Micaela Valentin Photo
Graduates of the program with advisors.
The city’s Small Business Resource Center graduated a small but intimate class of 13 participants Tuesday from an entrepreneurial development class at the New Haven Opportunity Center, at 316 Dixwell Ave.
Fit for Business, the 11-week program, aims to prepare entrepreneurs to help turn ideas into viable businesses. It teaches participants to understand, develop, and implement efficient business plans.
Cathy Graves, city government’s deputy economic development director, said it felt gratifying to see the group of 20 participants successfully complete the program. (Seven participants could not make the ceremony.)
“Tonight it felt good to hear thank you from the participants, because I didn’t know that they actually learned as much as they did. It feels good to know that I helped them to believe in themselves, and their ideas,” said Graves.
City Small Business Counselor Gerry Garcia, who worked alongside Graves, praised the level of commitment from the participants.
Cathy Graves at the event.
Both Graves and Garcia brought together a host of guest speakers for the program, including Joseph Williams, business advisor for Connecticut Small Business Development Center, business banking specialist Carlos J. Chaparros from Wells Fargo, and city Deputy Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli.
Chaparro, a volunteer with the Small Business Academy, taught a class for Fit for Business, on the importance of the business plan, and understanding where entrepreneurs were in the business life cycle.
“Entrepreneurship is not easy, but it’s honorable and I commend you,” Chaparro told the participants.
Mayor Toni Harp handed out the certificates and asked the participants about the businesses they hope to launch. She also emphasized the importance of small businesses to the local economy.
April Snell, one participant, is building a business called Cake Confessions. “The help was outstanding. People took their time to show you how to make it work,” she said of the program.
Elizabeth Wallace-Hunt shows her book to Harp.
Elizabeth Wallace-Hunt worked on a plan to sell more copies of a book she wrote called Voices, which contains poetry related to bullying.. Her goal is to inspire self-confidence in young girls, and let them know that they are capable of anything. “Being a part of this program gave me the push I needed to finish this book”, said Hunt, who has so far sold 100 copies.
The next cohort will begin the program this coming spring.
“This time will be better because we got evaluations from the participants of what they wanted more on, and what they could have done without,” said Graves.