to be discounted—people often assumed that nothing good could come from a poor welfare mom. But those doubters were wrong. The lives we change daily through this program prove that poverty is no barrier to vision, and with the right support, anyone can achieve greatness.

Your continued support shows that you, too, believe in this vision. Together, we are creating opportunities where they once seemed impossible, and we are giving entrepreneurs the chance to realize their dreams.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the fourth quarter of 2024, we are excited about the future. With the expansion of our reach, the continued success of our entrepreneurs, and the unwavering belief that every individual deserves a fair shot, we are poised to make an even greater impact in the months to come.

Thank you for your belief in ROBI and the entrepreneurs we serve. Here’s to making even more dreams come true in the fourth quarter and beyond!

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May 30, 2024
A Real Fair Shot for Under-Resourced Entrepreneurs

By RW Jones | President & CEO

It's RW Jones here with some exciting news about the Robi Resident Owned Business Incubator Program (ROBI). We have launched a new service designed to help under-resourced entrepreneurs level up by consolidating all their operations into one seamless system. This innovative approach will provide entrepreneurs with education, training, and support in various areas including website and funnel development, email and digital marketing, website hosting, customer relationship management (CRM), community building, and memberships.

To further enhance our support, we are exploring partnerships with Zen Business, aiming to bring additional resources and expertise to our entrepreneurs.

Our goal with this new service is to ensure that under-resourced entrepreneurs have everything they need to successfully launch and grow their small businesses. By standing in as an intermediary agency, we are committed to providing comprehensive support and removing the barriers that often hinder progress.

Programs like ROBI, typically funded by local workforce programs through the Workforce Innovation & Opportunities Act (WIOA), are crucial in providing high-quality jobs and careers to Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment. However, we recognize that entrepreneurship is not fully supported as a pathway out of poverty by many local cities and states.

We are determined to change this narrative by offering a real fair chance to those who need it most. By simplifying processes and providing essential tools, we aim to empower low-income families to break free from the cycle of dependency on government subsidies and build a sustainable future.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to sharing more updates as we progress with this exciting new initiative.

In Great Expectations,

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Feb 6, 2024
Something's Changed

By Racquel Williams-Jones | President & CEO

Hello ROBI Supporters!

It's RW Jones here with some important news that I think you should be aware of. Programs like the Resident Owned Business Incubator (ROBI) funded by local workforce programs are typically funded by the Department of Labor through the Workforce Innovation & Opportunities Act (WIOA).

WIOA is landmark legislation that is designed to strengthen and improve our nation's public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.

Entrepreneurship is an allowable activity in the WIOA legislation, unfortunately, it is not fully supported as a pathway out of poverty by many local cities and states.

Here is where it gets interesting. Low-income families are forced to bear huge administrative burdens such as taking 4-hour exams, commuting to offices to complete redundant paperwork, and submitting personal identifying information for each program that they desire to join.

This redundant process has left families depleted of hope, and opportunities. Even after training, they are left in the same position simply because the programs are not effectively meeting the plethora of needs, they face daily.

Low-income families are looking for another way. Another way to access real opportunities without burdens.

When we say we believe that all Americans are created equal and possessed of inalienable rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and to justice under the law. Yet the entitlements provided to people living at or below poverty are structured to keep them poor while entitlements offered to wealthier Americans and corporations assist in wealth creation and enhanced prosperity. It is this very element that keeps families from accessing opportunities that build wealth.

Corporations and Individuals with great wealth can access programs that aid them in their prosperity without administrative burdens and or barriers. However low-income people are put to tasks at every point, with every program that claims to help. This further leaves families feeling helpless and defeated.

So we are currently contracted to provide training to families who want the program with evidence of them completing our applications and assessment. However, what has now become something we cannot control or manage is how they engage with these bureaucratic systems.

Something has changed and shifted! Low-income families are telling us what they need. We hope that those with the power of the pen are listening.

In Great Expectations

Links:

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

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