Main Street Microfinance » business

A Pilot Seminar Initiative

Elizabeth Garlow — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:43:29 +0000

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.

Microfinance Week in Review- Week Ending September 17

Alejandra Boggiano — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:00:41 +0000

Some of the week’s news in the microfinance, green business initiatives and the small business sector:

Fast Growth For Your Small Business Isn’t Always Good -USA Today
Business Groups to Fight Job Plans- The Wall Street Journal
Small Businesses Can’t Get Loans from Bailed-Out Banks- Bloomberg Businessweek
Business Groups to Fight Job Plans- Wall Street Journal

Brazil! Meet Two Inspiring Female Brazilian Entrepreneurs in Boston

swarfield — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:34:06 +0000

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.

For Small Businesses, Green is the New Black

jspaziano — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:03:04 +0000

Green – it’s the new black. But hopefully, it’s more than a fad, or a marketing gimmick – but a real strategy to build our economy and secure our future. At ACCION USA, we spent the better half of 2009 focused on green and how “greening” can help grow small business. Our objective is simple: to provide business owners practical means to improve their profits, their community and their planet.

But how can “greening” grow small business, you ask? Incorporating eco-friendly products and energy-saving measures will be easier than ever! Going green impacts the bottom line and helps small businesses to:

Access new, green-conscious consumers
Reduce business energy, water and waste costs
Participate in the growing green economy
Hire for green jobs
Leverage to tax credits and rebate programs

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this April, ACCION USA will launch a green loan program, so stay tuned for a sneak preview in upcoming weeks.

Jennifer Spaziano, vice president of business development at ACCION USA, ioins Main Street Microfinance as a regular blog contributor, covering green business issues and ACCION USA’s launch into green lending. Stay tuned for news and progress on our green lending initiative!