CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A program designed to help Chicago women of color get ahead with their small businesses is looking for its next class.
The Breedlove Accelerator Program at the YWCA Chicago is a 10-week intensive, which offers guidance on financial management, marketing, growing a business and more.
"You get one-on-one mentorship from industry leaders as well as successful entrepreneurs," said Lois Wilkins, the director of the Breedlove Entrepreneurship Center. "We also introduce you to potential funders, including venture capitalists and angel investors."
She said some of the more than 60 women they've helped over the past three years are working to get their products on the shelves at Target and the Home Shopping Network.
"They're still at the beginning stages before they're nationally recognized and known, but they're on their way there," Wilkins said.
The cohorts are kept small — between seven and 15 women — which allows the program to serve as safe spaces for entrepreneurs to learn and grow together, Wilkins said.
To apply for the free program, candidates should be Black women who have been running their businesses for two years with revenues of at least $100,000 annually.
Applications for their seventh cohort are due on Aug. 12.
Members will participate in two-hour remote meetings on Friday mornings, which begin Sept. 6.
Wilkins said the free program is designed to fit within the busy schedule of a self-starter.
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