weVENTUREs programs IGNITE Small Businesses Through Pandemic
The pandemic was not kind to Carlisa Amoomensah. The former military wife and stay-at-home mom realized her dream of opening her own non-medical home care agency after moving from Virginia to Brevard six years ago.
Business was so brisk for 4 Your Love Home Care, which connects professional caregivers with clients who need assistance to maintain their independence, that Amoomensah had enlisted a dozen staff members. She was eager to grow her business, but not too quickly.
“I value quality over quantity,” she said.
Then COVID-19 delivered a sharp blow to businesses like Amoomensah’s, which depend on daily one-on-one interaction with clients. It was time to rethink how best to raise awareness of what 4 Your Love could do for the community.
“I needed advice on how to get out there,” Amoomensah said.
Serendipity came in the form of an open house hosted by weVENTURE Women’s Business Center (WBC) — Florida Institute of Technology’s small-business support and women’s empowerment organization.
The program was established in 2007, as part of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s WBC grant program. Since then, weVENTURE WBC has earned a reputation for helping entrepreneurs achieve career goals through business education seminars and workshops, purposeful networking and one-on-one consultations. It’s also garnered multiple awards at the local and national level for how it serves entrepreneurs from start-up through every stage of the business life-cycle.
Mentors For Where You Are
weVENTURE WBC’s stable of programs also includes various levels of IGNITE 360®, a business mentoring program that pairs business owners with mentors. More than 70 experienced mentors share resources and relationships that help advance small businesses to the next level.
At the open house, Amoomensah met IGNITE 360® Program Director Kathy Register, who promptly linked her with mentor Rochelle Hood of PINK Consulting as part of the IGNITE 360® TRANSITION, a three-month mentoring program aimed at entrepreneurs and organizations that need focused strategic support for a short period.
“Rochelle was absolutely amazing,” Amoomensah said. “She was able to narrow in on how to find clients and she taught me in a way that I was comfortable with.”
Participants in IGNITE 360® ADVANTAGE learn lean business model strategies and key business concepts, identify market strategies and sales tactics and understand basic business finance. An experienced facilitator and an advisory board of mentors and subject matter experts work with the business owners to pinpoint and manage the strategic and functional change needed for successful growth. The program is customized according to the individual needs of the participants, who are required to provide updates and semi-annual progress reports.
“The program is very outcome-driven,” said Jeannette Kraar, who created the program for weVENTURE 10 years ago from personal experience with her consulting company, Performance Management International.
“It’s about where you are today and where you want to be and how you can get there. There is a lot of vetting and accountability.”
IGNITE 360® PREMIER, aimed at established companies, focuses on transformational activities like expansion, succession plans and change management. The six-month program instills clarity of focus and a strategic mindset, helping to close the gap between where the company is today and where its owner would like it to be in the short term.
“We peel back the layers and look at every aspect of the business,” Register said.
Real Results
Statistics prove IGNITE 360® works:
- 93% of graduates created new jobs
- 12% increased their revenue past $1M
- 10% of program graduates used newfound skills to increase revenue more than 50%
- 20% increased revenues up to 50%
At the onset of the pandemic in May 2020, Florida Tech received additional funding from the federal C.A.R.E.S Act. That enabled weVENTURE WBC programs to fund 31 business owners who had been impacted by the pandemic, like Amoomensah, to participate in IGNITE 360® at no cost. It also enabled weVENTURE WBC to hire additional business coaches to help triage the large number of requests for support.
With expanded capacity, weVENTURE WBC provided free coaching support to 1,563 unique clients, and over 1,200 unique clients attended 80 COVID response webinars. Because of their successful deployment of the C.A.R.E.S funding, Florida Tech received an additional grant in September of 2021 to continue the small-business recovery and resiliency program through July 2022.
“It has truly been our privilege to leverage university resources and the weVENTURE WBC program to help local small businesses through this challenging time,” said Dr. Ted Richardson, dean of the Bisk College of Business. “Faculty and staff have worked tirelessly, and we are grateful to all the mentors from the private sector who stepped up, as well. We could not have met the demand without them.”
Kraar and the weVENTURE team knew this program would be just what many local businesses needed to navigate the pandemic.
“IGNITE teaches participants how to look at things differently, how to find solutions rather than just putting band-aids over the symptoms,” she said.
At the point Amoomensah joined IGNITE 360®, she was no stranger to the business of healthcare. She had previously worked as an analyst for a healthcare organization and had been operating 4 Your Love for some time.
“I had a handle on things, but I felt I needed more resources,” she said.
With the help of the weVENTURE team, Amoomensah received the input of professionals who could examine her business from an impartial viewpoint.
“They’re looking from the outside in,” she said. “It was so helpful.”
Lasting Connections
Nancy Alva and her family also feel mentorship was critical in the survival of their family eatery, Latin Flavor in Melbourne.
"Before reaching out to weVENTURE, we faced the same issues every restaurant faced during COVID,” Alva said. “Some customers wanted to eat our food but did not know we had delivery partners. Some customers wanted to eat in an open area, but they were unaware that we had a nice new outdoor space.”
Hood helped Alva develop a program to adapt to customers’ needs during the pandemic.
“She helped us expand our social media presence and communicate more effectively with our customers via email marketing,” she said. “weVENTURE and Rochelle have gone above and beyond to help us succeed. We cannot thank them enough."
Connections created during participation in IGNITE 360® mentoring program continue well beyond graduation. Friendships that will provide a sympathetic ear and a fresh perspective are forged.
“Rochelle is now one of my good friends,” Amoomensah said.
And for her dedication to clients, Rochelle received the excellence in mentorship award at weVENTURE’s 2021 Women Who Rock Awards.
Learn More
For more information about IGNITE 360® Business Mentoring program or to become a mentor, call 321-674-7007 or visit weventure.fit.edu.
2022 Women Who Rock Awards
The March 22 award luncheon will honor women and businesses in six categories to recognize their outstanding achievements and community contributions.
Learn more:
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