FOREST PARK (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The road to success for an entrepreneur can be daunting, but one west suburban business school is creating an achievable path.
The Joseph Business School (JBS), located in Forest Park, has empowered and enlightened entrepreneurs, especially Black and Brown students, for more than 25 years.
Dr. Deloris Thomas, founding member and school president, recently joined the WBBM Noon Business Hour and said JBS offers a precious commodity: access.
“One is access to [a] network, where they have opportunities, whether that’s access to capital or access to markets…The other is access to capital,” Thomas said.
“A lot of times, their level of financial literacy and ability to understand how to have the proper package and the business systems and structures to sustain acquiring capital, whether that’s debt or equity, helping them to understand the language and preparedness necessary for them to grow are some of the major areas that we have found to be some of the challenges.”
Thomas added that their success speaks for itself. The nationally credited school, she said, has helped many Black and Brown entrepreneurs reach the million and multi-million dollar level for their respective business.
JBS offers a full ecosystem for prospective entrepreneurs. The school partners with the Small Business Administration, which oversees their small business development center. JBS provides an international trade center as well as an innovation center. There, the entrepreneur can build prototypes if they have an invention and learn how to acquire customers and conduct bookkeeping.
“We really help them to understand how to grow, scale and be a sustainable business,” said Thomas.
JBS gives students a substantive advantage, the school president said.
“Those who have gone through our program function and operate at a much higher rate than the national average as far as how long their businesses last and the level of revenue that they achieve,” Thomas said.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok I Bluesky