ALBANY, Ga. – Albany Community Together ACT! provides a platform for entrepreneurs that are eager to grow.
Over the weekend, act hosted its rural Business Day Accelerator Program, providing valuable opportunities for both new and experienced entrepreneurs.
“We’re kicking off our Business Day Accelerator. A program to provide business development workshops and services to those entrepreneurs, existing businesses and those businesses that are looking to scale and grow, providing them with resources and opportunities to have access to capital,” said Thelma Johnson, President & CEO, Albany Community Together, Inc.
Albany Community Together, a community development financial institution, serves businesses across 38 counties by providing access to capital, coaching, and networking opportunities. Fourteen of these counties are located here, in Southwest Georgia.
“We have organizational leadership. How do you show up the executive presence? And, we had grace like marketing for marketing. How do you market? How do you create your brand? How do you understand your customer who you’re selling to as well? And then we have emotional intelligence making sure that you can control the way that you’re interacting with your customer and your employees. And, then, we’re going to end the day with access to capital. Are you lendable? Are you ready to ask a bank or financial company for a loan?” said Johnson.
Thelma Johnson, President and CEO of Albany Community Together, Inc., discusses the importance of organizations like act in providing essential resources to support entrepreneurs.
“It’s important for entrepreneurs to know what resources are out there, what public resources, what private resources, and how to prepare to go to a bank or to a financial lender to ask for help. How do you get a loan? How do you grow a business? Because if you don’t have the resources, then you can’t scale or grow. So, we want to be in partnership with our small businesses in Southwest Georgia to make sure that they are successful, they are scaling, they know what’s out there, and we are here today to bring it to them,” said Johnson.
De’Andra Jacobs reporting.
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