On the 41st Day Before Christmas…
Walking through downtown Boston this morning, I heard, for the first time this season, the faint but familiar sound of “Jingle Bells” ringing through the city blocks. It’s hard to believe it, but we are now six weeks away from Christmas and entering the bustling holiday season. And I’m not afraid to bring the first cheer to ACCION’s blog!
By doing so, I hope to plant a seed early in the shopping game: buy local. Now if you’re a regular local shopper, you don’t need any convincing. If you buy locally occasionally, you’re probably easily swayed (especially by the mobs at Target and Macy’s!). But I am particularly encouraging those who don’t fall into either of these categories (and it wasn’t long ago that I myself was in this mix) to simply think about shopping locally this holiday season.
Even if you use this mentality for one gift this year – just one! – you will play a vital role in supporting your neighborhood and the entrepreneurial community across our country. You will help alleviate the plight of small businesses, recently addressed in a poignant New York Times article. Part of ACCION’s work is to connect these hard-working entrepreneurs with the resources they need, including capital, financial education, and business mentoring.
How will you choose to shop this holiday season?
Today, we’re connecting them with another resource: you.
And we’re helping you by bringing a little ease and creativity to your holiday shopping! Here are a few ideas (all inspired by ACCION’s own clients from across the country) to get you started:
10. Pick up a cool piece of vintage clothing for your niece.
9. Save the pet lover in your family the hassle of cleaning the dog.
8. Grab your brother a gift card to a local coffee shop.
7. Extend the gift with a few weeks of housecleaning services.
6. Send personalized and memorable cards to family, friends, and (for you professionals) clients.
5. Treat your mom to a day of pampering.
4. Send tasty ethnic treats to your co-workers and neighbors.
3. Surprise your parents with a full car detail.
2. Buy a bracelet or CD from a foundation that supports ACCION’s clients.
1. Help ACCION continue supporting all of these entrepreneurs by making a donation in someone’s name.
This season has a different meaning to everyone. For many this is the best time of year; for many it is not. But the invariable truth remains that shopping locally can serve not only as a present for your loved one, but moreover, a gift for a small business owner. In many ways, it can be a gift for yourself, as well: the peace of mind knowing that you supported your local community and brought a greater sense of thought, creativity, and care to your purchase.
So, will you consider buying locally this year?
Tags: Boston, Buy Local, local business, microfinance, New York Times, small business, success story
A Pilot Seminar Initiative
It’s a rainy Tuesday night in East Boston; a nice night to stay at home or in the shop. Yet at 143 Border Street in East Boston, dozens of entrepreneurs trickle in to grab a seat for the second night of a seminar series on Business Financial Management. The energy and excitement grows, as business owners from around East Boston and the greater Boston community, fill up a conference room at the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), and East-Boston based community development corporation, to participate in a class on ‘Understanding Financial Statements’.
Seminar participants
This is the second class of a six-part seminar series for Latino business owners on Business Financial Management. The series was designed by a collaborative group of business assistance providers and community organizations including ACCION USA, the Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce, East Boston Savings Bank and NOAH. These organizations came together with a common goal of facilitating a comprehensive series on managing business finances, led entirely in Spanish, while providing a space for business owners to make connections with one another.
Seminars take place every Tuesday night for six weeks and are led by professionals in financial planning, accounting, and ACCION USA. The continuous flow of questions, answers and comments last week indicated that many entrepreneurs have real questions around how to organize and reconcile their expenses, while others have examples and ideas that they are willing to share.
Small businesses are essential to building strong communities and a healthy economy.
Tags: accion usa, Boston, business, East Boston, massachusetts, microfinance, small business, United States
Beer, Pita Chips, and Burritos?
Jim Koch (right), founder of The Boston Beer Company, can relate to the struggles of a small business owner. At yesterday's Brewing the American Dream U, he offered advice and expertise to over 150 local entrepreneurs.
Yesterday afternoon, the streets of Boston were damp and a bit dreary. But indoors, things were bright: teachers dispensed knowledge, students absorbed every word, and both listened and learned from each others’ experiences. But this scene’s setting wasn’t the halls of Harvard or MIT. Rather, it was the second-floor ballroom of the Park Plaza Hotel, where ACCION USA and The Boston Beer Company presented the inaugural Brewing the American Dream U: a free, half-day event for entrepreneurs in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries to receive expertise from leading local business owners.
Over 150 entrepreneurs attended. For four hours, they listened as fifteen experts shared advice and fielded questions on topics including “What I Learned on My Way to the Kitchen” and “Getting Your Product Ready for Retail.” The advice was timely, inspirational, and most importantly, honest.
Jim Koch, founder of The Boston Beer Company, discussed the salesman’s mentality (every time he walked into a bar, he had only a few seconds to determine why the people sitting at the counter should drink his beer and why the person behind the counter should sell it). Stacy Madison, founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips, explained the importance of targeted marketing strategies (it’s like a fire hose: you have to focus your efforts, not just spray aimlessly). And John Pepper, founder of Boloco, emphasized the necessity of resilience (he pitched his business to 39 investors before he heard the word “yes”).
The event was an important step in strengthening the Boston Beer Company-ACCION USA partnership – appropriately named Brewing the American Dream – which launched in 2008. In the past two years, the program has provided loans to small business owners in Massachusetts and, in doing so, saved or created 282 jobs.
The partnership not only involves loans but, more so, financial education and “speed coaching” events designed to empower entrepreneurs with the knowledge they need to build their businesses. Together, these programs support entrepreneurs and prepare them for the many challenges of business ownership. And judging by an e-mail we received from an event participant this morning, these efforts are working:
“I just wanted to let you know how awesome yesterday was. I was amazed at how eager and enthusiastic all the panel members, Sam Adams, and ACCION were to lend a hand to micro entrepreneurs. It was truly inspiring and empowering. As a member of the food industry, I have many friends and colleagues with big dreams of starting their own venture and I’m certain they are not aware of these incredible resources available to them. I am excited to spread the word, and to seriously consider pursuing my dream as well.”
Help “brew” this entrepreneur’s dream by donating here.
Tags: accion usa, boloco, Boston, entrepreneur, Financial Education, jim koch, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, small business, stacy's pita chips
Brazil! Meet Two Inspiring Female Brazilian Entrepreneurs in Boston
ACCIONistas Erica Dorn and Amelie Busch, had the opportunity to visit two ACCION USA female entrepreneurs in Boston recently. This short video about their trip is an inspiring look into what microfinance can do not only for small business but also women hoping to improve their livelihood. A small loan from ACCION USA can enable women to be financially self-sufficient while growing a business that strengthens the economy. Those are just two reasons why female entrepreneurs ought to have better access to financial capital and a chance to be the strong and fabulous women that they all are!
Visiting Two Female Entrepreneurs in Boston from ACCION USA on Vimeo.
Tags: accion usa, Boston, business, credit card, microfinance, Saving, small business, United States